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What's Your Ask? with Stephanie Sims
by Stephanie SimsThis is the What's Your Ask? show, with Stephanie Sims. Listen in each week to learn how to find more money to grow your business. Host Stephanie Sims will talk with entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem builders to find out why it is important to know...What's Your Ask?
Episodes
Episode 47: How Do You Ask in a Saturated Market with Greg Head
42m · PublishedToday, I’m excited to talk to Greg Head, the CEO of Scaling Point and the founder of Gregslist.
Greg Head is a 30-year software industry veteran who was part of the startup-to-scale journeys of three different software companies in the CRM industry, including one IPO.
He is now an active mentor, advisor, consultant, and speaker helping founders of early-stage software startups all over the world.
At Scaling Point, Greg works with startup tech founders on positioning strategy, product-market fit, messaging, and scalable marketing execution.
Gregslist.com is the curated and up-to-date list of local software companies used by thousands of founders, tech leaders, investors, and job seekers each month.
Gregslist is now available for tech communities in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, and more.
Greg and his wife live in the Dallas area. They spent 23 years in Phoenix before returning to her Texas hometown in 2019.
Welcome Greg!
In this episode…
Greg Head talks about how going full circle from selling software to running a software company was a natural progression. He further explains how the way he was asked by a partner, and that it was a logical step in his progression. He knew the journey was still evolving and was a commitment. He embraced being a leader of a large team and a large company.
In shifting through the development of the software arena, Greg found that the way companies and entrepreneurs made asks changed. It became a more mature market than a frontier market.
To stand out in a “noisy” environment of start-up, you need to be a specialist. Yes, you heard that right. With the market being so much more saturated, you need to specialize in order to make an impact. Buyers want to know you are the “Best” at what you do, your specialty. And, finally, getting traction is how you validate your specialized service. With so many choices, you need to stand-out.
Listen in to see how you can stand-out in your specialty.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Connect to Gregslist
- Greg Head on LinkedIn
- Visit Greg’s Website
- Finance-Ability
- Stephanie Sims
- Stephanie Sims LinkedIn
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 46: A Solid Sales Process Requires Discovery with Matt Wolach
28m · PublishedMatt Wolach, host of SaaS-Story in the Making, is an entrepreneur, investor, coach, and leader who knows the sales world from the inside out. He has nearly two decades of SaaS sales management experience.
His expertise, in particular, lies in crafting a streamlined buyer journey that maximizes conversions at every stage from lead to close.
Matt is the creator of The Perfect D.E.A.L. Process which has created growth patterns that led to multiple 8 and 9 figure exits.
He uses his experience and this proven process to guide founders and leaders of B2B SaaS companies from around the world on how to effectively turn their entire sales process into a conversion machine.
In this episode…
Understanding the process behind the sales process is essential to making the right ask of potential clients and investors. Until you understand your product, your process, you will not have the framework that creates a “machine”, sales engine, that provides the fuel to facilitate growth and investment.
Matt explains how your initial investment comes from your sales. By positioning yourself as an investor, you create that space for scaling your business. You accomplish this by knowing your numbers, your metrics. By understanding how investing in your own business allows for additional growth positions you as the best partner for an investor.
Create a mutually beneficial relationship.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Matt Wolach on LinkedIn
- Finance-Ability
- Stephanie Sims
- Stephanie Sims LinkedIn
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 45: What Is Your Exit Strategy? with Stephanie Sims
31m · PublishedToday, Stephanie Sims tackles the question “How do I talk about my exit strategy with investors?”
Get clear on what kind of business you want before you start trying to grow...otherwise, someone else will choose for you.
Today, we’ll cover:
- What different kinds of businesses you could choose to build
- How that translates into a different kind of exit strategy
- Why ultimately, the only exit strategy that matters is the one that’s right for you.
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 44 - Ask the Tough Questions with Tiffany Bisconer
36m · PublishedToday, I’m excited to talk to Tiffany Bisconer, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 20 years of experience in the fields of accounting and tax.
Tiffany has worked with one of the top 10 Certified Public Accounting and Consulting Firms in the nation and is currently the Director of Acena Consulting focusing on providing specialty tax incentive consulting services.
Combining her private industry and public accounting experience, she works with CPA firms and directly with business owners and leadership teams in multiple industries at all levels of growth, to help educate and identify opportunities for the utilization of tax credits for infusion of cash flow.
Tiffany also spends her time mentoring early-stage start-ups to build a bridge between innovation and business foundations.
Her desire to give back to the community and humanity as a whole has been a driving force in her path of life. She is originally from San Francisco, CA, and came to live in Phoenix, AZ 10 years ago via Miami, FL.
Welcome Tiffany!
In this episode…
Tiffany explains how the toughest questions are the ones you ask yourself.
Stick to your way of doing what you envision. Don’t allow others to tell you your way is the wrong way. As long as it moves you towards your goals, don’t be afraid to do it differently.
Give yourself the space and time to check-in and be sure what you’re doing is still in alignment with who you are and where your goals are taking you.
Listen for more on how being the best version of yourself allows you to make better decisions for your business.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Tiffany Bisconer on LinkedIn
- Marie Forleo episode talking about Bronnie Ware
- Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
- Finance-Ability
- Stephanie Sims
- Stephanie Sims LinkedIn
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 43 - Final Part of the Series Ghost of Numbers Future
41m · PublishedWelcome to the final part of our four-part series to tackle the ghosts of your numbers past, present and future.
Last week, we talked about the numbers present - your KPIs that will help you make decisions day-to-day.
Today, we’ll cover the numbers of your future - your financial forecast/projection/model
- What is a financial forecast?
- How will a financial forecast help me run my business?
- How do I build a financial forecast?
