Today’s guest started their business with their husband and zero experience in the landscaping industry and ran the company out of a trailer on a farm. Now they operate out of a 4800 square foot commercial space and they’ve grown to 13 employees. Dani Friesen is the Co-Owner and Vice President of Friesen Landscaping. Dani shares how to navigate hiring the right people for your business from day one, three tips on improving your cash flow, and the different ways to show your employees how much you appreciate them.    Takeaways: Early on, it’s not always easy to figure out what kind of person would be an ideal employee. Because of this, you’ll likely face high turnover as you filter out the wrong people and narrow your search down to only the right people. The most important aspect of finding the right people is finding people that will show up and that care about the outcome of the work they do. As your company grows and you find the right people, you need to establish processes so your employees can run the company. This lets you work on the company and not in it. You need to buy from vendors that will stand behind you and their products. This will have massive implications for your cash flow, especially for smaller companies working on expensive projects. If you’re an expert in what your company does, you don’t need to become an expert in all of the little things that revolve around your company. Find accountants, lawyers, bankers, etc. that you can trust to handle the things you’re not an expert in. Put systems in place to track your profit and loss from the start of a job until it’s completed. There are many industry-specific tools that you can use to implement and run these processes.  It’s important to make sure that your employees feel appreciated. This can come in many forms and can include simply saying thank you, giving an extra raise or company-wide events.    Quote of the Show: “I honestly think some of our customers are some of the best people we've talked to and learned from” - Dani Friesen   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-friesen-8265169b/ Friesen Landscaping Website: https://friesenlandscaping.com/ Friesen Landscaping Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friesenlandscaping/ The Planted Container Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecontainedplanter/    Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/07gqLp_3QlA   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/

Core values are so important to build into your company. Having them in your business will help your growth in sales and relationships. Today's guest is Jordan Barrick, Vice President of Quality Home. Jordan joins Jeff Siegel on Leaders Who Scale to discuss how his furniture business had its ups and downs but turned out to be a successful business. Jordan is expanding his company in beautifully furnished homes with the help of his team. Listen in on Jordan's tips on understanding core values and how to never give up on yourself.   Takeaways: Make sure to count your costs before going into any endeavors. Not all ideas will work. Do not let one failed idea put you down. Continue your confidence because one may be successful.If your company is moving to a different location, put up signs to advertise your business. Customers will visit you more often to look at your marked-down products.Be open, honest, and kind to your customers. Honesty and kindness can grow a relationship with them. Your customers will be more inclined to continue doing business with you if you have a developed relationship.Find and join business groups that have frequent meetings. Seeing what other companies have going on and how they work their business can help inspire you with your company.Growth in your company is key, but you need to build a good foundation in your business beforehand. Make sure everything is good to go before you grow it.Don't just build core values because someone told you. They're not aspirational. Build core values to show that you care about your company, employers, and customers.   Quote of the Show: “Grow, scale, develop talent, and open new stores. If you're not growing, you're dying.” (23:15)   Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/QualFurn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-barrick-812b7441/ Website: https://qualityhome.com/ Blog: https://qfurniture.wordpress.com/   Shout Outs: EntreLeadership by Dave RamseyPermission To Screw Up by Kristen Hadeed   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/PEc6uZ5DuA0   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/

Some businesses start as tiny seeds and grow into strong oak trees, but not all of them succeed into trees unless you have the right employees to help water them. Today's guest is Eddie Uyeta, President and CEO of Uyeta Landscape & Maintenance. Eddie joins Jeff Siegel on Leaders Who Scale to discuss how he took over his parents landscaping business and made it grow money trees. Listen in on Eddie's tips on growing your company on every neighbor's lawn.   Takeaways: Have monthly meetings with every division to see ​how things have been and how any progress is going. It will help find any mistakes before it is too late.Encourage your employers to reach their goals in the company. Chime in and give advice on what they should do differently or not. Being vocal will show your employees that you care about their goals.In order for your company to grow, you need to have the right people working for you. If you have unfit workers, your business will fail. Look for the people who want to scale with your company.Try to do activities with your employees. Doing these activities together can create stronger relationships.Try to eliminate those “should have, would have, could have.” Focus on the now.Don’t always look at the big picture. It is key to focus on the “weeds” of the business to fix any little mistakes.Schedule mini-reviews with your employees. It is another way to coach them in any areas they need help with before mistakes happen.    Quote of the Show: “It's like buying a used car. You got a good deal on it but, you inherited all the problems too.” (28:02)   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uyetalandscape/ Website: https://www.uyetalandscape.com/ and https://midoriplantscapes.com/   Shout Outs: Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/mfweVhIDhyM    Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/

