Starting a business from scratch isn’t the only way to create profit. Acquiring a business, growing it, and selling it could be a much simpler way to achieve your wealth goals. Jeremy Harbour, the world-leading expert on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joins A.J. to discuss how you could build more wealth than you ever dreamed of by acquiring businesses and selling them for a profit.  

Tune in to hear how Jeremy grew his wealth exponentially by doing this and how you can too. 

About Jeremy Harbour: 

Jeremy Harbour is an accomplished entrepreneur known for his expertise in attracting investment and creating opportunities for small and medium businesses to scale. As the founder of The Unity Group of Companies, he has paved the way for entrepreneurs to thrive in the world of mergers and acquisitions. He is also the visionary behind The Harbour Club, an exclusive invite-only M&A training seminar designed to equip students with the tools and strategies to buy and sell businesses without the need for capital or taking on excessive debt.

Drawing upon his extensive knowledge and experience, Jeremy has authored insightful books, including “Go Do Deals“, “Agglomerate“, “Why You Should Never Buy A Company That’s For Sale“, “Go Do!”, and “Democratizing Wealth“, that offer valuable insights on successful acquisitions, challenging conventional wisdom, and offering guidance for starting and growing your business.

For detailed reviews of these exceptional books, please visit: Go Do Deals, Agglomerate, Why You Should Never Buy A Company That’s For Sale, Go Do!, and Democratizing Wealth (Book Reviews)

On Today’s Episode: 

•  Who is Jeremy Harbour? - 0:59 
•  Where Jeremy sees himself in his entrepreneurial journey. - 4:01 
•  How entrepreneurs are the change agents in society. - 4:49 
•  The disconnection between global capitalism and small businesses. - 6:26 
• The three fundamental problems that institutional investors have. - 9:09 
•  The challenges with search funds. -10:29 
•  The funding strategies in Jeremy’s program. - 13:08 
•  Why the best time to sell your business is now. -15:25 
•  The series of epiphanies Jeremy has had on his entrepreneurial journey. -16:05
• How acquiring a business just for key people can be a great move. - 18:50 
•  What happens when you sell a company. -20:20 
•  How private wealth banking has exponentially grown Jeremy’s wealth. -21:26 
• The criteria Jeremy met to qualify for Private Wealth Banking -26:23 
•  How Jeremy structures his programs so that his students get the most value. -29:22
• The importance of researching mentors before you invest. -35:21 

Key Takeaways: 

•  There are many types of business funding, and they aren’t all created equal. Securing capital for your business ventures can be difficult and time-consuming. 
•  Acquiring a business can be more beneficial than starting one from scratch because you can take the company that was already built and grow it exponentially and sell it later on. 
•  Selling your business can provide you with opportunities you didn’t realize existed. You can get so much time back and the money to invest in opportunities that can grow your wealth. 
•  You can turn the profits from selling your business into passive income. There are many ways to do this. You will gain so much of your time back to focus on growing what you have. 
•  Investing in business education can give you an enormous advantage. Of course, you should always research mentors before spending money. The right one can hugely impact your success.

You don’t have to build from the ground up to own a successful business. 

[18:37] “You can stick another engine on the plane. You’ve got the organic stuff- your sales, your marketing. The other engine you can add is acquiring business to either give you the product, revenue, or the talent.” 

How can you apply this principle in your business practice? Tell us in the comments, and don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on our podcast. 

Connect with Jeremy Harbour: 

• Website: https://harbourclubusa.com/ 
• E-Book: https://harbourclubusa.com/ebook/ 
• Facebook: Jeremy Harbour
• LinkedIn: The Harbour Club

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey. 

How do you create a multilevel business positioned for growth? Chris Ronzio, founder and CEO of Trainual, joins A.J. to discuss how mapping out the roles and responsibilities in your organization can help you delegate and scale. And of course, maintaining and enjoying your work-life balance. 

About Chris Ronzio:
Chris Ronzio is the founder and CEO of Trainual, EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021, and Phoenix Business Journal 40 Under 40.

He is also the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, “The Business Playbook“, where he shares a proven framework for business owners to create a good playbook that codifies their company’s culture, empowers their team, and enables them to relinquish day-to-day responsibilities. This invaluable resource equips leaders with strategies to foster growth without being tied to every operational detail.

For a comprehensive book review, check out this page.

