AmiSights: Financing the Future For Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

In this weeks edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Jim Jacobs, CEO and Founder of Focus Insite, a nationwide market research firm. He explains how making a business plan and starting right away is the best path for entrepreneurs rather than waiting for the perfect conditions.

"You're gonna do half the revenue, and your expenses are going to be three times what you project on any spreadsheet, right? It just happens. But you have to be in the game and you have to swing the bat," he says.

In this episode we will hear about how Jim's business exploded during the pandemic because he pivoted from being a local recruiter to a nationwide recruiter. Jim share how working as a sportscaster helped him learn how to ask the hard questions. We will also hear about what happened when Jim went head-to-head at a town hall with Bernie Sanders to advocate for small businesses.

Connect with Jim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimfjacobs/

Check out Focus Insite: https://focusinsite.com/

Recorded on 11/14/23

In today's podcast, we talk to Ben Herman, co-founder and CEO of Mad Fish Digital, a digital marketing agency and certified B Corporation with its roots in Portland, Oregon. He explains how watching the stress of having investors at his previous company made him take slow and deliberate growth in his own company.

"It's my wife's and my company, and that feels really good," he said. "It feels like we can make decisions for ourselves and we can make mistakes for ourselves and learn from them and not have a group of people that can take it away tomorrow or have to make a decision that might not be beneficial to the company."

The main topics of today's episode will be how working remotely expanded Ben's talent pool across the country and world, not just locally. We will also discuss the importance of taking care of your current client base while growing new business. We will also learn why innovation, rather than competition, keeps Ben up at night.

Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benherman1/

Check out Mad Fish Digital: https://www.madfishdigital.com/

Recorded on 11/13/23

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Keith Roberts, a transformational speaker, expert on leadership, and founder of the OAKJournal. He explains his journey to becoming a bodhisattva – a Buddhist whose purpose in life is to help others reach nirvana or enlightenment.

"It is my goal in this life; I wouldn't say I've reached that yet," he said. "It really aligns with much more with what I do today than the two decades I spent building websites for airlines and bands and things like that."

The main topics of today's episode will be how finding happiness and reaching your full potential are attainable, no matter your profession or background. Keith will tell us how he built a robust reputation as a speaker during the COVID shutdown when he took on any and all virtual speaking assignments. He will also go into explaining how it has been much easier for him to be self-employed than to lead a team of employees.

Connect with Keith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenman/ Check out the OAKJournal Method: https://keithrobertsiii.com/blog/the-oak-journal-method Recorded on 11/1/23

In today's podcast, we talk to Ryan Tansom, founder of Arkona, and the Intentional Growth™ Framework, which helps owners view and run their company like a financial asset through educational training and fractional CFO services. He developed the program after selling his family business with the goal of helping others avoid the same mistakes he made.

"I think the blind trust, we can't do that anymore," he said. "Because you have situations like myself that you get into when you think everybody's looking out for you, but you realize they don't get paid to look out for you."

The main topics of today's episode will be how owners should understand their business through the lens of finance so they can get what they want from their financing partners. We will also talk about how understanding your company's valuation – every month – sets a framework for decision-making and why revenue isn't the only factor to measure your company's success or growth.

Connect with Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-tansom-4a440710/

Check out Arkona: https://arkona.io/

Follow Ryan on X: https://twitter.com/RyanTansom

Recorded on 10/16/23

In today's podcast, we talk to Len Bruskiewitz, owner of FocalPoint, where he helps small businesses, owners and entrepreneurs be more successful by coaching them to optimize their four key levers in their lives and companies – time, money, team and strategy.

"I think one of the biggest things that small business owners don't realize is that you can't wake up one day and decide to sell your business the next. The guidance that I talk to is for at least 2–3 years... You've got to think about this before you do it. It's not something you can just snap your fingers and have a saleable business."

The main topics of today's episode will be how timing and planning are key pieces to a successful transition plan and how coaching is more about personal connection than the system or modules. Len will also tell about the Four Critical Areas of Business: Time, Team, Money and Future. Connect with Len: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lbruski/

Check Out FocalPoint: https://www.focalpointcoaching.com/

Recorded on 10/10/23

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Jeff Silbert, co-founder and president of Silbert Partners, which operates 10 locations of Hand & Stone Massage, and Facial Spa and Moxie Salon and Beauty Bar. He explains how he prefers franchising to starting a business from scratch.

