A Story Worth Sharing with Ray Binkowski

Small Business to Grow Podcast moving to new Hosting Platform! This may disrupt or home on your favorite podcast provider temporarily. Check out SmallBusinesstoGrow.com to learn more.

Customer Retention Systems, the Other Way to Scale Your Business! Sure focus on turning leads and prospects into new customers. Just don't forget your existing customers that arleady know and trust you... most importantly BUY from you!

Dominate the Most Competitive Market with this ONE, Simple Strategy!

The Suter Company has enjoyed better than 10% annual Growth for the last 20 Years. CEO Tim Suter Shares How and More! Suter Company CEO Tim Suter talks: 10% Annual Growth for Over 2 Decades Impact of Serving Employees on Both Employee and Bottom Line (Strategies You can Implement in Your Org Today) Transitioning a 100 Year Old Company to 4th Gen Owners Gearing Up for the Second Century in Business and Legacy

How to Scale from 0-22K followers and Grow from 35 to 100+ Events with Marjorie Thrash Marketing Director of the OCB

Suter Company CEO Tim Suter Shares his Top 3 Must Do's and Must NOT Do's in Business. The Suter Company is almost 100 years old and employees over 350. It is the BIG business you never heard of. Tim shares the best practices that have allowed the company to thrive and grow.

Must Do's SWOT Analysis Make Data Driven Decisions Remain Authentic to Your Purpose Don't Do's Don't Take Things Personally Don't put Yourself on the Defensive Don't Get Sucked in to the Negative

You are the Product of Your Decisions, Not Happy Choose Differently!

Leverage the Resources you have, Your Team and Staff to Scale and Grow Today! The team, staff and employees on the shop floor, in the field and on the phone with customer are a tremendous Asset and Resource. They represent what might be the greatest resource in your organization or company. Leverage this Resource to grow and scale. The position or job description should never change how staff is treated. Should be a given but it is not. There is always a divide or a them vs. us mentality in companies. Fix this immediately. Things to keep in mind and make part of your culture. • Respect Everyone • Include Everyone • Thank Everyone • Ask Everyone for Input

You do not have to wait to change your life… it is not health insurance and having to wait for open enrollment. Year End Time for goals. Maybe be YOU want to change jobs, careers, health, wellness or lose weight. If you are tired of your job… maybe time to plan for a new one… or a new career. 1. Define what you do not want to do. 2. What do you enjoy? 3. 12 mos from now you can be an expert in a new field. 4. Seek those that are and ask questions. 5. If sales manager or director seek similar 6. Read…. Read…. Read 7. Believe you can do it.. This is a MUST You do not have to wait to change your life… it is not health insurance and having to wait for open enrollment.

If you ask a successful entrepreneur or small business owner with just a bit of self-awareness why they are successful, the answer will surprise you. The answer will be that they had the self-confidence to believe they could do it, whatever their it is, and do it well. Here is a great example. I was out to dinner with a friend. He has owned several businesses in multiple industries for decades. Currently he employs 250-300 in multiple states. So sizable operations. Though friends at the time for the better part of a dozen years I never asked…. On this occasion I did. Me What is your secret sauce, why have you been successful? My Friend I have always believed more in myself than anyone else. Wow! Let that sink in. Not the expected answer. At the same time, not the first time a successful person shared that their confidence played a significant role in their success. Confidence, and belief in oneself are covered in books on success. Yet here it was. The secret sauce in a sentence. Do you believe yourself? How is your self-confidence and esteem? Do you believe you can achieve your goals? This is a great place to invest some time.

This is one of the Secrets to Making More Money!

4 Steps to Grab the EASY money to GROW your business…Grab the Low Hanging Fruit! Make sure you take time to grab that low hanging fruit… and be sure to pick up the fruit you may be stepping over. It is EASY Money. It is easy to get caught in the daily routine business operations. Some time spent on marketing sales. But what about the easy money? This is the low hanging fruit and the easy money. 4 Steps to Grab the EASY money to GROW your business…Grab the Low Hanging Fruit! 1). Systemize the follow up with current and former customers. This means play the long game. Strive to earn a customer and keep them long term. 2). Over Deliver Value and Maintain Lines of Communication. Want to keep customers long term and turn them into walking billboards marketing your business? Of course, you do, then overdeliver! 3). Make sure website, Phone, Email and Social Media Deliver a CURRENT Message…location, contact info, hours of operation etc. Plus make sure that phone voice mail message is current, not we are closed from a holiday six months ago. Keep your company info current. Have a system and plan to do it. Leverage your calendar if you have to, i.e., Wednesday before Thanksgiving set voice mail to out of office and close for holiday. Monday after, reset voice mail. 4). Manage Your Receivables and Confirm Receipt of Payment, if you are NOT Getting Paid have a System to Collect Missed Payments! Call, email, and snail mail to follow up on delinquent payments. If payment is not made after 45-60 days send the customer to collection. Small Business to Grow is by Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs.

