One Complete Podcast

This week's podcast pays homage to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Nowadays it seems pretty simple, right? We built rockets. Astronauts went to space. They walked on moon and came back. But that giant leap for mankind  was never a sure thing. Nothing had been created: no space suits, no rockets, no computers that were up to the task. Everything had to be invented. And, that is how it is as business owners. We have big ideas, but start without knowing what we need, what needs to be created, and the multitude of steps it's going to take to get there. That’s how we innovate and make it happen. Join us as we geek out about the space race and how it created the world we live in.

The dreaded blocks. We all have them. We hide. We can't move forward. We feel really bad. We're in the pit. We're here to tell you it's time to break them up and kick 'em out the door. We'd write more but we're a little blocked.

Do you get hot mad around certain issues? Is there a new tax, fee, or regulation that is impacting your business? Do you wish you had a voice in developments in your community?

It's easy to feel powerless and frustrated and like nothing you do will make a difference. But it is possible to create change. This week we lay out why it's important for us to use our voices to advocate for our needs as citizens and business owners. Listen along as we talk about our visit to our state capitol for Lobby Day with the Small Business Advocacy Council.

Every so often, we need to remember what it was like to be a kid, to go back to those days when we were wiser than we knew and just as naive as we remember. This week we're thrilled to have two special guests share their business insights. Whether it's finding your business spirit animal or starting your very first business, this week's episode shows that being in business is as much about staying young at heart as it is leads, finances, and other serious adult stuff.

Two years ago-ish – we don’t remember the actual date – we started One Complete Business. Join us this week as we take a brief stroll down memory lane and celebrate the ups and downs of what has been two incredible years. We’ve learned a lot and had a tremendous amount of fun, but we’ve also spent some time in the pit of despair. If you’ve ever wondered what inspired our Six Stages of Business episodes, this is it.

If a wormhole to another world appeared, would you step through it? What would you leave behind? What would make the risk too great? As business owners, we step through wormholes all the time. Sometimes we make giant leaps of faith. Other times, we're scared to think about what is on the other side. This week we go on a journey through space and time to ask, what do you really want?

Red Flags. You see them, but you ignore them. You want the relationship. You need the money. You're scared of saying no.That leaves you with prospective clients who nickel and dime you, hide after you send the proposal, can’t make decisions, and don’t implement or look at your work. They pay you, don’t engage in process, and then blame you for not moving things forward. The worst part is that they drain you in so many ways. And you become resentful for not feeling valued for your expertise and hard work.   

When you look back, you know the red flags were there. You decided not to acknowledge them. The client who looks at their phone and not you, says inappropriate things, trash talks other people, and tries to get you to do work for free--they're a handful. Listen along as we list key red flags and how to listen rather than ignore them.

Sometimes clients become friends, and it works out great. And sometimes the relationship burns down to the ground. Expectations can change. Power dynamics can shift. Feelings can be hurt. Listen along as we explore the diverse philosophies business owners have around friendship and work.

Setting boundaries in your business can be one of the hardest things you do. You worry about making people unhappy, losing clients, and losing money. But if you don’t set - AND COMMUNICATE - boundaries, you risk being run by others and giving away your time and energy to things that don’t make your business grow. This week, we talk about the boundaries we’ve set in our business and remind everyone that while you can compete on price, service, and quality, you should never compete on dignity.

All of us know what it’s like to miss a deadline. We stress about the work. We stress about the relationships. We feel terrible about it and ourselves. And, to combat this from happening, we make endless to-do lists to keep us feeling organized and in control. And yet, we can’t seem to let go of the things that get us in trouble in the first place: overcommitting and overpromising. We’re relentlessly aspirational about the amount of time things take – especially when it comes to working on our own businesses. This week we tackle how to break out of the shame spiral around deadlines and how to better set yourself up for success.