Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | Leadership

There's a "thing" that you are good at, likely better at than anyone else in your agency, and the more you do that "thing" the more you are holding back the growth of your agency.  Your job is no longer "doing the thing" -- as the leader of your growing agency your job is to build the system in which "the thing" gets done.  If you have to do it, your growth is stalled!

What’s In This Episode: It's a wild time in our lives. Jill decides to find out what it's like for Eraina Ferguson and Dr. Charity Hughes who have unique experiences as Black mom entrepreneurs trying to continue running their businesses and manage their kids' emotional roller coaster rides all while attempting to take care of themselves.  Get Jill's tip top tool of the week, very honest revelations about allll the feelings rn (anger? exhaustion? hope?) and and ways that you can cope with the apocalypse that has hit us all. Jill Salzman is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, the #1 platform for mom entrepreneurs to build better businesses. She’s the author of  The Best Business Book In The World and the best-seller, Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs. Jill gave her own TED talk on 11/11/11, was dubbed a “mommy mogul” by CNNMoney, a “Cool Mom Entrepreneur We Love” by MSN Live, and was recently named one of the Top 50 Women to Watch In Tech as well as a Top 100 Champion Small Business Influencer after Forbes’ named The Founding Moms one of the Top 10 Websites For Entrepreneurs. She’s shared the speaker stage with Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, Daymond John, Marilu Henner, and Desmond Tutu and she regularly appears on ABC7’s Windy City Live TV show. In her spare time, Jill enjoys kloofing, baking, and erasing her daughters’ crayon artwork from the kitchen walls.

What’s In This Episode: Jill Salzman lets you in on a little secret. (Spoiler alert: it's the best way to grow your business, mom entrepreneurs.) She shares a surprising story never heard anywhere else about famed actor Paul Rudd that highlights why she's shouting.  Get her tip top tool of the week, her foray into TV show stardom, and the ridiculous experiment that can help you grow your business. Jill Salzman is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, the #1 platform for mom entrepreneurs to build better businesses. She’s the author of  The Best Business Book In The World and the best-seller, Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs. Jill gave her own TED talk on 11/11/11, was dubbed a “mommy mogul” by CNNMoney, a “Cool Mom Entrepreneur We Love” by MSN Live, and was recently named one of the Top 50 Women to Watch In Tech as well as a Top 100 Champion Small Business Influencer after Forbes’ named The Founding Moms one of the Top 10 Websites For Entrepreneurs. She’s shared the speaker stage with Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, Daymond John, Marilu Henner, and Desmond Tutu and she regularly appears on ABC7’s Windy City Live TV show. In her spare time, Jill enjoys kloofing, baking, and erasing her daughters’ crayon artwork from the kitchen walls.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business, episode 365. You can find the show notes of this episode of breakingdownyourbusiness.com/365. Jill: It's us again. Oh my gosh, 365 episodes. Brad: It's like a whole year. People don't spend a whole year with us. Jill: Look at you, good at math. Brad: I did that in my head. Jill: Yeah. Brad: Not even a calculator. Jill: Unbelievable. Thank you to everybody who has stayed with us for fricking 365 episodes.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business episode 364. [crosstalk 00:00:10]. Jill: Hello. It's still up. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode of breaking down your business.com/ Jill: I don't know, but you just said episood. I don't know. Brad: 364. Jill: It's like you still can't pronounce. We're 364 episodes then he's going to learn to speak English one day. Brad: I don't know why you think that. Jill: I don't know cause it helps with running a business. Brad: I'm 53 years old. I am not going to learn something. [crosstalk 00:00:36] Pronunciation things. Jill: I see, you're not going to learn words.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 363. You can find the show notes for this episode on breakingdownyourbusiness.com/363. Brad: Hey there, Jill. Jill, you're on mute. The button on the lower left, the one that looks like a mike- Jill: Hello. Brad: There you go. There you go. Jill: Hello. Brad: There you go. Jill: Can you hear me? Brad: I can hear you now. Yeah. Jill: Oh my gosh. What is going on with technolgy? Brad: Is this the way we start every meeting now, six times a day I have this conversation.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 362. [crosstalk 00:00:03] You can find [inaudible 00:00:04] of this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/362. Jill: That was me imitating you, but it didn't work. Brad: Hi Jill. Jill: Hi Brad. Brad: I'm Brad from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I am Jill from the Founding Moms and we still managed to talk over each other even [crosstalk 00:00:26] in the same studio. Brad: I am losing my cotton picking mind. Jill: Well, congratulations. It was gone a long time ago, you're just finally noticing.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down your Business episode 361. Jill: We're still here. Welcome back. Brad: You can check the show notes of this episode on breakingdownyourbusiness.com/361. Jill: 361, that's a lot of episodes. Brad: I am Brad Farris from Anchor Advisors. Jill: You are not. I'm Jill Salzman from The Founding Moms. See how I just cut you off right there? Did you like that? Brad: Yeah. Yeah. It's good. Jill: I'm ready for a fight today. Let's do it. Brad: It's that banter, that back and forth. Jill: Bant over because we talk over each other. Bant over. Brad: Our sharp repartee. Jill: Okay, sure. Yeah. I didn't mean to comment on the pronunciation. It's fine. Do you speak French? Brad: No, no. Absolutely not. Jill: Yeah, no, that was clear. That was rhetorical.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: If you're sick and tired, and every time you think about your business it makes you go aah, that is a poor indicator of your business health. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 357. Jill: No, no, no, no. No, no. No. Brad: You can find the show notes to this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/357, beep, boop, bop, beep. Jill: What's happened to you? Don't make me shout it. Nobody's going to know who we are. Oh, gross. Brad: Jill. It's April. We're talking about numbers. So I thought that- Jill: So, that immediately means robot voice. Brad: Yes, exactly. Robot voice for the numbers. Jill: Of course. Totally makes sense.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode [inaudible 00:00:04] and we're back. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/359. Jill: Yes. Brad: I am Brad Farris from Anchor Advisors. Jill: You're so shouty today. I'm Jill from the Founding Moms. Brad: I'm always shouty, Jill. Jill: Are you though? Brad: I am. Jill: I didn't know if it'd be different. I didn't know if it'd be different. Brad: Today we're going to talk about how to sell during a pandemic.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business! Jill: There he is! Brad: Episode 358. Jill: So exciting! Brad: You can find the show notes of this episode of BreakingDownYourBusiness.com/358. Jill: All the numbers correct in the numbers episode. Brad: Yes! We're talking about numbers for the month of April.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to episode 357 of Breaking Down Your Business. Jill: Hello everybody. Brad: There's Jill. Jill: Hey. I- Brad: I'm Brad. Jill: ... Already miss you, Brad. I'm Jill and you're Brad. Brad: It's true. Jill: And it's really, really difficult to do this right now. Do you want to tell the people why? Brad: Well, so the last couple of episodes were recorded before the coronavirus overtook the United States. And so they were recorded in the studio at the beginning of March and we wanted to rush back into the studio and do like a coronavirus update for you. But- Jill: We couldn't. Brad: ... that didn't work out. Jill: It did not. Brad: Because Jill has been struck with the coronavirus.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: I think a lot of people spend time with that sort of good fit. And they just think that's what business is, it's hard, you have to go out and scratch and claw and dig things up. And they're trying lots of things but nothing's really sticking. Jill: Yep, yep. Brad: And so I just don't want people to live in that territory for a long time. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 356. You can find some of the show notes for this episode at breakindownyourbusiness.com/356.

