Mike stopped everything he was doing today to welcome a SPECIAL guest to the show. An expert joins him in small business and insurance - and for those entrepreneurs, you cannot afford to miss this episode!

Episode Highlights:

Mike’s very special guest, daughter, Ava Fusco, introduces herself to the audience, and shares her age and grade level. (3:56)

Ava informs everyone in second grade that third grade is fun and encourages them to do well in school. (4:40)

Ava shares her understanding of a what a business is. (5:29)

Ava discusses some of the good businesses she knows and how they operate. (7:47)

Ava explain what insurance means to her and how it can help people. (9:52)

Ava shares the advice she gave her dad after watching Mike’s latest YouTube video. (11:39)

Ava discusses why people who make YouTube videos should not use foul language and provides an alternative method for making videos more entertaining to watch. (12:34)

Ava mentions her interest in attending the University of California, Santa Barbara for college and shares which type of business she wants to work in after graduating from college. (18:07)

Key Quotes:

“I'm going tp let you know everybody out there in second grade, third grade’s really fun. But you know, get those good grades, all right? Get some A pluses, people out there.” - Ava Fusco

“So basically, what I think a business is as a big group, they work together, and they make a great insurance.” - Ava Fusco

“If you are out there and you make YouTube videos, don't cuss. No, do not cuss because all people watch YouTube. Kids… I watch YouTube. I hear cussing. And cussing is not good.” - Ava Fusco

Resources Mentioned:  

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

On 9/29, we celebrated National Coffee Day. Then, on 10/1, International Coffee Day. What better than to welcome Mark Bell, a coffee entrepreneur, and successful business owner, to the Team Business Podcast?

Mark's story about the beginnings of OB BEANS and SUR COFFEE is unique. From humble beginnings in his garage to world travels meeting and supporting coffee farmers, Mark speaks about his mission in supporting non-profits. This is the type of business story that I love to hear!

Listen in to learn about Mark's greater good and some interesting facts about the coffee business. And don't forget to stop into one of Mark's OB BEANS of SUR COFFEE locations in Ocean Beach, Linda Vista, San Clemente, or Huntington Beach!

Episode Highlights:

Mark discusses how he started his coffee business and how they have grown SUR COFFEE and OB Beans to where they are today. (2:25)

Mark mentions that their primary goal is to focus on their product and mission, which is to produce as much good as possible. (7:29)

Mark explains that their main target is to know all of their farmers and visit the fields of all the coffees they use, and they are working their way around the world to accomplish it. (10:06)

Mark discusses their vision of becoming the premier coastal coffee in Southern California and trying to enter that market with quality coffee sourced directly from growers and perfectly roasted for individuals living the coastal lifestyle. (16:03)

Mark mentions that one of the wonderful things about what OB Beans does is that they work directly with the growers, allowing them to control the pricing. (17:06)

Mark discusses their objectives to build and grow their coffee wholesale business. (20:56)

Mark shares his recommendations for customers who are buying coffee for the first time. (21:55)

Mark encourages listeners to check out the Sur Coffee website, where customers can see a list of many nonprofit organizations that OB Beans sponsors. (22:52)

Key Quotes:

“Coffee is one of the only products take a global community to grow, produce, and serve. It’s a really unique and cool product.” Mark Bell

"We're slowly working our way around the world, sourcing coffee from these countries and building relationships with farmers, because we want to support them. Make that relationship connection...But our goal is eventually to know all of our farmers and to get on the farms of all the coffee that we use." - Mark Bell

“Our vision is to be the premier coastal coffee in Southern California. So that's our goal, is to try to step into that space and have quality coffee that comes directly from farmers that's expertly roasted, for those living that coastal lifestyle.” - Mark Bell

Resources Mentioned:  

Mark Bell LinkedIn

OB Beans

Sur Coffee

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

In this episode of the Team Business podcast, Chris Senkbile joins Mike Fusco. Chris speaks about all things entrepreneurship and gives listeners great tips on overcoming challenges associated with starting a business.

