Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

It’s mailbag day today! Shannon and Dave answer two of your questions this week, the first is about crafting your public persona. No one is better equipped to represent your business than you are, and that means you have to get comfortable putting yourself out there, too. But you don’t have to put everything online — Shannon and Dave talk through how to build that filter and use it. The second question is about pricing your business’s products or services, and that leads to an interesting discussion about the upcoming Small Business Show book! Also… theme music! Stuff mentioned: Annual Corporate Minutes Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and how to take advantage of it) The post Small Business and your personal privacy, how to set prices and more – SBS 53 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Today’s small business show takes us through some of the bigger-picture stuff you can do to grow your small business. What would it take to grow your business to be ten times its size? What would you change if you were running your business like you intended to sell it? If you had to write an executive summary about your business, what would you say? We also spend some time talking about your board of advisors and why the Beer Test matters. Listen as Shannon and Dave discuss these questions and put some perspective on how you can make things work even better for you in this new year. The post Grow Your Small Business, Executive Summaries and the Beer Test! – SBS 52 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave talk about the impact that small business owners feel when competing for employees with new, well-funded startups (aka those that can hire people their cash flow doesn’t afford!). Shannon found a great article about how on-demand businesses have created a new era of entrepreneurship — and how attractive that is to employees that want to break out of the 9-to-5 workweek. Listen to what your two favorite business geeks have to say! The post How Small Business Competes for Employees with Well Funded Startups – SBS 51 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Rob Gautereaux started JustLuxe.com in 2004 as a site with product articles and classified ads. Within 2 years he realized there was better value to the JustLuxe readers – and JustLuxe themselves – if they were a true publication business. Since then JustLuxe has grown significantly by creating their own great content and partnering with The RGM Group to help them monetize. Rob talks about many things including identifying the right opportunities and, more importantly, walking through the door when you find them. Rob also is involved in his family business, G4 Design House, which has built 350 web sites in the last 2 years for small businesses, spreading his clients’ payments out over months or years to ease the burden on small businesses. He’s a busy guy, and has quite a few lessons to share. We’re happy he took the time to share them with us! The post Luxury Small Business Success Story: Justluxe.com – SBS 50 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave dig in today, talking about naming your business (and theirs!) as well as reward credit cards. How do you go about picking a good name for a business and what message does it send to your customers? Your favorite business geeks are also rewards credit card geeks that love earning points and perks by using their credits cards for their businesses. They dissect an article Dave found and share their favorite tips and tricks for using their favorite rewards cards. Stuff Mentioned: The Best Credit Cards for 2016 from Bottom Line Personal Moments.com The post Naming Your Business and Credit Card Rewards – Small Business Show 49 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Cash is king. You hear it all the time, but have you ever sat down and thought about what it means for your small business? Your two favorite business geeks have and they share their thoughts about how to manage – and even get – cash the right way. Profits are great, but cash is king. Listen now to hear why! The post The Small Business Cash Flow Show – SBS 48 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

While cash might be king, your employees are queen… and this is one of those cases where the queen needs to win. Shannon and Dave talk about what it takes to not only motivate your employees, but also to keep your team happy. Starting with a discussion about salespeople, the value of quotas is challenged… and other ideas are thrown into the mix, as well. Listen as your two favorite business geeks wrap up their year for you this way. The post Motivating and Pleasing Your Employees – SBS 47 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Bruce Linde is the quintessential service provider, always looking to do whatever he can to support his clients. In fact, he even considers the websites he builds for his clients to serve them after he’s finished; the goal being to have the site “turn interest into a client.” Bruce wryly shares the many stories and lessons he’s learned, including telling us why he believes “mistakes are my education.” Listen today to hear it all The post Small Business Tips from 5 Happiness Webmaster – SBS 46 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