What’s In This Episode: Jill: In my industry there are a lot of assumptions and stereotypes like moms love to drink wine. I'll tell you right now, this mom does not. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 354, no, 355. It's 355. Jill: You can't read numbers now. Brad: No, I just can't remember numbers. Jill: This is fun. This is a good start Brad. Brad: If you want the show notes for this episode, go to breakingdownyourbusiness.com/355. Jill: I can't believe he's checking his notes for two numbers. Unreal, unreal.

What’s In This Episode: Jill: When you talk about online networking, it sounds like we're relieving you of actual traditional face-to-face networking, which I think there's almost nothing more important. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 354. Jill: You are welcome. Brad: Welcome. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/354. Jill: Well you're welcome. Welcome, Brad. Brad: Top of the morning to you, Jill. Jill: Oh dear God, this is Brad from Anchor Advisors. Brad: Okay, we don't need a British accent. It's St. Patrick's Day. Jill: Oh it is? Brad: So we need an Irish accent.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 352. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/352. Jill: I haven't complained about the volume in a long time. Brad: But when you do complain and then I do it softly, you complain about that too. Jill: Yes. Brad: So there's just no way to make you happy. Jill: That's correct.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: I'm a big fan of podcasting. Jill: Same. Brad: I think podcasting is a great way to demonstrate expertise. Jill: Agreed. Brad: However, it is a long tail process. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 352. You can find the show notes for this episode of breakingdownyourbusiness.com/352. Jill: So glad [inaudible 00:00:28]. Brad: That exciting, thrilling energy field voice, that's Jill from the Founding Moms doing her Ethel impression. Jill: I don't know why I wanted to look like this. This is Brad from Anchor Advisors. If you've never listened to the show, I don't actually sound like this.

What’s In This Episode: Jill: If you want to play to my heartstrings, like every good story, like every good book or movie, I need you to move me emotionally. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 351. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/351. Jill: 351. Brad: When you go there, you might notice that we have a fresh coat of paint. Jill: We do. New website, re-hauled, overhauled- Brad: Nobody cares. Nobody cares. Jill: ... over-site, over-web, website overhaul. We do. Brad: That word salad there, that's Jill from The Founding Moms. Jill: It is, and I believe we're listening to Brad from Anchor Advisors.

