Business Lunch

Honest communication with your business partner while things are going well can prevent disaster down the road.

 

On today’s episode of Business Lunch, co-hosts and business partners, Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss, talk about something they hope their listeners will never experience in their business: mutiny in the ranks. 

 

They discuss the three biggest challenges co-founders face and how to proactively avoid them and ensure the success of your company.

 

They also share two big things businesses can do RIGHT NOW if they want to grow: 

 

1. Implement an operating system that will give you more free time as you scale. Find out more about the Scalable OS Accelerator here. 
2. Take your business partner (or your whole team) to Traffic & Conversion Summit LIVE in San Diego, CA on September 13th-15th. 

 

When a Business Partnership Goes Sour

 

Great Jones is a direct-to-consumer cookware company that has become really popular the past few years, especially among the Instagram crowd. Two women, who were great friends in college, went off to start their own careers. One was a designer and understood branding and social; the other was more of an operations person. 

 

Then they decided to combine their talents and started a company together. They were great at PR, and everything looked perfect, but behind the scenes, it was a mess. One cofounder pushed the other out, but the one who got pushed out had a better relationship with the team, so the whole team walked. 

 

Roland and Ryan know it’s not always as cut and dry as good person/bad person. Ryan and his former partner, Perry, had ideological differences. Ryan thought Perry was a jerk, but now realizes he had to own his part. 

 

Generally, Roland and Ryan agree, but sometimes they don’t. So, how do they ensure disagreements don’t lead to infighting?

 

What to Know Before You Go Into Business Together

 

First, be careful who you go into business with. Don’t go into business with someone with ideological differences just because you’re friends. If one of you wants to do good, and one of you just wants to make money, it will be hard to work together.

 

Make sure your values align. Take an honest look at your work ethic, finances, family values. Are you workaholics or do you take vacations? Do you want to take money out of the company or leave it in?

 

They recommend grabbing a long-form partnership agreement from LegalZoom and taking a look at questions like these:

 

 

• What happens if one of us wants to leave? 

• What happens if we need more money in the company?

• What happens if we get deadlocked? 

 

 

Ideally, you want partners with complementary skills so there can be clear divisions of labor. You each play different roles in the company. But you’ll still have to communicate.

 

Roland is a huge believer in consensus. If he wants to do something and Ryan doesn’t, but Ryan decides to disagree and commit, as far as the rest of the team is concerned, Ryan is all in. Just like there have been times when Roland doesn’t agree, but he goes along with it anyway.

 

Bottom line: they put on a united front for the team. “We don’t fight in

Learn what you need to know about working with celebrities when it comes to your brand.

Advertising executives refer to celebrities as trust agents. When a celebrity endorses your business, it breaks down the barrier of the cold, unknown brand and gives your customers the sense of a friend telling them it’s okay. 

 

If you know, like, and trust a celebrity, you’ll buy the brand.

 

Speaking of brands and celebrities, it’s almost time for Traffic & Conversion Summit LIVE, the largest digital marketing event in North America. This year’s event is being held in San Diego, CA on September 13th-15th. 

 

Thousands of folks come out every year to hear about the latest and greatest developments in marketing in the online space. The speakers are always phenomenal, the takeaways beyond valuable, and every year there’s a really cool celebrity appearance as well. 

 

On today’s episode, Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss have a BIG announcement about T&C.  

 

The one and only dynamic duo of Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart are coming to Traffic & Conversion Summit 2021! 

 

Find out how Roland and Ryan made this magic happen—and what you need to know about working with celebrities when it comes to your brand. All on today’s episode!

 

Making the Case for Brands Working with Celebrities

 

Years ago, at Traffic & Conversion 3, Roland was a new partner in the business and adamant about getting a celebrity for the event. Ryan was just as adamantly against it. “This is a stupid waste of money” were his exact words back in the day.

 

They went with Roland’s gut, brought William Shatner to the event, and that changed everything. Shatner isn’t just an actor; he’s a brilliant marketer and a spokesperson for so many great brands. Just like the wildly famous mismatched pair, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. They’re very successful business people with a lot of expert advice to share.

 

So why should brands be thinking about working with celebrities? It’s that whole concept of celebrities as trust agents. Why pay cool celebrities to come to T&C? Because it draws people in who might initially be skeptical. If T&C is good enough for Martha and Snoop, it’s good enough for me. It takes the risk out of the equation.

 

It’s also a signal. If T&C can get big celebrity names at their event, clearly they’re legit. The brand elevation you get from that signal is off the charts. From a marketing perspective, it lowers your acquisition costs. The celebrity deals always pay for themselves.

 

Not to mention the amazing energy that comes when you’re in the same room with a bunch of people and some cool celebrities. You can’t put a price tag on that. 

 

How To Do a Celebrity Deal

 

So how do you get celebrities to work with you? Obviously, you don’t just go out and hit them up on Twitter. There’s a process. 

 

Do you (or anyone you know) already have a relationship with this celebrity? If you don’t know them directly, you go to their agent. If it’s a big celebrity, the agent won’t return your call. You need a connection to their agent (a broker).

 

You can Google “celebrity broker Los Angeles” or go to IMDb and register for a Pro account to find the agent’s information. If you don’t get replies, reach out to event coordinators at places they’ve spoken at before.

 

A lot of celebrities don’t have a set fee. You make a firm offer. The amount of money they command depends on their popularity at the time. Then you negotiate for weeks or months. If you’re talking about a single event appearance, it won’t cost you as much as endorsing a product.