"Actually, franchising was new to me. It works out well because I like getting in kind of early, but I don't like being the first," he said. "So, this kind of works well with the way my head works and the way I think about things—getting in pretty early and figuring out how to scale it. But not doing it from day one. I'm kinda like day two, I guess you'd call it."

The main topics of today's episode will be how having a membership model kept his massage and facial business going through the early stages of the pandemic and how building relationships with staff results in loyalty and low turnover. Jeff will also tell us how he financed himself over the years with a combination of debt and self-funding.

Connect with Jeff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silbert/ Recorded on 10/6/23

In today's podcast, Lynn talks to Cassandra Bailey, the founder, president, and CEO of Slice Communications. She tells us how she made the transition from employee to employer when social media was just emerging about 15 years ago.

"I had been doing media relations, and I recognized that social media was going to be this new emerging way for companies to interact with people," she said. "So, Slice was founded on that point of view—that media relations and social media really should work hand in hand."

The main topics of today's episode will be how Cassandra has learned valuable lessons about business management and leadership through serving on various boards. We will also chat about the importance of mentorships and internships and how they can boost your business. We will also hear about how Cassandra melded the cultures of her company with the business she acquired, and reinvented the company values together.

Connect with Cassandra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandraorylbailey/

Check out Slice Communications: https://slicecommunications.com/

Recorded on 10/6/23

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Vik Thapar, managing director of Cypress Growth Capital, where he oversees all aspects of the firm's investment process and provides ongoing support to portfolio companies. He tells us what he looks for when acquiring venture capital.

"We're looking to learn about the business in general, which includes technology, but at the end of the day, the management team is probably at the forefront of what we look at because it doesn't really matter what you're selling or how you're selling it. Because if the folks that are leading the charge aren't somebody you bet on, the rest of it doesn't really matter," he said.

The main topics of today's episode will be how Vik's company provides clients with a way to get the capital they need to grow, but retain their equity. We will also talk about why financials aren't the only factor Vik considers when deciding whether or not to invest in a company and what factors have contributed to the jump in investment activity as of late.

Connect with Vik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikthapar/ Check out Cypress Growth Capital: https://www.cypressgrowthcapital.com/ Recorded on 9/26/23 The full episode airs on 11/8/2023

In this week's edition of the AmiSights podcast, we talk to Michael Brady. Michael is a consultant with LPL Financial and the managing partner of Independent Advisor Group, where he mentors approximately 35 advisors and oversees the books of business owned by IAG, which total more than $200 million in assets. He tells us how he grew his business from the ground up, starting with a bunch of smaller accounts and eventually scaling up.

"The way our industry works is you get a little bit of growth, a little bit of growth, and then a shot up," he said. "All of a sudden, something happens, something breaks your way, and boom, next thing you know, you reach the next plateau."

The main topics of today's episode will be how Michael reshaped his business after the sudden death of his business partner and made sure his partner's family was taken care of, fulfilling the plan he proposed before his death. Michael will also talk about how he provides added value to his clients by offering more than just investment advice, focusing on what impacts their lives and future. He also goes on to say the way you invest your money should be based on when you're going to use it.

Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-brady-553772/

Check out Independent Advisor Group: https://www.independentadvisorgroup.net/

Recorded on 9/8/23

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, I found myself as the LIVE case study when an unexpected branding exercise unfolded in this episode with our guest, Deb Gabor. Deb Gabor is the founder and CEO of Sol Marketing, a strategy-led marketing firm. Known as the "branding queen," Deb and I talk about what companies should do, if anything at all, to respond to difficult topics such as the current crisis in Israel and Gaza.

"My hope is that we are going to help leaders navigate the thought process behind whether or not they should make a statement, and when," she said. "And if they do decide that they're going to make a statement, how to construct that in a way that serves them, other people, the community, their employees, and people at large serves in the right way."

There are a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to take a stand on a sensitive issue. These include asking yourself if you have a dog in this hunt, and should you make a statement? How do you actually construct that statement in a way that doesn't put you in that awkward position of damned if you do, damned if you don't? Should you use your company as a platform for precipitating a change you want to see in the world? Who is your ideal archetypal customer?

Connect with Deb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgabor/

Recorded on 10/17/23