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Bird Means Business
Bird Means Business episodes
- 10. Team Strong with Terry Williams
For my first ever podcast guest, I’m inviting my favorite person… my husband, Terry Williams, on the show. Terry is the Co-Founder and Lead Instructor at The League, our very first business.
If you’re interested in the importance of language, motivation, responsibility, or in pouring into the lives of others, this episode is for you.
What you’ll learn:
- What “Team strong - all day long” means to Terry and I, and why you need this phenomenon in your life
- The valuable side effects of investing into the lives of others
- How to quickly and easily determine who your first hire should be when you start a business
- How pouring into yourself and loving yourself well gives you a better chance at entrepreneurial success
- Terry’s vital answer to the question, “But what if I fail?”
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Brian Tracy’s: Responsibility is Really “Response-Ability”
- Bird’s Free Guide: Building a Winning Culture in Your Business
- Let’s chat! Schedule a 30-minute Consultation
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
27 min - What “Team strong - all day long” means to Terry and I, and why you need this phenomenon in your life
- 9. How My Gym Business Made Six Figures Its First Calendar Year
For factors beyond my own ability, my gym business hit six figures within its first calendar year.
We’re talking six figures in revenue (not everybody mentions that part!), but it only took one additional year to make six-figures in profit.
I strongly believe there are at least five major factors that caused our business to grow so quickly:
- What happened in the dark: those things my husband and I did in our careers before we ever imagined we’d own a business
- Adapting to market needs: pivoting when the services we had weren’t exactly what our clients wanted or needed
- Grit and hustle: scooping up water with red plastic cups after a pressure washer situation gone wrong. Entrepreneurship ain’t always so sexy.
- Loving people well: focusing on people as people instead of people as customers. Wanting people to feel seen, heard, and loved.
- The grace of God: there were so many tough moments when an answer came from a dream, or random phone call, and things just fell into place in a supernatural way.
Another key factor was starting with a strong business plan. In my 5-week online course, Prove It Plan (formerly Making Cents of It) you’ll journey through each facet of your business and connect with me and other business owners through our private, member’s only group. I’ll host monthly LIVE Q&A sessions and there’s a bonus offer of having me review your business plan one-on-one at the end of the course!
If you’re wondering where to even start, download my free guide: Ready, Set, Launch: the First 10 Steps to Launching your Business. If I’d had this list when I first launched The League, I would have saved so much time and money.
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
20 min - What happened in the dark: those things my husband and I did in our careers before we ever imagined we’d own a business
- 8. How to Raise Funding for Your Business
Money, money, moneyyyy! This episode is all about what it looks like to raise funding for your business.
When I launched my first business, The League, in 2013, my husband and I didn’t have the personal funds to do it alone. So we raised capital from investors (family and friends) and also secured an SBA loan.
In this episode, I’ll answer:
- Should I self-fund or raise funding?
- How much money should I raise?
- What are different options for raising funding?
- What does the funding process actually look like (investors vs bank financing)?
- What’s an important next step after raising funding?
I’m so glad that not having my own money saved up didn’t stop me from starting. The countless level of impact and life change we’ve seen through her gym business made it all worth it!
If you’re thinking, “Before we even start talking investors, I don’t even have much of a structure for my business,” I have two helpful resources for you:
“Ready, Set, Launch” is a free guide on the first 10 steps to launching your business. If I’d had this list when we launched The League… whew! I would have saved so much time and money.
My 5-week online course, Prove It Plan (formerly Making Cents of It). You’ll journey through each facet of your business and connect with me and other business owners through a private, member’s only Facebook group. I’ll host monthly LIVE Q&A sessions and provide additional guidance and resources.
Whether or not you join the course, I encourage you to invest in establishing a strong foundation with a business plan. You will be so glad you did!
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
19 min - Should I self-fund or raise funding?