This week on the Small Business Show, we continue the discussion about small business marketing with Shannon and Dave talking about the value of marketing via social media as well as offline marketing. Strategies for authenticity are the core, including specific discussions about Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, offline marketing and more! The post Small Business Marketing Stories – Part 2 – Small Business Show 45 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave share their own thoughts about marketing as it relates to their businesses. In Part 1 of the Small Business Marketing show, advertising is a focus with discussions about pay per click, display ads, podcasts and reviews. What marketing methods have worked for you? Share your story with us in the comments below or [email protected] The post Small Business Marketing – Our Stories. Part 1 – SBS 44 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Ever had a million-dollar idea? Shannon and Dave discuss what that actually means and the realities behind bringing an idea to fruition. Kickstarter is a big part of that discussion, from both good and bad angles. But first, your two business geeks share a little tax talk about what you should be doing now to be sure you’re ready for the New Year’s ball to drop! The post Kickstarter, the Value of Ideas and Taxes – Small Business Show Episode 43 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

With just a few weeks left before the calendar ticks over to 2016, it’s time to start thinking about a few things: what to do for your employees? What do do for your customers? What to do for yourself? Taxes, health insurance, gifts, bonuses and more are the seeds for today’s topics. Listen to your two favorite business geeks discuss these things and get your questions in before time runs out: [email protected] is the best way to reach Shannon and Dave. We’d be happy to hear from you! The post Small Business end of year tasks and opportunities – SBS 42 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave dig into the mailbag today to answer a trio of questions from folks dealing with departing employees. Various reasons and scenarios led to the departures, and those each play a huge part in the advice and thoughts shared by your two favorite business geeks. On top of that, Dave spends a little time at the beginning of the show discussing the value of time pressure: sometimes you’re more productive when you have less time to complete your work. Send your thoughts in anytime to [email protected]. The post Losing Employees, Confidential Information and Moral – SBS 41 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Mick Guinn started Mick’s Macs ten years ago and has learned a lot about being a small business owner during that time. He has always made sure to keep a focus on what his employees actually need, being careful not to project his own desires onto others. He also shares some advice on how to foster a healthy business relationship with your team while still allowing an appropriate and healthy personal distance. A favorite quote, “It was such an interesting disaster to learn from!” But don’t worry, all’s well with Mick’s Macs. Listen today to hear the context of that and more, including what other business Mick describes as a “spiky, but low-hanging fruit!” The post A decade of small business experiences with Mick’s Macs – SBS 40 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

David Sparks, long time attorney and long-time geek left the practice he had been with for decades to branch out on his own. Using his geek skills to build the foundation for his nascent practice’s infrastructure, David is able to better service his clients and carve out that valuable time to spend with family and on other projects. “I knew I wanted to go out on my own, but I was terrified of admitting to myself that I wanted to do it.” Listen to David talk small business legal startup tactics with Dave and Shannon on today’s Small Business Show Visit David at MacSparky.com (for the geek stuff) and SparksEsq.com (for the law stuff). The post Small Business Legal – David Sparks advises and starts businesses appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Juan Collao from My Auto Home discusses home automation as a business. His company helps customers dissect and decipher the best way to automate their specific homes, right down to which light switch to use. Juan’s business is new and he’s already a very astute businessperson. Some great insights in this episode – well worth a listen for business owners at every stage! Highlighted quotes (listen for even more!): When considering giving up your employee status, “What you have here is someone putting money in your bank account every two weeks whether you try 100% or not.” “Maintain a sense of urgency,” even when just starting a business. In addition to Juan’s blog, check out the home automation articles that he’s written for The Mac Observer, too. The post Home Automation as a Business with My Auto Home appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave talk through the benefits of having someone unrelated to your business act as a sounding board. Almost like creating your own, mini Board of Directors, it’s valuable to have a trusted confidant or two who can give you honest advice, even if it’s from outside your business, looking in. Then it’s on to social media. Dave and Shannon discuss the merits of being yourself, what not to post and the value of paid Facebook promotions. The post Outside Advice for your Small Business and Social Media Tips appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Marilyn Weinstein, founder and CEO of Vivo, says “When you’re the owner, you don’t have the confidence that somebody else’s money gives you.” One trick is building a small business management team so that you’re the “other person” with the money, and delegating those decisions to someone else. Having a partner can mitigate that from day one, so long as you start your partnership correctly. Listen to Marilyn’s lessons and anecdotes on all of this … and more! The post Small Business Management Tips from Marilyn Weinstein, Vivo CEO appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Brian Friss joins us today on the Small Business Show. Brian co-founded DIGISTOR back in 2001 and one of the first things he did was to throw away the business plan he had. Instead he followed and guided his business through an evolution reflective of his marketplace, even changing his core products as necessary throughout time. Still, a chunk of business relies on optical storage, a product that has been “obsolete for seven years.” He is proof that serving a niche can be very profitable, but you need to pay attention to where you need to go next. The biggest lesson: avoid fear-based decisions. Easier said than done! The post Business advice from Brian Friss of Digistor on the Small Business Show appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Kyle Baccus, founder of KC Tool, America’s number one German tool distributor joins Shannon and Dave on the podcast today to talk about how he started his business. He talks through a number of things he’s learned, including how it pays off to be thoughtful before you start, considering how being in a small niche and having the best products can lead you down the path of becoming number one. Stuff mentioned: Rich Dad Poor Dad The post KC Tool Business Interview – Finding your niche and being number one. appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