For those tuning in from the insurance industry, learn about how Chris' company can help deliver a more significant customer experience to your clients!

And finally, as a native Nebraskan, what does Chris think about the future of Huskers' football?

Episode Highlights:

Chris shares his background and how he got started in the insurance industry. (2:06)

Chris explains that his company, Ferro, represents a policyholder platform that brings the broker and the company down to their level to collaborate with them in their own environment. (7:50)

Chris shares every day is an opportunity to make strategic decisions. (10:08)

Chris advises startup companies to think about leverage dynamics and to create leverage that they can sell. (12:13)

Chris shares the four quadrants that can help bring value and resources to your service and operation. (16:05)

Chris explains that no one entity can solve the whole problem in the industry, and we need to merge technology, people, and processes to make it work. (19:25)

Chris shares that most of the top 100 brokerages in the country are building an AMS in the context of a CRM. (23:07)

Chris explains that it is important to think and worry more about your customers because they are the ones who have something to say about your process. (27:22)

Chris mentions that he used to play football when he was in college in Nebraska and shares his thoughts on the future of Huskers’ football. (30:10)

Key Quotes:

"I think challenges are endless and every day is a new challenge, right? In the startup life, like a day is like 10 years and a, you know, a business has been around for a while the challenges abound. And I think you use every day as an opportunity to just make strategic decisions." - Chris Senkbile

"Everybody has to support one another in this process or good change can't happen. And if one person or one entity tries to solve the whole problem, it's impossible. It's too big of an industry, there are too many problems. No one person can do it." - Chris Senkbile

"If you have an idea, you don't need to be an expert. You don't need to have every answer solved before you start. It's just taking that step forward and saying, ‘Hey, I'm willing to put it out on the line and start’, you're going to learn as you go, you're not going to have everything answered." - Chris Senkbile

Resources Mentioned:  

Chris Senkbile LinkedIn

Ferro

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

In this episode of the Team Business podcast, host Mike Fusco interviews Rachel Robison, the CEO, and Co-Founder of Siege Technology Solutions and SiegeAOS, an all-in-one operating system for your business! Rachel speaks about the ability to customize Siege to your unique needs and the importance of documented workflows for your business. Learn about all of this and the reasons she chose Zoho as her CRM of choice. Thanks for joining!

Episode Highlights:

Rachel explains that Seige Technology Solutions approach this business from an agency perspective. (2:19)

Rachel mentions that one of their product features is being able to connect to a third-party API. (4:53)

Rachel shares that they create custom build outs across different agencies to cater to their automation process. (6:30)

Rachel explains the usual step-by-step process a client undergoes for their services, and how they create the customized buildout. (9:14)

Rachel discusses how every company can benefit from automation, by being cost-efficient while pushing its people to their highest level of activity. (13:07)

Rachel talks about ways to get people to actually use the system, such as embedding the process within the system. (17:55)

Rachel shares that, as a growing company, they are still working on developing their own processes as well. (18:55)

Rachel discusses how, for her, being a good leader means knowing how to pick great people and also developing them. (20:29)

Rachel shares that she is a big hockey fan and enjoys attending games in her spare time. (21:55)

Key Quotes:

"The hard part is, if you don't start out with those processes, it may not seem like a big deal when you first start with one or two employees. But you get to that point where you have 50 employees, everybody does something differently, then you want to implement processes. Human nature is people typically resist change." - Rachel Robison

"Being a leader is being able to build a good team because one person can't do everything, and you're only as good as the people around you." - Rachel Robison

"A lot of times when people are starting out in business, you're just trying to make it through the day you're trying to put out fires, you've got one or two people that are doing everything themselves." - Rachel Robison

Resources Mentioned:  

Rachel Robison LinkedIn

Siege Technology Solutions 

SiegeAOS

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

In this episode of the Team Business podcast, hosts Mike Fusco interviews Arian Radmand, CEO at IgnitePOST.

IgnitePOST helps brands create magic moments for their customers. The firm's real pen and ink handwritten notes cut through the digital noise to surprise and delight customers exactly where they are in their shopping journeys.

