Podcasts about Topgrading

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Oberle Risk Strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Insurance Broker and Insurance Due Diligence Provider for Search Funds and Other Small-to-Medium-Sized Businesses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  *This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠Boulay, the industry standard for Quality of Earnings, tax, and audit services, serving search fund entrepreneurs for 20+ years⁠⁠⁠*Today's episode is all about Hiring, and we've managed to secure one of the world's foremost experts on the subject.Randy Street is the Vice Chairman of ⁠ghSMART⁠, a global consulting firm that helps CEOs, boards, and investors build valuable companies specifically through hiring and developing world class leadership teams. Alonside ghSMART's chairman and founder, Geoff Smart, Randy also co-authored ⁠Who: The A Method for Hiring⁠, a book that I view as being required reading for all entrepreneurs and CEOs running SMBs. The very specific hiring method that they detail within this book ("Topgrading") changed the way that I made all of my hires across my entire company.In our discussion today, we discuss how to evaluate people & teams that you haven't personally hired, post-hire considerations, lessons from 30+ years of working with CEOs and management teams, compensation, and how to identify and address conflicts within leadership teams.

Kevin Donnelly is the Founder of Freedom Point Advisors, a company that helps business owners gain control over their operations and achieve true entrepreneurial freedom. A seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience, Kevin has built and sold two highly successful technology services businesses, including Speed Wire, which he scaled to $50 million in revenue and a team of 600 employees. His extensive experience and innovative approach make him a sought-after advisor in the technology and business services industry. In this episode… Transforming a small company into a nationwide powerhouse with multimillion-dollar revenue requires a growth-oriented and entrepreneurial mindset. What are the specific strategies behind such explosive growth? The answer can be found in the compelling journey of a business leader who has excelled at assembling and leading high-performing teams. By focusing on his four-pronged strategy, known as the "Four Freedom Factors," Kevin Donnelly scales his businesses effectively. These factors — talent, operating systems, numbers, and a sellability strategy — became the foundation for his ventures. Kevin emphasizes hiring the right talent as the first and most crucial step, implementing the Topgrading system to ensure he recruits top performers who fit the company culture. This focus on talent is complemented by a robust operating system and financial acumen, allowing Kevin to manage growth effectively and evaluate the business's value beyond profitability.  In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chris Mursau chats with Kevin Donnelly, Founder of Freedom Point Advisors, about building thriving businesses and high-performing teams. Kevin delves into the intricacies of hiring practices and managing teams, the essentials of scaling a brand, and the significance of a strategic framework for business operations. Tune in to learn how to create an environment where employees thrive and the company culture attracts top-tier talent. Resources Mentioned in this episode Chris Mursau on LinkedIn Topgrading on LinkedIn Topgrading Kevin Donnelly: LinkedIn | Website Freedom Point Advisors Entrepreneurs' Organization Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm by Verne Harnish The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You by John Warrillow Quotable Moments: "People start their companies in search of freedom but often become victims of their own success."  "The critical nature of having accurate monthly financials delivered timely is running the business by the numbers." "The most important thing around culture is building a culture of execution."  "Everybody wants to be on a winning team.” "You don't put your toe in the water with Topgrading; you got to dive into the pool.” Action Steps:  Develop a solid hiring framework: Implement a structured hiring process, such as the Topgrading method, to ensure you consistently select high-performing individuals who fit your organizational culture. This addresses the challenge of making bad hires by emphasizing thorough interviews and competency assessments, ultimately leading to better team performance and reduced turnover. Focus on building an A-Player culture: Foster an environment where high performance is the norm and non-performing members are swiftly addressed. This not only creates a sense of accountability but also attracts top talent who want to be part of a winning team, enhancing overall productivity and morale. Create a comprehensive onboarding program: Invest in a robust onboarding process that includes both cultural immersion and role-specific training. This helps new employees feel welcomed and prepared, reducing early turnover and setting them up for long-term success. Leverage a robust digital presence: Ensure your company's online presence, particularly the careers page, is inviting and reflects your organizational values. A modern and appealing digital presence can attract high-quality candidates who are a good cultural fit, addressing the challenge of attracting top talent in a competitive market. Evaluate and adapt your operating system: Utilize established frameworks like the Rockefeller Habits or EOS to maintain alignment, accountability, and execution within your organization. This proactive approach helps manage business growth effectively by ensuring that operations are streamlined and scalable.

Julia Ferry is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Helios Service Partners, a industry leader in multisite mechanical services specializing in HVAC-R for top national brands. With over a decade of experience in recruiting, she has played a key role in evolving Helios' hiring processes, successfully managing the hiring of hundreds of technicians across 42 states. Before joining Helios, she led recruitment efforts at companies like Agility Recovery and Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, as well as at Savannah College of Art and Design. Julia holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and has earned certifications in nonverbal communication and interviewing techniques. Her background reflects a strategic approach to building talent pipelines and optimizing recruitment processes.  In this episode… When it comes to assembling remarkable teams, does the demand for top talent dictate the pace and rigor of your hiring process? Finding the right balance between speed and intentionality can be the difference between mediocrity and excellence. What if the hiring process could evolve to enable quick hires while identifying exceptional talents destined to drive success? Having achieved an 80% hiring rate in a high-demand trade industry, Julia Ferry dives into Helios Service Partner's intentional approach to recruitment. With 862 roles filled within a year and a high acceptance ratio of 697-to-862, Helios has raised the bar, demanding more from candidates and the recruiters who scout them. Central to this transformation is the drive to hire A-Players—individuals with the right attitude and work ethic. Julia explores the company's "Torque Method," a robust reference-checking process designed to promote candidate honesty. To navigate the challenging yet rewarding world of talent acquisition, Julia recommends agility: be genuine, trust your instincts, and embrace technology to keep pace in the race for talent.  In this episode of Talent Wins, Chris Mursau chats with Julia Ferry, Director of Talent Acquisition at Helios Service Partners, about transforming hiring processes and team building. Julia discusses the evolution of her team's hiring processes, the necessity of rigor and speed in today's hiring landscape, the essential factor of 'street cred' for recruiters, and how to improve attitude and work ethic across the organization. Tune in for the behind-the-scenes of staffing a leading service provider. Resources Mentioned in this episode Chris Mursau on LinkedIn Topgrading on LinkedIn Topgrading Julia Ferry on LinkedIn Helios Service Partners: Website | LinkedIn Quotable Moments: "I trust you. I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't trust you. That's the ticket." "When you hire an A-player, you don't hear 'I can't' or 'I won't'; you hear solutions." "A-players will always find something more to do and give more back to the organization." "Get curious and constantly ask why. If something feels fishy about an answer, find out more." "Use the power of technology and reach people how they need to be reached; know your audience." Action Steps: Establish a two-tiered interview process that assesses candidates for core attributes and delves into technical expertise: This approach efficiently filters candidates who fit the company's culture before investing in detailed technical evaluations. Implement the 'torque technique' to encourage transparency during interviews: The technique serves as a truth motivator, ensuring candidates' honesty and validating their suitability for the role throughout the process. Trust your team's competence and empower them with responsibility: Trusting your hires promotes initiative and accountability, essential traits of A-players. Have recruiters earn ‘street cred' with hiring managers by making successful placements quickly: Early successes build credibility for recruiters, facilitating smoother workflow and rapid hiring down the line. Adapt communication strategies to match different candidate demographics: Understanding and leveraging the preferred communication methods of various demographics ensures a wider and more effective candidate reach.

Building an enterprise-ready SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Start now at https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network. Aaron Rubin is the Founder and CEO of ShipHero, a warehouse management system for brands and 3PL providers. We talk through Aaron's journey building ShipHero, starting with what is now the largest Jiu Jitsu apparel brand in the US, which he almost went bankrupt running during the financial crisis. He shares how that business led to ShipHero, takes us inside the early days, explains why warehouse robotics and 4PL's are overhyped, and discuss the rapid rise of TikTok Shop, Temu, and Shein. Timestamps (00:00) Intro (02:01) The USPS shipping label scam (07:10) Starting the largest Jiu-Jitsu apparel brand (09:46) Narrowly avoiding bankruptcy in 2008 (17:08) Why ecommerce is so hard (21:16) Starting ShipHero to manage their own warehouse (28:00) Powering Shopify's early fulfillment network (30:59) How 3PL's are still solving basic problems (34:02) Why warehouse robotics is overhyped (41:48) Where drones fit into logistics (44:55) Aaron argues why the 4PL model doesn't work (55:40) TikTok Shop is the fastest growing US ecommerce channel ever (58:42) How Temu and Shein leverage the 321 program to avoid tariffs (1:02:49) Why Temu and Shein are slowing US ecom growth (1:04:17) Topgrading: The most boring, most valuable hiring strategy (1:11:29) Business lessons from playing poker Referenced ShipHero: https://shiphero.com/ Topgrading: https://www.amazon.com/Topgrading-Hire-Coach-Keep-Players/dp/094400234X Where to find Aaron Twitter: https://x.com/AaronandML LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronandml Where to find Turner Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovak LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovak Newsletter: https://www.thespl.it

How do you hire the right talent in today's multifamily space? This question is both personal and professional, delving deep into the heart of what makes an organization thrive—its people. In this episode of Multifamily Collective, we're tackling one of the most pressing issues in our industry: hiring. Inspired by Dr. Smart's comprehensive Topgrading method, we explore whether a meticulous hiring process is worth the time and effort, especially when the demand for skilled talent is at an all-time high. We'll examine the pros and cons of this approach, from rigorous background checks to behavioral interviews and even stress-testing candidates in real-life scenarios. Is a lengthy, in-depth process the key to securing top talent, or is it overkill in today's fast-paced market? Join the conversation as we unpack the complexities of hiring in multifamily and why it might be the most critical element in your organization's success. If this topic resonates with you, please like this page, share your thoughts in the comments, and subscribe for more insights on leadership and innovation in the multifamily space. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mike-brewer/support

Hiring the right people is one of the most crucial aspects of building a thriving organization. Talent is a company's most valuable asset, and identifying, attracting, and retaining top performers is more critical than ever. Many companies struggle with this essential task, resulting in costly mishires and missed opportunities. Today, we welcome Scott Mesh, a seasoned expert in hiring and talent management to the podcast. With over 20 years of experience, Scott is a Topgrading Professional at Topgrading, Inc. Questions asked on How to Hire the Right People Can you tell us about your background and how you got involved with Topgrading? For those who are unfamiliar, can you explain what Topgrading is and how it differs from other hiring methodologies? Can you describe the key components of a Topgrading Scorecard? Why do you believe that hiring usually doesn't work out well for many companies? Can you explain the importance of establishing a clear Scorecard in the hiring process? What are some effective techniques for getting candidates to tell the truth during the interview process? Can you discuss the huge costs associated with a mishire and how it affects a company? What are the most common hiring mistakes companies make, and how can they avoid them? Could you share some examples of companies that have successfully implemented Topgrading and seen significant improvements? In your opinion, how will the field of hiring and talent management evolve in the next few years? And finally, Scott, how can our listeners get in touch with you or learn more about Topgrading? How to Get in Touch With Scott Mesh? Contact Scott with questions or for more information visit www.scottmesh.com.  Thank you to our sponsors The Russo Law Group, P.C. - Long Island's Signature Estate Planning, Elder Law and Special Needs law firm. For additional info visit vjrussolaw.com. And Buddha Bath - a natural bath and body care company. For more info visit buddhabath.net. And last but not least, I'd like to thank our listeners for tuning in.