On today’s episode:

• Meet Chris Ronzio, Author, and Founder of Trainual – 01:11
• Chris’s shares where he is in his life and on his entrepreneurial journey – 04:13
• How Chris’s approach to things as an entrepreneur has changed over the years – 05:35 
• What has had the most impact on his growth as an entrepreneur – 06:30
• How people are using his book, “The Business Playbook,” and his company Traniual to improve their businesses – 08:21
• How to map out your roles and responsibilities in your business so you can hand them off to somebody else – 9:21
• The easy way to navigate the connections in your business  – 13:27
• The four buckets you need to document for your business – 17:26 
• What is trainable and what is not and how to speed up someone's time to productivity – 20:46
• What Chris is finding cool right now in business – 25:23
• How the global audience is speeding up the success of today’s businesses – 28:18
• Chris shares the fast track to creating a successful multi-level business structure – 30:23
• How Chris defines success and how that definition has changed over the years – 31:07 

Key Takeaways:

• The idea of creating the processes and procedures in your business can seem monumental. So start small by documenting the static stuff. 
• Building a company positioned for growth without allowing it to take over your life begins with delegation. First, map out your roles and responsibilities in the company. Then determine which things are trainable, so you can hand them off to somebody else.
• Ready to get started? Chris’s book, The Business Playbook, offers a framework for building the blueprint that includes your people, policies, and processes. 

What can you delegate in the new year?

Share with us how you plan to delegate in 2022  and follow Beyond 8 Figures on social media – we share a ton of helpful content there!

Connect with Chris Ronzio 

• Website: Chris Ronzio: Official Website
• Website: Trainual 
• Twitter: @ChrisRonzio
• LinkedIn: Chris Ronzio on LinkedIn
• Instagram: @ChrisRonzio
• Facebook: Chris Ronzio

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey. 

What are mission-driven companies and why should you create one? 

Nick Desai, of HeyRenee, sits down with A.J. to discuss how ideas are just a fraction of what goes into products and platforms. And what really impacts people’s lives long term. Listen as Nick, the former CEO of Heal, shares insight into his new venture, HeyRenee, a one-stop healthcare concierge.

About our Guest:
Nick Desai is a successful serial entrepreneur with the mind of visionary and mission-driven ideas that change the world. He is well-known for his role as the Founder/CEO of Heal. Today, he’s creating a new venture with his best friend and wife, Dr. Renee Dua, called HeyRenee, the patient-centric healthcare concierge that will allow people to manage their health through one platform. 

On today’s episode: 

• Meet Nick Desai, Founder, and CEO of HeyRenee – 01:11
• Where does Nick see himself on his entrepreneurial journey today? – 03:01
• How he views the opportunity to create something out of nothing  – 04:01
• How reevaluating your measure of success from a money-only measurement helps you grow (and how Nick measures his success now) – 05:00
• The realization that changed his entrepreneurial journey – 07:00
• How Heal transformed the future of primary care  – 07:35
• Why your incredible idea is one fraction of resolving customer pain points and where your focus should be – 08:43
• Why “best” isn’t always best when it comes to finding the right fit for your entrepreneurial team – 13:54
• Why everyone needs a Renee, and how his team came up with the name HeyRenee – 17:06
• Three things that have helped Nick take the most difficult steps in his entrepreneurial journey – 20:13 
• Lessons from the trenches in the life of a successful repeat entrepreneur – 24:40 
• How HeyRenee is pulling together the pieces of the healthcare puzzle for the most connected generation in history – 28:41
• The two ways Nick defines his success as an entrepreneur (it’s not about Lamborghinis and mansions) and his definition of using his money for good – 37:31
• Nick’s advice to any aspiring entrepreneur out there (and how every no brings you closer to yes) – 41:35. 

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t let action get in the way of efficiency. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often operate out of a jack-of-all-trades mindset. But learning what you are truly good at opens the door to more successful ventures. 
• Entrepreneurship is full of the high highs of “I'm changing the world'', and the lows of “we just crashed and burned,” sometimes all in the same day. Bad times are a part of the journey—don’t let them keep you from taking the next step.
• Success is all about execution. Ideas are common, but the magic happens when you create an actual, life-changing product, platform, or service. Without execution, ideas are worth nothing.
• To make the world a better place, you have to get specific about what that means to you. Everyone has a “cause” that is near and dear to their heart. Determining what yours is will help you to create more impact. 
• Listening to your “true partners” is even more important than assembling your team. Advice, guidance, and insight from those who know you best can help you make better business decisions. This is why it is crucial to surround yourself with people who inspire and motivate you. 

