The Growth Lab by LOCALiQ

Being a leader that encourages the physical and mental health of their team is what today's guest is all about. Jimmy Westerheim is the creator of The Human Aspect which is the world's first life experience library. Jimmy has overcome childhood issues and a devastating injury by learning what it means to be human. This questions has been top of mind for him since he was a child.

By creating an authentic library of people's real life experiences and how they overcame or lived with hardship has taught Jimmy that we are more alike than we are different. On this episode, Jimmy shares his own story and his unique approach to leadership, team building, running a business, and being more human. This is a really unique approach to what unites us more than what divides us.

Show Notes

• [09:31] Jimmy is joining us from Oslo, Norway.
• [10:13] He was born into a working class family. He grew up an hour south of Oslo.
• [11:09] When he was 13, his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
• [12:12] He was saved by sports, because it's the only place where they don't care who you are.
• [12:43] He went to an Athlete's College in Norway.
• [13:10] He tried training to be the equivalent of a Norway Navy SEAL. He ended up being a diver for the Coast Guard.
• [14:32] He then spent seven years working for a shipping company.
• [15:13] He would take a month off and travel the world. He did volunteer work with people which was closer to his heart.
• [17:18] He wanted to do something different, and he started working for Doctors Without Borders. He was 27, and went to Afghanistan for a year.
• [20:11] One of his first real questions was how to deal with his back injury when there wasn't any help for it. He used to be an athlete and, now he couldn't be one.
• [20:53] This is where he came up with the idea for The Human Aspect Library and The Digital Mental Health Tool.
• [22:28] Jimmy is fortunate to share a story that is so real and so inspirational.
• [23:18] The Human Aspect is behind the world's first Digital Life Experience Library. It consists of interviews from people from all over the world.
• [23:33] People share their life's toughest challenge in detail, and how they either overcame it or how they live with it.
• [24:10] They also share what they've learned to help people who may be in the middle of a similar challenge.
• [25:48] Jimmy has had a natural ability to get people to open up.
• [26:51] Sharing your story can be very empowering.
• [27:12] Psychologists all over the world and the University of Oslo are using The Human Aspect.
• [28:27] The Human Aspect is the answer. The challenges we face and how we overcome those truly decide the presets that will be dominant in our personalities.
• [32:42] Oftentimes, large companies lack the human part of caring for mental and physical health.
• [34:36] The most important thing a leader can do is create a culture that cares about your employee,s life as a whole.
• [37:13] It's important for teams to care about each other everyday.
• [43:05] As a leader, expect your employees to share and then do everything in your power to help them out.
• [51:23] Jimmy's success factor is authenticity. That's what makes him a leader.
• [53:32] We are more connected but less human-to-human connected, and that's the key element why human mental health statistics have gone up.
• [54:48] What will make us win over the robots is being more human.
• [57:01] When you go from a manager to a leader, you truly can create synergies. You have to lead by example.
• [01:00:47] Take time to sit with your employees and ask them when they seem a little off. Be vulnerable and share something about yourself. Explain why you are doing things or using tools to get better results. Set the tone with stories about your own life.
• [01:03:43] Ask open ended questions.
• [01:06:13] It's not easy to do these things in practice. Trust that eventually the human way of managing will be better.

Links and Resources:

• Marketing Bitz Bootcamp Use Code Localiq for 50% off Registration
• The Human Aspect
• Doctors Without Borders
• Gallup StrengthsFinder
• Via Character Strengths
• Jimmy Westerheim on Instagram
• Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

Dennis Mortensen is the CEO and co-founder of x.ai. Originally from Denmark, he is an expert in leveraging data to solve enterprise use cases and a serial entrepreneur who has successfully exited several companies. His long term vision of killing the inbox led to the formation of x.ai and the creation of Amy and Andrew; artificial intelligent assistants who schedule meetings. Dennis is passionate about his project and will speak frequently to anyone who will listen to him speak about the future and productivity gains from using AI.

Andre and Dennis have been friends since they spent time together at Yahoo! several years ago. Dennis built several technology companies from his start in 1996 until 2013, exiting his companies at the most opportune times. His history in technology has continued to his journey in AI starting in 2014. Dennis is a data lover at heart - so much so that he has stored over 25 years of emails on a cloud server. His passion for technology has now continued into ai.x, an affordable artificial intelligence software, perfect for small businesses, which schedule your events and meetings.