Listen to learn how Arian Radmand has scaled his company using robots and automation.

Episode Highlights:

Arian discusses the two functions of IgnitePOST, which are intelligent software and a fleet of handwriting robots. (1:41)

Arian discusses why they chose to launch this sort of service, which assists companies in creating magical moments through the use of real pen and ink handwritten notes. (3:24)

Arian mentions that the whole reason they did robotics and used real pens was to add authenticity. (5:16)

Arian explains that they began as an Instagram photo printing company before pivoting to ignitePOST. (8:37)

Arian explains his day-to-day duty is to make sure his team has the tools they need to meet their goals. (12:03)

Arian believes that a strong leader rolls up their sleeves and participates with their team, rather than acting as a director of their teams. (13:49)

Arian discusses what IgnitePOST does to ensure that everyone feels like they are a part of the team. (15:01)

Arian discusses some of the common things they observe that add value to a business. (18:29)

Arian mentions that if he were to categorize their industry, it would be marketing automation. (21:48)

Arian explains that the most successful businesses are the best at cultivating and creating the trust and loyalty of customers who walk through the door. (24:18)

Arian announces that as a thank you for listening to this episode, he is adding a $100 bonus to anyone who wants to try the service, as well as free credit to anyone who only wants to set up a free account. (26:44)

Key Quotes:

“Essentially what we do is we help brands create magic moments using real pen and ink handwritten notes.” - Arian Radmand

“I didn't want to be just another printed mailer solution, I really want it to be an authentic form of communication. And the only way that we're going to be able to do that was to actually put pen to paper and use real pen and ink.”- Arian Radmand

“Our guiding philosophy is meeting people where they are by being really easy to work alongside of whatever suite tool suite it is that they already use, but giving them this much more personal way to reach out to people that really leaves a lasting impression, and creates that trust and loyalty and gets customers to continue coming back again and again.”- Arian Radmand

Resources Mentioned:  

Arian Radmand LinkedIn

IgnitePOST

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

In this episode of the Team Business podcast, host Mike Fusco interviews Heath Shearon, known in many business circles as "The Mayor," who is a consultant and focuses on helping businesses improve their time management. Although his firm, Agency Performance Partners, serves independent insurance agencies, the skills he speaks about during the discussion can be applied to any business in all industries.

Listen to Team Business episode #42 for tips on managing email, blocking time, and eliminating distractions from the workplace. Time equals money, and all businesses need to focus on maximizing productivity through efficiency.

Episode Highlights:

Heath explains that as long as you're a business owner, saving time is just as good as saving money in a lot of ways. (3:52)

Heath shares tips on time management and how to recognize where you are spending the most time in your business. (8:18)

Heath advises business owners to monitor employee cell phone use. (11:24)

Heath discusses why HubSpot is one app that he could not function without in his business. (14:36)

Heath shares that there is nothing better than hard work, hustle, and grit for people starting out in a new business. (17:49)

Heath explains that these days, you can have great people even if they don't have a college degree. (21:00)

Heath shares that he has never used his degree in Biblical studies in his current career. (23:33) 

Mike explains that there are certain industries of business that you can't take your eyes off in terms of management. (25:37)

Heath and Mike discuss SEC football games and the teams that they are rooting for. (29:22)

Heath talks about Agency Performance Partners and the type of clients that they work with. (36:19)

Key Quotes:

 "If you're just starting out in business, nothing, in my opinion, is better than good old hard work, hustle, and grit." - Heath Shearon

 "I'm not knocking the college degree by any means, but I just think you can't discount, you know, someone just because they don't have one. They could have that grit and determination. You know, that could outplay the degree, in my opinion." - Heath Shearon

"When I talk to people about it, as you know, they say, turn your emails off, sometimes take a break from them, and take little time blocks away to work on other things. I think emails are the biggest time suck in your business." - Heath Shearon

Resources Mentioned:  

Heath Shearon LinkedIn

Agency Performance Partners

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

If you think the public accounting is too large to disrupt, think again. Chase Birky finds that the accounting space is ripe for disruption with an aging workforce, an archaic structure, and general resistance to new technologies. And he's making it happen.

