Business Owners Freedom Formula With Paul Maskill

Business ownership is a lonely world but it doesn't have to be. There just aren't many people who get "us" as business owners. They have 9-5 jobs. They complain. And they think we got it made because we own our own business. Yet there are many days where we sit in our office as business owners and have no conversation with other people in the same boat. We need to start connecting with people who are going through what we go through and who are at a point where we want to be. In today's episode, I share with you some great ways to start surrounding yourself with rockstars.

When you realize that the service you sell is a commodity and everything else that you do is where the value is...is the moment you'll start doing things differently. We've been in a good to great economy for almost 10 years now and business owners are acting like it. They don't email back. They don't call back. They don't show up when they said they would. They simply show that they really don't care. And when the economy goes down, they'll wonder where their business went.

It's 2019. If your business doesn't have a professional email address, I don't take you seriously...and either do your customers. If you are using a Gmail, Yahoo or AOL email address for your business, your first impression to many is that you're not a serious business. The service that your business provides is a commodity so it is SO important to do all of the other little things to set yourself apart. Stop playing small. Stop making excuses. Stop being cheap.

Brandon scaled a very small service company with zero employees to over 60 and went from $8k/mo to almost $500k/mo in less than 6 seasons. He is passionate about creating company culture where employees can thrive.  He was awarded the 2017 S.B.A Small Business Person of the Year for the state of Oregon, and now helps small business owners “systemize” their companies.

How do we start delegating so our business can run without us? Now normally I would give you pure, step-by-step tactical advice. However, what I have found after giving this advice to too many people who never ended up taking action is that ONE thing has to be in place before anything else. And that is your MINDSET. Everyone says they want the freedom to have a business that can run without them. Everyone says they want a business where the income coming in isn't dependent on them working. However, their actions don't map to this. Which means it's time to get the mind right first!

In business (and in life), nothing ever stays the same. You're either expanding and growing or contracting and declining. Many business owners get to a point where they say "I think I've made it. I don't want (or need) to do anything else." They have "figured it out". The problem with that is that it's just not true. As your business grows, there will always be new walls, hurdles and challenges to break through. Yes, certain things will get easier but never get complacent...that's the start of a slow death. Just ask Toys R Us, Blockbuster, Sears and Kodak.

What I have found is that if you aren't hearing anything from your customers, it's usually not a good thing. Now, most business owners think "well, if they aren't complaining, they must be happy!" Then you're blindsided when they stop spending money with you. In today's episode, I share with you four ways to start proactively engaging your customers so you always have a finger on the pulse of your business.

Adam Lean is the founder of The CFO Project. Adam helps small business owners determine what is and isn’t working in their businesses, by guiding them through a proven system to ensure their business is financially solid and more profitable -- without the emotional overwhelm.

Many times, we as business owners are in the mode of "set it and forget it" when it comes to spending money. Which is great! BUT you still need some guard rails to make sure you're still on course. This is as true as ever when it comes to what we spend money on as business owners. In today's episode, I share with you how most businesses that I work with are able to save about $1000 per month in just a few hours.

In short, the owner is taking too much money out of the business. About 80% of small businesses in the United States have ZERO employees. About 95% of small businesses in the United States will never have at least 3 employees. Unfortunately, without employees, you'll never have the real freedom you know is possible. Without employees, you'll never have the real income that you know is possible. However, in order to achieve all of that, you have to start taking less money out of the business so you can invest in a TEAM. In today's episode I share with you how I was able to do it this and you can do it too!

When I talk to most business owners about their need to start creating systems, processes and SOP's, their first response is: "I don't have time for that. I can't afford to take time to do that. I'm busy!" My response is, you can't afford not to do it. In today's episode, I share with you the easiest way to start creating systems and processes that literally doesn't take any more time.

Andy is #8 on LinkedIn’s list of the Top 50 global sales experts, where over 166,000 professionals follow his daily posts on sales. He is the author of two Amazon best-selling books, as well as founder of The Sales House, the first all-in-one modern personal growth program for modern B2B sellers. His top-rated podcast, Accelerate! with Andy Paul, with more than 700 episodes produced and nearly 2 million downloads, is the go-to resource for sales leaders and top sales producers.

In such a tight job market where employees have all the leverage with business owners, I find many employers trying way too hard to convince people to join their team. They don't tell the truth. They promise more hours. They promise more opportunities for promotion. And they try to justify why a wrong fit could work. In today's episode I share with you how you should be approaching the recruiting process.

There are way too many business owners who say: "well, nobody is complaining so they must be happy!" Yet in the same sentence they might also ask "why don't our customers ever come back?" The reason is that unless someone is really upset with your business, they simply will just go quietly and spend their money elsewhere next time that they need the service/product that your business sells. In today's episode I share with you two ways that you must start getting regular feedback to improve your business.

When I started the podcast, it was really just so I could start connecting and interviewing really awesome people. But I have gained so much more. Now 300 episodes in, podcasting has really made it clear that every day you keep going is another day that someone else quits. There are so many podcasts that have less than 10 episodes or haven't put out shows in 7 months. I didn't want to be that guy. In today's episode I share with you my biggest takeaway and a few examples of how that has helped me with my businesses.

George Bandarian created his unique 5 Step Exit to Impact system to help successful entrepreneurs maximize enterprise value and sell their businesses for top dollar (without feeling all alone or left to be taken advantage of) and allowing them the financial freedom to pursue their greater in life. Having taken over a fledgling family business, growing it over 10X and now fresh off of his latest multi-million-dollar exit; he’s a family man, father of two, tech junkie, and he’s here to share with us what he learned from his exit, good and bad, and the 8 drivers that can maximize or destroy company value.

There are 1000's of tools out there for business owners. The bright shiny object syndrome is real! In today's episode I share with you the top 10 tools that we couldn't live without in our businesses.

Stop focusing on what the competition is charging. Stop spending any time on what the competition is doing. If you do that, you'll inevitably start competing on price...which is a big giant race to the bottom of the barrel. Plenty of business owners say "but you don't understand! My business, my area is different." That's all mindset! Those who charge low prices don't value their work. And when you don't value your work, it's hard to consistently deliver on it. In today's episode I share a few real-life examples of what you need to focus on instead!

99% of business owners spend their days just trying to fix problems, put out fires and avoid mistakes. We'd make it a lot farther if we spent more time planning and executing on achieving excellence. Are you striving for excellence or simply trying to avoid mistakes? More importantly are your employees comfortable and empowered to make decisions (and mistakes)?

Jason Hsiao is the co-founder and Chief Video Officer of Animoto, an award-winning online video maker that makes it easy for anyone to create professional-quality marketing videos, even if they have no technical skills and have never created a video before. With the mission of empowering everyone to create powerful videos regardless of age or experience, Jason founded Animoto with his high school and Dartmouth College friends back in 2006. Prior to founding Animoto, Jason was a producer for MTV Networks and Comedy Central.