The How of Business - How to start, run, grow and exit a small business.

From selling guavas in a barrio in Santo Domingo as a child, to selling his startup to Mastercard in Silicon Valley, Edrizio De La Cruz shares his inspirational entrepreneur journey.

Edrizio is the author of the new book "The Underdog Founder - How to Go from Unseen to Unstoppable".

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/490-edrizio-de-la-cruz-entrepreneurship/

Edrizio is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the first Latino Y-Combinator Visiting Partner. He is most known for selling FinTech startup Arcus to MasterCard, in its first Latin America acquisition.

In 2013, Edrizio founded Arcus, a payments-as-a-service platform, secured $19M in funding from Y-Combinator, Ignia, SoftBank, and Citi Ventures, and grew the company to 100+ employees and 100+ clients, including Walmart, 7-Eleven, Santander, BBVA, and Rappi, before selling the business in 2021.

"Underdog Founder" shares Edrizio De La Cruz's improbable odyssey from selling guavas in a Dominican barrio to co-founding his startup, Arcus, in Silicon Valley. Arcus was recognized by Forbes as one of the most successful startups of 2021 and was later sold to Mastercard. This no-nonsense playbook is for the entrepreneurial dark horse, a memoir and business narrative that presents seven key principles to rise above racism, poverty, imposter syndrome, and every imaginable and unimaginable startup obstacle.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

How to deliver Customer Service Excellence at your small business, with Micah Solomon. Micah is one of the world's leading experts on customer service.

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/489-micah-solomon-customer-service-excellence/

Micah is a Customer Service expert, and on this episode of The How of Business podcast he shares his vast experience helping companies deliver great customer service. He also shares actionable tips and advice from his latest book, "Can Your Customer Service Do This? Create an Anticipatory Customer Experience that Builds Loyalty Forever".

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Turning the Power of Mindset into Action, The Performance Paradox, with entrepreneur Eduardo Briceño. He explains that if all we do is perform at a high level, our performance suffers. To improve, we have to go beyond the known. To grow as a person and a business owner and entrepreneur.

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/488-eduardo-briceno-performance-paradox/

Eduardo shares his experiences and knowledge from his own life and his new book "The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action", to help us develop greater purpose, joy, growth, and impact through our small businesses and in our lives. "The Performance Paradox" has been selected as a "must read" by The Next Big Idea Club, curated by Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Dan Pink.

Eduardo Briceño is a global keynote speaker and facilitator who guides many of the world's leading companies in developing cultures of learning and high performance. Earlier in his career, he was the co-founder and CEO of Mindset Works, the first company to offer growth mindset development services.

His TED Talk, How to Get Better at the Things You Care About, and his prior TEDx Talk, The Power of Belief, have been viewed more than nine million times.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Starting a flooring business with entrepreneur Bryan Park. Bryan shares his entrepreneurial journey, from attending the Air Force Academy to founding Footprints Floors, a nationwide full-service flooring provider. And his experiences and guidance on starting and growing a flooring small business.

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/487-bryan-park-starting-flooring-business/

Bryan Park is the founder and CEO of Footprints Floors, a full-service flooring provider in Colorado and across the nation. Under Bryan's leadership, Footprints Floors has established an exceptional reputation by prioritizing the customer and promoting the best in people, products, and business practices, which has enabled rapid growth in over 160 territories.

The flooring industry is a segment of the home improvement industry which generates over $500 billion in annual sales. Offering a range of options from hardwood and laminate to carpet and tile, the flooring industry can be a profitable small business venture for entrepreneurs. With the increasing focus on home aesthetics and comfort, along with the constant need for renovation in both residential and commercial spaces, the flooring industry presents lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Starting a Moving Business with entrepreneur Wade Swikle. How to start a moving company and perhaps consider a moving business franchise.

Wade shares his inspirational entrepreneurial story - starting his moving company while in college with just $600 and growing it to a multi-million-dollar business and offering franchise opportunities in the moving industry. This episode is all about starting and growing a moving company.