What’s In This Episode: Brad: I think a lot of people know things. There's a difference between knowing something and being able to articulate it in a way that someone else will understand. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business Episode 350. You can find the show notes and stuff at BreakingDownYourBusiness.com/350. Jill: I'm so proud of you. You pronounced everything correctly. Well, then you just hit your hand on the computer. Brad: I am my solved wacked today. Jill: Hey, everybody! Brad: So I am Brad from Anchor Advisors. Jill: And I am Jill from the Founding Moms. Brad: Are you? Jill: Well, I'm also from the Breaking Down Your Business platform. Brad: That's true.

Brad Farris: When you're aiming at the center of the target, how often do you hit the center of the target? Jill Salzman: Every single time. Brad Farris: You do? That's amazing. Jill Salzman: Sure, yeah. Brad Farris: I think you lie. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 349. Jill Salzman: Good [inaudible 00:00:14]. Brad Farris: You can find the show notes from this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/349 Jill Salzman: You'd think I've done this before. Brad Farris: ... slash three, four, nine. Jill Salzman: 349 episodes. Can't ever get used to that. Brad Farris: I just want to point something out to you, Jill, that might not have occurred to you. Jill Salzman: Probably hasn't. Brad Farris: No one else gets scared, because they pushed play. They know what's coming.

Brad: Especially for those of you that are struggling to get leads, that there's not enough people who are calling you up looking for your business or filling out the form on your website or whatever it is. If you can get this right, you can get people to call you up. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 348 [crosstalk 00:00:18] Jill: Welcome, welcome, welcome. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode on breakingdownyourbusiness.com/348. Jill: 348. Brad: 348. Jill: 348. Brad: 348. Jill: 348. Brad: I'm Brad for Anchor Advisors. Jill: I'm Jill from the Founding Moms. Brad: This month, we're talking about the messages and promises that you make to your prospects. We don't want to hear any more mealy mouth claims, anymore, "I'm going to make your business better. You're going to be happier, blah, blah crap." So we've got some tough love for you this month. You ready, Jill? Jill: Are we talking directly to LinkedIn spammers? Brad: I wasn't, but what do you... Tell me about that LinkedIn spammers. [crosstalk 00:01:00] Jill: The way you just described it all was basically the message I just got right before we started talking.

Jill: Some people do show up to Mastermind wanting to show off how far they've come, how much money they've made, and feel better by putting everyone else down. Brad: Yep. Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business, episode 347. Jill: Welcome, back. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode, which is a transcript now, at breaking down your business.com/347. Jill: [inaudible 00:00:21] seven. Brad: [inaudible 00:00:24] Brad: I have no idea. Jill: Somebody figure it out and let us know... Brad: Jill, we're talking about accountability this month. Jill: Yes we are. Brad: We all need someone who's excited when we succeed, disappointed when we fail... Jill: Okay. Brad: Who is that for you? Jill: I want to say it's you, Brad.

Brad: There are definitely days when I lose a deal and I'm like, I'm never going to work again. No one's ever going to hire me. I just don't need someone to say, "Fred, you had three bad deals in a row." Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 346. Jill: It really does scare me every time. Every time. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode at BreakingDownYourBusiness.com/346. Jill: 346. That's a lot of episodes. Brad: I'm Brad from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I'm Jill from The Founding Moms. Brad: Jill, what are we talking about today? Jill: I don't know, but I'm feeling very military today. I don't know why. Brad: This month we've been talking about accountability.

Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business, episode 345! Can you find the show notes? It's up to breakingdownyourbusiness.com/345. What are you scared of, Jill? Jill: I'm scared to tell you how excited I am because I bumped into a celebrity this week. Brad: Who? What? Jill: I locked eyes with him and yeah, I think we got married in like one glance. Brad: You got married?

Jill: I like to put myself in my customer and client's shoes- Brad: Exactly. Jill: ...in the way of, "What would I be interested in reading? Oh wait, something really short." Brad: Right. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 344. Jill: Brad, we're talking to you. Brad: It's a new year. Jill: Is this a new year, new you? Brad: It's a new me, yes. Jill: [crosstalk 00:00:19] Already. Brad: You can find something if you go to breakingdownyourbusiness.com/344. There's something there. Jill: 344? Happy New Year. Brad: To you too.

Brad: If you're not scared, like if you're not making a promise that makes you go "Jeez! Can I say that?" You're probably not making a big enough promise. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business Episode 343. Jill: Yes it is. Brad: [crosstalk 00:00:15]. Brad: I'm [Brad 00:00:18] from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I'm [Jill 00:00:21] from the Founding Moms. Brad: How's the eggnog going? Jill: It's delightful and delicious. Brad: Do you want some? Do you have some left over for tonight? Jill: We'll see. We'll see. I don't know. I don't know. It's delicious. It's delicious. Are you going out tonight? Brad: No. Jill: Partying? Brad: Amateur hour. Jill: What? But it's going to be a whole new year in like a couple of hours. Brad: It is, yeah. And I'll be asleep. Jill: All right. Brad: Because I'm... Whatever.