How do through tough times as an entrepreneur?

[25:55] – “If you assume there’s not going to be bad news, you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. The bad days are the important days.”

What is the most important thing you’ve learned from failure? Share with us how you grew against all adversities and follow Beyond 8 Figures on social media – we share a ton of helpful content there!

Connect with Nick Desai:

• Website: HeyRenee
• LinkedIn: @NickDesai

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• Email: [email protected]  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

  
  

Why do successful entrepreneurs continue to focus on their personal growth even when they already seem to have it all?

Russ Perry, the founder and CEO of Design Pickle, joins A.J. to discuss your personal growth can accelerate business growth and help you make things happen. Russ went from an owner of a struggling brick and mortar business to the founder and CEO of the #1 flat-rate creative services platform. 

How’d he get there? Tune in to find out all about the tools, tips, and life hacks he used to get where he is today.  

About Russ Perry:
Russ Perry is the Founder and CEO of one of the world’s most successful flat-rate creative services companies, Design Pickle. Under his leadership, Design Pickle has grown from 2 team members to over 700 globally, completing over 1 million creative requests.

Russ also penned the book “The Sober Entrepreneur: Change Your Family Tree,” where he shares his personal journey from battling addiction to building a seven-figure empire. This powerful tale reveals the precise steps he took to transform his life, providing insights as well as inspiration for entrepreneurs looking to reach their fullest potential.

For a comprehensive book review, check out this page.

On today’s episode:

• Meet Russ Perry, Founder, and CEO at Design Pickle - 01:16
• Where does Russ see himself on his entrepreneurial journey today? - 03:40
• How focussing on personal growth helped Russ grow tremendously in his journey as an entrepreneur - 08:04
• How the Wake Up Program in California helped Russ push himself out of the comfort zone - 12:33
• The kind of balance you need for personal and business development (according to Russ) - 15:54
• Why Ray Dalio’s principle of making a practical list of the things you want to achieve is essential in your personal and business growth - 19:33
• How do reevaluating and resetting your goals help you to move forward? - 21:57
• Why Russ thinks unified and holistic experiences are the next big thing in the business space - 27:23
• What is the difference between the Shiny Object Syndrome and Value Continuity? - 31:08
• How Russ defines his own success as an entrepreneur (and why choosing his challenges is a big part of it) - 34:51

Key Takeaways: 

• Involving yourself with the right business groups can give you a wider view of what’s possible in the world. Russ went from being chained to in-person meetings to a business in the online space.
• To map out where you want to go next, ask yourself what you need to do to get there and be willing to course-correct if you’ve gotten off of the path. 
• By leveling up your own personal skills, you can build a better business and be of more value to others. 
• The key to setting your future state is working on your present state. A good way to do this is to make a list of the real things you want and then determine who you need to work on becoming today to set yourself up for what you want. 
• Dedicating yourself to the process of self-improvement not only benefits you, but also your business, and the other people in your life. 

How do your personal skills create value in business?

What is the one skill that you value most in your business? Share with us what personal skills helped you grow your business and follow Beyond 8 Figures on social media - we share a ton of helpful content there!

Connect with Russ Perry:

• LinkedIn: @Russ Perry
• Website: https://designpickle.com/
• Twitter: @russperry
• Instagram: @russperry
• Facebook: @Russ Perry

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey. 

Have you been investing in fossil fuels and climate change without realizing it?

Alex Wright-Gladstein, Founder, and CEO of Sphere, sits with A.J. Lawrence to discuss how the investment holdings of most people’s 401(k)s support the financing of fossil fuels. They also talk about her journey in climate change and sustainability, transitioning from being CEO of Ayar Labs to starting Sphere, and all the entrepreneurial lessons along the way.

Listen to this episode to learn more about climate change, entrepreneurship, and understanding where the finance in your investment holdings actually goes.

About our guest:

Alex Wright-Gladstein is an entrepreneur with a passion for addressing climate change.  She is also the Co-Founder of Ayar Labs founded in 2015, formerly OptiBit, a company transforming computing performance by moving data with light. 

