Journey to 8 Figures: Recent Episodes
Adam Arkfeld
Growing my agency to $1,000,000 was tough. It was only possible through guidance, support, and education from other entrepreneurs in my circle.
The Journey to 8 Figures podcast is for entrepreneurs looking to join me in my journey to scale my business, ParaCore, from 7 to 8 figures. I'll be talking about wins, losses, and soliciting experience shares from other owners who have successfully grown to 8 figures.
Communication and relationship building is a different skill set from building and creating. Yet, employees of small companies (including ParaCore) often have to split their time between the two which can cause additional stress. So, how do you rectify the two? ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I've known about Lasik vision corrective surgery for 15 years. Have thought about it for years but never took action on it. Until an off-handed comment in a staff meeting lit a fire under me and, several weeks later, my appointment was on the books. What caused my motivation to kick into high gear? An artificial fear of missing out. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
When your business becomes bigger than you, you have to rely on others to keep things running — so how do you manage when your detail-focused mind struggles to cope? Don't curb your obsessive nature — shift it! ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
As a business owner, I have goals that I set for the future. At the same time, I'm trying to live in the present. The challenge — how does one balance the dichotomy of two things that innately conflict? I've got a few ideas and I've love to hear yours. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Black Friday is less than 90 days out and many of you are heading into your peak campaign spending season. For those running paid media ads, there's one important piece of math I'd like to share with you to ensure your campaigns don't crash and burn. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
What would you do if you knew there would be a complete economic meltdown in 10 years? How would you change your business? Your life? ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
In the last episode, I chatted about the "fake it till you make it" concept and how, being early in their careers, many newbies will give away work for free to gain experience. This is a big mistake—and here's why. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Should you fake it till you make it? The idea is this—you say you can provide a service and then figure it out as you go, as opposed to having experience prior to providing the said service. In my opinion, we're asking the wrong question. The real question is "how do get into [industry]?" ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
We all learned the fable of the tortoise and the hare as children with the moral of the story being slow and steady wins the race. Of course, in practice, it's a bit harder to remember. I recently participated in the Hood to Coast relay up in Oregon. Almost immediately into my second leg (which began at 2:00 AM), a fellow racer passed me. As the little voice inside my head started down the road of comparing my performance to others, I had to make a decision — and it's one many of us struggle with every day. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I recently had the distinct pleasure of hearing from Jack Daley, a sales and performance coach who has successfully grown and sold a number of businesses. He provided several gold nuggets (which I'll share in detail this episode), and it all starts with the comment "every minute you spend on operations is a minute you spend not growing the business." ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
It's rush hour and I've got two crying children and one completely flat tire. Even when you don't think you're showing frustration or fear, humans have the ability to detect the most subtle change in emotions. This incident on the side of the road was a wake up call to how powerful emotions can be...and how we need to be cautious on their effect on us and others. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I'm going to talk about a topic that doesn't get discussed often when it comes to entrepreneurship—relationships. For the past 8 months or so, my wife and I have been in a great groove—date nights, communicating, really connecting. Then, as tends to happen, things went a little sideways. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I suggest listening to "My Experience at Warrior Intensive: Part 1" prior to this episode. "People are more like to run from pain than run towards pleasure." This old adage was top of mind for me on multiple levels while I worked through the exercises at the Warrior Intensive this past week in California. I'll cover this and other major takeaways from the event in today's episode. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
As I've discussed on the "Taking the Networking Plunge" episode, I've been attending events by an organization called Warrior Intensive and this past week was their two-day marketing intensive in California. For 10 hours both days, I dove deep into my business and how I can better drive attract leads and close opportunities. It was a hustle and I'm excited to share what I learned with you. This is two-part series so be sure to check out the episode immediately after this one for takeaways! ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