Show Notes

• [02:45] The "short version" on what brought Dennis to New York and his start with his first internet company in 1996.
• [05:10] When Dennis first started x.ai on April 14th, 2014 at 5:03pm.
• [06:18] Dennis still has every email he has ever sent in his entire life on the cloud!
• [07:48] Impetus and spark behind Dennis starting x.ai.
• [08:52] What is your "List of Hate"?
• [12:02] The UI final frontier: talking to our computers.
• [15:29] Dennis walks listeners through the user experience with Amy and Andrew.
• [21:05] Types of clients Dennis is looking for and famous success stories of x.ai which works especially well for small business owners.
• [24:33] What types of personality does Amy and Andrew have in their AI brain?
• [26:03] What's the next stage for Dennis and x.ai?
• [30:15] Dennis' pivot in changing from venture capital to taking an investment in a growing business venture.
• [32:31] The best day at x.ai for Dennis.
• [34:38] Why you shouldn't put all your personal value into your company's success.

Links and Resources:

• Dennis Mortensen on Underdog
• @DennisMortensen on Twitter
• Dennis Mortensen on LinkedIn
• About Dennis Mortensen
• x.ai

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

LinkedIn has gone through a recent renaissance where it is the go to place for people to talk about business with a like minded community. In fact, Tracy is a big fan of LinkedIn, and we have the perfect person here today to talk about it. Amber Naslund is a senior content marketing evangelist at LinkedIn. She consults with LinkedIn business customers on building and executing high-performing content marketing strategies.

Amber has 20 years of digital marketing and content creation under her belt. She is a keynote speaker, co-author of The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social, and has advised small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Today, we talk about what Amber does at LinkedIn, how she got there, strategies for getting the most out of the platform, and how people expect authenticity from real people.

Show Notes

• [03:44] Amber is a consultant who works with a lot of LinkedIn's largest customers to help them navigate the world of content marketing.
• [05:07] She travels the country and helps companies workshop with some of their greatest challenges.
• [06:06] She works with clients all over the country, but she's also part of the sales support system.
• [06:57] Businesses frequently want to know how to use LinkedIn at scale with their available resources.
• [07:33] Amber finds ways to help businesses scale their existing content and build new content in a smart way.
• [07:48] She also answers questions about the intersection between paid and organic media.
• [08:21] She helps advertisers understand that content needs to be an important part of their strategy.
• [08:50] Content marketing can still be intimidating to people, so part of Amber's job is to demystify that.
• [09:33] LinkedIn is Tracy's favorite platform. There are people on LinkedIn talking about what's happening in our society, culture, and world.
• [10:36] LinkedIn has played the long game for a long time. It's a place to have a business-focused community without all of the usual noise.
• [11:22] Content is really the lifeblood of what makes a social network work.
• [15:50] The idea is to reward and engage truly provocative content. Once your content gets traction, it snowballs.
• [17:06] They want the community to step outside their circles and see content.
• [18:27] There is great content on LinkedIn without the noise.
• [20:30] Think about other perspectives besides just your profession. You can contribute more business information than just marketing your brand.
• [23:10] There is room for both a company page and a personal profile. There are cool new functions on company pages.
• [24:30] Having your own profile can be a multifaceted personal network with more reach than a brand reach.
• [27:59] The only way to know the best time to post is by testing. There is no such thing as universal content. It depends on specific variables.
• [29:26] Choose something that feels authentic to you and try things. Be consistent and really pay attention to what your customers are asking for.
• [30:59] A company page can't content on stuff. Engage in the content that you want to engage with. Don't do it just to promote your business. Take a stroll through your feed and share what moves you.
• [33:40] It's fulfilling to show up as yourself.
• [36:27] People appreciate it when people are real.
• [37:15] Part of the reason that Amber shares real things is that she gets support, and it also helps people.
• [41:10] People want to understand what companies stand for to know if they want to align with them or not.

