Podcasts about business there

What is the liking gap? Have you ever been in a conversation with a group of people, that went well, But after you start having doubts? Some people run these conversations like a tape thinking and I wishing they hadn't said something. Or remembering expressions on people's faces and being convinced that they have offended them in some way. In this podcast, we are exploring the liking gap, it is the stories and interpretations that we create in the absence of real feedback. The standard coaching approach to this issue is to remind the client of something very important. What other people think of me is none of my business. It is a phrase gets pushing in personal development I've even used it with clients and been on the receiving end of it.  It is so true because what other people think of me, is what goes inside other people's heads. I have absolutely no control over it. So worrying about it is not going to serve, but that doesn't stop us worrying about it. So I was fascinated this week to discover some work by Erica Boothby From the University of Pennsylvania.  She and her team did some research in this process, looking at how we perceive that gap between what we think someone is thinking and our interpretation of it. It is called the liking gap, and there are some simple strategies to reduce how it affects us.       Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying interested and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)    

We live in a world where pleasure is readily available. Although seeking pleasure is a natural human tendency, the constant availability of instant gratification provided by society, businesses, and the media is causing us to become unhappy and unfulfilled. In our last show, we explored how grit and struggle are the points in life where we experience the most growth.  This week, I discovered the work of Dr. Anna Lembke, the Author of the book Dopamine. Dr Lembke is a clinical psychologist at Stamford University and has been exploring the effect of overstimulation with Dopamine and how the brain will look to bring us back into balance. But when we are awash with stimulants, balance can mean a lack of motivation, sadness and depression.  Her work is on addiction; we all have them: food, drink, and drugs, and now there are new forms of addiction: Binge TV, Games and social media. Through her work, it is clear that earning our dopamine is the key to real happiness. We all know this: the win is all the more sweet when there is a struggle. So now I understand why running makes me feel good. And so many of my friends rave about cold water swimming.      Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying interested and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

Gratitude and grititude, in life there will always be ups and downs and it's easy to be grateful for the good bits but how could we learn appreciation for the challenges. On this show today we look at grititude. Over the last few weeks we've been looking at this idea of being grateful and finding places where we can savour moments to create more gratitude. But the truth is the maximum growth in life come when we are challenged, it arrives when we are pushed to bring out greater resources to find a path through. These are the bits that are painful and not the experience we would choose. But they are the points in life that provide the greatest opportunity for change.   Growth and Resilience We're exploring the idea of being grateful for the crap bits and exploring how those parts of your life will lead you towards greater resilience and a greater capacity to deal with whatever's coming down the line. Many of our guests on the podcast experience a fall of some kind. Some of them have lost everything in their lives, and they have created something genuinely extraordinary out of that disaster. When asked if they would go back and change anything, they often say no. That is what we're talking about. It's that capacity to recognise those parts of their lives and see them as opportunities for growth. Because as long as we hold fear of the gritty bits, we lose our capacity to change anything. Only when we can truly embrace them do we achieve full resilience and the ability to react or whatever life delivers.     Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

Learning to savour is about looking for those parts of the day worth remembering and paying attention with heightened awareness. In our last shortcast, we looked at gratitude, the simple act of being thankful for what has passed during the day. In this show, we explore the practice of savouring—a process of heightened awareness where we slow down and give all of our attention to the moment. The point of savouring is to appreciate moments of magic and wonder that happen during the day. It is about creating opportunities that give us reason to be grateful later. We are biologically programmed to look for the problems, crises, or threats to our existence. To the point where we will pass by the beauty and wonder of the ordinary. In this show we explore my experience with savouring and how you could use it to enrich your daily experience.     Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

Have you considered the power of gratitude?  It is easy to fall into the trap or the spiral we all have stuff going on and it can be hard to see the positive in every situation.  However there is always something worthy of our thanks and gratitude.  On this show we are exploring how gratitude can change the mood and lift the soul in any circumstance.  There are many ways to approach a gratitude practice: last thing at night, first thing in the morning or in the moment when something has not turned out well.     Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

The power of community building, our communities are the social glue that holds life together and is so underrated. Only when we cut off, do we notice the gap and then the loss. The podcast explores why community is essential, what happens when a community is broken, and why it is fundamental to human existence. Community is about the groups of people we identify with and support. The word community is a word that is used often in business and in politics but what does it mean?  In the news, we often hear that that's that phrase from the business community or the wider community. Are you consciously community building?    We all make assumptions that we live in a community and yet the description of what that means is actually very loose. Could you put a name or word to yours? However, take your community access away and see what happens. Covid was a catalyst that both created and destroyed our communities. While it was not possible to meet in person, people stepped up and helped each other with food or shopping. However, that separation from our usual groups took its toll on so many.    Change is Coming  On Friday I was invited to a private viewing of a film set in the Findhorn Foundation. It is a well-established spiritual and ecovillage community.  Brexit, Covid and then an arson attack have made the holding organisation insolvent, and huge change is coming. The film explored how difficult the journey has been, and opened the conversation about what is to come.  I am on the perimeter of these changes and I am sure I will get to witness the best and the most difficult aspect of community leadership and decision-making as this story unfolds. But it has made me think about my community and how I need to be more consciously building a network around me. In this programme, I invite you to look at your circles and groups and how can you make them stronger. As Stephen Covey said we need to make time to sharpen the saw.        Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

