The POWER of Small Business

Why do some companies appear to have more talent knocking down their doors than they can shake a stick at, but others are struggling to attract minimum numbers of marginally qualified applicants? Is it because there are not enough talented people looking for work? Is it because there are not enough specialists who know how to do the work, or is it something else? The reality is some companies build cultures that serve as talent magnets while others have no idea what that even means. If you want to make your company attractive to top talent, there are some key actions you need to take, but the good news is that you can. There are simple steps you can take to ramp up your culture and start to attract the most qualified people to your company.

Why does Patriot Mission exist? Why do we run a weekly radio show? Join us as we explore the facts about small business in America. We use this as a backdrop to explore the history of our nation, socialism versus capitalism and how that applies to the upcoming midterm elections.  We do all that, to define just what the Power of Small Business REALLY is!

Today is September 12th, the day after September 11th and Benghazi. Yesterday was declared Patriot Day shortly after the catastrophic event in 2001. But what does it mean? Are you a Patriot? Do you love your country's interests with devotion? If you were to disappear today, what evidence is left behind? Today we explore the items that Patriots do on a regular basis to show their love of this grand country.

We've spent the last few weeks talking about hiring the right person for your company. The commonly overlooked person is the US Veteran. Their training, worth hundreds of thousands of your tax payer dollars, is going to waste because employers are only giving them the hard to fill jobs that nobody wants. That is the symptom. Today, we will use history starting in WWII to determine WHY this is happening.

The socialist culture discussed last week meets the hiring process head on. How do you communicate a capitalist working vision to socialist workers? And then how do you show those same workers that you actually care, a requirement for them to stay? Unfortunately, the message broadcast, through actions, that your issues are outside the office. While here, we own you. But when leadership that the leaders TRULY care both in words and actions the workers, even the socialist ones, tend to work harder.

Have you ever hired somebody and within the first week realized while they had all the right skills, they were the WRONG person for the company? Today's episode we tie in the Debrief Focused Approach in helping you to hire the right person for your company to do the tasking you need accomplished so you can best focus on what you do best that makes the company thrive.

Our US Military is the best in the world. Besides the people and the equipment, our processes help us to be the best of the best. We've explored the Debrief Focused Approach already. Now see how that ties into contingency planning. Or does contingency planning tie into the Debrief Focused Approach? You decide in today's episode.

Join us as we explore the new paradigm in hiring, no experience necessary. As we dive in to what a company REALLY needs when they hire new people. Is it experience, degrees and skills; or is it loyalty and a sense of my job description is to make the company succeed, we will train the skills we want?

In this episode we explore both the value and importance of a well functioning, highly oiled machine we know as a team. And then we go into what it takes to hire the right team to lead the company, manage the company and work the company. If the team is right, the magic can happen!

Have you ever taken a look at how technology and leadership has changed since D-Day or Apollo 11? The amount of computing power that took entire rooms in the 1960's but fit on your wrist today? Or the technology to create 1 bomber per hour during WWII to keep the winning the war effort? Now look at the real computing power that made those possible … the human mind! That is POWER behind your SMALL BUSINESS!

In this episode, Robert "Cujo" Teschner gives more insights into the debrief focused approach, including more information on the studies supporting it and examples of recent success stories applying the Debrief Focused Approach in business today. To learn more about the Debrief Focused Approach, visit https://www.vmaxgroupllc.com/ and https://www.robertteschner.com/.

The Backbone of America is used to described the small business and entrepreneurial community that forms the basis of the US economy. Connecting the importance of our Founding and the core tenets of our original Declaration of Independence and Constitution are crucial to understand. In today's episode, you'll get some insight about America's history through the words of several members of PATRIOT MISSION's Board of Advisors. Their military perspective and unique historical vantage point will inspire you and give you a few ideas to ponder during the Independence Day Celebration and the Shining City on a Hill.

Today about 1/3 of American's aged 19-22 do not think democracy in America is headed in the right direction, and voting trends are towards politicians who promise a lot of free stuff with no indication of how they are going to pay for it. Join us as we describe how the Power of Small Business can reverse that trend teaching the upcoming generations how to earn their desired cash and simultaneously teaching them about what principals lead to the founding of our country and its position in the world.

Many citizens do not understand where we came from. That hard work, dedication, and often failure and learning from those failures are what created our nation. Instead, many are falling for the social media that it just happens and they are entitled to it. Join us as we explore events and decisions that framed and grew our country over the years.

Today we meet Michael Gerber, author of the E-Myth and the E-Myth Revisited and Rudy Laco, Captain, US Navy Retired. We discuss military members who have had the entrepreneurial seizure and the assistance available to them including Gerber's new Radical U. Learn how you can take the seizure and develop it into a dream, vision, purpose and mission!

Are you a good leader? Perhaps you can be a better leader. Go with us as we explore items that good leaders should do on a regular basis in order to continue to improve instead of stagnating. Leadership is not easy. Life is not easy. Building a business is not easy. Here are a series of tips that help you identify weaknesses in your style and point you to the right direction to help solve them. Remember, leadership goes to the core of every relationship you have. So spending time working on your leadership is also working on those relationships. Do you have your leadership plan yet?

In today's episode we explore the research of Bruce Hoppe, Ph.D. and Claire Reinelt, Ph.D. in their research paper "Social Network Analysis And the Evaluation of Leadership Networks". We explore the four types of networks and then dive deep into Peer Leadership Networks. The episode goes into why a great leader needs to be plugged into a great Peer Leadership Networks and how both the network and the entrepreneur leader benefits from the time invested. To review the paper mentioned in this episode, go to http://leadershiplearning.org/system/files/SNA%20and%20Leadership%20Networks%20-%20LQ.pdf

Take a moment to look at that person in the mirror and declare that "Yes, you are a leader". Then follow us on a journey to connect those leaders and build them up with the tools and confidence needed to mentor the next generation of new entrepreneurs. While doing this, take time to honor those service people who defend your right 24x7 to own your business: military, police, firefighters, EMS, etc.

In today's society, businesses are only 20% likely to get to the point where they hire employees. Most, according to various studies are destined to fail by the end of their 10th year. How do we change that trend? Join us as we explore what is required to change a culture of destined to fail into a culture of destined to succeed.

In a time where 7 of 10 businesses fail in the first 10 years, when the majority of businesses never grow beyond 1 person operations, we explore a powerful tool that will help you grow. We discuss how in addition to helping others through the Vietnam 50 year celebration events, you can end up helping yourself as you have the opportunity to network with other successful business owner.

Met Rob "Cujo" Teschner, President and CEO of VMAX Group LLC. We explore how the Debrief Focused Approach was founded in the Air Force, taught to both Steve Olds and Cujo in the 27th Fighter Squadron and followed them through their careers. Cujo is now bringing the debrief focused approach to small business, as studies have proven that the methodology can increase productivity by 20%. Learn the key cultural aspects required to make a debrief focused approach to leadership a viable solution in your small business.

How did the Blue Angels become the best at what they do?  How can you apply those principles to your business? Join us as we explore through the events at the Vero Beach Air Show and apply the leadership principles to day to day life. Then we go through a thought exercise to help you focus on what really matters most as you make your business as successful as possible.

Join us as we remember 9/11 and the unity we shared as a country, complete with Republicans and Democrats singing God Bless America on the steps of the capital to the divisive nature of today. Learn how we as Small Business Owners and Supporters can use our Power of Small Business to help reunify America around a just cause. And most importantly, how you can help unify America!

Learn more about the win for Vietnam Veterans as a result of the Small Business Honors Programs. Today we hear from Nancy Olds, a nurse in Indian River County who gave a Vietnam Veteran one of the Time To Honor books. We also hear from Veteran Service Officers from Iowa and Washington in how the Time To Honor books are resulting in more Vietnam Veterans coming into their offices and getting the benefits they earned while in service. We also discuss how this helps the community with local events and how small businesses get honored when they sponsor the events and putting the books in veterans hands!

In this episode we take a look at the process of stepping back, taking a look at the big picture versus what you are doing. In performing this look you find efficiencies, such as helping a worthy cause that gives meaningful appreciation gives you the efficiency of marketing and helping a worthy cause at the same time. The marketing, if meaningful, brings you more customers and therefore a meaningful ROI.