The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Well, if you know how to plan your business correctly, you'll see it grow! Today's guest is Taylor Brown, Owner of Elite Turf Supply and Turf Impressions. Taylor joins Jeff Siegel on Leaders Who Scale to discuss how his landscaping business grew out of the ground and across hundreds of neighbors' lawns. Listen in on Taylor's tips and tricks on advancing your company to the next level.   Takeaways:  Do not be afraid to expand your company. If you see an open opportunity to expand, go for it. Take on the challenges that come your way. It's so important to have two different companies, specifically, one focused on installs, and the other focused on supply. This is crucial to have because it helps with relieving stress for you and your employees. Having two different companies will make the process and work very fluid.Make sure to reach out to different companies. Look for ones that are similar to yours and see if they manufacture whatever your company specializes in. Then offer to work with them and distribute products to expand your business within other businesses, growing your connections.Try to differentiate your product so that you are the only company that manufactures it. Position it so your customers think that there is no competition.If you continue to scale past your competitors, you will have an opportunity to get a bigger supply chain in order for your company to grow.Remember, you want to make sure you change the lives of your customers and the lives of your coworkers as well. Make them feel wanted and welcomed.Customers do not work to get you. You work to get the customers. Don't let them do everything.    Quote of the Show: “To any listeners, you think you have it all figured out that might change and that's okay because you think you know your life's laid out but right around the corner might be something better. So be open to it, and try new things. You might just find something better right around the corner.” (38:55)   Links: Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/tiebs32 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorbrownsales/ Website: https://www.eliteturfsupply.com/ Company Instagram: ​​https://www.instagram.com/eliteturfsupply/?hl=en Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turfimpressions/?hl=en   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/C4jdNJ4E62k   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/

Today’s guest is a dynamic financial and operational leader with decades of experience in the consumer services industry. In the five years he has been with his current company, he has helped it grow from 45 employees to 125 employees and tripled its revenues. Michael Maiscalco is the Vice President of Revenue and the CFO at Earthlight Technologies. Michael joins the show to discuss hiring best practices, maintaining a culture across the country, and using measurable indicators to improve your company.   Takeaways: Regardless of their position within the company, every employee is an extension of the brand and represents the whole company. With this in mind, it’s very important to ensure culture fit during the hiring process.Companies are changing their perspective on HR because it is more than just hiring and firing. In successful companies, HR becomes an important touchpoint for everyone in the business in terms of culture setting and keeps everyone on the same page.Even if you have operations across the country, it’s important to have regularly scheduled quarterly meetings with all of the leaders. It’s even better when you can get everyone together in the same physical location for the meeting.Make sure to do things with intention and purpose and go above and beyond when listening to your customers because they won’t necessarily remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel. Develop weekly and monthly measurable indicators for the health of your business and use these in your weekly and monthly team meetings. Sometimes, employees aren’t able to do a job well because they are in the wrong position. If they are a good culture fit, try to find the right role for them before trying to part ways with them. The current supply chain issues are taking a toll on smaller companies that don’t have the buying power to secure large orders of inventory that can last them a few months.   Quote of the Show: “If the answer is because that's always the way we've done it, it may be time to take the step back and revisit, is it the best way to be doing it?” - Michael Maiscalco   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiscalco/ Mike’s email: mikem@earthlighttech.comCompany website: https://www.earthlighttech.com/    Shout Outs: The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/IfdB5eX86pE   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

