What’s In This Episode:

How many businesses are too many? Have you ever thought to yourself, "How many businesses can I run at once?" If you have, listen in!

Pop culture references Jill makes during this episode that may or may not have anything to do with the episode: Sarah Koenig, Jeff Bezos, Julia Child, and Beyonce.

Sometimes people run more than one business simply because they think they can handle it. Sometimes they get bored with the one business that they run, not realizing that the "boring" business is the one that actually makes them money. And the more you do it, the better you get at it, the more money you make, and making money is fun!

Neither Jill nor Brad thinks running more than one business at a time is a great idea, but it took personal experience for them to learn. Jill used to have the perspective that, if the businesses enhance each other, why wouldn't you run them simultaneously? Brad now thinks that a business owner lacks confidence because they don't think they can profit off of just one main business.

"When you figure out you're talking to a different audience, kill the idea. It's not working." - Brad

If you have product lines and they're all to the same audience, then it's possible that everything contributes to one focus. And it may take some time to realize that you're actually not focusing on one audience, no matter what you think. Jill experienced that when she offered Founding Kits for The Founding Moms, a product-based offering that ultimately failed.

Brad has run three businesses all at once, and it didn't work out for him. He kept trying to revise and rework his projects to make them fit, and it just didn't. But he had spent so much time and money, he was unwilling to let it go. Sometimes, you just need to.

What’s In This Episode:

What do you do when your team member quits? That's the topic of discussion today. Plus, Jill and Brad get the best review ever.

It sucks when you do all the work to hire someone, then train them, and then they quit. Then you have to do their job in the interim, not to mention the morale dip. But there are also upsides.

The biggest advantage of having people quit is that it forces you to have systems. When people quit, it's an opportunity for new ideas. Sometimes you can find someone even better. And in terms of cost, turnover gives you an opportunity to reset salaries to the market.

 "You're already making your marketing easier by specializing." - Brad

Zach Ventresca is an Army veteran and serial entrepreneur. He's having difficulty scaling his newest company, Command SEO, because it's a very saturated market. Brad suggests that he tailors the SEO company to serve lead generation needs of the target market of his other company, which deals with window-washing and power-washing. Once that gets going, get into other niche markets.

"Write down the process you use and create a playbook for your role in this company." - Jill

If you want to explore employee turnover, check out this postthat Brad was inspired by.

Do you have systems for when people quit?  

Guest:

• After a full and decorated career as a leader in the US Army, Zach Ventrescabegan a second career as an entrepreneur. Beginning with a small government contracting company and later purchasing a residential and commercial cleaning company, he entered the world of digital marketing out of his own frustration with achieving his marketing goals. Zach’s vision has brought together leaders in all aspects of digital marketing in order to provide a comprehensive solution to Command Placement’sclients. This ensures that businesses achieve their full potential even in the middle of this digital jungle, and allows business owners the freedom to focus on what they do best.

What’s In This Episode:

Have you ever hired someone that wasn't so great? Jill and Brad talk about the reason why you can't fix your team.

"You need to be more specific. You have to give measurements. You have to talk about what you're willing to tolerate and what you're not." - Brad

Business owners always want to task Brad with fixing their team. Maybe they thought they've hired the wrong people, or that those people are too inexperienced or incompetent. But Brad thinks that maybe it's not all those employees who are at fault. After all, the boss is the one who's leading and managing. The person in charge is the one who should be setting up systems.

But the team that you have is fully curated by you. If you need something to change, start by looking in the mirror, he says. And if you don't know how to build the systems that will help your team, you can always hire someone to help you do that.

"You are an expert because you run your business." - Jill

Saul asks listener questions. Q: "How do you convince people that you are an expert?"

Brad:Telling people you're an expert makes them think you're not. So instead of telling people, we have to show them - ideally, by showing that you understand how to solve a real problem.

Jill:You can show people all the time, but you have to also convince yourself. You have to tell yourself, "I'm an expert."

Q: "What are some habits of yours that have been amplified by tech?"

Brad:I used to answer emails right away all the time and I had to change the habit because it was out of control. Social media has amplified our time wasting. But there are certain apps that are so good you don't even notice: 1Password, Zapier...

Jill:I've gone through so many apps and I've had a lot of bad systems. But when it comes to my newsletter database, the technology has made my life so simple and easy.

