The Greg McAfee Show

In today’s episode I talk about Steve Jobs and his leadership abilities. How can you invent and create a new way to do things in an industry where things have always been the same? Steve learned how to hire and develop the best; the best employees are self-starters that require no micromanaging. Steve once said, “we hire such great people that we don’t tell them what to do, they tell us”. It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. Have a clear vision. As a business owner you need to learn when to say no, you don’t always have time. One of the things Steve Jobs was known for was his. customer obsession.

In today’s episode I talk customer service. First, I talk about how I got into the HVAC business, and how it progressed into the multi million-dollar business it is today. I talk about what a WOW customer experience is. One of the ways we do this, is by guaranteeing that we will always be on time. When is comes to sales, always try and find something in common with the customer to build rapport. Something I always stand by is, if you don’t take care of people, you won’t be in business long. I talk about how one of the best ways to grow your business is by doing things other people won’t do.

In today’s episode I talk being an entrepreneur, I disagree with if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I love what I do but it is incredibly hard if it were easy everyone would do it. Owning a business means endless opportunities, it means we get to think outside of the box, we get the freedom of flexible schedules, being able to pay your bills, and being debt free is all freedom.

In today’s episode I talk about why your team is more important than your customers are. Your team needs to be taken care of, I talk about paying your people well, pay them their worth. You never want to lose a good employee because you’re underpaying them. You also have to offer opportunities for self-development. Did you know that 39% of employees feel like their input is not appreciated? Our job as business owners is, providing an atmosphere where our team can succeed. Do not punish failure, everyone makes mistakes, even us as business owners make mistakes. It’s also so important that you have set clear goals and expectations for you team.

In today’s episode I talk about the importance of training. Companies that are successful do a lot of training. You can't look at training as an expense, just like you cant look at advertising as an expense, its an investment. Training increases your teams productivity. Training also decreases turnover. As a leader I spend a little bit of every day in training. The more you do, the more you know, the more you make.

In today’s episode I talk about why and how entrepreneurs continually need to improve themselves and why they need to. You don’t just get to a level and stop, allow your passion to always drive you. You should have a strong thirst for knowledge and improvement to get to that next level. You have got to want it bad; you must change with your industry. I know a lot of business owners, who fail, just because they do not stay with the times. Money is a by product of what you do well, you do not have to chase money, it will chase you, if you’re always improving.

In today’s episode I talk about how much should business owners be spending in advertising. I talk about what my strategy for HVAC marketing was when I first got started. One of the strategies that we use today, is we invest 6% - 10% of our revenue into advertising each year. I also talk about how important the consistency of running advertisements is. As well as how to figure out what advertising platforms are right for you.

In today’s episode I talk about the importance of having a business mentor, and how having one can allow for you to break down barriers that have been holding you back. I go in depth about how I transitioned from working for my dad, into running my own HVAC business. I would work all day though the day and took night classes to become a certified HVAC technician. The day I was fired from an HVAC company I worked for, I was told I would never make it as an HVAC Mechanic, he was right. I went on to build an HVAC business that does millions of dollars a year in revenue. Running a successful business isn’t about how proficient you are with the relevant skills to your industry, but how good your organizational leadership skills are.

In today’s episode I go over 3 questions sent in by viewers of the channel. How do I know when to hire? How do I figure out how much to pay a new employee? When or how often should I give my employees pay increases?

In today’s episode I talk about the leadership bible, more specially leadership principles on encouragement. I talk about the story of Barnabas and Saul of the Bible. One of the functions of a leader is keeping hope alive, it’s your job as a leader, to remain positive and to keep hope alive for your team. You're the one who needs to be setting the vision and clear goals for your team, because they're looking for that. I talk about the importance of providing opportunities for development. Effective leaders like Barnabas, sustain hope by offering words of encouragement and support.