Chris Mursau is the President of Topgrading, a proven system that helps organizations build and maintain high-performing teams through hiring, development, and promotion strategies. Since 2001, Chris has been consulting and teaching organizations and individual managers how to pack their teams with A Players. Chris has conducted over 2,500 in-depth Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates, helped hundreds of people achieve their A potential, and trained thousands of people in the guaranteed methods for improving their success. His client list is broad and diverse, including Fortune 500 companies, small to medium-sized businesses, and nonprofit organizations. In this episode… In the fiercely competitive business world, having the right people on your team can make or break your company's success. But how do you ensure that you're not just filling roles but attracting and keeping the cream of the crop? In this mashup episode, Chris Mursau reveals strategies for turning potential hires into indispensable members of your corporate family. This episode offers a blend of insights on effective hiring and retention strategies, underscoring the critical need for thoughtful talent acquisition that aligns with a company's future. From proven methods for merger integration success with Dr. Price Pritchett to leveraging the MIND methodology with Lee Benson, Chris delves into the art and science of creating exceptional teams. Topics range from driving growth through a people-centered approach to the secrets of hiring top performers using the Topgrading approach.  In this special compilation episode of the Talent Wins podcast, we revisit key moments and discussions from six insightful episodes with Chris Mursau, providing a blueprint for revolutionary hiring practices and leadership tactics. From understanding the actual cost of a mishire to embracing Topgrading for unbiased candidate evaluation, industry leaders guide us through the strategies that ensure organizations grow and thrive by valuing their human capital. Resources Mentioned in this episode Chris Mursau on LinkedIn Topgrading on LinkedIn Topgrading Scott Clawson on LinkedIn Shamit Khemka on LinkedIn Bruce Cazenave on LinkedIn Lee Benson on LinkedIn Nick Araco on LinkedIn Price Pritchett on LinkedIn “Driving Growth Through a People-Centered Approach With Nick Araco” on Talent Wins Maximizing Merger Integration Success Using Proven Methods of Dr. Price Pritchett on Talent Wins Topgrading: A Proven Method for Hiring High Performers with Scott Clawson on Talent Wins Maximizing Results Using Lee Benson's MIND Methodology on Talent Wins Using Topgrading To Scale Your Business With Shamit Khemka on Talent Wins How To Build Strong Teams That Deliver Great Results in Challenging Situations With Bruce Cazenave on Talent Wins Quotable Moments: "The cost of mishiring is so great... there's nothing more important than getting A Players." "The method of Topgrading worked like a sieve; it removed the grain from the chaff." "It is so important to get A Players into the right culture in these jobs." "The worst thing you could do is to announce to anyone that you're prepared to take action and do nothing." "Re-recruit your top talent...even if these people aren't making noise about leaving." Action Steps: Prioritize candidate interviews: Dedicated time spent with potential hires can save costs and ensure cultural fit. Utilize topgrading methodology: Apply a proven strategy to assess and select the most suitable candidates based on their past performance and potential fit with the company culture. Share the company vision: Engage employees with clear goals and directions to drive motivation and effective scaling. Stay future-focused in talent acquisition: Hire individuals with the skills and potential to advance the company's strategic plans, not just present-day requirements. Maintain an active re-recruitment process: Continuously invest in and appreciate current top performers to prevent turnover and ensure sustained contribution to company success.

Chris Mursau is the President of Topgrading, a proven system that helps organizations build and maintain high-performing teams through hiring, development, and promotion strategies. Since 2001, Chris has been consulting and teaching organizations and individual managers how to pack their teams with A-players.  Chris has conducted over 2,500 in-depth Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates, helped hundreds of people achieve their A potential, and trained thousands in guaranteed methods for improving their success. His client list is broad and diverse, including Fortune 500 companies, small to medium-sized businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Last year, Chris co-authored his first book, Foolproof Hiring, along with Brad Smart. The book provides an easy-to-follow instruction course in Topgrading, a time-tested hiring methodology for recruiting A-players. In this episode… Are you finding it challenging to assemble a team that drives growth and aligns with your company's cultural values? What if the key lies in mastering a specific hiring strategy and appreciating the significance of every team member, from leadership to the front lines? Could fostering the right talent be the secret to your business' success? Over the past six months, Chris Mursau, a seasoned expert in recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent through topgrading, has interviewed executives who share insights into unlocking organizational growth. From strategies tailored to small businesses to implementing best practices in hiring and recruiting top performers, Talent Wins offers invaluable advice for organizations of all sizes. In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chad Franzen of Rise25 interviews Chris Mursau about the highlights and key takeaways from the podcasts over the past six months. This insightful recap provides listeners with a distilled version of the most impactful discussions, offering valuable lessons on talent management, team building, talent retention, and recruiting for any organization. Resources Mentioned in this episode Chris Mursau on LinkedIn Topgrading on LinkedIn Topgrading Chad Franzen on LinkedIn Rise25 “Mastering Talent Management and Organizational Growth With Eric Berger” on the Talent Wins podcast “Unveiling Talent's Triumph Strategies for Business Success With Jason Mandel” on the Talent Wins podcast “Navigating Talent Acquisition for Small Businesses With Hannah Smolinski” on the Talent Wins podcast “Recruiting Top Talent in Small Communities With Lee Prosenjak” on the Talent Wins podcast “Integrate Solid Hiring Practices to Acquire Top-Tier Talent With Zach Wilcox” on the Talent Wins podcast Quotable Moments: It's as important to have A-players in those entry-level or frontline positions as it is to have in leadership.” "Making good-people decisions is the one remaining source of competitive advantage." "Always be recruiting, whether the unemployment rate is high or low." "Having a documented, written out step-by-step hiring process." "People are important — it doesn't matter how good your equipment is if you don't have the right people." Action Steps: Start from the top when building your team, ensuring your leadership is strong: Strong leadership guides the rest of the team and sets the standard for hiring quality at all levels. Align employee incentives with your organization's goals: This ensures team members are motivated to contribute to shared objectives and business success. Continuously recruit, even if there isn't an immediate job opening: Filling future vacancies becomes a smoother, quicker process by fostering relationships with potential candidates. Document your hiring process and measure hiring outcomes: This will facilitate consistency and improvement in hiring and ensure a higher success rate in acquiring A-players. Emphasize hiring for cultural fit, not just for high performance: A strong team culture leads to better collaborative performance and helps retain top talent for the long term.

What area could you up level 5 to 10% if you just made some time to tweak the strategy? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rebecca-shea6/message

Eric Berger is the Owner and General Manager of Choice Electric, a full-service electrical contractor based in Denver with about 40 team members specializing in high-end residential and commercial projects. With over 20 years of experience managing people and projects in the construction industry, Eric brings valuable perspectives on talent acquisition and management. A creative and strategic project management professional, he has overseen over $200 million in design, development, improvement, and investment in real estate. Through strategic leadership and a focus on cultivating talent, Eric actively propels Choice Electric's business growth and ensures the development of a thriving organizational culture. In this episode… As a company expands, so do the intricacies of assembling a team that possesses the necessary skills and aligns seamlessly with the organization's culture and vision. From navigating diverse personalities to fostering collaboration amidst rapid growth, how can leaders master the art of talent management for organizational success? After acquiring Choice Electric, project manager Eric Berger contended with talent gaps and misfires, leading to overworked and overstressed team members. These experiences prompted Eric to adopt the Topgrading hiring methodology and prioritize cultural fit in the recruitment process. He emphasizes the importance of clear communication and a steadfast commitment to cultivating a thriving environment. Additionally, Eric highlights the significance of a strong leadership team and the value of building talent at all levels of the organization. By investing in entry-level employees and offering growth opportunities, Choice Electric fosters a culture of continuous development and excellence. In this episode of Talent Wins, Chris Mursau chats with Eric Berger, the Owner and General Manager of Choice Electric, to discuss the intricacies of hiring and retaining top talent. Eric delves into strengthening company culture and vision through proper hiring processes and the critical role of communication and continuous improvement in organizational success.  Resources Mentioned in this episode Chris Mursau on LinkedIn Topgrading on LinkedIn Topgrading Eric Berger on LinkedIn Choice Electric Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy Foolproof Hiring: Powerful, Proven Keys to Hiring HIGH Performers by Brad Smart and Chris Mursau Topgrading, 3rd Edition: The Proven Hiring and Promoting Method That Turbocharges Company Performance by Bradford D. Smart Ph.D. Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the point where they are effective, faster by Brad Giles

Chris Mursau is the President of Topgrading, a proven system that helps organizations build and maintain high-performing teams through hiring, development, and promotion strategies. Since 2001, Chris has been consulting and teaching organizations and individual managers how to pack their teams with A-Players. Chris has conducted over 2,500 in-depth Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates, helped hundreds of people achieve their A potential, and trained thousands in the guaranteed methods for improving their success. His client list is broad and diverse, including Fortune 500 companies, small to medium-sized businesses, and nonprofit organizations. In April, Chris co-authored his first book, Foolproof Hiring, along with Brad Smart. The book reveals an easy-to-follow instruction course in Topgrading, a time-tested hiring methodology for recruiting A-Players. In this episode… In the competitive landscape of small businesses, assembling a high-performing team is not just an advantage; it's a necessity. But how can service-based businesses ensure they're attracting and hiring the A-Players who will drive their success forward? According to Chris Mursau, an expert in strategic hiring practices, the secret lies in the Topgrading methodology—a comprehensive approach designed to maximize your team's potential by ensuring each new hire is an A-Player. This methodology emphasizes the importance of a rigorous hiring process, including a detailed job scorecard, to clearly define the role and expectations, ensuring a fit not just in skills but in culture and values. By adopting Topgrading, businesses can significantly improve their chances of attracting and retaining top talent, transforming their teams into a competitive edge. In this episode of the Financial Clarity podcast, Hannah Smolinski talks with Chris Mursau, President of Topgrading, Inc., about how to grow your team with A-Players using Topgrading. They discuss creating a compelling job posting as a marketing tool, the significance of having a sufficient candidate pool, and the financial impact of mis-hiring, offering actionable advice for service-based business owners aiming to optimize their team's performance and drive their company's success.