There are already unique challenges that are presented to product-based businesses, not to mention when they are started during an international health crisis. Celeste Interrante is an entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Turf Envy. In this episode, you’ll hear about the challenges of starting a business during a global pandemic, choosing where to expand, and what your team needs for your business to scale.    Takeaways: For product-based startups, cash flow can be a challenge as their money is tied up in inventory which takes time to be manufactured and shipped. Because of staffing issues in the post-Covid world, many companies are increasingly looking for ways to supplement their smaller workforces with technology. While technology is extremely helpful in tracking things like inventory, it is not a replacement for building great relationships with your customers, especially your repeat customers.In following the Marcus Lemonis philosophy of people, process, and profits, there is an emphasis from the outset on taking care of your team. This model offers a level of accountability and grace for your business.It’s very important to educate your customers on the upkeep and maintenance of your products to protect them from poor post-purchase experiences. You need to consider the long-term environmental impacts of your products from the manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of your products. You should develop written policies and standard operating procedures for your business so that it can still run in your absence.    Quote of the Show: “I really put my staff and my team first and go to bat for them, the customer's not always right” - Celeste Interrante   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celesteinterrante/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ceceinwa Turf Envy website: https://turfnv.com/ Everything Turf Pros website: https://everythingturfpros.com/    Shout Outs: Marcus Lemonis   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube:    Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Acquiring a new business can be a complicated process, but when done right, it can also be extremely rewarding in many ways! Nick Leja is an outstanding entrepreneur and owns locations of European Wax Center, Plato's Closet, Disc Replay, MY SALON Suite, and Superior Fence & Rail. Tune in to hear about what EOS can actually do for your business, how to build trust with employees, and what goes into successfully acquiring a new business.   Takeaways:  One of the biggest parts of running a successful business is the team. You need to get the right people in the right positions and give them the right incentives.Avoid working with the mindset of checking boxes. Instead, try to streamline your company’s processes to the point where you as the owner don’t have to do anything.When acquiring a new business, first focus on the team. Meet with as many of them as possible to build trust and remove pain points. Next, zero in on improving the processes of the company.When you incentivize your managers in a way that allows them to treat the business almost as if they are the owner, it’s easier for you to step back from the business and remove yourself from the day-to-day.Exiting their business is a very emotional process for the seller because of everything they have put into building it up over their lifetime. They want to leave their company in good hands with a buyer that can be a steward for the company and continue its legacy.Even when running multiple companies, you can use the EOS system, with its weekly meetings and rocks, to help the teams within each business get aligned and focused on their goals.Develop a stockpile of great employees that are growing and becoming overqualified for their current work so that you can elevate them when new opportunities arise.   Quote of the Show: “At the end of the day, a business is a business and managing people is managing people” - Nick Leja   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-leja/ Nick’s website: https://nickleja.com/ European Wax Center website: https://waxcenter.com/ Plato’s Closet website: https://www.platoscloset.com/home  Disc Replay website: https://www.discreplay.com/ My Salon Suite website: https://www.mysalonsuite.com/  Superior Fence and Rail website: https://www.superiorfenceandrail.com/     Shout Outs: Traction by Gino WickmanNinety.io - EOS SoftwareNotion - Project Management SoftwareRay Dalio - Investor, Author, Speaker, and Thought-leader Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/XZ7XFkZa6yw    Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Every year, seasonal businesses that rely on manual labor are losing valuable, knowledgeable employees every year and incurring the costs of finding new hires. Thankfully they don’t have to! Josh Flynn is the CEO of Seabreeze Property Services and has grown the company by over 50% since 2019. This episode covers how to prepare your business for growth, what to consider when implementing new software, and guiding your team to reach the solution they need.    Takeaways: Despite the most carefully laid plans for your company’s growth, sometimes scaling happens in bursts. When that occurs, you need to know what resources will be needed and you will discover how it will impact your company’s culture.As you grow, your company will face new challenges that you would not have run into at a smaller size. When these new challenges pop up, you need to develop new processes to handle them. The implementation of new ERP software takes a considerable amount of time and effort, especially for companies that are transitioning from a paper-based system.Creating systems and implementing technology that can capture the data from the work that your company does is a crucial part of scaling. There are many insights and benefits that come from having a tool integrated into your company. Promoting from within is a great way to make sure that your managers and leaders within the business are very well aware of the workflows and processes that the business is built on. When hiring, make sure you are picking the right people and not just warm bodies that will get in the way of the company’s processes.If your company is not project-based and not a fit for EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), you still need to make sure that the senior leadership team has time to meet and that KPIs are being reported.   