Links and Resources:

• Amber Naslund
• Amber Naslund on LinkedIn
• The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social
• Marcus Sheridan
• Mind games - Transcending the messiness of mental illness: Amber Naslund at TEDxPeachtree 2012

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

Risk is a part of life. When it comes to business, everyone is open to risk. This is why we are so excited to have Melissa Agnes on the show today. Melissa is an author, keynote speaker, and risk management and crisis management expert. According to Melissa, she sees risk, risk mitigation, and resulting opportunities from that mitigation everywhere. She also puts people first and emphasizes having an emotional and logical response.

In this show, we talk about how to build an invincible brand, how to understand the difference between crisis and issues, and even how to make your organization stronger through preparing for possible issues and crises that could come up. Melissa is very passionate about this topic and has helped organizations like NATO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, financial firms, technology firms, health organizations, cities, municipalities, and more with their crisis readiness.

Show Notes

• [06:34] Melissa has been an entrepreneur since she was 21. She began creating photomontages and then moved on to web development, social media, and branding.
• [07:32] Melissa sees risk and mitigation strategies, and opportunities through that mitigation everywhere.
• [08:15] She realized she had a talent for this when she was doing her morning reading and started wondering why no one is worrying about the risks of social media.
• [08:31] She realized that the risks were easy to mitigate, and there were so many opportunities once you reach that level.
• [08:43] She spent a year devouring everything she could find on crisis management. She also realized that crisis management professionals weren't talking about technology and the way the world is changing.
• [09:51] She got a call from one of her website business customers that there was a Twitter rumor that was going to cause them to lose all of their investors. Melissa made the media calls and took care of the problem. The company not only didn't lose their investors, but their stock went up.
• [10:50] She realized that she could offer a service that businesses actually needed.
• [11:16] She started blogging about the big questions that she thought organizations should ask themselves. She was also approached by crisis management professionals, and her business was born.
• [14:53] She helps organizations get crisis ready. This means she helps prevent the preventable and have a culture in place that's able to instinctively respond to any negative event.
• [15:41] Her clients don't have crises because they are crisis ready. If something does happen, they are able to deescalate it down to a manageable level.
• [18:09] Tampering with a product is a risk that could have been foreseen.
• [21:35] Melissa has always been aware of knowing what the risks are and then being able to assess whether it's worth engaging or not.
• [22:45] Every business has a series of scenarios that could be high impact.
• [23:48] In a scenario where a local restaurant has a food poisoning outbreak, the first thing you want to do is scale it by deciding whether it's an issue or a crisis.
• [24:16] A crisis is a negative event that stops business. It affects long-term material impact on people, stakeholders, the environment, the business's operations, its reputation, and or its bottom line.
• [24:54] An issue doesn't stop business as usual. It doesn't threaten long-term material impact, but everyone is in hyper business mode.
• [26:01] An issue would be the farmer calling you before you stock the bad lettuce.
• [26:44] A crisis would be people eating the bad lettuce and getting sick.
• [26:45] You have to take the right course of action to fix the problem and communicate effectively. You have to do both of these to manage a crisis.
• [27:20] In the scenario, we would close down the contaminated restaurant and investigate what happened.
• [27:59] Communicate for public safety and share the answers you have and explain what you're doing to find the answers you don't have.
• [29:58] People above process and the bottom line always.
• [30:56] Window covering company example. News of unfair hiring practices. Issue versus crisis. This can be an issue. Virality is relative.
• [32:24] Emotions run high in times of crisis, but you have to look at the long-term effect.
• [34:57] Fix the issue and communicate how and why you're fixing it. Use the right language that speaks from your heart.
• [35:28] Look for an emotionally compelling story that is highly relatable and in a shareable format. This is the recipe for going viral.
• [37:13] Wrap your logic in an emotionally compelling story or validation, relatability, and proof.
• [41:33] Define the difference between an issue and a crisis and then have a brainstorming session with your team. Each team member will have a different fear. Create a brain dump of what could go wrong. Then categorize, prevent, and respond.
• [45:13] Becoming crisis ready actually strengthens relationships within an organization.
• [52:10] Melissa also has a coaching group and eventually plans on turning her book into a course. Her long-term goal, once she conquers crisis management for business, is to help with crisis management in people's lives.