This week we revisit an episode of the podcast that originally aired on March 15th 2022. Do you want a better way to hire employees that will save you time, money and ensure you are hiring the best candidate to join your team? In the latest episode of the FocusCore podcast, host Dr. David Sweet takes you through a proven and tested hiring method and shares a simple five-step strategy to hire the A-player candidate.Introducing you to Topgrading, a recruitment methodology proven effective by some of the best companies in the world including General Electric and Barclays. In this episode you will hear: • How to engage your HR and executives to hire A-Players • How to document and create scorecards • Learn the easy, time-saving technique for screening candidates • Why are reference checks so important • The simple process and the questions to ask These five steps are the bare bones of creating a recruitment process for your organization that our clients say attracts and retains the top talent.Utilizing topgrading as a method to hire talent is the best way to sort through B and C talent and find the A-grade candidate that you want to join your organization and will ultimately save you time, money, energy, and most importantly, save you from making a hiring mistake. If you would like samples of a scorecard, please feel free to email me at david.sweet@focuscoregroup.com.Connect with David Sweet:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasiaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/ Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/ Doin' the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.Mentioned in this episode:2024 Salary Guide

Three key areas essential for any business that wants to reach its full potential include:  ·        Breaking the bottleneck through delegation.  ·        Being purpose-driven & people-centric.  ·        Mergers and acquisitions.    Delegation helps a business owner to free time and focus on other essential business tasks. However, it is vital to find and hire the right team. You want to surround yourself with smart, trustworthy people with the skills and experience necessary to do the job well.    When you have a clear purpose and put your people first, you create a culture where people are motivated to do their best work. To be purpose-driven, you must clearly understand why you are in business and what impact you want on the world.     Lastly, mergers and acquisitions can be a powerful way to grow rapidly. By acquiring a competitor, you can have a larger market share and reach new customers.    Join this conversation with Orrin Klopper as he shares more about that through his business which has seen massive growth over the last few years (3 acquisitions in the last year and 2 in preparation). Orrin is the CEO & accelerator of dreams for the doers, who helps turn dreams into reality for team members, customers, shareholders, fellow entrepreneurs & families. He co-founded Netsurit with a vision to build an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) that truly helped its customers achieve their dreams.     Tune in!    Key Highlights from The Show  [03:01] Introduction to the show with Orrin Klopper  [03:44] The key thing Orrin advises from his over 29 years of entrepreneurship experience  [06:33] Tips to ensure the person you are hiring is the right person  [13:32] How to remove your business bottleneck through effective delegation  [22:07] Why breaking bottlenecks is the only way for a business to grow  [23:12] What Orrin attributes to the massive success of his business  [29:18] Achieving business growth through mergers and acquisitions  [33:41] What's next with Orrin's business in the coming years  [36:59] How to reach out and connect with Orrin  [37:32] Ending the show    Notable Quotes  ·        A candidate being hired should be more than just fit for the job. The company should also be fit for the candidate.  ·        You should take as much time as you need to hire someone and, in the meantime, deal with the situation as you can.  ·        When you hire the right people, you avoid the bottleneck of having everything tied to you in the business.  ·        The faster your business grows, the harder it becomes to get a balanced team.  ·        Breaking bottlenecks is what enables businesses to grow. One of the ways is by letting go of some business operations to people around you.    Resources Mentioned   Topgrading, by Brad Smar: https://amzn.to/3MMcOsc   The Founder's Mentality, by Chris Zook & James Allen : https://amzn.to/3MMcSYY   Start with Why, by Simon Sinek: https://amzn.to/47hSzKY   The Private Equity Playbook, by Adam Coffey: https://amzn.to/3R2CdAd   Connect With Orrin Klopper  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orrinklopper/  Website: https://netsurit.com/      ----- How much of the bottleneck in your business are you? Don't underestimate the bottleneck's impact. Take the Bottleneck Index and find out your bottleneck score now!  

As President, Chris Mursau leads a team of Topgrading Professionals, all of whom are the only certified Topgrading trainers. Chris has conducted over 3,500 in-depth Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates and helped a vast array of organizations pack their teams with A Players. Dozens of case study companies transformed their teams from 26% to 85% high performers hired, enabling team members to enjoy more successful careers and bolstering company growth and profitability. Chris' client list is broad and diverse, including Fortune 500 companies, small to medium-sized businesses, and non-profit organizations.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Symphony⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. On September 8th, 2023, Symphony will be live-streaming a webinar on searchfunder.com all about the technical due diligence process when acquiring a software company. Use this link to sign up: ⁠https://www.searchfunder.com/event/view/1200⁠. Symphony not only performs technical due diligence engagements for search funds, Private Equity firms, and strategic acquirers, but they also partner with those buyers on an ongoing basis on all things product (outsourced development, team augmentation, new product prototyping, UI refreshes, QA professionalization, and so on). Symphony is offering a full 15% off of any of their services for listeners of In the Trenches. ⁠Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact form on their website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and tell them that you're a listener of the podcast to receive this discount! * This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Oberle Risk Strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the leading insurance brokerage and insurance diligence provider for the search fund community. The company is led by ⁠⁠August Felker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (himself a 2-time successful searcher), and has been trusted by search investors, lenders, searchers and CEOs for over a decade now. Their due diligence offering (which is 100% free of charge) will assess the pros and cons of your target company's insurance program, including any potential coverage gaps, the pro-forma insurance pricing, and the program structure changes needed for closing. At or shortly after closing, they then execute on all of those findings on your behalf. Oberle has serviced over 900 customers across a decade of operation, including countless searchers and CEOs within the ETA community * I have spent the past several weeks going through almost 3 years of In The Trenches archives to tease out all of the best insights that we've been able to collect from each of our guests specific to Hiring. I won't need to convince any CEO of how important the hiring process is, and how fraught with peril it can be when it isn't done right. Below is a list of our guests and topics, which include timestamps, so you can skip between the segments that are most interesting to you: (3:30) Randy Street: Co-author of Who: The A Method for Hiring, which introduced the Topgrading hiring method to the world (22:39) Verne Harnish: Founder of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (“EO”), & author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and Scaling Up (37:43) AJ Wasserstein: Professor at the Yale School of Management. Prior 2x CEO and active SMB investor (43:40) Mike Zani: CEO of The Predictive Index, and author of The Science of Dream Teams (52:27) Steve Divitkos: Hiring Your Senior Management Team: Founder of Mineola Search Partners (1:12:50) Anthemos Georgiades: Hiring in High Growth Environments: Founder and CEO of Zumper, an apartment rental platform that boasts 250 employees, 75 million active users, and 17 million app visits per month (1:27:09) Nicholas Andrews: Hiring for the Finance & Accounting Function: Founder of The Aspen Consulting Group (1:42:40) Rich Mironov: Hiring in Product Management: One of North America's preeminent Product Management thought leaders, having spent 40 years in the software industry in numerous capacities (1:55:20) Dave Prusinski: Hiring in Sales: Former EVP of FleetComplete. Grew annual revenue by ~25x, achieving a ~50% revenue CAGR for 9 of his 10 years

The hiring process continues to be more complicated than ever before, but finding the right fit for your position doesn't have to be a long and cumbersome process. You just have to be willing to put the work in to find the top performers.   Dr. Brad Smart is widely regarded as a world expert on hiring and is a renowned consultant to many leading companies and SMBs. He is the creator of Topgrading and the author of Foolproof Hiring: Powerful, Fully Proven Keys to Hiring Mostly High Performers.   Dr. Brad was shocked to learn in the early years of his career that only one out of three employees at his company were considered top performers. He knew there had to be a better way to identify and hire more top performers, and Topgrading was born.   Employers save time and money by using the Topgrading approach. The robust and thorough process provides a prescreening snapshot that sifts out the best applicants and gets A players hired.   The job scorecard is another critical piece of the effective hiring process. Break down what the job entails and make sure that you know what you need before you start hiring someone who may or may not be a good fit for the requirements.   After the basic sort, ask three open-ended questions that candidates can answer before you have an in-person conversation. Each of these steps will help you identify and hire the high performers that you want on your team.   Interview Links: Topgrading Prescreen Snapshot   Resources: Scaling For Any Economy Scaling Coach Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne's original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today's episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.

In every organization, the pursuit of excellence is crucial for sustained success. However, this pursuit can sometimes be hindered by mediocre employees. Handling underperforming staff is one of the most challenging tasks for any manager or business owner. While firing an employee is never an easy decision, it is necessary to maintain a high-performing and cohesive team. Let's explore the signs that indicate it might be time to part ways with a mediocre employee and the importance of a fair and supportive approach to handling such situations. Go to www.johngrubbs.com or www.wolfsalestraining.com to learn more about sales!

Have you ever been frustrated with the traditional hiring process? Where gut feelings and limited information resulted in a measly 50% accuracy hire rate? What if we walked you step-by-step through a better way - that is not our own - But it's based on the book called "Topgrading" by Bradford D. Smart, which dives even deeper into this topic.In this podcast episode, Jim Hacking and Tyson Mutrux invite Kristen Weiss (from Tyson's team) to discuss hiring practices and the top grading principles. Kristen shares her experience as a recruiter and the frustrations she faced before implementing the top grading process. A few key takeaways are:➡️ the importance of involving multiple people in the hiring process➡️the importance of not rushing the process as hiring in haste can lead to wasted time, money, and resources ➡️automated emails that outline the steps and expectations➡️ recruiting mentally tough individuals who were fully committed to the firm➡️the hiring process. And the best part? It works!So, if you're tired of making hiring mistakes and want to find the perfect fit for your team, we highly recommend giving this episode a listen and “see” the Topgrading hiring principles in action. Don't forget to grab the book here!1:06 Kristen's past experience as a recruiter and the frustrations she faced with hiring practices before implementing the top grading process05:18 The importance of getting multiple perspectives in the hiring process and not relying solely on one person's judgment10:19 How to address potential employees' questions about the slower hiring process18:47 The hiring process, step-by-step, including the use of applications and telephone interviews to filter candidates19:23 The detailed assessment that candidates receive after a 15-minute conversation, which tests their competency, attention to detail, and ability to follow instructions20:27 After the video interview, candidates who move on to the next round undergo a mental toughness screening, which assesses their reactions in different situations21:22 The unique approach of setting up appointments with past employers for reference checks to ensure they only speak about A-player candidates

