Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | Leadership (business)
Top 5 Ways To Tell It's Time To Fire An Employee w/ Susan Solomon and Christina Papale

What’s In This Episode:

Was there ever a time in your life where it took you too long to let someone go? Maybe the employee who drank a lot of coffee and did very little rings a bell. Perhaps it was the intern who took up all of your time and left you with nothing. Or the colleague who left...and left you high and dry. Why did you wait so long to let them go? Jill and Brad talk about how long they've waited -- including recent experiences (even after years of running businesses) -- and what they wished that they'd done differently. That's why they talk about the Top 5 Ways To Tell It's Time To Fire An Employee in this episode and they welcome branding experts Susan Solomon and Christina Papale to the show. Listen in! »

Guest:

Susan Solomon and Christina Papale are the co-founders of Drive-Thru Branding where they know that time and money are in short supply so they help businesses drive in a company and drive out a brand in 10 days. Find them on Twitter and Instagram.
Story:

Instead of a rant this week, Jill shares a traumatic experience that she had earlier in the week and how the perspective it offered was literally life-changing.

Direct download: Breaking20Down20Your20Business20EP20165.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

Top 5 Pitch Secrets w/ Janet Kraus

What’s In This Episode:

Have you ever received a great pitch? If you're nodding your head while reading this, what planet are you living on? Brad and Jill would like to meet you there. The co-hosts talk about why they're not getting great pitches, how people who write requests (of any kind) could do a whole lot better, and as per usual, there's as much shouting as there is complaining. Wanna avoid sending terrible pitches? Tune in to find out their Top 5 Pitch Secrets in this episode and hear all about the radical shift happening in the lingerie industry from guest and Peach CEO, Janet Kraus. Listen in! »


Guest:

  • Janet Kraus is the co-founder and CEO of Peach where she's inspiring women to feel beYOUtiful every day with a fresh approach to lingerie & basics. Find her on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.

Rant:

  • Brad tells a true story about a week in the life of his clients and wants you to know that STUFF HAPPENS. Read no more: You gotta tune in for this one.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_Ep_164.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

Top 5 Secrets To Making Progress On Your Goals (Even In The Summer) w/ Jason Blumer

What’s In This Episode:

Is summer a slower time in your business? If so, do you give in or fight the slow summer crawl like crazy? Every year, Jill pretends that she's gonna get through alllllll the work that she needs to catch up on and never does. Brad doesn't experience quiet until August but he's learned to stop fighting the fight and shut his technology off. Just hearing the co-hosts discuss how they work during the summer might just be enough to inspire you to think about how you can do it differently, too. So, in this episode they share their Top 5 Secrets To Making Progress On Your Goals (Even In The Summer) and they welcome marketing accountant Jason Blumer to the show. Listen in! »


Guest:

Rant:

  • Will, a loyal listener and an engineer, emailed Jill & Brad about the fact that he needs to follow "best practices." Neither Brad nor Jill got very far into Will's email before they went OFF THE RAILS about said "best practices"...tune in to hear the glorious rant. (And thanks for the rant fodder, Will!)
Direct download: Jill_and_Brad_EP_163.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

Top 5 Things Everyone Else Is Doing Right And You Are Doing Wrong w/ Cody Lister

What’s In This Episode:

What's everyone else doing right that you're doing wrong? Do you think you might know? Do you feel like success is easy for everybody but you? Brad and Jill know that all the other business owners look like they're having an easier time than they are. And we've all seen it before: That Facebook post, or that press coverage, or that LinkedIn announcement that reveals the success of a colleague. You want to be happy for them. You know just how hard they've worked. And yet, you question yourself. What am I not doing right that they're doing right? Why are they getting the accolades that I deserve, too? In an effort to sort this out, the co-hosts talk about the Top 5 Things Everyone Else Is Doing Right And You Are Doing Wrong in this episode and they welcome content marketing expert Cody Lister to the show. Listen in! »


Guest:

  • Cody Lister is the founder of MarketDoc where he helps marketers, business owners, solopreneurs and bloggers get more customers from smarter content marketing with no-frills, step-by-step content marketing and content promotion strategies. Find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Sponsor:

  • Sage Summit 2016 – Join the world’s largest gathering of small and medium businesses in Chicago at McCormick Place on July 25-28 where business gets personal with celebrated speakers, business experts, tech innovations, mentor and peer networking, and off-the-chart experiences. You’ll get 3 days of learning, networking, and getting your hands on the latest technology available from over 150 vendors. There’ll be enlightening keynotes from A-list entrepreneurs and visionaries like Sir Richard Branson, Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoey Deschanel, and the stars of ABC’s Shark Tank! And it’ll all end with a fun beach concert featuring a Grammy-nominated band. Go to www.SageSummit.com and register to attend for $99 when you use code BDYB99 before July 22 to receive this special offer.

Tool:

  • Annotable :: It's Skitch reincarnated. It's a phone app that's the most full-featured all-in-one image annotation tool. Brad's LOVING it. He couldn't recommend it more highly.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_162.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

The Top 5 Spiritual Practices You Need To Survive Self-Employment w/ Matt "Handshakin" Holmes

What’s In This Episode:

How do you make everything in your business stop spinning? In the craziness of a work week -- let alone a work day -- how do you know what to tend to first? Or what needs to be tackled last? Or whether you should do one thing before the other? It can drive any business owner nuts. So Jill and Brad discuss the ways in which they avoid spinning out of control when they're working...and the way that Jill deals with it actually gets Brad to stop talking (albeit for .00023 seconds.) That's why they talk about the Top 5 Spiritual Practices You Need To Survive Self-Employment in this episode and they welcome Matt "Handshakin'" Holmes to the show. Listen in! »


Guest:

Sponsor:

  • Sage Summit 2016 – Join the world’s largest gathering of small and medium businesses in Chicago at McCormick Place on July 25-28 where business gets personal with celebrated speakers, business experts, tech innovations, mentor and peer networking, and off-the-chart experiences. You’ll get 3 days of learning, networking, and getting your hands on the latest technology available from over 150 vendors. There’ll be enlightening keynotes from A-list entrepreneurs and visionaries like Sir Richard Branson, Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoey Deschanel, and the stars of ABC’s Shark Tank! And it’ll all end with a fun beach concert featuring a Grammy-nominated band. Go to www.SageSummit.com and register to attend for $99 when you use code BDYB99 before July 22 to receive this special offer.

Rant:

  • Guys. You get what you pay for. So if it's valuable, you should pay for it. Brad and Jill go on...and on...and on...and on...and on...about the ways in which people refuse to pay for things in business and how it HARMS EVERYONE ELSE. You gotta tune in for this one. Be prepared to get riled up, too.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_161.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

Top 5 Ways To Bring More Value To Your Webinars

What’s In This Episode:

What's the worst webinar that you have ever attended? What made it so bad? Could be the slides. Or the monotonous tone of the person giving the webinar. Or the volume. Or the lack of value. Stop writing outlines and turning them into Powerpoints that only you understand. Stop sucking the energy out of your viewers. Respect your audience, offer great content, and do it your way...or Jill and Brad are gonna send you to the highway. That's why they talk about the Top 5 Ways To Bring More Value To Your Webinars in this episode and they welcome MotherG's Dave Davenport to the show. Listen in! »

Guest:

Dave Davenport is the founder of MotherG, an IT company that acts as your technology guardian to deliver secure and stable technology, problem-free. Find him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Sponsor:

Tool:

Brad experiences another Slack attack. Jill is convinced that Slack is unbelievably useful for your business. And Brad is not. (Shocker.) Find out why -- or why not -- Slack is fantastic, and CALL THE HOSTS to let them know your take. They need your help.