It is your time to shift, when you put down a marker and decided everything will be different hereafter. On the show, we explore the idea of the shift through the window of my wife's ordination as an interfaith minister. Two weeks ago on Saturday in a little theatre in Milton Keynes, 30 plus ordinands were publicly declaring their vows in front of family and friends. It was a deeply moving ceremony about love and compassion. An opportunity for these people to be recognised and seen for who they are, where they have come from and what they might become. This was their moment of shift and joy to behold it had the sense of a wedding but different, and words are so limiting when it comes to describing any of it. Life Is Not Measured By the Number of Breaths We Take, But By the Moments That Take Our Breath Away.    Vicki Corona,  That quote sums it up very well but even that is describing a moment and not saying what the feeling is. Very possibly because words cannot express. In this show, we explore that event and how to go about finding a shift for yourself. What tools we can use to get to the point of shift and onward to the life that you want. My Wife is now Reverend Cheryl Harvey and I am delighted for her.       Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

Growth Marketing Strategy For Each Phase of Business There are so many different types of growth marketing strategies out there – how in the world are you supposed to know which you should be focused on? Should you be writing guest posts? Pitching yourself to be on podcasts? Trying to find speaking engagements? Hosting Workshops? […] The post Episode 171: Growth Marketing Strategies for Your Phase of Business appeared first on Amanda Warfield.

Reading by osmosis is buying a book and having it on the shelf unread. It feels good to buy a book that looks like it will change your life. But unless we read it and implement the contents, nothing will change. We all do it to some extent, PDF downloads!! How many do you have in that to-be-read folder?  Courses bought or events attended, did you do the work? On this show, we are looking at how to avoid reading by osmosis and setting a commitment to do the work. I have a lot of books on my shelves I have a lot of books in my Kindle, I have always enjoyed reading, and was the influence of various coaches over the years that have either suggested books. Or pointed out that the most successful people read a lot of books.  But we live in a world of reels and short-form content. The availability of podcasts and YouTube videos has changed how we consume or find information.  These platforms have given us direct access to information and reduced our need to look for or read books.   Is that really true, can I get everything from Youtube? It's ok if I'm looking for a particular bit of information, like how to tune the gears on your bike. A straightforward video is enough. But the problem is when we try to go deeper unless we are taking notes or finding some way to retain that information, watching videos or listening to information is not the best way to learn or implement. On this show, I will encourage you to find the book that will take you forward and give you some tools that help you stick to and implement something. Because unless we take action and change something nothing will change.    Join me on the show and discover how you might implement the book that could change your life.   Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)  

What is it that makes the ordinary and extraordinary, after this week I would say perception. My son and I travelled to London in preparation for my wife's Ordination. We spent a day in London doing the tourist thing. On this show we are exploring how to make the ordinary extraordinary and the importance of connection with all that is. It was an emotional week returning to famous places with my now adult son, making new memories and discovering our shared interests. Photography, he has a good eye for a picture and loves people watching. Both are about creating stories and seeing the worlds from a place of wonder. The Ordinary Become Extraordinary at Ordination The focus of the week was my wife's ordination as an interfaith minister. She is now the Reverend Cheryl Harvey a titles that has weight and opens doors for good conversations. It has been a two year journey of soul searching and revelation. It was about connection interconnection and the infinite possibility. In this show we explore what all means and how you might see the ordinary and extraordinary?       Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)

Healthy wanting, is it possible to be wanting something in such a way that it drives you forward towards success? For many wanting is about filling a void that cannot be filled from the outside. On this podcast we discover the problem with over wanted culture. It is growth for the sake of growth. How could we look at the driver of progress in a more positive way so it's connected with who we are? Society and business has turned into desires for products in the search for ever greater profit. It becomes growth for the sake of growth. Our politicians and media promise unlimited growth as a means of prosperity for all.  But it can put us on the treadmill. There have been more than enough podcast guests on the growth treadmill looking for more and more and finding themselves burned out in the process. What if it was possible to reconnect yourself with your values and build your wants and desires from there? Our conversation is about using your value systems accordingly, and using it in a healthy way to of fuel your desires. Value Lists and Coaching Support   The link to the value list mentioned is here, there is no sign up for this is just pure link to the PDF. If you would like some supports working with your values or exploring your story, book a chat and lets see what is possible.    Join me on the show and discover how you might use value to define what you want.    Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)

