When you study the Small Business Administration statistics on entrepreneurial survival past the 10 year point, you'll find that, on average, only two out of ten survive. Talk to most experienced entrepreneurs and you'll find that most have a lot of scar tissue. Why? Because building a profitable company that survives for the long term is tough.

If you look at the last 4 decades, the numbers have remained fairly constant, despite ups and downs in the economy. Is it necessary that we accept eight of ten businesses should crash and burn? It would seem that if we applied basic continuous improvement thinking to this problem, we should be able to yield a better result. Like most endeavors, the real key to understanding the failure rate is to look at what happens BEFORE the business launches.

Just like a traditional education, what you learn in high school builds on what you learned in middle and elementary school. If your basic skills are not solid, then it's likely you won't do well in secondary education. Small Business development is very similar... and there is a lot we can learn to improve the 20% survival rate... and we should learn it... NOW!

When you leave high school or college, you typically have your sights set on a bright future. Sandi Capra decided to leave college life at Florida State University and pursue a business career in the insurance industry. Initially, Sandi thought she knew the kind of job she would enjoy. Then she discovered a whole new world.

Throughout an exciting early career, Sandi found herself married to an entrepreneur at the beginning of what would become a hyper-growth company. The experience working along side her former husband was a wild ride, growing a company from $400,000 a year with zero profit to a $70 Million juggernaut. Unfortunately, some parts of the trip were quite painful.

In Episode 109, you'll hear how Sandi applied those painful lessons to bundle her passion for veterans and dogs to serve the non-profit world in amazing ways. Sandi then found herself in private conversations with Chief Marketing Officers driving billion dollar budgets for Fortune 100 companies, which then led to planning and executing a successful non-profit launch in Washington DC, with 3.5 weeks notice... on Inauguration night!

We've all heard the old saying about turning lemons into lemonade. No matter what your circumstance, there are usually plenty of well-wishers standing by to share cute phrases and pretty pictures to encourage you. While the sentiment may be heartfelt, the challenge for many people is simply moving forward. Managing your personal stress is even more complicated when you are the leader of a small business. 

In Episode 108, you'll meet Tim Sullivan, a US Navy Veteran and fellow entrepreneur. Tim shares some very personal experiences that led to him leaving the service after a relatively brief enlistment and the harsh reality that awaited him in civilian life. Tim shares what 'HUSTLE' looks like in real life and how he kept creating lemonade despite seriously challenging circumstances.

If you've ever wondered (or are currently wondering) which entrepreneurial avenue is a good fit for you, Tim's insights into the lessons he learned in many different ventures will give you great comfort. Tim's journey finally led to a clear path illuminated by God's peace and forged by his perseverance and tenacity.

What's the difference between average and outstanding performance? There are as many answers to this question as there are experts selling books on the subject. Entrepreneurs, especially those preparing to launch a company or grow into a substantial growth phase, rarely ask themselves this question. Why?

Most small business owners are head-down, working inside their companies. They don't invest the time to step back and evaluate their performance versus the original benchmarks they established to measure success. A complicating factor is that most small business owners never establish clear benchmarks to evaluate their own performance WHEN THEY START-UP. Herein lies the problem.

In Episode 107, you'll meet Robert Teschner, President of VMAX Group, LLC. Rob's a former Air Force F15 / F22 Fighter Pilot who has adapted his personal and professional experiences into a proprietary process to optimize your performance in any size organization. Rob's unique insights will help you look at your capabilities in a whole new way (and be excited about the possibilities).

How many people believe the government has any money? The truth is the only money Washington has is what WE THE PEOPLE, aka the US Taxpayers, send in voluntarily. The US Treasury doesn't have any money sitting around to give you for your small business. However, by legally reducing your taxes, you get access to money that does not require grants, loans or giving away your firstborn child!

Here's a dirty little secret. There are two different tax codes in America; one for employees and one for business owners. If you've ever received a paycheck from your employer, you see all the line item deductions that go to various parts of the government. How much money is collected, how it's spent and policies that determine such actions is a discussion for another day.

In Episode 106, you'll meet two tax professionals, Lyssa Phifer, CPA and Steve Navarro, whose primary focus is helping Small Business Owners save 35-50% on their taxes by following the rules. For nearly two decades, their firm has helped save nearly 3/4 of a Billion dollars in taxes for companies ranging from start-up to hyper-growth... and they've done it without a single IRS deduction reversal! You'll be shocked to learn how you can keep more of your money working for you!

Hugh Massie and Leon Morales join David Wolf for additional discussion on the DNA Communication platform, its features, and how they work together with the FA consultant's process and engagement.

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The POWER of Small Business begins and ends with people. That sounds like a standard promotional line, but the fact is the creativity, passion and pursuit of excellence drives a start-up small business like no other organization. If the Founder is not fired up and hungry to learn, then the odds of success are about zero.

In Episode 105, we will examine the first of what we call 7 Founding LIBERTY Principles. We believe the economic Backbone of America is powered by the Leadership of Small Business Founders, employees and their families. Whether you are building a small business alone with the person staring back at you in the mirror or running a thriving, fast-moving company,  your strong, personal leadership is essential.

You'll also learn in today's program why it's crucial to know your personal strengths... and not simply your opinion of your strengths. There are simple and scientific ways to know precisely where you are strong in different areas and you need to know in order to build an organization that complements your skills.

This is the first edition of the next generation of PATRIOT MISSION Radio and our new show, The POWER of Small Business. In today's episode, we will layout the premise of the show which is grounded in the horsepower small business in America creates. We will look at the hard numbers in simple-to-understand economic impact, like employment, new companies and value to America.

In our first show in this new season, we take a hard look at why helping entrepreneurs get started right is so important. The seductive voice of the small business siren can encourage you to take risks that are way out of proportion to the potential benefit. How do you begin to weigh risk versus gain? We'll discuss it.

POWER is an interesting word because it can represent many different things to different people. We'll examine a practical analogy between small business and vehicles of different types. In the analysis, we'll also draw out a few parallels from your daily life that may surprise you... especially when you slam the accelerator to the floor.

In January 2011, PATRIOT MISSION was born of a God-breathed vision to Rebuild America through The POWER of Small Business. Co-founders Steve Olds and Greg Land began to design a BOLD Blueprint to execute a simple process to help our fellow citizens understand the impact of entrepreneurship on the economy and by extension, their own lives.

In April 2014, we began to develop the idea that if we created programs to Celebrate America NOW and encourage new small businesses, we could play a major role in MAKING AMERICA STRONG AGAIN. We branded this concept and launched this radio show and podcast with the same name a year later in April 2015 to support this strategy.

By charter, PATRIOT MISSION is not a political organization, so after President Trump began to use similar language in his campaign, it became clear we needed to modify our message. We have decided to narrow our radio show focus on The POWER of Small Business. Our new show will incorporate key elements necessary to support entrepreneurial apprenticeship and recognize small business founders who work their guts out every day rebuilding the Backbone of America!

In Episode 102, we wrap up the third installment of a series featuring Donald Miller's 7 part StoryBrand framework. Today, we explore the two options that results from the Hero's decision when called to action.

What are the specific upsides for the Hero upon taking the prescribed action by the Guide? On the flip side, suppose the Hero of the Story decides to take an altogether different results.

Once you see how the 7 Step StoryBrand framwok fits together, you'll have insight which you can put to use right away.