A good chunk of Shannon’s business revolves around selling in various marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. As such, he’s learned a few tricks over the years that can help anyone selling in these marketplaces, large and small. Learn why it might be good to diversify your public brand in each marketplace; learn why it’s good to get started right away (even before you’re ready); and learn to think like an algorithm, because algorithms control your destiny! The post Marketplaces Require More Management Than Your Own Store appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt.com joins Shannon and Dave today to talk about how solving his own problem of repricing the items he was selling on Amazon led to quitting his day job and solving the same problem for others. Doug talks a lot about maintaining the work/life balance and ensuring he always reaps the benefits of flexibility associated with being an entrepreneur. Dave and Shannon learned some valuable lessons from Doug, and you will, too! The post Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt Talks Business … and Life appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave intentionally run with no agenda today and the result is them discussing the intangible benefits of running a small business. Some of the best benefits don’t appear on your profit and loss statement, at least not in an obvious way. Opportunities like travel, attending special events, writing off the purchase of your next iPhone and more are some of your hosts favorites, many of which are actually quite tangible! Listen today to learn about these and more. The post “My Life Is Tax Deductible” & Other Intangible Benefits of Running a Small Business appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

What small business shopping cart is right for you? What type of business insurance do you need? Learn this and more on the Small Business Show today. Plus Shannon Jean & Dave Hamilton, your two small business advisors & hosts, talk about their most productive times of the day. Stuff mentioned: Squarespace Weebly Tim Cox from ZingPR X-Cart OpenCart Minimum Viable Product Sunk Costs Inland Marine Insurance SBA – Insurance The post Shopping Carts & Insurance appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Tim Cox from ZingPR joins Shannon and Dave today to talk about what it’s like to tell other people’s stories while still making sure to tell his own. That, plus what it’s like taking over a business from one’s spouse! All of this and more in today’s Small Business Show! The post Tim Cox from ZingPR – Helping Everyone Find Their Voice appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Every business will encounter “disaster” scenarios. The real question is about how you, the business owner, handles them? Shannon and Dave have been through them and talk through some of their favorites, using war stories as a basis for sharing the lessons they’ve learned. Communication is the key to solving problems… and about learning to solve them! The post Disaster Strikes! What Do You Do? appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Listener Stephan asks which accounting package is right. Shannon and Dave talk about why double-entry accounting isn’t scary (and explain what it is!), and discuss Account Edge, QuickBooks, Freshbooks and more for you. The post Choosing The Right Accounting Software appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Formal agreements are helpful in that they allow you to document your ideas, goals and parameters at a moment in time. What gets interesting is when one of the parties either interprets it differently from the others or wants to change it entirely. This can be a good time for everyone involved to reflect upon the agreement and redraw it… or it can be a way to lose focus on what you’re actually doing together. Listen to Shannon help Dave through a real-world example of this in today’s show. The post Contracts are a Fickle, Necessary Beast appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave let loose on their favorite pricing secrets, and then let loose on customers who don’t want to follow them (except they really do!). You might agree or disagree with what your two favorite business geeks have to say, but you’ll definitely want to listen! The post Pricing: When The Customer Is Rarely Right – Small Business Show 25 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Business banker Paul