Direct download: Jill20and20Brad20EP20160.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

Top 5 Things You Should Have Started Doing A LONG Time Ago

What’s In This Episode:

Are there things you started doing a long time ago that have since accumulated a lot of value for your business? Say, starting a newsletter or a Twitter account or an event you host regularly? Jill and Brad dig into the things they thought were useless at the start but that have evolved into big wins for their companies. The changes have been huge but they wouldn't have thunk it without a little reflection and a lot of shouting. So it makes a lot of sense that they talk about the Top 5 Things You Should Have Started Doing A Long Time Ago in this episode and they welcome PartySlate's Julie Roth Novack to the show. Listen in! »

Guest:

Julie Roth Novack is the founder of PartySlate, a site that helps you find the inspiration and the pros to make your next event more meaningful and memorable. Find her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Fight:

Mailchimp vs. MadMimi = WHO WINS? Tune in to find out. (Spoiler alert: Jill says Jill does, Brad says Brad does. You decide.)

Direct download: Jill20and20Brad20EP20159.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

The Top 5 Ways To Get Value Out Of An Online Community (As A Member) w/ Candice Caruso

What’s In This Episode:

Have you ever been part of an online community that gave you a ton of value? Have you had a great experience growing your business through a group on Facebook or LinkedIn Google+ or, say, a Twitter conversation? Brad and Jill discuss the ways in which they've found quality help in different online communities and want you to find that kind of help, too. Some folks wonder if it has to do with the quality of the people who participate in it. Others wonder whether it has to do with the size of said communities. What's your take on what makes a good community? And where are you finding value right now? Tune in to hear their Top 5 Ways To Get Value Out Of An Online Community (As A Member) in this episode and they welcome Pango Financial's Candice Caruso to the show. Listen in! »


Guest:

  • Candice Caruso is the President of Pango Financial, a business that offers a full suite of innovative funding solutions can help your business get the jump-start it needs. Find her on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Tool:

  • Acorns :: This app lets you invest spare change from everyday purchases into a diversified portfolio. Jill is confident that you'll love saving without having to do anything. Brad thinks the app steals your money. YOU decide.
Direct download: Jill_and_Brad_EP_158.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Top 5 Tools For Getting Work Done ANYWHERE w/ Emily Lonigro Boylan | Ep. 157 | Small Business | Entrepreneur | Leadership

What’s In This Episode:

What are your kids doing for the summer? Headed to summer school? Going to camp? Traveling abroad? Running away with the circus? Brad and Jill discuss what their kids are doing for the summer -- and between the two of the co-hosts, that's 7 children -- so they've got plenty of ideas for you if you're still thinking about what to do with them. They also talk about the Top 5 Tools For Getting Work Done ANYWHERE in this episode and they welcome Lime Red Studio's Emily Lonigro Boylan to the show. Listen in! »


Guest:

  • Emily Lonigro Boylan is the founder of Lime Red Studio, a UX agency that creates user experiences and shapes campaigns that build social impact. Find her on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

5-Star Review:

  • JoyOfSolvingBoy left us an iTunes review! Be like JoyOfSolvingBoy over here! Jill and Brad read his kind words on the air and encourage you to do the same so we rave about you in the future, too.

Tool:

  • Marco Polo :: It's an app that helps you find your phone by shouting MARCO! Tune in to hear exactly how it works -- it's hilarious. You will fall in love. And you will get the app.
Direct download: Jill_and_Brad_EP_157.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What To Do On Your Summer Vacation w/ Matt Miller | Ep. 156 | Small Business | Entrepreneur | Leadership

What’s In This Episode:

So what are you doing this summer? Going far or staycationing it? Jill and Brad talk about camping, tech blackouts, and how they're going to spend the time off. It's nearly impossible for a small business owner to feel relaxed and comfortable about taking time away from the business, but it's important. And while entrepreneurs know that it's a necessity to take a breather, how long you can get away from your business and how much you can genuinely enjoy that break is different for everyone. So, tune in to find out What To Do On Your Summer Vacation in this episode and hear from School Spirit Vending's Matt Miller. Listen in! »

Guest:

  • Matt Miller is the founder of School Spirit Vending, a franchise business that provides a wide range of benefits to help school fundraising needs and helps professionals develop more freedom and security. Find him on LinkedIn and Google+

Tool:

  • ScannerPro :: This app allows you to scan paper documents (like receipts!) into PDFs that look clean and professional. Brad highly recommends you try this one out!
Direct download: Jill_and_Brad_EP_156.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT