Back Bedroom to Big Business

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by the talented and educational hosts Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. Our hosts are a winning team with combined experience, research, and know how to help other business owners get where they want to go. Back Bedroom to Big Business is not an average business podcast that makes you feel inspired, but not motivated to action. You’ll be taking notes during their weekly episodes and planning how to implement what you’ve learned.   During this episode, Dino and Simon discuss part two of their series about building a global business without venture capital funding or significant investments. This episode will focus on case studies of extremely successful online businesses and how they attained their global status with little to no support.   The Businesses Basecamp - Project management platform Self-funded Started with a team of only four people Grew 100,000 customer organically Committed to a vision he could execute Grammarly - Writing assistant Spell and grammar checker and much more Charges 800 universities and 100,000 writers  Free Google Chrome extension 7 million active users daily Focused relentlessly on one core value:  Helping people communicate better wherever they write online Shutterstock - Stock/Royalty free photos Limited market Combined his personal skill of photography and web development Shot 30,000 photos in the first year of business Personally coded the site 2 Billion dollar business   Commonalities: Founding principle  - focus on solving a valuable problem for the market Passionate  Finances Surviving/thriving Cash flow Profitability “Honestly, I couldn’t live without it, man.” (Grammarly) “He’s not a magician or lucky. He just made some really good decisions and acted on them.” “They are solving a problem that makes a real difference and has real value in the world.” “Reinvesting to grow further.” “Every dollar is a prisoner.” “Return on spend is a great metric.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Want more of Dino and Simon? Dino and Simon's Website: Success Engineers  Dino's LinkedIn Profile Simon's LinkedIn Profile Simon's Website Simon's YouTube Channel   Mentions: Basecamp  Grammarly  Shutterstock 

Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Dino Tartaglia's LinkedIn Simon Hartley's LinkedIn Simon's website - Be World Class Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast brought to you by our experienced, educated, and well-spoken hosts Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. This podcast puts out weekly episodes for business owners and entrepreneurs of both large and small businesses with great tips, tricks, strategies, stories, and blueprints to help along the way. Each episode is chock full of great information and often times a funny anecdote or two. Always truthful, Dino and Simon won’t lead you astray.   During this episode, our great hosts look back on their first season episodes one through eleven. These episodes span two separate series: Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs (episodes two through six) and Fatal Mistakes by Entrepreneurs (Episodes seven through eleven). What you’ll hear during this review:   Season review How to apply these lessons and strategies How to ensure that you do something with this knowledge Case study examples Shift in thought and even posture Lightbulb moments Awareness of the problem but the inability to solve it Low and high-value questions  Client patterns Clarity and Messaging Characteristics of Wildly Successful Entrepreneurs E2 Solve Valuable problems  E3 Embrace Challenge E4 Constantly Solve Problems E5 Share Passion E6 Get Lucky Fatal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs E7 Obsession E8 Need for Speed E9 The Chase E10 Wrong Trousers E11 Toilet Roll “The value of any knowledge is only truly realized when you use it and apply it.” “So what are you going to do now?” “A great coach can facilitate coming up with a solution.” “Connecting the dots isn’t so easy.” “Everyone must build their own blueprint for success.” “Continuous momentum is needed.” “Any plan does usually survive first contact.” “Use the three Cs: Clarity, confidence, cash flow.” “How to build purpose, meaning, and passion.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Want more of Dino and Simon? Dino and Simon's Website: Success Engineers  Dino's LinkedIn Profile Simon's LinkedIn Profile Simon's Website Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. During each weekly episode of this podcast, Simon and Dino provide massive insight, tips, and strategies for business owners no matter if you’re brick and mortar or online. Our hosts have run two series which have abundant information necessary for running your own business. The first series (episodes one through six) is Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. The current series (episodes seven through eleven) are Fatal Mistakes by entrepreneurs.    During this episode, our hosts wrap up the Fatal Mistakes series with Toilet Roll aka Cashflow. Managing cash flow is both a science and an art in the world of business operations.    