Quote of the Show: “Here's the big thing that we're going after. How do we break it down into more palpable tasks and things that don't overwhelm you?” - Josh Flynn   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-flynn-694164145/  Company website: https://seabreezepropertyservices.com/  Company Phone number: 207-775-3454Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seabreezeportlandmaine/  Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seabreezepropertyservices/      Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/zD6RMWxEz88    Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Nick Adams is a serial entrepreneur and is the Vice President at Heirloom Property Management. Nick provides some unique insights from his experiences throughout his career, all the way back to starting a painting and remodeling company in college. In this episode, you’ll hear about implementing processes into your business, how to get the right people in the right roles, and what EOS can do for your company.    Takeaways:  Building the processes for your business does not happen in a linear progression. Often there are short burst intervals and you need the right people in place that can handle that.  When your business is facing a problem, you need to ask if it is an issue of people or process. Sometimes you can have a great person and a broken process. Othertimes, that person may be hitting their limit.Adding personality assessments into your hiring process can help you make sure that you are getting the right person to fit the right role. Personality assessments can also help identify the ways people approach problems, which depending on their role, can differ from how you do. As a leader you need to tailor your approach to your team to help them in the ways that need to be helped. When your team is finding lots of problems with the way your company does something, don’t see it as a burden. Reframe it so that you can appreciate everything they’ve found and work together with them to create a better process that removes those issues.The EOS system is a great way to develop KPIs and goals for your business that you can share with your team and build on with both weekly, quarterly, and yearly meetings. Entrepreneurs need to realize that they need to continue to grow and develop themselves and their skills or else they can become a hindrance to the growth of their company.   Quote of the Show: “My leadership game has got to step up because I'm going to have to lead people who fundamentally approach problems different than I do.” - Nick Adams    Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-adams-9ba13416/ Company website: https://rentwithheirloom.com/ Email: nick@rentwithheirloom.com   Shout Outs: Predictable Success by Les McKeown Traction by Gino WickmanPredictive Index - Behavioral analysis software Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/Zdzwmgm7NCw   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Entrepreneurs generally haven’t gone to school for leadership, and that can be one of the major challenges they must overcome to grow their businesses. Mike Campanella is the founder of Pex Health and Fitness and is a major disruptor in the fitness industry. Mike discusses the struggles of starting to work on the business rather than in it, creating buy-in to the company’s values, and the keys to sustainably scaling your business.    Takeaways: It’s much more effective and endearing to lead by example rather than telling everyone exactly what they need to do. As the leader, you need to set the example so that others can follow that while figuring out the specifics.As an entrepreneur, you need to act as a “player-manager” because at the same time you are trying to grow the business, you also need to help the growth of your employees.As your team grows, you need to know that they will never care as much about the business as you do and that’s ok. Do what you can by setting the example and adhering to the values to create additional buy-in.Develop a “brain trust” of people that you know you can trust and who are willing to provide great advice for you and your business.Make sure to be aware of all the new trends in your industry. This does not mean you have to follow all of these trends, however, you need to be able to understand them and defend your own practices and processes.When scaling your company with investors, try to regularly meet with them to help identify new growth opportunities.You should have big goals for even 5 years down the road, but you should also know what sustainable growth looks like for your company in the shorter term.     Quote of the Show: “I can't really disrupt the market if I only have one space” - Mike Campanella   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-campanella-13889119/ Company website: https://pexhealthandfitness.com/    Shout Outs: Entrepreneurs’ Organization   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/rV2GQ1ImNLI   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Dr. Steve Imber is the owner of Psychoeducational Consultants and Professor of Special Education at Rhode Island College. ​​Dr. Imber is also an advocate, consultant, independent educational evaluator, and expert witness for more than 45 years. In this episode, you’ll hear about judging if a client is a right fit for your company, why you need to know your own limits, and what being a solopreneur is all about.    