Just The Tips, with James P. Friel and Dean Holland

Today's guest on Just the Tips has an incredible story of how blogging, and writing, and sharing his ideas took his business out of near-bankruptcy and put him on the map. When Chris Cooper's CrossFit gym was struggling out of the gate, he got a mentor to help him turn things around. He then decided to blog about the experience, which caught the attention of other fitness bloggers and industry leaders. Eventually, he decided to collect a dozen or so of the posts from his blog into a self-published book, Two Brain Business, and boom: It became the biggest selling fitness business book of all time. Chris walks us through his amazing journey, which has led him to mentoring businesses all across the country. If you want to hear how to accelerate your business growth from someone who went from near the bottom to the top of his industry, you'll want to hear this episode.

"If you build it they will come" isn't working

In any industry, not just the fitness world, people often think that just because they're good at their job, they'll be able to expand to running their own business. As Chris says, a lot of trainers think that because they have loyal clients, they can open their own shop and then those clients will refer friends, and so on. But that's not the reality. And as Chris says, every time you level up, you have to be prepared for new challenges and new skills to succeed at that level. If you have a job, be the best at that job. But if you own a business, be the best business owner you can be.

Ideal clients: You don't want everybody"

When you're starting your own business, it can feel like all you want is as many customers or clients as possible in the door and paying you money. But as Chris says on this episode of Just the Tips, his business really transformed when he identified his ideal clients and only pursued and catered his business to them. Some clients will have unrealistic expectations, or undervalue your work, or simply want outcomes from you that are outside the goals of your business. Finding the right clients and nurturing those relationships, and building a business around what both you and they are looking for, is a path to success.

Sometimes you just have to make the hire

One of the things Dean and I have struggled with in the past, and which Chris discussed with us on this week's episode, is learning to better manage our time, and what tasks we're doing. Sometimes that means hiring someone to take tasks off your plate so you can concentrate on high priority tasks. As Chris says, they often do the math: Here's how much this person is going to cost to hire, here's what you need to make in order for that hire to make sense, here's how that hire is going to get you to that level. Because a lot of people will need to hire someone to grow revenue, but are afraid to pull the trigger without that revenue. And Chris has a great tip for how to pull that trigger on this week's episode.

Forget newsletters, write love letters

If you're an entrepreneur, you're used to wearing many hats. But underneath those hats, are you using both sides of your brain? Chris shared with us some fascinating insights into the need for an entrepreneur to be logical and organized (left brain) and creative and imaginative (right brain). And it takes work. Many of us are strong on one side but not the other, but you can train and work at developing both, and your business will be better for it. And one of the most creative ideas Chris shared: Writing love letters to your clients. You really have to hear how Chris breaks it down.

Outline of This Episode

• [3:45] How Chris got started
• [7:34] What mistakes Chris made early on
• [15:32] Learning to say "no "
• [25:30] The willingness of an entrepreneur to martyr themselves
• [28:11] Two-brain business
• [32:56] Sending love letters to clients

Resources & People Mentioned

• Two-Brain Business
• Two-Brain (for non-fitness entrepreneurs)
• The Five Levels of Leadership

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

Today’s guest on Just the Tips has an incredible story of how blogging, and writing, and sharing his ideas took his business out of near-bankruptcy and put him on the map. When Chris Cooper’s CrossFit gym was struggling out of the gate, he got a mentor to help him turn things around. He then decided to blog about the experience, which caught the attention of other fitness bloggers and industry leaders.

On today's episode of Just the Tips Dean and I welcome, entrepreneur, speaker and "people person" Steve Lowisz, to talk about one of the biggest roadblocks for entrepreneurs out there: HR and recruiting. Steve is one of the great, leading-edge thinkers when it comes to hiring and managing people, and the insights he gives here are so critical to a growing business's success. Steve has the methodologies down, and cuts through all the cloudy thinking around hiring to give you precise tips on how to improve your HR function. As he says, "I'll know it when I see it," doesn't cut it, and if you want to improve your hiring, you'll have to listen to this episode.