Chase Birky joins Mike Fusco in this episode of the Team Business podcast to talk about his firm, Dark Horse CPAs, and how they're helping CPAs grow and manage their businesses. Dark Horse CPAs will successfully disrupt the accounting space with Chase in the lead.

Thank you again for listening!

Episode Highlights: 

Chase describes Dark Horse CPA as a platform-style accounting firm (1:29)

Chase discusses what inspired him to start the Dark Horse CPA. (2:35)

Chase mentions that the accounting industry as a whole is in an interesting position because fewer people are getting accounting degrees and CPA license, and those that do have degrees are approaching retirment. (9:21)

Chase mentions that they have a great inbound lead funnel which has become much better over time as they’ve become more sophisticated and committed more deeply to it. (15:12)

Chase discusses how he has learned the most by osmosis; from mentors and people he has worked with at a higher level that have allowed him to absorb some of the greatest components of what they do. (17:00)

Chase believes that wisdom is not something you can’t just hear and understand, it must be experienced in order for the piece of wisdom to sink in. (18:10)

Chase highlights the most common misperception in leadership and entrepreneurship. (19:44)

According to Chase, the quality and caliber of those you lead is the mark of a good leader. (22:29)

Chase talks about being reactive vs. proactive as managers and leaders. (25:39)

Chase explains that Dark Horse CPA will soon establish a financial advisory practice because there are several overlaps between CPAs and investment advisory. (27:43)

Key Quotes:

“Learning by osmosis is really, I think what I have benefited most from I've had some really great mentors, and folks that I've gotten to work with at a higher level that has allowed me to, you know, kind of absorb some of the best parts of what they do, you know, almost in a subconscious way.” - Chase Birky

“Wisdom is something that I think is not something you can just hear and learn, you have to go through an experience for that piece of wisdom to actually settle.” - Chase Birky

“We had a great inbound lead funnel. And it's gotten a lot better over time, as we've gotten more sophisticated and invested more deeply into that.” - Chase Birky

Resources Mentioned:  

Chase Birky LinkedIn

Dark Horse CPA

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

"We Provide The Light, So You Can Shine."

Pro-Cal Lightning, Inc. is an electrical contracting firm in San Diego County. Since we first spoke to Brian Morales at the onset of the COVID pandemic, a lot has changed in the business world, including with his firm.

Listen in to learn about Pro-Cal Lightning's slogan, "We Provide The Light, So You Can Shine." Brian provides excellent insight into the ever-changing labor market and economy and where his focus lies when building his team for success.

Thank you for listening!

Episode Highlights:

Brian explains that Pro-Cal is an electrical contracting company at heart and have grown in the industry, taking on EB charging stations and system integrations. (1:24)

Brian explains how the slogan "We Provide The Light, So You Can Shine." was created and what it means to them. (3:55)

Brian shares how the pandemic, although difficult, led them to find good talent and was a reminder of how we should be treating our employees all of the time. (6:00)

Brian explains why he hopes the “great resignation” is followed by the “great realization” of employees realizing that moving to bigger companies may not have been the right decision for them. (8:00)

Brian mentions that his favorite time of day was the end of his workday and when their team gets a win. (10:00)

Brian discusses the significance of knowing your end goal and the importance of failure. (15:41)

Brian believes that they will be the fastest-growing EV charging company in California over the next two or three years. (20:30)

Brian discusses his involvement in the National Electrical Contractors Association and the National Small Business Association. (23:03)

Brian and Mike sahre their NBA finals predictions. (26:03)

Key Quotes:

“A big part of our success has been just in being able to pivot and adapt.” - Brian Morales

“We're probably going to be the fastest-growing EV charging company in California over the next two or three years, just because of the contacts we're starting to make and the contracts that we're gaining.” - Brian Morales

“It's only through failure that you could actually become dominant in your market, you could actually become a great company.” - Brian Morales

Resources Mentioned:  

Brian Morales LinkedIn

Pro-Cal Lightning

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

Tommy Gaffney has served in the benefits industry for several years. His knowledge and passion for the industry led to his current role as Vice President of National Sales at Evolved Benefits.