"Set it and forget it" is a common phrase in the digital advertising industry. If an account's strategy is working, often account managers will only update 1-2 times a month or only when the client prods. It's not the greatest experience for the client and risks increasing client turnover. To combat that here at ParaCore, we've implemented an internal check and balance process that could work for any account-based business. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Crossing off tasks on your to-do list can be satisfying, but what do you do about the goals not met from week to week? Simply managing your to-dos isn't allowing you to see the full picture of your productivity. Enter the "General's Tent", a process I learned for not only tracking my goals each week but assessing my progress and what I need to change to be more successful. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
You read that right, I've got a brand promise when it comes to our company bathroom here at ParaCore—and it all has to do with the lock. There are various scenarios when the lock may not work or the person thinks the lock isn't working. So, we installed a sign...but it didn't stop there, and what resulted was a lesson in the power of brand messaging. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I've got a business/values question for you: If you dislike a company or platform, but they're generating leads for you, would you advertise with them? ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Currently hiring but struggling to find quality people? Same here my friend. It's a job seeker's market out there and lots of competition for talent. Fortunately, I've got two tactics that have proved fruitful when it comes to hiring the right experience and the right fit for your business. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I have this nasty habit of comparing myself to other entrepreneurs, particularly using their age as a way to benchmark my success. In fact, I recently found myself negating my own success while talking to a fellow business owner only six weeks older than I. Letting this mindset continue can be poisonous to your own progress, but combating it can be tricky. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Learning how to do PPC, content, social media, etc. before hiring a third-party vendor gives you foundational knowledge that makes it easier to make informed decisions down the line. However, it means more time out of your day and possibly stretching your staff thin. Is the upfront pain worth avoiding future vendor issues down the road? You decide. --- This is the final episode in my five-part series weighing the pros and cons of the many options available to businesses when it comes to creating and executing a marketing strategy. We covered hiring an employee, freelancer, a full-service and specialist agency in the first four episodes. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Unlike full-service agencies, specialist agencies go deep in a particular topic area…and I mean deep. For example, here at ParaCore we live and breathe paid advertising. On the other hand, it means you’ll have to manage several companies and contacts if you’re hiring out for your other services. --- This is the fourth episode in my five-part series weighing the pros and cons of the many options available to businesses when it comes to creating and executing a marketing strategy. We've covered hiring an employee, freelancer, and a full-service agency in the first three episodes. Stay tuned for our final where I'll cover doing PPC yourself. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Full-service agencies provide a single point of contact and can bring much-needed consistency to your marketing. On the flip side, many agencies become full-service because they were really good at one skill and clients began begging for more. --- This is the third episode in my five-part series weighing the pros and cons of the many options available to businesses when it comes to creating and executing a marketing strategy. We've covered hiring an employee and freelancer in the first two episodes. Stay tuned for future episodes where I'll cover outsourcing to a specialist agency, as well as doing it yourself. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Considering hiring a freelancer to execute your paid media strategy? The flexibility a freelancer provides can also come with a risk of change. --- This is the second episode in my five-part series weighing the pros and cons of the many options available to businesses when it comes to creating and executing a marketing strategy. In the last episode, we covered hiring an employee. Stay tuned for future episodes where I'll cover outsourcing to a full-service or specialist agency, as well as doing it yourself. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
There are so many options when it comes to creating and executing a marketing strategy: hiring an employee or a freelancer, outsourcing to a full-service or specialist agency, or even doing it yourself—but what is the best option for your business? --- This episode kicks off a five-part series weighing the pros and cons of each of the above, starting with hiring an employee. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Is perfectionism the enemy of progress? When it comes to my strengths, having a perfectionist mindset comes in handy. When it comes to trying new things, however, I find my perfectionism can really slow me down. Do you have a perfectionist mentality? If so, do you find it to be an asset or a liability?
****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I had an interaction recently with the human equivalent of a terrible Facebook ad, complete with metaphorical retargeting. When you’re not clear on the message you’re trying to communicate, it doesn’t matter the medium you’re using—your ad is going to stink. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
It starts with the “What if?” worries, then the to-do list starts to overwhelm and finally, the gridlock sets in. I’ve hit the beginning stages of burnout. Stress is an inevitability of business ownership but burnout doesn’t have to be the result. When you start to freeze up, I’ve got a few simple steps to bounce back from burnout. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com
A little riddle for you—what’s one thing everyone brings to a meeting but no one needs? LAPTOPS. They’re distracting, prevent vital context from being absorbed, and are just plain rude. We’ve ditched laptops during meetings at ParaCore—what about you? ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
When customer experience is king, how your employees answer the phone can mean the difference between a sale and a lost opportunity. Fortunately, there's a secret weapon to not only auditing leads but monitoring how your company is managing your customer relationships—call tracking. **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Delegation—it’s an early (and frequent) lesson of leadership. We often hand off special projects and odd tasks to employees capable of the work without thinking, what happens when regular work gets in the way of what they were hired to do? Sometimes it helps to have someone solely focused on a particular task—and here's why. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
When you think about your business website, you probably think about website traffic, lead form submissions, and online purchases as typical conversions. An increasing number of consumers, however, are returning to the phone as an option for contacting a business. How do you track these leads and add it to your ROI tracking? Let's discuss! ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
When it comes to your business, are you having trouble breaking through the noise? There are ways your business can rank for content exactly where your audience hangs out—and it's easier than you think! **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I learned recently that I do a crappy job with following through on goals (a shocker to my fellow entrepreneurs I'm sure.) I'll be really good for a few weeks, but then life gets in the way and derails my plans. I used to get really bummed that I'd failed or missed a deadline I'd set and I'd simply give up on trying to meet it again. I've recently changed my mindset, however, and it's working wonders for my mental health and motivation. ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Business has been good lately at ParaCore. The team is staying busy and, on top of that, we've been presenting lots of proposals for new business. I find that combining a full workload with new proposals is always adds a bit of stress as I battle strain versus momentum. Is it better to solve those problems after you sell the projects or prepare ahead of time by hiring staff and investing in operations? ****** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Each day in my journal I write down three things: reflections, progress to my goals, and one thing I can do to build my business that day. There's a difference between working ON your business and working IN your business. As the business owner, it's not my job to be out there with the nails and hammer, but instead working on the building plans. **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I'm absolutely in love with my car repair shop. The owner always tells it to be straight and has even advocated on my behalf to my dealership to ensure I don't get ripped off. This man's mindset is "always do the right thing" and, as a result, I have a lot of loyalty to that repair shop. Integrity in business should be a no-brainer, plain old table stakes, but the reality is people don't always do the right thing. You can't make the assumption everyone—fellow business owners, employees, clients—share your values. **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
At ParaCore, we follow the Entrepreneurial Operations System (EOS) outlined in the book "Traction" by Gino Wickman and that system includes a quarterly planning session. Quarterly planning sessions can be really inspiring as new ideas are shared and possibilities explored. However, we were noticing only a little progress was being made on the goals we would set each quarter. So the question became, are we chasing butterflies or are we chasing innovation? **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Listen to "What's Your Daily Routine? Part 1 prior to playing this episode While attending the Big Money Marketing conference, the speaker challenged attendees to go out during lunch and film a live video sharing the four problems and possibilities we had discovered during the event. Even though I shoot video all the time, this task gave me a lot of anxiety. Shooting the video was a challenging and liberating experience, but what came out of was even powerful—my daily marketing routine. **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
For years, I've lacked a daily routine and it has punished me in ways I didn't even realize. I've tried everything from getting up early and meditating to reading for 30 minutes and training for races, but there was never enough structure. After two years of intense struggle and bouts of depression, I finally found a system that works for me, and it's fun to boot. **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Several years ago, ParaCore sought to tackle the tour and activity vertical and started a second company to target this niche—Outdoor Adventure Marketing. While it didn't work out, we learned a bunch of lessons we're now bringing into our move to the e-commerce vertical. If you're looking to move into a new vertical, we've got a few tips for you! **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
A couple of months ago, I was served an ad by a guy who claimed to be able to uncover hidden interests in the Facebook audience builder. I typically don't respond to ads like this, but this intrigued me. Turns out, it has made a big difference in ParaCore's business! If you run Facebook advertising, there are tools that discover new audiences by finding interest categories you never would have found on your own, allowing your ads to be much more highly targeted. We use it and any paid media company you work with should too! https://interestexplorer.io/ **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
It's the eternal struggle as a business owner—you have all the freedom of running your own business and being able to set your own schedule, yet the responsibility to work on your business and be fair to your employees. It seems easy from the outside and is often perceived as a perk by aspirational entrepreneurs, but it is a struggle day in, day out—so how do you cope? How do you prioritize? **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I recently went on a hike with my family while on vacation. The trail wasn't familiar to us and turned out to be steep about midway through. Naturally, my young daughter takes off at the beginning, running up the hill with muster. Then, halfway up the hill, she loses steam and wants to turn around. Turns out, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I do the exact same thing in different areas of my business. I get excited about a new idea, start-up really strong, and then when it gets hard, I let the project peter off. So, what's the key overcoming "shiny object syndrome"? A top of the hill goal. **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
While on vacation, my family and I visited a local farmer's market and discovered we couldn't purchase from half the vendors because they only accepted cash. It was frustrating and made me think—what fundamental processes are not in place in my business and what obstacles exist that may be preventing clients from buying from me? **** If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
It's often cost-prohibitive for small businesses to invest in public relations (PR) companies to assist with securing news stories, speaking opportunities, contributed articles, etc. I've discovered, however, a little hack that has allowed my company, ParaCore, and others to receive free media without having to pay for PR. ****
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Typically, quarterly planning at ParaCore begins with what we are expecting to achieve with the meeting, reviewing our biggest achievements of the last 90 days, establishing a goal for the quarter and then breaking our “rocks” from there. This quarter, I wanted to mix it up—and the results were incredibly powerful. ****
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Being a part of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), a global network of entrepreneurs has been incredibly valuable to my business. That said, I found I was yearning to talk with other agency owners who had experienced my unique challenges.