Brad: One of the things that I think is a difference between charging by the hour and charging by the project is that, when we charge by the project, we're charging for a result. Brad: (singing) Brad: Welcome to Episode 342 of Breaking Down Your Business. Jill: Woo. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/342. Jill: We're going on tour, I think. The voice is hurting me a lot right now. This is Bruce, another Bruce, and we're happy to be here. Brad: I'm Bruce from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I just was going to say we're happy to hear ourselves. That's so embarrassing. I'm Jill from The Founding Moms.

Hi, we are trying something new this week. We are including whole transcription in the show notes. This time we used machine transcription and it got a little messy. Next time we will do better. Enjoy! Brad: 00:26 I'm Brad from anchor advisors. Jill from the founding moms. And today we're talking about how do you go about raising prices for your services. We've been talking about raising prices in general. Yeah. And today we're going to get into the nitty gritty. That doesn't sound fun, but before we do that, Joe. Okay. All right. Let's just put ourselves in a frame of mind here. Let's, let's get into a mood. So let's say that you're sitting down with a client, Hey, is this a romantic mood? Let's do you have romantic modes with your yes. Mood. We're getting home to, we're getting into the mood raising prices. Oh, got it. So you're seeing that with a client and you're about to tell them that this thing that you've been doing for them for like $4,000 now it's going to cost them $5,000 okay. How are you feeling? Jill: 01:13 What's going on inside you? I should tell you, you didn't raise your prices enough, but you, you mean me? The client? No, I mean you the, if you're, if you're, I'm the one member, this news to the client. Oh, extremely fearful. Fearful, extremely fearful that they'll say so what kind of Iran? Oh, so you think they're just going to drop you like a hot potato? Yeah, of course. That's, that's the reality of my mind. That's not the reality of the [inaudible]. So, so your expectation, the thing that's most likely to happen in your mind is they're going to fire me. Something bad will happen. Something bad. There'll be upset at least. Yes. Yeah. Interesting. And so, so when you're feeling that way, what did you think? I was going to say? I'm just listening. I'm trying to be with you here. Okay. So when you're feeling that way, how confident do you think you come across?

What’s In This Episode: We told you to always raise your prices last week... but how high is TOO high?  "Which is the bigger risk? That your prices are too high or that they're too low?" - Brad What someone says about your pricing has nothing to do with whether your prices are too high or too low. And if no one's complaining - you're priced too low. Pricing is based on two things: how much value you can establish in the customer's mind. Some people will say no. That's okay. Why waste your time trying to explain the value to them? Accept that you're not the right fit and move on. the confidence you have in the price you're offering.  "There's always going to be someone complaining about your pricing." - Jill Jill thinks that that confidence depends on what you're selling and that it's different for product- and service-based businesses. And that there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. But overall, you need to know that what you're offering is worth many times what the value is. People want to know that you're going to make a big difference in their life if you're asking for a larger amount. And something will shift in your brain when you get a yes to a higher price. Jill and Brad discuss putting yourself out there with confidence, and what to do if your clients can't afford the higher prices (good news: there are reasonable options!). What do you think? How high is too high?

Ready to raise your prices in 2020? Jill and Brad will tell you how. "Higher-paying clients value what you do more." - Brad Brad is a firm believer in raising your prices, and he thinks you should be charging a little more as often as you can. The increase doesn't have to be anything crazy, but each time you price yourself, you know a little more than you used to. Raising your prices allows you to give your team raises or hire extra help in the coming year if you need it. "You should all say no more often... you never know." - Jill Jill voices the concern of many business owners: what if they try to raise their prices, and it doesn't work? That's a risk you take, but it's better than the alternative... that you get priced out of your business while others don't. But it's critically important that when you raise your prices, you're clear about why. The worst thing that can happen is that they say no, but they may come back in the future, or they may find your value appealing and be able to come up with your asking price. Jill, Brad, and Saul then talk about timing, an inside look at their pricing processes, and how you tell your clients that prices are going up. Ready to raise your prices?

