Profit Is A Choice

Today we have on the show Mike Michalowicz, entrepreneur behind three multimillion dollar companies and the author of Profit First, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, The Pumpkin Plan, Surge and Clockwork. Mike is globally recognized as the guy who challenges outdated business beliefs.

TOPICS MENTIONED:

• Profit
• Real Revenue
• Sustainability and Responsibility 
• Ideal Clients and Target Markets

 THOUGHTS FROM MIKE:

• Profit allows for me to continue to deliver what I intend to for my community.
• Clients want to know that your business is sustainable, and sustainability IS profitability.
• It is important to have a realignment of pride in profits.
• In The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur we learn that lack is our biggest advantage. Lack brings about innovative thinking and challenges us.
• In Pumpkin Plan we learn how to grow organically and healthily and to identify our best clients.
• Once we have clarity on a purpose, the journey becomes very rewarding.
• Surge teaches us to know our industry and to see what the next big thing is.
• Clockwork teaches that our business can be sustainable and not reliant just on us.

• Passion for Profit course
• Understanding your Financials course  

By Mike Michalowicz   

• Profit First
• The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
• Pumpkin Plan
• Surge
• Clockwork
• E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

•    Facebook: https://MikeMichalowiczFanPage/ •    Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeMichalowicz

Today we have the pleasure of hearing from Jennifer Dawn, a business owner, entrepreneur, author and speaker. Jennifer started her first business at eight years old selling apples off her grandfather’s apple trees. At 23, she founded a software company and then transitioned to a software division president. After 10+ years Jennifer began her journey of creating her own businesses and working for herself.

• Transition
• Mindset
• Fear
• Planning

Transitioning out of corporate

• Transition in such a way you aren’t unbelievably stressed.
• You are not your business. We are too interconnected with our identity and the business’s identity and it can hinder our profitability.
• If we are focused on huge profits, we aren’t focused enough on our clients. The profits come from engaging with our clients.

Mindset

• What are mindsets that hold us back from being profitable?
• What excuses are we holding on to that keep us unprofitable?
• Profits come from serving well.

Fear

• Fear can come from being successful.
• Fear happens when you begin to push outside of your comfort zone.
• The feeling of fear and excitement are the same. It doesn’t have to be fear if you don’t want it to be. Choose excitement instead!

Planning

• It is important to balance physical time, energy and self-care.
• Step out of busy, busy, busy and be more strategic. This allows us to get more done in the day.
• Create times of silence.

•   Best Planner Ever  www.bestplannerever.com/profitisachoice       Use promo code profit for 20% off of a planner.

•    Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

•    Facebook: JenniferDawn8 •    Instagram: @JenniferDawn8 •    Email:  [email protected]

Joining us today is LuAnn Nigara. LuAnn is the co-owner of Window Works NJ, a window treatment and awning retailer, a best-selling author and the engaging host of the design industry’s number 1 podcast, A Well-Designed Business®. LuAnn brings her energetic and straightforward style to all that she does.

• Excellence
• Ownership
• Systems 

• If you make the decision to start a firm, make the further decision to be accountable to make it great.
• LuAnn’s tagline is Excellence is a decision. It is understanding the power of deciding it is my choice and it is up to me.
• Barriers and/or Challenges to excellence can be confidence, accountability and owning it.
• If you aren’t taking credit for what is broken, how can you be a part of the solution?
• Systems to be successful are everything. If you don’t have a system, you have a ‘you’ not a business. A system makes your business sellable.
• The systems are the things that keep you going when the going gets tough.
• Excellence can mean repeatability.
• Working in alignment with who you are and what you believe is critical. It is difficult to work out of alignment.

•  LuAnn’s website- www.luannigara.com
• Understanding your Financials course by Michele Williams

• Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters
• E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber 
• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
• Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz
• 212 The Extra Degree by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson
• The Making of - A Well Designed Business by LuAnn Nigara

• Instagram: @LuannNigara 
• Facebook: @awelldesignedbusiness 
• YouTube:- https://www.youtube.com/awelldesignedbusiness

Ceil DiGuglielmo: The High Cost of Fear in a Creative Business

Episode 2 of Profit Is A Choice®

Today I have the pleasure of talking with the owner of Sew Much More Custom Sewing for the Home, Ceil DiGuglielmo. Ceil is passionate about education and technology in the window treatment and soft home furnishings industry. She also has a podcast, The Sew Much More Podcast where she focuses on interviewing members of the window treatment and soft home furnishings industry.

Topics Mentioned:

Fear

Imposter Syndrome

Taking the first step

Importance of accountability

Thoughts from Ceil:

• Be more conscious with the money you have coming in.
• It is important to make decisions based on what is best for the company long term.
• Separating the business from family income helps with making the business a business and if not, it’s working toward a hobby.
• Fear is a big part of why I didn’t do things.
• Questions ran across my mind like, ‘How will I be perceived if I make a mistake’ and ‘Why am I so afraid of making mistakes’? This feeling of fear stopped me from starting something or pursuing an idea and slowed down my business growth. I have learned that the more I prepare, the less fear tries to sneak in.
• If you have outside accountability, you are more likely to do something. This accountability is valuable with loving, but firm communication.

Links and Resources:

• Window Coverings Association of America- https://www.wcaa.org
• ‘How I Built This’ podcast- https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
• Understanding Your Financials course- http://scarletthreadconsulting.net/uyf-enroll
• ‘Pricing without Emotion’ course- https://www.scarletthreadconsulting.com/pricing-without-emotion/

Books:

• Better Than Before by Gretchen Ruben 
• Failing Forward by John C Maxwell
• The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women by Valerie Young
• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

Socials:

• Facebook: Sew Much More Custom Sewing for The Home, The Sew Much More Podcast
• Instagram- @ceildi
• Website- Ceil DiGuglielmo, LLC, ceildi.com

Michele Williams: Welcome to Profit is a Choice

Episode 1 of Profit Is A Choice®

Welcome to the first episode with business owner and coach, Michele Williams. Through this podcast it is our hope to share opportunities and ideas to increase your profits, regain ownership of your company and to have fun in your business.

Why this industry?

• Michele has been in the interior design industry since 2000 and understands the ins and outs of each aspect.
• The interior design industry, as many creative industries has a high tolerance for low pay.
• Companies that make money enjoy their work more – and that is what we all desire.

What about Profitability?

• Profits do matter. Always.
• Earning a profit is not a one-time event.
• As the owner of your company, you own the good, the bad and the ugly. And this includes your profitability (or lack of).

Show Highlights

 We want to gain profit, but we don’t always want to make the hard choices to be profitable.

 Sometimes, we don’t recognize how our day-to-day choices are reflected with our year-end profitability.

 We can be people pleasers in the interior design industry, but we need to learn when emotions need to be removed.

 The passion goes away when we are not profitable. We need to continue to have a business carried out with integrity that brings us joy.

Questions for Thought… Listen in to hear them all!

What does it mean to be consciously profitable and what can this look like?

How do we remain profitable with the changes in the marketplace?

How does the communication change with our clients if we are profitable?

What impact can we make in the world if we do business well?

How do we make profitability happen?  

Links and Resources

• Email me at [email protected]
• Website: scarlettreadconsulting.com

 Socials

• Instagram: @ScarletthreadATL
• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting, Michele Broughton Williams
• Facebook Group: ProfitIsAChoice.club