***FOR DETAILED SHOW NOTES, SEE OUR BLOG POST: https://lodestonetruenorth.com/podcast-episode-044-interview-with-alec-broadfoot/ In Episode 044 of the Business Broken to Smokin' Podcast:Lodestone True North's Head Coach Mark Whitmore interviews Alec Broadfoot, CEO of VisionSpark https://visionsparksearch.com/ They discuss Alec's new book, “Revealed! Insider Secrets To Hiring Your #2 Leader”  https://visionsparksearch.com/alecs-book/  finding second in command folks, interviews, business operating systems and a whole lot more! In this episode of the Business Broken to Smokin' Podcast: Lodestone True North's Head Coach Mark Whitmore interviews Alec Broadfoot, CEO of VisionSpark https://visionsparksearch.com/ They discuss Alec's new book, “Revealed! Insider Secrets To Hiring Your #2 Leader” https://visionsparksearch.com/alecs-b... , finding second in command folks, interviews, business operating systems and a whole lot more! 0:00 Intro 1:22 Shoutout to Sal Filardi 1:31 Book reference: Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton 2:01 What is Second In Command? - “Someone who is going to run the business for the Visionary” 3:48 Where/when do you see an organization needing to hire Second in Command or C suite? 6:52 Does it work to bump up the office manager into Second in Command? Good question to ask: Can this person take my business to the next level? 8:29 Background information on VisionSpark https://visionsparksearch.com/ 12:59 How do you pitch hiring folks for companies? 13:45 What's the difference with a recruiter and a search firm? 16:31 Tips for using a recruiter 17:29 Using assessments in the hiring process: success rate more than triples 17:43 Reference to University of Michigan study: The interview as a tool to predict someone's future success is about 14% accurate. But when you use a high quality assessment the percentage goes up to 52% 18:03 Some examples of high quality assessments 18:34 What about DISC? https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-d... 18:45 What the assessment does: it measures an individual's core behavior. 20:16 What's the most quirky or cool/different assessment? What's one that you wouldn't recommend? 22:33 Talk about the difference between, cognitive, affective, and conative 29:34 What assessments would you recommend to a company new to using them? Fairly easy to get their hands around? 34:05 Interviewing hacks 36:24 “We have seen visionaries where their strength that makes them a great entrepreneur also is the kryptonite for them when hiring individuals.” 37:16 Quick and easy interview format: 40:35 Hiring process: 43:09 VisionSpark Interview Day Form LINK https://lodestonetruenorth.com/wp-con... 47:57 Book reference - Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni 49:01 During and interview make sure you're listening, and don't do all the talking. It's a discovery process 51:35 Book reference - Topgrading by Brad Smart 52:36 The AAR Tool    • Episode 032 - The...   58:36 The average time of a mis-hire 278 hours 1:00:02 Alec's new book “Revealed: Insider Secrets to Hiring Your #2” 1:07:36 How do you help people figure out their unique ability? 1:10:57 What talents are good for a visionary? 1:13:59 How do you start with a visionary? 1:17:13 What is the suite of rolls for a Second in Command? 1:22:04 What does the Second in Command own? 1:27:22 What characteristics do you see in a great #2 Leader? 1:30:20 What resources would you recommend for developing a future #2 Leader? 1:35:50 Sensitivity testing… 1:37:45 Why are visionaries not good at hiring in general, but especially when hiring people for their leadership team? 1:45:00 Book references 1:49:46 Talking about core values 1:52:51 Pinnacle tool: Who wants to keep your job? 2:03:11 Book reference - The road less stupid by Keith J. Cunningham 2:09:55 What is so compelling about working with entrepreneurs? *Credits* Music - Love is a long road by Tom Petty All Podcast Platforms https://lodestonetruenorth.com/podcast/

There is an entire industry and philosophy surrounding why you should sell your business, but it doesn't need to be that way.  There are many reasons why people choose to sell their businesses and really the reasons can be broken down into two different things.  1. Long Term Goal To Exit: A strategic decision because their plan all along was to sell their business and they have something else more desirable to do with their time (besides golf). 2. Looking for an Exit strategy after losing faith.  They hit a point of frustration or desperation and are no longer either enjoying the business or don't believe they can get it to the next level.  The first point is a goal to exit, the second allows you to think it isn't going to get any easier, it might be better to sell. And there are a lot of people who will want you to sell. This means you can feel forced to exit. In this episode we discuss the top 5 reasons people regret selling, and how you can consider different perspectives and opportunities.    ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #19 Mental health in business leadership during COVID19 #79 Eliminate your emotionally taxing issues - lick your toads   ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Chris Mursau is the President of Topgrading, a company that helps to build and maintain high performing teams through proven hiring, development, and promotion strategies. He has served as a consultant and teacher since 2001 and has conducted over 3,500 Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates and helped hundreds of people achieve their A potential. Chris has used this expertise to co-author seven books on hiring, with the most recent book, “Foolproof Hiring: Powerful, Proven Keys to Hiring HIGH Performers”, being released this year.Also, Chris is the host of Talent Wins, a podcast that features top CEOs and business leaders and highlights their trials, tribulations, and successes in building great teams. Connect with Chris on LinkedInBuy Foolproof Hiring: Powerful, Proven Keys to Hiring HIGH Performers Follow us on LinkedIn Connect with Scott Connect with Jeff Connect with Eric Email us Thanks for listening!

Without effective discipline around decision making we can end up making decisions we later might call dumb. To avoid this one of the tools we use is the sandbox. Where we play. Our sandbox is where we have proven that we can win and earn the right to be a viable option for our customers. And the principle helps us to keep sand in the box. What we sell, Who we sell it to and where we sell it. Like any principle creates focus and guardrails for our thinking and decisions. When going outside of these guardrails, we need to do it with extreme caution and this takes a lot of humility at times - especially when a business is doing really well.       ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #19 Mental health in business leadership during COVID19 #79 Eliminate your emotionally taxing issues - lick your toads   ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Executives are often more driven than the average person. We run hard all the time, and it usually works. And then, it doesn't work. We persist and push harder than the average person, and that's why we win. But it's also why we can crash harder and sometimes even put everything at risk.  This week we talk about executive burnout in the second of two episodes. What it means, what to look out for in both yourself and your team, and when it might be time to go get some help.       ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #19 Mental health in business leadership during COVID19 #79 Eliminate your emotionally taxing issues - lick your toads   ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Executives are often more driven than the average person. We run hard all the time, and it usually works. And then, it doesn't work. We persist and push harder than the average person, and that's why we win. But it's also why we can crash harder and sometimes even put everything at risk.  This week we talk about executive burnout. What it means, what to look out for in both yourself and your team, and when it might be time to go get some help.     ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #19 Mental health in business leadership during COVID19 #79 Eliminate your emotionally taxing issues - lick your toads   ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Jim Collins book Good to Great is one of the all-time business classics due to the size and quality of the research that underpins the principles that he identified in the research about companies that endured and achieved great performance, relative to their peer companies who only achieved good performance.  In Good to Great, Jim Collins identified seven core principles that great companies excelled at. In this part two of two episodes, we dig into the seven principles from Good to Great and ask you to rate your firm's performance on each of these.     ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #149 My Gross Margin is dropping – what should I do? #155 The 9 books every CEO must read #114 The CEO has only one tool ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

How to Identify Top Talent and Set a High-Performing Standard (Recorded Live on Clubhouse April 21, 2023)    In this episode, Chris Mursau, President of Topgrading, discusses how to identify top talent and set a high-performing standard in your organization. Chris shares his tips on establishing clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback and coaching, and promoting professional growth are crucial for fostering a high-performing culture. Follow these tips and start building a powerhouse team that propels your business to new heights!   Speakers: Colin C. Campbell, Michele Van Tilborg    Guest: Chris Mursau

Jim Collins book Good to Great is one of the all-time business classics due to the size and quality of the research that underpins the principles that he identified in the research about companies that endured and achieved great performance, relative to their peer companies who only achieved good performance.  In Good to Great, Jim Collins identified seven core principles that great companies excelled at. In this part one of two episodes, we dig into the seven principles from Good to Great and ask you to rate your firm's performance on each of these.     ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #149 My Gross Margin is dropping – what should I do? #155 The 9 books every CEO must read #114 The CEO has only one tool ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

What if the most important number and predictor of long-term success was also a number that you didn't measure or even manage decisions based on it? Unfortunately, it's a situation that is quite common today. The accumulation of many seemingly small (and large) investment decisions that leaders make leads to the primary measure of a CEO - return on invested capital. How much capital has been invested in your business, and what's the return on that? Some of the most successful CEOs of all time have been primarily guided by this measure.  Ensuring that these decisions are well-considered and actually create high-impact results is where leaders should focus.     ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #149 My Gross Margin is dropping – what should I do? #155 The 9 books every CEO must read #114 The CEO has only one tool ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Some parts of your role give you energy, and some parts drain your energy. Often, the parts that drain your energy can be unsustainable. When you were younger, you probably had jobs that drained your energy, and you quit those jobs, getting better jobs over time. But that's often not possible if you're a business owner, CEO or executive.  Over time we want to give more time to things that give us energy and less time to those parts that drain energy. This way we're able to work hard and sustain our energy for the role. We would be tired at the end of the day, but our energy for the role would remain.  This week we talk about how to live and work in your Sustainable Sweet Spot as a leader.   ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

How do you know if you have the right people in the right seats? We've all heard of the phrase ‘get the right people in the right seats on the bus'. It talks about ensuring that team members are aligned and committed to success. However, Jim Collins has a very specific definition of the ‘right people', and when you're considering if you have the right people in the right seats, this includes six key characteristics that might help to understand what 'right' actually means.  This week we're going through Jim Collins' definition of the right people in the right seats.    ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Hiring can be expensive.  It's expensive in terms of time for leaders to commit to an effective hiring process, it's expensive in terms of recruitment fees or costs, and it's expensive in terms of productivity. And that's when you get it right! Sometimes we can make mistakes when hiring, and this can be even more expensive. Perhaps busy executives are skipping steps or they might not know what things to avoid. This week we talk about five expensive hiring mistakes you should avoid.    ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #151 I'm thinking about appointing my first COO or President – what should I do? #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

In this episode, I speak with Elizabeth Lynch, who has a Bachelor's in Psychology from Miami University and an Executive MBA from Case Western Reserve Weatherhead School of Management. She has focused her career in leadership development and strategic planning. Prior to creating Engaged Leadership Consulting, she was the VP of Leadership Development for one of Northeast Ohio's Fastest growing companies. Through her tenure she helped lead company strategic planning, manager and employee development, and employee engagement. She also is a Certified Accountability, Strategy, and Assessment coach from Master Coach University and has been helping executives succeed for over a decade. We discuss the role of leadership and management, including interviewing, hiring, coaching, and retaining great talent.https://engagedleadershipconsulting.comEngaged Leadership Consulting - Business and Management Consultant Get Free GiftThe limitless organization short video coursemike-goldman.com/limitlessThanks for listening! Connect with us at mike-goldman.com/blog and on Instagram@mikegoldmancoach and on YouTube @Mikegoldmancoach

Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. - Harry S. Truman. As leaders, we are avid learners and readers.  And some of the best insights come from getting different perspectives whether it be from biographies of great leaders from the past or present or research that relates to our industries or completely divergent learning that enhance our perspectives of the world.   Aside from travel, reading is one of the most impactful things we can spend time on to enhance the quality of our thinking and leadership. We all have favourites, but these 9 books are constantly at the top of our lists and the lists of the CEO's and Executives we work with.   In this episode we discuss the 9 books that every CEO (and executive) must read. ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #151 I'm thinking about appointing my first COO or President – what should I do? #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Annual strategy meetings are a necessary part of every organisation. And they can be very expensive, with decisions made affecting the organisation for a year or more. Ensuring you maximise the value from these meetings and avoid mistakes to set the company up to win next year and into the future. This week we share seven mistakes we've found leaders make at annual strategy meetings, and what you can do to avoid these mistakes.    ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #151 I'm thinking about appointing my first COO or President – what should I do? #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Today's Flashback Friday is from episode 141 published last December 28, 2009. During turbulent economic times, people can become their own worst enemy.  The uncertainty of the stock market creates massive insecurity about our investment portfolios. These doubts are quite reasonable and it is time to stop trusting Wall Street and start being a direct investor by purchasing hard assets which are not subject to the greed, graft and manipulation of CEOs, investment bankers, fund managers and the government. Prudent investing is a prerequisite to The American Dream of financial freedom. Learn from the mistakes of others rather than “the school of hard knocks.” Tune in to this episode of The Creating Wealth Show as Jason reveals 30 fatal mistakes you must avoid in order to achieve financial independence and investing success. Upcoming shows will feature: Bradford B. Smart, author of Topgrading for Sales: World-Class Methods to Interview, Hire, and Coach Top Sales Representatives and Lisa Bromma, author of Wise Women Invest In Real Estate.   Follow Jason on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM & LINKEDIN Twitter.com/JasonHartmanROI Instagram.com/jasonhartman1/ Linkedin.com/in/jasonhartmaninvestor/ Call our Investment Counselors at: 1-800-HARTMAN (US) or visit: https://www.jasonhartman.com/ Free Class:  Easily get up to $250,000 in funding for real estate, business or anything else: http://JasonHartman.com/Fund CYA Protect Your Assets, Save Taxes & Estate Planning: http://JasonHartman.com/Protect Get wholesale real estate deals for investment or build a great business – Free Course: https://www.jasonhartman.com/deals Special Offer from Ron LeGrand: https://JasonHartman.com/Ron Free Mini-Book on Pandemic Investing: https://www.PandemicInvesting.com

Liz Wiseman is an ex oracle executive who wrote an amazing book about how we all have moments as leaders where we accidentally diminish team members and 'shut down' their smarts, making our people less capable. What makes it worse, is that our intent is usually to be helpful and supportive, and yet it has the opposite impact.   She breaks out the difference between the behaviours we have that multiply the intelligence of our team (and potentially family members too) and those that diminish their capability and intelligence. You can understand the accidental diminisher traits, and where you can improve, and then, you can understand how to multiply the capability of your team members.  This week we're talking about the Multipliers concept from Liz Wiseman, and how it can apply to you as a leader.  ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #151 I'm thinking about appointing my first COO or President – what should I do? #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

It's been said that people join companies and leave managers. Almost everyone can't stand a boss who is a micromanager. But what if you might be a micromanager? You know you are a micromanager if the weight of responsibility along with the thinking and planning related to it, ultimately sits with you. You will know this is true if the problems, thinking and decisions come to you. To avoid micromanagement and instead achieve leadership one must transfer the responsibility and coach the person. This leads to the clarity and tension that drives accountability and results.  This week we discuss what to do if you're concerned that you might be a micromanager. ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #151 I'm thinking about appointing my first COO or President – what should I do? #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

For many leaders hiring their first COO or President can be a big change. Perhaps they've been running the business for a long time with 6 or 7 direct reports, and need to move to the next level, or begin transitioning toward succession. No matter how or why hiring your first COO or hiring your first president can be a big change, and comes with a set of unique challenges.   This week we talk about this unique issue, and what to do if you're hiring your first COO or President. ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  --------- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #132 Onboarded - What is onboarding and why does it matter (1 of 4) #49 Are you a genius with 1,000 helpers? If so, how do you become a level 5 leader? #22 Bringing a new leader or executive into a leadership team ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

It can be quite common for leaders to be not satisfied with an executive or key employee. However, it's important not to allow that frustration to remain, but to understand why you are feeling this way. This means becoming clear on the gaps between your expectations, and actual performance, and then having a conversation with them so they are aware and have an opportunity to recalibrate and meet your expectations. The failure of many leaders is experiencing this frustration, but keeping it a secret, which isn't fair to either party.  If you're feeling that an executive might not be performing, in this episode we talk about why you should act on it, and we provide several tools on how to understand, assess, and act on it.  ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  -----   ----- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #129 How to identify A players during an interview #127 How to deal with an executive that is underperforming #126 What to say when managers tell you people are leaving for more money #114 The CEO has only one tool #89 The 4 different types of A players ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Gross margin is one of the most important numbers in your business. Gross Margin (percentage) is a good indicator that your business is healthy: Both on the selling/strategy end indicating your customer is willing to pay you well for what you offer, and on the operations end demonstrating that you can efficiently produce what the customer wants. The trend of this number over time can tell quite the story. When it starts to fade, as it often can, it is a reason for concern.  This week we talk about Gross Margin erosion, why it happens and what you should do if you find yourself in this situation. ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  -----   ----- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #74 The Power and Struggle of saying no #120 The 20 Mile March concept By Jim Collins: Thrive in Uncertainty   ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

Hiring today seems more complicated than ever before, but finding the right fit for your position doesn't have to be a long and cumbersome process. You just have to be willing to put the work in to find the top performers.    Dr. Brad Smart is widely regarded as a world expert on hiring and is a renowned consultant to many leading companies and SMBs. He is the creator of Topgrading and author of Foolproof Hiring: Powerful, Fully Proven Keys to Hiring Mostly High Performers.   Dr. Brad was shocked to learn in the early years of his career that only 1 out of 3 employees at his company were considered top performers. He knew there had to be a better way to identify and hire more top performers, and Topgrading was born.   Employers save time and money by using the Topgrading approach. The robust and thorough process provides a prescreening snapshot that sifts out the best applicants and gets A players hired.   The job scorecard is another critical piece of the effective hiring process. Break down what the job entails and make sure that you know what you need before you start hiring someone who may or may not be a good fit for the requirements.   After the basic sort, ask three open-ended questions that candidates can answer before you have an in-person conversation. Each of these steps will help you identify and hire the high performers that you want on your team.   Interview Links: Topgrading Prescreen Snapshot   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne's original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today's episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the changing environment for property investors?  Are you struggling to find the right strategy to navigate the new landscape?  Don't worry, we are here to help! In this episode, we will discuss the changing environment and financial constraints for property investors. And, how you should be thinking differently about your strategy as you go into 2023. We will also talk about how to become more flexible in your approach, and how to structure your portfolio to get the right combination of characteristics in a variety of different assets.  Plus, we'll discuss how to protect your downside and maximize your upside! So, if you're looking for help to build a strategic and prolific property portfolio, join us for this episode! If you love this episode, email us at til@dashdot.com.au, and don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast!  See you on the inside!    In this episode, we cover: Welcome to the Investor Lab Podcast [0:00] The racetrack of property investing [03:52] What is the Modern Portfolio Theory? [07:38] Diversification of assets and portfolio [11:45] What to do when you have surplus cash and surplus financial capability?[14:48] How to keep going despite constraints? [15:50] Topgrading and optimizing your portfolio [18:02] How to avoid getting stuck in a global trend? [22:03] Solving problems through strategic thinking [25:43] Dogmatic vs Pragmatic approach on property investing [28:00]   Connect With Us: See our other Podcasts: https://theinvestorlab.com.au/ Watch on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/c/TheInvestorLab)  Listen on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3Np19x8) The Dashdot Website (https://www.dashdot.com.au/) Ready to work with us directly? (https://dashdot.com.au/discovery) Get your Property Portfolio Growth Plan (https://dashdot.com.au/portfoliogrowthplan) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Price increases are a bit of a dirty word in business - and they have become a critical success factor for companies in 2023 with incredibly high price inflation affecting input costs; Enduring companies that have been around for many decades have mastered this discipline, whereas newer companies have not necessarily had to learn this lesson yet, and it hurts. Big, experienced companies were making price increases fast and early - and profiting from it; Smaller, nicer companies waited, thought about it, and many paid a serious price with their margins shirking and tier bottom line fading too. Practically many businesses must increase pricing at some point, and people don't necessarily like to do it - especially the sales team who deal with customers all the time.  In this episode, we talk about the method of price increases, why it matters and some of the best ways to do it in your business. ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. * Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! * Is Twitter your thing? Follow @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 to learn more about building enduring great companies. *Like LinkedIn? Follow https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence/  -----   ----- Links: *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/ *https://lawrenceandco.com/ Newsletters *https://evolutionpartners.com.au/articles *https://lawrenceandco.com/business-resources ----- Related episodes #74 The Power and Struggle of saying no #120 The 20 Mile March concept By Jim Collins: Thrive in Uncertainty   ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter #130 Jim Collins: Level 5 leaders #104 The habits successful leaders use to prepare each week #50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company #96 The three main barriers to consistent growth #90 Meeting Rhythm - The Annual Strategic Thinking meeting #110 Five most common questions we get about Scaling Up #89 The 4 different types of A players

The number one problem in business is hiring the right employees.Say you have a job opening to fill. You interview a range of qualified candidates and hire the best of the bunch (or so you think). But all of a sudden, all expectations break into pieces: the person who seemed like a perfect fit during the interview doesn't have what it takes to do the job.Not a happy ending whatsoever, right?What if you could master your hiring practices to ensure that all your new hires are A players that align with your company's values?Good news: one of the world's foremost leadership advisors has laid out a simple four-step methodology for hiring the right people with a 90% of success rate, thus avoiding the costly flow-on effects of traditional hiring.We invited Geoff Smart, an acclaimed book author, and public speaker, to disentangle for us his innovative four-step hiring methods. Geoff serves as Chairman & Founder of ghSMART, a management assessment and leadership firm with clients that include the world's largest private equity investors and Fortune 500 CEOs. He is also the co-creator of the Topgrading philosophy of talent management.Listen to this episode of Conversations at The Edge with Geoff Smart to discover the keys to hiring the best and most impactful talent out there.