On today’s episode:

• Meet Alex Wright-Gladstein, Founder and CEO of Sphere – 00:50
• Alex shares where she stands in her entrepreneurial journey – 03:51
• The difference switching from technology to finance – 08:18
• The importance of developing a community focus when creating a movement – 12:08
• The approach for advocating climate-friendly practices in companies today – 16:19
• Alex explains the impact of each person's “pocketbook” – 17:41
• Alex talks about what had the most significant impact on improving her growth as an entrepreneur – 20:52
• The intentionality required for building the right team – 23:29
• Alex shares about what she currently finds really interesting – 27:42
• How Alex defines success – 33:01

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding the need for systemic change is really important for tackling climate issues. There are so many factors that keep things in place and are root problems for why an issue exists. It will be tough to make a significant difference if you don’t understand the deeper problems and hidden forces behind why they still exist. 
• It is so crucial for entrepreneurs to be intentional. Intentionality is about where you focus your time and energy. Being intentional about building the right team that can run with your vision is time worth spending. Do not make the mistake of quickly filling gaps in your team and stunting long-term growth with the wrong people in the driver’s seat.
• Have clear, measurable goals towards your success. Do not make the journey towards success and progress vague or arbitrary. Some things have to be made black and white. The clearer and more measurable you make your goals, the better you will have insight into what you need to do to reach them.
• The next seven years are a crucial window for climate change action. Scientists predict that the global warming impact will cross the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold in seven years if things continue as they are. This can lead to irreversible damage to the planet. The good news is 80% of Americans are concerned about climate change, and the correct systemic change can avert this problem. (Read about the Sunrise Movement for more information)
  
  

What do entrepreneurs need to be intentional about and focus on?

[22:39] “Be really intentional about hiring. It can be so easy to take shortcuts and bring someone on because you desperately need to fill a gap, but it is very hard to reverse mistakes.”

Are you on the journey of growing as an entrepreneur? Let us know how you are building your knowledge and developing intentionality. Also, don’t forget to drop a hello if you want to share your entrepreneurship story on the podcast.

Connect with Alex Wright-Gladstein:

• Sphere: https://www.oursphere.org 
• Ayar Labs - ​​https://ayarlabs.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ga1ex
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/alexwrightgladstein/ 

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

Do you think you can grow your business to the best of your abilities?

Brett Gilliland, Founder and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs, sits with A.J. Lawrence to discuss how to grow your business when you’ve reached a point of saturation with it. They talk about giving up control of business operations, sharing responsibilities, and optimizing hiring strategies to achieve the end goal or vision.

Listen to this episode to learn the mindset, skills, and tools to grow your business to the next level.

About Brett Gilliland:

Brett Gilliland is the Founder and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs, a company specializing in giving 7-figure business owners the knowledge, processes, and tools to grow even further. He’s an expert in organization development, leadership, and strategy and has spent 10 years of his career helping Infusionsoft grow from $7M in revenue to over $100M.

On today’s episode:

• Meet Brett Gilliland, Founder, and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs - 00:50
• Brett shares where he stands in his entrepreneurial journey - 03:15
• How to relinquish control as a business owner and why Brett thinks it’s instrumental to business growth - 11:00
• Brett shares how they teach the mindset, skillset, toolset, and actionable insight to help entrepreneurs make the significant shift to growing their business beyond 7 figures - 16:01
• How the Elite Ignition program (of Elite Entrepreneurs) provides businesses the foundational tools to scale beyond seven figures - 20:19
• Brett explains why they assign an accountability partner for businesses signing up for their program and how it helps them set aside an hour or two every week for their business - 25:14
• The most crucial reason why Brett finds the ‘growth niche’ interesting to continue exploring - 28:24
• Why it’s essential to hire and build a team for your company - 29:14
• Why defining your purpose could be a key step to success - 31:30
• Why Brett wants to grow his business to an extent where he doesn’t have to get involved in its operations directly - 35:26
• Episode Overview - Finding work that’s right for you - 38:11

Key Takeaways:

• Growing your business beyond seven figures is easier when you stop being the central role for every operation. A powerful vision ensures your business is no longer about you but your purpose.
• Organization and hiring the right people are essential for your business growth. Your company benefits the best when you find people fit for it. 
• As an entrepreneur or business owner, you shouldn’t necessarily wear yourself out to ensure growth. Instead, the key is to upskill, hire, and strategically bring a shift to your existing model to fast-track growth.
• Inviting or teaming up with an accountability partner or coach is an excellent way of showing up regularly to evaluate and think about your business and its future. They also help you see whether you’re on track with your vision.

