Small Business Answer Man

Natasha Harris is an experienced accounting & tax professional. She knows how vital navigating finances and taxes are and has invested her career in helping families and small business owners navigate personal & business financial decisions so they can grow into all they've dreamed.

What problem do you solve? Employee retention issues.

Show Notes:

• Natasha has recently published a book. It's almost a tax strategy bible. It's pack with 200 years of experience and advice. Natasha's area of expertise in the book is the retirement planning and succession planning chapter.
• It's important to maximize your tax strategy as a small business owner so that the business is more than a job.
• Some of the times that brought the biggest challenges in Natasha's life were when she'd lose a job. She had to take time to think about who she was, what her strengths were and what she had to offer the world.
• Her experiences have led her to consider the employee side of things and consider what resources they might need.
• The only way to make money is to get systems in place and to develop your people. You won't make profits without people.
• One of the best investments Natasha made was in herself. She sat down and asked herself some tough questions. She then knocked out some of her limiting beliefs.
• Execution is key to any plan and it makes all the difference.

Just dare to be different and be authentically you. Be brave and change the world!

Website: victoryfinancesllc.com

Resources: FREE 30 minute Consult for Employee Retention http://bit.ly/TheFaithGoalCFO or text "employee" to 210-906-8222

Order your autographed copy of Tax Strategies for Small Businesses http://bit.ly/Tax_StrategyBook or text "tax book" to 210-906-8222

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As the co-founder of Quantify for 10 Years, Dave has helped countless business owners add a few extra hours of sleep per night knowing they have accurate financial information to grow their business. Prior to founding Quantify, Dave's expertise was utilized by one of Pennsylvania's biggest regional public accounting firms.

What problem do you solve? How to manage the accounting and bookkeeping for your business.

Show Notes:

• If you aren't making a profit you aren't going to have a business. Dave believes that some businesses that fail do so because they do not have a good handle on the financial and accounting information, not because they don't know how to deliver their goods and services.
• When doing your accounting and financial work, you need to decide if it is better for you to work on it or for someone else to. It may be that a business owner's time is better invested in working on the things that make money vs. doing the accounting work in their business.
• If you decided that you are the one that is going to do the work, you need to figure out a cadence that works for you, block off the time and then stick to it. If you get behind, the work can become overwhelming.
• Be sure to get tax advice so that you don't have any surprises at tax time.
• You should have a picture of what's coming and that will help you be prepared. It may show that you need to either make more money or spend less.
• 5 Ways to Better Manage your bookkeeping
  • Make sure you separate your business and your personal. Have separate bank accounts and credit cards.
  • Do your weekly bookkeeping.
  • Use the correct accounting software.
  • Utilize available technologies for payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, etc. There is a lot of cool technology out there that can make things more efficient
  • Potentially hire a bookkeeper.
• Remote can really benefit you. You can find someone that is of a high quality that may not be available in your area physically. You can really increase your talent pool.
• Dave has a bookkeeping course: the DIY course on his website is for those just starting out. thequantifygroup.com/diy-bookkeeping-for-startups

Dave Ashworth's Best Small Business Tip: Don't lose sight of building your network. If you have a strong network, you can succeed with anything.

Connect with Dave:

Website: thequantifygroup.com

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Brian Moran is a New York Times bestselling author, Executive, Entrepreneur and Coach. His background as a corporate executive combined with his experience as an entrepreneur positions him with a unique skill set to help individuals and organizations grow and prosper.

Brian is a recognized expert in the field of leadership and execution. His realization that most people don't lack ideas but struggle with effective implementation led him to the development of the 12 Week Year.

In addition to his books, Brian has been published in many of the leading business journals and magazines. He is a sought-after speaker, educating and inspiring thousands each year. His client list includes Allstate, Century 21, Mass Mutual, Medtronic, Paycor, Prudential, Tiffany, and many, many more.