Takeaways:  Balancing the different parts of your life can be very hard and how you do it changes over time as your priorities change throughout your life. Things for your business such as SEO and SERP rankings require a lot of work upfront along with ongoing maintenance to ensure consistently high ranks and ROI.You need to be judicious when evaluating new clients and think about what would actually go into the work they are looking for. Not every client is a good fit all the time. In some industries, it’s better to maintain a good relationship with peers and just refer clients to each other rather than enter into a business partnership.Develop a good, knowledgeable group of people that are experts that you can reach out to and consult when you are facing a problem.Know the limits of what you and your business can tackle at any given time. This will help you know when your pipeline is full and when you need to work on filling it.No matter how experienced you may be, you need to keep learning as your field is likely to evolve over time. This helps you remain adaptable.   Quote of the Show: “I don't care how good your vision is, it's very difficult to see around corners” - Dr. Steve Imber   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-imber-ph-d-09521b1/ Website: http://www.dr-imber.com/ Company Phone: (401) 421-4004Email: scimber1@aol.com   Shout Outs: Dr. A.J. Pappanikou - Professor at the University of ConnecticutDr. Ken Rottenberg    Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/HcHGcDRUEkk

For business owners that are just starting out, the are many challenges awaiting them, and even as they grow the challenges just evolve. Todd Hess founded Todd A. Hess Painting Co which is built on a 21st-century business model that started as a 1 man operation and has grown exponentially. Get ready to learn about the five biggest challenges new businesses need to solve, how to take another look at your vision for the company, and what business owners need to look for when choosing a new software solution.    Takeaways: There are five big challenges that a business must solve in order to scale. These are culture, people, standard operating procedures, systems, and processes to hold the systems in place.Many entrepreneurs starting their first business don’t take into consideration how important it is to have a vision for where they want the company to go. Your vision for where the company is going is not something that you decide on once and file away forever. Try to revisit it once a year and see if that goal is reflective of where you are now. Involve your team in the creation or refinement of your vision.By meeting regularly with your whole team to discuss improvements to the company’s standard operating procedures, you can increase your team’s buy-in to the procedures and the company as a whole because they feel heard and valued.As you start your company, you need to be adaptable to the changing conditions and challenges that arise as your company starts scaling.Keep a look out for opportunities to diversify and get involved in other revenue streams so that you are not entirely reliant on the success of just one business. When you buy a software solution for your company, take the time to learn the extent of what that tool can do. Chances are there are a lot more features included than what you originally bought it for.    Quote of the Show: “The men and women that make your company run and operate, have to be actively involved in that vision. They need to know and have transparency on where you're going and what you're doing” - Todd Hess   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddahesspaintingco/ Todd A. Hess Painting Co. website: https://www.toddahesspaintingco.com/ Todd A. Hess Painting Co. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Toddahesspainting Todd A. Hess Painting Co. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddahesspaintingco/ Hess Supply Co. website: https://www.hesssupplyco.com/    Shout Outs: McCormick PaintsPEP Cloud Knowify Beyond the E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber Start with Why by Simon Sinek Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink Leadership Strategy and Tactics by Jocko Willink    Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/F4XWKBwbEAU

The trucking industry presents many great opportunities but also its share of unique challenges. Miguel Lopez is the owner of MIK Freight and is the Co-CEO of Naranja Pina LLC an ice cream shop in Miami in his spare time. Prepare to learn about the importance of processes in your business, how to strengthen your company’s culture, and growing sustainably.   