When you need to hire a hiring firm

Dean and I were surprised to learn that Steve actually started out as an architect. But when he began looking around for more, he joined the sales team of an office supply company where he lives in Michigan and was put in charge of hiring some new employees. Without knowing what to do, he hired a firm to make the hires, and as he says, his boss told him "great job," and then sold the business. So Steve took a job with the firm he actually hired, and from there has loved what he does. If you think hiring and HR is a nightmare or something you're hesitant to tackle, then listen to this episode of Just the Tips to pick up advice from a guy who eats, sleeps and breathes this stuff.

The three keys to successful hiring

I asked Steve whether he mostly focuses on recruiting, retention or managing and developing, and I was surprised by his answer. Steve told us that ultimately all three of those aspects are just one thing you have to get right. So if you define your needs in a candidate, you use those same aspects to help develop them, and then you retain them until they've developed so far that you have to let them go. As Steve says, "We get it wrong, because we separate them too much." But as Steve tells us, it's often defining that need where entrepreneurs go astray.

The baker's dozen of questions you need to ask

Steve has what he calls the "baker's dozen of questions" to get at the heart of what an entrepreneur needs in a new hire. A lot of the questions are fairly direct and simple, he says. Questions like: "What's working for you right now? Where do you want to go? What are your obstacles?" He says the process is a combination of art and science. The science is running through the questions, but the art is in teasing out what's behind the answers. He also has some fascinating insights about assessments, and tools for assessments, that I think buck the common wisdom. You'll want to hear what he says about the "thumbs up/thumbs down" approach to assessing performance.

The "core four" in the science of hiring

When Steve says he has hiring down to a science, he has it down to a science. He told us about his sets of "core four" principles. One set revolves around production, can the person do what you need them to do. Another set revolves around purpose: Is the candidate aligned with what you're trying to do, and with your culture. These are often very squishy terms for entrepreneurs, but Steve has such a clear-eyed view of what they actually mean that you'll be surprised by how you can put them into practice. If you're even thinking about making a hire in the near future, you can't miss this episode of Just the Tips.

Outline of This Episode

• [3:50] Why Steve got into the people side of business
• [5:53] Steve's hiring horror story
• [8:09] The three keys to HR
• [9:23] The baker's dozen of questions
• [14:04] Assessments and the "core four"
• [17:16] What culture really means
• [27:43] One last nugget from Steve

Resources & People Mentioned

• Steve Lowisz
• Steve on Twitter

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

On today’s episode of Just the Tips Dean and I welcome, entrepreneur, speaker and “people person” Steve Lowisz, to talk about one of the biggest roadblocks for entrepreneurs out there: HR and recruiting. Steve is one of the great, leading-edge thinkers when it comes to hiring and managing people, and the insights he gives here are so critical to a growing business’s success.

Today's episode of Just the Tips is something special for the new year. It's just Dean and I on this episode, recounting some of the most impactful takeaways we got from the past year in our businesses and our lives. And we look ahead to 2018, with tips on how to improve focus and performance so you can make this year your year. So if you're looking to get to that next level in the next 12 months, we have some ideas for how to get you there.

Time is the greatest currency

After a brief discussion about how important time is, and freeing up your own time as an entrepreneur, Dean opened up about what has been happening in his business over 2017 and, it turns out, one of the biggest problems was time. He talked about how he missed deadlines and had difficulty getting things launched because he was too focused on doing things himself, and not growing the team. But he and I worked together to put project management systems in place that allowed him to add people to his team, open up a brand new office and really begin to make things work more efficiently to make time less of a stress on him and his business. And in terms of what surprised Dean this year in his business, you'll have to listen to find out.

Keep it steady

When Dean asked me for my biggest takeaway from the last year, I took a different tack. I didn't have the wild swings of changing or scaling up my business or opening a new office. For me, it was all about keeping steady and focused. I shared some insights from my drum teacher, that while you're drumming, you're better off keeping steady and in the groove, then rushing even the fun parts. And that's the sort of lesson I needed to take into my business. Even when things are going well, and when I'm excited about something, it's important to stay in the groove, not rush it, and keep everything together. And I'd love to hear your thoughts about how I translated that to concrete activities in my business.

