In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the importance of creating a sales system for business growth. He emphasizes that hiring salespeople is not always the best solution and instead recommends focusing on developing a strategic sales system. He outlines seven steps to create a scalable sales system, including identifying the target customer, defining the value proposition, developing lead generation strategies, mapping out the sales process, measuring and improving the system, systematizing the methods, and training and improving the sales team.

Episode Takeaways:

1. Instead of hiring salespeople, create a strategic sales system that targets your specific ideal customer and positions your product or service correctly.
2. Identify your target customer by understanding their demographics, psychographics, and buying motivators.
3. Differentiate your market position and create value to avoid competing solely on price.
4. Develop lead generation strategies that align with your target customer's needs and leverage your content and assets.
5. Map out a structured sales process that builds trust and understands the customer's needs.
6. Measure and improve the sales system by tracking numbers, experimenting, and making data-driven decisions.
7. Systematize the processes by standardizing and systemizing them, balancing rigidity with innovation.
8. Train and improve the sales team by identifying key roles, skills, and experience requirements and using the data from the sales system to make smarter hires.

Need more information about lead generation? Listen to this episode of the Entrepreneur to Employer podcast - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2066194/15135664-the-best-way-to-generate-leads-for-your-business-business-growth-tips.mp3?download=true

Want to work with me? Email me at [email protected]

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes interviews Jevon Thomas, a director of retirement plans, about the importance of offering 401k plans and retirement plans as a retention strategy for small businesses. They discuss California's regulatory landscape and companies' legal obligations to provide retirement plans. They also explore how 401k plans can be utilized for talent acquisition and retention, including the benefits of offering employer contributions and profit sharing. Javon provides insights on selecting a 401k benefits partner and the importance of ongoing employee education and support. They also touch on the impact of not making required contributions and the future trends in retirement plans.

What to expect from this episode:

1. Offering 401k and retirement plans is essential for small businesses as a retention strategy.
2. It's crucial for small businesses in California to be aware of their legal obligations, which require companies with five or more employees to provide some retirement plan.
3. Employers can utilize 401k plans for talent acquisition and retention by offering employer contributions and profit sharing.
4. Choosing the right 401k benefits partner is a critical decision that can significantly impact your employees' financial future. It's important to consider their ability to educate and support employees.
5. Not making required contributions to a retirement plan can result in financial penalties.
6. Future trends in retirement plans include the ability to make Roth contributions and help employees with student loans.

Want to connect with Jevon? You can email him at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jevon-thomas-retirementplan/

Want to connect with me? You can email me at [email protected]
or connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmontes/

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the power of mentorship in business success. He explains what makes a great mentor and highlights the importance of investing in mentorship training and development. Brian also emphasizes the need to recognize and reward mentorship excellence and encourages cross-disciplinary mentoring to foster a diverse skill set among employees. Business owners can create a thriving and supportive environment that drives organizational success by creating a mentorship strategy.

Takeaways:

1. Mentorship is a powerful tool for transforming businesses and employees.
2. A great mentor possesses a combination of skills, qualities, and a mindset geared toward helping others succeed.
3. Investing in mentorship training and development can enhance employee engagement, experience, and retention.
4. Recognizing and rewarding mentorship excellence reinforces the importance of mentorship within an organization.
5. Cross-disciplinary mentoring encourages collaboration, innovation, and a more holistic understanding of the business.
6. Creating a mentorship strategy can have a profound impact on business success.

Want to work with me? https://hub.scaleocityworks.com/

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the challenges that business owners face in three key areas: time, team, and money. He provides insights and solutions for each challenge, such as creating a time management plan, developing an operations and training manual, implementing a team meeting rhythm, and establishing a cash gap plan. Brian emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, leadership development, and having a clear USP and guarantee. He also highlights the need for a revenue and profit budget, a talent acquisition plan, and a tactical marketing plan.

