Shows
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipBlack. Mom. Entrepreneur.What’s In This Episode: It's a wild time in our lives. Jill decides to find out what it's like for Eraina Ferguson and Dr. Charity Hughes who have unique experiences as Black mom entrepreneurs trying to continue running their businesses and manage their kids' emotional roller coaster rides all while attempting to take care of themselves. Get Jill's tip top tool of the week, very honest revelations about allll the feelings rn (anger? exhaustion? hope?) and and ways that you can cope with the apocalypse that has hit us all. Jill Salzman is...2020-06-1623 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipThe Paul Rudd StoryWhat’s In This Episode: Jill Salzman lets you in on a little secret. (Spoiler alert: it's the best way to grow your business, mom entrepreneurs.) She shares a surprising story never heard anywhere else about famed actor Paul Rudd that highlights why she's shouting. Get her tip top tool of the week, her foray into TV show stardom, and the ridiculous experiment that can help you grow your business. Jill Salzman is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, the #1 platform for mom entrepreneurs to build better businesses. She’s the au...2020-06-0915 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipUntil we meet again...What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business, episode 365. You can find the show notes of this episode of breakingdownyourbusiness.com/365. Jill: It's us again. Oh my gosh, 365 episodes. Brad: It's like a whole year. People don't spend a whole year with us. Jill: Look at you, good at math. Brad: I did that in my head. Jill: Yeah. Brad: Not even a calculator. Jill: Unbelievable. Thank you to everybody who has stayed with us for fricking 365 episodes.2020-06-0206 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat does it mean to re-open my business?What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business episode 364. [crosstalk 00:00:10]. Jill: Hello. It's still up. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode of breaking down your business.com/ Jill: I don't know, but you just said episood. I don't know. Brad: 364. Jill: It's like you still can't pronounce. We're 364 episodes then he's going to learn to speak English one day. Brad: I don't know why you think that. Jill: I don't know cause it helps with ru...2020-05-2622 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipI'm not shouting this is how we all talk now.What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 363. You can find the show notes for this episode on breakingdownyourbusiness.com/363. Brad: Hey there, Jill. Jill, you're on mute. The button on the lower left, the one that looks like a mike- Jill: Hello. Brad: There you go. There you go. Jill: Hello. Brad: There you go. Jill: Can you hear me? Brad: I can hear you now. Yeah. Jill: Oh my gosh. What is going on wi...2020-05-1920 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow are we staying sane?What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 362. [crosstalk 00:00:03] You can find [inaudible 00:00:04] of this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/362. Jill: That was me imitating you, but it didn't work. Brad: Hi Jill. Jill: Hi Brad. Brad: I'm Brad from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I am Jill from the Founding Moms and we still managed to talk over each other even [crosstalk 00:00:26] in the same studio. Brad: I am losing my cotton picking mind. Jill: Well, congratulations. It was gone a...2020-05-1216 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipMaking a plan for 2020 (Again)What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down your Business episode 361. Jill: We're still here. Welcome back. Brad: You can check the show notes of this episode on breakingdownyourbusiness.com/361. Jill: 361, that's a lot of episodes. Brad: I am Brad Farris from Anchor Advisors. Jill: You are not. I'm Jill Salzman from The Founding Moms. See how I just cut you off right there? Did you like that? Brad: Yeah. Yeah. It's good. Jill: I'm ready for a fight today. Let's do...2020-05-0524 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipTop 5 numbers to trackWhat’s In This Episode: Brad: If you're sick and tired, and every time you think about your business it makes you go aah, that is a poor indicator of your business health. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 357. Jill: No, no, no, no. No, no. No. Brad: You can find the show notes to this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/357, beep, boop, bop, beep. Jill: What's happened to you? Don't make me shout it. Nobody's going to know who we are. Oh, gross. Brad: Jill. It...2020-04-2814 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow can we sell right now?What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode [inaudible 00:00:04] and we're back. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/359. Jill: Yes. Brad: I am Brad Farris from Anchor Advisors. Jill: You're so shouty today. I'm Jill from the Founding Moms. Brad: I'm always shouty, Jill. Jill: Are you though? Brad: I am. Jill: I didn't know if it'd be different. I didn't know if it'd be different. Brad: Today we're going to...2020-04-2122 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipFlying blind? At least you have your dashboard! | w/ Nathan HirschWhat’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business! Jill: There he is! Brad: Episode 358. Jill: So exciting! Brad: You can find the show notes of this episode of BreakingDownYourBusiness.com/358. Jill: All the numbers correct in the numbers episode. Brad: Yes! We're talking about numbers for the month of April.2020-04-1423 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWelcome to the new normal?What’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to episode 357 of Breaking Down Your Business. Jill: Hello everybody. Brad: There's Jill. Jill: Hey. I- Brad: I'm Brad. Jill: ... Already miss you, Brad. I'm Jill and you're Brad. Brad: It's true. Jill: And it's really, really difficult to do this right now. Do you want to tell the people why? Brad: Well, so the last couple of episodes were recorded before the coronavirus overtook the United States. And so they were recorded in th...2020-04-0725 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to find your service-market fitWhat’s In This Episode: Brad: I think a lot of people spend time with that sort of good fit. And they just think that's what business is, it's hard, you have to go out and scratch and claw and dig things up. And they're trying lots of things but nothing's really sticking. Jill: Yep, yep. Brad: And so I just don't want people to live in that territory for a long time. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 356. You can find some of the show notes for this ep...2020-03-3112 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipPartnerships for Lead GenWhat’s In This Episode: Jill: In my industry there are a lot of assumptions and stereotypes like moms love to drink wine. I'll tell you right now, this mom does not. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 354, no, 355. It's 355. Jill: You can't read numbers now. Brad: No, I just can't remember numbers. Jill: This is fun. This is a good start Brad. Brad: If you want the show notes for this episode, go to breakingdownyourbusiness.com/355. Jill: I can't believe he's checking hi...2020-03-2414 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipNetworking in an online worldWhat’s In This Episode: Jill: When you talk about online networking, it sounds like we're relieving you of actual traditional face-to-face networking, which I think there's almost nothing more important. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 354. Jill: You are welcome. Brad: Welcome. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/354. Jill: Well you're welcome. Welcome, Brad. Brad: Top of the morning to you, Jill. Jill: Oh dear God, this is Brad from Anchor Advisors. Brad: Okay, we...2020-03-1712 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipPaid Traffic vs. "Free" | w/ Alyssa WestringWhat’s In This Episode: Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 352. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/352. Jill: I haven't complained about the volume in a long time. Brad: But when you do complain and then I do it softly, you complain about that too. Jill: Yes. Brad: So there's just no way to make you happy. Jill: That's correct.2020-03-1022 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipKeeping your "hook" in the waterWhat’s In This Episode: Brad: I'm a big fan of podcasting. Jill: Same. Brad: I think podcasting is a great way to demonstrate expertise. Jill: Agreed. Brad: However, it is a long tail process. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 352. You can find the show notes for this episode of breakingdownyourbusiness.com/352. Jill: So glad [inaudible 00:00:28]. Brad: That exciting, thrilling energy field voice, that's Jill from the Founding Moms doing her Ethel impression. Jill: I don't know why I wanted to lo...2020-03-0315 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipDon't chicken out! Be Bold!What’s In This Episode: Jill: If you want to play to my heartstrings, like every good story, like every good book or movie, I need you to move me emotionally. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 351. You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/351. Jill: 351. Brad: When you go there, you might notice that we have a fresh coat of paint. Jill: We do. New website, re-hauled, overhauled- Brad: Nobody cares. Nobody cares. Jill: ... over-site, over-web, website overhaul. We...2020-02-2517 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipYour customer is on a journey -- how can you join them? w/ Priscilla McKinneyWhat’s In This Episode: Brad: I think a lot of people know things. There's a difference between knowing something and being able to articulate it in a way that someone else will understand. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business Episode 350. You can find the show notes and stuff at BreakingDownYourBusiness.com/350. Jill: I'm so proud of you. You pronounced everything correctly. Well, then you just hit your hand on the computer. Brad: I am my solved wacked today. Jill: Hey, everybody! Brad: So I am Br...2020-02-1829 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipThe importance of being specific.Brad Farris: When you're aiming at the center of the target, how often do you hit the center of the target? Jill Salzman: Every single time. Brad Farris: You do? That's amazing. Jill Salzman: Sure, yeah. Brad Farris: I think you lie. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 349. Jill Salzman: Good [inaudible 00:00:14]. Brad Farris: You can find the show notes from this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/349 Jill Salzman: You'd think I've done this before. Brad Farris: ... slash three, four, nine. ...2020-02-1112 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipSo what? Who cares? No one cares about your business.Brad: Especially for those of you that are struggling to get leads, that there's not enough people who are calling you up looking for your business or filling out the form on your website or whatever it is. If you can get this right, you can get people to call you up. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business, episode 348 [crosstalk 00:00:18] Jill: Welcome, welcome, welcome. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode on breakingdownyourbusiness.com/348. Jill: 348. Brad: 348. Jill: 348. Brad: 348. Jill: 348.2020-02-0420 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to get the most from your mastermind groupJill: Some people do show up to Mastermind wanting to show off how far they've come, how much money they've made, and feel better by putting everyone else down. Brad: Yep. Brad: Welcome to breaking down your business, episode 347. Jill: Welcome, back. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode, which is a transcript now, at breaking down your business.com/347. Jill: [inaudible 00:00:21] seven. Brad: [inaudible 00:00:24] Brad: I have no idea. Jill: Somebody figure it out and let us know... 2020-01-2815 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhats a mastermind and how does it work?Brad: There are definitely days when I lose a deal and I'm like, I'm never going to work again. No one's ever going to hire me. I just don't need someone to say, "Fred, you had three bad deals in a row." Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 346. Jill: It really does scare me every time. Every time. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode at BreakingDownYourBusiness.com/346. Jill: 346. That's a lot of episodes. Brad: I'm Brad from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I'm...2020-01-2121 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to keep focus on your goals all year longBrad: Welcome to breaking down your business, episode 345! Can you find the show notes? It's up to breakingdownyourbusiness.com/345. What are you scared of, Jill? Jill: I'm scared to tell you how excited I am because I bumped into a celebrity this week. Brad: Who? What? Jill: I locked eyes with him and yeah, I think we got married in like one glance. Brad: You got married?2020-01-1418 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipThe "Internet MBA Challenge"Jill: I like to put myself in my customer and client's shoes- Brad: Exactly. Jill: ...in the way of, "What would I be interested in reading? Oh wait, something really short." Brad: Right. Brad: Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business episode 344. Jill: Brad, we're talking to you. Brad: It's a new year. Jill: Is this a new year, new you? Brad: It's a new me, yes. Jill: [crosstalk 00:00:19] Already. Brad: You can find something if you go to breakingdownyourbusiness...2020-01-0723 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipMaking bigger promises, so you can charge more, and close more deals.Brad: If you're not scared, like if you're not making a promise that makes you go "Jeez! Can I say that?" You're probably not making a big enough promise. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business Episode 343. Jill: Yes it is. Brad: [crosstalk 00:00:15]. Brad: I'm [Brad 00:00:18] from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I'm [Jill 00:00:21] from the Founding Moms. Brad: How's the eggnog going? Jill: It's delightful and delicious. Brad: Do you want some? Do you have some left over for tonight? Jill: We'll see. We'll see...2019-12-3114 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipShould I charge by the hour, or by the project?Brad: One of the things that I think is a difference between charging by the hour and charging by the project is that, when we charge by the project, we're charging for a result. Brad: (singing) Brad: Welcome to Episode 342 of Breaking Down Your Business. Jill: Woo. Brad: You can find the show notes for this episode at breakingdownyourbusiness.com/342. Jill: We're going on tour, I think. The voice is hurting me a lot right now. This is Bruce, another Bruce, and we're happy to be here. ...2019-12-2416 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow do I go about raising prices for my services?Hi, we are trying something new this week. We are including whole transcription in the show notes. This time we used machine transcription and it got a little messy. Next time we will do better. Enjoy! Brad: 00:26 I'm Brad from anchor advisors. Jill from the founding moms. And today we're talking about how do you go about raising prices for your services. We've been talking about raising prices in general. Yeah. And today we're going to get into the nitty gritty. That doesn't sound fun, but before we do that, Joe. Okay. All right. Let's...2019-12-1722 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to know you're priced too highWhat’s In This Episode: We told you to always raise your prices last week... but how high is TOO high? "Which is the bigger risk? That your prices are too high or that they're too low?" - Brad What someone says about your pricing has nothing to do with whether your prices are too high or too low. And if no one's complaining - you're priced too low. Pricing is based on two things: how much value you can establish in the customer's mind. Some people will say no. That's okay. Why...2019-12-1014 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy you need to ALWAYS be raising pricesReady to raise your prices in 2020? Jill and Brad will tell you how. "Higher-paying clients value what you do more." - Brad Brad is a firm believer in raising your prices, and he thinks you should be charging a little more as often as you can. The increase doesn't have to be anything crazy, but each time you price yourself, you know a little more than you used to. Raising your prices allows you to give your team raises or hire extra help in the coming year if you need it. "You should...2019-12-0315 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhen systems go wrong...What’s In This Episode: Systems are great, we said. You'll love them, we said. ... except when they go wrong. "It's almost always user error." - Brad Sometimes systems can go wrong - especially where automation is concerned, says Jill. Brad has a system with an automation that's connected to a Google form and somehow, he accidentally sent the same email to the same person a couple of times. Sometimes the software changes, but you don't know. The point is - there are a million things that could go wrong. "Be mo...2019-11-2612 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat does it mean to have "systems" in your business?What’s In This Episode: What are "systems" anyway? To Jill, it means organizing what you need to do in a process that's easily replicable. And, Brad adds, they should happen without you touching them. "The very best systems are actually automation." - Brad Jill has systems has for onboarding leaders for her Founding Exchanges while Brad has one for his invoicing - there's even a system for how these podcasts get published. Systems are useful because they get things off of your plate, and they get done in a way that the qu...2019-11-1915 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWho does what in your businessWhat’s In This Episode: Business owners wear too many hats. Systems turn the insanity into sanity. They help you (theoretically) to make sure everything gets done on time. "From a business owner's standpoint, what is your job?" - Brad As a business owner, what is it that you do? Business owners have to: sell. No one is going to sell as effectively as the business owner does. recruit and train. You need to be responsible for who's in the business. own the brand. What does the brand mean and is it co...2019-11-1222 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy do you do accounting?What’s In This Episode: How do you handle the operations in your business? HR, IT, accounting... all of the foundational things. Isn't accounting the most fun part? "Accounting helps you answer questions that you might have about your business." - Brad Even if you hate accounting, it provides value to you in your business. Some business owners hire accountants, and some do it themselves. But if you're not understanding cash flow or other accounting principles like an income statement, you might constantly worry where the money might be coming from or wonder whe...2019-11-0512 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipInfluencer OutreachWhat’s In This Episode: Would you ever use an influencer for PR purposes? "Who influences you as a business owner? Who influences your crowd?" - Jill Whether you like Kim Kardashian or not, when she launches something, people buy it. But even if Kim isn't your favorite example, there are other celeb influencers out there who use their platforms to spread a positive message. And the truth is, there are influencers in every industry. In Jill's crowd, for example, Brene Brown is a huge influencer. In Brad's industry, David C. Bake...2019-10-2918 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat to do once you get a press placementWhat’s In This Episode: You've gotten results from your press outreach! Now what? "Showing people that some media outlet covered you gives them perceived validation." - Jill Most people will do a happy dance (sometimes for two hours) and then post on their socials allll about it. But, Jill says, you could be doing so much more. Any time you get a press hit, you should be promoting it anywhere and everywhere - and there are creative ways to get around the promotion being entirely self-serving. Getting press is a li...2019-10-2213 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhere to target your PR w/ Jamie Van CuykHow and where can you target your PR? "People who need what you serve are already looking at [software companies]." - Brad Jamie Van Cuyk is a business consultant who focuses on helping employees and teams find the right people for positions. But she's having trouble with strategic visibility. Most of her referrals are word of mouth, but now she wants to use the online space to help people find her. Currently, she's trying a little bit of everything, but Jill thinks that's her first mistake. How can she reframe her marketing so that she's...2019-10-1522 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy would press want to cover MY businessWhat’s In This Episode: "Why would press want to cover MY business?" is a question every small business owner asks themselves. "You're asking the wrong question." - Jill Going after press is a time-intensive endeavor, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Essentially, you get listeners or viewers or new customers for FREE, says Jill. All you have to do is find your angle - your business is worth it to someone. "Did Jill just insult me? I think she did." - Brad Figure out why your bu...2019-10-0815 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipGot press? w/ Melissa RondaWhat’s In This Episode: Jill and Brad delve into PR! "We all put out into the world what we actually need." - Brad Melissa Ronda, weight loss nutritionist, calls in to discuss how she's struggling with her price points because she's pricing according to a group structure that she may or may not achieve - and she's experiencing resentment and stress. They talk about co-dependent behaviors and asking for what you need - and of course, tell Melissa to raise her prices and to get feedback from her clients. "For ev...2019-10-0128 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipConfidence to closeWhat’s In This Episode: At the end of your sales meeting, how do you have the confidence to