Set goals for 2018

Dean and I talked about what we want to do in the coming year, and for me, the number one goal is getting my book out into the world. It's something I've been working on for a long time, but last year it just didn't feel like the right time. And that book, Autopilot Entrepreneur, is all about helping entrepreneurs set up blueprints and systems so they can identify what parts of their businesses aren't working, and get them functioning properly. I'm really excited about the prospect of this book helping a lot of people. And Dean has a book on his agenda, too, but he's being a little more cagey about it.

Keep it simple in the new year

Dean told me the same thing he's told his own team, that 2018 will be the year of simplicity. As entrepreneurs we, of course, love starting new things and get excited about the prospect of new projects. But, as Dean says, that can often lead to us taking our eyes off the primary goal we're trying to achieve. This actually jibes well with something I said earlier in the episode, about how meditation practice has really helped me focus and hone in on what I really need to be doing. And so for 2018, stay focused, keep it simple, and tell everyone you know about Just the Tips. It's a clear recipe for success.

Outline of This Episode

• [5:45] Dean's top takeaways from the last year
• [16:54] James's top takeaways from the last year
• [10:02] What changed everything for her business
• [15:15] The spiritual side of money
• [23:13] Be open to lessons from other parts of your life
• [28:25] James's goals for 2018
• [35:20] What's happening on the podcast in 2018
• [39:15] Dean's one big tip

Resources & People Mentioned

• Principles by Ray Dalio

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ

Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

Today’s episode of Just the Tips is something special for the new year. It’s just Dean and I on this episode, recounting some of the most impactful takeaways we got from the past year in our businesses and our lives. And we look ahead to 2018, with tips on how to improve focus and performance so you can make this year your year. So if you’re looking to get to that next level in the next 12 months, we have some ideas for how to get you there.

Today's guest on Just the Tips has done something that, as far as Dean and I know, is nearly impossible: Built a thriving, rapidly expanding business while also raising four boys. Jaime Cross is the founder and CEO of Mighty in Good handcrafted bath and body collections, and her story is truly inspiring. It's not just the fact that she's built a successful business while balancing family life, it's that her business has philanthropy hardwired into its model. If you're looking for something to listen to that will get you fired up and inspired for the new year, this is the episode you were looking for.

A company built around impact, not profit

Jaime told us an incredible story of being home with her first chil and having a literal dream that became the blueprint for Mighty in Good. She says she can still see the dream and the blueprint to this day, and she's never strayed from that vision. And as she tells us, she believes that if you run a profitable company, it's your duty to give back, so Mighty in Good has partnered with organizations to help fund work to stop human trafficking, and donated products to chemotherapy patients to help them feel better. And the company makes organic sex oil. So really, all the bases are covered here.

How Jaime slew Goliath

Jaime says that her vision for her company has allowed her to compete directly with the big players in the skincare industry, by focusing on their values and what makes their products so different and so important to people. And that has made Mighty in Good the fastest growing organic skincare company in the world right now. She allowed us to share what their monthly revenue is, and I'm not going to put it in here, you'll have to listen. And you'll want to hear Dean's mind being blown live on air, as well.

Better the pain of discipline than the pain of regret

Jaime talks about how entrepreneurs need to have the proper mindset for growth, and for overcoming obstacles, in order to achieve their dreams. She told us about a quote she has "inscribed anywhere I can have something inscribed" that reads "Better the pain of discipline than the pain of regret." And as she says, that mindset encompasses a number of different viewpoints, including forcing yourself to do difficult things, but also surrounding yourself with people whose skills complement yours. It's a really insightful and inspiring conversation that's perfect for anyone at any stage of the entrepreneur growth chart.

Own your audience

Jaime is so forward-thinking in terms of where her industry is going and where her business within the industry is going. She read the tea leaves about wholesaling and selling through retail, and turned instead to e-commerce and click funnels where her company can interact directly with its audience, and she's never looked back. This is truly an episode that will get you motivated, and get you thinking about your own path. If you listen to one episode of a podcast in 2018, make it this one.