Now, once a month, I meet with all my fellow EO members who run agencies and discuss everything from pricing, hiring, company culture, revenue, and more. And since EO is built on a foundation of trust, we get pretty vulnerable.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Zipping your credit card for $10,000 for a two-day workshop certainly challenges you to step out of your comfort zone—and I plan to make the most of it.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
We all have those rollercoaster days—sign a big client or two, riding a high, and then you get an email from an unhappy client while another tells you they’re canceling.
This is the toughest part of an Account Manager’s job as they’re on the front lines of client interaction and get the brunt of the feedback. And that comes with a lot of anxiety—fear of getting yelled at or potentially losing their job.
As a result, I’ve found hiring for and cultivating a certain mindset with Account Managers not only reduces the tension around the role but also results in great work.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Every Monday, the ParaCore team has a standing meeting to prepare for the upcoming week. A few weeks ago, I passed out $10 scratchers to team members as a client experience exercise.
How does a lottery ticket parallel the client experience you ask?
When clients engage with ParaCore, they are taking a gamble. They have hopes, desires, and a lot of uncertainty. The experience brought up a lot of great conversation of how we as professionals can better serve our clients by addressing this excitement and anxiety.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
It's usually on the drive home when it hits me, "What did I actually accomplish today?" Our days are filled with activity— sitting in meetings, making dinner, getting the kids ready for bed—but so often we go to bed feeling little progress was made.
Starting the day at a deficit can feel defeating, which is why today's episode focusing on the power of momentum—how identifying and adding one brick a day (no matter how small) helps you build your foundation.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
Have you ever encountered someone forgoing a process and think to yourself—wow, that person must really have it together to skip over something the rest of us have to do? Before you extend the accolades, consider that appearance isn't reality. In today’s episode, I recount a recent dining experience that reminded me how dangerous the ego can be, and how it can get in the way of us becoming our best selves.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
We always sign contracts with a minimum 3-6 month contract term. However, today I signed an agreement with someone under weekly terms. I've never done that sort of thing before (and likely won't again anytime soon), but it made sense based on the situation.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I've been creating a lot more content than normal after attending a marketing conference recently. Originally, I thought creating content would mainly be about adding value to my audience. I quickly learned that creating content consistently has been far more valuable to me than anyone else. Listen to today's episode to find out why.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
In the last episode I talked about the problems we ran into with Outdoor Adventure Marketing. In a moment of supposed "brilliance," we decided to start selling leads instead of managed services. Today I cover the challenges and moral accusations associated with that business model. It didn't turn out how I expected.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
They say the riches are in the niches. I actually believe that, but I now realize there are riches in the right niches. Not every niche. ParaCore pursued a niche that had many forces working against our PPC efforts. In today's episode I break down the issues we ran into and what we'll be looking for in our next niche.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
This is part 2 of my massive mistake when transitioning the company from web development to paid media. I was trying to make everyone happy and, as a result, I crushed myself under the business.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
I've made two massive mistakes over the last 10 years that forced me to reduce my salary by 60% and grind through two years of financial stress.
Today I'm going to talk about the first and what I would have done differently if I had to do it all over again.
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.
ParaCore has been a low 7-figure agency for a few years and now we're planning for growth with a goal to reach 8 figures. I'll be honest, we're not event close, but we're making moves and forging ahead!
In today's first episode I'll cover who I am, what the podcast is going to cover, and set the stage for the daily podcasts to come!
If you want to learn more about Adam or ParaCore, check out www.paracore.com or email us at results@paracore.com.