- Biggest pitfalls to avoid with forecasts
I put this series together to share which numbers matter, what it takes to build a quality financial projection, and how to become your business’ best investor.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- If you’d like to dive deeper into building an investor-ready model, you can grab the free guide I created here => https://www.stephaniesims.com/IRCBONUS
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 42: Ghost of Numbers Present
39m · PublishedToday, we continue doing something a little different!
Welcome to Part 3 of a four-part series to tackle the ghosts of your numbers past, present, and future. Today we talk about the numbers of your present - the KPIs of your business.
KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are:
- The short term measures of specific actions that move your business forward.
- Measurements of the small decisions you make every day.
- Designed to help you quickly access whether you're on target to ultimately reach scale & profitability.
By learning what numbers matter in your business you are able to make better decisions in moving your business forward. KPIs are not without pitfalls. You need to track the relevant numbers for your business and be open to shifting based on your teams' actions and performance.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Elizabeth Yin's Twitter thread on metrics
- Elizabeth Yin's Twitter thread on selecting the metric that matters
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 41: Part 2 of 4 Series Ghost of Numbers Past
47m · PublishedToday, we’re doing something a little different!
Welcome to Part 2 of a four-part series where we talk about the Ghost of Numbers past.
We take a look at:
- Why you need to review the past numbers in your business. They provide you the story of how to adjust your current business structure.
- Where you obtain your financial history and which numbers matter.
- How using these past numbers helps you make better decisions.
The bottom line is learning your numbers helps you become a better decision-maker. By doing so, you move your business forward faster.
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 40: Part 1 of 4 Series - Ghost of Numbers
41m · PublishedToday, we’re doing something a little different!
Welcome to Part 1 of a four-part series to tackle the ghosts of your numbers past, present, and future.
We take a look at:
- Some of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs are afraid of their numbers, and how to get past those roadblocks
- Set the stage for how past, present, and future work together to build your confidence in your own decisions AND accelerate your business growth
- Give you two frameworks for thinking about your numbers that don't require a CPA or extensive Excel knowledge.
Walk away knowing which numbers matter, what it takes to build a quality financial projection, and how to become your business's best investor.
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Episode 39: Giving Thanks and Shifting to Serve
14m · PublishedIt's Thanksgiving here in the US, and there’s a lot to be grateful for, despite the challenges that everyone is facing this year.
I’m grateful for my family and friends, and for the team of experts who help me run my business.
I’m also grateful for all of the fascinating investors and entrepreneurs that I’ve had the opportunity to feature on the What’s Your Ask? show.
2020 has been a year of change, and the show is no exception!
This week, I’ve got some exciting news about how the show is adapting to serve more entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and hear “yes” more often.
If you’re ready to apply all of the amazing advice that you’ve heard from the expert guests I’ve interviewed this year, stay tuned!
Sponsor for this episode...
It’s Stephanie Sims, the capital strategist who teaches founders how to tell economic stories that make dollars and sense.
Happy to be with you for this episode of “What’s Your Ask?”, where we talk to successful investors and entrepreneurs to hear the unique ways they've asked or been asked for money, introductions, references, and more.
Today’s episode is brought to you today by Finance-Ability, a boutique consulting firm focused on helping entrepreneurs get the funding they need to grow their business.
I founded Finance-Ability after more than 20 years working on both Wall Street and Main Street. Now I teach entrepreneurs to paint a picture with numbers that help them make decisions with confidence and captivates the people with money so they say “YES”!
If you need to conserve runway right now or you’re planning to raise capital in the next year, I’d love to share the strategies, tactics, and insights that have helped my clients raise over $30M!
Let’s connect on LinkedIn or at stephaniesims.com.
Episode 38: Your End Result is the Investment Opportunity with Ryan Tansom of Arkona
39m · PublishedToday, I’m excited to talk to Ryan Tansom, entrepreneur, speaker, podcast host, author and the co-founder of Arkona!
In 2014, Ryan helped turn around their family business and then sell it for 8 figures to a local competitor. The growth and exit process was an unexpectedly difficult undertaking, but the lessons that were learned have proven to be invaluable.
He took his experience and co-founded Arkona where he created the Intentional Growth 5 Principles and Framework and hosts the popular Life After Business podcast (190+ episodes and 265k+ downloads).
Ryan’s mission is to help entrepreneurs get clarity on how to grow the value of their business with the end in mind by shifting their mindset away from annual income to focusing on long term value creation.
This new mindset will help entrepreneurs create a strategic plan that gives them the freedom of choices to do what they want with the business long term.
Welcome Ryan!
In this episode…
Ryan poses the question, is it possible to accomplish things on your own or does it hinder your growth? There are pros and cons of having partners. It depends on how you grow while maintaining equity. It is dependent on you and testing the process on your own.
During the value creation, it is the end result of value that is the investment opportunity.
By reverse-engineering your vision, you are able to set up a plan to facilitate both financial and personal growth. You need to think about the end game in order to prepare for it. You cannot be short-sighted in reaching your goal, but also considering what happens once you reach that goal. You have to build something that is worth value.
Listen for more on how to leverage your sustainability in value. It is an equation that goes beyond the clear goal. How sustainable is the cash flow? It’s ok to ask questions to better understand the role of a business owner.
It is like building a puzzle without a picture.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Arkona.io
- Ryan Tansom on LinkedIn
- Seth Godin, This is Marketing
- Greg Mckeown, Essentialism
- Finance-Ability
- Stephanie Sims
- Stephanie Sims LinkedIn
Sponsor for this episode...
Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.
Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
What's Your Ask? with Stephanie Sims has 69 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 42:36:15. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on November 22nd 2022. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on April 5th, 2024 02:47.
