The How of Business - How to start, run & grow a small business.

How do we create extraordinary places for our customers, clients, patients, staff that support the growth of our small business?

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/514-kevin-kelley-extraordinary-places/

Kevin Kelley is with us today to share his thoughts and insights on how to create extraordinary places that help us connect with people.

The questions he will help us answer include: Do we still need physical places like grocery stores, restaurants, and office buildings? Or will the "Replacement Economy" led by the tech titans and retail giants wipe out these venues?

What about museums, universities, and performing arts venues? Is there still a place for these thousand-year-old institutions in our lives? Or are we holding onto them out of habit, guilt, or nostalgia?

Kevin Ervin Kelley, AIA, is an award-winning architect, experience designer, and co-founder of the bi-coastal strategic design firm Shook Kelley.

As a lifelong advocate of bringing people together in prosocial settings, Kevin’s expertise is in studying how the environment of a place affects our behavior, perception, and decision-making. Since starting the strategic design firm in 1992, he has worked with executive leadership teams for some of the world’s most well-known brands, such as Harley-Davidson, Whole Foods, Kraft, JM Smucker, The Cleveland Orchestra, professional sports teams, universities, urban districts, and hundreds of local and regional businesses to stay relevant and profitable in our rapidly changing modern landscape.

In addition to being a frequent speaker at retail, food, and other consumer conferences in the U.S. and abroad, Kevin taught courses at Harvard University and his alma mater, the University of N.C. at Charlotte.

As technological replacements increasingly decimate the physical world and human interaction, Kevin gives away everything he’s learned in the field and the boardroom in his debut book, “Irreplaceable: How to Create Extraordinary Places that Bring People Together”.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our websitehttps://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Fractional CFO – how and when to hire a fractional CFO to help you grow your small business, with guest Dan DeGolier.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/513-dan-degolier-fractional-cfo/

When and why should you engage a Fractional or Outsourced Chief Financial Officer (CFO)? What are the services a fractional CFO can offer your small business?

Dan answers those questions and shares how he helps his clients grow their small businesses.

Dan DeGolier, a CPA, is passionate about helping entrepreneurs “upward” to help them understand their finances and cash flows, and obtain the capital needed to grow. Working alongside leaders of companies to help them reach their highest potential is the reason he founded Ascent CFO Solutions over 11 years ago.

A fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) offers small businesses the expertise of a seasoned financial executive without the commitment to a full-time salary, providing cost-effective access to strategic financial planning, system optimizations, and risk management. An outsourced or fractional CFO can support your small business in making informed decisions for growth, improving financial processes, and navigating fundraising efforts. By bringing in unbiased, high-level insights on a part-time or contract basis, a fractional CFO can help small businesses manage complexity, navigate financial crises, and achieve a solid financial foundation, making it an ideal solution for small businesses seeking to enhance their financial strategy without the overhead of a full-time executive position.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

“Brand Films” or videos, how to create and use them to grow your small business, with award-winning filmmaker Maxwell Frost.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/512-maxwell-frost-brand-films/

Maxwell shares his entrepreneur journey, and his current focus which is teaching businesses how to make 3-15 minute “brand films” with your smart phone, that grows your reach, fills your content calendar, and drives growth.

Maxwell is the founder of Brand Film School - he serves business owners, marketers, and content creators. His innovative approach tackles a common challenge: creating content that connects with your audience, without draining resources, that drives growth.

Maxwell believes that brand films will also allow your team to do more with less. By creating addictive content that connects with your audience on an emotional level through shared interests, experiences, and desires—in a way no pop-up ad or email campaign ever could.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

How to connect for sales success with entrepreneur and sales expert John Humphrey. John explains why sales success is directly related to the depth and breadth of our relationships and our desire to help others.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/511-john-humphrey-connect-for-sales-success/

Connecting is more than just traditional networking.

John Humphrey is a serial entrepreneur with experience in starting businesses ranging from restaurants to software and consulting. John currently serves as Chief Connector of Connect for Life, and is the author of “Connect for Life: Network your Personal Brand and WIN”.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Top 7 Small Business Start-Up Mistakes and how to avoid them and launch a successful business,with Henry Lopez.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/510-7-startup-mistakes/

How to identify and avoid or minimize some of the most common small business start-up mistakes. Henry shares his top 7 common small business mistakes to avoid, so that you can start and grow a successful and profitable business.

