Small Business Show

Shannon and Dave talk through the benefits of having someone unrelated to your business act as a sounding board. Almost like creating your own, mini Board of Directors, it’s valuable to have a trusted confidant or two who can give you honest advice, even if it’s from outside your business, looking in. Then it’s on to social media. Dave and Shannon discuss the merits of being yourself, what not to post and the value of paid Facebook promotions. The post Outside Advice for your Small Business and Social Media Tips appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Marilyn Weinstein, founder and CEO of Vivo, says “When you’re the owner, you don’t have the confidence that somebody else’s money gives you.” One trick is building a small business management team so that you’re the “other person” with the money, and delegating those decisions to someone else. Having a partner can mitigate that from day one, so long as you start your partnership correctly. Listen to Marilyn’s lessons and anecdotes on all of this … and more! The post Small Business Management Tips from Marilyn Weinstein, Vivo CEO appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Brian Friss joins us today on the Small Business Show. Brian co-founded DIGISTOR back in 2001 and one of the first things he did was to throw away the business plan he had. Instead he followed and guided his business through an evolution reflective of his marketplace, even changing his core products as necessary throughout time. Still, a chunk of business relies on optical storage, a product that has been “obsolete for seven years.” He is proof that serving a niche can be very profitable, but you need to pay attention to where you need to go next. The biggest lesson: avoid fear-based decisions. Easier said than done! The post Business advice from Brian Friss of Digistor on the Small Business Show appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Kyle Baccus, founder of KC Tool, America’s number one German tool distributor joins Shannon and Dave on the podcast today to talk about how he started his business. He talks through a number of things he’s learned, including how it pays off to be thoughtful before you start, considering how being in a small niche and having the best products can lead you down the path of becoming number one. Stuff mentioned: Rich Dad Poor Dad The post KC Tool Business Interview – Finding your niche and being number one. appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

A good chunk of Shannon’s business revolves around selling in various marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. As such, he’s learned a few tricks over the years that can help anyone selling in these marketplaces, large and small. Learn why it might be good to diversify your public brand in each marketplace; learn why it’s good to get started right away (even before you’re ready); and learn to think like an algorithm, because algorithms control your destiny! The post Marketplaces Require More Management Than Your Own Store appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt.com joins Shannon and Dave today to talk about how solving his own problem of repricing the items he was selling on Amazon led to quitting his day job and solving the same problem for others. Doug talks a lot about maintaining the work/life balance and ensuring he always reaps the benefits of flexibility associated with being an entrepreneur. Dave and Shannon learned some valuable lessons from Doug, and you will, too! The post Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt Talks Business … and Life appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave intentionally run with no agenda today and the result is them discussing the intangible benefits of running a small business. Some of the best benefits don’t appear on your profit and loss statement, at least not in an obvious way. Opportunities like travel, attending special events, writing off the purchase of your next iPhone and more are some of your hosts favorites, many of which are actually quite tangible! Listen today to learn about these and more. The post “My Life Is Tax Deductible” & Other Intangible Benefits of Running a Small Business appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

What small business shopping cart is right for you? What type of business insurance do you need? Learn this and more on the Small Business Show today. Plus Shannon Jean & Dave Hamilton, your two small business advisors & hosts, talk about their most productive times of the day. Stuff mentioned: Squarespace Weebly Tim Cox from ZingPR X-Cart OpenCart Minimum Viable Product Sunk Costs Inland Marine Insurance SBA – Insurance The post Shopping Carts & Insurance appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Tim Cox from ZingPR joins Shannon and Dave today to talk about what it’s like to tell other people’s stories while still making sure to tell his own. That, plus what it’s like taking over a business from one’s spouse! All of this and more in today’s Small Business Show! The post Tim Cox from ZingPR – Helping Everyone Find Their Voice appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Every business will encounter “disaster” scenarios. The real question is about how you, the business owner, handles them? Shannon and Dave have been through them and talk through some of their favorites, using war stories as a basis for sharing the lessons they’ve learned. Communication is the key to solving problems… and about learning to solve them! The post Disaster Strikes! What Do You Do? appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Listener Stephan asks which accounting package is right. Shannon and Dave talk about why double-entry accounting isn’t scary (and explain what it is!), and discuss Account Edge, QuickBooks, Freshbooks and more for you. The post Choosing The Right Accounting Software appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Formal agreements are helpful in that they allow you to document your ideas, goals and parameters at a moment in time. What gets interesting is when one of the parties either interprets it differently from the others or wants to change it entirely. This can be a good time for everyone involved to reflect upon the agreement and redraw it… or it can be a way to lose focus on what you’re actually doing together. Listen to Shannon help Dave through a real-world example of this in today’s show. The post Contracts are a Fickle, Necessary Beast appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Shannon and Dave let loose on their favorite pricing secrets, and then let loose on customers who don’t want to follow them (except they really do!). You might agree or disagree with what your two favorite business geeks have to say, but you’ll definitely want to listen! The post Pricing: When The Customer Is Rarely Right – Small Business Show 25 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Business banker Paul Knowlton joins Shannon and Dave today to talk business banking, including how relationship transparency is important… as well as the Beer Test. Learn why it’s important to create a paper trail for your business early on, and learn how to be realistic when heading in to talk to your banker! The post Business Banking with Paul Knowlton – Small Business Show 24 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Delegation is probably the most important thing you need to do in order to grow your business. Problem is, it doesn’t come naturally to most anyone who has what it takes to start a business. With that in mind, Shannon and Dave talk through their experiences (successes … and failures!) with delegation, and Shannon explains just how important it is to create an org chart. The post The Delegation Episode – Small Business Show 23 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Mike DeGoey originally bought Mendocino Glove through business broker, BizBen.com. Since then, though, he’s really made the business his own, and now is going through a rebranding process to call it Workman Glove and Safety, better reflecting what his business does now. We learned some great things from Mike, including that we all need to learn what our business is: Solve people’s problems, don’t just sell them something. That, plus Mike’s awesome return policy, is why he’s a success! The post Embracing Change and Balancing Risk with Mike DeGoey – DBA Small Business Show 22 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Digging into the mailbag this week, Shannon and Dave answer YOUR questions. How best do you handle cold-calling? Is that a necessary part of growing one’s business? And then it’s on to what to look out for when heading into a joint venture. Do you need an attorney and what other steps should you take? Shannon and Dave share their stories and answer these questions and more! The post Listener Questions: Making Cold Calls & Joint Ventures – DBA Small Business Show 21 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Jon Barretto at FullyLaced.com joins Shannon and Dave today to tell all his stories and share his secrets to success. Learn just how far the skill of building relationships can take you… and learn when to stash your cash! You can learn more about Jon and follow FullyLaced on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, too. The post Jon Barretto from Fully Laced, Building Relationships & Stashing Your Cash – DBA Small Business Show 20 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Three very difficult — and unnatural — tasks for any small business owner involve the hiring, firing and wage-setting for employees. Shannon and Dave talk through their experiences they’ve encountered going through all of this. Hear about the pitfalls and, yes, even some success stories they’ve had, too. Even more important, though, are YOUR stories. Send ’em in to [email protected] and we’ll share! The post Hiring, Firing and Salaries – DBA Small Business Show 19 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

RJ Waldron from Northwind Outfitters joins Shannon and Dave tonight to talk about his fishing and hunting guide business. As always, the conversation turns to the little things that matter, and RJ delivers with some great stories about customer service trumping all. Well, that and Quicken. Listen for details and enjoy! If you have questions or tips, send ’em in to [email protected]. The post Running Out of Gas is The Best Way to Start a Business – DBA Small Business Show 18 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.