What problem do you solve? Brian wants to help people accomplish more of what they want in less time. Which means he helps people with the execution dilimia.

Show Notes:

• All the new processes and plans are nothing without execution.
• Busy doesn't always equate to effective. It's important to focus on the things that get stuff done.
• Brian's book, The 12 Week Year, helps people focus on a set time frame. Focusing on the smaller time frame as a year helps create a healthy sense of urgency to get more stuff done.
• It can be hard to switch to the 12 week year because we are so used to being annualized.
• Realize you have a limited capacity. Less is more. The more you take on the more chance you have at mediocrity in those areas. Focus on a few areas and it can be life changing.
• If you think of 12 weeks as a quarter, your mind tells you that you have 4 chances to get the goal done.
• When we think of things in an annual frame, we think we have all the time to finish with what we want.
• Scoring the execution is powerful in that it measures actions and not outcome. Our daily actions create our future.
• Measurement helps you determine what is working.
• The first thing you need to consider is to know what you want. That is a vision question.
• The second thing is what matters most. That is a planning question.
• Also, turn you phone off. You don't have to have it with you all of the time. Give yourself some margin. Give yourself some deep thought time. Take a breath.

Brian Moran's Best Small Business Tip: Execute, execute, execute. Learn how to execute and change your world.

Connect with Brain:

Get started on the 12 Week Year: 12weekyear.com/gsc/

Website: 12weekyear.com

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Joe Ardeeser is a former digital agency owner of 12 years, one he built from just himself to a team of 12. He then took his passion for sales and proposal writing and created Smart Pricing Table, an interactive proposal software.

What problem do you solve? How to build better proposals.

Show Notes:

• Joe started a digital agency and realized that he really had a passion for proposal writing.
• One big challenge is that proposal writing takes a lot of time. You are excited at first and then you realize you don't really know what to write. Sometimes you spend a few hours on writing the perfect proposal and then your potential client ghosts you.
• Sometimes we don't know what we are selling. "If there is a mist in the pulpit, there is a fog in the congregation."
• If you don't define your service well, you aren't going to charge enough.
• The vague vortex: If you are vague you often lose. You must define at least a minimum level of the service you are offering so that the client is clear and you aren't sucked into more that you planned.
• Joe has 5 C's to better proposals:
  • Capitalize with technology.
  • Catalogue your offering.
  • Cater to your customer. Give them options.
  • Confer with your customer. Ask for a proposal meeting. This gives you an opportunity to explain and engage with them. (HAMBAM – Have a meeting. Book a meeting)
  • Continuously improve
• If you find proposal writing boring, you may not be going about it the right way.

Joe Ardeeser's Best Small Business Tip: Join a mastermind or other group. Invest in yourself.

Connect with Joe:

Website: smartpricingtable.com

You can get 1/2 off the first 2 months if you mention this podcast.

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Mark is a 30-year veteran NFL broadcast journalist, calling games for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers and working in the front office of the original Dallas Cowboys.

What problem do you solve? The biggest problem employers have is turnover. Mark helps employers understand that the better you treat your team, the longer they'll hang around.

Show Notes:

• Mark worked in the front office of the original Dallas cowboys. He learned a lot from the head of the front office, Tex Schramm. He made sure things were done properly off the field. He had 3 rules
  • Hire the best people you can find. Don't hire cheap.
  • Train them your way. (Make sure they know how your organization does things)
  • Then get out of their way and let them do the job you hired them to do.
• The front office had the job of keeping everything planned and running smoothly.
• One of the mottos was 'Do your job.' Which means do your job completely and well and don't interfere in someone else's job.
• Tex always said 'Nobody ever does their best work in a climate of fear.' He told them it was okay to tell him you did not have the answer but then the expectation was that you would bring him the answer in 30 minutes.
• The better you treat people. The better they are going to work and the better it will be for your company.
• People are people and the better you treat them the better they'll be for you.
• MBWA – Management By Walking Around. This is the way you can meet your staff and get to know them.
• Take care of the little things and the big things take care of themselves.
• Make your employees feel special.
• It's not about you, it's about the team.