Your organization is only as strong as its people.Mis-hires cost you millions (that's not an exaggeration) in precious dollars and wasted hours.How will you be able to scale up without drama if you are falling victim to inefficient hiring practices?This is a clarion call: neither your biz nor you deserve all of this. Every person on your team should be a high performer. That's why the Topgrading methodology — regarded as the most effective hiring method on the planet — is part of Growth Institute's learning pathway!It's time for you to take a deep dive into it.We invited Michelle LaVallee, certified Topgrading Coach & International Talent Advisor, to share with us the wins she has gotten to conquer by helping companies do things the Topgrading way. With over 20 years of international experience across large organizations and start-ups, Michelle is a multicultural operational expert masterful in reengineering organizations for their strategic fulfillment.Listen to this episode of Conversations at The Edge with Michelle LaVallee to discover the keys to increasing the percentage of A players within organizations.

Joe Soltis, CEO, ChoiceLocal (Cleveland, OH)   Joe Soltis is CEO at ChoiceLocal, which Joe describes as “the top performing franchise growth engine” with a “money back guarantee.” The agency offers a wide scope of services for franchisors and franchisees of over 50 brands, enabling them to provide “Fortune 500 level customer service, results, strategy, and ROI on the franchisee level” for a “small and medium size business price.”  Large clients might be parent companies of franchise systems, franchisors owning 20 or more franchise systems where each system may have from 20 to 200 franchisees – and up to as many as 6,000 internal franchise units. Small franchise systems may have 10 units. For these smaller clients, the agency facilitates franchise development, consumer, new customer, location, company, and digital talent recruitment marketing. Joe says hiring is a challenge, especially in the franchise space. The agency needs to understand its client's hiring needs, the kind of candidates it desires, and the historical hire rates to know the number of applicants to target . . . then reverse engineer the hire rate/cost per quality candidate by channel and implement the most effective marketing strategy to ensure future growth. Joe says they use the same channels as they do for consumer marketing (in a different order), plus some that are recruitment specific. Joe notes that franchise operations need to beware . . . a lot of agencies will lock clients into proprietary technology solutions . . . that don't fit. ChoiceLocal strives to find the right tools for each client to build a “win-win” ecosystem where franchisor, franchisee, and the agency all win. He says it's important that the tool providers are companies sensitive to client needs, adaptable to a changing market, and willing to invest in “making sure that you can use their tool to provide the best in the world customer service to your end customers.” Joe started his career working his way up for 10 years in a company that grew to serve Fortune 500 companies. At a time of great personal loss, he changed the direction of his life. In his words, I always said I wanted to be successful so that I could help people, and that day it changed to “I don't want to just build something; I want to help people and I want to do it now. I don't want to be successful so that I can help people later. I want to do it now.” Joe started ChoiceLocal with the mission “to help others” – the agency's franchisor and franchisee partners, agency teammates (to make their dreams and aspirations reality), and people in the community.  Joe structured the agency with the goal of having employees work their 40-hours, then “unplug and leave work at work.” With a teammate Net Promoter Score in the 70s (far exceeding the “good” score, which is in the 30s), the agency has been a Top Workplace in Northeast Ohio for the past five years. When Covid struck, the agency created a ChoiceLocal Economic Stimulus Package to help its customers “grow through the downturn,” an initiative that Joe estimates saved 30 franchisees from going out of business.  Giving back to the community is “baked into” the agency's DNA, with 10% of profits dedicated to helping “kids in need.” Joe says the agency's “big hairy audacious goal is to help 10,000 kids a year.” As of this interview, the agency had already helped 6,000 kids in 2022 through such things as meal programs, partnering with Habitat for Humanity to provide a home for an in-need family, and through team members' personal volunteer work in the community. Joe says the next thing after achieving this goal would be to “raise the goal.” Recently, the agency spun off a dental franchise, Broadview Dental Group, which Joe targets to be “the largest provider of dental care in the United States within 10 years.” Expectations are that dentists following this franchise system “can have 4.5 times the profit of a typical dental practice and only have to work three days a week to do it.” In this franchise system, a dentist maintains 100% of the business's equity and, on retirement, can sell the franchise. Joe can be reached on his agency's website at choicelocal.com, by following ChoiceLocal on social media channels @ChoiceLocal, by following Joe on Twitter @helpothersjoe, or by connecting with him on LinkedIn.  ROB: Welcome to the Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Rob Kischuk, and I am joined today by Joe Soltis, CEO at ChoiceLocal based in Cleveland, Ohio. Welcome to the podcast, Joe. JOE: Rob, great to be with you today. ROB: Excellent to have you here. Why don't you start off by telling us about ChoiceLocal? What is the firm's specialty? What is your superpower? What are you known for? Hit us with it. JOE: We're the top performing franchise growth engine. We work exclusively with franchisors and franchisees, and the reason we do that is we want to give Fortune 500 level customer service, results, strategy, and ROI, but we want to be able to do it when you look on the franchisee level at a small and medium size business price while delivering that. When we do that, we offer a money back guarantee. We're the first and only franchise marketing agency to offer that money back guarantee. We work with 50+ brands. We're one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., members of the IFA, the whole nine yards.  ROB: Wow, congratulations. There's a certain clarity to that that is certainly appreciated. Let's peel it back just a layer. When we think about franchise, I think some of us think about restaurants, but there are franchises of all stripes. There is plumbing. There are franchise marketing agencies, for that matter. So what does a typical customer look like? Is there a particular range of franchises, of locations? Because you could have two or two thousand. What's a typical engagement look like? JOE: We work with some franchise systems that are owned by what we would call a platform, like a parent company that owns franchise systems. There are some franchisors that we work with that actually own 20+ franchise systems, and within each of those franchise systems there can range anywhere between 20 franchisees on the small side and 200 on the large side. So, we're talking within these companies 2,000-unit franchise operations, and some franchise systems that we work with even have 6,000+ franchise units within them. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, there are franchise systems that we work with that are 10-unit franchise systems. We power them on franchise development, we power them on consumer marketing and new customer marketing for their franchisees as well as their company and locations, and we also power their talent recruitment through digital marketing to drive highly qualified applicants. Staffing is obviously a huge challenge in today's world, and particularly within the franchising space. ROB: That's a little bit of a wider scope of services than I think we often hear in local marketing, especially once you get into the recruitment side. So that's interesting. Is it the same channels for getting customers in and getting employees in? Is it different? What's the mix of touchpoints there? JOE: It is the same channels, used in a different order, plus there are additional channels that are recruiting specific. Obviously, there's different job boards that are highly important in the recruiting space, and then there's also a whole host of digital channels that can be activated, from geotargeted Google Ads to Facebook advertising. Each of them has their strengths and their weaknesses. Our job within these franchise systems is to understand what their hiring needs are, who they're looking to hire, what their historical hire rates are so we know how many applicants we need to drive, and then we can also reverse engineer the hire rate by channel, and then we can from there figure out their cost per quality applicant by channel and then develop a marketing mix that's going to allow them to continue to grow. ROB: There's a lot going on there. Over time we've seen different platforms that have tried to jump to the forefront to help, I think, organizations like ChoiceLocal, handle marketing for multilocation, for franchises. What's the state of the tool ecosystem for this? Has any tool that tries to help with this problem and actually create a library of content to push out to different locations worked? Or has it not worked and you end up building some of those solutions yourselves? How do you look at dozens of locations, different local needs, some shared content, that sort of thing? JOE: There are a lot of agencies that will come in and sell franchise systems, their own proprietary tech in order to bring that about. What we've generally found is when these marketing agencies bring in their proprietary tech, it's more in the agency's interest and less in the interest of the franchisor and the franchisee. Essentially, it's “Here, take this marketing solution. Take our proprietary tech, and then it's impossible for you to leave us.” That's how they set that up, and it can create some difficulty and a lot of angst within these different franchise systems. When working in the franchising space, what you need to do is build a win-win ecosystem where the franchisor wins, the franchisee wins, and as a byproduct of that, as the agency you win as well. There's a whole host of various tools in this, from Rallio to WebPunch to SOCi. There's a lot of others. Yext. These are all various powerful tools that can be used and deployed. There's other powerful tools in the call tracking space, too. You have companies like CallRail who do a really strong job with this, with call analytics and those types of things. The job of the agency is to find the right tools that are right for that franchise system while also using their agency buying power to leverage economies of scale and do what's in the best interest of their client partners. ROB: If I hear you correctly, there's not a one-size-fits-all best franchise management tool. It is a little bit of a best of breed, it's a what are the needs of your particular brand/set of stores, that kind of thing. Sometimes it is Yext, maybe sometimes you bring CallRail to the table. You're the experts, and you're prescribing the menu that you recommend. JOE: Yeah, that is right. One thing, too, as you follow these companies – depending on how much they're investing in R&D, how much they're willing to listen to their customer, how much they're willing to allow their agency partners to fuel their product roadmap and guide their product roadmap – that's really how you're going to pick your partners, in large part. There's a lot of these SaaS companies that are not very customer service minded. They're more like “Get in, sign up for a product, and then leave us alone” kind of deal, and as an agency, that's not the kind of partner you're looking for. You're looking for ones that will invest in making sure that you can use their tool to provide the best in the world customer service to your end customers. Why I say that is that's something to look out for in the beginning. And the other reason I say that is the companies that are willing to invest in their customer service also tend to invest in their product development, and you'll notice there's ebbs and flows of who's good and who's bad when they do this. And things change, so you've got to find a partner that's always looking to change and adapt with the market as it changes and evolves. ROB: It's interesting how the cast of characters has changed. When I google for this problem space, Hootsuite is out there, Content and Sprout are out there contending for just a small slice of that franchise deal. But you know they're chasing every other vertical in social as well. I can certainly appreciate – we're in Atlanta; CallRail is a neighbor company here. Do you know their roots a little bit? It's an interesting background on them. JOE: It's a really neat company. ROB: The founder started off with a site to help people with BMWs that were out of warranty to find a local repair shop. My understanding is if you have a BMW that's out of warranty, you need a local repair shop. That's what I've heard. So, he started off doing lead gen for these local shops and then built call tracking to help prove the value of his BMWershops.com website, and ended up building CallRail from it. JOE: What's neat about CallRail, too, is they really have come in – there's a lot of companies that historically have played in that place, and they really trounced them. Some of their advanced features and some of their call analytics, listening to calls, transcribing calls, turning them into qualified leads, or basically saying what's a qualified lead, what's a hot lead, what's not a lead, and how they built some of that technology – it's pretty cool stuff. ROB: Yeah, there's a tremendous customer focus there. I do want to shift gears for a moment; I want to get to the origin story of ChoiceLocal. What led you to create this firm? What led you to this point of focus, of all the areas you could have focused on helping and niches you could have served? JOE: I served at a company that served multibillion dollar companies. I was a Vice President of Operations of Product Development there. We served Fortune 500 companies – FedEx, CBS, other multibillion dollar publicly traded companies. That's where I spent my day and that's who I served. We built a team of 180 full-time digital marketers. Kind of a neat story. Started as employee #8, within a few years worked my way up to VP of Ops and Product Development and did that. It was cool. I learned a lot and I had some really great mentors while I was there. The owners there have done some really amazing things outside of agency, just building multimillion dollar companies and multibillion dollar companies and taking some of them public, like NCS Healthcare and others. So, I learned a ton while I was there over that 10-year period. Then in 2012, we had a pregnancy. Went into an ultrasound room with my wife and there was no heartbeat. So we lost our son, Ben, pretty late in the pregnancy. I always said I wanted to be successful so that I could help people, and that day it changed to “I don't want to just build something; I want to help people and I want to do it now. I don't want to be successful so that I can help people later. I want to do it now.” That's actually how ChoiceLocal got started. In its simple form, our mission always has been – our mission and our core values were written prior to even having a business plan – our mission is help others. We help our partners succeed, our franchisor and franchisee partners, help their dreams and aspirations become a reality. We help our teammates' dreams and aspirations become a reality. We've been a Top Workplace in Northeast Ohio five years running. We have a teammate Net Promoter Score in the 70s, which is unheard of high. You ask people, “What is a good employee Net Promoter Score?”, the answer is 30. We're hanging out in the 70s. So, we really work to live that mission and really care about others. Working in the agency space, a lot of agencies will bring in talent, they will work them like crazy for like five years until they burn out, and then they leave and they go in-house. Having experienced that and have friends who've experienced that in other companies, I wanted to do something fundamentally different. That's why we founded ChoiceLocal and built it the way that we have. But our mission of help others is also giving back. We take 10% of the profits out of the company and we use it to help kids in need. Our big hairy audacious goal is to help 10,000 kids a year. We created the Benjamin Isaac Foundation, named after our son, Ben. We just gave a home to a single mother with three kids. Her name is Brie; she's got three beautiful boys. We just had their house dedication two weekends ago, and that was through Habitat for Humanity. We were the sole sponsor for the home. Got to meet her beautiful boys. We helped them move in, had the housewarming and a dedication. It was so cool. It's just so cool. We do tons of other stuff like that. So far this year – it's now June, and we are at a little over 6,000 kids that we've helped through various charities that we partner with. ROB: Well, 4,000 more to go and then another goal. JOE: Yes, raise the goal. ROB: There's a depth in that origin story. I think something that is interesting to think through – when you have a team, when you're giving to causes, how do you connect the day-to-day of what the team is doing to the causes that the company is giving to and really ensure that there's an authentic connection there? I think it can be very disconnected sometimes. Here's the owner, here's the team, we're building this stuff, some money got shot out over here – to a good cause, but maybe it doesn't feel relevant to the day-to-day. So how do you think about connecting the team to the cause? JOE: That's a great question. It's a really great question. The first thing is we hire for people that have the core values that we have. Family, giving, integrity in all things. There's certain ways that you can interview people to make sure that they have those. And if you actually study some of the psychology behind it, if you study various hiring techniques that are used in books like Topgrading and WHO and those types of things, there's ways you can interview for those core values and competencies to screen people out that don't have that. So, you're hiring people that believe what you believe and then