Takeaways:  While the goal might always be to grow your company, you need to put in place step-by-step processes for your team to follow in order to grow.In order to build the processes for your company, you need to have intimate knowledge of everything that goes into completing a task. The best way to do this is to actually go out in the field and observe your team working on the task. To strengthen your company’s culture, consider what events and outings you can plan for the entire team to take part in to relax and get to know each other better. For some industries, planning and forecasting must be updated on a rapid basis due to factors that fluctuate wildly. For example, in logistics and shipping, the price of fuel is a very important factor when deciding to take a shipment or not, and what to charge.Your company should prioritize creating great relationships between your customers, your team, contractors, and anyone else that might come in contact with the company.You should be developing your team and supporting their growth and learning, even if this means they will “outgrow the nest”. If you set your employees up for success, not only will they learn and excel in the business but they will also appreciate the support.Be conscious of your company’s ability to maintain its level of quality of service as it grows. If it grows too fast and the quality falls, customers new and old will look for alternatives. Figure out what sustainable growth looks like for your company.    Quote of the Show: “At the end, our goal is to get good relationships between customers, brokers, and drivers too” - Miguel Lopez   Shout Outs: Kevin Gonzalez - MIK Freight Logistics Coordinator   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-lopez-8a8b7778/ Company website: https://www.mikfreight.com/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mik-freight-inc/ Company Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/22PuaxZg0oNNwL5hpAQJNq?si=b3d6983bcd204b4d Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikfreight Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikfreight/   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/QRGDYgbq2vk

Planning for even one year down the road for your business is not an easy thing to do. However, Dean van Zyl, the Founder and CEO of National Adhesive, subscribes to a vision that is focused even further into the future as a means of picking the way to get there. Find out how far ahead your vision needs to be for optimal planning, how to differentiate in a crowded market, and what makes up the core of your company’s culture.   Takeaways: If you are competing in a crowded market that is confusing to the consumer, use your messaging to educate them on what the right use of the product is and how to use it. This can be a very valuable tool for differentiating your product within the market. What mediums are you using to communicate with your current customers? Will these same formats and messaging provide value to the next generation of customers?Write out your vision for where the company will be 3-5 years from now in terms of culture, scale, etc. Then work backward from there to see what you need to start doing now to reach that vision. Having a deeply thought-out vision allows the entire team to align together and move in one direction more easily. They are able to refer back to the vision and use that to guide their decisions. Don’t just sign up for the first tool that you see! Take the time to figure out what you actually need to accomplish with the tool and then consider which tool will be able to help you accomplish the task.Culture is not instilled, it is created and developed by leadership. If the culture resonates with people, you know they are a fit in your company, whereas, if it doesn’t resonate with them, their best fit is probably elsewhere. If someone does something using a different process but still arrives at the same result, it does not mean the way they got there was wrong. This is crucial to realize before you start delegating tasks to your team.   Quote of the Show: “Take care of our people, that the most important thing for me because if I take care of them, they'll take care of the business” - Dean van Zyl   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanvanzyl-na/ Company website: https://nationaladhesive.com/   Shout Outs: Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/mPuQUwfVfz0

What are the issues challenging the trucking industry in the US? Scott Law is a longtime transportation industry expert who has been growing his business since he bought it in 2011. Scott is sharing the keys to running a lean business, developing your employees’ skillsets, and not setting your sights too small when hiring.   Takeaways:  The transportation industry is facing two main challenges which are hiring new drivers and the cost of buying and maintaining equipment. Part of the hiring issue stems from insurance companies not insuring drivers with less than two years of experience, forcing smaller companies to compete for a small pool of experienced drivers. Larger companies can afford to self insure these new drivers.Running a lean business is imperative to a trucking company’s success. With smaller companies, crosstraining the management staff can be very helpful in maintaining the lean business model. You need to have metrics to track how your company is growing, no matter what industry you’re in. For the trucking industry, these could be revenue per truck and revenue per mile.By incorporating more technology into your business, you can get access to many more valuable metrics which can inform your business decisions.Approaching conversations with your employees as coaching opportunities rather than disciplinary actions can help you retain more employees while also moving the business in the right direction.Don’t be afraid to hire people that are overqualified for the role you’re hiring for. These people can help the company grow and take on a larger role as they become more involved in the company   Quote of the Show: “If you’re being proactive versus reactive, I think your success rate is significantly higher” - Scott Law   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-law-57038a9/ Company website: http://www.mcmillantransport.com/ Company website: https://www.rpmabsolute.com/   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/ayItrlqxj3U