We are all living in the story; it is what we do. I talk a lot about the stories and narratives that make up our lives. I've realised this is about living in the story of the outcome. On this show, we explore how our storytelling abilities can lead us to our goals or take us to that place of despair. We have to manage our storytelling to get what we want. Most of the time, our actions at any moment are relative to the outcome we hold as a vision. But we are not conscious that we are doing it. Here is me Living in the story I love to cook for myself, my family, and my friends. When I begin the meal plan, I consider what the other people eating will enjoy and how they might react to the presentation of that food. I imagine them enjoying it. Last Monday I bought a new pair of running shoes, they were a gift for my birthday and are possibly the most expensive shoes I have ever bought. As I tested them in the shop, I imagined how it would feel to run a race, going fast and long while wearing these shoes. I got to test them on Saturday at the Forres Highland Games 10K, and they did not feel how I imagined they would. They did live up to my expectation. That is the point we are always living in the outcome of the story we have created. Now that ability to tell ourselves a story and believe it is a powerful tool for getting the life we want. As long as it is well managed.  Focus on the bad stuff, which can also be a heavyweight in delivering the life we do not want because replaying and believing a lousy story will not lift the heart or fill the soul with joy. Join me on the show and discover how you might use your stories to get what you want.    Life Passion & Business Podcast is about finding answers to life's big questions through weekly interviews with guest speakers. The Shortcast is my ongoing commitment to staying inquisitive and passionate about life with whatever is alive for me each week. Follow the links below to discover what else is on offer.       Discover Life, Passion & Business: There is a lot to gain from listening to other people's stories, however, the real work begins by taking action in your own life. Now you're here, please explore our Events and Resources pages to discover how Life Passion & Business can support you. Quick Links:- The Five Questions eBook Focus Coaching Male Midlife Challenges Support the Podcast with BuyMeACoffee.com (or click on the cup for more info.)

Run Your Life Like a Business There is absolute power in running your life like a business and really having control of the money that comes in and goes out of your life. We will categorize our expenses and implement a tool to help us balance our life better. Expense Tracker App I think you'd love SimplyWise, an app that instantly stores & organizes receipts. Get the app now: https://simplywise.app.link/bL8APWzEedb Follow me on social Platforms https://instagram.com/tradershawnsmith?r=nametag https://m.facebook.com/sacrifice2creategreatness/?ref=page_internal --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sacrifice2creategreatness/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sacrifice2creategreatness/support

Storytelling in business is a powerful tool to communicate with and captivate your audience, build relationships and trust, and convert your audience to paying clients. Hey friend! Today we are diving into the power of storytelling in business and for building a strong personal brand! My guest is an author, sought-after keynote speaker, and storytelling educator, Gabrielle Dolan.   The Concept of Storytelling in Business There is a lot of confusion around storytelling in business and for building a personal brand. People often mistake values and missions on a piece of paper, as the story. However, storytelling in business is about being really clear on your message and attaching a story to that message. Stories can be personal. Moreover, it is important to share a really sharp, on-purpose story to provide the clarity needed for our customers. In addition, your stories have to align with your values and purpose. If you can't achieve this alignment, you won't resonate with your audience. Telling stories that aren't congruent with your values and purpose, will result in inauthenticity. Therefore, the stories you tell must align with what you do, the services, and the products you provide. I hope you find some great storytelling ideas and tactics to implement in your brand marketing strategy to start converting your audience to long-time clients.  You can read more and grab the key links over on the blog. Purchase Gabrielle Dolan's book by using my affiliate link, "Magnetic Stories".  Connect with Gabrielle HERE.  Download free personal branding resources HERE.  Drop me an email and let me know your key takeaway from the episode: robyn@therobyngraham.com. I can't wait to connect with you over on Instagram!  And, if you want to learn more and join in our free workshops in The Female Entrepreneur Insider join us HERE. 

Business There is a post on my blog from several years ago that gets so much traffic. It's honestly a little silly. By the way, this is also a shout out to the power of Pinterest.  90% of the traffic that post gets comes from Pinterest, and Pinterest is sending a lot of traffic to this post every single day for years. So, thank you, Pinterest. That post is titled four things I wish I had done in my first year of handmade business. The things in that post are still 100% relevant, and I still wish I had done them.  Even though this makes me feel old, I should mention that I started selling handmade products in 2010… When I started my handmade business, Instagram wasn't even a thing, so I COULDN'T have done a couple of things sooner, even if I wanted to. That being said, there are some things I should have done sooner or that I would do asap now if I were starting fresh. Tune in to hear about 4 more things I wish I had done during my first year in handmade business. For the links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/130. For a list of all Merripodcasts: merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast To learn more about The Council visit jointhecouncilnow.com. Find me on instagram @merriweatherc.