Listen for great information about: Profit/paper profit Forecasted revenue Carefully controlled sales margins  Money in the bank? Pay before or after? Terms owed to your business How even with profit your money can become tied up Building your financial runway Burn rate Financial backing Proactive via reactive Bridging cashflow holes  Buffer   “Turn over is vanity. Profit is sanity. Cashflow is king.” “Is it economy that can be the cause of failure or is it the ignorance toward the fundamental rule of business: keeping your eyes on the numbers.” “You can’t pay your supplier with profit.” “You can’t buy a meal on margins.” “If you have to pay your bills before you get paid . . . you’ve got a massive hole.” “Cash is the oxygen of business - without it, it gets sick and dies.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Want more of Dino and Simon? Dino's LinkedIn Profile Simon's LinkedIn Profile Simon's Website Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by the lively, experienced, and encouraging coaches Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. Together these hosts have a slew of information about running a big business, small business, online businesses and much more. Episodes one through six focused on a series titled Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs and gave a blueprint that can be used by those getting started.    During this episode, our hosts touch briefly on last week’s episode (E009 Fatal Mistake Three - The Chase) and then dive headlong into today’s topic: Fatal Mistake Four - Wrong Trousers.  What does ‘Wrong Trousers’ mean? Inevitably many business owners move into roles in their business that they’re not suited for and why outsourcing is sometimes absolutely necessary.   Listen for Four Key Roles, what they mean, and why they’re so important! Technician  Do the thing that needs to be done Run day to day business Manager Solves the businesses challenges Innovation Entrepreneur Directs and leads everyone and everything within the business The vision of the future Leader   “The path of least resistance is to do what you enjoy or you’re good at (often the same thing), but your business needs more from you.” “We work in and on our businesses.” “The difference between management and strategy.” “If you don’t do it then you don’t know it.” “The key thing is to understand and fully embrace the entrepreneurial mindset and the employee mentality.” “Recommendations and referrals convert.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Want more of Dino and Simon? Dino's LinkedIn Profile Simon's LinkedIn Profile Simon's Website Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by entrepreneurs and coaches Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. This podcast began with a series of episodes regarding the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. This episode is the third in our hosts second series titled Fatal Mistakes. This is no ordinary business podcast. There are no gimmicks and no false promises. No snake oil salesmen here. Dino and Simon are tried and true with years of success and experience to back them up. If you desire success in your business you’ve come to the right place.   In this episode, Dino and Simon dig into the thrill of the chase. This mistake affects not only small businesses and entrepreneurs but also big businesses such as Lehman Brothers and Enron. Simon makes a great point that understanding a bit of psychology and human behavior can go a long way in understanding any industry. We must understand our own mindset and our emotional investment to ensure that we’re making rational decisions.   Listen for great details: Irrational exuberance  Speech by Alan Greenspan  Building a bubble Jordan Belfort - The Wolf of Wallstreet  Conversions by Door-Knocking  Drives commission = drives greater losses How to avoid this error Revenue - Expenses = Profit Revenue - Profit = Expenses Sales is not profit Cashflow / money in the bank Working capital Taxes ROI P&L   “Lots of people . . . put an incentive out there, special knock down price for six months, but what you’ve done is undersold your next six months.” “Some sales are bad volume. Not profitable sales.” “Sustainable growth and sustainable profit are imperative.”  “The online entrepreneur has minimal overhead.” “Just because the money is in your bank account doesn’t mean its yours.” “Focus on both top and bottom line health.” “I am the business. The business is me.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Dino Tartaglia's LinkedIn Simon Hartley's LinkedIn Simon's website - Be World Class Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business hosted by the experienced and lively duo Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. In this weekly podcast, Dino and Simon will give you tips, strategies, tricks, blueprints and much more to help you along your entrepreneurial/business journey. These hosts are masters in their fields and know that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all. They will share personal stories along with other well-known business owners’ stories to show how all of our paths have the same ups and downs.    