Be Grateful and Thankful for Your Staff and the Role they Play in Growing Your Business The calendar year is coming to an end. It is the holiday season. What better time to make sure that your staff knows you are grateful and thankful for their contributions to the company. That they play a critical role in the business growth. Give that bonus. That $1-200 may not seem like much to you, for them it could really make their holiday. For bigger business, $5-20K is a game changer for an employee and their family. Saying thanks and expressing gratitude to those that help make it happen is the right thing to do. Given the current labor market it will also go a long way in retention of key employees. Staff turnover is costly and can stop business growth cold. Staff retention should be a priority of every business. Give the bonus, and maybe a bit more. Say thanks and let the staff know how they make your organization better. Skip the jelly of the month club, besides you don't want cousin Eddy showing up in his RV do you?

Grow Your Business Today by Going where Your Competitors Can't and Won't Go! In a recent conversation with a client this was the advice. The client was working on year end marketing and planning for the new year. My advice was that simple. Go where your competitors can't and won't go with content showing how your customers problems are solved with your service. Build the year and new year plan around this. Where the competitors can't go; This client is in the service space. His team has credentials and certifications the competitors don't. I said these need to be highlighted in the context of HOW it improves the results of your customers. Where the competitors won't go: For this client video content on social media. Which we have been recommending and creating for them for over a year. The competitors are not do much on social media, and will be over a year late if they ever show up.

Steps to Grow Your Business when You are Slow There is a seasonality to most businesses. Some months are busier than others. In contrast, sales are slower at other times and from a revenue standpoint these months can look like valleys. To grow your business there are two steps to take. You must take action and spend time working on your business when you are busy. I commonly hear from clients that they are two busy being busy to work on a plan for their slow time, yet alone how to busier next slow season. If you want to grow, this is a MUST do. Step one start planning for the next busy time. What can you do to increase sales and grow? In short, how can you be busier next time around? How can you increase that busy time by 10-20%? Step two, how do you fill that valley when revenue slows? Leverage technology and create digital products. Generate content and share it via subscription model, explore other product lines i.e. if manufacturing snow removal equipment get in the lawn and gardening space. I used to own and operate a commercial gym and training center. Summers are slow. I filled the summer valley by training young athletes. I was on the board of a local theatre. The theatre did not have air conditioning and as a result was closed for the summer months. 2-3 months of no revenue was a large valley to fill. The theatre got air conditioning filling that valley. If you wait until you are not busy to execute steps one and two above, you will significantly limit your opportunity to grow. Get busier and grow your business!

A Better Way to Set Goals and Grow to 7 Figures and More, Today! 1. Set the Goal 2. Be Held Accountable 3. Involve Your Staff or Team 4. Measure Progress in Real Time Check out the video and see how I put this in action with my staff and grew 20% year over year and how I would do it BETTER today! Give you a hint… Involve your staff and team, give them ownership and a piece of the action…They often know more than you and contribute real time feedback. The Score Board, track your progress. Make it SIMPLE. Everyone on the staff and team that contributes to the goal needs to set it daily. Mine was way to much information. Make sure your score board is NOT numbers at the end of the month…. It is too late if they are after the fact. The data was a month old and it was too late to change. Need a place to start? Understand what drives your business and its growth. Ask, What can you do right now to have the greatest impact moving the needle?

Get Ready to Lose Your Biggest Customer... and When you Do How to Keep the Doors Open! Every business has those one or two customers... the ones that represent most of your revenue... money... sales. Every business does not have a plan for when those customers leave. It happens. Customers close, they get sold and sometimes go bankrupt and stiff you with MILLIONS in receivables you will never collect. When this happens to your business, you better have a plan. One of the best plans is to actively fill the sales pipeline with new leads. Cultivate leads into paying customers. For the small business this is ONE of the reasons it is SO important to work ON the business.... You know the classic work on and not in the business. Work on the business, systemize filling the pipeline with leads, convert leads to customers and be willing to say NO to customers when it can be devastating to your business.

These Posts Get the Most Attention on Social Media! Personal Interest!

Make pursuit of perfection your goal. Not perfect. Things are never perfect. Waiting and trying to be perfect will slow you down.

Brandon Gaydorus shares his path form college student to Top 50 Golf Fitness Pro to Author to a Mission with his Warm Heart Life to help 21 People make $21,000 per month in the next year!

We sat down and shot a video webcast with Business Coach and Mentor Brandon Gaydorus. Check out this clip where Brandon shares his Top 3 Must Do's and Must Not Do's in business… Must Do's 1. Think Big 2. Network=Networth 3. Build the PROPER Habits Necessary to Get What You Want Must Not Do's 1. Stop Limiting Your Beliefs 2. Stop Thinking You Can Do Everything Yourself 3. Find a way to CALM the daily Whirlwind

Business is about sales, revenue and profitability... these are the corporate report cards.

