Consulting with Authority

George Grombacher is the Founder of Money Alignment Academy and the host of the LifeBlood Podcast with over 1500 podcast episodes. 

Being a three-time top 100 financial adviser listed by Investopedia, George sets up 401k for companies while his financial wellness company helps people get better at managing their finances. Key topics from this conversation include:

• [00:03] A background of today's guest, George Grombacher. 
• [06:05] About George's advisory practice: 401k and financial wellness. 
• [08:03] Money Alignment Academy; the Self-determination theory.
• [21:10] How entrepreneurs can relate business finances with their personal finances. 
• [26:46] Growth investment; using profits vs borrowing. 
• [31:37] The role of guidance of a business coach in business management. 
• [37:17] Choosing an entity type. 
• [38:58] General Financial guidelines for entrepreneurs. 
• [41:09] Recommendations for retirement savings. 
• [46:27] Lessons from George's experience.

Quotes

• "I recognized a long time ago that there's so much power in Community"
• "85% of people will never interact with a financial adviser"
• "It doesn't matter if it's 7 days a week or one piece of new content a month, you just need to be consistent with it, and manage expectations"
• "Gold medal of personal finance is to pay yourself first"
• "The number 2 rule is to stay out of debt"
• "Don't fool yourself, be as objective as you can about your actual situation"
• "You should have 3-6 months' worth of expenses saved up"
• "You're never going to get financial prosperity until you first reach financial security"
• "The bronze rule from my perspective is to diversify"
• "As soon as you can figure out what work that you really want to be doing, then start doing that"

Resources

• The LifeBlood Podcast
• “The Artist's Way” book by Julia Cameron
• “The War of Art” book by Steven Pressfield 
• “Turning Pro” book by Steven Pressfield 

Connect with George Grombacher

• Money Alignment Academy Website
• Email
• LinkedIn

Connect with the Host

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Bryan McDonald is a Partner with onPurpose Growthwhich works with clients on all issues related to sales, helping entrepreneurs with ambitious yearly or multi-year revenue goals fulfill their ambition. 

The company has a coaching aspect that works with entrepreneurs who serve small and medium-sized businesses, and a consulting side that works with businesses that want to break above an unyielding sales peak. Notable points to be highlighted in this episode are:

• [00:16] Introducing our guest, Bryan McDonald. 
• [08:32] Slicing a vertical; how to target potential clients. 
• [21:40] Getting more customer traction using a narrow vertical slice. 
• [30:55] About Bryan's market research processes. 
• [39:39] Systemization of sales processes. 
• [47:36] Lessons from Bryan's experience. 

Quotes

• "You can't out-skill a bad system" 
• "Sales doesn't end when they say yes, sale ends when the work is complete and they're happy"
• "Build your business in iterations and you'll build it faster"
• "When you have a tight enough slice of the vertical; specifically, who they are, then the other questions are a whole lot easier to answer"
• "I'd rather have 5 real deals than 50 people I'm chasing"
• "You want to give people some hoops to jump through but that hoop is not about your ego; that hoop is not about making it difficult for them; the hoop is about relevance"
• "Your business grows directly proportionate to how much you grow yourself"
• "There's no failure, there's only learning"
• "Embrace help"

Resources

• onPurpose Growth Website

Connect with Bryan McDonald

• LinkedIn
• Bryan’s Website

Connect with the Host

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Ashlee Berghoff is the Founder of A Squared Online, and the Author of the book "Eureka Results: How Entrepreneurs Can Turn Their Best Ideas into Reality".

Ashlee helps in buying back time for busy entrepreneurs by training them on prioritizing activities, managing their ideas alongside these activities, and ultimately, process improvement to achieve true entrepreneurial freedom. Highlighted points of discussion include:

• [00:05] About our guest, Ashlee Berghoff. 
• [06:41] Focusing on process improvement; the 5 phases of entrepreneurial freedom. 
• [14:09] Timeline expectations for entrepreneurial freedom. 
• [16:50] "Eureka Results" by Ashlee; the messy middle. 
• [22:01] Using systems as a tool. 
• [25:00] Switching from time management to time leadership. 
• [30:47] 3 paths after incorporating time leadership. 
• [33:09] The role of metrics in measuring success. 
• [41:00] Delegation of duties. 
• [44:35] Managing Client Experience to maximize productivity.
• [46:22] Lessons learned from Ashlee's work. 