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/486-wade-swikle-moving-business/

Wade Swikle is the founder and CEO of 2 College Brothers Moving, Storage and Franchising, host of the Grow Your Moving Company Podcast, and co-founder of Moving Titan Retreats. Wade's entrepreneurial adventure began over a decade ago when, as a student at the University of Florida, he embarked on a path to create his own moving company armed with just $600 and a pickup truck. Against all odds, he transformed his humble beginnings into a multi-million-dollar business with multiple locations.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Franchise Side Hustle with The Franchise Guide, Giuseppe Grammatico, and host Henry Lopez. They discuss and share how you can create a safety-net for your job by investing in a side hustle franchise small business.

Show note page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/485-giuseppe-grammatico-franchise-side-hustle/

How can you keep your job and own a small franchise small business on the side?

Whether you are concerned about potentially losing your job, or not having enough saved to retire, learn more about how other corporate employees at all levels are investing in a side-hustle franchise business.

Giuseppe Grammatico is a franchising advisor who has owned several Master Franchise licenses and has enjoyed a successful franchising career, guiding over 200 individuals through business ownership, many for the first time. He is the author of "Franchise Freedom – A New Manifesto for Your Financial and Time Freedom", and the host of The Franchise Freedom Podcast.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT Introduction and Fundamentals for Small Business Owners. Henry Lopez, host of The How of Business podcast, has recently been focusing on AI from a business owner's perspective – learning how it's currently being used and what the future applications may be. AI will continue to change how we do business.

Show notes page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/484-ai-chatgpt-introduction/

Whether on purpose or not, you are like already using AI to help you run your small business. As a small business owner, you don't need to know all the technical details of how AI and ChatGPT or Google Bard works, you just need to know how to leverage AI to help you stay competitive and grow your small business.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Henry Lopez answers listener's small business questions. We have gathered some of the great questions our listeners have submitted through the podcast Listener Survey, and Henry answers these questions on this episode of the How of Business podcast.

The questions:

[1:35] - How to estimate overhead cost and operation cost when starting a business with no prior experience.

[7:07] - How do you know when and how to prepare for hiring your first assistant/virtual assistant/employee to support a solopreneur?

[12:25] - How does a startup craft a 3-year P&L that doesn't lead to over estimating sales?

[17:00] - Paths to acquiring small businesses that are not for sale. How to approach an owner and ways to get them to consider your interest in buying their business seriously?

[21:50] - Tips and tricks for staying focused on the most important tasks?

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Small Business (starting at 17:18) with serial entrepreneur and AI expert Kevin Surace.

Kevin shares his knowledge and experience with Artificial Intelligence and the current and potential future impact of AI on small business. He will also share highlights from his fascinating and incredibly varied background and entrepreneur journey.

Kevin Surace is a Silicon Valley innovator, serial entrepreneur, CEO, and TV personality. Kevin has been featured by various periodicals and TV networks, and has keynoted hundreds of events, from INC5000 to TED to the US Congress.

Small business owners have an opportunity to embrace and leverage the power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) throughout their small businesses to help increase productivity and create a competitive advantage.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Growing a small business, from chaos to calm, with entrepreneur Mike McFall. Mike is back on the show to share insights from his experiences as a successful entrepreneur on how to grow a small business, from common chaos to a calm business that is sustainable long-term. How to evolve from a bootstrapping entrepreneur, to leader and then to irrelevant.

Mike McFall is the co-founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY® COFFEE, one of the fastest-growing coffee franchises in the United States. Despite not having an MBA or being a workaholic, McFall has built his career through hard work and real-world experience.

McFall is the author of "Grind" and his new book "Grow: Take Your Business from Chaos to Calm", the first two books in a three-book series, which offer practical advice for entrepreneurs looking to turn their small business concepts into successful ventures.

Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com