If you want to start a business or just take your existing sales tech company to the next level, you may be wondering, should I seek venture capital funding or just do it on my own? In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, I talk with venture capitalist and sales and marketing expert, Mark Roberge about how entrepreneurs can get money for their businesses, with a specific focus on tech companies. Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! Mark Roberge is Managing Director at Stage 2 Capital, the first venture capital firm run and backed by heads of sales and marketing. He is also a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School where he teaches courses on sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Prior to these roles, Mark served as SVP of Global Sales and Services at HubSpot where he scaled annualized revenue from $0 to $100 million and expanded his team from 1 to 450 employees. Mark was ranked #19 in Forbes' Top 30 Social Sellers in the World. He was also awarded the 2010 Salesperson of the Year at the MIT Sales Conference. Mark received his MBA from MIT. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Boston Globe, TechCrunch, Harvard Business Review, and other major publications for his entrepreneurial ventures. Mark is the author of the bestselling book The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million. Join our conversation to learn how tech leaders can get capital funding for their companies. How Leaders Can Get Venture Capital for a Business There are many ways to finance a sales tech company or any business for that matter. You can seek venture capital, go to a private equity fund, raise funds for yourself, or just bootstrap your business. Mark has some great tips for entrepreneurs and sales and marketing technology leaders wanting to know more about funding. 1. Understand the lens of the investor A big mistake entrepreneurs make at the startup stage is the lack of appreciation for the lens of the investor.  “Just because they are an investor doesn’t mean they can invest in you,” Mark says. “Just because they have money, doesn’t mean they want to give it away.” For example, many investors will not invest in a pre-revenue state, but only after a company has reached a million dollars in revenue (that is the case for Mark’s firm, Stage 2 Capital). In fact, investors will do a discovery process of the companies that seek funding, and many times find problems that end up disqualifying them. So, understand well what the venture capitalists are looking for before asking for money. 2. Understand all the sources of financing available and what is best for you Mark says that people in the tech industry tend to think that the only way to do a startup is to raise seed capital and then go through funding series A, B, and C, and then double revenue every year until the IPO.  But that’s a minor part of how entrepreneurship is done in America. There are other ways to do business, like franchising or private equity. Entrepreneurs must understand what is best for them - and it’s not always venture capital. For example, a niche sales software may not be attractive to venture capitalists, but may still be a good business idea. In this case, the sales tech company may have to be bootstrapped to profitability and then sold to a private equity firm or strategic buyer once they cross $10 or $20 million.  “In this scenario, you could make as much money as with an IPO,” Mark says. 3. Match your strategy and your opportunity with funding Mark advises entrepreneurs not to talk to venture capitalists too early in the ideation stage. “They are not interested unless you are a serial entrepreneur like Elon Musk.” Your best bet is to network with wealthy people who make money in your space to see if they are willing to invest in your company. And even if you don’t get money, at least you can get their advice. Mark says the journey for a typical high-growth software product is something like this:  They have an idea, then network with people who made money in that area and raise half a million dollars to build the product and run some tests (perhaps even generate revenue). Once the product has been tested, they talk to professional seed funds that invest in a lot of companies at the same time. Here they can get $1 million or more. The next step is Series A Funding, which has a higher bar, because the company must have $2 or $3 million in revenue. This is where many businesses fail because there is a capital gap. Stage 2 Capital accelerates companies at this stage.  What are investors looking for at each stage? For seed funding, investors look more at the leader than the product itself. They want to see a leader who has the ability to pivot and change, work 80 hours a week under a very stressful environment, that can run agile, has vision for the big opportunity, and can lead an engineering team. Series A investors look at the leader but also at the customers, the economics, the revenue, the product, the competition, any barriers of entry, and also at customer retention. “Here you need to think about a big enough TAM (Total Addressable Market),” Mark says. “Show VCs a billion-dollar market, or they may not be interested. Even if you are not there today, tell a good story to show that you will be able to expand, get more revenue and how the product could be applicable to other markets. A big mistake for new entrepreneurs is they don’t get that, they don’t think big enough in terms of the size of the market.” Another important factor VCs look for is the durable ability for a business to increasingly dominate a market without losing profits to competition. This is known as MOAT. In other words, if your competition can build your unique features in 6 months, then you don't have a MOAT. Listen to the episode as Mark shares some examples of great MOATS that sales and marketing technology leaders can leverage in their organizations. Mark says that at Stage 2 Capital, they do between 30 and 50 hours of due diligence before an investment, spending time with the CEO and the team. He gives them advice and sees if they adopt it and how fast. He also looks at how they lead and how they pitch their story. The Pitch Deck What should you include in your pitch deck when presenting in front of an investor? “You have to be very careful with the first slide to differentiate from the other 100 pitches VCs get,” Mark says. “Tell a story that will get the VC on the edge of his seat, like a patent, special partnerships, the number of downloads you’ve had so far. Don’t spend time talking about your Ivy League school background. Talk about the most important success so far.” Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of making the presentation just about the product and its features. According to Mark, the product itself and the user interface are not as interesting as the churn rate, how often the product is adopted or even the capabilities of the engineering team. Another mistake is to make wild long term revenue projections.  “Most VCs don’t care about the five year financials. They want to know if you have hired a sales rep before, if you have ramped a sales team, if you have a content marketing program for the next year, if you have evidence that your business will scale.” The following are some slides you can include in your pitch deck: Problem and opportunity (where do you fit and what is the problem that you solve) Value proposition (how does the product fill that need) Your secret sauce (your biggest success so far) Market opportunity  Customer base and churn rate Competition What is your sustainable defensibility Business Model (insights on your CAC or Customer Acquisition Cost)  Marketing strategy and channels Sales strategy Leadership (if you have some superstar in your team) Financials (what you are doing in the next year, how many reps are you hiring) The Ask   Regarding the ask, Mark advises to never ask too little. “Research your VCs, as they may only invest $10 million minimum. So, tell a good story of how you are going to use that amount.” How Sales and Marketing Leaders can Become Investors Stage 2 Capital’s mission is to be the first VC fund run by sales and marketing leaders.  “We need investors with a background in sales to help entrepreneurs because most come from finance and product.” Two years ago Stage 2 got 97 sales and marketing leaders to join them as investors to help young entrepreneurs. “So far it’s going well, we are raising money from different investors and are now trying to groom the next round of emerging leaders.” If you are a sales or marketing leader interested in becoming an angel investor, you can request more information by submitting the form here. Stage 2 does not only match investors with entrepreneurs but also runs an Investment School to teach investors all they need to know about venture capital. Listen to the episode to learn more about starting your own investment fund. Outline of this Episode [2:50] About Mark: From Sales Leader to Venture Capitalist [7:00] Going big [10:00] Mental Health and entrepreneurs [17:00] The different types of funding when starting a business [27:00] What Venture capitalists look for [33:45] What are investors looking for in a leader? [35:32] What to include in the pitch deck [46:48] How sales leaders can become investors Resources Mentioned Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Follow Mark and Stage 2 on Twitter: @markroberge @Stage2Capital Stage 2 website Mark’s book: The Sales Acceleration Formula Mark’s favorite movie: Forrest Gump Modern Marketing Engine Podcast – Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

