Too many brilliant and talented entrepreneurs are struggling just to get by. In fact, many of them are so focused the day-to-day operations of their business that they never get a shot at really thriving because they never get past survival mode.

Today I’m trying something a little different on the show.

This episode is very unique because I’m essentially hosting a live case study discussion between marketing strategy and branding expert, Dave Barcos, who is helping his client Lou Radja to step back, evaluate his speaking and coaching business, and take it to the next level.

In this conversation with Dave and Lou, you’ll begin to understand why some of the best entrepreneurs, the ones who really care about what they’re doing, struggle with getting their business to the point where they can make a bigger difference and create a real name for themselves.

I start this conversation by asking Lou Radja about his background and why he sought out the help of Dave Barcos in the first place.

What ensues is a lively discussion between Lou, Dave and I about Lou’s business struggles and how Dave has stepped up to help Lou understand his biggest strengths and implement a new strategy for engaging with his customers.

Here are the questions that I asked Lou along with his replies, including input from Dave and key insights gained from each topic.

Lou was building his business from a position of survival and being focused on the next gig so planning was out of the question. This is the way that most businesses are born. Someone starts something and then all of a sudden there’s this little business that’s up and running.

After Lou landed his first client, the sole focus became getting his business off the ground and finding the next client. Creating a strategy for growth never really entered the picture. As a result, Lou was stuck in the mode of putting out fires and reacting to whatever seemed most important.

Lou remained in this position for nearly three years before realizing that he needed some help. At that point, he reached out to Dave Barcos to help him take a step back and put the ‘Why’ before the ‘How’.

Key lesson: It’s never too early to start putting the ‘Why’ before the ‘How’. It’s so critical to understand who you’re serving, why you’re serving them, and the unique value you have to offer. Don’t get so distracted by the day-to-day business activities that you forget about planning a sustainable strategy for client communication and growth.

The first thing Lou had to come to terms with was realizing that he was the product. As a speaker and trainer, Lou began to understand that people were buying the messenger before the message.

Lou had to answer the tough questions like:

Lou had to slow down and take a couple of steps back so that he could gain some clarity about his message and how he wanted to present himself to the world.

Key lesson: Embrace your story and define your message. It’s imperative to clarify the value that you can deliver.

Lou shares the intangible results and tangible results. The intangible results are:

The tangible results are:

Key lesson: Experience is not the best teacher. There is a big difference between experience and evaluated experience. Having the opportunity to evaluate your experience is when you grow and get better.

If you take even one insight from this interview, you and your business will be better for it. Thanks for listening and be sure to check out what these guys are up to. They are both class acts!