It ain't easy, but it's worth it: Recent Episodes
Dustin Starling
Having the difficult conversations around business, finance, leadership, and the daily grind of life. Because anything worth fighting for - it ain't easy... but it's worth it.
You’re in a tough place. You want to bring your employees back to the office. What if they don’t want to come back?
How do you entice them to come back and participate?
What are the legal ramifications if you bring them back and don’t properly walk through all aspects pertaining to regulatory and legislative requirements?
I had the opportunity to sit down with Mike Markiewicz from the Lubar College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
YT link: https://youtu.be/-Pv-cITafeQ
Click the link below to listen to other great conversations taking place at Lubar College of Business. https://uwm.edu/business/executive-education/podcast/
Timeline:
00:00 I’m in the hot seat!
0:32 Mike and Dustin intros
1:24 Should employees return to the office full time?
2:39 Expectations versus Engagement
3:40 The ROI of engagement and cost of disengagement
6:00 How should leaders motivate employees to return back to the office?
7:30 Josh Bersin Academy stats on highly resilient companies
9:02 What are the dangers of mandating return to office?
13:03 Use the carrot vs the stick to bring people back to the office
14:40 (FREE) Tactical, tangible ways to foster motivation to return to the office
17:44 How does hybrid work model help with recruiting?
22:12 How to properly onboard a new employee
23:21 Boredom is a terrible first impression
23:44 The power of a mentor
25:24 How to minimize turnover – What is a Loyalty Tax?
29:04 A better HR in 2023?
30:24 Best way to get in touch with me?
31:07 Check out these other videos
We are all pulled in numerous ways regardless of if its our desire to flow that way or not.
The single piece that determines our success or failure – Accountability.
Don Markland, CEO and Founder of Accountability Now, walks us through what it takes for you and me, and organizations to develop and grow a culture of accountability.
Don, and his team, have worked with countless businesses and personally trained over 1,100 coaches across the world in 2021 alone.
He is a perennial Forbes contributor and is a ton of fun to talk to.
Here’s a list of links to check out:
www.donmarkland.com
https://4csofaccountability.com/
Don Markland's YouTube Channel
Forbes Article: Ted Lasso
Forbes Article: 3.5 warning signs of a bully boss
Instagram @executivecoach.don
For the full video: https://youtu.be/iY7pHeEsGxs
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
0:42 Who is Don Markland and why is accountability so important?
2:58 Two important rules: Accountability starts with me and there’s no ego in accountability.
4:37 4 C’s: Critique Success. Correct Failure. Celebrate Growth. Crush Mediocrity.
5:53 Bet on yourself, always. Take the leap.
8:07 Does Sales Solve All Sins?
9:18 Sales is hard. Can anybody do sales?
10:32 Why you should watch Ted Lasso. Kindness, Forgiveness, and Attention.
12:14 The vitality of coaches having accountability – Love / Hate relationship
13:52 How does leadership drive accountability across the organization?
16:03 Why mindset is the most important thing in your life in work
17:22 How do you get in touch with Don Markland?
accountability #critiquesuccess #correctfailure #celebrategrowth #crushmediocrity #donmarkland #itainteasy
“There is no traffic on the extra mile” – Charles Read, President and CEO of GetPayroll
We all know running a business ain’t easy. But it’s definitely worth it.
The problem is, we don’t know what we don’t know. So, when it comes time to make sure you’re: compliant with the everchanging legislative regulations; paying your employees correctly and not misclassifying them; dealing with tax audits and penalties by the IRS; or even looking into paying your employees with Crypto Currency – how do you know you’re legal in all the things you’re doing?
Charles Read is the President and CEO of GetPayroll. He is also a CPA, a US Tax Court Practitioner, and a member of the IRS advisory council. That means, if your business has a tax problem, he can make sure it gets corrected and even stand right next to you in court.
There are so many awesome nuggets of wisdom here, but at a minimum, I strongly recommend you take up Charles on his free book offer. There’s no strings, no buy two copies just pay shipping and handling. It’s straight up free.
Go to www.thepayrollbook.com. Use the discount code: “Podcast”. And Charles will ship the book right to your home.
For the video of this talk: https://youtu.be/gzTTCH5Sq7Q
For the audio of this talk: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1898898/10493840
For more information about Charles and GetPayroll:
https://getpayroll.com/
Email Charles directly at: cjr@getpayroll.com
Timeline:
00:00 Awesome quotes
0:44 Who is Charles Read, CEO of GetPayroll
2:20 “The Payroll Book” – Why you need to read it
5:15 The liability of misclassification of employees
7:38 Why record keeping is so important
8:38 What is the best business entity structure?
10:50 When should you look to outsource your payroll tasks?
14:57 Work “ON the business” not “IN the business”
17:29 The evolution of HR and soft dollar costs savings
20:29 The trouble with compliance
24:04 How does GetPayroll help fight and mitigate tax penalties
29:25 What do you do if your refund check is wrong
30:40 TOP FIVE ways to avoid problems with the IRS as a business owner
35:05 How to fight against the biggest competitors in your industry?
39:50 Can you use Crypto Currency on your normal payroll?
42:00 How do you get in touch with Charles Read at GetPayroll
43:25 What’s the most important thing I didn’t cover?
44:38 There’s no traffic jam on the extra mile
It’s time to ditch your company’s 401k and why you need a Solo 401k.
Daniel Blue, founder of Quest Education, shares with us how you can leverage a Solo 401k to unlock a remarkable resource to drive innovation and investments.
Best of all, you can literally become your own bank. You can take loans against your Solo 401k which, when you pay it off, pays off your OWN retirement accounts with interest only helping you drive your retirement portfolio.
But how should you structure your Solo 401k?
What could you do with unlocking the Solo 401k?
Check out Daniel’s website https://yourquest.com/
For the full video: https://youtu.be/JbabQk022Gw
00:00 intro
0:33 Who is Daniel Blue?
2:25 What are we getting wrong about retirement investments?
4:08 The power of the Solo 401k
5:20 Can you get a W2 401k and a Solo 401k?
7:23 How can you access and protect yourself when leveraging your Solo 401k?
9:54 What are the restrictions for using the loan function in the Solo 401k?
11:15 Why not become your own bank?
12:50 Different ways of structuring your Solo 401k
15:00 When should your focus on a Roth or Traditional 401k?
16:54 Get ready for Part Two of our talk…
How do you go from the depths of addiction to owning and operating a seven-figure business?
That’s the exact question I asked Daniel Blue - Founder and President of Quest Education.
We dive deeper into Daniel’s tumultuous past and how that has shaped him to not only surviving but thriving in life and in business.
We cover how to grow and develop a winning mindset, are leaders born or developed, where most people are getting bad financial information, and the best ways to get in touch with Daniel and his team.
It ain’t easy, but it’s worth it.
Click here to connect with Daniel: https://www.danielblue.me/
Daniel’s best selling book: https://amzn.to/3vsdaKP
Check out Daniel’s website https://yourquest.com/
PART TWO:
Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1898898/10462784
Video: https://youtu.be/XvdwjIa2ChA
PART ONE:
Part 1 Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1898898/10455875
Part 2 Video: https://youtu.be/JbabQk022Gw
Timeline
00:00 Key takeaway from the talk
1:22 How life shaped Daniel’s journey
5:20 What was the key to growing a winning mindset?
7:30 Are leaders born or developed?
9:41 Are business owners teaching their employees enough on finances?
11:40 What types of services does Quest Education assist their clients with?
15:08 Where are people getting their financial knowledge from?
17:27 What’s the one big question I didn’t ask you?
18:50 How can I get in touch with Daniel and Quest Education?
19:56 It’ ain’t easy to subscribe – but it’s worth it…
What are the tactics you need to win clients in 2022?
The “Rule of Seven”, engaging content, and multi-touch campaigns are all great.
But have you ever heard of the P.A.S. system?