Links and Resources:

• The Secret to Successful Crisis Management in the 21st Century - Melissa Agnes TEDx Talk
• Melissa Agnes
• Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World
• The Invincible Brand Podcast
• Melissa Agnes on LinkedIn
• Formula for Managing Controversies Download

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

Ted Rubin is a leading social media strategist, keynote speaker, brand evangelist, CMO, and author. In 2009, he started using and evangelizing the term ROR, Return on Relationship, hashtag #RonR and released a book by the same name in 2013. He has a background in sales and marketing and preaches the importance of putting relationships and customer experience back into marketing.

Andre and Ted have been friends for about 10 years, and this is a fun episode where Ted shares his no holds barred opinion on what stores are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and why unsubscribe really needs to mean unsubscribe. We talk about building authentic, building relationships, being vulnerable, the future of retail, what it's like being a divorced dad, and more on this episode.

Show Notes

• [03:41] Ted has spent most of his career as a CMO, social media marketer, and senior marketer.
• [04:18] When Ted first got out of college, he worked in sales as a stockbroker. His father was also in sales, and his father taught him about relationships.
• [06:21] When selling you want to get to know the person. It's easy to do that digitally now.
• [07:08] A brand is what a person does, a reputation is what people remember and share. Ted's dad taught him this and to always be himself.
• [11:28] Share what happens in your life, and you will have no shortage of content.
• [12:12] People will know you for who you are and showing your vulnerabilities.
• [14:28] Without using trackers, you would be amazed about how many people follow you.
• [16:17] You build a bigger presence by putting content out there and putting it out there regularly.
• [17:52] Social media is the ultimate in permission marketing.
• [19:21] Attention spans are going up for quality content.
• [23:13] Customer service at its root is relationship building.
• [25:40] Bots can give you a quick response, but they still need work.
• [26:09] Customer experience with marketing makes a difference. Don't bang people over the head.
• [31:56] Pay attention and bring back the right information at the right time.
• [32:42] Build a relationship and create content that people want to engage with. Do it at the right place at the right time.
• [33:40] The dinosaurs of retail are dying.
• [34:50] Warby Parker has a great retail and online experience.
• [36:38] Retail isn't disappearing, it's just changing.
• [41:44] Walmart is experimenting and trying things. The Jet acquisition wasn't a great idea.
• [43:11] There is a large percentage of Walmart customers that don't have bank accounts and pay with cash.
• [44:26] A lot of companies need to keep their sales and numbers up, and they end up digging big holes.
• [45:41] In under 10 years, there will be no one driving cars and parking lots will be accessible.
• [46:51] Know you customers and treat the special.
• [47:12] Let people know who you are and what you care about. Put yourself in your customers shoes. Start creating content everyday. Local search is driven by photos.
• [48:09] Use Photofy to let your employees help make branded photos and create content at scale.
• [48:54] Start being real and conversing with people and actually listening to what they say.
• [50:24] Before going to meetings look on social media and see what people are doing.

Links and Resources:

• Ted Rubin Straight Talk
• @TedRubin on Twitter
• Ted Rubin on LinkedIn
• Ted Rubin Facebook Page
• Return on Relationship
• Photofy
• Brand Innovators
• Report: Target's App Charges Higher Prices to Customers Near a Store

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

Working from home is more prevalent now than ever. Yet, the benefits go far beyond quitting the commute and dressing down. Our guest today, is all about working from happy. Marcy Massura spent a huge part of her storied career working for global ad agencies. In 2017, she decided to pivot and work from happy. She is now a speaker, author, consultant, and CEO running her own team of people who are working from happy.

Marcy now runs MM + Co. which is her own agency that does digital marketing, PR, consulting, and workshops. She has built a team around the world that assists with her projects. The inspiring thing about Marcy is that she has become the type of leader that she wanted to have and empowers her team while respecting their boundaries and lifestyles. Her entire company is working from home in the happiest way possible.