In this episode of Uncover Wealth Radio 197. We will be discussing on the topic and business matter mentioned on Strategic Chats Episode #011. This is the Strategic Chats, our Weekly Q and A Session. A Strategic Session which I answer questions in relation to your business. You can hop on and JOIN on zoom if you have registered to ask your questions face to face or you can also tune in to the live stream which happens on every Thursday at 11:00 AM UK Time. Today, Annette Ferguson, who is the host of Uncover Wealth Radio and a pro in helping entrepreneurs take home more money from their business for them and their family to enjoy, is here to tell you all about money, business wealth and creating financial freedom. Get All My Best Resources Click Here Partner With Me Here Inquire Now JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP! Uncover Wealth Community Points of Discussion How Annette attracts business and how they get clients. Content Production and providing massive value Running Business is a Long Term Tips for Newbie in Running a Business There are a lot of Mistakes when starting out a Business Distinction between revenue and profit Business that has a steady flow of clients and customers Google Calendar for Scheduling Everything Profit First Methodology for cash management and financial strategies Tracking of Profit - Book keeping Connect with Annette Ferguson Website Visit and inquire on our homepage at this link: annetteandco.co.uk Facebook Keep posted on our updates and hit like on our page at this link: facebook.com/annettefergusonuk Instagram Give us a heart and hit follow to get some insights from us at this link: instagram.com/annette_fergs LinkedIn Keep updated and connected on our certified post at this link: linkedin.com/in/annettefergusonuk Twitter Follow and tweet with us on this link: twitter.com/Annette_Fergs TikTok Keep on the trend with us on this link: tiktok.com/@annette_fergs iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncover-wealth-radio/id1473582522

So how will you know if you'll be successful in business? There's a very easy way to tell and if you listen to this podcast you will hear all abou it. Podcast Transcript How to Know if You'll Be Successful in Business There's a very easy way to tell if you're going to be successful as an entrepreneur. And once I tell you, if you think, Well crap, then I'm screwed, don't worry—you can change your focus and become successful. Ready? The people who are typically NOT successful are people who just want to make money. They go into business for the financial rewards only. Or they care so much about their product. They are obsessed with their invention or course. It's their baby and they can't see outside of that perspective. Those are the people who fail. The people who are typically successful? They are the ones absolutely passionate and excited about marketing. Apple is not in the iPhone business. They are in the business of SELLING iPhones. That's what Steve Jobs understood and why he was such a big deal and grew the company to billions. He knew we was in the business of marketing and selling. Not in the phone business. Just remember this—it's not the thing. It's the selling of the thing. Those are the people who succeed.

