This week’s podcast is all about smart, budget-friendly ways that small businesses can use social media to their advantage. You can make a big impact with a small budget and a little elbow grease. You can also make mistakes. We talk to guest Ryan Heisler on what to do and what not to do on

How do you handle long lines at your business? Do you berate your staff? Use new technology? Both? Join Elizabeth and Gene as they answer real business owner’s questions on the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Listen now to the latest episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast: Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead

Listen now to the latest episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you'd like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

 Why Every Small Business (Yes, Even Yours) Needs a CRM System

Supercharging Your CRM

Slack

Elizabeth: All right. We're back this week with two new great questions. The first one is about growing your customer base, and the second one is about dumping troublesome clients. Sounds very good. Gene, how are you doing this week?

Gene: I am doing very well. I'm happy to be speaking with you, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: I'm happy to be speaking with you. Any new things going on in your life right now?

Gene: Nothing of huge interest, although we're planning a trip to Australia, my wife and I.

Elizabeth: Wow.

Gene: Yes, my daughter is studying over there.

Elizabeth: Great.

Gene: We're trying to figure out, and I'm freaking out, because we have to take a 14 hour plane flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane. I've never been on a plane for that long.

Elizabeth: Wow. Will you bring work on the plane, or will you zone out?

Gene: I am going to bring a bottle of Jack Daniels with me on the plane.

Elizabeth: Are you not a good flier?

Gene: No, no. I can fly fine, but I just don't know what to do for 14 hours in a plane. My plan is to drink and watch a lot of TV.

Elizabeth: Yep, yep. You're a "Walking Dead" fan, right?

Gene: Yes, huge, huge. I'm all caught up on that, but long flights I think are a good time where you can download stuff and watch on your computer, but it's expensive. To go buy entire seasons of stuff, it's like 30 bucks or 40 bucks to do that. Jeez.

Elizabeth: Oh my gosh. I know, I know. It's crazy.

Gene: It is.

Elizabeth: All right, we're going to jump into it with question one right after we hear from our sponsor.

Okay, we're back with question one, and it is from Abigail I. in Austin, Texas.

Gene: Austin, Texas. Okay.

Elizabeth: Austin, Texas.

Gene: What does Abigail do?

Elizabeth: She runs a thriving tattoo parlor.

Gene: Really?

Elizabeth: She says-

Gene: Do you have any tattoos?

Elizabeth: No, I don't.

Gene: Have you ever thought of getting one?

Elizabeth: No, not really. What about you?

Gene: Never. God, I always felt like getting a tattoo was a huge lifetime decision. You see a lot of people in their 20s or whatever and they get tattoos, and you're like, "Dude, no offense, but that tattoo when you're 22 is not going to look the same when you're 72, but okay." Plus they hurt a lot as well.

Elizabeth: Yeah, I'm not good with pain.

Gene: Yeah, I try to avoid pain where I can, not pay somebody to inflict pain. [inaudible 00:02:16] is this Abigail? What's her name again? It's Abigail, right?

Elizabeth: Abigail I.

Listen now to the latest episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you'd like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

 Why Every Small Business (Yes, Even Yours) Needs a CRM System

Supercharging Your CRM

Slack

Elizabeth: All right. We're back this week with two new great questions. The first one is about growing your customer base, and the second one is about dumping troublesome clients. Sounds very good. Gene, how are you doing this week?

Gene: I am doing very well. I'm happy to be speaking with you, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: I'm happy to be speaking with you. Any new things going on in your life right now?

Gene: Nothing of huge interest, although we're planning a trip to Australia, my wife and I.

Elizabeth: Wow.

Gene: Yes, my daughter is studying over there.

Elizabeth: Great.

Gene: We're trying to figure out, and I'm freaking out, because we have to take a 14 hour plane flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane. I've never been on a plane for that long.

Elizabeth: Wow. Will you bring work on the plane, or will you zone out?

Gene: I am going to bring a bottle of Jack Daniels with me on the plane.

Elizabeth: Are you not a good flier?

Gene: No, no. I can fly fine, but I just don't know what to do for 14 hours in a plane. My plan is to drink and watch a lot of TV.

Elizabeth: Yep, yep. You're a "Walking Dead" fan, right?

Gene: Yes, huge, huge. I'm all caught up on that, but long flights I think are a good time where you can download stuff and watch on your computer, but it's expensive. To go buy entire seasons of stuff, it's like 30 bucks or 40 bucks to do that. Jeez.

Elizabeth: Oh my gosh. I know, I know. It's crazy.

Gene: It is.

Elizabeth: All right, we're going to jump into it with question one right after we hear from our sponsor.

Okay, we're back with question one, and it is from Abigail I. in Austin, Texas.

Gene: Austin, Texas. Okay.

Elizabeth: Austin, Texas.

Gene: What does Abigail do?

Elizabeth: She runs a thriving tattoo parlor.

Gene: Really?

Elizabeth: She says-

Gene: Do you have any tattoos?

Elizabeth: No, I don't.

Gene: Have you ever thought of getting one?

Elizabeth: No, not really. What about you?

Gene: Never. God, I always felt like getting a tattoo was a huge lifetime decision. You see a lot of people in their 20s or whatever and they get tattoos, and you're like, "Dude, no offense, but that tattoo when you're 22 is not going to look the same when you're 72, but okay." Plus they hurt a lot as well.

Elizabeth: Yeah, I'm not good with pain.

Gene: Yeah, I try to avoid pain where I can, not pay somebody to inflict pain. [inaudible 00:02:16] is this Abigail? What's her name again? It's Abigail, right?

Elizabeth: Abigail I.

Listen now to the latest episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast: Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Links Discussed In

Are you spending too much money to update your small business website each month? Would you like to cut down on maintenance costs? Join hosts Gene Marks and Elizabeth Larkin as they discuss budget-friendly ways to boost your online presence and manage your website.

Show Notes

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you'd like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

SiteGround <-- What Elizabeth uses

WP Sitecare

Donuts Domain Names

Square Space

Yodle

Shopify

Studio Press <-- What Elizabeth uses

Online Reputation Management

Podcast: Getting Stuff Done as a Small Business Owner

Elizabeth: We're back. This is Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks with another edition of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene?

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: I just got back from vacation, so I'm in that post-vacation "oh my gosh I have 500 emails" lull right now?

Gene: Where did you go on vacation?

Elizabeth: I went to Jamaica.

Gene: You know what's really sad? Were you at a resort in Jamaica?

Elizabeth: Yes, I was.

Gene: Right now, as you're sitting here in Hartford, Connecticut, you know all those people who work at that resort? They're all still there right now working in that beautiful resort.

Elizabeth: I know, I know.

Gene: You left it behind. They're there. They're living it.

Elizabeth: It's almost sometimes not worth it going to those resorts because the last day, it's so sad to leave.

Gene: Depressing to leave. I totally agree.

Elizabeth: It's so depressing.

Gene: That last day is always messed up. I always think if you're going to leave, you leave first thing the last day because your whole day is like you're just moping around.

Elizabeth: Yup, yup. When we were leaving, a lot other people that were on our bus to go back to the airport, they had already booked going back to that resort. The people there were like, "We'll see you back in October."

Gene: Oh my gosh.

Elizabeth: I'm like, "I'm never coming back here." We go to the Caribbean every year for a week and I always think, "I don't want to go to the same place twice.

Are you spending too much money to update your small business website each month? Would you like to cut down on maintenance costs? Join hosts Gene Marks and Elizabeth Larkin as they discuss budget-friendly ways to boost your online presence and manage your website.

Show Notes

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you'd like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

SiteGround <-- What Elizabeth uses

WP Sitecare

Donuts Domain Names

Square Space

Yodle

Shopify

Studio Press <-- What Elizabeth uses

Online Reputation Management

Podcast: Getting Stuff Done as a Small Business Owner

Elizabeth: We're back. This is Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks with another edition of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene?

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: I just got back from vacation, so I'm in that post-vacation "oh my gosh I have 500 emails" lull right now?

Gene: Where did you go on vacation?

Elizabeth: I went to Jamaica.

Gene: You know what's really sad? Were you at a resort in Jamaica?

Elizabeth: Yes, I was.

Gene: Right now, as you're sitting here in Hartford, Connecticut, you know all those people who work at that resort? They're all still there right now working in that beautiful resort.

Elizabeth: I know, I know.

Gene: You left it behind. They're there. They're living it.

Elizabeth: It's almost sometimes not worth it going to those resorts because the last day, it's so sad to leave.

Gene: Depressing to leave. I totally agree.

Elizabeth: It's so depressing.

Gene: That last day is always messed up. I always think if you're going to leave, you leave first thing the last day because your whole day is like you're just moping around.

Elizabeth: Yup, yup. When we were leaving, a lot other people that were on our bus to go back to the airport, they had already booked going back to that resort. The people there were like, "We'll see you back in October."

Gene: Oh my gosh.

Elizabeth: I'm like, "I'm never coming back here." We go to the Caribbean every year for a week and I always think, "I don't want to go to the same place twice.