What’s In This Episode: Systems are great, we said. You'll love them, we said. ... except when they go wrong. "It's almost always user error." - Brad Sometimes systems can go wrong - especially where automation is concerned, says Jill. Brad has a system with an automation that's connected to a Google form and somehow, he accidentally sent the same email to the same person a couple of times. Sometimes the software changes, but you don't know. The point is - there are a million things that could go wrong. "Be more forgiving of yourself when a system goes awry." - Jill But at the end of the day, isn't maintaining your system less work than not having them at all? Brad thinks so. Plus, it never hurts to audit your systems, especially automated emails: Check that the links still work and that the flow is what you think it is. Ever had a system go wrong?  Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: What are "systems" anyway? To Jill, it means organizing what you need to do in a process that's easily replicable. And, Brad adds, they should happen without you touching them. "The very best systems are actually automation." - Brad Jill has systems has for onboarding leaders for her Founding Exchanges while Brad has one for his invoicing - there's even a system for how these podcasts get published. Systems are useful because they get things off of your plate, and they get done in a way that the quality is good (and if they're not good, then you know something isn't being followed or that something needs to change in the system). "A system has to be functioning." - Jill Systems can just be a checklist, a Google doc, a video... whatever is the most helpful to you and your team. But systems are great because it leads to more consistent performance and decreases the need for you, as the business owner, to check up all the time. Plus, the more you get into it, the more fun it is. And it frees up your time, which is something every business owner can appreciate. Also, if someone quits, systems make it so much easier to transition. What "systems" do you have in your business - and if you don't have them, how can you get started? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: Business owners wear too many hats. Systems turn the insanity into sanity. They help you (theoretically) to make sure everything gets done on time. "From a business owner's standpoint, what is your job?" - Brad As a business owner, what is it that you do? Business owners have to: sell. No one is going to sell as effectively as the business owner does. recruit and train. You need to be responsible for who's in the business. own the brand. What does the brand mean and is it consistent? do strategy. Where is the business going? Anything that you don't do should be the responsibility of someone else. That's where systems come in. "You don't own it because it's the scariest role to take on." - Jill What are you handing off in your business for someone else to do so that you have room to breathe? And are the materials your team needs easily accessible to them? Brad recommends getting a pack of notecards with one task that's written on each that needs to get done in order for your business to succeed. With your team or by yourself, arrange those cards by skill or tool. Each of the piles you end up with is a job.While you may need to do these tasks yourself, eventually you might be able to outsource to a VA (learn how to hire a VA here). Who takes care of what in your business? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: How do you handle the operations in your business? HR, IT, accounting... all of the foundational things. Isn't accounting the most fun part?  "Accounting helps you answer questions that you might have about your business." - Brad Even if you hate accounting, it provides value to you in your business. Some business owners hire accountants, and some do it themselves. But if you're not understanding cash flow or other accounting principles like an income statement, you might constantly worry where the money might be coming from or wonder whether you can afford what you want to buy. A good bookkeeper should go over an income statement, cash, and receivables once a month to make sure that you're on the same page. "I have such an aversion to the word 'accounting' that every time you say it, it hurts." - Jill There are also indicators of future revenue in your business, and you can figure it out by organizing your budget. Some business owners run their business blindly, but if you figure out your budget and pay attention to feedback and results, you can tweak it with a little help from data and a spreadsheet. Do you do the accounting in your business or other operational items? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: Would you ever use an influencer for PR purposes? "Who influences you as a business owner? Who influences your crowd?" - Jill Whether you like Kim Kardashian or not, when she launches something, people buy it. But even if Kim isn't your favorite example, there are other celeb influencers out there who use their platforms to spread a positive message. And the truth is, there are influencers in every industry.  In Jill's crowd, for example, Brene Brown is a huge influencer. In Brad's industry, David C. Baker is at the top of the list. When The Founding Moms got mentioned in Sheryl Sandberg's newsletter last year, that press hit was gold - Jill's business was viewed by a rather large audience because of it.  "People who are paying $15k for an Instagram post? Don't." - Brad Brad does a lot of legwork on LinkedIn. If one of the influencers he follows writes something, Brad tries to engage in conversation by leaving a comment. Even if he doesn't get a response, other people see that comment. Some might view this as a waste of time, but Brad sees it as a way to get in front of his target audience. And Brad and Jill disagree as to whether an ideal target audience would see things on a platform like LinkedIn rather than a local newspaper. But by engaging on social media, reaching out for partnership and/or collaboration, or an email mention, influencer outreach can pay off.  How do you feel about influencer outreach? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: You've gotten results from your press outreach! Now what? "Showing people that some media outlet covered you gives them perceived validation." - Jill Most people will do a happy dance (sometimes for two hours) and then post on their socials allll about it. But, Jill says, you could be doing so much more. Any time you get a press hit, you should be promoting it anywhere and everywhere - and there are creative ways to get around the promotion being entirely self-serving. Getting press is a little tedious, but the payoff is well worth it. You can also take that link and then send out new pitches to the outlets who may have skipped you before, with the new link weaved in. Feel free to add those news sites' logos to your website too, which furthers your credibility Want more press hit follow up tips? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

How and where can you target your PR? "People who need what you serve are already looking at [software companies]." - Brad Jamie Van Cuyk is a business consultant who focuses on helping employees and teams find the right people for positions. But she's having trouble with strategic visibility. Most of her referrals are word of mouth, but now she wants to use the online space to help people find her. Currently, she's trying a little bit of everything, but Jill thinks that's her first mistake. How can she reframe her marketing so that she's not mentioning "hiring" which some people find boring?  "You need to constantly be evolving." - Jill Jill continues with PR tips: Reach out to your local paper - find the editor that applies to your business. Start building a spreadsheet. Reach out to 10 papers, 10 podcasts, etc. Narrow your focus - find stories that apply to your business. Who writes them? Reach out to those professionals too. They may write about you! Tweak your pitch as you go and figure out what's working and what's not. Where do you target your PR? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses. Guest: Jamie Van Cuyk has a track record of managing high-performing teams and educating business leaders. Through small business consulting, I’m going to help you find, develop, and retain the effective employees you need to feel confident and adequately supported as you move your business forward. Visit her website.

