Welcome back to Small Business School, in today's episode I'm bringing a bit of tough love. I've seen too many small business owners settling for mediocre results, and it's time to change that! If you want to achieve financial security and true success, you need to demand excellence from yourself and everyone around you. Let's dive into how we can raise the standard and transform your businesses!

Topics Covered:

• Understanding why financial health is crucial as the base layer for all other successes in your business.
• Identifying areas where you might be settling for "just okay" and how this mindset is holding you back.
• How demanding high standards from your team and service providers leads to better outcomes and growth.
• Taking responsibility for hiring well, creating a performance-driven environment, and letting go of those who don’t meet your standards.
• Learning from successful entrepreneurs like Chris and Lori Harder, and Sunira Mendani on the power of setting high expectations.

Is it time to raise the bar and expect greatness from your team and your business? So often this is the biggest difference between the fortune 500 companies and the small businesses that can’t get out of the rut!

What does this look like practically for you? I’d love to hear how you are taking steps towards excellence in your business!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Hey Small Business School! Today I want to highlight the critical role of a mission in business and how a strong mission can translate into financial success. Together we’ll uncover how missions shape company culture, and why vocalizing and visualizing them is key for business growth!

Topics Covered:

• How aligning actions with the mission positively impacts productivity, decision-making, and ultimately, the bottom line.
• Encouraging leaders to connect decisions and actions back to the mission, empowering team members to make informed choices.
• Regularly vocalizing and visualizing the mission to reinforce its importance and guide business practices.
• How a clear mission enhances brand recognition, customer satisfaction, and overall business success.

Your mission is not just a statement, it's the heartbeat of your business. Vocalize it, visualize it, and let it propel your business to new heights! 

Have questions about how to leverage your mission? Reach out on Instagram, I’d love to connect with you!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

In this episode of Small Business School I am so excited to sit down with Ashlee Livingstone. Ashlee is a personal growth coach and somatic breathwork facilitator who holds space for people who hold a lot of space for others. Ashlee helps leaders, parents and community builders regulate their nervous system, better manage their stress and relationships and learn to not only create space for themselves but move through their challenges so they can get back to supporting their clients, team and family. She knows from experience you cannot give from an empty cup and is on a mission to help her clients continue to make an impact without burning out or sacrificing their wellbeing in the process. I am so excited for our conversation together on incorporating breathwork in the everyday to better manage stress, regulate the nervous system, and cultivate emotional intelligence!

Topics Covered:

• Why regulating the nervous system is crucial for managing stress and enhancing well-being.
• How breathwork isn't just for profound experiences but can also be integrated into daily routines to navigate challenges with more patience and presence.
• Simple breath patterns that can be done in just a few minutes, whether you need to energize or calm yourself during transitions throughout the day.
• Why breathwork is a skill that requires practice and consistency, and how incorporating it into daily routines can lead to profound changes in stress management and leadership effectiveness.
• Insights into how leaders can use breathwork to manage stress, enhance decision-making, and create a supportive environment for their teams.

Breathwork can feel very whoo, but it’s actually super scientific! Could breathwork be the missing piece in managing your stress and increasing your emotional intelligence for business breakthrough? Reach out to Ashlee for a 1:1 breathwork session through her website!

Ashlee’s Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashlee.livingstone/
Website: https://www.ourforte.ca/

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Welcome back to Small Business School! Today I want to double down on the idea of taking radical accountability in your business. I think accountability can really hold business owners back from reaching the full potential of their business. Could this be the shift needed in your business? Let’s dive in!

Topics Covered:

• The importance of embracing radical accountability and how it can be a game-changer for business growth.
• How fear of taking risks can hinder business expansion.
• Understanding customer desires and tailoring offerings to meet their expectations.
• Effective leadership through asking the right questions and empowering teams to take ownership.

Your willingness to hold yourself and your team accountable could be what’s holding you back! Where can you lean into radical accountability today? You won’t regret it!

Reach out on Instagram and let me know what this looks like for you!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Welcome back to Small Business School! In today’s episode I am joined by the amazing Wendy Muise! Wendy is a self-proclaimed entreprenerd, and loves everything related to entrepreneurship. She is an entrepreneurial strategist who has worked on AI and Machine Learning projects for over 15 years and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs reduce their stress with simple automation. Together we are talking about how to make data-driven decisions and avoid common pitfalls in business. I could talk to Wendy forever, so I am excited to jump into our conversation!

Topics Covered:

• How to make informed decisions by analyzing data and evaluating the utility of tools and strategies.
• Filtering through the multitude of recommendations from professionals and prioritizing investments that truly benefit your business.
• The balance between marketing yourself effectively and delivering genuine value to your audience, without overspending on unnecessary expenses.
• Understanding marketing trends, from social media algorithms to influencer marketing, and how to adapt your strategies accordingly.
• Why 7 out of 10 products fail and how your audience can make or break your business.
• The limitations of traditional advertising and the power of storytelling and personal connections in driving sales.
• The importance of genuine engagement, follow-up, and providing solutions to customers' problems in building a successful business.

Making informed and data driven decisions are what separates good ideas from great businesses! Want to level up your small business strategy and streamline your processes? Connect with Wendy, she has a wealth of knowledge!

Wendy's Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scalewithstrategy/
Website: www.scalewithstrategy.ca

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Hey Small Business School! Today I wanted to ask you the question, what if you started really taking radical accountability for every aspect of your business? I have seen how the shift from blame to action can drive positive change in business just from taking ownership of outcomes. Let’s get into it!