Knowlton joins Shannon and Dave today to talk business banking, including how relationship transparency is important… as well as the Beer Test. Learn why it’s important to create a paper trail for your business early on, and learn how to be realistic when heading in to talk to your banker! The post Business Banking with Paul Knowlton – Small Business Show 24 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Delegation is probably the most important thing you need to do in order to grow your business. Problem is, it doesn’t come naturally to most anyone who has what it takes to start a business. With that in mind, Shannon and Dave talk through their experiences (successes … and failures!) with delegation, and Shannon explains just how important it is to create an org chart. The post The Delegation Episode – Small Business Show 23 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Mike DeGoey originally bought Mendocino Glove through business broker, BizBen.com. Since then, though, he’s really made the business his own, and now is going through a rebranding process to call it Workman Glove and Safety, better reflecting what his business does now. We learned some great things from Mike, including that we all need to learn what our business is: Solve people’s problems, don’t just sell them something. That, plus Mike’s awesome return policy, is why he’s a success! The post Embracing Change and Balancing Risk with Mike DeGoey – DBA Small Business Show 22 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Digging into the mailbag this week, Shannon and Dave answer YOUR questions. How best do you handle cold-calling? Is that a necessary part of growing one’s business? And then it’s on to what to look out for when heading into a joint venture. Do you need an attorney and what other steps should you take? Shannon and Dave share their stories and answer these questions and more! The post Listener Questions: Making Cold Calls & Joint Ventures – DBA Small Business Show 21 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Jon Barretto at FullyLaced.com joins Shannon and Dave today to tell all his stories and share his secrets to success. Learn just how far the skill of building relationships can take you… and learn when to stash your cash! You can learn more about Jon and follow FullyLaced on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, too. The post Jon Barretto from Fully Laced, Building Relationships & Stashing Your Cash – DBA Small Business Show 20 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Three very difficult — and unnatural — tasks for any small business owner involve the hiring, firing and wage-setting for employees. Shannon and Dave talk through their experiences they’ve encountered going through all of this. Hear about the pitfalls and, yes, even some success stories they’ve had, too. Even more important, though, are YOUR stories. Send ’em in to [email protected] and we’ll share! The post Hiring, Firing and Salaries – DBA Small Business Show 19 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

RJ Waldron from Northwind Outfitters joins Shannon and Dave tonight to talk about his fishing and hunting guide business. As always, the conversation turns to the little things that matter, and RJ delivers with some great stories about customer service trumping all. Well, that and Quicken. Listen for details and enjoy! If you have questions or tips, send ’em in to [email protected]. The post Running Out of Gas is The Best Way to Start a Business – DBA Small Business Show 18 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Today Shannon and Dave dig into the mailbag and answer a listener’s email about getting started. What’s the quickest way to accept money from clients in the name of your new company? How should one go about getting incorporated? What structures are there? Consider this a survey course in all of that… and more! The post Starting a Business Quickly – DBA Small Business Show 17 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Having a partner can be key to the success of you and your business. Someone to keep you accountable and someone else to do the work that you can’t makes great sense. But there’s a flipside, too, and not all of it is pretty. Hear from two serial partners about what has worked for them… and what hasn’t! The post Business Partnerships: The Good, The Bad and More! DBA Small Business Show 16 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

