April 11, 2025

BCS 292 - Business Coaching Insights: Boosting Success with 80-20 Principle

33 minutes

In this episode of Business Coaching Secrets, hosts Karl Bryan and Rode Dog uncover the secrets to effective hiring strategies, the art of prioritizing tasks with the 80/20 principle, and the importance of self-belief in the entrepreneurial journey. Karl shares his personal healing journey and offers invaluable insights into creating impactful to-do lists. They also delve into the world of business brokers, discuss whether starting a second business is a wise move, and share a thought-provoking Zen takeaway for listeners seeking to enhance both personal and professional growth.

Key Topics & Highlights

1. Hiring Hacks: The Elon Musk Question

Strategy: Karl shares Elon Musk’s favorite interview question:

“Tell me about a big problem you solved, and in detail, how you solved it.”
Insight: The depth and detail of the answer reveal genuine problem-solving skills, not just storytelling.
Action: Use this question to identify potential hires with real experience and critical thinking capability.

2. Clients’ To-Do Lists: Less is More

Problem: Overwhelming to-do lists lead to inaction for both coaches and clients.
Solution:
- Prioritize the top 2 items that can knock over other tasks.
- Focus on simplification and momentum (the “done” list beats the ever-expanding to-do list).
- Avoid piling on tasks—help clients clarify and execute on what matters most.

3. The Real Meaning of 80/20

Myth-Busting: Many claim to “know” the 80/20 rule but don’t live by it.
Deep Dive:
- The 20% produces results 16x higher than the 80%.
- Repeated application (80/20 of the 80/20, etc.) reveals real leverage.
- Create manufactured deadlines for urgency and accountability.
Coach’s Role: Accountability check-ins are the magic to implementation.

4. Business Brokers: The Wild West

View: The business broker industry lacks standardization and can be risky.
Opportunity:
- Great joint ventures for coaches, since most broker leads aren’t actually ready to sell.
- High-value clients are often not broker-ready—prime for coaching.

5. Multiple Streams of Income? Not So Fast!

Karl’s Take:
- Don’t diversify (start a second business) too soon.
- The saying “the second business eats the first” holds true; only expand when the first generates significant, reliable income.
- Ideal “second business” should support or leverage the first (e.g., following Amazon’s AWS model).

6. Thought of the Day: “Believe in Yourself and You’re Halfway There”

Reflection: Self-belief propels progress, especially given the entrepreneurial rollercoaster.
Success Reminder: Everyone’s figuring it out—keep moving, take calculated risks, and don’t overplan.
Mindset Shift: Operate with courage and youthful energy, not fear or caution.

Actionable Takeaways

Try Elon Musk’s interview question when hiring or evaluating partners.
Help clients focus their to-dos on the highest-impact actions.
Train yourself and your clients to instinctively think in 80/20 leverage.
Delay diversifying until your core business is truly solid; if you do, ensure it supports the first.
Reflect on the question: If you “made it,” what would that look like for you? Define, then reverse-engineer it!

Notable Quotes

“A real mentor can tell you what not to do.” – Karl Bryan
“The second business eats the first. The only exception is when the second business feeds the first.” – Karl Bryan
“Believe in yourself and you’re halfway there.” – (Theodore Roosevelt, via Karl Bryan)

Resources Mentioned:

“Swimming with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” by Harvey Mackay
“Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, share with a fellow coach, and leave a review. See you next week on Business Coaching Secrets!

Ready to elevate your coaching business? Don’t wait! Listen to this episode now and make strides towards your goals. Visit Focused.com for more information on our Profit Acceleration Software™ and join our community of thriving coaches.

Get a demo at https://go.focused.com/profit-acceleration

👉 Karl Bryan helps business coaches get clients. Period.

For more magic on how you can grow a coaching business by attracting small business owners, filling local live events, and closing more high-end coaching clients... go to https://go.focused.com/profit-acceleration

👇 For a free subscription to my magazine The Six-Figure Coach go to

https:// thesixfigurecoach.com/get-it

🔥 Be sure to subscribe, rate, and share the show

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1477099279

🚀 Karl Bryan, Creator of Profit Acceleration Software™

Karl Bryan gets clients for Business Coaches...period. He is the Founder of The Six-Figure Coach Magazine and creator of Profit Acceleration Software™ that shows you how you can BOOST bottom-line profits of any business using the power of compounding growth without spending more on marketing.

His goal is straightforward… to help coaches and consultants get more clients.

Get a demo of Profit Acceleration Software™ at https://go.focused.com/profit-acceleration