Have you ever wondered if you could really make money on the Internet? I've got a solution for you. I'm going to share how to make money by solving your community's problems. Are you confused about how to get started, or maybe not sure where your expertise lies? Can You Reall Make Money on the Internet? If either of those things is true for you, you're going to want to listen to today's episode because it's all about building communities and finding ways to make money from them. My guest, Kelly McCausey, has been at this “making money on the internet” thing for quite a while. She began as a broke single mom, looking for a way to provide for her family. Today, she runs a site called  Love People + Make Money. Kelly has learned how to build communities and serve her people by finding out what their problems are, and either creating products to solve them, or using affiliate links to provide solutions. Pivoting in Business As Kelly's business grew, she began to learn more and more skills in her niche until she was seen by others as an expert. So, when she decided to pivot in her business, she knew exactly which way to go. Instead of doing things for people, which is what she had built her business on, she began a business teaching people how to do those things for themselves. She went from creating websites and design for clients to selling information services and coaching. Kelly figured out how to leverage her skills to encompass everything she was doing for others and turn that into a business of its own. The Importance of Building a Community  Creating content is easy for many people when they begin an online business. Writing a blog post might be easy-peasy for you.  The question is, do you know how to promote it? Do you know how to market your skills or content online? How do you take the podcast you're pouring your heart and soul into and get it in front of people who could benefit from it? Kelly didn't know how important community was when she started her podcast. She was simply curious and wanted to ask questions of smart people. And while she knew that others would enjoy listening to the show, she had no idea how much they would enjoy interacting with each other.  Back in 2001 when Kelly was doing her podcast, there was no Facebook, or any other social media platform, where audiences could interact with each other. People used forums to have discussions.  An organic audience grew around her podcast and she and a partner began running a paid mastermind. The podcast and their content marketing led people to the mastermind membership.  Fast forward a few months and the women in the member community were planning projects together.  As the community grew around Kelly's offerings, she was ultimately able to leave her day job to focus full-time on her business.  Growing Community Through Content “Content will attract a community and content will grow a community.” Building a community around your content takes a strategy; it's not a case of build it and they will come. Nothing is ever that simple. Facebook has made it so easy to create a community that people think, “Oh, I'll start a Facebook group. I'll build a community there.”  But if your idea of community is sharing a ton of links and articles with the people there but not fostering conversation, you aren't building a community.  Communities share experiences. To build an authentic community, create a space that's about the members, not about you. Co-creating with your community members is the real way to build a community that people want to be a part of. Move toward your members and away from total self-promotion.  Community Strategies  Kelly's focus is on building a community she loves, getting to know their needs, and then positioning herself to solve problems for them. She positions herself to know what female marketers need in the realm of content marketing and she teaches them those things.  But at some point, Kelly was faced with not being able to solve a problem for someone in her community. What do you do when, not if, that happens? Simple. Find someone who can solve it for them and use affiliate programs to continue to build your own business while still solving your audience's problems.  Use Affiliates to Market to Your Community Kelly was late to start with affiliate marketing. She's authentic when she says she didn't start using it until a full year after she should have. She just figured there wasn't much money in it.  The problem was that she missed the big picture that, like most things, affiliate marketing starts slowly but it builds momentum. Affiliate marketing isn't a get rich quick scheme, so start now if you want to see results later. *Just a note: MiloTree has a very generous affiliate program so if you love our MiloTree pop-up and you send new customers our way, we want to show our great appreciation to you and pay you $20 per conversion. The fantastic thing about affiliate marketing is that it's a 3-way win: As the affiliate, you win by making money.  The business you are linking to wins because you send them sales.  And the person who clicks on your affiliate links and makes a purchase wins because they get a great product.  As an affiliate marketer, you aren't trying to squeeze every drop of money you can from your audience. You are simply putting forward products that are relevant to your niche, products that will help your audience, and products that you use and believe in. If you currently have content on your site that could contain affiliate links but you don't have them there, go back right now and add them in. You are doing your audience a disservice by not telling them about products that could change their lives. Why We Undervalue Ourselves As women, we want to serve others; we want to care for them. But what that often means is that we undervalue our talents, time, and products.  You need to be willing to charge what you are worth, and not feel guilty about it. The more money you make through affiliates, the more you can serve your people with free content. Sometimes moms have a skewed perception of what their time and work are worth. Making money through affiliate marketing can feel awkward or unfair. Like, why should you be making this “easy money”? Here's the deal: if you are not charging what you are worth, people will believe that you don't know what you are talking about. So, pick a number that makes you uncomfortable and then double it. Monetary Stages of Business There are stages in your business when you will know that you should raise your prices, but it's okay to start small.  If you love to shop at a certain store, it's fine to tag that store in your IG story just because you really do love the store and you want to get in front of them. When you're just getting started in business, you aren't going to be doing $10K campaigns for Target.  But as you continue growing your business, you also continue to grow personally and as an entrepreneur. Offer low prices in the beginning in order to build your portfolio of testimonials and partnerships. As your partnerships grow, raise your prices. If you do a campaign for $50 and it's successful, offer a second campaign for $100.  At some point, you will hit what Kelly calls “your sweet price," when your customer does not want to pay more, and you're happy with the number. Then you don't have to keep charging more.  I loved Kelly's story and the experiences she shared with us in this episode. Be sure to listen in to the episode in its entirety to glean all the nuggets she shared that we couldn't include in this post.  What Type of Online Entrepreneur is MiloTree Right For? Are you serious about growing your online business (advanced beginner and above)? Have you got some traffic but you know you need more? Let your MiloTree pop-ups help you get to that next level by turn your visitors into email subscribers and social media followers on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. Sign up today! Install your MiloTree pop-ups on your site in under two minutes. Sign up for MiloTree now and get your first 30 DAYS FREE! TIMESTAMP Intro 4:25 Pivoting in Business 8:24 Building Community  10:45 Growing Community Through Content 18:45 Community Strategies  24:40 Affiliate Marketing  32:30 Undervaluing Ourselves 43:35 Monetary Stages of Business Read the podcast transcript for “How to Make Money By Solving Your Community's Problems” TOP 4 TAKEAWAYS Leverage your skillset (what you already know a lot about) to create a business you love. To build an authentic community, create a space that's about the members, not about you. Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick scheme so start now and let it build over time. Charge what you are worth.