Outline of This Episode

• [2:55] How Jaime built a company while raising four kids
• [7:27] How MiG took on the big competition
• [10:02] What changed everything for her business
• [15:15] The spiritual side of money
• [17:52] Jaime's formula for a successful business
• [23:03] How to own your audience

Resources & People Mentioned

• Mighty in Good
• MiG Soap on Twitter

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

Today’s guest on Just the Tips has done something that, as far as Dean and I know, is nearly impossible: Built a thriving, rapidly expanding business while also raising four boys. Jaime Cross is the founder and CEO of Mighty in Good handcrafted bath and body collections, and her story is truly inspiring. It’s not just the fact that she’s built a successful business while balancing family life, it’s that her business has philanthropy hardwired into its model.

Today's episode of Just the Tips couldn't come at a better time for many entrepreneurs. At a time of the year when we're reevaluating our lives, what we're doing, what we think we should be doing instead, it's the perfect opportunity to listen to this interview with deep thinker and financial freedom advocate Damion Lupo. Damion opens up about his failures, how that set on a path to helping others, and how he goes about finding what's truly important. He's a pretty radical thinker, and Dean and I really got a lot out of this episode, and we think you will, too.

The key to success: failing fast

Right off the bat, Damion introduced us to his philosophy of "failing fast." He says that often when we fail at something, we fail to learn and we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. But Damion switches that up by failing in order to learn, so he can then apply what he's learned to his next step. And by knowing he's going to fail fast, he says he's able to move much more quickly, essentially baking the notion into his DNA and avoiding the trap of overanalysis that tends to slow down many entrepreneurs. Damion is a true original thinker, and if you ever feel like you're stuck spinning your wheels, you need to hear what he has to say.=

Detach failure from your self-worth

Damion opened up about a time not too long ago when he started a company and raised $20 million in investments, and then lost all of that money. And what he says is fascinating: He took that experience and learned to detach it from his self-worth. He knew that companies fail, that investments aren't guaranteed, and that he could learn from his mistakes and learn how to pivot much quicker next time, and so he went back out and raised a million dollars for a new company. And a lot of that shift came from not judging himself by whether he's had good or bad results with his company. I think a lot of us could use this advice.

Rethink everything and worry about nothing

As Damion says, one of the ways you can release all of that toxicity that builds up in you after you've failed at something is to help others. So in 2012, he was rethinking and reevaluating what he was doing, and interrogating what values drove him to do what he does. And that's what led him to write his first book, The Reinvented Life, and led me to ask him about what he sees as the spiritual side of wealth. As he says, money is a side effect. What you need to be doing is looking at what impact you can have on people, how you can help people, not on how much money you can make. It's a really fascinating conversation and not one you'll hear many entrepreneurs having.

How to build financial freedom

This is probably the most spiritually intense episode of Just the Tips. Damion is all about stripping down the unnecessary chaos in people's lives, and figuring out what's most important to them. And then from there, it's about building the financial freedom so they can enjoy those important things. And as he says, it's all about taking it one step at a time, not just hopping on a plane to Bali. Maybe it's the time of year, but we think you're really going to want to listen to and reflect on this week's episode, and we're so glad to have had Damion on.

Outline of This Episode

• [3:22] Damion on failing fast
• [7:23] An example of failing fast
• [14:55] Damion's philosophy on financial freedom
• [17:42] The spiritual side of money
• [20:52] The work Damion is doing right now
• [25:09] What it's like after you follow his process
• [29:59] The value of the 12-week sprint

Resources & People Mentioned

• Damion Lupo
• The Reinvented Life

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

Today’s episode of Just the Tips couldn’t come at a better time for many entrepreneurs. At a time of the year when we’re reevaluating our lives, what we’re doing, what we think we should be doing instead, it’s the perfect opportunity to listen to this interview with deep thinker and financial freedom advocate Damion Lupo. Damion opens up about his failures, how that set on a path to helping others, and how he goes about finding what’s truly important.