In perhaps their most revealing episode thus far, Shannon and Dave tell their stories about fear; how it’s motivated them, paralyzed them and eventually gotten them further along the path of life. Your two hosts learned something from each other in this show, and you get to hear all about it. Plus if you have your own stories about fear, you can share them with Shannon and Dave at [email protected]. The post The Business Fear Confessional – DBA Small Business Show 15 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave are joined today by John Gautereaux, email list expert extraordinaire, to talk promoting your business the right way (and making sure you don’t do it the wrong way!). Listen to these three chat about all things lists and beyond… plus a quick sneak peek at next week’s topic! The post Managing Business Email Lists and More with John Gautereaux – DBA Small Business Show 14 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Episode lucky number 13 starts out with Shannon and Dave talking about how easy it is to let the fear of the known paralyze you and your business, and what to do about it. Dave shares an anecdote about Comscore (spoiler, he hates it) and why it was valuable to spend the money regardless. Then it’s on to what it takes to increase your own value and that of your employees: professional development and networking. Great stories and advice about learning more … and dealing with the worst case scenario. The post Managing Fear & Professional Development – DBA Small Business Show 13 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave come together today to talk about setting goals, the importance of it as well as how hard they find it to do some of the time! The episode itself is a meta example of why it’s sometimes important to abandon one’s goals and go with the flow. But goals are important, and your two favorite small business owners talk through all of this and more. We’d like to help make it your goal to send at least one piece of email to [email protected] about your goals (and thoughts on the show). Deal? The post Setting Business and Personal Goals – DBA Small Business Show 12 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Long-time Apple-industry veteran, Abbi Vakil, joins Shannon and Dave today to talk small business. Abbi shares some great stories with some fantastic lessons he’s learned from decades of running some very successful businesses. Learn why the good stuff is accidental, the importance of doing math in your head, and even moreso the importance of saying, “no” (even with it’s Steve Jobs to whom you have to say it!). If you have questions of your own for Abbi, Shannon or Dave, send ’em in to [email protected]. The post Special Guest Abbi Vakil Talks Business- DBA Small Business Show 11 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave celebrate April 15th by sharing their favorite tax anecdotes (yes, they have favorites!) as well as some of the lessons they’ve learned over the years. You don’t need to check with your accountant before you listen, but you almost certainly will want to do so after. The post Tax Time For Business and Pleasure – DBA Small Business Show 10 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Today Dave and Shannon talk through the benefits and techniques of telling your story all the time. Customers (existing and future) want to know who you are, what you do and what makes both you and your business interesting. Don’t be afraid to share, and always share with comfortable confidence. The post Self-Promotion Is Your Friend – DBA Small Business Show 9 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave hit the ground running and don’t stop. They both tell some great stories with some even better anecdotes. Listen to hear how you can learn the true purpose of your business from your customers that will help you find your niche. We also talk about how important it is to walk away from a sunk cost. Send in feedback to [email protected] — We’d love to hear from you! The post Find Your Business Niche – The Small Business Show appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Internships can be a great thing for your business on many levels, and are great for your interns, too. Shannon’s not only a user of internships at his business, but is a product of an internship himself. Listen to him and Dave talk through the benefits and how to get set up on your own. The post Navigating Internships for your business – DBA Small Business Show 7 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave start today with a quick lesson for credit card-taking merchants on dealing with — and avoiding — fraud. Then it’s on to detachment, this time in a good way: what it takes to detach from the process and let your employees own the path to their results. Send us an email to [email protected] if you’ve got anything to say or have ideas for future topics! Stuff mentioned: PayPal Merchant Services Authorize.net (Great merchant provider for small/medium business if Paypal won’t work for your business) FraudLabs Pro Fedex COD FraudLabs Pro The post Fraud and Detachment – DBA Small Business Show 6 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Today Dave and Shannon talk through the benefits of using credit cards, both as a consumer and a merchant. GREAT stuff to digest and comment upon here. Stuff mentioned: SPG AmEx Card Flyertalk Credit Cards AmEx Plum Card AmEx’s 4 card limit Discount Rate Paypal Merchant Account The post Credit Cards from Both Sides of the Counter – DBA Small Business Show 5 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave dive deep today, first talking about their logo and then chatting through a few life experiences about making sure you notice when your business is changing. Good stuff here, folks! Stuff mentioned: Fiverr 99 Designs Elance MLB Advanced Media (streaming spinoff) Asana came from Facebook The post Fiverr, Pivots, and Sacred Cows – DBA Small Business Show 4 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.