Are you spending too much money to update your small business website each month? Would you like to cut down on maintenance costs? Join hosts Gene Marks and Elizabeth Larkin as they discuss budget-friendly ways to boost your online presence and manage your website. Show Notes Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Listen now to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you'd like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

Intuit Ecommerce

John Jantsch (Duct Tape Marketing)

Amazon Seller Central

Elizabeth: Okay, we're back with another episode of your new favorite podcast, Small Biz Ahead the Podcast, with Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks. This week we're going to focus on time versus money, which I think is one of the biggest struggles that small business owners have. I mean Gene you're a seasoned ...

Gene: Time is money Elizabeth, remember that always.

Elizabeth: You're a seasoned pro at this point. You probably still struggle with time versus money.

Gene: Yes, yes, yes. It's a big issue.

Elizabeth: We asked the small business community to send in their most pressing questions, and this week's questions are both about this topic. Let's get into this right after we hear from one of our sponsors.

QUESTION #1: Should I Grow My Business or Have a Life?

Elizabeth: Stacy writes

I'm always caught between the idea of expanding my business and making more money, and keeping my business small and having lots of free time. My business is an online illustration course. Is it even possible to keep a business small for a long period of time? I almost feel that if I'm not constantly updating my material, offerings and strategies, my business will just evaporate. Is it possible to have work-life balance when you're in business for yourself?

Gene: Man Stacy's got lots of questions.

Elizabeth: I know. I know. This is a conundrum. I feel like this is something a lot of people suffer from and I think even more when you're a business owner and you don't have a boss telling you what to prioritize, how do you figure out what to prioritize? What is the best use of your time? Do you focus on expanding your business or do you focus on time management and just having a lot of free time for yourself?

Gene: I can speak about that just personally and also using some client examples I think would help you Stacy with this question. Firstly, my company, I have a ten person company. We have been at ten people now for eight years. Different people have come and gone, not that much but still. I've not grown, like our revenues are a few million dollars a year, they've stayed at that level every year.

Growth is kind of overrated. Because I've kept it at ten people, my business offers me a living and a livelihood and a livelihood for my people, but because it's at a certain level, it's allowed me some flexibility, you know what I mean? I can runaway without anybody knowing. Here, for example, I spend time with you Elizabeth and have these conversations, or I coach my kid's Little League team or have flexibility and balance. If I was running a company two or three times this size, yeah I'd be making a lot more money I guess, but number one I wouldn't be having the kind of time available that I would have now, I'm sure of that. Number two is I don't even think I would be that good at it.

Stacy, you have to say to yourself,

Listen now to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you'd like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

Intuit Ecommerce

John Jantsch (Duct Tape Marketing)

Amazon Seller Central

Elizabeth: Okay, we're back with another episode of your new favorite podcast, Small Biz Ahead the Podcast, with Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks. This week we're going to focus on time versus money, which I think is one of the biggest struggles that small business owners have. I mean Gene you're a seasoned ...

Gene: Time is money Elizabeth, remember that always.

Elizabeth: You're a seasoned pro at this point. You probably still struggle with time versus money.

Gene: Yes, yes, yes. It's a big issue.

Elizabeth: We asked the small business community to send in their most pressing questions, and this week's questions are both about this topic. Let's get into this right after we hear from one of our sponsors.

QUESTION #1: Should I Grow My Business or Have a Life?

Elizabeth: Stacy writes

I'm always caught between the idea of expanding my business and making more money, and keeping my business small and having lots of free time. My business is an online illustration course. Is it even possible to keep a business small for a long period of time? I almost feel that if I'm not constantly updating my material, offerings and strategies, my business will just evaporate. Is it possible to have work-life balance when you're in business for yourself?

Gene: Man Stacy's got lots of questions.

Elizabeth: I know. I know. This is a conundrum. I feel like this is something a lot of people suffer from and I think even more when you're a business owner and you don't have a boss telling you what to prioritize, how do you figure out what to prioritize? What is the best use of your time? Do you focus on expanding your business or do you focus on time management and just having a lot of free time for yourself?

Gene: I can speak about that just personally and also using some client examples I think would help you Stacy with this question. Firstly, my company, I have a ten person company. We have been at ten people now for eight years. Different people have come and gone, not that much but still. I've not grown, like our revenues are a few million dollars a year, they've stayed at that level every year.

Growth is kind of overrated. Because I've kept it at ten people, my business offers me a living and a livelihood and a livelihood for my people, but because it's at a certain level, it's allowed me some flexibility, you know what I mean? I can runaway without anybody knowing. Here, for example, I spend time with you Elizabeth and have these conversations, or I coach my kid's Little League team or have flexibility and balance. If I was running a company two or three times this size, yeah I'd be making a lot more money I guess, but number one I wouldn't be having the kind of time available that I would have now, I'm sure of that. Number two is I don't even think I would be that good at it.

Stacy, you have to say to yourself,