Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | Leadership

What’s In This Episode:

Brad started his business because he wanted to be free. He didn't want anyone telling him what to do! And then he sits down in front of his computer and thinks, "What should I do?" Sound familiar?

"I love that every day is different and that I choose priorities based on how I feel." - Jill

As business owners, you could have 1000 things to choose from, when really three of those things may help move your business forward. How do you choose? Jill goes with her gut. She loves that every day brings something new and that she can choose priorities based on what she's really invested in. Overall, her business is her priority and the work is never done because she's running a business.

Brad doesn't like that strategy because he feels like there's no way to know when you can stop something. But he often looks back at the end of the day and wonders what he got done.

"Should I spend time selling? Recruiting? Monitoring my team?" - Brad

So what's the best way to get things done? Setting priorities? Building systems? Seeing how you feel on any particular day? Do you need to delegate more or focus? Should you concentrate on the one area that makes you a lot of money? So many questions! Jill and Brad talk it through (and find a little help from Warren Buffett and the word "no").

Do you have a process for getting things done? How do you decide what to do next and choose what's right for your business? Let us know!

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_286.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? And how does it apply to business owners? Jill looks forward to the beginning of (vegan) egg-nog season, the Macy's Day Parade, cooking, spending time with family, and on and on.

Brad likes the family time and all, but he doesn't think that we'd ever practice gratefulness unless we carved out a day for it.

"It's a moment to remind us all to stop, eat too much food, and be grateful for what we have." - Jill

Jill's got a book coming out on November 24th called The Best Business Book In The World* (*according to my mom). She'll pretty much be working through the holiday (you can pre-order it here, or buy it on Amazon when it comes out). She's grateful to her team - she sometimes gets told she says "thank you" too much.

Brad's impressed with that because he's not as grateful for his crew as he should be. He's very future-oriented and it's hard for him to reflect on the past and the present. As a result, he tends to feel more isolated. He's already moved ahead when everyone else is finishing up the last thing.

"I think it's interesting that Americans have to stop and be forced to be grateful." - Brad

But taking the opportunity to pause and reflect on the fact that he never would have made it as far as he did without his team does soften things a little for him. Jill suggests that maybe they celebrate "giving thanks" one day a month as a way to instill the practice (and they wouldn't even have to eat turkey to do it.

What do you think? Would you celebrate "giving thanks" this way? Let us know!

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_285.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

If you're like Jill, you love marketing but hate sales. If you have brands you really love though, do you trust them? And when you notice they are selling to you, what's your reaction? Are they marketing well or poorly?

What's the difference? Brad thinks that when marketers are trying to convince you of something you don't really need or want, those are bad examples. But when you believe in what you sell, you want other people to believe in it with you. And when you're really good at marketing (like Apple), you can clearly craft an identity around your brand that makes people feel good.

 "Offer what they need, but at a higher price." - Brad

Rachael Kay Albers, founder of RKA Ink and host of Awkward Marketing, is going into her tenth year of business. She's looking to scale up and be more of the creative director for her business, but she has her hands in all aspects of everything. She needs to hire more people for her team, but she needs more money to do so. But to do the sales she needs to do, she needs to be doing less work.

RAISE YOUR PRICES, RACHAEL!

"Charge what you're worth." - Jill

So, do you sell products or experiences?

Guest:

  • Rachael Kay Albers is the founder and creative director of RKA ink. Her sweet spot is the space where business, marketing, and design meet. She is also the host of Awkward Marketing, which blends storytelling and comedy with marketing and business advice for entrepreneurs who want to build epic, unforgettable brands online.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_284.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

What do you do for bonuses in your business? It's the time of year when year-end bonuses become a focal point. Jill and Brad talk about that, and a listener question involves asking if you canbuy loyalty. (We're never going to escape this loyalty debate.)

"It's so exciting from an employee perspective but it's so burdening for a boss." - Jill

There's so much anxiety surrounding bonuses, especially when employee and employer expectations don't match. But Brad believes there's no reason to start giving bonuses. Gifts are good when warranted, but he thinks that some employers think they are buying loyalty by giving out bonuses.

"A bonus means you're giving something unexpected." - Brad

But bonuses can be given for performance. A general bonus rewards the lowest paid employee more than the highest paid employee. A lot of employers fall into the trap of treating everyone equally like you'd want to treat your own family, and Brad wholeheartedly disagrees with that. But introducing that doesn't allow for any accountability.

When bonuses are given for performance, however, it bridges the gap for an employee who works for a small business and shares the risk of getting (or not getting) that extra perk. If you're going to give out a surprise bonus, Brad advises that you don't do it in December because there's more expectation that time of year. Make the bonuses proportional.

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_283.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

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