Show Notes

• [03:05] Sometimes decisions are made for us. Marcy was already working partially at home when she left the big agency. She already had the skills to work from home, she just wanted to put together her own agency. And employ a dispersed team who also worked from happy.
• [04:17] Marcy has about 20 or 30 different people who she taps in for projects.
• [05:25] Office space is at a premium, so it makes sense for the c-suite to look for people who work at home.
• [06:17] It's also easier to have project-based work.
• [07:09] There are tons of benefits to having a flexible workforce.
• [08:36] As a leader, having a person show up gives them a false sense of security. It's not a measurement of whether someone is doing their job.
• [09:04] When you shift the thinking to the quality of the work and the completion of the project, it becomes very easy to make the case that I don't need to see you I need to see the work.
• [10:55] It takes management maturity and a different skill set to work with work at home teams.
• [12:02] You can use video tools to have team meetings and client meetings even with the work at home team.
• [12:42] You would save $11,000 per year per person by having them work at home part of the time.
• [13:42] You can have all your files in the cloud.
• [14:55] Work from happy requires a trickle down leadership culture. You have to let go of old thinking. Take an approach that you are grateful for these people working with you. Respect their boundaries.
• [18:54] Find a win win for the employee and for the business.
• [19:59] When Marcy broke out on her own, she got to be the leader that she wanted to have.
• [21:50] Really look at being a leader from business objectives and a human to human shared experience. Also, don't take credit for everything.
• [23:52] 91% of millennials say flexible time is important in their work decision.
• [24:49] If your workforce is happy your clients will be happy.
• [27:18] Getting rid of the commute is another benefit.
• [28:17] Marcy thinks tides are turning and this will be part of the future of work.
• [30:05] Work and home life are about being a whole person, not necessarily balancing the two.
• [31:26] It's up to me to get and make what I want and define my happy. Marcy is excited to see people with this mindset to rise up in the ranks.
• [33:51] Walk before you run and see if there is something you can do at home one day a week or month. Employers need to decide how to measure productivity and start slowly. Have a work from home contract.
• [35:51] You have to set the right tone from the beginning. Ask how often you need to see this person.

Links and Resources:

• Marcy Massura + Co.
• @marcymassura on Twitter
• Marcy Massura on LinkedIn
• Marcy Massura
• Marcy Massura YouTube

Jeremy Goldman the CEO and co-founder of Firebrand group is here today to talk about how to future-proof your business. Jeremy is the host of the FUTUREPROOF podcast and the author of Going Social: Excite Customers, Generate Buzz, and Energize Your Brand with the Power of Social Media. He is an innovation and digital thought leader who has 20 years of experience driving global marketing.

In this show, we talk about the importance of getting the fundamentals down for small business. Jeremy gives advice and tips on how businesses of all sizes can use social media and unify their brand over all platforms. We talk about thinking outside the box, how to apply these principles to a fictional day spa, how Andre and Jeremy met, and more in this episode.

Show Notes

• [03:37] A lot of businesses are struggling with being unsure of the technology that will dominate the future. People are wondering which technology of the future would be the best one to put their dollars and their attention.
• [04:48] Make a few strategic bets to figure out what makes the most sense for you instead of dividing your time between the different technologies.
• [05:10] Most people know that augmented reality exists, they just don't spend much time on it. Something like this could be a game-changer for retailers. People could try stuff out before buying.
• [06:05] VR will probably become more mainstream too.
• [06:34] Don't expect your organic content to get that far. You have to put a budget alongside your social media. Is something Jeremy picked up at the Social Fresh conference.
• [07:39] Retailers are embedding AR in their apps.
• [09:26] It's more difficult for brands to expect brand loyalty when it is so easy for the consumer to switch.
• [11:32] We are all so busy the less friction the better.
• [11:52] Capital One does a great job of unifying their brand over all channels.
• [13:03] There are a number of different systems that you can use to aggregate different customer touches over channels such a Sprinklr.
• [14:06] Aggregating tools can help create a seamless customer experience over multiple platforms.
• [15:17] Start doing the basic fundamentals and then move on to the high-tech stuff.
• [17:27] Local business fundamentals include SEO, take down negative information, take control of Google and Yelp listings, and make your pictures come to life with great images.
• [20:02] Make your business something that people will talk about. Do something special that others aren't doing. Stand out from the pack.
• [21:27] 89% of businesses have less than 20 employees and 98% of businesses in the United States have less than a hundred employees. Small businesses are the backbone of businesses in the United States.
• [21:47] An example of a fictional day spa in New York City. Christina is the owner.
• [23:20] Instead of being angry about a review, try to resolve the issue that caused that review.
• [24:30] Instead of stock images, have real pictures of your business. Find micro or nano influencers and give them an experience and take some pictures.
• [27:58] Give people something unexpected that can't be easily replicated. Do something outside the box that people might talk about.
• [30:15] To future-proof your business you have to have the fundamentals handled first.
• [32:35] Jeremy has a 3rd book coming out soon about how to be a better predictor of the future and applying it to marketing.