Do you have questions about fixing your team? Let us know!

What’s In This Episode:

On this episode, Jill and Brad talk about VAs, contractors, employees and how to hire.

"If you're doing so many things and you're doing it after so many years, why on earth would you hand it to someone else?" - Jill

When Jill first started the Founding Moms Community, she did everything herself. She ran the online platform and the offline meetups. Was it hard to make the decision to get help? Jill says it's nearly impossible. She finally decided to hire out when certain processes became too overwhelming.

Brad decided to hire out for his company, Anchor Advisors, when he realized that by doing so he could make more money. He was spending 8 hours a week scheduling appointments and he realized he could just hire someone to do that for him. People may not be able to do the job 100% as well as you can, but it's worth it to save yourself some time and sanity.

"If they can do the job 80% as well for 20% of the cost, it's a no-brainer." - Brad

A lot of business owners, having decided they need help, feel like failures. But the opposite is actually true! If you're getting close to making the decision to hire, what do you do? Jill usually goes to a community of people and asks if anyone knows anyone. For her most recent hire, she started thinking about contractors and virtual assistants. She's got two VAs now, and life is so much better!

Brad offers recruiting as a service, and he hired someone who's just a recruiter. It's a major difference than having someone who's a business advisor fill the role of recruiter. This person in the position is in her element, and she has so many great insights which has been helpful to Brad and his business.

Do you have questions about hiring? Let us know!

What’s In This Episode:

What causes sales? And how do you get new clients? Jill sends lots of emails or schedules events to build momentum. Both she and Brad like to announce things first - if they announce an event, they're more likely to commit to it. She'll also reach out to PR and press people to get coverage.

Brad suggests using referral partners or reaching out to past clients to build case studies.

 "What are they thinking before they sign up? What is the problem that they're having that makes them think, 'I need someone to help me with this?'" - Brad

Ari Meisel helps successful people become more successful and productive. He started his company, Less Doing, about seven years ago, and three years ago, he sidetracked and built a VA company called Leverage. About 9 months ago, he left Leverage and is in the process of rebooting Less Doing and honing in on what the brand offers. He's built the business through client referrals as well as through his book and his podcast, but it's all been very passive. Now he wants to scale lead generation, but he's not sure who his target is.

Jill suggests repurposing the content he already has and to be more direct. Better calls to action that are emotionally based will help to convert people, Brad says.

"My target market is not at all me." - Jill

Brad's got a four-step plan to help service-based businesses get new clients.

1. Demonstrate expertise to your target market.
2. Invite people to raise their hand.
3. You've got to follow up.
4. Close the deal.

Do you have trouble getting new clients? 

Guest:

• Ari Meiselis a best-selling author, productivity expert, CEO, real estate developer, green building consultant, and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business. Several years ago, Ari encountered and ultimately overcame severe personal roadblocks and that journey transformed his life. His discoveries about personal and professional productivity have improved the lives of thousands of individuals and businesses. His proprietary process, the Less Doing System, is the foundation of his company Less Doingwhich offers individuals and enterprises road-tested methods to optimize, automate, and outsource everything. The goal is to learn how to work smarter, instead of harder.

What’s In This Episode:

"How much does it cost to work with you?" is a question Brad hears a lot. Jill and Brad discuss this and why you can't have just one price (and what to do instead) on this episode.

"I bought a book for $200." - Brad

Brad discusses a mysterious book which he purchased for $200. Think that's crazy? Because of it, he made $60K. Is it still crazy, or a great investment? When you give people price options, you'd be surprised at how many will choose the highest option because of the value they get from it. Listening and understanding what the customer needs allows you to create options that actually work for them. And when you create a connection with your customers, it pays off in the long run.

"You are taking the time to learn me, to get to know me." - Jill

Do you have questions about pricing or do you think Brad is insane? Let us know! 

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Netblaze, LLC. Do you need help with your digital marketing? If you want to get more customers from the internet but don't know who to trust or what to do, check out Netblaze - a digital CMO for your company. Netblaze watches over your entire online presence, detects any issues you're having, and displays content on how to get rid of those issues fast. Breaking Down Your Business listeners can try it for FREE.

What’s In This Episode:

Jill is hiring! What's your top-notch process for hiring the best people? Jill and Brad talk about how to hire the best people (and why it's hard) in this episode.

