In this podcast, John Beaman discuss a few of the components of the customer journey map from a 40,000ft level and shares the five steps of the customer journey map. Below are his suggestions for what small business owners should implement right away but before you do, make sure to like, comment, and share as well as sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

Build Your Customer Avatar

Before you can build any kind of real marketing effort, you need to know who your perfect client really is. If you don’t know this, nothing you do will succeed. So take some time and build a detailed customer profile!

Know the Emotional Triggers

Humans are emotional beings, and purchases are consequently emotional as well. If you want to generate the best results from your marketing efforts, know what emotions your prospects experience and guide them to the right conclusion. Knowing their emotional state will help you to better solve their problems!

Focus on the Loyalty Loop

Once a customer purchases from you, you have shown them how great you are – use this to your advantage! Identify the ways in which you can make that customer buy from you again, again, and again – this can cut out 40% or more of the customer journey map and save you much time, money, and headache in your marketing efforts!

In this podcast, Kyleen Andrews joined us to discuss her journey to small business ownership and share what it was like going from employee to employer! Kyleen had a few very specific insights for those starting a business and even a few insights for those who have been operating for a few years! Remember to like, comment, and share to help other small business owners! Sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.comfor more great insights!

Have a Strong Why

If your why isn’t strong enough, your business will die off because you will lack the passion to push through. If your why is your true passion, however, nothing will stop you from achieving your goals!

Grow and Learn – Always

If you’re not growing, you’re dying – it’s a painful reality of our world. Never stop learning, never stop growing. As soon as you’ve mastered one thing, seek to master another because this is how we increase our scale and scope!

Recognize That You Can’t Know Everything

Simply recognizing this will help you shift your train of thought from “how do I do this” to “who can I hire to do to this,” and this is the key to growth! Delegating various roles and responsibilities to others will allow you to focus on building your business which unlocks the next level of growth!

Give Up Control

Over what you can’t control – that is the key! Focus on what you can control and do not stress about the other stuff. Yes, be aware of it and influence it when you can, but realize that it is outside of your control and that your efforts are better spent elsewhere.

In this episode of Real Small Business with The McGraw Council, small business owner Tom Burke shares his journey of business ownership! Tom is starting a new business in the northwest and shares how he started and is building his small business! Enjoy this podcast and listen to the story of this new American Dream being born! Below are Tom’s insights and if you want more great content like this, sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com! Like, comment, and share to help support Tom in his business venture!

Build a Great Team

Team management is essential to small business ownership, even if you are a solopreneur. Why? Because at some point in time in some way, you are dependent on other people. Therefore, build a good team you can trust!

Build Community

Your community is a great resource for your business if you know how to connect properly. Give back to your community, invest in it, and it will return the favor to you and your business!

Be Kind to Yourself

As a business owner, you are going to make a mistake or two – rather than beating yourself up, simply adapt and make a change; beating yourself up accomplishes nothing. Be kind to yourself and don’t be afraid of making the mistake; just don’t make the same mistake time and time again.

In this podcast, we discuss a few of the insights some of our previous podcast guests have shared with us and what these insights mean for the small business owner. More specifically, we talk about four key things: being precise, having a strong business plan, having a clear marketing plan, and focusing on building the business as systems and processes. As we small business owners do this, we will be able to scale our businesses and achieve our dreams because we will have success that is repeatable, predictable, and sustainable! Focus on building a business, not a job, and you can achieve your American Dream too! Like, comment, and share and also remember to sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

In this podcast, small business owner Anthony Siciliano shares his journey to small business ownership and his passion to chase his dreams! Anthony shares some of the highs and lows one can expect in business ownership as well as his three tips for small business owners to implement! Remember to like, comment, and share! To get more great content like this, sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

Be Precise

Whenever you have a goal in mind, or ask for help, or anything of the like, make sure you are precise. When you are precise, you have a specific target that is easy to see and understand! When you are vague, not only will you have a hard time achieving your goal, but others won’t be able to help you either.

Love It

Whatever you do, make sure you love it! If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life! Moreover, people will know your true passion, so make sure that you love your business if you want it to be your dream!

Keep Good, Clean Records

Too many small business owners fail to keep clean records and it often comes back to haunt them. Don’t allow yourself to fall into this category. Keep good records, and watch your achievements grow!