What’s In This Episode: "Why would press want to cover MY business?" is a question every small business owner asks themselves. "You're asking the wrong question." - Jill Going after press is a time-intensive endeavor, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Essentially, you get listeners or viewers or new customers for FREE, says Jill. All you have to do is find your angle - your business is worth it to someone. "Did Jill just insult me? I think she did." - Brad Figure out why your business is better than someone else's. Give your contact one of these three reasons that you're pitching: the "why" of your business an event you have coming up some new thing: new partnership, new launch, etc. Lead by asking a question, and the next paragraph should answer that question. Rephrase the question from the beginning, and sign off. Want more pitch tips? Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: Jill and Brad delve into PR! "We all put out into the world what we actually need." - Brad Melissa Ronda, weight loss nutritionist, calls in to discuss how she's struggling with her price points because she's pricing according to a group structure that she may or may not achieve - and she's experiencing resentment and stress. They talk about co-dependent behaviors and asking for what you need - and of course, tell Melissa to raise her prices and to get feedback from her clients. "For every PR professional listening, Brad's got it all wrong 'cause he doesn't know how to do it." - Jill Is PR lying? Brad hates it, but Jill thinks he may not have covered the basics: the pitch, sending that pitch to the right people, and following up. You can't just throw a press release out there and wonder why people aren't getting back to you. You need to think of your audience and tell them why you're press worthy. Jill and Brad discuss what makes an interesting pitch, media lists, and why followup is so important. What are your thoughts on PR?  Hang out with Jill and Brad! Wanna join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST-EVER offline event? Meet them THIS FRIDAY at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses. Guest: Melissa Ronda is a weight loss nutritionist who has made a career out of helping women realize what they are capable of. Visit her website here.

What’s In This Episode: At the end of your sales meeting, how do you have the confidence to close? "I never leave a meeting without a next step." - Brad Brad had a period early in his business where he went 27 meetings without closing. He spoke with a business coach who told him to go to four more meetings and figure out what went well, what went poorly, and what he needed to do differently. It was only at appointment four of four where he actually asked for what he wanted - and got the sale. He learned how to apply next steps to his meetings in order to close. "I don't want to have to wade through all your words to figure out what I'm buying; I just want to pay for you to fix it." - Jill Closing is different depending on the type of business you have. And if a prospect gives you "homework," like a proposal, figure out what it is they're questioning before you spend your time... and then leave without a sale. But people spend hours on proposals - which could be a sign that they're not doing the same thing over and over again - but you also could be putting yourself in trouble in the process. But if you're giving your prospect a few things to do with the expectation that you can discuss in your next meeting and they don't do it, it's a sign that maybe you don't need or want to work with them in the first place. As you get better at closing, you can afford to be selective. How do you close with confidence? Hang out with Jill and Brad! Only a few more days 'til you can join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST EVER offline event! Meet them October 4 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: Are you a Type 1 or Type 2 thinker? The difference may be playing out in how you sell, too. "There's a lot of turnover in those first few years when you go out on your own." - Brad Alastair McDermott helps consultants of all kinds by generating leads and building their websites. But he's considering simplifying his business, which might alienate a good chunk of his audience that describes themselves as DIY'ers. What should he do? Jill thinks he may benefit from carving out more of a niche while Brad suggests he does a little more market research on the types of audiences he wants to work with. "Even if you tell people to back off, they don't know how to do that. Is that teachable?" - Jill If you're trying to close a deal too fast, Brad says, you're telling people that you're not good at sales - and also that you may be a little bit desperate. Is your sales process fast or slow? Hang out with Jill and Brad! Only a few more days 'til you can join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST EVER offline event! Meet them October 4 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses. Guest: Alastair McDermott helps independent consultants and specialized consulting firms get better quality leads on their website.