Why is it hard for entrepreneurs to give up control of their business?

Are you planning on growing your business beyond seven figures? Let us know how you measure your business growth and whether or not you would give up control of your business. Also, don’t forget to drop a hello if you want to share your entrepreneurship story on the podcast.

Connect with Brett Gilliland:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://growwithelite.com/
• Podcast: https://growwithelite.com/podcast

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

Why are debates essential for you in life and business?

Today, Clea Conner, CEO of Intelligence Squared US Debates, joins A.J. to discuss what makes an intelligent debate and how it offers a structured format for your ideas and arguments. In addition, they discuss beginner’s mindset and incremental experimentation as skills to continually lead and grow your company and see why debates are an excellent means to drive innovation in business.

Tune in to this episode to learn about the power of intelligent debating. 

About our guest:

Clea Conner is the first and current CEO of Intelligence Squared US Debates, a nonprofit organization that promotes healthy debates in the media today. She developed "Up For Debate" and "That's Debatable" as television programs on Bloomberg, PBS, and Newsy and produced the first debate between artificial intelligence and a human debater in partnership with IBM's historic Project Debater. Clea also holds multiple awards for her outstanding achievements, including eight Telly Awards, seven Clarion Awards for Women in Communications, serial New York Festival awards for Best Public Affairs Programming, and one of Crain's New York "40 Under 40".

On today’s episode:

• Meet Clea Conner, CEO at Intelligence Squared US Debates - 00:44
• How a beginner’s mindset could help you in your entrepreneurial journey (and how it allows Clea to feel 20 years new in her career) - 02:42
• Clea on how Intelligence Squared promotes structured, healthy debates and opinions - 04:41
• Clea on why it’s hard to make people stick to a debate structure when they have the freedom of belief - 08:58
• How to use distribution partners for broader debates - 12:13
• How to grow yourself as an entrepreneur leading a small, tight-knit team - 17:49
• What is incremental experimentation? How did it help Clea reach 50 million people through direct mail marketing? - 22:12
• How Intelligence Squared keeps away provocative debating and provides a structured format to the debaters’ ideas and arguments - 25:12
• The role of advocacy groups and invested audiences in positively amplifying a cause or subject - 34:23
• How Intelligence Squared uses motion language, framing, and research to prevent debates from becoming aggressive or unhealthy - 36:11
• How to view success as delivering quality performance (and how Clea achieves the same) - 38:54
• How debating helps entrepreneurs develop open-mindedness and drive innovation - 43:55

Key Takeaways:

• Having a beginner’s mindset can help you continually adapt to changes and fuel your company’s growth. It also nurtures learning and keeps innovation alive.
• It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. Debates are, in fact, a way of listening to both sides of a topic and evaluating your agreements and disagreements.
• Amplification of opinions occurs when people are the most curious about a subject and open to hearing something new. To help your message reach larger audiences, engage with audiences most suitably and efficiently.
• Incremental experimentation can significantly increase your chances of success as a marketing professional. You start with what you know and continue developing and building on using channels that generate a response from newer audiences.
• Debates are a healthy way to broaden your views, collect and evaluate public opinions, and give a structured format to ideas and arguments. It helps you learn new perspectives and rethink where you stand as an individual.

Is there a right way to amplify opinions?

[14:00] “Amplification is really about capturing people when they are most open to hearing something new, and when they're most interested and curious, and that's not a formula that any media company has perfected.”

What are your views on intelligent debating? Let us know what role debates play in your business and how you make sure that all opinions are heard, and don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on our podcast. 

Connect with Clea Conner:

• LinkedIn: @Clea Conner
• Website: https://intelligencesquaredus.org/
• Twitter: @Clea Conner
• Facebook: @clea.conner
• Podcast: Intelligence Squared US Debates Podcast

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with Insights Lab: 

• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsightsLab/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

Having a solid vision for your company is an excellent kick-starter, but what happens when you cannot convey it to your workforce as they continue to grow in numbers?

Serial entrepreneur Kathy Hannun joins A.J. in this episode to explore why you should write things down to streamline your journey as an entrepreneur. They also discuss navigating the different stages of the entrepreneurial journey, including finding answers to existential questions initially, why you cannot do everything on your own in a growing company, and how to always keep your workforce aligned with your company’s vision. 

Tune in to learn how to bring more clarity to your goals by recording every critical point in writing.