Topics Covered:

• Taking responsibility for business outcomes, whether in marketing, sales, team management, or customer interactions.
• Cultivating accountability and setting clear expectations for actions and results with both oneself and team members.
• Shifting priorities, choices and making intentional decisions, recognizing the impact of each choice on business success.
• The liberating effect of accepting responsibility and proactively addressing challenges, leading to a sense of control and empowerment.
• Embracing the challenge of radical accountability, committing to continuous improvement and positive transformation in both business and personal life.

Accountability is not a punishment, it’s an opportunity to build a transformative habitat for the health of your business. There’s no right or wrong way to do business, but you have to own your choices and the outcomes of them!

What are you taking accountability for in life and business? Reach out on Instagram and let me know!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Hey Small Business School! In today’s episode I am excited to be joined by Tim Dyck. Tim is the Founder of Best Culture Solutions, a Fort McMurray company that helps with Recruiting and HR strategies that empower real business results. Together we talk about the keys to unlocking the full potential of your team and driving operational success through effective hiring and empowerment strategies. I’m so excited about the tangible takeaways from our conversation, so let’s dive in!

Topics Covered:

• The importance of recruiting strategies in unlocking the potential of your team.
• Empowering employees to make informed decisions.
• Fostering a culture of trust and empowerment through open communication and feedback.
• Defining job roles based on business needs rather than personal preferences or relationships.
• Utilizing motivation-based interviewing to identify candidates who are genuinely aligned with the job requirements and organizational goals.
• Creating a psychologically safe work environment where employees feel valued, supported, and encouraged to continuously improve.
• Addressing the evolving expectations of employee tenure in today's workforce, focusing on two to five-year trajectories and the benefits of hiring motivated individuals.
• Outsourcing options for HR functions, from recruitment to performance management, tailored to the needs of small businesses.

Leaders are all in the HR game, having effective people strategies is crucial in building a strong, motivated team for your small business. Want to learn more about recruiting and HR for your business? Connect with to unlock the full potential of your team!

Tim’s Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/best.culture.solutions/
Website: www.bestculturesolutions.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timdyck/
Email: [email protected]

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Welcome back to Small Business School! Today I want to get into a conversation about an honest truth in entrepreneurship. There are two necessary traits in business, charisma and a growth mindset. I believe these traits can make or break your business’ success and the ability to sell yourself and that is a hard reality. Don’t run away from this conversation if you think these aren’t skills that you have, they are a muscle that can be developed! Let’s break it down together. 

Topics Covered:

• The need for continuous learning and adaptation in business with a growth mindset.
• How charisma can significantly impact business outcomes by enhancing sales, leadership, and team engagement.
• Addressing common fears and insecurities among small business owners and encouraging them to step into their confidence and authenticity.
• Actionable tips for improving sales techniques and effectively communicating the value proposition to customers.
• Embracing Visibility and proactively networking for business growth, despite initial discomfort.

If you are willing, you can grow in your charisma to get further faster and make yourself and your business more visible! Have stories about how putting yourself out there has paid off? I’d love to hear from you!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Welcome back to Small Business School! Today I am thrilled to have Jenn Walker on the podcast to dive into the world of human design. Jenn is mindset coach who has sailed the Nile, jumped out a plane twice and summited Mount Kilimanjaro and she brings that same exuberance for life to her business where she helps heart-centered entrepreneurs tap into their limitless power and potential. Jenn’s philosophy is that business is a vehicle for massive personal growth and social change. Whether it be at a workshop, an event, or 1-on-1, Jenn leaves people inspired, motivated, and armed with tangible actionable tools to take and apply right away. I’m so excited for our conversation, so let’s get into it!

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to human design and its role in entrepreneurship.
• Understanding manifesting generators and their multi-passionate nature.
• Navigating decisions with emotional authority and the individual wave.
• Exploring life purpose through incarnation cross and conscious sun archetype
• The fluidity of identity and the challenge of defining oneself in a constantly evolving world.
• The significance of human design profiles in guiding individuals towards fulfilling their life's purpose.
• Authenticity in marketing and the role of energetics in communication.
• Recognizing individual differences and honor your unique energetic signatures, rather than conforming to external expectations.
• Trusting your inner guidance and embracing your innate power to shape their reality.

Your unique energetic blueprint can transform your approach to entrepreneurship! Find my human design reading interesting? Book your own reading with Jenn and unlock your full purpose and potential!  

Jenn’s Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diveheartfirst/
Website: https://www.diveheartfirst.com/
To book a Human Design Reading: https://www.diveheartfirst.com/humandesign

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!

Hey Small Business School! I have often talked about the importance of increasing prices to match inflation but today I want to dive into a bit of a contradictory strategy, decreasing prices as a means to enhance business profitability and attract more customers. I’ve personally seen lowering prices result in increased revenue and improved financial standing. So let’s get into how!

Topics Covered:

• The frustration with stagnant pricing in industries like accounting, where technological advancements have significantly reduced time and effort required. 
• How lowering prices presents an opportunity for both business owners and customers to reduce costs and enhance value, ultimately fostering better client retention and satisfaction.
• The importance of strategically adjusting prices based on market trends, expectations, and perceived value of products or services, rather than industry standards.
• Embrace flexibility in pricing strategies, the best approach may not always be the conventional one.

Make the value you offer accessible to the market you want to provide it for! Lowering your prices could be the financial breakthrough you are looking for!

Have questions about what this looks like for you? Reach out, I'd love to connect!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

The School for Small Business Podcast is a proud member of the Female Alliance Media.

To learn more about Female Alliance Media and how they are elevating female voices or how they can support your show, visit femalealliancemedia.ca.

Head over to my website https://www.stacimillard.com/ to grab your FREE copy of my Profit Playbook and receive 30 innovative ways you can add more profit to your business AND the first step towards implementing these ideas in your business!