close? "I never leave a meeting without a next step." - Brad Brad had a period early in his business where he went 27 meetings without closing. He spoke with a business coach who told him to go to four more meetings and figure out what went well, what went poorly, and what he needed to do differently. It was only at appointment four of four where he actually asked for what he wanted - an...2019-09-2414 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipSlow sales vs. fast sales w/ Alastair McDermottWhat’s In This Episode: Are you a Type 1 or Type 2 thinker? The difference may be playing out in how you sell, too. "There's a lot of turnover in those first few years when you go out on your own." - Brad Alastair McDermott helps consultants of all kinds by generating leads and building their websites. But he's considering simplifying his business, which might alienate a good chunk of his audience that describes themselves as DIY'ers. What should he do? Jill thinks he may benefit from carving out more of a ni...2019-09-1724 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipNo one wants to be sold, but we all love to buyWhat’s In This Episode: Last week, Jill and Brad discussed what a salesperson does. Today, they're talking about the sales process. Is it driven by the customer? "As a salesperson, you need to lead the conversation." - Brad Do you wonder why people would want to buy from you anyway? If you ask some of the right questions, you may gather insight. Either they don't know of you at all, or they know a lot - they follow you on social, they spend time looking through your website - and overall, it's good...2019-09-1017 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipNothing happens until someone sells something w/ Catherine VonVannoWhat’s In This Episode: Are salespeople the best or the worst? "If you really want to grow your business, don't keep it a secret." - Brad Catherine VonVanno of 20Four7VA calls in to discuss leads. So far, she's had warm leads but she wants to start reaching out to people who might not know of her VA service and go the direct marketing route. Does she try to handle internally, or go with a marketing agency to help? The question of direct marketing and radio ads leads to a di...2019-09-0328 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipAll the “F’s” you need to give your clients w/ Jim TaylorWhat’s In This Episode: We spend a lot of time thinking about the "before" of clients - how to get them, what we'll do once we have them - but what happens for the "after" part? "This experience could help you to see more clearly and to have that empathy with where your clients are." - Brad Jim Taylor of Launchways calls in to discuss how to make sure that sales don't outpace operations too much. And as they head into their busy season, how can they make sure they can still tu...2019-08-2726 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipTop 5 mistakes you're making on your website (without us even looking)What’s In This Episode: Every website has some common problems that need to be addressed for a better customer/user experience. Jill and Brad talk about what those are. "When anyone goes to any website, they don't want to have to figure out what they're doing there." - Jill Questions you need to focus on: What is your CTA? You need one. Where is your contact info? If you have a contact form, make sure it's actually working. How's your messaging? Is it helping potential customers or is it all about yo...2019-08-2019 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat is customer experience anyway? w/ Jeannie WaltersWhat’s In This Episode: Brad's a little confused about what customer experience actually is, so Jill and Brad call CX guru Jeannie Walters to help him out. "Whether you know it or not, you are providing a customer experience." - Jeannie Walters Jeannie explains that customer experience is the journey someone takes before they become a customer all the way to when they either cease to be a customer or become a lifelong advocate. The businesses who do it well are proactive about the experiences they're providing. Done right, it ca...2019-08-1322 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to make your business more welcoming w/ John LivesayWhat’s In This Episode: Have you had a great experience with a brand that leaves you feeling good? For Jill, it was a follow-up email after leaving a review for blinds. For Brad, it was tea that traveled all the way from England with a personal note and a recommendation. "Empathetic customer service can go a long way." - Brad Jill and Brad talk to the Pitch Whisperer John Livesay, a speaker who's in high demand, but he's not sure how to scale, especially because he can't be everywhere at once. They re...2019-08-0626 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat to do when the "kids" get unrulyWhat’s In This Episode: Oh, summer. That time when all kids, everywhere, come down with the affliction known as "boredom." Jill and Brad have found some creative - and not so creative - ways to keep their kids busy. But what happens when your employees (the "kids" of your business) start complaining? How do you handle that? "It's excellent to clarify what they're missing versus your expectations." - Jill If your employees are reaching out because they're bored or they're done with their tasks, the problem might be that you as their bo...2019-07-3016 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipThe Evolution of Your Business Is The Evolution of YouWhat has happened in the evolution of your business? Jill and Brad reminisce about how they felt when they first started their businesses... and what's changed. "When you're 23, what do you have to lose?" - Brad Jill began her first business around the age of 23 and felt pretty confident. Brad started his business more out of necessity and he didn't want anyone to know how scared he was feeling - and faking otherwise just meant he felt like he couldn't ask anyone for help. "The stakes are higher now." - Jill ...2019-07-2317 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHiring When You Are Trying to GrowWant more info about hiring when you are trying to grow? Brad's doing a webinar, How to Win the War for Talent: Actionable Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent at Your Business, on July 31! Just sign up at this link and let Brad and two others help you be better at hiring. "No small business owner knows what they need or want in the beginning." - Jill How do you hire people when trying to grow your company? Why is it so hard? We're so busy, and on top of all of the things...2019-07-1621 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipDon't parent your team w/ Lidia Varesco RacomaWhat’s In This Episode: Brad's back from the ConvertKit Craft + Commerce Conference, which celebrates creators across platforms. He met some really interesting people and got a lot out of it... and now he's going to reiterate what he tells people all the time: CHARGE MORE. "You can spend that time doing something you enjoy. " - Brad Lidia Varesco Racoma's design aesthetic is clean, understandable and adaptable. She's been in business for a while, and as she grows, she needs to outsource responsibilities. But which one and how do you get over the fe...2019-07-0928 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipDo kids help or hurt your business?What’s In This Episode: Kids take up a lot of our time and energy. So why would we choose to build our businesses at the same time? But if it's all chaos all the time, you might as well! "There's a whole new method to the madness." - Jill Do kids