What’s In This Episode: Last week, Jill and Brad discussed what a salesperson does. Today, they're talking about the sales process. Is it driven by the customer? "As a salesperson, you need to lead the conversation." - Brad Do you wonder why people would want to buy from you anyway? If you ask some of the right questions, you may gather insight.  Either they don't know of you at all, or they know a lot  - they follow you on social, they spend time looking through your website - and overall, it's good to know where you stand. "Salespeople are not good listeners." - Jill And if you're leading the conversation, you need to be able to ask questions and get answers that will help you help your customer. And you also need to listen, which as Jill points out, is very counterintuitive. And you might not be the solution for what your client and prospective lead needs, but you might be able to figure that out with them together. Once you've asked your questions, you may be able to come to a diagnosis - and you might be able to figure out the problem even before your lead has articulated it. Talking that through and recognizing additional problems leads to trust, which is vital in the sales relationship. Then you move on to the confirmation and feedback stage... and then, signing on the dotted line. How does your sales process work in your business?  Hang out with Jill and Brad! Only a few more days 'til you can join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST EVER offline event! Meet them September 13 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

What’s In This Episode: Are salespeople the best or the worst? "If you really want to grow your business, don't keep it a secret." - Brad Catherine VonVanno of 20Four7VA calls in to discuss leads. So far, she's had warm leads but she wants to start reaching out to people who might not know of her VA service and go the direct marketing route. Does she try to handle internally, or go with a marketing agency to help? The question of direct marketing and radio ads leads to a discussion about what kind of prospective clients may be out there who aren't really internet savvy. And how would you educate your market? "They can explain why you need something without making you feel bad." - Jill What is the job of a salesperson and how do you know when you've found a great one? Do salespeople just exist to take you on that last mile of the sales journey? What function should they play in your business - and how do you feel about them as a consumer? What are your thoughts on salespeople? Listen in!» Hang out with Jill and Brad! Wanna join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST-EVER offline event? Meet them September 13 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Sponsor: If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses. Guest: Catherine VonVanno is the president and executive director of 20Four7VA, which provides virtual assistant solutions to eCommerce businesses.

What’s In This Episode: We spend a lot of time thinking about the "before" of clients - how to get them, what we'll do once we have them - but what happens for the "after" part? "This experience could help you to see more clearly and to have that empathy with where your clients are." - Brad Jim Taylor of Launchways calls in to discuss how to make sure that sales don't outpace operations too much. And as they head into their busy season, how can they make sure they can still turn a profit and take care of their existing employees? Jill and Brad recommend that Jim make additional hiring choices to help... and of course, consider raising prices to deal with overflow. "Get some feedback because that's going to help you improve your business." - Jill Then, Jill has some Fs for you (not those kinds of Fs) to help with the "after" of your client relationship. Which "Fs" do you give your clients? Hang out with Jill and Brad! Wanna join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST-EVER offline event? Meet them September 13 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Guest: Jim Taylor is the CEO of Launchways, a company that solves customers’ growing pains by helping them build a scalable people infrastructure to support long-term growth. Visit their website or LinkedIn. 

What’s In This Episode: Every website has some common problems that need to be addressed for a better customer/user experience. Jill and Brad talk about what those are. "When anyone goes to any website, they don't want to have to figure out what they're doing there." - Jill Questions you need to focus on: What is your CTA? You need one. Where is your contact info? If you have a contact form, make sure it's actually working. How's your messaging? Is it helping potential customers or is it all about you? Does your branding reflect what you're actually like? Don't just slap on a template or copy what someone else is doing. Are you giving visitors a reason to stay? "When people get to your website, what is the feeling that you want them to have?" - Brad Not sure if you're making some of these mistakes? Get feedback from another person. How's your website? Hang out with Jill and Brad! Wanna join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST-EVER offline event? Meet them September 13 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here.

What’s In This Episode: Brad's a little confused about what customer experience actually is, so Jill and Brad call CX guru Jeannie Walters to help him out. "Whether you know it or not, you are providing a customer experience." - Jeannie Walters Jeannie explains that customer experience is the journey someone takes before they become a customer all the way to when they either cease to be a customer or become a lifelong advocate. The businesses who do it well are proactive about the experiences they're providing. Done right, it can lead to more referrals and more value. However, most businesses don't factor in what customer experience might mean, and instead just focus on making the sale and getting the customer. But you can decide what sort of customer experience you want to deliver and build that into the way you do business leading to positive results for everyone involved. "If I told you that by tweaking a line on your invoice... would get you three new referrals, wouldn't that be worth it?" - Jill It used to be that you needed 12 positive experiences to overcome one negative one - and now you need 22. It can seem overwhelming. So if you're just getting started with customer experience, what can you do? Start with repair and little changes. It feels like a lot of work but with feedback from your customers, it makes a huge difference. What customer experience are you providing? Hang out with Jill and Brad! Wanna join Jill and Brad for drinks at their FIRST-EVER offline event? Meet them September 13 at Park & Field in Chicago to get your shouting on. RSVP here. Guest: Jeannie Walters is the CEO/Founder of Experience Investigators™ by 360Connext, a global Customer Experience consulting firm. She has 20 years of experience helping companies improve loyalty and retention, employee engagement, and overall customer experience. Visit her website and sign up for her 21-day CX challenge.

