Views From the Top

When you look in the magazines or see television shows depicting entrepreneurs, there's this sense of advernture, a boldness that only a passionate, driven entrepreneur has. We see Cuban, Branson, and even Oprah, and we think "wow, those are strong people". And they are. But all too often, we try to hold ourselves up to these images stating "big girls and boys don't cry". You're not allowed to show vulnerability or any sign of weakness because it's frowned upon. Then we look at the alarming amounts of entrepreneurs who commit suicide. We think on the outside look like everything is great and we talk about how successful they are. But on the inside, they are in pain. We're taught to hide the pain, push it away beause we've got work to do. In today's show, I'll be focusing on the emotional side of entrepreneurship. No matter how successful you are, you still need an emotional outlet when things get tough.


 

Who keeps telling people that PROFIT is a dirty word? Well, it's NOT. When you get into business for yourself, it's your responsibility to ensure you are getting paid fairly, regularly and wisely. Many small businesses find themselves in a comfort zone and are afraid to upset clients if they raise their rates. Some are paralyzed because they don't know how to charge enough. In both cases, they're letting the customer do the driving and that is not good for business. They know this, but aren't doing what needs to be done to get the results they need to make them profitable.

Tune in as I talk about some of the mindsets and obstacles keeping you from getting paid and being profitable. From targeting the right customers to establishing your rates, to vetting clients who come to you, I'm going to be talking about how to get you PAID. I'll also be talking about my upcoming course Path to Profitability (January 21, 2015), which is a prequel to the Growth Clinics. Let's get down to the Real Talk of making money.

 

You're Fired!

When was the first time you had to fire an employee/contractor? How did the termination go? As small business owners we often forget that there has to be a strategy in place to terminate employees who are underperforming, or who's positions may need to be eliminated. But how do you manage the process without causing any backlash while preserving dignity...and keeping your company compliant?

Sometimes when you fire people, it can go really wrong. But if you have a policy in place and an exit interview system in place, you can make an already uncomfortable experience easier to deal with for both parties. Tune in as I talk about best practices in terminations, how to create an effective termination policy, and how to keep things moving smoothly after terminations.

Money...Profits...Respect. Besides fulfilling needs, these three tenents are why we're in business. Even the most socially conscious business owner has to make money to keep the lights on. You opted out of the corporate world to make your own rules, fulfill your own destiny and uncap your earning potential. So why in the world are you allowing others and yourself to limt your earning potential?

The fact is many small businesses will under price, over serve and box themselves into the red because they let too many outside distractions take their eye off the prize. There's a con job floating through teh small business community that programs small business owners to give, give, give without giving them the full picture or disclosure. That if you focus at all on money, revenue, or profits that you're not an authentic person. I call bullcrap. We are all in business to make money. Period. But what these people don't tell you is that you have to condition yourself to always balance giving AND getting. Profit is not a dirty word. 

Tune in as I dispel certain myths about giving and getting (and profitability) within the small business community.

 

It's easy to get lost in the sea of content providers on the internet. Since the playing field has been leveled and the landscape forever changed, many people have taken to the web to blog and provide content. But not everyone can be successful at standing out. So how do you differentiate yourself from other sites in your field? How do you stand out? How do you gain a competitive edge and stay relevant as a content producer in the world oversaturated with content? Reinvent yourself? Diversify? Gaining a competitive edge and being able to differentiate yourself from other content providers is the key. It will allow you to build and grow an audience. Join me and my special guests Dan Morris and Rachel Martin as we take a look at what can be done to stand out in a crowded digital space.