In this episode, we get a recap of last week’s Fatal Mistake One - Obsession, before starting on today’s topic of the Need for Speed or the Microwave Mindset. Pushing for a forced result faster than the market can allow. This is different than having a sense of urgency. If you are negotiating a challenge or solving a problem the learning and development from that takes time to seep in. Listen to hear more on:   Queue jumping  Short-circuited Forcing instead of allowing the process Impatience  Starting  again Why waiting and implementing as the the rules/process goes is imperative Why sacrificing is not the correct option short -term thinking Stunting progress/potential of the business start/stop  The result hasn’t happened yet Consistency The Saw Tooth Phenomenon  Being driven by desperation Instantaneousness  Trusting in the process Why your ‘WHY” is crucial to entrepreneur   “The inability to understand whether a process is working or not.” “If we only  measure outcomes we’re probably measuring the wrong thing.” “What we actually see is the tip of the iceberg when someone has made it. We don't see the ten or fifteen years of work.” “Many people will fail because something didn’t work today or didn’t produce cash today.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Dino Tartaglia's LinkedIn Simon Hartley's LinkedIn Simon's website - Be World Class Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by the experienced entrepreneurs Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. During this weekly business podcast, Dino and Simon discuss the many route to being a successful entrepreneur. Both Simon and Dino have run successful businesses on their own. They’ve come together in this podcast with the hopes of helping you! Welcome to your new favorite podcast for entrepreneurs.   In this episode, Dino and Simon tackle the first in their series of five fatal mistakes, obsession. (See episodes 1-5 for the successful characteristics series.)  Dino advises that failure to recover from some of these mistakes can cause your business to fail miserably. Before getting started with the topic for today, our hosts give a quick rundown about this series of mistakes.    Five Fatal Mistakes: Obsession/denial My creation has life Microwave mindset - need for speed Misunderstanding urgency and mistaking it for speed Thrill of the chase - irrational exuberance Danger of overexcitement Wrong trousers Showing up as the wrong person in your business There’s no spare toilet roll Running out of cash/cashflow When asked what is different about their business people will often give a lot of emotion and not data. No one wants to hear that their business plan is the same, irrelevent, uneeded or set up to fail.  You have to let your baby (business) grow up and not be blindly and emotionally obsessed then creating a blindspot. When you are in the process of making a decision are you using rationale or emotion?   “People describe their business as their baby.” “We’re different and we care more . . . that’s exactly what every recruitment consultant I’ve ever heard says.” “We don’t often operate logic and emotion at the same time.” “Cant see the forest for the trees because you planted them.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co Dino Tartaglia's LinkedIn Simon Hartley's LinkedIn Simon's website - Be World Class Simon's YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Back Bedroom 2 Big Business podcast hosted by the inspiring coaches and entrepreneurs Dino Tartaglia & Simon Hartley. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, have just gotten started on your business journey, or have been in the game for quite a while this will quickly become your new favorite podcast. Dino and Simon are honest about their own journeys as well as giving tips and strategies from loads of other successful entrepreneurs in all different markets and niches. Far from a boring, monotone, by-the-numbers business podcast, Dino and Simon are both energetic and excited to help you succeed!   In this episode, Dino and Simon do a swift review of last week’s characteristic, in their six-part series, which was sharing passion and engaging others. Our hosts quickly move on to today’s topic and the final in this series of characteristics displayed by successful entrepreneurs: getting lucky or experiencing the lucky break. Being in the right place at the right time is not by chance. It means we’re in the right place often enough that the right time happens for us. Simon describes it as the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer effect. (soccer reference/explanation) Study for the game while sitting on the bench.   In the business world luck is engineered, it’s not simply good fortune/good luck. Awareness is an integral part of becoming successful and not depending on dumb-luck Strategy Application of knowledge Get an education on what you do Watch competitors - build off of their mistakes Become prepared   Re-reviewing all the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs for a wrap-up: Identify a really valuable problem and be very passionate about solving it Embrace the challenge Continually solve problems Share passion and engage other people Get lucky, making their own luck   “Success doesn’t happen by chance.” “It’s not luck that drives success.” “Making your luck then puts luck as a very powerful tool.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Dino Tartaglia's LinkedIn Simon Hartley's LinkedIn Simon's website - Be World Class Simon's YouTube Channel

