Breaking Through Biz: Recent Episodes
Tabetha Sheaver
Welcome to Breaking Through Biz! The Podcast where we talk about things that are keeping small business owners from getting traction and what they can do about it!
In today’s podcast we spoke to Chris Fox and Matt Carlson. They are the owners of Fox Home Innovations based out of Manhattan, Kansas. The business specializes in design, remodeling, and new construction. Chris and Matt met at K State while attending college. Chris started by doing small handyman jobs for people in the area. As time went on the jobs became bigger and not being a fan of heights, he brought Matt on, who at the time was a firefighter, to help with those type of projects. After that, because of their similar thinking and collaboration their friendship grew into a professional relationship as well. That was over 15 years ago and that is when Fox Home Innovations became a business. Early in the business Chris was taking on everything in the business, and then Matt began helping as their responsibilities grew with the business. This is when they realized the need for structure in order to form leadership roles and positions with titles became necessary in order to guide the company. When they came across EOS and Traction, they knew that was what they needed. During the process, both fell into their roles naturally without much thought. Chris, being the natural salesperson, became the Visionary and Matt as the Integrator. Their relationship both as friends and as business partners has had its ups and downs. Both realized this early on and learned that together they have a good balance and that their trust in one another is most important. Not all integrator and visionary relationships are business partners and bridging that gap can be difficult. Luckily for Chris and Matt, having that and learning what works for the two of them has made their company strong and successful. Key Takeaways: “Before we even knew what those terms were we used to call ourselves the gas pedal and the brake.”-Matt Carlson “I think it’s important to find someone that can challenge you. With trust brings conflict, and conflict creates results.” -Chris Fox Contact Information: Foxhomeinnovations.com Also, on Facebook and Instagram
In today’s podcast we spoke to Debbie Portell Morris. She is the owner of Integrity Training Systems which focuses on personal training and nutrition. She started the company over ten and a half years ago. Debbie thought her path after college was to become a financial planner. Working long hours, she came home one evening and passed out in her garage. She was taken to a hospital and spent the next two years and twenty-two different doctors later to come up with the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. She had signs that her health was declining but ignored them believing it was the hard work she was putting into her job. Debbie then took it upon herself to do an elimination diet where she would try different foods to see which ones made her feel okay and those that didn’t. From there she really began studying nutrition, which landed her where she is today. In addition to owning Integrity, Debbie and her husband, John, of ten years also own Sophie’s Bakery. When they first got together his daughter was a year and a half old. By the time she was three she had chronic allergies, eczema, and other gut issues that pediatricians could not explain, and by the time she was five it turned excessive. This is when Debbie started changing her food. She removed all dairy and gluten which seemed to help. Not wanting Sophie to miss out on treats at school she began baking and sharing her treats with people at the gym. The demand for her baked goods became too much for her to do on her days off so she turned it into a delivery or pickup bakery business. Being in the fitness field for over twenty-five years Debbie’s advice to anyone is to get up and move even if it’s ten minutes here and there. Take time to breathe through stretching or a few yoga moves. Hydrate and balance your food and most importantly make sure you rest. All of these things in combination can help you lead a healthy and happy life. Key Takeaways “The food, I think, is the catalyst to the change in the beginning. So if you can put the emphasis on the quality nutrition first, you will supply yourself with the desire and with the energy that you need to make a commitment to more movement.”- Debbie Portell Morris “If we really look at the caring matrix we have to take care of ourselves first and then our employees and our families and then we can go change the community and then we can go change the world.”-Tabetha Sheaver Contact Information Integritytrainingsystems.com 636-299-2208 Sophiesbakery.com
In today’s podcast we spoke to Lisa Nichols. Lisa is the CEO of Technology Partners which she cofounded with her husband, Greg, who is the President and COO of the company. Technology Partners is a certified women business enterprise that provides IT staffing and solutions to companies all over the United States. Lisa is also a blogger, speaker, and a podcast host of “Something Extra”. Both Lisa and her husband started out in the corporate world with companies such as McDonnell Douglas, Edward Jones, and Master Card. They did that for ten years. Lisa had the accounting/financial side where Greg had the technology background, and with that they started Technology Partners in 1994. They started small and scaled very slowly, but steadily. Around 2006 they opened five offices across the U.S because they saw their competition doing this. Realizing the St. Louis office was the only one that was sustainable on its own they closed all the others and directed all their focus and expertise on it. According to Lisa there has never been so much data as there is today, so you need a data strategy plan. This plan will help with collecting the data which then needs to be turned into information to give you an insight into your business. Key Takeaways “One of the challenges for me is to be able to scale back and say no, let’s focus on what we’re really good at.”- Lisa Nichols “The less is more, pick one thing, become experts in that area.”- Tabetha Sheaver “Don’t go and try to be like everyone else.”- Lisa Nichols Contact Info Technologypartners.net lnichols@technologypartners.net