From a small town in New Zealand

Be empowered. With a plethora of CRM products on the market, you’re encouraged to trial something that works for you and your business.

This week’s Xero Gravity guest is Joe Malcoun, CEO at Nutshell - a CRM for SMBs. He swings by to chat with host, Elizabeth U about some of the misconceptions small business owners have about integrating CRM into their business processes. He says:

“If you don’t enjoy the way it looks and feels and the way that you interact with it you’re not going to use it and then that becomes like this burden and it becomes this like thing that hangs over your head because you’ve paid for this solution and you know you’re not using it.”

To get the most out of CRM expert Joe Malcoun for your small business, be sure to tune in!

Customers - you can’t build a successful small business without them. But how can you attract new customers at the same time as retaining old ones? And what sort of marketing technology should you be using?

This week Xero Gravity host Elizabeth U chats to Ron Cates, director of digital marketing education at Constant Contact, and Megan Roth, marketing manager at Insightly, about ways to attract and retain customers in the digital era.

“Many business owners are in digital diapers. They didn't open their business because they were interested in becoming an online marketer or digital marketer. They got it because they love pool and they wanted to open a place that sells pool tables,” Ron told Elizabeth.

Tune in to find out how to make digital marketing work for your business and the power of CRM and the cloud when it comes to attracting and retaining customers.

Don’t let the thought of payroll weigh you down. It turns out that a little bit of homework and some extra organization can go a long way when it comes to avoiding those pay day headaches.

This week Xero Gravity host Elizabeth U chats to Mark Pinard, director of product marketing and strategy of global payroll at Xero. With more than a decade of experience in the industry, Mark shares insight on the evolution of payroll platforms from self-service to hybrid and cloud.

“Bigger, better and most expensive isn’t always the best. You've really got to do your homework and understand the best fit for your business because there can be a cheaper solution out there for you,” Mark told Elizabeth.

Tune in to find out what to look for when selecting a payroll platform that’s right for your business, and how you can stay organized when it comes to filing and taxes.

It’s the most common trap and biggest money-drain on your business; hiring the wrong person. It’s time to implement a stringent and detailed hiring process in order to help your company become its best version yet.

This week Xero Gravity host Elizabeth U chats to Anthony Bucci, Founder & CEO of online motorcycle retailer RevZilla. Anthony’s passion for hiring the right person is undeniable, he shares his learnings from those first handful of hires made at RevZilla and offers invaluable insight into how to grow your best team.

Listen in to hear more about RevZilla’s rigorous hiring process. Named one of the top 50 places to work in America by Fortune Magazine and with turnover less that 12%, you know they’re on to something.

Even word of mouth referrals significantly increase for small businesses investing in digital marketing. If you’re intimidated by the cost of the investment, you’ll be pleased to know there are options available no matter how deep your pockets.

This week Xero Gravity host Elizabeth U chats to Michael Mothner, Founder & CEO of online marketing firm WPromote. Michael busts some myths around digital marketing and inspires us all with his entrepreneurial mantra; Making Mondays Suck Less.

“It embodies our belief that, if we love what we do and we do a great job it's going to bleed over.  Our clients are going to see the fruits of it.  Their Mondays aren't going to suck and it's kind of this virtuous cycle. ”

So if you love what you do, listen in for some digital marketing tips you can implement immediately to further grow your small business.

Making your small business stand out online has never been more challenging thanks to the rapid growth of search engine optimization. But it turns out SEO isn’t as mysterious as it might seem, and that a few simple steps could make all the difference to your website’s search ranking.

This week we delve even deeper into the world of online optimization, as hosts Elizabeth U and Gene Marks chat to Andrew Eager, director SEO strategy at Boostability.

“In the past SEO was seen as the tactic for any business to be successful – even a bad business could have great success,” Andrew said. “I really think that that’s changed.”

Tune in to discover how you can make SEO work for you, and why platforms like Google My Business are beneficial tools for your business’ online profile.

SEO. Many business owners make the mistake of thinking it’s a one-time thing, but it turns out that investment in search engine optimization is actually one of the fastest ways to grow brand awareness and reputation for your business.

This week on Xero Gravity hosts Elizabeth U and Gene Marks are joined by Rand Fishkin, SEO wizard and founder of Moz to talk about the importance of optimizing your website and how it’s changing with social and mobile.

“For a tremendous number of businesses, I would say an overwhelming majority today search is a part or a big part of how consumers find you, how they compare you against others,” Rand said.  

Tune in to discover why you should invest in SEO and how you should get started.

14.6 million self-employed Americans pay a 15.3% self-employment tax (made up of SSI and Medicare), federal, state and local. It sounds like a lot of headaches, but it doesn’t have to.

Enter David Emmerman, partner, Boyle & Associates LLC, tax preparers since 2001, and Rafael Alvarez, CEO and founder at Atax, specializing in tax prep, payroll and bookkeeping.

Together these two gentleman, along with Elizabeth and Gene, break down tax misconceptions and mistakes, and share real solutions that’ll help you get yours right.

So when you tune in to Xero Gravity #39, have these in mind: Know how a Schedule C works? Tracking business expenses? Organized your receipts? Understand quarterly taxes?

Plus, you’ll hear about Elizabeth’s dance moves, how Gene almost made her tear her hair out (unrelated), avoiding the IRS, and the sweet new Xero Tax Touch app!

Social media is huge. So how do you make sure you’re taking advantage of the right social channels to connect with customers?

For social media to deliver, creative thinking, a rock-solid strategy and dedicated time are first and foremost. A combination that’ll bring your audience to you and help you find them. Which is where Xero Gravity #38 comes in.

Special guests Mychelle Mollot, CMO at Klipfolio, and Raheela Nanji, director at Ree Consulting Inc., together with Elizabeth and Gene, get into the nitty gritty of social media for small business. Topics run the gamut from which social media platforms are right for you to the ever-evolving world of hashtags to vanity metrics.

Plus, Mychelle Mollot invokes the name Moz, who just happens to be led by Rand Fishkin, who just happens to be a very-near-future guest — 3/23!