help or hurt your business? Kids are great for your business, says Jill. They make you figure out how to be more organized with your time. And when you're starting out your business, the skills you learn as a parent - li...2019-07-0213 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipMaking your content last and lastWhat’s In This Episode: We get a voicemail from Nedra Rezinas who talked to us on ep. 133(!!!). She really loved listening to our episode 311, "How do I build trust with prospects?"and thought it was helpful. "I see a lot of people using email like it's a text message." - Brad How do you go about making your content last and last? You want to get your blog posts out in front of a lot of people - can you repurpose it? And how do you promote it? "When you sa...2019-06-2515 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhen it comes to content, go deep or go home w/ Gretchen DeVaultWhat’s In This Episode: Brad hates the word "content". He thinks that whatever you put out, it's got to be of a quality that people would pay you for it (and sometimes, they do). "It's very different to know your boundaries and then to actually do something about them. " - Jill Web designer, podcast host, musician, and mother of twins Gretchen DeVault calls in to ask how to deal with burnout. Brad and Jill advise her on why sleep is so important, scheduling a day off every now and then, turning off tec...2019-06-1830 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipThe value of longevity in your businessWhat’s In This Episode: Anchor Advisors has gone virtual! "A whole bunch of your competition is gone." - Brad There are certain advantages that come with being in business for a long time. "If you just wait through the tough stuff, you're gonna come out okay." - Jill Jill and Brad talk through what the value of longevity in your business means: what they thought then compared to what they know now, what competition looks like, who their strongest friendships are, and Jill's realization that patience really is a v...2019-06-1111 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipStages of entrepreneurial success w/ Mel McSherryWhat’s In This Episode: Wanna receive Jill or Brad's newsletters? Find Brad's at Anchor Advisors. Find Jill's at Founding Moms. "You can't sell anything to people that they don't already need. " - Brad Mel McSherry calls in to discuss mailing lists: How can she do it authentically without being salesy? Brad says that if Mel has a valuable service, she has to sell it. Jill advises her to continue doing and interacting with people as she already has been, just in an email format, and she'll be able to succeed. But she ne...2019-06-0428 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhen am I diligently following up and when am I stalking?What’s In This Episode: Have you ever turned that corner from "diligent followup" to "annoying stalker when you're checking in on a proposal or pitch? "I feel like if they were gonna respond, they would have responded." - Brad Jill and Brad fundamentally disagree on this issue, and even on the receiving end of relentless pitches, Jill only gets annoyed if she knows the sender is a bot or writing templated emails. She knows how hard pitching is, so she's likely to respond with a "not interested," rather than delete - which is...2019-05-2814 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow do I build trust with prospects? w/ Nora KerrWhat’s In This Episode: You've met someone to collaborate with. How do you decide if you want to work with them? Jill looks for people who are direct and efficient. Brad looks for punctuality and reliability. "Your mind-shift into 'I'm helping you; I'm not taking advantage of you,' is very genuine. " - Jill Writer, interviewer, and documentarian Nora Kerr calls in to ask how she can reach more people and generate sales leads with limited time and resources? Jill and Brad think partnerships - and not more referrals - may just be...2019-05-2129 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat's a mastermind group and why would I want one? w/ Tina DietzWhat’s In This Episode: Jill's recently made some changes over at The Founding Moms, going from monthly meetups to weekly masterminds. "I'm not even sure I know what a mastermind group is." - Brad Audio branding and content marketing expert Tina Dietz's company is in a period of rapid expansion and she doesn't know who to hire first. They talk through pain points and trust issues. "I want facilitators and listeners more than problem solvers." - Jill So what is a mastermind, anyway? Usually a small group with an...2019-05-1423 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy spend the money for conferences and offline events w/ Nicole GuzmanWhat’s In This Episode: What's the value of going to a conference? Brad just spent over $1000 for a ticket to a conference in Boise, not to mention airfare and accommodations. Is it worth it? "If you know 'we make the most money doing x,' immediately, you know what the focus is." - Jill Web developer Nicole Guzman calls in to discuss how her web design studio has been catering to general interests, but she thinks it may be time to focus on one area. Jill and Brad talk about the pros an...2019-05-0721 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipTime blocking and batching to get more done w/ Victor GarciaWhat’s In This Episode: As business owners, how do you get it all done? "Musicians are not famous for their analytical spreadsheets." - Brad IN-STUDIO (!!!!) guest and trumpet player Victor Garcia stops by and talks about being a musician and with it, being as organized as you can as well as how to figure out time-management (while still taking time for yourself). But how do you put a price on what you offer? Jill and Brad discuss the perils of "exposure" and how to charge what you're worth. "I...2019-04-3023 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat do you do if you want to make more money w/ Pat PorreyWhat’s In This Episode: Today, Brad's not handing out money, but he and Jill are brainstorming ways to make business owners more of it. "That's your moment to shine and tell them why you're more valuable." - Jill Pat Porrey calls in to talk about hiring staff. The women who work for her are going from 1099 contractors to actual employees. As this happens, she's not able to compete well with other agencies in her area. So how can she handle it? It all comes down to mindset. "Every deal that yo...2019-04-2323 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to build successful strategic partnerships w/ Randy KirkWhat’s In This Episode: Jill and Brad are in a new studio, and it's much cooler. In this episode, they're talking about strategic partnerships and what they actually mean. "Figure out what's in it for them." - Brad Relentlessly practical Randy Kirk calls in. He started a new business of mastermind groups, and it's been going well. But he's looking for referrals from group members, and it's not happening. So far he's been reminding them in a group, but not doing much else outside of it. Jill and Brad talk him through wh...2019-04-1622 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWays to grow your email list w/ Gerald JonesWhat’s In This Episode: Jill's email list is prodigious. What's that like? She's always pleasantly surprised when people respond. "It's scary but it focuses you like nothing else." - Brad Gerald Jones calls in and tells Jill and Brad about his podcast, Buy Black | The Voice of Black Business. Through his podcast, he created a business coaching program and he wants to transition to doing that full time. The