Tommy joins this episode of the Team Business podcast to speak about the employee benefits marketplace. He educates our audience on Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) plans and the value they add to employees and employers across the nation.

Listen in for a fun and informative episode with Tommy Gaffney! 

Episode Highlights:

Tommy explains what Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) is and what they are doing at Evolved Benefits to bring value and help employers meet that requirement. (02:05)

Tommy believes that the focus should always be on the end-user, the employee experience. (5:32)

Tommy shares that 4:00 AM is his favorite time of the day. (7:16)

Tommy mentions LinkedIn as a platform that should never leave you stating, "I don't have any leads." (9:19)

Tommy mentions that in their niche, they work with industries that employ hundreds of people, such as staffing, cannabis, trucking, home, health care, assisted living, and janitorial companies. (14:38)

Tommy explains that their products are very lucrative which is a wonderful strategy to boost your agency's revenue. (15:15)

Tommy goes over the Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) plans in greater detail. (16:54)

Tommy suggests that everybody who has opted out of the major medical plan be given the opportunity to review the Evolved Benefits plan. (22:18)

Tommy explains that one of the most common misconceptions about their sector is that MEC plans are a fraud, as well as the commission. (25:27)

Tommy expresses his excitement at the numerous opportunities he has to be of maximum usefulness to people. (30:46)

Tommy discusses his favorite sport and the team he supports. (36:19)

Key Quotes:

“The more successful we can be, the more resources we can bring on and reinvest and bring them back out and add even more value to our current clients and bring more value to our new clients that we're looking to win.” - Tommy Gaffney

“Our products are very lucrative. And it's a great way to increase your agency revenue.” - Tommy Gaffney

“I think fear is generated from lack of preparation. And I’ll tell you, there is such thing as luck and luck happens when you have preparation met with opportunity.” - Tommy Gaffney

Resources Mentioned:  

Tommy Gaffney LinkedIn

Evolved Benefits

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn

Dan Kolosowski serves as Regional Vice President of 401(k) Markets for Transamerica. 

In this episode of the Team Business podcast, Dan joins the show to speak about ERC (Employee Retention Credit) and provides valuable information that all employers should understand.

Episode Highlights:

Dan discusses how CalSavers has led to a flood of new business to Transamerica. (2:02)

Dan explains the importance of having a top down approach in encouraging employees to save for retirement. (5:27)

Dan mentions that he just published a news article on some of the top retirement articles. (6:46)

Dan discusses the differences between doing CalSavers versus a traditional plan and the credits that you can get as an employer when choosing a traditional plan. (8:05)

Dan explains that if your company has filed for PPP, it is automatically pre-qualified for ERC. (12:37)

Dan expresses his desire to learn about and apply everything that will assist a company owner, particularly a small business. (13:58)

Dan talks about the ERC tax credits. (16:28)

Dan explains that one caveat to the ERC is that not like the PPP where you have to ask for forgiveness, but it is considered earned income. (22:08)

Dan mentions that the next time they chat, he will address R&D tax credits, which he thinks is even more exciting. (24:57)

Key Quotes:

“I always try to stay in the know with anything that's happening in the marketplace…And I just want to get anything that can help a business owner out, especially small businesses” - Dan Kolosowski 

“When I start referring clients over and I know they're in good hands, we're good. It just leads to more business.” - Dan Kolosowski

“The one thing the one caveat with ERC. It's It is not like PPP where you have to ask for forgiveness. Okay, you don't have to ask for and never apologize for your passion. So you don't have to qualify forgiveness. It is though, considered earned income.” - Dan Kolosowski

Resources Mentioned:  

Dan Kolosowski LinkedIn

Transamerica

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Mike Fusco LinkedIn