you're coming into a culture that celebrates those core values and celebrates those things. For example, we have a team meeting every single month where we update on everything that's happening in the agency, what's going on with business strategy. We're transparent on financials and performance and all of those things so everybody can see what's going on. We have a part where we talk about help others and core values. In core values, people nominate teammates and they celebrate how they live those core values out, and we tell those stories. A lot of those core values are how we help our partners and internally, but it's also how we give back. And then we tie in our financial performance. We then say, “Because we were able to do this, we were able to give Brie and her three boys this gift.” We make it very personal. Along those lines, we also have quarterly volunteering. We try to get every teammate to volunteer once a quarter so they can see, feel, and touch the work they're doing. My personal favorite is when we go to the Boys and Girls Club of America. Those kids need love, they need support, they need good mentors, and when you go there, you feel fantastic afterwards because you've been able to deliver some of that for them. So that's really powerful. And then we also do this BHAG walkthrough. BHAG stands for big hairy audacious goal. We have this roadmap, and then we say, “Here's three kids that were helped because of this. Here's 1,600 kids that were fed for a year in a place of education.” We did this charity giveaway through our annual thing at the International Franchise Association called the ChoiceLocal 10k Charity Giveaway. People enter a drawing giveaway. There's a really cool story – there's a woman who served as a board member of the International Franchise Association; today she owns about 20 Taco Johns franchises. Very successful businesswomen. She picked the Great Harvest Heartland as her charity, and she ended up winning. What I found out after she won is that as a kid, she was so poor that she needed to go to the foodbank to eat. So, it was a very personal gift for her. That's the type of stuff that really hits home, when you always tie it to that personal story. And then when you say, “Because you were able to do this specifically,” and you name the person, “it allowed us to be able to do this.” Sorry, I'm passionate about this – the last thing I'll add to it is helping the business owner. This particular franchisee is having a really hard time and they're on the verge of going out of business. We had a good amount of this through COVID. We announced the ChoiceLocal Economic Stimulus Package for our customers. We have this whole “grow through the downturn” quarterly priority and theme. We saved probably 30 franchisees from going out of business during COVID, and that was really cool. We celebrated each one of those as a company during the team meetings and made a really big deal out of it, because it's a huge deal. They put their life savings into the business. Together, we helped save their business. That's flipping awesome. It's really cool. ROB: What an opportunity. I hear a certain proximity that you're referring to within the team. Is all of your team right there, one office, one team? Is that your world, or are people in different places? JOE: It used to be that way, pre-COVID. We were in the office three days a week, and Monday/Friday work from home. COVID hit and we went 100% remote. Then we had highest teammate Net Promoter Score ever, highest client Net Promoter Score ever, highest revenue ever by far, highest profit dollars. We're like, this is working really well. So we surveyed our team and said, “What do you guys want to do?” and everybody said basically, work from home, come into the office once. So, we instituted that. What we then found is about 10-15% of our staff in a given week would come into the office, and they'd come in on different days, and when they came in there was like 3% of our staff there. It felt a little lonely, and some people like that connectedness. So I just met with our leadership team on this this past week; we're probably going to be instituting now – we do a lot of stuff on Slack. I know a lot of companies do. Basically, we're going to have ChoiceLocal In-Office Day. It's going to be completely optional, but everybody that's going to go is going to go into Slack, fill out this poll, and RSVP and say “Hey, I'm going to be in the office this day” and try to get other teammates to come in. And then they're going to have a group of probably 30-40% of the company in on that individual day, and they can hang out together. Plus we do all the fun stuff. We have team meets once a month. Those are in person. About half the company comes to those; the rest are virtual. We bring in catered food. We're in Cleveland, so we're going to watch a Cleveland Guardians, which used to be the Cleveland Indians, game. ROB: Yeah, that's an adjustment there as well. JOE: Stuff like that. We do Topgolf. We do a big Christmas party every year. Stuff like that. It's fun. It's so fun. ROB: It sounds like an adjustment, but it sounds like listening to the team, it sounds like adjusting well. When I think about folks I've known in the agency world in Cleveland, there's no shortage of opportunity to lose your team to the revolving door of brands. That seems like it's probably the way of life there – not to mention the regional opportunities with vendors. It really does take some work to keep them on the agency side, I think. JOE: Historically, at my prior agency that was definitely a continual challenge. We launched ChoiceLocal with the mission of help others, with the goal – we're not perfect at this; I don't want to sugarcoat it – but with the goal of being a fast-paced, high energy environment, but you work 40 hours, then you unplug and you leave work at work. We were able to build our systems so that's possible. We historically have had almost no turnover. Now, with that said, this year during COVID, our turnover rate has spiked a bit, but it's nothing like I was ever used to. In a year we would have maybe, out of 100 people, like 1 to 2 people leave that we didn't want to leave. Historically. This year that number is probably up to like 4 out of 100. ROB: Yeah, that's turnover, but it's not a high turnover rate. It is managing what it is. It sounds like you have learned a lot along the way. As you think about lessons you've learned building ChoiceLocal, are there particular things you think of that you would wish to go back and tell yourself to do differently if you were able to? JOE: There's a whole host of things. One of the things I have as an advantage is I was a political science major, and I learned absolutely nothing in college that is useful to me today. [laughs] ROB: A beginner's mindset is what you're saying. [laughs] JOE: Yeah, exactly. There's this book called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, and there's so much truth to that. I was raised treat others the way you want to be treated, and that's how I've always operated. I've always brought that to what I do because I thought it's the right thing to do. But I've actually found it's an amazingly sound business strategy. What I'm going to say now may be a little bit controversial, but there's so much stuff that you learn in business school, like when you're getting your MBA and those types of things, and so much of that you need to throw out and ignore because it's trash. For example, you're a service-based business, so a person is not a commodity. A person is not a tool to be used. A person is not a KPI. They are a person with dignity, a person who has a family, a person who deserves to be cared about, loved, and appreciated. If you just do that and focus on that first, the business results tend to take care of themselves. But at the same point, KPIs are important. Accountability is important. Ensuring that you have that is critical. Knowing that you hire right for core values first and for performance second, but also critically important – all of that integrates really well, and those are really important things. The last thing, from a mistake that I made, that I'll say is there's a book called Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Else Smarter, and basically the premise of the book – and this happens for a lot of folks in agencies, particularly in leadership positions – how did you get successful? You got successful by busting your butt and being pretty smart about the way you do things. That's how you were successful. The weakness that comes with that is as you get a bigger team, you need to shut up, you need to ask questions, and you need to be humble. That's the next level. And that book, for me, as I was evolving and growing as a leader, taught me those skills. It played a really important role, and now it's something I believe in so strongly. I met with a future VP of our organization who's probably going to get promoted to a VP very, very shortly, and I said, “Read this book. Take it to heart and do it.” Then I said, “Here's all the stupid things that I did, and here's how this book helped me.” ROB: You start to pull apart some pieces, many questions come to mind. I start to think about – clearly, when you talk about future VP, there's some planning there. There's still some awareness of individuals in your organization, even though at 100 people, it starts to get hard to know everyone. Especially when some people aren't even coming in one day a week, possibly. It's an interesting mix. I think this probably had to be intentional for you as well – building up the leadership team. What are the pieces you've put in place at different stages in the business to build around you to be your best, but also to help the company be its best, maybe where you aren't? JOE: Hire generous people, people that love helping other people be successful. If you have people on your leadership team that don't believe that, don't have them on your leadership team. And if you don't believe that, work on it. [laughs] It's so critical. You need to hire generous people, surround yourself with generous people. It's funny; I was like, we're the world's best at marketing for franchise systems, world's best at franchise development, consumer marketing for franchising; we're the world's best at recruiting for franchise systems. Why don't we just own a franchise system? So, we launched a separate franchise system, hired a guy who led another franchise system to $750 million in network revenue to be the CEO of it. And he believes what we believe. What attracted him to us first and foremost – and he's got an amazing track record in franchising – was our values. He's a generous person. He believes in integrity. He believes in accountability and performance at the same time. So, you've got to find people that believe that and have those competencies. The other thing I'll say is it's important, if you're hiring somebody to lead a business, that they understand that business. You can do it and you can be successful if you don't understand it inside and out, but it's way harder. If you can find people with the right values but also who have worked at different levels in that industry over the course of their career, they can understand the strengths and weaknesses of various decisions, and when you make a decision, how it affects people in different parts of the organization or what you're actually asking and what it entails to make it happen. Which tends to result in better decisions being made, better business performance, less mistakes. Those are the types of things that you really look for. ROB: What franchise business have you got yourself into, then, now? JOE: The name of it is Broadview Dental Group. Our vision is to be the largest provider of dental care in the United States within 10 years. We have some aggressive plans, but I am very confident that we're going to be able to pull it off. ROB: And I've heard that some different models of roll-up franchise operating groups – I've heard they're taking the dental world kind of by storm. The independent dentist is starting to dry up a little bit. Are you seeing that? Is that part of the move? JOE: Yes, it is, and it's sad. What's ended up happening – there actually is one other franchise system in the dental space. I wouldn't call it a real franchise system. That sounds arrogant. I don't mean it that way. But if you look at how franchise systems typically operate, where they basically have some sort of buy-in and then some sort of royalty, it's set up very different with the buy-in being extremely, extremely, extremely high. It's different. But if you look at most of them, they're called DSOs or DPOs, and what they basically do is a dentist is like “Hey, I want to get my practice to the next level.” Then these DSOs or DPOs, which are typically funded by venture capital – this isn't always the case, but typically with venture capital, they care about one thing, which is maximizing shareholder wealth. They'll say, “Okay, you want to take your business to the next level? Sign here. We get 70% equity in your business up to 90% over time, and we can fire you if we want to, and we'll help get your business to the next level.” When you're a dentist and you're passionate about helping others and you're passionate about your practice and your trade, you basically just need a really good business mentor, and most dentists really haven't had it. So what we're doing is giving them 100% equity in their own business, a way to get to the point where they can have 4.5 times the profit of a typical dental practice and only have to work three days a week to do it, and all they need to do is follow our system. And they own 100% of their business. They can sell it when they want to, and when they sell it, they'll sell it for a higher multiple because guess what? In franchising, when you sell your business when you're ready to retire, it's worth more because it's a franchise system and it's proven. There's less risk involved. ROB: Right, it's not (Your Name) Dentistry. It is part of an umbrella. There's brand equity there, there's a system. They don't have to figure it all out. One of my college roommates, his dad was in the dental world, and when you mentioned the high fee to buy in – he always told me dentists like to buy expensive things, so I guess the franchise must be one of those things, just priced for the market, I suppose. When we look ahead to what's next for ChoiceLocal, what's next for marketing in the franchising world, Joe, what are you seeing? What are you excited about for the firm, for what is going to be necessary for your clients to continue as the marketing world evolves? What are you seeing? JOE: There's so much exciting growth ahead. One of the things that I love about being an agency that focuses on ROI and provable results is every time there's an economic downturn, it's good for the agency growth and it's good for your customers. What happens is when there's an economic recession, which I believe we're headed into – we have horrible inflation and there's certain policies that have to be implemented to bring it under control, and the result of that is going to be a recession. What happens in those cases is companies tend to pull back in marketing. But if you're driving marketing where for every dollar they spend, you're giving them $18 in new customer revenue, it's stupid not to spend that. You can grow through the downturn. You can take market share. Imagine putting a dollar in the stock market and getting $18 back within a year. It's a brilliant investment. It's a simple investment. So, what's going to end up happening is that's going to accelerate growth within agencies that are ROI-focused as this economic recession hits, and for however long it hits for. That's exciting. But what I'm also excited about in the newer leading-edge things within agencies is the ability for big data backed with artificial intelligence to transform marketing, to transform business, and frankly to transform medicine. I was talking with the COO of ChoiceLocal, who serves a role with Broadview as well, and we're like, who ever thought that two internet marketers would fundamentally change healthcare and dental care in the U.S.? You'd be like, “Explain that.” It's the same thing you do in marketing with big data. If you have a massive amount of data in a HIPAA compliant way, you can anonymize it, data mine it, and find correlations and causations and literally, with that type of patient data pool, you can change medicine. Similarly, you can do the same thing with marketing, where you can data mine, you can find ways to micro-target ideal customers based on who current ideal customers are – and you may not even know what some of those things are – and then you can target them and measure the performance and lift. That's crazy cool stuff. And that's the newer leading-edge stuff that's really exciting, particularly when you're dealing with franchise systems and the volume that's behind that. ROB: Right. You've got volume there, you've got a growing scale in the business. To think about leveraging it for more than just “Hey, we're bigger” – lots of interesting things there. Joe, when people want to find and connect with you and with ChoiceLocal, where should they go to find you? JOE: They can go to choicelocal.com. Everything is there. They can follow ChoiceLocal on pretty much every social media channel that exists @ChoiceLocal. So they can do that. They can follow me personally on Twitter @helpothersjoe or connect with me on LinkedIn. I try to post a lot of content there that's specific to purpose-driven business, which is a huge passion of mine, as well as franchising and marketing as well. So yeah, @helpothersjoe on Twitter is for me personally. ROB: That's excellent. Joe, thank you for coming on the podcast. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Congratulations on what you've built so far and why you're building it. I think everyone listening has enjoyed the depth in the origin of the business and the intentionality as you build it. JOE: Thanks, Rob. Thanks for all you've done and thanks for having me on today. It really is a great pleasure. Really appreciate you. ROB: All right, appreciate you. Take care. Bye. Thank you for listening. The Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast is presented by Converge. Converge helps digital marketing agencies and brands automate their reporting so they can be more profitable, accurate, and responsive. To learn more about how Converge can automate your marketing reporting, email info@convergehq.com, or visit us on the web at convergehq.com.