Links and Resources:

• Jeremy Goldman
• Proponent
• Going Social: Excite Customers, Generate Buzz, and Energize Your Brand with the Power of Social Media
• FUTUREPROOF.
• Social Fresh 2019
• Sprinklr
• Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

Taxes can get confusing for everyone, but especially for small business owners. Our guest today is Rob Ganer from Ganer + Ganer Certified Public Accountants PLLC. Rob and his family have been in business for over 40 years and they work with all kinds of clients. They have even developed a specialty niche in the entertainment industry. One of the many things that is unique about Rob is that he is both an accountant and a lawyer.

He is also a small business owner who helps other small business owners. His firm also goes beyond accounting and helps clients with financial advice, bookkeeping, business management, and consulting. His team will even help train owners on how to use their bookkeeping software if they aren't ready to pay for the full service. Rob shares how he ended up in the business, tips for capturing data for small businesses, and he puts the fun into accounting.

Show Notes

• [01:49] Rob has been in business on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for 40 plus years.
• [02:16] When Rob was growing up, he helped his friends with keeping track of their books.
• [02:49] He went to Queens college in 1969 - 1970. He had to pick a major.
• [03:30] His girlfriend suggested, he should try accounting, because he would find it easy.
• [03:51] Eventually, he was hired by an accounting firm.
• [04:21] Rob new he needed skills and knowledge to venture out on his own. He got his masters and then went to law school.
• [04:59] He is not a litigator, but he can practice law.
• [05:40] Rob's sons also work at the firm.
• [06:27] When Rob started his practice, his services were required and needed. Now people can find some information online.
• [07:34] Things have changed with the new tax law. The standard deduction is much higher.
• [08:26] A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. People look for something to justify their position.
• [09:32] Robs ex-wife got a job with a CPA firm that was involved with the entertainment industry. She met a lot of musicians who needed their taxes done, and she recommended Rob.
• [11:27] From there, they built a practice with the entertainment industry and started working with musicians and actors. They worked with Steven Tyler and got to go to concerts and go backstage.
• [12:00] They still have clients involved in the entertainment industry.
• [12:23] Rob is a small business entrepreneur and advises small businesses.
• [14:01] A CPA is someone who has had formal training and has passed a difficult exam and has experience in auditing companies. Enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS.
• [16:48] If you have income from a another state you have to file in both states. If your situation is more complex, you may need to hire someone for help.
• [18:41] Generally the IRS doesn't look at anything older than three years.
• [19:01] Business owners shouldn't be doing their taxes on their own. Unless you have hours to make sure you have gotten everything correct.
• [20:17] One of the most important things for small business owners to realize when it comes to taxes is capturing data is the first step.
• [20:55] The business records need to be captured from your personal finances and integrated into your business finances.
• [21:02] It's a good idea to have a separate bank account for your business even if you are operating under your own name. This is also better if you are audited.
• [21:38] When you mix your personal and business expenses the IRS will have to comb through everything.
• [22:09] Every business should have a set of books. Have an actual ledger or use something like QuickBooks.
• [23:09] The more work you do yourself the less your accountant will charge you.
• [23:33] A practical application where Tracy and Andre own three furniture stores in St Louis. Their books aren't in order and they haven't kept all the receipts.
• [24:18] The first thing they should do is collect all of their bank and credit card statements and make sure the data has been captured in their books and that their books reconcile with those statements.
• [24:47] Then everything needs to be categorized properly.
• [25:24] Look at the deposits and start with the assumption that everything deposited in the bank is income. Not everything deposited is income, you need to be able to differentiate this.
• [26:29] Once the data is organized, it's time to think about earnings and tax payments. Look at things like deductions for purchasing machinery and setting up retirement accounts.
• [27:13] Once you have the accurate data, then you can decide on the steps to take to lower your tax liability before the end of the year.
• [27:35] It's also good to know what you owe. Projections can be made based on the data.
• [28:28] It's a good idea to get on top of things as soon as possible.
• [30:00] It's also essential for businesses to make budgets.
• [30:51] Rob has many high net worth individuals that they help throughout the year.
• [33:34] It makes sense to hire someone to do what takes up time. When first starting out, you may do it yourself. Rob's group will help train people.
• [35:21] Small clients can grow into large clients.
• [35:53] A lot of accounting firms don't want to get involved in bookkeeping.
• [36:31] Clients prefer one-stop shopping that is responsible for everything. It also makes it easier for Rob to ensure the quality of the bookkeeping.
• [38:28] In 2019, you could be affected negatively or positively by the new tax laws. Consult with a professional.