- 7. Creating a Project Plan for Q1
We’re at the start of a new year AND a new decade. For 2020, it feels like everything will be be next level - including our dreams. There are still unknowns, there always are, but you can manage this by breaking down your dreams into bite-sized goals.
This episode is for you if:
- Your goals seem crazy and you don’t know how to navigate them
- You want to break your goals down into quarterly, monthly, and weekly actionable steps to actually get things done
- You need a system, but don’t know where to start
Here’s my process:
- Dream big. Start with your end-goal in mind
- Work backward from there, planning quarter by quarter so it’s not overwhelming
- Remember your why when you start feeling stuck
- TAKE ACTION. It’s one thing to make a grand plan, but it’s another to do the dang thing!
If you need some motivation to simply do the next thing, I have some resources for you (see below)!
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Ready, Set, Launch: a free guide on the first 10 steps to launching your business. If I’d had this list when I launched my first business in 2013, I would have saved so much time and money.
- My 5-week online course, Prove It Plan (formerly Making Cents of It). You’ll journey through each facet of your business and connect with me and other entrepreneurs in a private, member’s only group. I’ll host a monthly LIVE Q&A and provide additional guidance and resources.
- Free download: Team Strong: Building a Winning Culture in Your Business
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
24 min - Your goals seem crazy and you don’t know how to navigate them
- 6. Why You Need a Business Plan
“Is a business plan really that important?” In this week’s episode, Ashley dives into the meat and potatoes of what a business plan actually is, why having one will help you make crucial decisions for your business and the different ways to utilize it!
You need a business plan if:
- You have a business idea that you’re not working on now but you want to set a firm foundation so that once you’re ready, you’re already prepared.
- You’re in the process of a launch, but you missed this important step and before you make a lot of mistakes you want to nail down what you’re doing and how it will actually work.
- Your business has been around for a few years and you want to grow, but you’re not really sure if your business can handle that growth. You need to go back to the drawing board to clarify things.
Going through the process of a business plan proves your idea to yourself (and potentially to investors or partners as well)! You’ll make sure you’ve covered all your bases, saving you a lot of time and money.
Some elements of a business plan:
- Your purpose or mission
- The problem you’re solving
- Your solution to that problem
- Information on your team
- Competition or the Market Landscape
- Information on your product or service
- Business Model (how you’ll make money)
- Financial Projections
And, guess what? You don’t have to navigate this alone!
Click here to learn more about my 5-week business plan course, Prove It Plan (formerly, Making Cents of It).
You’ll journey through each facet of your business and connect with me and others in the course community through our private, member’s only group, where I will host monthly Q&A and provide additional guidance and resources.
Whether or not you join the course, I encourage you to invest in establishing a strong foundation. You will be so glad you did!
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Prove It Plan (formerly, Making Cents of It)
- Bird’s Podcast Studio Makeover
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
26 min - You have a business idea that you’re not working on now but you want to set a firm foundation so that once you’re ready, you’re already prepared.
- 5. Bird Means Business Podcast is Live!
Today, Bird Means Business is officially LIVE.
It’s my birthday week!! So in this special birthday episode, I’m gifting you with my newest project: Bird Means Business Podcast!
Tune in to hear how my background is in a brick-and-mortar gym business, so with the launch of my small business strategy firm, Bird Williams, I’m venturing into the online business space and learning a LOT.
One of those lessons is the importance of consistent weekly content. After trying two other formats, I decide to go all in and choose podcasting, which is more natural to me and allows me to connect better with you, my audience!
Learning how to figure out what is or isn’t working is half the battle. Don’t get stuck thinking you have to write a blog or be perfect on camera to be successful. Find what works for you! Adaptability and vulnerability will take you far as an entrepreneur!
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
9 min - 4. Lesson 3: Hire Slow, Fire Quick (3-part mini series)
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn the importance of hiring, training, inspiring, and, yeah... sometimes firing your internal team.
We’ll explore this idea behind “Hire Slow, Fire Quick” and why it’s important to acknowledge those red flags that come up.