Many companies struggle with retention and engagement amongst their employees, but there are lots of ways to mitigate this. Doug McDuff, the President of Landscape America, shares the struggles his company has faced and what they’ve done to overcome those challenges. Get ready to take a lot of notes on constructing a culture of ownership, business model changes for service companies, and some best practices for hiring for your team   Takeaways: With a distributed workforce in the field, leaders really need to reinforce the company’s culture to create a feeling of ownership amongst the team.Using open-book management is a great way to engage your team. Employees take on more responsibility and ownership because they understand how the financials impact them and how they impact the financials. Invite some employees of every level to planning meetings. By doing this, they will better understand the process behind the business and they are able to have their voices heard. Working on your business entails a lot more than just sales. You need to be fully committed to working on the business as a whole in order to make progress and scale sustainably. If your company offers both one-time installation work and recurring work, consider focusing more on the type of jobs that provide the company with recurring business as this will result in more revenue in the long term. Consider what roles in your company would be best filled by promoting from within or by hiring from outside the company. For some companies, inside hires excel at roles related to production, while outside hires work well as account managers and salespeople.For largely seasonal companies, look for ways to find work during the offseason so you can keep your employees on the payroll year-round. This will really increase retention and employee engagement.    Quote of the Show: “It’s driving our culture to create a feeling of ownership thinking amongst the team” - Doug McDuff   Shout Outs: Dan Foley - Business CoachJack Stack - Author of Open-Book Management: The Coming Business Revolution   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mcduff-5110a01b/ Company website: https://landscapeamerica.com/ Company Blog: https://landscapeamerica.com/blog Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/landscape.america/   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/ytuM5G-whqk

It’s time to start implementing new systems into your business because the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Ryan Bennett has been working on implementing new systems since he bought Cliffstone Corp in 2017 and has had great results. You’ll learn when the right time to hire your next employee is, how to instill a culture in your company, and how to focus on working on the business and not in it.   Takeaways:  It’s important to implement systems that can run the business without you before you really start scaling because systems get harder to implement the bigger your company is.Think about which tasks that you do could be handled by someone else. This will allow you to put more focus on scaling your company.While a new software may seem expensive today, you need to look at the ROI down the road. Once you look at the benefits of that new process, it will be an easy decision.A great way to reinforce your company’s culture, even if your employees are usually split apart, is to have events for all of the employees like cookouts. This also shows your employees that they are really appreciated.Do more with your core values than just talking about them, use them to hold each other accountable every day. Develop a way to track where you and your employees are in relation to your core values.After each project, do a job cost analysis. This is really the only way to check the accuracy of the estimates you give and make sure you are in line with your budget. Don’t be afraid to hire a new employee, more work will find you, and it’s important to be prepared for when that work comes along.   Quote of the Show: “That's what we've really put an emphasis on is to try to get that environment in place, so they want to show up every day” - Ryan Bennett   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-bennett-ba248622b/ Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cliffstonecorp/ Company website: https://cliffstonecorp.com/   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/suyIYywento

It can be daunting to come into a new business and start implementing changes to the processes. Christine Hodge, the CEO of Clearview Washing LLC, did just that, and through her hard work creating new processes tripled the company’s revenue. Learn about the importance of investing in your processes, building out the right team for your company, and developing a rock-solid company culture.   Takeaways:  Implementing a new process or technology into your company takes time along with consistency and continuous training.When starting a business, it’s critical that you identify your own strengths and weaknesses and then bring in a great team of people who will fill the gaps. For entrepreneurs starting their own businesses, start documenting your processes from day one. This will save your whole team massive headaches down the line.The processes you implement should never make someone’s life harder, however, there will be challenges as people are first learning the process. Think of the work that everyone puts into learning the process as an investment.Every time leaders interact with their team they should be training them in some small way. Training people in new systems is not a one-day process.You need to know your numbers! Take the time to look at your balance sheet and understand it. This will help you understand your margins and identify problem areas within your business.You need to communicate with the separate parts of your company and a great way of doing this is by having weekly meetings.You have to build a strong culture within your company. Your employees represent the company on the whole and they are who the clients see and will think of when they leave a review.   