It is time to weave the last 4 episodes together and lay out the cause, how we will educate the community about the cause and in return provide walk in traffic to our sponsors' companies. This episode dives deep into the specific cause of thanking our Vietnam Veterans, how we are going to do that and the scale of the project. We then show you how we will educate the community about the cause and about the sponsor's business. Finally, we explain many of the extra benefits with sponsoring a community education presentation for the Journey Home film in your area. Join us as we add more details to the plan to honor the Vietnam Veterans with Remember My Service during this 50th Vietnam War Commemoration!

There are over 30 million small businesses in the United States today. Those 30 million business touch every single American in some way every day. Now, what if the 30 million small businesses rallied around a single, non-political, cause that they were passionate about. That reach and passion for a cause would have tremendous impact on America today. In today's episode, we dive into the impact of that cause, reach and passion to show how a little effort can both have a large impact on America but positively affect your business. Learn more as we drill into this aspect of what Small Business Honors will do for America.

In this episode we go deeper into Small Business Honors objective to honor our Vietnam Veterans. The episode starts with understanding the Vero Beach Air Show (April 21-22, 2018) and how this is a win-win for sponsors and the air show community. We then take those lessons and apply it to honoring the Vietnam Veteran community through the movie The Journey Home. We explain the research that was conducted after every major war since World War I on how the veterans returning from war impacted the community. Every major war EXCEPT the Vietnam War. We go into how Small Business Honors is going to fill that gap by funding the research on the economic impact of the 9 million veterans who served during the Vietnam War as they returned home.

In this episode, we go deeper into the challenge of "How do I find a meaningful way to extend appreciation to those who have helped us?" that we talked about last week. We do this with the roll out of Patriot Mission's new program, Small Business Honors. Learn how we will start with one segment of the population, the American Veteran, and start providing honors from Small Business that results in a win-win-win. Win: Small business answers their challenge of how do I extend appreciation? Win - The veteran is informed of the appreciation and engages with the small business. Win - the small business grows generating more revenue for themselves, their employees and tax revenues which intern support the active duty soldiers and sailors. Twenty two million American Veterans is a large chunk to start with, so we will start with a smaller group of veterans: the 7 million surviving veterans of the Vietnam War. Join us!

Every small business owner has to deal with three challenges in their business: where do I get support, when do I reflect and plan forward, and how do I pay it back. In this episode we discuss those challenges in detail and then provide a plan to work all three of the challenges. In this process, we introduce the Patriot Mission program, Small Business Appreciates which goes into thanking those unsung heroes who have made our business possible. But we are not talking about your family, spouse, friends, or even investors. Join us as we explore who the unsung heroes are that made our business possible.

The last several episodes have laid the groundwork for the future of Patriot Mission, but they appear to be "One of" presentations as we talked to the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Miami Heat, the Founder and President of Remember My Service, the owner of 1631 Digital while also looking at 2017 in review and planning ahead for 2018. But how do they relate? In this episode, we start to stitch these topics together into a plan to assist two major groups of unsung heroes in America so they can learn from each other and through their synergy assist America into soaring to new heights without a political side to it. Here we set the stage, defining a patriot, reminding us of a bit of history, and introducing the three main ways we will assist the two groups of Americans. Finally, we will give you a taste of the upcoming plans to celebrate these two groups in Florida and then across America. So join us as we start to bring these wide ranging topics together into a coherent plan!

Bill Foran, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Miami Heat for the last 29 years talks with Steve Olds about how to start a workout program. He covers how to figure out your target workout zone, the balance of exercises and periodicity of when you should do the exercises. Bill also talks about the importance of nutrition when trying to get fit. He covers the importance of hydration, what foods to avoid and most importantly why. As we start to reach the point of the year where many New Year Resolutions go by the wayside, take a moment to listen to a method to keep this one resolution this year.

Meet entrepreneur John Lund, CEO of Remember My Service and Founder, President and CEO of Storyrock. John Lund, working with Charlene Hawkes at Remember My Service have a history of developing Anniversary Gifts for service people in many of our wars. They have completed tributes for the Korean War and Desert Storm already. Now John and his team are working on placing thank-you gifts in the hands of each of the 7.2 living Vietnam War Veterans before the end of 2019 as part of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War. Join us as we learn how John got in the business of putting together war commemorations and where he is headed with the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. NOTE: Interview with John was conducted via cell phone. There are periods of background noise and static as a result.