problem is, he's got a full-time job, a family, and a mortgage to pay. How can he do it? Jill and Brad offer some...2019-04-0926 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipTurning the tables w/ SaulWhat’s In This Episode: Saul turns the tables on Jill and Brad. "It's very dependent on the situation." - Jill Saul wants to talk about virtual assistants and has the co-hosts (and those of us at home) do an Iron Triangle exercise. On each corner of the triangle, he has them write the words good, fast, or cheap, saying that they can only pick two of the three. He wants to know, when is it advantageous to do something that is cheap? "What is the difference between hiring an employee vs...2019-04-0219 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipAre you a "good" manager? w/ Dr. Michelle MazurWhat’s In This Episode: Do you remember your favorite manager? What made them so great? Jill and Brad swap stories. "I like trial by error." - Jill Dr. Michelle Mazur calls in and tells Jill and Brad all about the 3 Word Rebellion, which also happens to be the title of her new book. The book's been doing really well, and she finds herself overwhelmed. Where does she begin to get more help in freeing her up so that she can focus on the business that the book is bringing in? "It...2019-03-2627 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy do business owners hate hiring? w/ Alex MembrilloWhat’s In This Episode: It's everyone's favorite topic: hiring! But why do business owners hate hiring? "This isn't who we are; what's going on?" - Brad Alex Membrillo is a Forbes expert, speaker, and digital marketer. His problem is that his A-team is complacent. How can he get everyone motivated again? When everyone was motivated, his team was doing things that intrigued and interested them. By looking at values and identity, and examining friendship and inspiration, changes can be made. "We've all convinced ourselves it's a crapshoot." - Jill ...2019-03-1927 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipDealing with your worst employeeWhat’s In This Episode: Brad's got an employee problem. He's got a great guy, company wouldn't be what it is without him, but there are some performance issues. He's late on assignments... basically, he's the worst. Also, Brad is talking about himself. "The type of people who become business owners are not very good at getting things done." - Brad Brad's gotta handle some things on his own. He hired employees to help him, but he still doesn't get all the things he needs to get done in a timely ma...2019-03-1217 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to record 300 podcastsWhat’s In This Episode: IT'S EPISODE 300!!!!! Jill and Brad go meta and talk about the podcast on the podcast. "This podcast has made us Debbie Downers." - Jill When Brad gets asked, "Should I create a podcast?" He always tells people no. Jill likened the experience of recording this podcast to running a marathon, where you expect everyone will cheer for you, but they don't all the time. "We almost got made into a reality TV show." - Brad They're always surprised when they hear back from anyone ab...2019-03-0514 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to increase your creative outputWhat’s In This Episode: As Jill and Brad close in on nearly 5 years of podcasting and almost 300 episodes, they reflect on how to increase your creative output. "Here's a growth secret: Don't keep your business a secret." - Brad If you've got a business, you've got to be creating things to put out into the world, Brad says. Jill hates the question, "How do you do it?" because she wants to ask the same question back. At The Founding Moms, Jill writes a daily email, she hosts this podcast, she has a mo...2019-02-2618 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat if you couldn't sell or retire w/ Scott Royal SmithWhat’s In This Episode: Brad's taking a page from Blair Enns of the 2Bobs podcast this week and asking, "What if you couldn't sell or retire?" They also talk to Scott Smith about the joys of being a lawyer and vulnerability. "If the whole idea of being vulnerable is so that you can get to the next level, in fact, what you're doing is using people." - Brad Scott Royal Smith is a lawyer who works with investors to help them get their time back and enjoy their lives. His business is gro...2019-02-1920 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat gets measured gets rewarded What’s In This Episode: Jill and Brad get the most outstanding review they've ever received. And in case you've ever wondered, they've never been married and do not plan to be. "Set up measurements so you know that your employees' work is creating progress in the business." - Brad Brad recently sent out an email entitled, "What gets measured gets rewarded," but Jill doesn't agree. She doesn't think you get rewarded all the time for the things you measure. Jill trusts her gut and feels that when you only go on...2019-02-1213 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipAre you playing offense or defense?What’s In This Episode: Time for a big picture question: are you playing offense or defense in your business? Problems arise when we try to burn the candle at both ends. When you're on defense and want to get back on offense, what do you do? Even in defense, you need business development. "There are seasons in my business. It's not the same every day." - Brad If you're in defensive mode, it also means that you may be holding on to resources that you don't need (i.e., paying people you don...2019-02-0517 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipAre you full of energy or borderline burnt out?What’s In This Episode: Are you full of energy or borderline burnt out? If you're the latter, Brad's got a 5-day email course that he wants you to read, called 5 Days to Get Control of Your Business and Your Life. In it, you'll find a simple exercise to cut down your work hours down immediately, a magic phrase that improves the output of your team and empowers them to solve their own problems, a proven practice to enable you to set boundaries, and a way to start fitting in things that you enjoy. If thi...2019-01-2916 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWho's got the monkey w/ Ashley Quinto PowellWhat’s In This Episode: Are you ready to go or are you kind of crawling into 2019 a little bit burnt out? If you’re the latter, Brad’s got a 5-day email course that he wants you to read, called 5 Days to Get Control of Your Business and Your Life. In it, you’ll find a simple exercise to cut down your work hours down immediately, a magic phrase that improves the output of your team and empowers them to solve their own problems, a proven practice to enable you to set boundaries, and a way to start...2019-01-2221 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWorking in your business vs. working on your businessWhat’s In This Episode: It's a new year! Are you ready to go or are you kind of crawling into 2019 a little bit burnt out? If you're the latter, Brad's got a 5-day email course that he wants you to read, called 5 Days to Get Control of Your Business and Your Life. In it, you'll find a simple exercise to cut down your work hours down immediately, a magic phrase that improves the output of your team and empowers them to solve their own problems, a proven practice to enable you to set boundaries, and a wa...2019-01-1515 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipPlans for the New Year w/ Gresham W. Harkless Jr.What’s In This Episode: Happy 2019! Jill’s got a brand new book called The Best Business Book in the World (*according