Remember, your team sets the tone of your business’ culture, so take these helpful notes to avoid having to act out of desperation.
Download my free guide on Building a Winning Culture in your Business to dive even deeper!
You’ll love this episode if:
- You know you’ll need to grow your team, but not sure how or when
- You have a team but know there’s room for improvement
- You have a high turnover rate
- You need to improve your business and team culture
The human component of our business is by far the hardest, yet the most important. I think you’ll draw a lot from this episode -- I can’t wait for you to hear it!
As always, there’s some very special bonus footage from Baby Terry. This week he explains why there’s no time for bad hires and how scary it is.
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
11 min - You know you’ll need to grow your team, but not sure how or when
- 3. Lesson 2: Every Client is Not a Good Client (3-part mini series)
Quick clients are not always quality clients. Yep... you’ll have to say ‘no’ to some clients.
In this episode, we talk about the importance of defining your ideal client and methods to use to weed out those clients who aren’t aligned with your business.
There’s a strategy that goes into packaging your product or service which will lead to new clients falling in love with your team and allowing your business to really grow. Bird shares a story of how this refocus really transformed her gym business.
You need this episode if:
- You’re just trying to get any and every person in the door to reach your income goals
- You have low customer retention rates and don’t know why
- You’re trying to understand how to attract the best clients
This small change in my business helped grow a strong community and culture, while saving us so much time and money.
It’s not easy, especially in the beginning, but saying ‘no’ can be vital to the future success of your business.
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
8 min - You’re just trying to get any and every person in the door to reach your income goals
- 2. Lesson 1: Secure Your Money Team (3-part mini series)
Wondering if your husband’s-cousin’s-brother’s-new spouse, who took an accounting class in college, should handle your startup business finances? Nah, fam.
In this episode, you’ll:
- See why securing a money team from the beginning will save you tons of money, time and energy
- Hear great tips on what to look for when interviewing your attorney and accountant
- Learn to be proactive versus reactive, setting the groundwork now so you’re fully prepared when tax season comes knocking at the door
- Understand the importance of starting with a business plan
You’ll also hear how Alby Abraham was crucial in rescuing my first business from a tangled web of incorrect IRS classifications and bookkeeping errors, ultimately saving us thousands of dollars.
You can work with Alby too! Go to birdwilliams.com/alby to connect with him and get a free consultation with the code: Bird Williams Consulting.
Don’t be like me and go through the agony of working with four accountants before finding one that’s best for your business!
I’ll tell you this: you will save thousands of dollars by picking the right team early on. There’s so much great information in this episode! I’m so excited for you to hear it!
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
14 min - See why securing a money team from the beginning will save you tons of money, time and energy
- 1. The Heart Behind 'Bird Means Business'
Welcome to the show!
In this first episode, you learn why Bird Means Business is here, and host, Ashley "Bird" Williams, shares her background: Going from a small high school to a large university, then to New York City as an Investment Banking Analyst on Wall Street, Bird eventually chooses to leave Corporate America and pursue entrepreneurship.
She launches a gym with her husband in Houston, TX, and after six years of running a successful business, Bird is inspired to help other entrepreneurs by starting a small business consulting firm, Bird Williams. Less than a month into her new firm, Bird launches a podcast, Bird Means Business, alongside it.
Tune in to hear more on Bird’s journey from Corporate America to entrepreneurship, the growth of her first gym business and how Bird Means Business came to be!
Click here to read the transcript of this episode!
Want to work together? Click here to get started
For more great episodes, visit: www.birdwilliams.com/podcast
9 min
About Bird Means Business
From the publisher's feed
Welcome to the Bird Means Business podcast. Each week you’ll hear practical tips on navigating your business journey from someone who has walked in your shoes! Host and serial entrepreneur Ashley…
"Bird" Williams shares her lessons learned so you avoid making rookie mistakes. Whether you’re in the dream, launch or growth stage, this podcast gives you no-nonsense tools to help you take flight.