What’s In This Episode: Have you had a great experience with a brand that leaves you feeling good? For Jill, it was a follow-up email after leaving a review for blinds. For Brad, it was tea that traveled all the way from England with a personal note and a recommendation. "Empathetic customer service can go a long way." - Brad Jill and Brad talk to the Pitch Whisperer John Livesay, a speaker who's in high demand, but he's not sure how to scale, especially because he can't be everywhere at once. They recommend that the consulting aspect of his business be delegated, and to raise his prices for speaking gigs. "You're saving you time; you're not saving me time." - Jill When it comes to showing the human aspect of your business, how can you do it? Personalization takes time and effort. In today's hurried world, some of that personal touch gets lost (don't get Jill started on calendar links and Brad recently talked about automated pitches on the Offline podcast). Are we automating things that shouldn't be automated? How do you make your business more welcoming? Guest: John Livesay, aka The Pitch Whisperer, is a sales keynote speaker and shares the lessons learned from his award-winning sales career at Conde Nast. In his keynote “Better Selling Through Storytelling,” he shows companies’ sales teams how to become irresistible so they are magnetic to their ideal clients. Visit his website here.

What’s In This Episode: Oh, summer. That time when all kids, everywhere, come down with the affliction known as "boredom." Jill and Brad have found some creative - and not so creative - ways to keep their kids busy. But what happens when your employees (the "kids" of your business) start complaining? How do you handle that? "It's excellent to clarify what they're missing versus your expectations." - Jill If your employees are reaching out because they're bored or they're done with their tasks, the problem might be that you as their boss haven't done a great job of explaining their responsibilities. And if they're getting unruly, Jill thinks it might be because they're having a bad day and she'll take a step back. Brad will address it one-on-one because he doesn't want that attitude to become the new normal. But if someone has a consistent attitude, they may be unhappy with their position. "Good employees verify boundaries with you." - Brad If the employee has a sense of entitlement, both Jill and Brad take steps to call it out. They'll ask questions to get to the root of the problem. Jill and Brad talk about the difference in reaction between entitlement and unruliness, plus how they work to set boundaries. What do you do when the "kids" get unruly? TOMORROW! Want more info about hiring when you are trying to grow? Brad's doing a webinar, How to Win the War for Talent: Actionable Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent at Your Business, on July 31! Just sign up at this link and let Brad and two others help you be better at hiring.

What has happened in the evolution of your business? Jill and Brad reminisce about how they felt when they first started their businesses... and what's changed. "When you're 23, what do you have to lose?" - Brad Jill began her first business around the age of 23 and felt pretty confident. Brad started his business more out of necessity and he didn't want anyone to know how scared he was feeling - and faking otherwise just meant he felt like he couldn't ask anyone for help. "The stakes are higher now." - Jill Now that they're more experienced in running their own businesses, the old fears are gone, but some of the anxiety remains. Once you're established, the fear changes: How will you deal with the loss of revenue? Maintaining your reputation? Once you have some success, holding on too tightly can also cause your business to fail. Perhaps the thing that's changed the most? Not being afraid to ask for help. How have you and your business evolved? Want more info about hiring when you are trying to grow? Brad's doing a webinar, How to Win the War for Talent: Actionable Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent at Your Business, on July 31! Just sign up at this link and let Brad and two others help you be better at hiring.

Want more info about hiring when you are trying to grow? Brad's doing a webinar, How to Win the War for Talent: Actionable Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent at Your Business, on July 31! Just sign up at this link and let Brad and two others help you be better at hiring. "No small business owner knows what they need or want in the beginning." - Jill How do you hire people when trying to grow your company? Why is it so hard? We're so busy, and on top of all of the things we're doing, we now have to worry about the hiring process. Everyone's looking for the quick and easy shortcut, but sadly there is none. We're also not great at recognizing what it is we need. A lot of small business owners think that if they just had someone else who was exactly like them, they'd be fine. But that doesn't exist either (and you don't really want that). Brad has a system for figuring out what he actually needs for the task at hand. Also, you'll probably need to spend more on hiring quality people. You can mitigate risk by hiring part-time to start out. "Always be hiring." - Brad You can start collecting resumes with Google or some software so that when you're ready to hire, the talent pool is there for you. You can also meet face-to-face with people to see how you feel about them, but it doesn't mean you have to hire everyone you meet. And once you have hired, if they're not working, don't feel bad about moving onto the next person. How do you hire when you're trying to grow your business?

What’s In This Episode: Brad's back from the ConvertKit Craft + Commerce Conference, which celebrates creators across platforms. He met some really interesting people and got a lot out of it... and now he's going to reiterate what he tells people all the time: CHARGE MORE. "You can spend that time doing something you enjoy. " - Brad Lidia Varesco Racoma's design aesthetic is clean, understandable and adaptable. She's been in business for a while, and as she grows, she needs to outsource responsibilities. But which one and how do you get over the feeling that you need to check their work? "I might not be as parental. I think I'm more of a teenager running the show." - Jill Sometimes there's a parent-child dynamic that sneaks into the company. Is it a good thing? And how do you deal with it? Jill and Brad discuss. Do you parent in your business?  Guest: Lidia Varesco Racoma is an art director and designer with over 20 years of experience and a passion for marketing. Visit her website.