Quotes

• "Your brain's probably lying to you about how overwhelmed you really are"
• "The magic is in the messy middle"
• "We use systems constantly… they're what brings structure to our life, and they're what decides what happens"
• "Any system that gets you where you want to go is a good system"
• "Give yourself the time to decide what to do with your time"
• "Time is really fascinating to me because it's not something we're ever taught how to use"
• "We don't naturally always allocate our time to the things that matter most"
• "We think of put time as free but our time is not free, there's a real opportunity cost to it"

Resources

• Eureka Results Book Website
• "Eureka Results: How Entrepreneurs Can Turn Their Best Ideas into Reality” book on Amazon.
• A Squared Online Website 

Connect with Ashlee Berghoff

• LinkedIn

Connect with the Host

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Alexa D'Agostino is an entrepreneur, investor, digital marketer, and business strategist. She is the CEO of Thynk Consulting Group.  

The ThynkTank Group is comprised of ThynkTank Coaching which works with clients to build business strategies and ThynkFuel Media which creates marketing/ PR strategies for businesses. Notable points to be highlighted in this episode are:

• [00:20] About today's guest, Alexa D'Agostino. 
• [06:24] The challenges of success. 
• [11:03] About Thynk Consulting Group. 
• [19:56] Lead generation; How to get leads and what to know before starting. 
• [26:33] Creating a content formula (the 70/15/15 rule). 
• [34:45] Lead Cultivation; the role of tracking your leads. 
• [43:44] How to architect an offer. 
• [50:27] Key lessons from Alexa's career

Quotes

• "Sometimes as entrepreneurs and mentors and coaches, we talk a lot about the ups and we never talk about the downs"
• "If you don't love your clients, they know"
• "Stop trying to be perfect and just get it out"
• "The first part of lead generation is you have to create an audience"
• "If you're not putting content out 5 days a week on LinkedIn, you're missing out"
• "3% of the market is ready to buy, only 3%, and the problem is everyone else is going after that 3%" 
• "You can't manage what you don't measure, you can't measure what you don't define, and you can't define what you don't understand"
• "It takes 7 to 11 times of reaching out to somebody to actually get them to initiate back"
• "Only 2% of entrepreneurs are actually successful"

Resources

• Thynk Consulting Group Website 
• ThynkTank Millionaire Podcast 

Connect with Alexa D'Agostino 

• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Connect with the Host

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Erik Jensen is the Co-owner & Chief Strategy Officer of Predictive ROI, a 7-figure marketing agency helping businesses monetize their position of authority. 

Predictive ROI helps agencies, coaches and consultants build a position of thought leadership and monetize it, adopting methods like content, niche focus, and meaningful conversations to create Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR). Key topics to be discussed in this episode are; 

• [00:26] About our guest, Erik Jensen. 
• [07:11] The nature of Predictive ROI. 
• [13:30] How Predictive ROI engages with clients. 
• [23:50] Meeting the right kinds of people to have more meaningful conversations. 
• [26:50] Niche Down; XYZ statements
• [31:26] Creating Cornerstone Content. 
• [46:13] Lessons from Erik's Journey. 
• [49:18] Connect with Erik

Quotes

• "Even if there's tremendous amount of effort to create the system, that system still has to be maintained"
• "If you want to have your Biz Dev be a tap that you can turn on and turn off when you're ready for your business, then you need to be doing consistent focused effort"
• "When a system relies deeply on a lot of effort from the principal of an organization,  then it's a system that is inherently going to break"
• "If you want to have more meaningful conversations, you need to be meaningful" 
• "If you don't have a niche, how on earth are you going to be meaningful?; you're going to by default make your content generic"
• "Own your own platform; Your list is the most important thing you have in your business"
• "Niche faster and deeper than what you think you should be doing"

Resources

• Predictive ROI free book
• Predictive ROI Q & A

Connect with Erik Jensen

• LinkedIn
• Predictive ROI website

Connect with the Host

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

In maximizing productivity, the goal is to get the most out of your time first by identifying activities that can be automated, delegated, or outsourced.  

Understanding this allows for the focus of resources on strategic leadership, personal development, expanding the team, and harnessing growth opportunities, which are pivotal in creating maximum impact for any business. Key points discussed in this episode include:

• [02:07] The Productivity Paradox. 
• [09:46] Having an awareness of things we do not have to do. 
• [10:21] Creating maximum impact; clarity of Intention, courage to act, and controlling your mind.  
• [28:22] The concept of High-Value Activities.
• [32:57] Where should you spend less time; creating a "Not-to-do" list. 
• [34:43] Finding the Domino 
• [44:33] Protecting Your Time. 
• [54:52] Parkinson's Law. 
• [57:45] Maximizing your time. 
• [59:11] The "No Naps" Principle. 
• [01:02:04] The Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule). 