Links and Resources:

• Ganer + Ganer
• Ganer + Ganer on LinkedIn
• QuickBooks

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

Julian Placino is recruiter, podcaster, and training entrepreneur who has a background in recruiting and staffing in the agency world. When he became a recruiter at Bottle Rocket Studios, he discovered his passion. Content creation has opened doors for Julian that he never could have imagined. He began making training videos and started the Pathways to Success podcast.

His passion, enthusiasm, and persistence led to getting sponsors, joining the Kim Dawson talent agency, becoming a paid keynote speaker, and starting his own training and development company. Julian's passion shines on this episode as we talk about being authentic, helping people, just getting started, knowing yourself, and being persistent. We also walk through an example of how a business like a law firm can get started using content creation to grow their brand.

Show Notes

• [03:00] Julian has a background in recruiting and staffing. He started his career in the agency world.
• [03:16] He is now on the corporate side as the senior recruiting lead for Bottle Rocket Studios.
• [03:44] In 2016, Julian changed his approach. Being a content creator has changed his life.
• [05:35] Podcasting has forced Julian to change his approach to interviews. He asks what his guests three passion points are and then just has a conversation.
• [06:50] As a result of his podcast, Focusrite became Julian's sponsor. He is also sponsored by Compete Every Day.
• [07:31] Other great things that have happened to Julian since he began podcasting is that he was signed on to the Kim Dawson Talent Network and he became a paid keynote speaker.
• [08:06] He also started a training and development company and procured enough revenue to quit his full-time job.
• [09:09] More companies are allowing and encouraging their people to work on passion projects.
• [10:58] Julian oversees talent acquisition for Bottle Rocket. He has high-profile clients. He started making helpful videos to help the staffing community. He creates staffing and recruiting content and posts it on LinkedIn.
• [12:38] Get to know yourself and know your natural form of content creation.
• [13:21] Content becomes a way for people to know you and for you to start creating a brand over time.
• [14:21] Accept your first content may not be that good and just keep creating over and over again.
• [16:39] Halo effect is when a customer engages with one aspect of your brand favorably. The favorability translates into other aspects of your brand.
• [19:18] Julian gets the most engagement on LinkedIn. He is also active on the other platforms.
• [21:47] Creating content is a form of giving. When you do it in an authentic way, it is also marketing.
• [24:26] The only thing Julian would do different is get a website first. He also wishes that he spent more time getting to know himself. Find out what you like and don't like.
• [28:00] Start from a passionate place and understand the strengths that you have. Just start and keep going.
• [28:30] A law firm scenario with Julian. Start to draw the audience that they are trying to attract. Create content to appeal to these people.
• [30:05] Use FAQs for a content calendar.
• [31:25] Be consistent. Declare your schedule to your audience. Try once a week but make it sustainable.
• [35:29] Try and test content creation and see what is right.
• [37:23] Look for what you're trying to accomplish and who has accomplished it. Clarity comes from action.

Links and Resources:

• Julian Placino
• Julian Placino on Facebook
• @Julian_Placino on Twitter
• Julian Placino on LinkedIn
• Pathways to Success
• @julianplacino on Instagram
• Bottle Rocket Studios
• Mastery
• Jim Rohn
• Ben Okri
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Marie Forleo
• 35: R. Shawn McBride – Author of Business Blunders – Starting a Business 101
• 98: The Art of Negotiation & Persuasion – Russ Riddle – The Anomaly at Law

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen. If you like the show, please give us a five star rating and leave a review.