About our guest:

Kathy Hannun is the Founder and President of Dandelion Energy, a home geothermal systems company that spun out of Alphabet's X in 2017. The company helps install home geothermal systems affordable for their customers so that renewable energy is accessible to anyone who wants it. Kathy has been mentioned in Albany Business Reviews 40 under 40, Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, and MIT's Technology Review 35 under 35. 

On today’s episode:

• Meet Kathy Hannun, Founder and President at Dandelion (Home Geothermal) - 00:40
• Where does Kathy see herself on her entrepreneurial journey today? - 02:47
• Two reasons why you cannot do all of your company’s processes by yourself as it continues to grow - 04:04
• How to make sure if all your co-workers and employees are on the same page with the company’s vision - 11:12
• Five things Kathy learned on her entrepreneurial journey (including how to discover answers to existential questions) - 13:18
• How does Dandelion Energy help in battling environmental issues, including climate change? - 16:28
• The specifics of Dandelion Energy - is it a regulatory or an engineering delivery? Or is it all the above? - 18:33
• What do Dandelion’s consumer marketing and referral programs look like? - 21:42
• Does Dandelion Energy aim to expand beyond geothermal? - 23:37
• How does Kathy view her success today? - 27:12
• What does success mean to Kathy? - 29:29
• Is there a thing as a failure? How do you distinguish it from learning and exploration? - 31:44

Key Takeaways:

• Your business idea can develop from a problem space, just like Kathy’s idea of starting her company developed out of a strong need to solve a problem - how to bring in cost-effective geothermal heating and cooling for people.
• It's a great privilege to be able to work full-time on a problem that you deeply care about, and if you can make it your full-time profession, then that’s a bonus. 
• At the start of your entrepreneurial journey, you feel like you can tackle any problem that arises. But as you progress, you realize that the idea is limiting for two reasons - 1. It isn’t an efficient way to run a company, 2. You’re limiting your company’s growth.
• Cultivating a habit of writing important things down can help you in the long run. It can also help keep your organization’s vision intact when your company starts outgrowing a manageable number. 
• Using tools like monday.com to record OKRs, Confluence to maintain shared documentation, and document everything that can act as a reference or help others can help keep the workforce aligned with the company's goals and vision.

What causes disorganization in companies?

[09:47] - “If you do have a process that's important to the business and it's not written down anywhere, it's pretty likely that everyone is doing the process differently because things tend towards disorganization.”

How do you align your team with your company’s vision? Tell us what role vision and mission play in your company, and don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on our podcast. 

Connect with Kathy Hannun:

• LinkedIn: @Kathy Hannun
• Website: https://dandelionenergy.com/
• Twitter: @DandelionEnergy
• Instagram: @Dandelion
• Facebook: @DandelionHomeEnergy

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Ray Mendez, Partner at Masa&Boz, joins A.J. in this episode to discuss how to make your brand come alive as an entrepreneur with innovative ideas. 

They dig into several topics, including how to utilize branding and marketing methods to bridge the gap between your business and its customers, why working with agencies can be limiting, the vital link between technology and creativity, and the three areas every business needs to focus on. 

Tune in to learn first-hand about building effective brand strategies for the sustainable growth of your business.

About our guest:

Ray Mendez is the Partner at Masa&Boz, a transformation-innovation consultancy that helps turn your business idea into reality. He's a genius at brand prototyping, workshop design, brand strategy, product design, and communication strategies and helps integrate and transform brands across four continents.

On today’s episode:

• Meet Ray Mendez, our guest and Partner at Masa&Boz- 00:40
• Ray gives a brief overview of his journey in life and how he got into entrepreneurship - 03:22
• Ray explains the exciting backstory behind coining the name “Masa&Boz” - 06:52
• What are the two things to keep in mind for deep branding and marketing? - 8:50
• Why the ego of the branding and marketing industry should not exist and how they should instead move forward - 09:00
• How do Ray’s business tools help the producer (the business) and the user interact more seamlessly? - 10:26
• What is the traditional concept of an agency? - 11:26
• Ray explains the vision behind his agency and his thoughts on life going forward - 14:04
• What is a legacy business? - 21:06
• How does the transition from a B2B to a B2C business model look like? - 22:50
• The three significant focus areas of any CEO and why they are essential - 31:30
• How does Ray define his success? Why is it not focused on material goals? - 37:41
• Ray talks about his experience working on the rebranding of the Empire State Building - 41:35

Key Takeaways:

• Business sustainability involves keeping your business running through all ups and downs.
• Working with a traditional agency could mean you’re handing over your power to another body.
• Traditional agencies add more services to their clients’ billable even if it adds no extra value to the latter’s time.
• A legacy business is a type of business that has evolved over a long time. It involves coming up with a physical product.
• The three focus areas of Masa&Boz include its vision, culture, and revenue.
• Shifting from a B2B to a B2C model involves a lot of planning and careful thought because you need to head to a completely different culture and operations.
• Marketing isn’t merely about selling a product or service; it’s also about keeping your customer in the loop and understanding and improving their product cyclically.