In this episode, Dino and Simon quickly sum up the last episode and its characteristic focus which was solving problems instead of simply seeking answers; then move on to discuss the fourth characteristic of amazing and wildly successful entrepreneurs which is they share their passions and they engage with others. Others can be employees, contractors, customers, fans - essentially anyone who is around.  Using this characteristic startup companies that are being performed out of a back bedroom or shed can compete with global giants on the business scale. Simon gives an example using  Drew Houston, the founder of Dropbox. Startup companies can win because they are formed by a concentrated pool of talented, passionate, and hardworking people all pulling together toward one goal/one solution. How do we get the best people possible and make sure they will work well together? Ask this question instead: why would a really great person elect to leave a very safe corporate job with benefits and start working for a fledgling startup business? Engagement Cause Mission The above-bulleted items unlock potential. The mission is what will attract people who want to help propel you forward into success because what you’re doing matters! This should not be labeled as a person’s attitude. It is their character! If you deliver your vision for your business or product and convey it with passion other people will step up. Others will engage you (as you should engage them) because they already have something you’re speaking to inside them. Selling the mission and selling the vision Impossible - Simple It is either within a person or it’s not Passion can not be manufactured   If you are lacking in passion or drive it is unlikely you will successfully engage others. Dino and Simon don’t mean engage like the Human Resources checkbox definition which means essentially keeping people business. Our hots mean sharing our visions and ideas with others ie employees, partners, suppliers and so on.  A lot of startups were obviously built on passion because many entrepreneurs have forgone salary in order to build a team and generate their product. Simon takes a moment to explain his new project regarding character analysis for professional sports teams. No one on his team is currently making any salary. They are being asked to invest! Why do they do it? Passion! Diven for success. They believe in the cause. They believe it will change lives. Simon takes a moment to discuss Airbnb - which relies completely on word of mouth.  See a video where Brian Chesky, founder of Airbnb, describes it’s beginnings here.   How do these successful entrepreneurs make things happen? How do they get this high level of engagement and buy-in? Foundational characteristic from episode one: finding a problem and caring passionately about solving it Hard work - idea to tangibility Commitment Energy  Engagement is relationships People want to be a part of the story   In the next episode, our hosts will discuss the final characteristic of wildly successful entrepreneurs! Are you feeling lucky?   “Sam Altman (Y Combinator) says we need to create loves, not likes”  “Fans will forgive far more than customers. Fans will rave about you more than customers.” “Your biggest fans will also be your biggest critics. They will give you honest feedback.” “We can’t function on our own. A team is needed.”   Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co   Dino Tartaglia's LinkedIn Simon Hartley's LinkedIn Simon's website - Be World Class Simon's YouTube Channel

In this episode, self-made businessman and coach Dino Tartaglia and co-founder of World Class Leadership Simon Hartley continue their five characteristics of wildly impressive and successful entrepreneurs. After briefly touching on block two: embracing and accepting challenges from episode three, we dive headlong into attribute number three which is constantly solving problems.    The profound difference between finding an answer/quick fix and solving a problem:  Seeking an answer is a one and done action Seeking an answer tells me what to do, read, watch . . .  Imports someone else’s answers and solutions Outsources the challenge   Solving a problem does the following:  Pushes the entrepreneur to stay a step or two ahead Allows for learning from others but sculpting a solution to our specific business.   