NOTE: The recording skips stating at 1:25 for 40 seconds. Meet Joe Corbe, Founder and CEO of 1631 Digital. 1631 Digital is the new world order in Issue advocacy, branding and retail messaging. They use unstructured data to find the best possible audiences online for your campaign. This data incorporates social media, search, transactional, topic, keyword, contextual histories and we blend it with 3rd party data to pinpoint specific readers online that your message will resonate. Learn more about how the use of unstructured data with the 1631 Digital methods can help your business target a warm market and get the most out your marketing budget, regardless of size.

It's the beginning of the year. Do you know where you want to be this time next year? Join us as we explore the hurdles to making to those goals, and ways of ensuring you meet your goals. In today's society fear drives many of our actions. This fear, particularly of the unknown, paralyzes us and prevents us from stepping up and planning an amazing year. Instead we create new year's resolutions that we have a lifelong habit of not following. In this episode we will walk through the beginning of the year planning using some insights from Stephen Covey.

Note - At about 20:00 for about 45 seconds there is a period of static. How did 2017 turn out for you? Was is a good, fair, fabulous, marginal or horrible? Why? In some cases, there are circumstances beyond our control that impact our lives, but in most cases the results you've experienced in 2017 are a direct result of the person in the mirror. Stephen Covey spoke about our ability to choose our response in any circumstance, even when they are not of our making. 'RESPONSE-ABILITY' is the ability to respond. Many people in this day and age look in the mirror and choose to respond as a victim. The challenge is that they are blinded to the fact, their victim status is self-imposed.  In Episode 124, we go through specific examples of life experiences that everyone can relate to and examine how to use them to empower you. As you look back at the last year, no matter how things were, you can take those lessons and leverage them to create a great future.

If you were going to reverse the failure rate of small business, how would you do it? Over recent decades, according to the US Small Business Administration, only 30% of new ventures survive past their tenth birthday. That is a travesty. There are tremendous resources available that could help most companies survive and thrive. Why don't they? In many cases, it's simply a matter of a new entrepreneur's emotion and not having any idea what they don't know. In other words, the new small business owner has plenty of enthusiasm with which to launch the venture, but not enough understanding and knowledge to profitably survive. Veterans are a group that statistically tend to be more successful. What if you could tap into the experiences of veterans from earlier combat generations, like Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm, and teach their post-war learning from the entrepreneurial trenches to new veterans? Then suppose you could document their experiences and bundle them with the best training across America and streamline it's availability? Could you reverse the failure rate? We think so...

Meet Sharlene Hawkes, master storyteller and President of Remember of My Service. Sharlene's early career begin on-camera as a media personality with ESPN uncovering the passion and dreams behind world-class athletes and sports organizations. Sharlene discovered how much most top performers never reveal in a standard interview. Sharlene has made a career out of uncovering the hidden experiences that define unsung heroes. In recent years, she has partnered with military units to tell their stories, past and present, in a way families and future organizational members can cherish. History can be lost if it's not captured and communicated powerfully.  Sharlene's flagship project is the Vietnam War's 50th Commemoration. She and her team of talented publishers, filmmakers, media specialists and sponsors have partnered with national non-profit organizations to give a commemorative gift to each of the 7.9 Million Vietnam Veterans and their families. www.Vietnam50gift.com

You've probably heard the expression; "I can't see the forest for the trees." That is the case for most small business start-ups, especially when it comes to raising investment capital for a new venture. How can a new entrepreneur learn to look at their 'baby' objectively? Why is it crucial to be cold and calculating when it comes to your investors? Understanding your business financials is essential to success. Also making sure you do right things in the right order sets you up for success. That's why we explore the reasons learning to think like an investor during entrepreneurial apprenticeship is absolutely critical for success. Another key to strengthening America's economy is to recruit a higher percentage of transitioning military veterans to launch new ventures. In Episode 121 we drill down into the statistics that prove the combination of apprenticeship and veteran owned small businesses can rapidly accelerate the Backbone of America!