When you do that, you help people just like you find us and our amazing guests. We'll also give you a shout out on the next episode.

We have an amazing guest joining us in our studio today. Jennifer Iannolo is a keynote speaker and coach who has worked with the United Nations, Harvard University, Konica Minolta, and the US State Department. She builds resilient unstoppable humans with her method of Self-Directed Empowerment. She is also an entrepreneur who started her first business when she was 8 years old and her second in college.

In 2006, she launched the world's first food podcast channel and created branded content for corporate sponsors. She privately coaches female founders through their own growth stages. For the last few years, she has been working on her legacy product Imperia which is a global incubator for women creating social impact all around the world. It is great to have her here today.

Show Notes

• [03:34] Jennifer started out in the world of food and wine as one of the world's first food podcasters. She ended up as part of a huge podcast network.
• [04:02] She was flying around the world chasing truffle dogs in Italy. It was a special moment of wild west media breakthroughs.
• [05:09] She worked 18 hours a day. One day she woke up and something was going on with her body. She had triggered an autoimmune response. Now she was allergic to bread, wine, cheese, garlic and so many food she had taken for granted.
• [05:59] She had to start thinking about what was next for her career and what type of legacy she wanted to leave behind.
• [06:38] She had to ask what would pull her out of bed when she didn't want to get out of bed. It was the idea that at any moment somewhere on the planet there is a little girl that is being murdered, given away, or sold because she doesn't matter.
• [07:01] She realized the flaw of giving empowerment means that you can also take it away.
• [07:12] She went to Nepal and India and started talking to women.
• [08:12] Imperia is a global incubator for anyone who wants to change the world.
• [09:00] What would it look like if we put teachers and science innovators and people changing the world all in one conversation? What if we create a support network and encourage self-empowerment?
• [09:49] Imperia has applications coming in from all over the world.
• [10:42] Jennifer had been at the peak of her career when she was diagnosed. She stopped and asked, "what would my mom do?"
• [13:10] She sat down and started writing out questions like who does she want to work with? What does she want to be doing? This is also a blue sky exercise that she does with her clients.
• [14:28] You have to think audaciously. When I ask people who their mentors are they stumble. It doesn't have to be someone you know.
• [15:35] Her worst day was knowing she had to walk away from her food and wine business.
• [17:08] Her best day was when the ambassador of Nepal threw a dinner in her honor to talk about women's issues.
• [18:51] Her food life helped her get the connection with the State Department.
• [20:14] Connections are about your network of people.
• [23:14] Her manifesto is going to be a book. It is called No One is Coming and it's about the three key things we can look at in any situation to reorient ourselves when there is a problem. It's about lenses and how we see the world and the problems in front of us.
• [24:21] Lenses: Check your lens or Context. Collaboration is about eliminating the zero sum game. Problems can look like an either or. If we eliminate the zero sum game we create a win win situation. My win is not your loss.
• [27:16] Listening to points of view that are different than yours helps you understand how the other person feels.
• [28:00] The third part is Contribution. How can you take responsibility for what you say in the conversation?
• [29:55] Stepping into the path of success means that you have to own that success.
• [32:28] Jennifer helps women put on their superhero cape and create an alter ego if they need that to leave their company the way they want to.
• [35:02] Jennifer segments her days, so that each day has a different focus.
• [35:56] By structuring her life, she's able to plow through what needs to get done.
• [38:25] Self-care Sunday is a real thing. People who have their own companies love Mondays.
• [39:34] Find a much more powerful way, so that you are not slogging through the day.
• [40:20] Every year young people bring their ideas to the UN. are doing a partnership with Imperia.
• [45:35] It's smart to have an inside and an outside person when you are running a company.
• [48:52] It's about who you are at your core and can you be comfortable with that.
• [50:40] Imperia is looking for women who have big ideas that can impact at least 100 people. They are accepting applications to the incubator through March 31st.

Links and Resources:

• Jennifer Iannolo
• Jennifer Iannolo on LinkedIn
• @foodphilosophy on Twitter
• Jennifer Iannolo on Facebook
• Food Philosophy
• Food Philosophy on Instagram
• Imperia Global Innovation Incubator
• Apply Imperia Global Innovation Incubator
• Build Your Dream Network
• 1M1B