Small Biz Life

When you can't focus, everything takes more time. Since we can't create more time, we need to create more focus. In this episode, we discuss how to improve your focus so you can get more done in less time.

How often do you check out what your competition is doing? How often do you look at leaders in your industry to see how they are innovating? In this episode, we discuss how to do market research to strengthen your competitive advantage.

As small business owners, we think we need to GO, GO, GO!!! In this episode, we discuss why downtime is important for you physically, mentally, and emotionally.   LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON ITUNES, STITCHER, YOUTUBE, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, iHEARTRADIO, OR WITH THE PLAYER BELOW   LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON ITUNES, STITCHER, YOUTUBE, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, iHEARTRADIO, OR WITH THE PLAYER BELOW

We all wish every call and meeting led to a new sale, but hearing "No" is common in business. In this episode, we discuss how to use rejection to push your business forward so you may hear more "Yes" in the future. Learn to say "No" Most small business owners are terrible at saying "No". That is part of the reason that our schedules are overloaded. As you become better at saying "No", it becomes easier for you to hear it. It helps give you clarity, knowing that not every proposed business relationship is a good fit. It will also help you better assess if a customer is a good fit for your business. Incorporate rejection into your metrics Good sales people do not just look at how many deals they close. They also look at number of connections made, meetings set, and follow-up calls. This allows them to see how many proposals must be made to book a sale. When you move away from sales metrics and start focusing on other key goals, it is easier to hear rejection because you know that one additional rejection gets

Have you wanted to automate a task for your business, but had no idea how to start?  We believe there is a simple place to start. IFTTT is an online service that allows you to connect other online applications with two simple formulas.  IFTTTT has over 350 channels, which is what it calls the other online applications. First, you can use the channels with the first simple formula. If This Then That, of IF something happens THEN do something. So when something happens in a channel, do something in the channel of your choice. Also, You can create a more simple task with the Do formula, or just do a task in a channel. If you are looking for more solutions that preforms similar tasks, we are also a fan a zapier.com. LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON ITUNES, STITCHER, YOUTUBE, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC OR WITH THE PLAYER BELOW

There are so many apps out there to help you run your business. Which ones are worth downloading? In this episode, we share our favorite small business apps.

In this episode, we discuss how to create systems and use automation to cut your task list, save time, and reduce your stress. What could be better than that?

Everyone tells you that stories sell but few people really explain how to do that. In this episode, we discuss how to tell stories in your business and the six elements needed to develop a compelling story.

Everyone says you need an email list but few people really tell you how to start one or what to do with it once you have it. In this episode, we will discuss email list basics to help you get started or to more effectively use your list. We will also discuss the basics of the Can Spam Act, which is the law that regulates commercial email.

Having a disaster recover plan is important for your business. In this episode, we discuss practical tips for preparing your business for natural disasters, loss of key employees and subcontractors, and keeping your electronics safe.

As we get into the final stretch of the year but before the holidays begin, Jeff and Kristin are starting to work on planning products and services for 2017. This is a great time to discuss developing new offerings for your business. We discuss how to begin the process of developing new products and services.

Many small business owners and customers are sending their kids back to school. As fall approaches, what effect does this have on your small business?

YouTube is a very powerful platform for small business owners, however very few actually utilize it for growing their business. In this episode, we discuss why you should be on YouTube and some of our top YouTube tips.

We all have a lot of hurdles that keep us from growing our businesses. In this episode, we address a number of those hurdles including time, money, skills, and fear.

We see life lessons all around us, and the Olympics are no different. In this week's episode, we discuss 5 things the Olympics can teach us about small business.

When you put yourself out there, you face critics. We discuss how to assess critics to determine if the criticism is valid and how to deal with it.

There are two types of people in this world, the Whys and the Why Nots. In this episode, we discuss these two types of people so you can identify which type you are and see who you are surrounding yourself with. Don't confuse this with your purpose which is often called your why. For the full show notes, go to SmallBizLife.com

There is more to content creation that writing or recording content. In this episode, we discuss how we create content and give you tips for creating your own content schedule. Check out the full show notes at smallbizlife.com

If you are watching the news or following social media, you are being bombarded by so much negativity. There have been a flurry of tragedies, both in the U.S. and around the world. As a small business owner, how do you keep going? In this episode, we discuss this very important topic and give you suggestions to keep pressing on. 

Did you create goals at the beginning of the year? Have you been reviewing them on a regular basis? In this episode, we discuss how to review your goals as we reach the middle of the year to celebrate your wins, tweak your goals, and do some introspection to see why you haven't achieved your goals.