• .00 Bill Macfarlane – “I think there are certain enablers, and these enablers can be impediments if used in the improper fashion. But I look at, the first thing is people, talent. You have got to have the right people. You have got to have people that will not be awestruck by growth, not be awestruck by the numbers of products you have, for instance, or the numbers of stores, or the topline revenue. You have got to have the infrastructure with which to enable that, because that is really the engine that drives most of your businesses is the infrastructure piece.
    • You have got to have customers, of course. And that seems rather obvious, but when customers go away, then you realize that, wait a minute. I needed them in the first place, anyhow, to make this a viable entity. You have got to have product.”
  • 1.05 Welcome – Hello everyone, I am Rishi Katz and welcome to The Oval Table where we discuss all things related to helping those who live and work inside your business survive, thrive, avoid pitfalls, have more fun and become successful faster. Getting advice from someone outside your business can make a big difference. And that is what we seek to do each and every week.
    • Here at The Oval Table, we believe every voice matters and we want to model how that works. Often the advice that makes the difference comes from where you least expect it. So much more is possible when everyone’s ideas make it to the table.
  • 1.52 Host Introductions
  • 2.01 Show Content Outline
  • 2.34 A Summary of Our Past Shows We Hoped You Enjoyed
  • 6.03 The We Are Alpha Dogs Resource – Your Resource for People
  • 6.38 Interview – Bill Macfarlane – Understanding Business Growth
    • You have to start with having the right people, then infrastructure, products, supply
    • Know that you need someone who has been where you want to go, even if hard to afford
    • The owner cannot be the smartest person in the room
    • Have a five-year strategic plan on paper you can share with your people
    • Your ‘secret sauce” has to be grown to remain your secret sauce
    • The key to longevity is to accept that you are not the smartest guy in the room, ever
    • When everyone agrees with the owner, you know you have a problem
    • Allow your self to learn from not hitting a home run every time
    • Ensure that the culture of the organization facilitates constant learning
    • You have to keep customers happy, shelves filled with products people want to buy
  • 34.16 The Oval Table for Top Dogs
  • 34.45 Post Interview Discussion – Bill Macfarlane
    • The first thing you have to have is the people with the talent to drive the business
    • Have a five-year plan to share and help people to think
    • Carl tells us what it was like to live growth with Bill
    • It was one of the best times of my life and still is
    • So exciting, so much fun within a great company to work in
    • We were lite on our feet dealing with problems
    • Everyone had a say, they all contributed to the decision, we got buy in
    • When we worked toward an answer and we all agreed, that was powerful
    • The same process applies to the closely held business
    • You can keep people on board and happy with what you are doing
    • If you give people the authority and the confidence to do it, they will rise to it
  • 40.20 As We End Our Season with You – We Thank All of You
  • 41.51 Show Credits
  • 42.19 We Hope you have a productive and inspirational week!

HOW TO REACH OUR GUEST

On LinkedInwilliam.mcfarlane@cmgchange.com

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR BUSINESS

If you want to build your business one of the best ways is to empower your people and yourself to think differently. We recommend you look at these resources:

We Are Alpha Dogs – How Seven Dogs Become Business Legends

The book is available on Amazon and directly from us. Also available in bulk.

Also available on Audible

Take the profile quiz and understand yourself more

WWW.WeAreAlphaDogs.com/Quiz

Our purpose is to help the closely held, not always small, business do well. We will all do better if we group together and make our voices heard. That is what we are about. You can help all of us by telling others about our site and encouraging them to listen weekly. It is easy, just send them this link: www.TheOvalTable.com

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See All 41 Episodes of "The Oval Table"