Dr. Geoff Smart is the Chairman & Founder of ghSMART. Founded in 1995, ghSMART helps Fortune 500 CEOs & boards, billionaire entrepreneurs, and heads of state achieve their goals through hiring, developing, and leading talented teams. They serve clients globally from 12 offices in North America and Europe. For three consecutive years, Forbes named ghSMART the best management consulting firm in its industry segment. ghSMART is the subject of two Harvard Business School Cases, and its credo is “We exist to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world.” ghSMART has published three bestselling books. Who: A Method for Hiring is a New York Times bestseller that is currently ranked #1 on Amazon.com on the topic of hiring talented teams, among a number of other bestsellers such as TopGrading and the Power Score. Geoff has personally advised four sitting U.S. Governors, a U.S. Senator, White House Fellows, world leaders in education, defense, and public health, and the President of the World Bank. In this podcast, he shares: What Peter Drucker really meant by “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Insights from a decades-long study into hiring practicesThe big reasons why the success rate in hiring is only 50% The four practices you can put in place to raise that success rate to 90% __________________________________________________________________________________________"So to me, strategy and culture both come from having better talent, more talented, diverse good-hearted people on your team than the next competitor. That's the work, that's the hard work once you have that "Oh, sure let's go international, let's go digital, let's smoke this set of competitors. Let's do this customer segmentation." You can do strategy when you have the right talent and culture." -Geoff Smart__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Geoff + The topic of today's episode2:13—If you really know me you know that...2:54—What is your definition of strategy?3:59—What did you take away with your experience working with Peter Drucker?6:31—Could you give us a brief overview of the framework from your most successful book, Who?8:54—What are things you shouldn't do when hiring?10:49—What are the four things you should be doing for successful hiring?15:29—The third step of the hiring framework16:37—The last step of the framework17:19—What is something you've changed your mind about?18:14—How can people connect with you and learn more about what you're working on?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://geoffsmart.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffreysmartBooks: https://www.amazon.com/Geoff-Smart/e/B001J8ZIV8%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_shareLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeoffsmart

Brad Smart, founder of Topgrading, Inc., author of six best-selling books on hiring, shares five common-sense solutions to hiring top performers to grow your business and how storytelling plays an important role.   Explore Park's free and premium story building tools including his new book, Brand Bewitchery: How to Wield the Story Cycle System™ to Craft Spellbinding Stories for Your Brand: http://bit.ly/StorytellingTools Like what you hear? Park offers online or in-person workshops, consulting and keynotes. Visit businessofstory.com to get in touch.

Michael Girdley (@Girdley), Bill D'Alessandro (@BillDA), and Mills Snell (@thegeneralmills) are joined by Brad Smart (@DrBradSmart) to talk about the Topgrading hiring process, issues in standard hiring practices, solutions, the importance of job descriptions and how to do them right, and much more.-----* Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.* Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!* Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.-----Show Notes:(0:00) Intro(2:34) Why are hiring processes broken? What are common mistakes?(4:57) What are the solutions? What is the TORC technique?(8:50) How can people apply Topgrading ideas in the current context where employees have the leverage and lack time for extended interviews?(12:40) How do you go beyond the resumes? What is essential in a person's history?(15:24) What are standard practices to upgrade your hirings?(16:41) How can the Topgrading method be used in an acquisition?(19:02) Job descriptions are usually low appealing. How could SMB owners improve them?(22:41) What is the impact on the hiring process of having virtual interviews? (25:56) How do you think about optimizing Topgrading for the younger generations and their needs?-----Past guests on Acquanon include Nick Huber, Brent Beshore, Aaron Rubin, Mike Botkin, Ari Ozick, Mitchell Baldridge, Xavier Helgelsen, Mike Loftus, Steve Divitkos, Dzmitry Miranovich, Morgan Tate and more.-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#83 Can you grow a business in a shrinking market? Featuring baller @WilsonCompanies as a special guest!#82 How Great Operators Win! How PE does it like pros with Mark Brooks#48 Two Landscaping Businesses for Sale - Mike Botkin of Benchmark Group