When we asked young people what they believed their first task would be should they decide to start their own company, the number one response was overwhelming; BORROW MONEY. The followup question left them speechless; "What would you do if it was illegal to go into debt to start a small business?" In Episode 120 we drill into this idea both from philosophical and practical points of view. When you understand the real impact of starting your business with a significant debt burden, it becomes clear why it is a bad idea. There is a time and a sound way to raise investment capital to grow a company, but that is a completely different conversation. What most entrepreneurial apprentices don't realize is there are two tax codes; one for employees and one for business owners. While you are in the early stages of apprenticeship, we recommend you keep your day job for multiple reasons, not the least of which are the tax benefits. Listen in to get all the scoop.

How many times have you attended a workshop on time management only to be told once again how important it is to make time on your calendar for those people who are important to you? Yes, spouse, children, family and important friends. If you don't, you'll regret it. Yeah... we've all heard it, but how do you really do it? In Episode 119, we drill into a very specific, time-tested process to guarantee you create balance in your life for your top priorities. You'll see how to incorporate these plans to ensure you keep the romance alive in your marriage or with your significant other. Then you'll be amazed to discover the same skills apply to another often overlooked skill set necessary for successful entrepreneurship. What is your physical fitness strategy? Have you identified a specific plan that addresses your motivation, exercise and nutrition requirements so you can achieve success in life... while you are succeeding in business. This is extremely important and easy... that is it can be easy to do... and easy not to do. Listen in and you'll have a strategy to physical fitness success in your life.

How many people do you know that get fired up about studying history? Those numbers likely drop dramatically if you were to ask type-A small business owners to shut down their company for a few hours to study the impact of America's Founders on entrepreneurship. While this scenario isn't likely, the takeaway points we discuss in Episode 118 begin with key decisions America's Founders made that are crucial to our ability to create ventures. Constitutional provisions ensure we can own the result of our ideas and hard work. The Founders set a new standard for a fledgling nation and leaders who would follow over the centuries. Continuously developing and improving principle based personal leadership skills is an absolute requirement for success. Which skills should you focus on? After this program, you'll have a much better idea.

Do you remember the first time you got the twinge of entrepreneurial interest... the first moment you thought about the idea of actually working for yourself and controlling your financial future? It's pretty intoxicating, isn't it? I know it was for me. In Episode 117 we take a look at the first questions a new entrepreneurial apprentice needs to consider if they are going to seriously pursue the world of small business. This mindset is something few talk about because it's not nearly as sexy as the latest shiny object, but is much more important to long term viability. We also walk through a simple, and scientifically validated process for you to understand exactly what your strengths are and why it's crucial to focus on them. The business applications for this are many, but there are just as many ramifications to your personal life.

Over the last several weeks, we have talked about the way small business leaders operate during natural disasters like the hurricanes and fires America has been fighting. Now, we find ourselves responding to an unconscionable act in the Las Vegas massacre. While many will focus on the pure evil that was the perpetrator, and reasons why he may have committed this unspeakable act, we will focus on the actions of fellow Americans. In the moment, while many panicked, others stayed strong and served others... some sacrificing their own lives to protect strangers. In the days, weeks and months to follow, the business community, small, medium and large, will serve Las Vegas. Entrepreneurs will find creative ways to help heal their home town and others will reach out to deliver kindness in many forms to Las Vegas. Entrepreneurs' penchant for service shines through even during the darkest times.

The mythology of Entrepreneurship frequently promotes the idea of a free spirit riding solo onto the open range of small business success. The reality is that successful entrepreneurs are solid team players and can be counted on to be calm, cool and collected while doing the many tasks required by fast moving, nimble companies. This is even more true when disaster strikes. Successful entrepreneurs develop a strong sense of preparation, backup plans and flexibility. In cases, like recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, when there is time to get your house in order, most small business owners switch gears and are the steady rocks upon which most communities stand. The media encourages people to panic and live in mortal fear. Rather than freaking out and screaming like 'Chicken Little' proclaiming the sky is falling, strong entrepreneurs serve their communities and lead people to safety, both during the disaster and after.