Explore the Entrepreneur journey! If we import an answer from someone else blindly we are hoping it works. When it doesn’t work out or we don’t get the results the expert got we tend to blame that expert instead of taking responsibility for not doing our own legwork. The journey doesn’t focus only on the destination of success, but instead means revisions and pivots. Simon shares a story about BuzzFeed’s startup and change from banner ads. (Buzzfeed's full backstory here)    The Entrepreneurial Method Theory Test/experiment Failure Review/learn/recreate Start again   Dino and Simon are definitely not trying to tell fledgling entrepreneurs and startups not to bring in an expert when one is needed. Absolutely us an expert. Absolutely outsource particular elements of your business such as marketing. How can you tell if you’re shifting responsibility or outsourcing responsibility? Take an inventory with the below bullets. Do you have or want to develop this skill? (example sales) No - shift responsibility to a specialist - this is not outsourcing Even though you are not responsible for the sales portion specifically you are responsible for Understanding how it works Being able to speak to your numbers Making informed decisions   As we move forward in this series we can see how each characteristic piggybacks onto the other and why they create the most impressive and wildely successful entrepreneurs. So far on our journey, Dino and Simon have introduced us to the first characteristic - finding a problem and passionately caring about solving it. In the previous episode, we discussed characteristic two - accepting/embracing challenges which led us to number three today with problem-solving.  Come back for the next episode of the podcast when our hosts discuss with us the number four characteristic - sharing our passion and engaging in others.    “Business is an intellectual sport.” “It’s okay to fail and then pick yourself up.” “Start to understand currently little things make a big difference often.” Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co Dino’s LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dinotartaglia?trk=pub-pbmap Simon’s LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simon-hartley-897a8113

In this episode of Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast, Dino and Simon move forward with their series of wildly successful entrepreneur characteristics! The passion is the motivational fuel that enables you to break through the barriers and challenges that will get in the way of your success. This is a building block on the entrepreneurial journey and leads into the second characteristic and the focus of this episode: Embracing the Challenge.  Understanding 'Entrepreneur' is more of a personality type than a title: Happy to be pushed forward/experience pressure A problem solver by nature/problem-solving skills Aware there will be challenges and enjoy the grappling match Not waiting or expecting challenges to disappear Understanding challenges and problems occur at every level of the business building process. Embracing this and know that it leads to success. Embracing opposition with enthusiasm  Not looking for easy Dino shares with us a powerful story about the success of entrepreneur, Scott Belsky (Adobe). Scott says when we hear stories about entrepreneurs we often hear the beginning (great idea & motivation) and the end (massive success or failure). The 'messy middle' gets left out. What is in the middle is exceptionally important. This middle ground is where the hard decisions are made, money and time is lost, and self-doubt can take up residence. The messy middle is what makes the success at the end worth it and most people never get to see it. Importance of taking a deep dive into expectations: Many people step or run away from corporate business to change their lifestyles or the amount of time they have to spend doing what they want to do.  Often these people crave immediate results.  Often when an entrepreneur starts out, if we don't get the results we want, like a petulant child, we throw up our hands and say 'What's the point?' This reverts back to the first characteristic of success - passion is the point. The desire to solve the problem is the point or the end goal.  We need to get rid ourselves of the goalposts we (and others) set up for us and instead focus on the progress we are making. When you step out on the ledge of entrepreneurship is is extraordinarily important that we keep in mind what you have is valuable. If what you are pursuing has no value for you or anyone else you wouldn’t pursue it. Remembering this and keep it at the forefront of your thoughts helps immensely to meet challenges when they arise with enthusiasm and durable motivation. At the very end of the discussion, Dino and Simon touch briefly on episode four. This episode leads us to the third characteristic of incredibly successful entrepreneurs which is the interesting concept of the differences in searching for an answer and solving a problem. Quotes: “Once you understand challenge is part of the process, then like anything, you adopt another mindset.” “You never reach the top. There is always another side of the mountain to climb” “Not everyone is looking for easy.”  “Until you put an actual product in front of an actual customer, you don’t know if they’re going to buy it or not.” “Easy to say ‘What’s the point?’ and throw in the towel, but these people didn’t.”   Dino Tartaglia LinkedIn profile: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dinotartaglia?trk=pub-pbmap Simon Hartley LinkedIn Profile: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simon-hartley-897a8113?trk=pub-pbmap