Takeaways:

Identify the challenges you face as a business owner in the areas of time, team, and money.
Develop a time management plan to prioritize tasks and focus on high-value activities.
Create an operations and training manual to delegate tasks and ensure consistency.
Establish a team meeting rhythm to improve communication, alignment, and accountability.
Implement a revenue and profit budget to track financial performance and make data-informed decisions.
Build a talent acquisition plan to attract and retain top talent in your industry.
Develop a tactical marketing plan to increase leads, sales conversion rates, and customer spend.
Create a cash gap plan to improve cash flow by collecting receivables faster and negotiating better terms with vendors.

Podcast Episode - Strategic KPI Development for Business Owners - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2066194/15188863-strategic-kpi-development-for-business-owners.mp3?download=true

Check out our new website - https://hub.scaleocityworks.com/

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for business owners and provides insights on developing and utilizing KPIs effectively. He covers KPIs' definition, significance for business growth, and specific KPIs to track across various business functions. Additionally, he outlines key questions to consider when crafting a KPI system and emphasizes the role of data-driven decision-making in utilizing KPI data.

Takeaways:

➡️KPIs are essential for business owners to track and measure the performance of their business against strategic goals.
➡️Developing a KPI system involves identifying key questions, determining the right KPIs for each business function, and establishing a clear communication and interpretation process for KPI data.
➡️Regular KPI data review and utilization are crucial for making informed, data-driven decisions and driving business growth.

Questions? Please email me at [email protected]

Want to work with me? https://hub.scaleocityworks.com/

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the importance of lead generation for business owners and explores different strategies for generating leads. He categorizes these strategies into two main approaches: farming and hunting. Farming strategies focus on cultivating relationships over time, including content marketing, email marketing, social media engagement, and customer-based referral programs. Hunting strategies, on the other hand, involve a more direct and immediate approach to lead generation and include cold calling, paid advertising, networking, direct mail campaigns, and bold walking. Brian emphasizes the need to choose the right strategies based on the stage of your business and consistently measure and adjust your approach to maximize results.

Takeaways:

• Lead generation is crucial for business success as it involves attracting and converting potential clients or customers into interested leads.
• Farming strategies focus on cultivating relationships over time, including content marketing, email marketing, social media engagement, and customer-based referral programs.
• Hunting strategies involve a more direct and immediate approach to lead generation and include cold calling, paid advertising, networking, direct mail campaigns, and bold walking.
• It is important to choose the right lead generation strategies based on the stage of your business and consistently measure and adjust your approach to maximize results.

Hope you enjoyed this episode! 

Questions? Email Brian at [email protected]. 

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the challenges of managing a multi-generational workforce. He emphasizes the need to challenge harmful stereotypes and appreciate the unique preferences, habits, and behaviors that each generation brings. 

Navigating the complexities of a multi-generational workforce can feel like walking a tightrope, but it's a challenge leaders can embrace head-on.  In this episode we will discuss - 

• Why leaders need to challenge harmful stereotypes and appreciate the unique characteristics of each generation.
• Why you need to establish communication preferences openly and find a balance in the communication flow.
• Set the expectations for workplace boundaries and provide training on appropriate workplace topics.
• Avoid playing favorites and create a culture where people of all ages can learn from each other.
• Embrace diversity of thought to make better decisions and achieve success in the business. 

"Break through the stereotypes. Don't accept them, challenge them."

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

In this episode, Brian Montes discusses the importance of leadership in business and shares his insights on a specific leadership technique that can optimize team performance. He emphasizes the need for a healthy culture and solid leadership to build a sustainable and profitable business. 

Brian highlights the significance of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in driving team success and shares his approach to understanding individuals and helping them achieve their personal and professional goals. He also emphasizes the importance of leading by example, hiring self-motivated leaders, and developing a leadership style that aligns with one's personality.

Episode Key Lessons:

• Companies live and die by the quality of their leadership.
• Building a healthy culture is essential for a sustainable and profitable business.
• Motivation is a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
• Understanding individuals and helping them achieve their goals is key to effective leadership.
• Leading by example and being transparent contribute to a positive company culture.
• Hiring self-motivated leaders is crucial for long-term success.
• Develop a leadership style that aligns with your goals, objectives, and personality.