Top 7 Small Business Start-Up Mistakes:

7. Poor Research and Planning.
6. Bad Partners and Hiring the Wrong Team.
5. Starting Too Big and not following the MVP or iterative approach.
4. Poor Marketing & Sales.
3. Getting in Your Own Way.
2. Not Starting! Getting overwhelmed and paralyzed.
1. No Money!

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Finding your identity is your path to finding personal and small business success. Hosts Henry Lopez and David Begin discuss how to find your multidimensional identity.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/509-finding-your-identity/

Is your personal identity predominantly based on being the Small Business Hero or the Successful Serial Entrepreneur?

Have you realized how this identity may actually be holding you back?

Hampering you from achieving true success in your personal life and your entrepreneurial journey.

Henry Lopez and David Begin share their experiences and tips on how to Find Your Identity.

A person's identity refers to the way they understand themselves and their position in the world. It encompasses a wide range of elements that contribute to who a person is, including personal characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, roles, and affiliations. Identity is both internally constructed, reflecting a person's self-conception and self-perception, and externally influenced by societal norms, culture, interactions, and relationships.

Letting go of the business owner identity as your only self-concept is a journey that requires time and intentional effort. It's about finding balance and fulfillment in various aspects of life, which ultimately contributes to a more resilient and diversified sense of self.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

How Bad Bosses ruin lives and Great Bosses enrich lives and lead the growth of a small business, with guest Debra Corey.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/507-debra-corey-bad-bosses/

Debra Corey is back on the show to share insights and highlights from her new book, “Bad Bosses Ruin Lives - The Building Blocks for Being a Great Boss” about how to avoid being a bad boss that can ruin lives and instead learn how to be a great boss that enriches lives of our small business staff and leaders.

Debra is a highly experienced and award-winning HR consultant, world-class speaker, and six-time best-selling author who has been named as one of the top 101 global employee engagement influencers.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Legal considerations of buying and selling a small business with Danya Shakfeh, a mergers and acquisitions attorney.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/507-danya-shakfeh-legal-considerations-buying-small-business/

Attorney Danya Shakfeh shares insights and general guidelines, from a legal perspective, about buying or selling a small business.

We discuss some of the legal considerations that apply when we are buying or selling a small business, and how to hopefully avoid some common mistakes.

From a Letter of Intent (LOI) through the small business Purchase Contract, and all the due diligence steps in between, we discuss most of the important legal steps and considerations related to buying or selling a small business.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Learn the fundamentals of budgeting for small business. How to create an operating expense budget for your small business, with host Henry Lopez.

Show Notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/506-budgeting-fundamentals-small-business/

Why should you create an operating budget, and how to create an annual budget that helps you maximize profitability.

Henry shares some best practices and tips and the key steps to create a small business operating budget.

Creating an annual budget is a crucial exercise for small business owners, as it provides a financial roadmap for the year ahead. Here are the key steps to follow:

9 Steps to Small Business Budgeting:

1 - Review Previous Year Financial Performance
2 - Define Your Business Goals – including Revenue and Profit
3 - Estimate Fixed Costs
4 - Estimate Variable Costs
5 - Plan for One-Time Expenses
6 - Calculate Working Capital
7 - Assemble the Budget
8 - Review and Adjust
9 - Monitor & Adjust

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Justine shares her experiences and insights from selling her small business, a successful bookkeeping business.

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/505-justine-lackey-selling-her-business/

Justine Lackey is back on the show to share her experiences from selling her successful small business, and how she is currently helping people run and scale their own bookkeeping firms.

Justine Lackey founded one of the very first virtual bookkeeping companies in all of America, Good Cents Management. Over fifteen years she grew her firm from a one woman show to a multi-six figure, multi-state firm which she sold in 2023.

The freedom of owning her own company allowed Justine to raise her three children while never missing a school play or scrambling to find childcare on a snow day. One of proudest accomplishments though was creating an all-mom team - and giving her employees the freedom to build their job around their lives, and not their lives around their jobs.

Today, Justine teaches bookkeepers (especially moms) how to run wildly efficient, highly profitable bookkeeping businesses while staying sane and having fun.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com