What’s In This Episode:

In this continuing series about business decisions, Brad wonders if sometimes he makes his decisions a little too quickly. Jill admits that while she listens to her gut, she also reaches out to members of her team and the Founding Moms Community to get feedback on what she should do. If you've got a community, don't hesitate to ask for their opinions.

Kim O'Hara, an intuitive book coach at A Story Inside, calls in to discuss her dilemma. She coaches clients through an 18-week program to help them find their voice and make their books stronger. She also holds workshops, which people love, but she struggles to get people to enroll. Does she quit doing workshops, even though she loves leading them and she feels called to do it? She wants to double her client load in the coming year, and she's tried everything she can think of to get people to come to the writing workshops - Facebook ads, email campaigns - but it doesn't seem to be working.

Jill suggests that Kim axes the workshops for now; she's obviously more successful in her 18-week program and she should focus on that to get more clients. Brad, however, suggests that she shifts her workshops from in-person to virtual. They then propose that she go on the speaker circuit and get the best of both worlds or film one of her workshops to demonstrate her expertise and get people to see the value.

"Don't make a decision and then starve it for what it needs to be successful." - Brad

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 things to do AFTER you make a business decision:

• Commit to it and communicate it to your team.
• Make a plan to ensure your decision's success.
• Monitor progress and use data to see if your decision is going the way you thought it would.
• Occasionally, revisit your decision if your data is leading you in a different direction.
• And don't forget to do this...

Want to know what it is? Listen in!»

Guest:

• Kim O'Hara is the founder of A Story Inside. An intuitive book coach, Kim believes that words can change everything.

What’s In This Episode:

What's the weirdest thing you've ever done to arrive at a business decision? Both Jill and Brad have flipped a coin and consulted a magic eight ball.

"Storytelling is where values are communicated." - Brad

Dr. Laura Mraz, founder of Eyas Landing and Blue Bird Day, calls in to ask how she maintains her company culture while she's growing so rapidly. What started as Eyas Landing, a pediatric services clinic with 4-5 employees has grown into a separate school called Blue Bird Day, and now there are 120 employees between the two. She often hears her employees say, "I wish it was like it was before," and gives examples of how she used to hold weekly staff meetings or have therapists train directly under her. But with the rapid growth, those things just aren't possible anymore.

Brad suggests crafting a purpose statement that very clearly states the values of the company. Furthermore, he suggests that she (along with a core team of people) think of stories that demonstrate those company values that she can share with everyone in the company. Jill adds that it sounds like Laura's employees are looking for connection, and that might mean having smaller groups of employees convene for meetings to get feedback.

"I'm always right." - Jill

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 ways to make a business decision:

• Just try it already. It will help you make an informed decision.
• Ask everyone you know. Ask everyone you don't know.
• Put it in a form where you can get more in-depth answers.
• Personally message people on your social media channels when you're looking for very honest feedback.
• And this is the thing Jill swears by...

Want to know what it is? Listen in!»

Guest:

• Dr. Laura Mraz is the founder of Eyas Landing, a leading pediatric therapy clinic specializing in Sensory Integration, Early Intervention and relationship-based therapy, and Blue Bird Day,  a preschool and kindergarten designed to foster socialization, sensory regulation and academic learning in children ages 2-9.

What’s In This Episode:

Have you ever thought about how you make decisions? What is your process for making a business decision? Jill listens to her gut. If you don't have a process, can you improve? Jill throws things at the wall and sees what sticks or doesn't stick, and bases her decision and her feelings on that.

"Hone the gut. Fine tune the feeling." - Jill

Then Jill and Brad hear back from a former guest, Nedra Rezinas, who weighs in on a previous episode. She took maternity leave and relied on her colleagues to cover her clients, and it worked out great for her. A lot of the time, business owners are afraid to take time off because they think something will go wrong; it's very much a control issue. But taking time off helps you be a better business owner. So if you're afraid of taking time off, don't be - it'll work out!

"By reaching out to the experts, they may give me some things to consider that  I haven't thought about." - Brad

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 things to do before you make a business decision:

• Data is your friend. Collect it.
• Get feedback and opinions. People may see things differently than you do. If your business decision affects other people, if you know how they feel about it, you can use that information to convince them.
• Where might the decision go wrong? Think about that, and then set up experiments to test it.
• Reach out to the experts. Has someone done what you're trying to do? What's their advice?
• And the number one thing Brad does after he's done all those other steps? Jill's amazed.

What’s In This Episode:

As business owners, there's one overarching thing we have to do: we have to make decisions. Big or small, there is seemingly no end to the things we have to make a call on (that's why Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs famously wore the same thing every day, so they could avoid having to decide what to wear). Sometimes, it's just exhausting.

"One of the rules that I recommend is that no one can work for the family until they've worked for someone else for a few years." - Brad

Former trapeze artist Hannah Sullivan and her wife Jade call into the podcast to discuss one big problem: working with family at their company, Pogo Insurance. Hannah's dad, their boss, is your typical alpha male and constantly wants to be the hero. Some of Hannah's siblings, who also work for the company,  don't do their fair share of work. Overall, the ladies just want to be taken seriously.

Brad says that one solution is to have regular family meetings. Establish ground rules and talk about what's going well (and not so well).  If they can separate out and have Hannah's dad as a mentor or advisor, that might be the best case scenario. If not, the other solution is to work someplace else.

"You can't value other people more than you value your own services." - Jill

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 worst business decisions they've made:

• Signing a contract without reading it.
• If you're going to put on an event, make sure you promote it.
• Not charging for speaking or consulting.
• Scaling the business too quickly.
• And please, please, please, don't do this...

Want to know what it is? Listen in!»

Sponsor:

• This episode is sponsored by Warby Parker. Buying glasses can be expensive, annoying, and overwhelming. Warby Parker cuts out the middleman by providing high-quality eyewear at a fraction of the cost - and for every pair you buy, they give away a pair to someone who can't afford them.  How can you try glasses out online? Check out their Home Try-On Program for free and get started to find your perfect pair of glasses.

Guests:

• Hannah and Jade Sullivan are the co-founders of Pogo Insurance, an online platform that offers commercial insurance policies for freelancers, consultants and others who are self-employed.