Quote of the Show: “You have to build an employee culture if you want to grow your company because they're representing you” - Christine Hodge   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-hodge-1135a616/ Company website: https://clearviewwashing.com/ Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearviewwashing/ Company YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ6afDX4NJgkIHvv9R3HUag   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/hvqJC17v5Uw

What do you do next once you’ve created your own LLC? Anjilee Stevens and Sara Busalacchi faced that question only a few years ago and have been on quite the successful entrepreneurial journey with their business. They have been working to get out of the day-to-day of their business so they can really scale their school! Get ready for their amazing story of cofounding a business together, finding the right people to hire, and developing their own processes.   Takeaways: When starting a business with a partner it’s easy for both parties to be the visionaries at the beginning. However, as the responsibilities of the business grow, it’s normal for each party to take on more operational roles.Once you initially start your business, think about what you can outsource at least until you can get your own processes sorted out. Make sure to have strong standards for any work that is being outsourced as this can greatly impact your company.Bringing in the right people that you know you can rely on is crucial to allowing you to remove yourself from the work of the business in order to focus on scaling the business. Entrepreneurs need to learn how to balance their passion for why they started the business and the work they need to do on the business so that it can grow and flourish.Before you can scale, you need to get your business to a point where you can stick to your clearly outlined processes instead of trying to bend over backwards for every customer request.Be prepared to hire before you think you need to! This will help you avoid getting stuck in a situation where you desperately need someone and can’t find anyone which risks you losing business.Although your company may be working remote, you can still have fun events and culture building activities via video call. Try playing a game with your team over Zoom, just for fun!   Quote of the Show: “You just hope that you make the right hires and you have the right people in place” - Sara Busalacchi   Shout Outs: The E-Myth by Michael Gerber Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Links Anjilee Stevens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjilee-stevens-45276764/ Sara Busalacchi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-busalacchi-8690a1137/ Website: https://mountainpointacademy.com/   Ways to Tune In Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/n6cQpyp-ub0

For many companies, the past few years have led to longer wait times between sending an invoice and receiving payment. Nate Ferguson has felt the same pressure and has worked to overcome them, now he’s sharing how you can too! You’ll learn about changing your invoicing process, how to help your employees become more productive, and where to look for new opportunities to grow your business!   Takeaways:  One of the biggest challenges many businesses are now facing in large part because of Covid-19, is longer wait times between sending an invoice and collecting payment on that work. This places severe limitations on companies’ cash flow and future work.To try and overcome the long payment wait times, you can bill up front for the materials that are expected to be needed as soon as the contract is awarded.There needs to be a strong level of trust between employees trying to put changes into place and the leaders who have been in the business longer than them. Both need to trust each other and give each room to work.It’s important to share knowledge from all aspects of your business with the leaders of your business regardless of whether they’re in the field or behind a desk. The knowledge from both groups will help everyone understand and plan for the company better.When you have one employee trying to do too many things, they are unable to learn the finer points of any of the areas of their work. When you hire more employees, you can lessen the burden on that employee and increase their effectiveness.Look at what other companies are submitting as bids to the same contracts you are trying to win. This can help you find other areas that you can expand your business while serving the same number of clients as before.When working through partnerships, try to develop the relationships with them so you have negotiated work with them rather than trying to survive on the open market. Look for repeat jobs with the same partners.   Quote of the Show: “Our main goal is repeat jobs with the same general contractors that we like, and that tend to be good partners to work with” - Nate Ferguson   Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-ferguson-1403471b6/ Company website: https://johncaffalltile.com/ Email: nate@johncaffalltile.com   Ways to Tune In Siegel Solutions: https://siegelsolutions.com/podcasts/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tkln6w9XAaQ