Small Business Acceleration can be a lot of fun when everything is going well. The challenge is that nothing ever goes according to plan. How well are you prepared to handle emergency circumstances, whether they are personal, business or within your support network? In Episode 114, we'll review real world situations and how to respond. Much like flying an airplane, building your business is thrilling. However, when you lose an engine on takeoff, what was exciting a minute ago can be terrifying in the moment. The same thing is true when you are facing unexpected circumstances, whether those are natural disasters or other problems. Your preparation and ability to respond to stressful situations will determine your company's future. If you panic like most of the rest of the world, it won't go well for you. If you keep a cool head (because you have planned well) then you are much more likely to make it through the rough air, as you continually improve your organization.

Small business is not static. 500,000 new companies start every year, 80% of which are single person operations. How many more people do you believe are 'thinking' about starting a new venture at any given time? 2 million? 5 million? Those numbers are pretty big... but the travesty is that two thirds of those companies ultimately fail. In previous episodes, Steve Olds explained why the apprentice mindset is crucial to what he calls the Small Business Ecosystem. The apprentice must begin with 3 tough questions that ultimately lead them to be ready to build the absolute best business for them... with the right type of support. In Episode 113, you'll learn why establishing an apprentice mindset at large drives stakeholders in every local community. Young apprentices can become mentors in a nano-second. The reason is because technology can be a great equalizer in the local, regional and national small business ecosystem. At the same time, older mentors can become apprentices in technology... this an other ideas are explored in this edition of The POWER of Small Business.

One of three critical factors that will determine the speed of SMALL BUSINESS ACCELERATION is an educated entrepreneur. Many people who start small businesses look more like the Tasmanian Devil from the old cartoon than a focused professional. The reason is simple. At the beginning of a small business, there is so much to learn. The combination of enthusiasm for the new venture and the unbridled exuberance of working for themselves, can create interesting experiences. What should you be learning... and when you should plan to learn it? In Episode 112, Steve Olds looks at a strategy for learning that substantially increases retention through practical application. How do you make sure you don't become the student who never knows enough to take action? You have to create a plan with benchmarks, boundaries and accountability. This is one reason why your mutual support network is essential and in today's show you'll learn how to chunk your plan down to actionable steps. 

Small business is not static. 500,000 new companies start every year, 80% of which are single person operations. How many more people do you believe are 'thinking' about starting a new venture at any given time? 2 million? 5 million? Those numbers are pretty big... but the travesty is that two thirds of those companies ultimately fail. In the previous episode, Steve Olds explained why the apprentice mindset is crucial to what he calls the Small Business Ecosystem. The apprentice must begin with 3 tough questions that ultimately lead them to be ready to build the absolute best business for them... with the right type of support. In Episode 112, you'll learn why establishing an apprentice mindset at large drives stakeholders in every local community. Young apprentices can become mentors in a nano-second. The reason is because technology can be a great equalizer in the local, regional and national small business ecosystem. At the same time, older mentors can become apprentices in technology... this an other ideas are explored in this edition of The POWER of Small Business.

Entrepreneurship can be a very emotional topic. Money is traditionally the motivator that launches most new small businesses. There is a direct correlation between the mindset of the new small business owner and long term success. In Episode 111, Steve Olds drills into the entrepreneurial apprentice mindset and why it is foundational to the success of a small business. However, it's important to realize the mindset is applicable not only at the beginning of an entrepreneur's new venture, but for his or her entire career. If the lessons we learn in small business can be acquired more efficiently and quickly shared with other entrepreneurs, the new apprentice can accelerate free enterprise growth on a grand scale. Listen to this podcast to understand what it takes to adopt the mindset of the entrepreneurial apprentice.

When you study the Small Business Administration statistics on entrepreneurial survival past the 10 year point, you'll find that, on average, only two out of ten survive. Talk to most experienced entrepreneurs and you'll find that most have a lot of scar tissue. Why? Because building a profitable company that survives for the long term is tough. If you look at the last 4 decades, the numbers have remained fairly constant, despite ups and downs in the economy. Is it necessary that we accept eight of ten businesses should crash and burn? It would seem that if we applied basic continuous improvement thinking to this problem, we should be able to yield a better result. Like most endeavors, the real key to understanding the failure rate is to look at what happens BEFORE the business launches. Just like a traditional education, what you learn in high school builds on what you learned in middle and elementary school. If your basic skills are not solid, then it's likely you won't do well in secondary education. Small Business development is very similar... and there is a lot we can learn to improve the 20% survival rate... and we should learn it... NOW!