Is there a right way to approach marketing?

[43:27] - “The kind of approach we like to take marketing - it shouldn't just be about selling, it should be about understanding the customer and improving your product, and then selling and understanding your customer and improving a product.”

How important do you think branding is for your business? Tell us on Facebook or any social media platform of your choice (and don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your story with us)!

Connect with Ray Mendez:

• LinkedIn: @Ray Mendez
• Website: https://www.masaboz.com/about
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masaboz

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
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• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

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• Website: https://insightslab.ai/ 
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• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightslab.ai/
• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightslab-ai/ 

What automation tools do you utilize to make your work more meaningful?

Neeti Mehta Shukla, Co-Founder of Automation Anywhere joins A.J. to discuss the power of process automation in enabling smarter business growth. They explore the past, present, and future of business process automation, how to combine accessible automation and artificial intelligence for more efficiency and productivity, and the different processes to evaluating business growth. They also talk about the entrepreneurial spirit, why it revolves around problem-solving, and what it takes to navigate the transition points of an eight-figure business. 

Tune in to learn how to make your life easier by leveraging the power of automation.

About our guest:

Neeti Mehta is the Co-founder and SVP of Brand and Culture at Automation Anywhere, where they provide robotic process automation enhanced with both cognitive and analytics technology in leading Financial Services, BPO, Healthcare, Technology, and Insurance companies (to name a few)—across more than 90 countries. In addition, Neeti has been on the Advisory and Founding Boards of many companies, advocating strongly for female Founder-CEOs.

On today’s episode:

• Episode Overview - How to make your work more meaningful - 03:03
• How does problem-solving form the core of entrepreneurship? How have Neeti’s problem-solving skills progressed over time? - 04:38
• Why is automation cumbersome? Has AI influenced the level of intelligence from automation? - 07:02
• How Automation Anywhere’s a breakthrough product, IQ Bot utilized artificial intelligence to automate human-centric processes, including invoice-generation - 08:53
• The two things to look forward to the most through technology and automation - 10:33
• How do you navigate the transition points of growing a business? -  14:55
• How can you develop a good understanding of your business and customers? - 17:08
• The processes to evaluating business growth - 18:46
• The reason why Neeti is greatly involved in women empowerment programs and where her drive for the same comes from - 19:58
• Are there similarities between the US and India in the involvement of female entrepreneurs? - 21:21
• What success means to Neeti - 24:06
• How can you build a legacy for your children on what is possible? - 25:55

Key Takeaways:

• Entrepreneurship is all about problem-solving, pushing the limits to enhance the problem in different ways, and continuing to grow every step of the way.
• Entrepreneurship is exciting because you don’t have predefined answers to the problems that arise.
• Technology enablement is necessary to deliver the next level of products and services to the world at large.
• Using AI and process automation, businesses can develop systems to ease their immediate process requirements or deal with the challenges they are facing at any point in time.
• The secrets to building a beyond-eight figure business are - hard work, falling in love with the problem (and not the solution), and intertwining business needs and challenges with technology development.
• The closer you are to the customer in terms of understanding their psyche, their requirements, and problems, the more informed your processes will be in helping them.
• Organizations, especially the technology industry needs to continue to work to bring more women to the spotlight.

How has artificial intelligence pushed the limits for business process automation?

[09:08] - “The combination of accessible automation and artificial intelligence [has] really changed the landscape for businesses and what they could accomplish in process automation.”

What do you expect to achieve for your business using process automation? Tell us on Facebook or any social media platform of your choice (and don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your story with us)!

Connect with Neeti Mehta:

• LinkedIn: @NeetiMehtaShukla
• Facebook: Automation Anywhere Software
• Website: https://www.automationanywhere.com/
• Twitter: @NeetiShukla

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• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
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• Email: [email protected]

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