Sam Silverstein and Tom Fox, hosts of the new offering from the Compliance Podcast Network, want to welcome you to Accountability: The Heart of Compliance. Tom asks Sam to share with listeners - why exactly is he so passionate about accountability? A Little Foundation What is accountability? Sam explains it is the foundation for being the best we can be. He says we all got it all wrong: we tend to think accountability is a way of doing things, but it is actually a way of thinking things. Sam shares how he has discovered some amazing things through prioritizing accountability - especially commitment; keeping commitments to people, commitments to the truth, commitments to values. And as a leader, when you show commitment, employees want to show commitment back to you. Integrity Is an All-Around Thing Sam notes that we often tend to think there’s a big difference between our personal lives and our professional lives but in reality, if we choose to live a life of integrity, that means all areas of our lives have to agree, have to align, whether at home, on the beach or in the business. What Does it Mean for Business? There are a lot of organizations that operate with a lot of money but little integrity. Sam believes if you run a business with integrity, you will end up with much more money over the long haul, even if it takes more time. Treat your team members with integrity, and they will put in the work and in turn, they will treat your customers the right way. In small businesses, it can be easy for a leader to succumb to pressure, but it’s important to remember to keep making decisions based on what’s right and not based on money only. What Are the Benefits of Accountability? Sam talks about the responsibilities of an employee: getting the job done and done right, on a timely basis. When a leader is committed to making every decision based on values, employees are inspired to want to make those same commitments in return, be more engaged and take a ‘rather-die-than-let-you-down’ attitude because they know that their leader has the same attitude towards them. Ultimately, he says the quality of work reflects the relationship between the leader and the employee. 

“Mindset and mental health are key layers in business. If your mind isn’t in the right place, and you’re not able to work through the issues that come up, it’s going to affect your business.”Timothy Dick (3:15-3:45) Mental health challenges can range from mild bouts of stress to crippling anxiety or depression. These and other mental health challenges affect people from all walks of life, educational backgrounds, and levels of success. “No matter how successful the business is, you can still run into issues if you don’t watch out for the signs of burnout.” - Timothy Dick (6:02-6:38)A growing number of entrepreneurs are opening up about the struggles they've had related to mental health. No matter how successful their businesses may be or how many resources they have available, they suffer the same problems everyone else faces. That's why it's important to look out for signs of burnout or destructive thinking. Getting Help With the Ups and Downs of Business There's a belief that if you're not "grinding" and "hustling" 24 hours a day and giving 150% then you're not doing it right. But this belief is just plain wrong, and entrepreneurs are becoming more aware of their own mental wellbeing and the need to care for others around them. Entrepreneurs don't always take advantage of the support they have available to them. It can be lonely at the top, and if you're struggling with burnout, depression, anxiety, ADHD, or substance abuse, then you need to get help. The people in your life will respect the fact that you're getting the help you need. “Anyone handling many things will deal with mental fatigue and use a lot of mental and cognitive energy. It’s okay to get help.” - Timothy Dick (40:40-41:08)Entrepreneurs at Risk for Mental Health Challenges Entrepreneurs face unique pressures that can contribute to mental health challenges. Stress levels are high, and business owners can struggle to unplug and disconnect from work when they should. It's estimated that 72% of entrepreneurs are affected by mental health issues. National health statistics show that these individuals are: 2x more likely to have depression 6x more likely to have ADHD 3x more likely to struggle with substance abuse 10x more likely to have bipolar disorder 2x more likely have some psychiatric hospitalization in their lifetime 2x more likely to have suicidal thoughts in their lifetime Today’s entrepreneurs are managing information and people, planning business strategies, and other cognitive-heavy mental labor. The physical health risks of the past may be lower, but new mental health risks are on the rise. Giving Yourself and Others Mental Health Support Mental health awareness can lead to a healthy environment at work and at home. Reach out to a mental health professional if you think it can be helpful. Some mental health challenges can be easily addressed, but others may require more extensive support. The following are some valuable resources that can help entrepreneurs overcome and prevent mental health challenges: Free Entrepreneur Group MindFix - Erin Pheil Malorie Nicole ClearMind Group ClearMind Free Challenge ClearMind Course Everyone gets overwhelmed in business. But surrounding yourself with the right people and resources will support your goals and position you for lasting success in everything you do. How to get involvedIf you would like more information about Timothy Dick, and the success businesses have gained through work with him, please visit his website. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

The One Skill You Need to Develop To Succeed in Life and Business There are a lot of skills you need to develop to succeed… Goal setting Time management People skills Living Debt Free/Budgeting   But there is ONE SKILL that is REQUIRED to be successful in EVERY endeavor! That ONE SKILL is the skill needed to make all the other skillsets profitable. This ONE SKILL: Creates Job Security Massive Income Potential Control of your own life and destiny   And not only that! This ONE SKILL when executed with honesty, integrity, and the highest of ethical standards does so much for others! For others that ONE SKILL… Solves Problems Serves People Makes Life Better for you and them! I'm not telling you what it is in the description… you have to listen to the podcast (or the video) to find out! BUT I also mention a book that shares some great truths about this one skill, and how to be better at it! https://amzn.to/2HiKeh1 (this is an affiliate link)   So check it out, and develop this skill so you can serve others… and in turn serve yourself to a successful life! Remember… You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. ~Ziglar Now Go For It! Chris