You Won't Know if You Don't Go If you GO You will KNOW “You Won't Know if You Don't Go”… my former director of sales said at lunch. Every year he and some friends took an annual fishing trip. He and one other guy would always go up to the boundary waters early and scout for the best place to cast a few lines on the upcoming trip. Without miss the other guys ask, “how the fishing was at all of the other spots?” The answer… “You won't know if you don't go.” “You have to go!” This month I travelled west to the black hills with family and friends. My friend is an outdoorsman and wanted to hire a guide and fly fish. I had never fly fished and recalled…”You won't know if you don't go.” I went. Water was cold… temperature hot…. Great combo. Through the woods, the brush and up the side of the black hills we went 1.5-2 miles. Into the current. The water is cold and the sun warm. An experience you won't know if you don't go. Add to that one of the most amazing back drops… and of course raising a few dozen fish. I know because I went. You won't know if you don't go… how many areas of life and BUSINESS is that relevant? Isn't it time for you to get going?

Possible Million Dollar Return on this ONE Investment, Relationships! Relationships are no different than a piggy bank. Just like putting pennies, nickels and quarters in the bank ensure the day you bust the bank open there is money… relationships need a consistent investment for the same reason. The day you want to leverage that relationship there must be something there. Make a point to pick up the phone, send a message or email and when that person asks you to get involved… do it…. Make the investment. You will be glad you did. When the time comes and you bust the bank open, people will be there. Just like pennies, nickels and dimes in a piggy bank. No investment, no return. In some case the return could be worth millions. For those asking, I learned my lesson and the next athlete went on to the NFL regular investment were made. Full video IGTV @smallbusinesstogrow

How to Make More Money Turning Lemons to Lemonade Start with how you look at things. Choose to see the problem or the opportunity. Garth Brooks has a great way to see problems... like your hand... on one side the problem. the other side, the opportunity. Flip the script and see things as opportunity.

Small business owners pay tuition through taking risks, making mistakes and paying attention to the outcome. Joe Walsh has been an entrepreneur for decades. From owning a bar and restaurant, to a stint as a racehorse owner and eventually earning an MBA and becoming the owner of an award winning financial planning business…. Joe has seen a done a lot in business. We sat down with Joe and talked small business…. Here are his Top 3 Must do Best Practices…. Full content is a few hours long and can be found on our website.

Want More Sales and to Grow Your Business? 1) Ask for the Sale. Most people just won't.

If you are a Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur or Executive you have get used to being uncomfortable.

What is Your Pivot? There will be another recession, bubble that bursts or pandemic. You can count on it. Which and when are unknown. Your business having plan to pivot is the oxygen that will sustain your business for years to come. So what is your Pivot?

Walk Away from Bad Deals...

6 Simple Strategies to Get Everything You Can Out of Social Media Today 1) Define Who Your Customer Is 2) Understand Where they Spend Time Digitally 3) Be Consistent 4) Don't Try and Be on EVERY Platform, but be on the RIGHT Platform for Your Biz 5) Create Content List, Generate 2-3 Weeks of Content, Video, Text, Blogs, etc. 6) Engage with others on the platform BONUS: 7). Once Consistently posting on one platform... start to post more often and expand to the next platform. 8 Step Social Media Program Here ✅ Remember, Chase dollars not follows and likes if you are in business! Sales should be the goal and you cannot pay your bills with

Find yourself overwhelmed trying to Grow Your Business?

Best practices from owners of a 65 year old family business. Pizza Villa has been providing the BEST pizza to the DeKalb Illinois market for decades. Learn how the owners turn out a premium pizza consistently and efficiently. There are many tips you can take and put to work in your business today! They cover secrets to pro active equipment maintenance, family business almanac, and how to manage take out, delivery and seating for 300!

Owners of 65 Year Old Family Business share their Top 3 Must Do's and Must Not Do's in Business. Pizza Villa is more than just a pizza place.

Don't let the pursuit of perfection lead to procrastination and keep you from getting things done.

Royan Nidea shares Best Practices to get the most out of using LinkedIn to Grow and Scale your Business in 4 Easy Steps.

"Big" Al Liebmann shares his Top 3 Best practices in Sales learned from almost 4 Decades as a sales professional.

Royan Nidea shares Top 3 Must Do's and Must Not Do's on LinkedIn. Royan is the founder of Legacy VA's and a LinkedIn expert. He shares the best practices to get the most out of LinkedIn today.

2 Most Effective Ways to Spend Your Lunch. Invite other professionals to lunch and exercise. These are the 2 best ways to spend the lunch hour.

Make Money not Friends. Sales is about being present with a solution at the time the customer has a problem. You never know when this time is so you have to follow up. You can not let the fear of upsetting a prospect be the reason you do not make the call, stop in or send the message.

Big Al Liebmann shares what he has learned over the last few decades as a Sales Professional.

5-10X Your Sales TODAY! 1-2 Small things can be standing between where your revenue is NOW and having it scale to 5-10X! A business can have a great product or service and be generating sales and be profitable. Sometimes a slight adjustment to how both are delivered can have a dramatic impact on revenue. Don't reinvent the wheel. Learn what others are doing and ask an industry expert. Our revenue more than 5X'd, our labor costs decreases AND we improved the results to our clients. All with one connection of a few dots. The revenue was there all the time…. we just needed one slight adjustment. www.smallbusinesstogrow.com

#1 Reason you KNOW Your Business is Having an Impact! #1 Reason you KNOW Your Business is Having an Impact! You get copied.