to my mom)! For anecdotes, biz tricks, tech tips, and tools, you can get her book on Amazon. Do you ever think to yourself, "I really wish I could talk to Jill or Brad for an hour about MY business?" Now you can! Sometimes you just need a little help, or you have a question to ask that’s been bugging you. You suspect that it’s not really a whole consulting...2019-01-0126 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhen you find you are at the bottom of a hole, stop digging w/ Samantha DenchWhat’s In This Episode: Do you ever think to yourself, "I really wish I could talk to Jill or Brad for an hour about MY business?" Now you can! Sometimes you just need a little help, or you have a question to ask that’s been bugging you. You suspect that it’s not really a whole consulting engagement — you just need an hour to talk something overwith someone who understands and can provide perspective. Book an hour with Brad here. Buy Jill's book! "I just want to remind everybody that social media is so...2018-12-2523 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipThe WHY of TasksWhat’s In This Episode: Jill's got a brand new book called The Best Business Book in the World (*according to my mom)! For anecdotes, biz tricks, tech tips, and tools, you can get her book on Amazon. We're also talking about WHYs today. Have you seen Simon Sinek's TED Talk? Jill uses it all the time because it was the first time that someone explained why WHY was so important in a way that makes sense. "Without the 'why', no one's gonna trust you and no one's gonna pay you any money."...2018-12-1810 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat loyalty do I owe to my suppliers? w/ Gavin BakerWhat’s In This Episode: Do you ever think to yourself, "I really wish I could talk to Jill or Brad for an hour about MY business?" Now you can! Sometimes you just need a little help, or you have a question to ask that’s been bugging you. You suspect that it’s not really a whole consulting engagement — you just need an hour to talk something overwith someone who understands and can provide perspective. Book an hour with Brad at http://www.anchoradvisors.com/one-hour "Having some real face-to-face time helps build the relations...2018-12-1122 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat do I do about holiday gifts w/ Jason FeiferWhat’s In This Episode: It's that time of year... How do you feel about holiday gifts? Do you love them or hate them? Jill LOVES handwritten thank-you notes because they're so thoughtful! But Brad thinks that all the pens and mugs and all the logo stuff... that can go away. If you're going to give gifts to your clients, stay away from blanket, generic gifts where you can and think about what might be heartfelt and/or truly valuable to them. "Put an angle on your personal brand." - Jill Jason...2018-12-0429 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow do you decide what to do next?What’s In This Episode: Brad started his business because he wanted to be free. He didn't want anyone telling him what to do! And then he sits down in front of his computer and thinks, "What should I do?" Sound familiar? "I love that every day is different and that I choose priorities based on how I feel." - Jill As business owners, you could have 1000 things to choose from, when really three of those things may help move your business forward. How do you choose? Jill goes with her gut. She lo...2018-11-2711 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipGiving ThanksWhat’s In This Episode: How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? And how does it apply to business owners? Jill looks forward to the beginning of (vegan) egg-nog season, the Macy's Day Parade, cooking, spending time with family, and on and on. Brad likes the family time and all, but he doesn't think that we'd ever practice gratefulness unless we carved out a day for it. "It's a moment to remind us all to stop, eat too much food, and be grateful for what we have." - Jill Jill's got a book co...2018-11-2010 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to sell like Nike w/ Rachael Kay AlbersWhat’s In This Episode: If you're like Jill, you love marketing but hate sales. If you have brands you really love though, do you trust them? And when you notice they are selling to you, what's your reaction? Are they marketing well or poorly? What's the difference? Brad thinks that when marketers are trying to convince you of something you don't really need or want, those are bad examples. But when you believe in what you sell, you want other people to believe in it with you. And when you're really good at marketing (li...2018-11-1322 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat do you do for bonuses?What’s In This Episode: What do you do for bonuses in your business? It's the time of year when year-end bonuses become a focal point. Jill and Brad talk about that, and a listener question involves asking if you canbuy loyalty. (We're never going to escape this loyalty debate.) "It's so exciting from an employee perspective but it's so burdening for a boss." - Jill There's so much anxiety surrounding bonuses, especially when employee and employer expectations don't match. But Brad believes there's no reason to start giving bonuses. Gifts are good whe...2018-11-0616 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipFinding your tribe.What’s In This Episode: Ever needed help finding your tribe? What does that even mean, anyway? Is it customers or colleagues? "Your tribe are the people that need that special thing that you have." - Brad It's a common misperception that your tribe - in this instance - is your group of friends. But to find loyal customers, you want to be authentic. Does every brand need a tribe? Not necessarily. If customers are responding to you, what do they have in common? Where do they congregate? That's where you ca...2018-10-3025 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat to do when one of your team quits.What’s In This Episode: Jill and Brad are talking about what to do when one of your team quits! What hurts more: the ego punch or the extra work? (Brad's voting for extra work.) "I don't want them to have loyalty to me. I want them to have loyalty to the mission." - Brad It does hurt when one of your team members quits. You get used to them being reliable and a good employee. When they leave, you have to cover their responsibilities while hiring someone else. It's a lot to ta...2018-10-2317 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow many businesses can I run at once?What’s In This Episode: How many businesses are too many? Have you ever thought to yourself, "How many businesses can I run at once?" If you have, listen in! Pop culture references Jill makes during this episode that may or may not have anything to do with the episode: Sarah Koenig, Jeff Bezos, Julia Child, and Beyonce. Sometimes people run more than one business simply because they think they can handle it. Sometimes they get bored with the one business that they run, not realizing that the "boring" business is the one th...2018-10-1615 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhat's A Strategic Plan and Why Do You Need One? w/ Zach VentrescaWhat’s In This Episode: What do you do when your team member quits? That's the topic of discussion today. Plus, Jill and Brad get the best review ever. It sucks when you do all the work to hire someone, then train them, and then they quit. Then you have to do their job in the interim, not to mention the morale dip. But there are also upsides. The biggest advantage of having people quit is that it forces you to