What’s In This Episode:

As business owners, how do you get it all done?

"Musicians are not famous for their analytical spreadsheets." - Brad

IN-STUDIO (!!!!) guest and trumpet player Victor Garcia stops by and talks about being a musician and with it, being as organized as you can as well as how to figure out time-management (while still taking time for yourself).

But how do you put a price on what you offer? Jill and Brad discuss the perils of "exposure" and how to charge what you're worth.

"I remember certain things better when I'm constantly interrupted." - Jill

Brad frequently gets interrupted, and he loves when he can turn his phone off and not be bothered by anything. How do you manage interruptions and get things done? Jill and Brad talk about all the interruptions and notifications that go along with being in the modern world... and how time batching and blocking to get more done will help.

How do you feel about interruptions? 

This episode is sponsored by Spoka.com. Spoka Meet is a video conferencing tool perfect for small businesses for those who need to get more done with less. Anywhere you can find an internet or phone connection, you're simply able to meet. When your signal is spotty, Spoka's eco-mode fixes it like magic. You get unlimited meetings, unlimited recordings, and dial-in/dial-out capabilities for 45 countries all for $11.99/month! Try it for free for 30 days at Spoka.com.

Guest:

• Victor Garcia is a musician who is as versatile as he is creative. His trumpet talent heralds his international acclaim. He sings and plays percussion and bass and congas. His songwriting, arrangements, and charts have led him to professorial positions at Roosevelt University, Loyola University and the University of Illinois in Chicago. Visit his websiteor follow him on Instagram.

What’s In This Episode:

Today, Brad's not handing out money, but he and Jill are brainstorming ways to make business owners more of it.

"That's your moment to shine and tell them why you're more valuable." - Jill

Pat Porrey calls in to talk about hiring staff. The women who work for her are going from 1099 contractors to actual employees. As this happens, she's not able to compete well with other agencies in her area. So how can she handle it? It all comes down to mindset.

"Every deal that you don't close is a missed opportunity." - Brad

How many different ways can Jill and Brad think of for business owners to make more money?

• RAISE YOUR PRICES!
• Offer multiple price points.
• Customer retention
• Get creative in your offerings
• Close more deals - get better and sales
• ... and more

How can you make more money? 

This episode is sponsored by Spoka.com. Spoka Meet is a video conferencing tool perfect for small businesses for those who need to get more done with less. Anywhere you can find an internet or phone connection, you're simply able to meet. When your signal is spotty, Spoka's eco-mode fixes it like magic. You get unlimited meetings, unlimited recordings, and dial-in/dial-out capabilities for 45 countries all for $11.99/month! Try it for free for 30 days at Spoka.com.

What’s In This Episode:

Jill and Brad are in a new studio, and it's much cooler. In this episode, they're talking about strategic partnerships and what they actually mean.

"Figure out what's in it for them." - Brad

Relentlessly practical Randy Kirk calls in. He started a new business of mastermind groups, and it's been going well. But he's looking for referrals from group members, and it's not happening. So far he's been reminding them in a group, but not doing much else outside of it. Jill and Brad talk him through why that might be - and one of the reasons is that business owners are very future-oriented.

"Optimism is a beautiful thing at the beginning of a partnership." - Jill

Partnerships can be planned out with the best of intentions, but you really have to think about it. Try doing one thing instead of everything, because there are a million reasons your partnership might not work.

Are you thinking about growing a strategic partnership?

This episode is sponsored by Spoka.com. Spoka Meet is a video conferencing tool perfect for small businesses for those who need to get more done with less. Anywhere you can find an internet or phone connection, you're simply able to meet. When your signal is spotty, Spoka's eco-mode fixes it like magic. You get unlimited meetings, unlimited recordings, and dial-in/dial-out capabilities for 45 countries all for $11.99/month! Try it for free for 30 days at Spoka.com.

What’s In This Episode:

Jill's email list is prodigious. What's that like? She's always pleasantly surprised when people respond.

"It's scary but it focuses you like nothing else." - Brad

Gerald Jones calls in and tells Jill and Brad about his podcast, Buy Black | The Voice of Black Business. Through his podcast, he created a business coaching program and he wants to transition to doing that full time. The problem is, he's got a full-time job, a family, and a mortgage to pay. How can he do it? Jill and Brad offer some tips.

"Write the thing that you would love to get in your own inbox." - Jill

Brad recently changed the frequency of his email list and lost half of his subscribers but he feels good about it because the people who are there are super engaged. He and Jill talk about email tips and why you shouldn't be afraid to start your own email list.

Do you need tips on how to grow your email list? 

This episode is sponsored by Spoka.com. Spoka Meet is a video conferencing tool perfect for small businesses for those who need to get more done with less. Anywhere you can find an internet or phone connection, you're simply able to meet. When your signal is spotty, Spoka's eco-mode fixes it like magic. You get unlimited meetings, unlimited recordings, and dial-in/dial-out capabilities for 45 countries all for $11.99/month! Try it for free for 30 days at Spoka.com.

Guest:

• Gerald Jones is a veteran, consultant, and coach who has spent his life leading teams and empowering people. He specializes in helping business owners free themselves from self-employment and become the CEOs of DOPE BUSINESSES. He is passionate about service and teaching people to develop a servant leadership style. In everything he does, he believes in giving people the tools to bring their dreams to life and being there to help them overcome obstacles along the way. Listen to his podcastor visit his website.

What’s In This Episode:

Saul turns the tables on Jill and Brad.

"It's very dependent on the situation." - Jill

Saul wants to talk about virtual assistants and has the co-hosts (and those of us at home) do an Iron Triangle exercise. On each corner of the triangle, he has them write the words good, fast, or cheap, saying that they can only pick two of the three. He wants to know, when is it advantageous to do something that is cheap?

"What is the difference between hiring an employee vs. a non-employee? They're both people we need to manage." - Brad

Jill works with a lot of startup entrepreneurs and small businesses who don't have a budget for anything other than a cheaper option. Brad's chosen the cheap option twice: once when considering buying a desk from Ikea, and then when considering hiring a designer for an e-book he's writing. Jill lists examples of what's considered affordable, but Saul points out that affordable and cheap might be two different things.

Brad thinks that people need to manage the virtual assistant the same way you'd manage an employee. And the investment in the relationship is the same.

Looking at the other side of that, where did they spend a lot of money? And what did they regret more: When they went cheap or went more expensive?

What do you think? 

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Spoka.com. Spoka Meet is a video conferencing tool perfect for small businesses for those who need to get more done with less. Anywhere you can find an internet or phone connection, you're simply able to meet. When your signal is spotty, Spoka's eco-mode fixes it like magic. You get unlimited meetings, unlimited recordings, and dial-in/dial-out capabilities for 45 countries all for $11.99/month! Try it for free for 30 days at Spoka.com.