In this podcast, Randy Rhew, owner of Randy Rhew Farmers Insurance Agency, shares his story of small business ownership, why he has the desire to own a business, and what has helped him succeed and thrive in the insurance world! Randy has experience in the corporate world with Xerox and as a small business owner, so he has seen both sides of the equation! Remember to like, comment, and share! To get more great content like this, sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

Build a Business Plan

Build a good business plan because it is the foundation for your business. Building a good business plan empowers you and your team members to grow and thrive, otherwise you may be wandering around, wondering if your hard work is paying off at all.

Build a Marketing Plan

How do you reach your prospects? What converts them to customers? How long should this take? A good marketing plan will tell you these things and what you need to do to acquire new customers. Using a strong marketing plan makes your whole business stronger!

Plant Your Roots

Plant your roots in your community and really engage it. Yes, it is a long-term strategy, but so is business ownership, so it should be an easy choice. Engaging your community gives you credibility and more loyal customers, so whichever community you are part of, be sure to engage and contribute to it.

In this podcast, Dave Barta, CFO at Exterran Corporation, joins us to discuss his business journey and some of the differences as well as similarities between large corporations and small businesses! Dave has extensive experience in both realms and shares his insights in this podcast! To get more great content like this, sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

Plan

Yes, plans change and our surroundings change, but you must have a plan and structure to succeed. Failing to plan is planning to fail – it’s as simple as that. You must plan for your success to identify what you need to do each day in order to achieve your greatest goals!

Profit is Good

We are all in business to earn a profit – embrace it proudly! When we conduct business and we profit from it, that means someone else perceived a gain in some value; restated, the parties involved in the transaction both benefitted and improved. This is the goal of business: mutual success and mutual profit!

Employ the Best

Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you and, in some cases, are better than you. This will allow you to grow and scale your business! Don’t fall into the trap of hiring down; that never wins in the long-run. Always hire up!

In this podcast, Laura Knotts of the Madison-Rivergate Area Chamber of Commerce joined us to share her small business life story and as well as more information about her Chamber! Laura also shared some great insights for small business owners which you can read below! To get more great educational content like this, sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

Join Your Local Chamber

Any small business owner looking to connect with their community on a deeper level should join their local Chamber of Commerce. Doing so doesn’t waive a magic wand over the business, but it certainly provides great opportunities to grow, a model that historically works very well.

Mange Your Work/Life Balance

As a small business owner, you wear many hats at one time. However, you must also take time to nourish yourself. You cannot sustain 24-hour days forever, so be sure to take care of yourself too.

Understand Personalities

You will meet a variety of personalities throughout the business world, so learn to be comfortable working and communicating with different ones. This will help you increase your reach and greatly improve your ability to grow your business through improved communication!

In this podcast, Victor Cantu of Toro Steam Cleaning joins us to share his business journey and what inspired him to start and build his own small business! As always, Victor also shares his insights for small business owners which you can listen to right here! For more great content like this, sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com!

Get a CRM Now

It doesn’t have to be a big, complex CRM (customer relationship management) system, but get something that works. This will help you understand your clients, serve them better, and grow your business!

Live Within the Business’s Budget

Don’t work from a budget you want, but rather work from the budget you have. Working backwards will help you maintain discipline and make better business decisions which will pay dividends in the future!

When You Hire, Hire Them, Train Them, and Trust Them

Hire, train, trust – that is the model for growing your team. Everyone will be different and it’s up to you as a small business owner to harness the power of your team! Hire, train, trust – empower your team and they will empower your business!

In this episode of Real Small Business, veteran and small business owner Jeff Skinner joins us to discuss his experiences in business and what inspired him to start, own, and operate his business! Jeff owns Black Level AV and is very involved in his community! Listen to the full podcast to hear his story and read below for his tips! Sign up at www.TheMcgrawCouncil.com for more great content like this!

Start with a Relationship Mindset

Be authentic but build your business by building business relationships. Build your business with the right mindset and this will catapult your business to the next level. However, do not be insincere at all – people will catch on and it will damage your brand.

Understand Finances (especially taxes)

Know your financial situation, plan it, and track it. This is hugely important because it will impact your cash flow, especially when planning for taxes. These can be significant expenditures but with proper planning, you can handle it and thrive!

Get Buy-In from Family

When you start a small business, it is a family commitment, so make sure that you get them on board and totally supportive of it. When your family supports you in your business ventures, you are empowered to take your business to the level you envision.