Welcome back to Back Bedroom to Big Business! In this week's episode, we take a deep dive with Dino and Simon into the first of five characteristics of impressively successful entrepreneurs: Identify a need or problem that has value to many people and that you (as an entrepreneur) care passionately about solving. This is a foundational characteristic without which success is very unlikely. This is a different way of looking at the beginning of your business because most people escaping their boss use the logic of ‘what am I good at?’ and ‘how can I make money from it?’. As Dino and Simon explain we must realize that business is not all about monetizing skills. We must have another form of motivation! We must look deeper! In This Episode Characteristic one: Identify Need Our hosts share a few anecdotes about entrepreneurs Sean Rad (Tinder) and Sara Blakley (Spanx). These are two of many business creators who did so out of a problem they experienced for themselves and they were surprised and delighted to find they could solve this same problem for others as well. It’s important to know that neither of these, now amazingly successful, individuals had any experience in the business categories they now top! (Dating app & undergarments/fashion.) We must have an appreciation for the problem or need we’re trying to find a solution for! Some people stumble upon moments of awareness of needs, but only complain and do nothing. This is because of the lack the passion which is the second half of the equation. Idea traction - if it helps me perhaps it  could help others   “Someone who is entrepreneurial in their thinking will have a thousand ideas an hour. “ “This is about taking a step back. Do I care? Am I passionate about solving these problems?” “Your solution and your business can go viral!” Visit our Website! www.successengineers.co

The path to success is not a one-size fits all t-shirt we buy online hoping it looks just as good on us as it does on the model. Likewise, success does not mean throwing caution to the wind either. In order for us to achieve success, we must know ourselves, what drives us, what we’re passionate about and be able to turn that into a business that is prosperous - a business that sustains success for the long haul. In this twelve episode season of Back Bedroom 2 Big Business, Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley will lay out for their listeners the five characteristics of wildly successful entrepreneurs. They will also dissect five fatal mistakes that entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them. The audience will enjoy listening to these educated men deliver tips on what it takes to be a successful business owner. With thirty years experience their take on the ever-changing entrepreneur/business landscape crucial for anyone thinking of dipping their toe into the work of entrepreneurship or bettering the model they are currently working with. The conversational tone of the show allows the listener to feel at ease even if they have no background in business. This season will have no guests as the goal is to help you discover your path to success, not to follow someone else's.   In This Episode An introduction to the show and what to jewels of knowledge to expect it moving forward  The Importance of Risk Taking them Calculating them Being conscious of them Do not listen to only one person’s story of success Details can vary or even contradict There is an infinite amount of value in learning from many different peoples’ route to success. When we pick and choose different items from many peoples’ stories we can adapt them to meet our business needs and thus catapult us into success. Commonality Though each success story is different, there are similar patterns of behavior in each “The Way” to do things is a myth Disproving and giving examples of entrepreneurs who did not take massive risks in their quest for entrepreneurship Taking the shine off of JFI “Jump in and Figure it out”.  Many more people are less successful using this strategy Capital Discussing Burn-Rate and why it is important for every startup business Why scaling first is sometimes not an option Moving Landscape of Internet Business Five Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs   “Entrepreneurship is about jumping off a cliff and building an airplane on the way down.” “The fact that it’s someone else’s solution means it might not work for you.” “Following one person is dangerous.” “Success leaves clues.” -Jim Rhon “Identify a problem and truly care about solving it.” “It’s as simple as some people think on the run and some need to think then run.”   Visit our website! http://www.successengineers.co