have systems. When people quit, it's an opportunity for new ideas. Sometimes you...2018-10-0921 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy You Can't Fix Your Team...What’s In This Episode: Have you ever hired someone that wasn't so great? Jill and Brad talk about the reason why you can't fix your team. "You need to be more specific. You have to give measurements. You have to talk about what you're willing to tolerate and what you're not." - Brad Business owners always want to task Brad with fixing their team. Maybe they thought they've hired the wrong people, or that those people are too inexperienced or incompetent. But Brad thinks that maybe it's not all those employees who are...2018-10-0221 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipYou Need to Get Some Help!What’s In This Episode: On this episode, Jill and Brad talk about VAs, contractors, employees and how to hire. "If you're doing so many things and you're doing it after so many years, why on earth would you hand it to someone else?" - Jill When Jill first started the Founding Moms Community, she did everything herself. She ran the online platform and the offline meetups. Was it hard to make the decision to get help? Jill says it's nearly impossible. She finally decided to hire out when certain processes became too ov...2018-09-2514 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow Do You Get New Clients? w/ Ari MeiselWhat’s In This Episode: What causes sales? And how do you get new clients? Jill sends lots of emails or schedules events to build momentum. Both she and Brad like to announce things first - if they announce an event, they're more likely to commit to it. She'll also reach out to PR and press people to get coverage. Brad suggests using referral partners or reaching out to past clients to build case studies. "What are they thinking before they sign up? What is the problem that they're having that makes them thi...2018-09-1828 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipWhy You Can't Have Just One Price (and what to do instead)What’s In This Episode: "How much does it cost to work with you?" is a question Brad hears a lot. Jill and Brad discuss this and why you can't have just one price (and what to do instead) on this episode. "I bought a book for $200." - Brad Brad discusses a mysterious book which he purchased for $200. Think that's crazy? Because of it, he made $60K. Is it still crazy, or a great investment? When you give people price options, you'd be surprised at how many will choose the highest option because of...2018-09-1112 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to Hire the Best People (and why it's hard)What’s In This Episode: Jill is hiring! What's your top-notch process for hiring the best people? Jill and Brad talk about how to hire the best people (and why it's hard) in this episode. "Good hiring is hard. Bad hiring is easy." - Brad The Founding Moms is looking for a Host Director to facilitate all the host meetings and coordinate all the offline community. Jill knows what a successful person in this role would look like, but may need some help in setting up the systems for the position. They talk ab...2018-09-0419 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to Rock The Podium - Being Your Best in Front of A Crowd w/ Suze SolariWhat’s In This Episode: Does public speaking terrify you? Jill learned to speak in public thanks to the Wizard of Oz. But she's relatively comfortable in front of a crowd. Brad was in speech and debate in high school and had a lot of practice. It's important to remember that professionals don't "wing it" even though it looks like that. When someone's good at speaking, it's because they've practiced like crazy. "If you're not scared, you're not taking it seriously. The stakes aren't high enough." - Brad Stylist Suze Solari helps people chang...2018-08-2823 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipOne Secret to A Highly Engaged Email ListWhat’s In This Episode: Why do you subscribe to an email list? What makes you stay? Jill and Brad let you in on a little secret to a highly engaged email list. "I don't love email, but I enjoy really good email lists." - Jill Recommendations are HUGE when it comes to subscribing to an email list, and Jill will often sign up if she's heard a particular email list is awesome. Of course, sometimes she subscribes because of the freebie she'll get by doing so (with plans to unsubscribe later). B...2018-08-2116 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipToo Many Ideas, Not Enough TimeWhat’s In This Episode: Is being an "idea person" a good thing? Saul has some listener questions. Jill says that being an idea person is always talked about as if it's a real negative thing. But she LOVES IT. Brad has a list of ideas, but finds them hard to choose or sort it out. But Jill says that those sorts of decisions just come with experience. "If you have lots of ideas, it's not because you're distracted and can't pick one. You just have a good idea!" - Jill List...2018-08-1415 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow to Keep Your Team Engaged When They Want to Be OutsideWhat’s In This Episode: How do you engage your team? When your team is engaged, they're getting a psychic benefit from the work. They're into it! But even when you have the most engaged team, in the summer months, it can be tough. In this episode, Jill and Brad discuss how to keep your team engaged when they want to be outside. "I'm looking forward to being the old guy sitting in the coffee shop." - Brad Brad tries to solve his personal engagement problem by taking more Fridays off in...2018-08-0715 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow Do You Get Your Team on Board with New Ways of Doing Things w/ Brandon BruceWhat’s In This Episode: How do you change things up with your business? Jill's revamping her website. Brad recently changed pricing. Change can be good, but sometimes when you don't think things through all the way, you can be surprised at the details that you miss. Jill has a highly collaborative relationship with her team. Brad pretendsthat he does - he's collaborative-ish - but what works in some areas might not work in others. Since he hasn't asked his employees how they feel about certain changes, he doesn't know what their feedback is. But he...2018-07-3130 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipHow Do You Measure and Improve Your Own Performance w/ Rob DubeWhat’s In This Episode: How do you measure and improve your own performance? Jill uses external measures but also uses her gut instinct. She also asks a few people what they think, because feedback can be helpful. How does one get better as a business owner? Brad believes that it's a balancing act. As he gets better in one area, he gets worse in another. And as a business owner, you have to know so many things. But you can definitely hire out for things you're not so good at. "Email is not...2018-07-2425 min
Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | LeadershipNetworking vs. Building Business RelationshipsWhat’s In This Episode: Jill and Brad are doing things a bit differently in this episode and talking about networking vs. building business relationships. A lot of people feel like networking is an ugly word, but only feel that way in a business context. "But isn't that what relationships are - just mutually benefitting?" - Brad Jill doesn't believe that you can succeed without relationships, and Brad thinks that the reason people disdain networking is that it's viewed as a competition. It took Jill a long time to change her mind about wor...2018-07-1700 min