"Good hiring is hard. Bad hiring is easy." - Brad

The Founding Moms is looking for a Host Director to facilitate all the host meetings and coordinate all the offline community. Jill knows what a successful person in this role would look like, but may need some help in setting up the systems for the position. They talk about ways to make the hiring process easier, including casting a wider net of applicants, asking the same questions, and tips for screening your interviewees.

How do you make decisions when hiring? If you have questions about hiring, let us know! 

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Netblaze, LLC. Do you need help with your digital marketing? If you want to get more customers from the internet but don't know who to trust or what to do, check out Netblaze - a digital CMO for your company. Netblaze watches over your entire online presence, detects any issues you're having, and displays content on how to get rid of those issues fast. Breaking Down Your Business listeners can try it for FREE.

What’s In This Episode:

Does public speaking terrify you? Jill learned to speak in public thanks to the Wizard of Oz. But she's relatively comfortable in front of a crowd. Brad was in speech and debate in high school and had a lot of practice. It's important to remember that professionals don't "wing it" even though it looks like that. When someone's good at speaking, it's because they've practiced like crazy.

 "If you're not scared, you're not taking it seriously. The stakes aren't high enough." - Brad

Stylist Suze Solari helps people change the world one outfit at a time. She helps people evaluate what pieces of clothing actually serve them. She has a speaking opportunity and wants to maximize it, but needs a better call-to-action to get people to sign up for her newsletter. Jill and Brad advise her to think about her ideal client and the benefit they'll get and the CTA will write itself.

"I practice a lot with the audience in mind." - Jill

How do you feel about public speaking? Do you have any tips? 

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Netblaze, LLC. Do you need help with your digital marketing? If you want to get more customers from the internet but don't know who to trust or what to do, check out Netblaze - a digital CMO for your company. Netblaze watches over your entire online presence, detects any issues you're having, and displays content on how to get rid of those issues fast. Breaking Down Your Business listeners can try it for FREE.

What’s In This Episode:

Why do you subscribe to an email list? What makes you stay? Jill and Brad let you in on a little secret to a highly engaged email list.

 "I don't love email, but I enjoy really good email lists." - Jill

Recommendations are HUGE when it comes to subscribing to an email list, and Jill will often sign up if she's heard a particular email list is awesome. Of course, sometimes she subscribes because of the freebie she'll get by doing so (with plans to unsubscribe later).

Brad might hear someone on a podcast and want to know more so he'll subscribe to hear more from that person.

But then, why stay? There are so many emails out there that are bad, that if they're actually good, it's GREAT. Jill says she looks forward to the content and she learns from them - how to write better herself. (Check out Betches.)

"Know your audience really well." - Brad

Brad's a fan of Verne Harnish because he curates a really good list of resources and respects people's time. He thinks the personal connection is important.

When Jill decided to write a daily newsletter, she was terrified. She was worried everyone would unsubscribe (they didn't). By doing so, she learned what worked. And people respond way more now than they did when she was sending out an email every two weeks.

What email lists are your favorite and why? Let us know! Listen in!»

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Netblaze, LLC. Do you need help with your digital marketing? If you want to get more customers from the internet but don't know who to trust or what to do, check out Netblaze - a digital CMO for your company. Netblaze watches over your entire online presence, detects any issues you're having, and displays content on how to get rid of those issues fast. Breaking Down Your Business listeners can try it for FREE.

What’s In This Episode:

Is being an "idea person" a good thing? Saul has some listener questions.

Jill says that being an idea person is always talked about as if it's a real negative thing. But she LOVES IT. Brad has a list of ideas, but finds them hard to choose or sort it out. But Jill says that those sorts of decisions just come with experience.

 "If you have lots of ideas, it's not because you're distracted and can't pick one. You just have a good idea!" - Jill

Listener question from Sam:"When you're in a rut, what do you do to get yourself out of that rut?"

Jill: I go and talk to people; I get motivation from them.

Brad: I go out into nature with electronics off. It's like a hard reboot for my brain.

Saul's question: "When you have ideas, how do you ensure that they're not forgotten or lost?"

Jill:EVERNOTE! Or for those less technologically inclined, just write it down.

Brad: I don't feel like I have to capture every idea.

"If it's a really good idea, it'll come back." - Brad