In PART TWO of my series talking to Tim Fitzpatrick, Founder of Rialto Marketing, we sit down and talk about why Point Break is an awesome movie. But it’s also a great framework expanding on the Hero’s Journey.
And we get tactical on messaging and best practices.
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1898898/10380099
Video: https://youtu.be/zItY_fYFIoo
To connect with Tim, click the links below.
https://www.rialtomarketing.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzUoxEs3vd3ZSAv7VyjK0A
Here's a link to Tim's free giveaway!
https://www.rialtomarketing.com/90-day-marketing-plan-signup/
Timeline:
00:00 Recap of Part ONE and launching Part TWO
1:45 Why Point Break (The Original) is awesome
4:40 What needs to be revamped in Marketing and Sales?
6:43 The “Rule of SEVEN” and other marketing tactics
8:22 Getting tactical with the marketing touches
11:07 How to keep prospects engaged with content
13:54 Messaging tactics to win clients
14:30 The P.A.S. System – that actually works!
17:26 What if you’re looking to shift to new markets?
20:24 Marketing to grow and/or sell your business
If you had to simplify things down into the three most powerful questions in marketing, what would they be?
What’s the best way to craft the story of your business? What’s YOUR story?
More importantly, what is your client’s story?
The “Hero’s Journey” is a powerful tool that is often used incorrectly – or not at all.
Tim Fitzpatrick is the founder of Rialto Marketing. A bespoke marketing firm based out of Colorado, but can work and scale your businesses wherever you are located.
To connect with Tim, click the links below.
https://www.rialtomarketing.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzUoxEs3vd3ZSAv7VyjK0A
Video Link: https://youtu.be/qSKXRa0ii3g
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
0:37 Who is Tim Fitzpatrick?
2:16 The inspiration for the name “Rialto – Marketing”
3:12 Why the Fundamentals are so important
6:15 Does the “Perfect pitch” exist?
8:33 Where do most businesses get marketing wrong?
10:40 The “Three Power Questions”
12:45 Are we missing out on a HUGE revenue driver?
14:44 The “Hero’s Journey”
17:45 Get ready for Part Two!
What’s the value of LinkedIn in 2022?
Is it just another social media platform?
How do you leverage the power of LinkedIn to grow your business, personal brand, side hustle, or just connect with awesome like-minded people?
Daniel Alfon has been helping freelancers, entrepreneurs, and businesses grow their revenue for almost 20 years – specifically on LinkedIn.
If you’re looking to join LinkedIn, already on LinkedIn, or been on it for over ten years, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
Daniel has offered a free gift to all listeners! Check it out here. https://www.danielalfon.com/#freebie
For the full video: https://youtu.be/suMiOOWl4UQ
Other great links:
https://www.danielalfon.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfon/
00:00 Intro
0:30 Who’s Daniel Alfon?
1:30 Why LinkedIn?
2:30 Is “Premium LinkedIn” worth it?
4:00 What do professionals struggle with on LinkedIn?
6:15 Do you really need 20,000 connections to be successful on LinkedIn?
7:45 How should people engage on LinkedIn?
10:00 Has LinkedIn “replaced” networking?
13:00 How should you “connect” with those perfect introduction?
18:30 The perfect profile – tips and tricks
20:50 Engaging on people’s posts or focus on my own?
23:42 What is the future of LinkedIn vs other social media platforms?
25:40 What is the best way to connect with people?
29:45 3 KEY TIPS to be successful on LinkedIn
32:30 What’s the best way to get in touch with Daniel?
A business can’t grow without it’s people. So how do you build an amazing culture that thrives?
Bethany Meadows owns numerous businesses that are doing just that. So, today, we’ll dive into what she is doing to make huge impacts, not only in her businesses, but in her clients’ businesses.
This is part two of my talk with Bethany. If you missed the first part, here’s the links:
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1898898/10243267
Video: https://youtu.be/LsJVDoAS_Uo
For the Video of this talk: https://youtu.be/_eHarzXr0iw
Here’s just some of the links you should check out:
https://verticalsolutionsmedia.com/
https://teammeadows.com/
https://cashforhousesoption.com/
https://getalittlehot.com/
https://fireeatersbox.com/
https://www.timetothrivemembership.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Grip-custom-parenting-actually/dp/0692987037
00:00 Intro
0:23 kicking off Part 2
0:36 What are the big mistakes for new businesses?
1:55 The comparison paradox
4:35 How do you devise a strategic business plan?
8:14 What is the best way to brainstorm and develop as a leader?
10:27 How do you develop a safe environment to thrive in?
14:43 Bethany’s awesome story of work / life balance
18:04 How do I get in touch with Bethany?
If you’re not actively building your brand in 2022 – you either have a job or a hobby.
What’s the best way to make sure you’re growing your personal and professional brand in 2022?
Bethany Meadows is the founder of Vertical Solutions Media. Through her work there, and her ground breaking “Time to Thrive” membership platform, she helps business owners grow and scale their business with bespoke solutions.
She is also an expert Real Estate investor owning and flipping homes, owns a hot sauce company, and oh my… so much more.
For the podcast version of our talk:
https://youtu.be/LsJVDoAS_Uo
Here’s just some of the links you should check out:
https://verticalsolutionsmedia.com/
https://teammeadows.com/
https://cashforhousesoption.com/
https://getalittlehot.com/
https://fireeatersbox.com/
https://www.timetothrivemembership.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Grip-custom-parenting-actually/dp/0692987037
Timeline:
00:00 intro
0:30 Who is Bethany Meadows?
2:20 The power of branding
4:40 What do most businesses fail at in the customer journey?
7:40 What are some great “out of the box ideas” that businesses should look at?
12:14 What is Team Meadows and how did it all come about?
16:00 Driving culture and leadership in a business
20:14 Click here for Part Two!
RJ Grimshaw grew his first 7-figure business at 22. Today, he’s going to share with us how you can grow your business through intrapreneurship.
Intrapreneurship is a form of entrepreneurship that takes place within a company. Frankly, it is not valued as highly as it should be. It can truly set your business apart from its competitors.
RJ Grimshaw is the CEO of Unifi Equipment Finance. Through his flagship offering of “ABLE Leadership”, a blend of coaching, consulting, and peer support; he and his team help business owners get unstuck and make solid profitable business decisions.
To find out more about RJ’s great work take a look at his websites:
https://rjgrimshaw.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjgrimshaw/
https://www.youtube.com/user/rjgsti/videos
For the full video:
https://youtu.be/Zq4ijnpM3UM
00:00 Intro
0:42 Why you should listen
1:55 What is intrapreneurship?
3:20 How do you ID those key traits when hiring talent?
4:50 How do you know when you’ve “found” an intrapreneur?
7:20 Difference between “Functional” and “Vital” employees
8:13 Pushing functional to vital employees
9:41 How do you develop a culture of vital employees?
11:51 Being “vital” no matter what job you hold
15:00 ABLE Leadership system
16:25 Where does leadership typically break down?
19:45 The great things that Unifi does
26:00 The leadership methods of letting people grow
27:40 Leadership lessons from youth hockey
31:30 What is the key aspect of leadership within ABLE Leadership
33:50 What’s the best way to reach out to RJ Grimshaw
Whether you’re a startup or a 3rd generation business. The question will eventually come up – how can you sell your business for more?
The problem is, you are personally attached to it. You’ve spent countless hours taking care of customers and 10X’ing it. So how can you figure out just how much your business is worth?
Where do you even start?
Bharat Kanodia is the founder and Chief Appraiser at Veristrat. He has personally valuated over 2,000 businesses assessed over $2.6 Trillion!
He also runs his own YouTube channel called “What’s It Worth?” Strongly recommend you check it out as he walks us through some amazingly impossible valuations.
Whether you are starting a business with an exit planned. Or, life happens and you need to transition out of the business due to reasons – Bharat has some pure gold here.
Oh – and if you’re curious how he valuates NFTs or cryptocurrency, that’s in here too.
For the full video: https://youtu.be/y7V2q9Xus44
Important Links:
https://www.veristrat.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/whatsitworth
00:00 Teaser
0:30 Bharat Kanodia is awesome
1:42 How do you even start the valuation process?
3:10 What can business owners do to maximize their valuation?
3:50 The KEY TWO THINGS business owners can do
6:15 Are franchises worth more?
8:05 What really sets franchises apart from stand alone businesses?
9:05 Why are start-ups valuated so highly?
11:20 What should businesses look at on the “term sheet” when selling?
13:20 Is risk being calculated accurately with start-ups?
16:29 Are cryptocurrency or NFTs being involved more in in business transactions?
18:52 How do you even valuate NFTs or other ambiguous assets?
21:06 Are there certain metrics you use to generalize the starting point of valuations?
23:25 Are more businesses shifting to a subscription model to drive revenue?
24:50 Are businesses getting more involved in human capital metrics to drive value?
26:30 What the trends in mergers and acquisitions moving forward in 2022+?
28:18 Are there business structures that benefit more over the other? C-Corp? S-Corp? LLC?
29:45 Bharat’s closing thoughts
30:54 Bonus: what metrics do most businesses use for valuation? Gross/net revenue?
31:44 The best way to get in touch with Bharat
32:12 It ain’t easy, but it’s worth it – don’t forget to subscribe!
How do you measure the ROI of trust? Is it even worth the effort?
Does building and maintaining trust differ if you’re in education? Manufacturing?
How do you make an immediate impact if you just took over a new leadership role?
Dr. Toby Travis, Founder of TrustED, and the author of the book TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement, walks us through how today’s education system needs to focus on ONE SINGLE metric: Trust.
The best thing is - Trust spans all markets and all organizations.
If there is one thing in life that is true – it’s Trust Ain’t Easy, But It’s Worth It.
Important links:
Full video: https://youtu.be/rPy_CrGSWLU
TrustED Consulting: https://trustedconsulting.org/
Dr. Toby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtobytravis/
0:00 Who is Dr. Toby Travis?
1:18 Why you should listen even if you’re not in Education
3:00 Why is trust the linchpin of organizations?
4:30 Intro to Dr. Toby’s work
6:00 Where is trust the hardest to gain and maintain?
8:12 How has the “remote workforce” changed trust forever?
10:45 How do you work with organizations struggling with trust?
14:40 How do you measure the ROI of Trust
19:10 Are executives really bought in on Trust?
20:52 Are there different “starting points” with Trust depending on the types of schools?
23:43 What are the parent’s role in building Trust?
25:11 Is Trust to blame for the decline in public school enrollment?
27:25 Are there certain perceptions about school choice and are they correct?
28:35 How cool is it to be nominated for Forbes book of the month and Book of the year?
30:20 What are the couple key lessons from your book?
33:25 What are some tips you can give to new leaders?
34:39 What is the best way to get in touch with you, Dr. Toby?
35:38 Thank you for sharing your time today!
The One-Man Marketing Army is challenging the tired model of digital marketing. But with the rise of every single person calling themselves a “marketing guru”, how do you separate the scams with the legit players in the market?
Ben Albert, Founder of Balbert Marketing, sits down with me today and walks us through how his approach is a true differentiator amongst all the social media noise out there.
And if you like the new logo and logo intro – that’s right, Ben designed it. The guy is truly a magician when it comes to digital marketing, creating amazing landing pages or websites, social media branding, logo designs, boosting your SEO, and the list goes on and on.
Best of all, the guy runs like eight podcasts. So you or, if you know anyone that would be great as a guest on his podcasts, reach out to him.
If you want to reach out to Ben Albert, here’s the best link to all the great things he’s doing.
https://balbertmarketing.com/alllinks/
For the video version of our talk, click this link:
https://youtu.be/fvhg91sNFBk
Timeline:
0:00 The rise of the social media guru
1:00 Who is Ben Albert?
2:00 What separates Balbert from everyone else?
3:45 What are people and businesses missing in marketing?
5:40 How have you BEN able to transition into the sales aspect of business ownership?
8:42 How should podcasts be used in today’s market?
11:25 Was your back against the wall or was this a true passion project?
14:20 How do you gauge success in your own life?
16:52 What are the things that is holding you back from more growth?
19:06 What should every business owner know about marketing?
23:00 What should future entrepreneurs know about taking the leap?
24:52 Is personal branding important for everyone?
27:16 How can everyone get in touch with Ben?
28:10 Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Human resources is typically looked at as reactive, outdated, and a sunk cost. However, in today’s market, the evolution in HR is vital to businesses’ growth and prosperity.
Kevyn Rustici, a Human Capital Management expert, will walk us through where today’s Human Resources fall short – and where there is huge opportunity for a HR revolution.
Click here for the video of our talk: https://youtu.be/LEx3dFPF8nU
Timeline:
0:00 Teaser
0:36 Intro
1:00 Who is Kevyn Rustici?
2:13 Disclaimer things can get controversial…
2:56 Will HR become obsolete – or is it already?
5:47 What is holding HR back?
9:35 Generalization vs specializing in HR
12:54 Kevyn’s “Snake Analogy”
13:46 Are HR professionals even equipped and trained to be strategic?
16:53 The need to upskill and reskill HR professionals
18:02 Is Human Capital data and analytics the answer?
24:12 The difficulty in measuring the ROI of Human Capital
28:36 Is it even possible for HR to be a ‘profit center’?
32:06 How to connect with Kevyn in the future
Connect on LinkedIn with Kevyn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrevolution/
Highlighted resources:
2020: https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2019/11/future-of-hr-2020.pdf
2021: https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2020/10/the-future-of-hr-in-the-new-reality.pdf
It’s one of your life goals. So, why not make writing a book in 2022 a priority.
But how do you do it? Where do you start? How do you juggle work, family, and life in general – all while writing a book.
We bring back Gary Beaudette, Founder and President of Beaudette consulting. Gary and I have been working together for the past year creating a blueprint to success. Success in business. Growth in leadership. Even how to successfully tackle all your new year resolutions.
0:00 Intro
0:33 Let’s welcome Gary back
1:05 Recap on the awesomeness that is Gary
2:25 How the USESOILS framework was developed
3:45 The USESOILS framework for growth (Steps 1-3)
4:38 Steps 4-7
5:21 Steps 8-9
5:40 The final step
6:03 Dustin’s easy recap
7:59 How the book started
10:08 Can this book be used for personal growth?
13:28 Who is the book really written for?
20:19 What do most businesses or people struggle with in achieving their goals?
23:51 How to get in touch with Gary
Link to the video of this podcast: https://youtu.be/eFXXskF_FZA
Gary’s website: https://www.bcilean.com/
Gary’s kid book: “Hank Grime: The kid who couldn’t rhyme” https://amzn.to/3pwYqHx
People often dream of taking the leap and starting their own business. The fact is, you’ll probably know when it’s time to leave your job. It definitely ain’t easy… but it’s worth it.
Today, we sit down with Gary Beaudette. Founder and President of Beaudette Consulting. We’ll talk about how he knew it was time to leave a great job and climbing the corporate ladder, and go all-in on himself to start his own business.
Highlighted references:
Gary’s website: https://www.bcilean.com/
Gary’s kid book: “Hank Grime: The kid who couldn’t rhyme” https://amzn.to/3pwYqHx
0:00 It ain’t easy, but it’s worth it
0:25 Let’s get Gary on to talk
1:54 How Gary got into consulting
4:48 Where the love of helping people starting
5:24 The power of improving people and processes
7:19 The conversation with the spouse
8:48 When Gary knew he could make the leap
10:20 Recommendations to those looking to jump
14:09 Gary’s system to grow businesses
17:57 Gary’s value to businesses
21:22 What separates Gary from other consultants
23:05 How to get in touch with Gary