Quotes

• "We shouldn't be looking for more that has to be done, we should be proactively looking for what does not have to be done"
• "Maximum impact is a function of reducing time and improving results" 
• "It's not in the knowing, it's in the doing that we experience maximum impact and results"
• "Most people give more thought to protecting the stuff stored in their garage than protecting their time"
• "The more successful you are, the more demands on your time there will be"
• "The more specific and detailed, the more productive your meeting's going to be"
• "Effectiveness and efficiency are the makeup of productivity and performance"
• "Just Say No; this is the most valuable time propellant that I will share with you"
• "Which 20% of activities or inactivity is causing 80% of the stress you feel about not having enough time?"

Resources

• “The 4-Hour Work Week” book by Tim Ferriss
• “The Ultimate Sales Machine” book by Chet Holmes 

Connect with the Host

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

“Market Gravity” determines how a business attracts ideal prospects in the marketplace, however, it is largely dependent on the sphere of influence of the business. Hence, every good marketing strategy positively is targeted at positively influencing this sphere of influence.

This conversation describes key components, principles, and practical steps to be applied for a business to grow in its sphere of influence. Highlighted concepts discussed on this episode of Consulting with Authority include:

• [02:59] The law of Market Gravity.
• [05:39] 3 components of your sphere of influence.
• [13:23] Strategies for building Market Gravity.
• [20:47] Speaking Strategies.
• [30:47] Specific Introductions vs Open-ended referrals.
• [41:33] Becoming a thought leader; How to go from Content to Results.

Quotes

• "I'm going to keep talking about the same stuff until you all start implementing it"
• By increasing your sphere of influence, you increase your attractiveness to your ideal prospects in the marketplace. 
• "Your clients are always your prospects"
• "What is Speaking, other than a demonstration of your knowledge, experience and skill?"
• "Why go 'one to one' when you can do 'one to many"
• "Speaking is the fastest, easiest, most productive and effective way to fill up your pipeline"

Resources

• Score your own “market gravity” with the Accelerated Growth Scorecard HERE
• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Joseph Skursky is the managing partner at Market Leader Solutions where he works with companies around their organizational development, helping their leadership become more effective. Joseph also serves as an executive coach, is a best-selling author, and is passionate about helping others build their dream team. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Consulting with Authority:

• How Joseph started his own consultancy business.
• The range of work Joseph does with Market Leader Solutions.
• The benefits of charging clients a flat rate.
• Why Joseph doesn't have contracts with his clients.
• How Joseph first interacts with prospective organizations and moves them to clients.
• What to do when noticing systemic problems within a team.
• How independent B2B consultants can find quality talent to work with.

Resources:

• Market Leader Solutions
• ValueBuilder

Connecting with Joseph Skursky:

• LinkedIn
• Calendar

Connecting with the host:

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Paul Conley is an executive, business, and success coach and is the host of the Life Work Balance Podcast.

Paul focuses on helping others put their life ahead of work, gain control, increase their happiness, and gain higher levels of revenue. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Consulting with Authority:

• How Paul became a business and success coach.
• How to take control of your career and life.
• How to get clarity on what your priorities are.
• The target people and businesses Paul works with and how he engages with his clients.
• How to manage your relationships to maximize your potential.
• The benefits of having a mentor you can learn from.
• The top lessons Paul’s learned as a business and life coach.

Resources:

• Life Work Balance
• Life Work Balance Podcast
• Smart Solutions Media

Connecting with Paul Conley:

• LinkedIn

Connecting with the host:

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn

Jalene Case started her career as a bank teller at 17 years old gradually working her way up the organization as a secretary, foodservice brokerage salesperson, business manager, vice president of administration, program manager, and executive director.

Jalene went on to travel the world by motorcycle before starting her own consultancy business where she works with leaders who want to lead themselves first and develop stronger teams. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Consulting with Authority:

• What triggered Jalene to take a motorcycle trip to the tip of South America.
• How to overcome fear and doubts.
• The challenges of letting go of a stable job.
• The life and business lessons Jalene learned from 2 years on the road.
• How Jalene started her own consulting firm.
• Different business development strategies Jalene assists leaders with.
• Common challenges solopreneurs face and how to tackle these. 
• How to keep yourself motivated and focused on your goals. 

Resources:

• Complete Leader
• The Infinite Game

Connecting with Jalene Case:

• LinkedIn
• Website

Connecting with the host:

• Scott Cantrell on LinkedIn