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

Imagine transforming your hiring process into an authentic journey that not only entices top talent but also leaves every candidate with a positive impression of your brand. 

I'm Brian Montes, and in this episode, we dive into the heart of effective talent acquisition, sharing personal insights from years on the front lines of interviewing and hiring. You'll discover the artful blend of strategy and empathy needed to manage first impressions, set realistic expectations, and cultivate a talent pipeline that resonates with your company's culture and mission. Whether you're a business owner or a hiring manager, prepare to revolutionize your recruitment approach, ensuring each interaction with candidates strengthens your employer brand and gives you an edge in today's competitive job market.

Say goodbye to ghosting and hello to clear, respectful communication—this episode is all about enhancing every aspect of the candidate experience. We discuss the hidden costs of extended decision-making timelines and how to streamline application processes, delivering clarity and convenience to prospective team members. You'll learn the importance of incorporating genuine interactions with current employees into the interview process, granting candidates a transparent window into the lifeblood of your company. 

Key episode takeaways - 

• A strong employer brand is crucial for attracting top talent.
• The candidate experience begins before the interview and organizations need to curate an honest and engaging recruitment process.
• Lengthy decision-making and lack of communication can lead to a loss of interest from candidates.
• Ghosting candidates and having an overly complex application process can harm the employer's brand.
• Unprepared interviewers and discriminatory practices should be avoided to create a fair and positive candidate experience.

Tune in for a masterclass on not just hiring the right people, but doing so in a way that elevates your business from the inside out, fostering a reputation as an employer of choice.

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8

Embark on a journey that promises to redefine your entrepreneurial horizon with insights from Claire Chandler, the powerhouse behind Talent Boost, whose 25 years of HR and business strategy expertise are set to supercharge your leadership skills and company culture. As your host, I'm thrilled to share this transformative conversation where we celebrate that thrilling moment of moving from solo entrepreneur to a dynamic team leader. We dissect the best practices for retaining top talent and nurturing a workplace that not only values its employees but encourages them to build careers with longevity.

Discover the secrets to achieving sustainable growth within your organization, as we reflect on the two-year quest to find the perfect alignment of passion, skill, and market demand. Claire opens up about her brainchild, Talent Boost, and its mission to help leaders scale their businesses without sacrificing their most valuable asset: their people. Together, we unravel common expansion challenges and highlight the importance of a purpose-driven culture that spells success for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike.

Lastly, as the episode unfolds, we tackle the often-overlooked role of HR as a strategic partner in shaping company direction and fostering growth. I share my own experiences of reviving workplace enthusiasm and we discuss how clear communication and a resonant mission are critical in attracting the right talent. Claire and I zero in on the magnified consequences of leadership decisions in small businesses and offer a practical growth assessment tool, linked in our show notes, designed to prepare your business for expansion while preserving the team that helped you build it.

If you would like to follow Claire and learn more about her impactful work -

FACEBOOK (BUSINESS) https://www.facebook.com/talentboostllc/

LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairechandlersphr/

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/chillinchandler/

TWITTER https://twitter.com/TalentBoost

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43Iz8yWW1gPKN6PkF-wi4g?view_as=subscriber

I’m hosting a free workshop called “Fix the Foundation: How First-Time Founders Can Stop Running on Chaos and Start Scaling with Clarity.”

In less than 45 minutes, I’ll show you the six areas most business owners overlook — and the exact systems you need to get your time back, hire smarter, and lead with confidence.

🎯 Save your seat at https://bit.ly/4l9orb6

 Let’s build a business that doesn’t run you.

👉 Ready to stop running your business on chaos and gut instinct?

Take the free People, Operations & Finance Scorecard — a 5-minute diagnostic to find out where your business is strong, where it’s stuck, and what to fix first.

🎯 Perfect for first-time founders who want to grow without burning out.

📩 Get your score instantly + a personalized follow-up with actionable next steps.

🔗 Take the Assessment now → https://forms.gle/m65U1GZBoneXvXDM8