Learn about the three primary components of growing a business and how you can use them to explode your service business. Discover the real reason you are in business and why you are thinking about sales all wrong. Find out what it means to really lead from the front, and how get your team on board with your vision for the future.   Key Lessons Learned: Managing Risk Ask yourself what could go wrong. It’s possible for your creative idea to cost you a million dollars if you don’t think about the risks involved. You have to do your due diligence with everything you try in your business. The bigger you get, the more you have to lose. If you’re going to be a coach in this world, make sure you have the success and the scars to share, then take on the ethical responsibility and know that you are playing with someone’s life. Business and life is not easy, it takes honest work and plenty of effort to achieve anything worthwhile. Growing a Business There are three components to growing a business: marketing, sales, and leadership. Every business is in the business of marketing. You should understand the difference between the psychology of marketing and persuasion. Marketing is different for each business, just because it worked for one does not mean it will work for your business. Diversify your marketing and don’t rely on one platform for everything. Make a list of all the marketing vehicles you could consider. If you don’t have a list, you are just going to be sold by what other people have. Evaluate your list, pick what might work for you but choose based off of ROI and test out the results. Avoid long term contracts. When measuring ROI you have to measure results at the beginning of the process, not at the end. You have to come at sales from a serving perspective first. If you’re amazing, people buy amazing. The greatest sales people in the world don’t have to convince anyone of anything. Be relentless in trying to achieve better results for your business and your customers. You have to lead your people. Are you leading by example or are you leading by force? You must always look for the skill sets you don’t have now that will grow your business to the next level. Every $5 million there is another level of understanding and evolution. Your team should be growing your business with you. How can you implement new levels of achievement with a team that isn’t evolving? Your business will always lower to the lowest level of mindset in your business. Mindset Master something at a level that you can understand. Find someone that is willing to teach and who you are willing to learn from. If you don’t reflect on your life, you will end up living through the same cycles of success and failure over and over again. The only difference between confrontation and conversation is the emotion you attach to it. The results you have are the results you deserve. If you don’t evolve as a person, how can you expect to become successful as a person? Your belief system is either holding you back or pushing you forward. Ask questions when you’re learning new things and try to get to the why and the how of what you’re hearing. Links To Resources Mentioned servicebusinessedge.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating and review in iTunes!

Entrepreneur In The Spotlight 085: Nataleigh Griffith In This Episode Nataleigh shares with us... ✅The Power of the Speed of Implementation ✅Why You Must Start Treating Your Business Like a... Well.. A real Business ✅There is Enough Abundance to go Around ✅The Role That Gratitude Played in Her Journey ✅Why You Must Stop Comparing Your Self To The Social Proofs You see On Social Media ✅The Importance of Understanding that not everyone is your customer A Wife, A Mom of 2 Nataleigh is a Mompreneur who is Helping and Supporting Women Entrepreneurs Get Their Biz in Order. You can follow Judith at: Podcast: https://anchor.fm/judithvergara Website: http://judithvergara.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellyeahjudith/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellyeahjudith Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellyeahjudith Join the Kickass Entrepreneur Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamKickassMastermind/ Access Full Shownotes here: http://judithvergara.com/nataleigh-griffith

City Council sat down and came out of a meeting about if we should ask the province to run the LRT. A glaringly obvious hole in this idea is that if the Government of Ontario runs the LRT, can Hamilton demand things from the province for the LRT? Who should run the LRT, the City of Hamilton or the Government of Ontario? Guest: Brad Clark, Political Consultant with Maple Leaf Strategies-The Americans are poised to have some tax savings for businesses in the US but what isn't being considered, is how those tax cuts will affect Canadian businesses. Marvin Ryder joins Scott to decypher how it can be that US tax cuts will affect us up here in Canada. Guest: Marvin Ryder, Professor of Marketing at the DeGroote School of Business-There are people in Quebec who are taking massive issue with Canadians calling poutine a Canadian food. They say that poutine is a Quebecois food, not Canadian. If they can do that, call something from Quebec, Canada not Canadian, what is a Canadian food?-Parents are supposed to care for their kids and how they feel but there is a limit to that. Keeping the score in kids' sports is a hotly contested topic because some will argue that this makes kids feel bad when they lose and others would argue that it teaches kids how to lose among other things. What do you think, should the score be kept in kids' sports? Guest: Sunaya Sapurji, Assistant Managing Editor at The Athletic

FORE! Golf is a fun activity participated in by many in the business community. Should you be one of them? Golfing - Good for Business? There are many reasons why whacking a little white ball around a park can help you and your staff land new clients, get better at what you do, and just create a great environment for you to conduct informal business. Some other benefits as posted for the MGT Open are : It's a 5-hour meeting. Good luck landing that with a client or even with your staff. Golf reveals the true character of both your potential clients, and yourself (so be careful). Business Golf is ideal for developing exclusive business leads, thanking clients and staff, brainstorming and team-building. And more! Check out the link to the PDF. And don't worry if you're a poor golfer, the game can actualy help if you're not just a little better than the person you're meeting with. And there are games like a scramble, best ball, or others that can help golfers with a higher handicap be on a more level playing field. And, getting better as the summer progresses is a great way to demonstrate that you can/do get better with repetition.  Now keep in mind that many don't golf, especially in the millenial age group. So if the target demographic spends more time just sitting around drinking a few craft beers or at a coffee shop, that may be more productive for you. Golf works, but both parties have to be willing and able to play. Remember, golf is NOT a cheap outing. By the time you buy/rent clubs, pay greens fees and cart rentals, and throw in some food and drink, it can be an expensive, but fun day. So tee it up, network with your friends, and enjoy a day out in the sun talking about your business. You never know what might happen.