 

How much money are we looking at? The celebrities T&C wants are asking

Roland and Ryan take an honest look at some companies that are trying to reinvent business these days and discuss the pros and cons of each of these work schedule innovations.  Business owners across the globe are hoping for bigger wins by changing things up—5-hour workdays, 4-hour workweeks, unlimited time off. But the real question is this: is it working? Find out on today’s show. But before you listen—if your company is looking for a good system for planning out initiatives, setting priorities, and ultimately, getting things done, check out our Scalable OS Accelerator. No matter what your workday or workweek looks like, we can help you map out the best course of action, 90 days at a time. Spots fill up fast, so jump on the waitlist today!

 

The 5-Hour Workday that Worked. Until It Didn’t.

Tower Paddle Board CEO, Stephan Aarstol, made headlines recently when he admitted that his company’s 5-hour work days just about took them from booming to bankrupt. Kudos to him for trying something new, showing his work, then coming back to share his failure.

 

Shorter workdays and workweeks are based on the science that says we’re only productive 2-3 hours a day. But we each have different rhythms, and those of us who are creatives can’t always be creative on demand. We need that muse to strike. How do you optimize and harness productivity during a shorter window of time?

 

Here’s Why Tower Tried That Experiment:

1. Humans are not machines.
2. Happy people are more productive.
3. Fewer hours create scarcity and efficiency.

 

That all sounds good, so why didn’t it work? 

 

Because your company isn’t working in a vacuum. You might be working less hours, but your competitor in the market isn’t. They’re working harder than you are on behalf of the customer, and they’re going to beat you.

 

Customer First, Not Employees First

You’ve heard the line: “make your employees happy and it will all work out.” Roland and Ryan don’t buy it. The 8-hour workday and 5-day work week might have been established arbitrarily, but it’s been effective for a long time. Because it meets the customers’ needs.

 

If you’re going to invest innovative energy at your company, is it best directed at a new way of doing work or better ways to serve the customer? Sales people can’t limit their availability like creatives can. They need to be there for business hours. And your hours need to be informed by your customers, not your employees.

 

If you seek to innovate, do it in the area of customer value.

 

So, What’s the Final Verdict?

The general guidelines of the 8-hour, 5-day workweek are good. Go from there and be flexible. Time-block your workday with breaks where you allow yourself to be non-productive or recharge. The important thing is that stuff gets done on time, and your customer gets what they need. 

 

Don’t forget to sign up for our Scalable OS Accelerator if you need some good systems in place to make that happen.

 

Bottom line: Innovate with your customer in mind. You and your team come second. At the end of the day, we’re serving the people who pay us.

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Click here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan. Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On Twitter 

Through his Website.

Follow Business Lunch Podcast

On Twitter or Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Get Scalable Live

Click here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan. Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On Twitter 

Through his Website.

Follow Business Lunch Podcast

On Twitter or Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Get Scalable Live

Click here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan. Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On Twitter 

Through his Website.

Follow Business Lunch Podcast

On Twitter or Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Get Scalable Live

Click here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan. Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On Twitter 

Through his Website.

Follow Business Lunch Podcast

On Twitter or Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Get Scalable Live

Book Recommendations:

The Richest Man In Babylon

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got

Unlimited Power

Influence: Science and Practice

Nothing Down, how to Buy Real Estate with Little Or No Money

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Zero Down: 5 Proven Steps To Quickly Acquire Businesses + Unlimited Leads for Zero Money Out Of Pocket

 

Click here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan. Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On

Ryan and Roland talk about sales coming back after a lull, cryptocurrency, and wine. Wine? Sure, why not. 

Click here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts

 

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan. Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On Twitter 

Through his Website.

Follow Business Lunch Podcast

On Twitter or Instagram

 

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Get Scalable Live

Ryan and Roland talk about “their number”, do you have one?  So what do insanely wealthy people buy that ordinary know nothing about?  https://www.inc.com/quora/6-telltale-signs-youre-wealthier-than-you-think.html

 

Who Is Ryan Deiss? Ryan Deiss is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and according to Shark Tank star Daymond John, “His companies practically own the internet.” He’s the founder of Scalable.co and Digital Marketer and one of Roland Frasier’s business partners. More From Ryan Before coming on as the new co-host,  Ryan has been our guest a number of times. Check out episode 269 for some wisdom from Ryan on Work-Life Balance, and you can also go way back and hear Ryan’s story in this episode. If you want to follow Ryan, check out his Twitter. He’s really active on there and occasionally starts Twitter fights. Be sure to hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts so that you never miss an episode with Roland and Ryan.lick here to Listen, Follow, and Review Business Lunch on Apple Podcasts Who is Roland Frasier? 

He’s referred to as ‘the smartest guy in the room’ with much respect and affection from fellow entrepreneurs. We want to share his insight and expertise with you on your entrepreneurial journey. As the Co-founder or principal of 5 different Inc, Magazine’s fastest-growing companies (e-commerce, e-learning, SaaS + real estate), Roland is a serial entrepreneur who has built or sold over 30 businesses with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion. He’s a mentor and investor and an excellent podcaster too! Read more about Roland at https://www.rolandfrasier.com/. 

Roland’s EPIC Challenge.

You may have heard about Roland’s EPIC challenge, which he moved online when the Pandemic hit. It focuses on Ethical Profits In Times of Crisis and dives into no-money out-of-pocket business acquisition strategies. If you’re interested in finding out more about this strategy, click here. 

Contact & Follow Roland

On Facebook or Instagram

Through his Website.

Contact and Follow Ryan Deiss

On Twitter 

Through his Website.

Follow Business Lunch Podcast

On Twitter or Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Get Scalable Live - THE PREMIER EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Over 3 days, network and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs to build a ‘recession proof’ plan to scale your company to 8-figures and beyond, and…leave knowing 2023 is going to be your best year yet!

Get Scalable Live