Mark Oristano's Best Small Business Tip: First, Don't take yourself too seriously. Also, the smartest thing he had ever heard is that a happy environment at work is important because no one works well in a climate of fear.

Connect with Mark:

Website: leadwithprinciple.com

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During his 17 year sales career, Jeremy was recognized in the direct selling industry as the 45th highest earning producer out of more than 108 million salespeople. Jeremy's earnings as a commission-only salesperson were in the multiple 7-figures, EVERY year! Jeremy's particular brand of sales training pioneers the unique use of behavioral science and human psychology within the sales process. He is a contributor for INC magazine and has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and a host of other publications on the topic of sales.

Tony Lopes is an Uber successful Real Estate Investor who retired at 44 and is now helping others achieve a life of freedom and abundance. He has a new book out called Freedom At Risk – How To Protect Your Personal And Financial Freedoms that shares some of the ways to live your best life.

What problem do you solve? There is a lot of fear of failure. There's a fear of starting a business of not making money or being embarrassed.

Show Notes:

• Tony's biggest fear was loss of freedom. He did the right things as a young adult. He went to school and got a good education and a good job but then was laid off. It was at that point that he realized that having just one job and relying on that limited his freedom. He then got involved in real estate.
• If real estate is not your thing, you could start a side hustle.
• More that one source of income is valuable. Diversify your income!
• Having cash in the bank is good but if you can invest that cash and it gives you a monthly income, that is even better. Real estate investment is an excellent way to invest and have a source of cash flow.
• We as humans tell ourselves stories in our minds of how we can fail and we add to them every day. The story becomes large and intimidating over time. We have to stop telling ourselves these stories of how we can't be successful.
• Surround yourself with ways to tell yourself positive stories. Find people or podcasts or books that help you find ways to make positive actions.
• Tony's fear these days are around political and societal issues. He takes action to insulate himself from the things that concern him. He has residency in two different states. He has multiple income streams. Also hold assets in different areas: precious metals, stocks, real estate.
• You should also find a hobby that gives you peace and joy. Exercise is also important: a healthy mind goes with a healthy body. Try meditation to help with your fear from all the doom and gloom that surrounds us.
• Check out Tony's book: Freedom at Risk: How to Protect Your Personal & Financial Freedoms

Tony Lopes' Best Small Business Tip:

Connect with Tony: If your fear is leading to procrastination, ask yourself if that procrastination is because you don't have the right skill set to solve that problem. You can then take the action to find the right people to help you.

Website: dirtybootscapital.com

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Shawn Buttner is a Certified High Performance Coach and host of The Meaningful Revolution Podcast. He specializes in helping business owners and professionals define and implement their purposeful impacts and best lives.

What problem do you solve? How to pivot and when to be thinking about that with your business.

Show Notes:

• Shawn had done software engineering previously. He originally was in business and then started in the technology area about 15 years ago. As he progressed in his business he realized he wanted and could really utilize the ability to coach his employees. He became a Certified High Performance Coach and began to focus more on that.
• Waiting to pivot can delay your progress into your new adventure.
• Pivoting can get you to your next level of performance. First, you need to get really crystal clear on what your next level will look like. It's also important to look at what's working and doubling down on that.
• Pivoting is part emotional management. As you pivot and try to gain momentum you need to realize that it may not happen immediately. You need to reflect and see that you are doing the right things and then give it some space to happen.
• People generally want 3 things: Joy, Growth and Impact in the world. Try to find that joy in your business and connecting with that can help you in your business.
• Also, keep looking at getting to the next level in your health and relationships. When these are at their best it will give you the energy for your business too.
• Shawn has been calling January, Batch-uary. He is trying to do more batching of his work to become more efficient. Batching is a productivity tool. You get into a rhythm and are able to accomplish more in a short time.

Shawn Buttner's Best Small Business Tip: Know when to pivot — Knowing when to stick with something and when to let go of something. Knowing when something is working.

Connect with Shawn:

Shawn's Podcast: The Meaningful Revolution

Sign up for The Meaningful Revolution Challenge: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/personal-meaningful-revolution-series

Website: shawnbuttner.com

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Sam Feeney is a consultant and coach who helps business leaders achieve more by asking questions they've been ignoring.

What problem do you solve?

How to ascend beyond their current plateaus where they are feeling stuck.

Show Notes:

• Why is getting good enough, not good enough? --- Sam thought about this question and realized you may reach a plateau when you feel you have reached good enough and it can prevent you from achieving more.
• We segment our lives and think that the things that happen at work doesn't affect our home life or vise versa.
• Sometimes if we are doing really well in one area and are getting recognized and applauded, we may neglect other areas.
  • You don't want to come home one day with a pocket full of money and realize your home is full of strangers.
• Sam uses a metaphor of a tree.
  • The roots are your identity and faith.
  • The fruit is your career, health, finances, and relationships.
  • The trunk that connects the roots and fruit is your mission. (Sam loves to help people walk through and define their mission.)
• If the roots aren't in good shape, the rest will not do well.
• Acres of Diamonds was a lecture by Russell Conwell, founder of Temple University in 1869. Conwell says you have what you need in hand, put your shovel in the ground and start.
• Sam's book, Why Aren't You Thriving?: A Man's Guide to Asking Tough Questions and Getting Better in 7 Core Areas, is designed for you to not read the whole book. There is an assessment at the end that will determine how you are doing in 7 key areas.
• The book will help you determine your individual path. It is available at amithriving.com

Sam Feeney's Best Small Business Tip

Read the book, Who Not How, by Dan Sullivan. It broke him out of the scarcity mindset.

Connect with Sam:

Website: AmIThriving.com

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Rocky Lalvani serves as Chief Profitability Adviser for business owners. He teaches them how to ensure they get paid and make profit a priority! As a certified Profit First Professional he implements Mike Michalowicz's Profit First System. We change the accounting formula of Sales - Expenses = Profit to Sales - Profit = Expenses. This ensures Profit comes first! (PS. It's not about money at all costs, people come before money!)

What problem do you solve?

He helps businesses to have increased cash flow, more profit, and continue to grow in inappropriate way.

Show Notes:

• Mike Michalowicz is the author of Profit First
  • Mike realized we have the wrong equation for profit. We look at the top line given by the accountants.
  • Mike created a cash flow system that works for business owners.
  • It help people figure out what's going on in their business without opening up their accounting books.
• Sometimes the accountant says you were profitable but you don't see the money.
• You may be profitable but not have the cash to pay the tax bill.
• With the Profit First system you take every dollar that comes into the business and you give it a job.
• You put your money in separate accounts. You go to your tax account to pay your tax bill. When you want use your profits, you go to the account that has your profit in it and you can actually see it.
• Parkinson's law says that a business will use all the time and money allocated to it.
• The 80:20 rule says 20% of what you do creates 80% of the results. Also, 40% of what you do creates 96% of the results. So that means 60% of what you are doing is useless. You need to think about what you are doing and what you should not do. If you are grinding you are not being efficient.
• Islands of Profit in a Sea of Red Ink: Why 40 Percent of Your Business Is Unprofitable and How to Fix It by Jonathan Byrnes — He says 20-30 % of what a company does makes over 100 % of the profit, 30-40% loses money and the rest breaks even. You must take the time to understand your business.
• You need to slow down and really look at your business.
• Rocky gives input on his podcast: Profit Answer Man

Rocky Lalvani's Best Small Business Tip

At the end of the day you have to understand your financials. Use resources if you need to.

Connect with Rocky:

Website: ProfitComesFirst.com

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