Go for Growth with Doug Hall: Recent Episodes
Doug Hall
The Go for Growth podcast profiles successful entrepreneurs, shares their journey as they build their business, create freedom of time and money, and develop strong teams to run their businesses.
On this week’s episode of the Go For Growth Podcast, we chat with Jason Blumer, entrepreneur, business owner, and overachiever. Jason began his career as an entrepreneur in 2003, leading Blumer CPAs, the firm started by his father, and went on to found the Thriveal CPA Network in 2010.
“It's an unending drive for creativity, just lots of new ideas are really hard to keep inside of you, you kind of can't help but produce those,” says Jason about being called a visionary entrepreneur.
We chat about Jason’s insights into owning multiple businesses and his tips for growth, as well as…
- Balancing being a visionary with a partner who is an integrator
- Applying structure to a business to facilitate growth
- Sharing the responsibilities of leadership
- How restraints can sometimes be freeing
- And more
In this episode of Go For Growth, we’re thrilled to be sitting down with a serial entrepreneur who helps business owners and entrepreneurs get their mindset right, improve their profits, and drive their cash flow. Our very special guest is Jennifer Dawn of Jennifer Dawn Coaching!
“I went through a lot of trial and error, and a lot of hardship and heartache, and doing things the hard way because I just didn't know any better. And so, being able to bring all that knowledge and experience and help all these women in their businesses is everything,” says Jennifer— who, as you’ll hear in the episode, is incredibly passionate about her work.
We’ll chat with Jennifer about why mindset matters, as well as…
- Transformations she’s seen happen because of coaching
- Missed opportunities… and what’s causing it
- How these unsure times are an excellent time to pivot and grow
- Focusing on automation and systems while sales are down
- And more
June Jewell has seen lots of ups and downs in her many years as a CPA, with companies she’s worked for, her own ventures, and the businesses of clients she works with at AEC Business Solutions.
In many ways, that’s prepared her for the current pandemic crisis engulfing the world. One way she’s ahead of the game: she’s been working remotely from home since 1990 and has set it up so her team can do the same. Along the way, she’s discovered best practices for running a “virtual” office.
One of the main ways she helps clients is by helping them find top employees, which can be quite difficult in specialized fields with a lot of demand. She focuses on architecture and engineering firms, but these are lessons that can be applied to just about any industry.
We’ll talk about the many types of employees – and which ones work best for your business, as well as
- A systematic process for finding “lost dollars” in your business
- Old school management philosophies to avoid
- Why having high revenue can kill your business
- The most common way to lose money with a client – and how to avoid it
- And more
In today’s episode, we sit down with Bert Martinez, marketing strategist to celebrities, consultants, and companies, EOS Implementer, and the host of the Money For Lunch podcast. Bert is also the author of Dominating Your Mind: 10 Simple Affirmations That'll Crush Your Fears, Destroy your Doubts, and Make you Unstoppable.
“You have to be willing to fail a lot and continue to fail a lot. That’s where innovation comes from,” says Bert, when asked about his secrets to growth, longevity, and relevancy in business.
We’ll chat with Bert about EOS implementation, finding your ideal client, as well as…
- How automation can help you filter out bad client matches
- How to determine if your marketing strategies are working
- Why focused marketing will get you further
- Narrowing down your message
- The trial and error process, and how it pertains to products and services
- And more
Business consultant Steve Gordon turns the tables and interviews me about a topic that’s near and dear to my heart: being an effective boss. Specifically how to be a leader that engages employees and inspires them to do their best work.
This is especially important in small and medium-sized business where a business owner is in direct contact with employees all the time.
The process starts with figuring out your core values… and then finding people that share those values. The idea is to be the type of manager that makes people really want to be there. And it’s not a simple matter of providing financial incentives or perks like free beer on Fridays.
We discuss that in detail, as well as…
- The biggest myths about engaging employees
- An alternative to the typical organizational chart
- Why you need to measure progress (and how to do it right)
- How to practice the art of self-management
- And more
A lot of businesses are born out of need. An entrepreneur solves a problem for themselves… and realizes others in the same situation could benefit.
Emily Morgan was looking for ways to work while still having plenty of time to raise her young son, when she came up with the idea for Delegate Solutions.
The company provides strategic workforce options for entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses efficiently and effectively… while giving employees the chance to have a flexible work schedule.
This is remote working and flexwork, which uses tools like automation, project management, designing processes and systems, office management, scheduling and more to grow businesses while giving entrepreneurs time and financial freedom… which is why you went into business, right?
We talk about all of that as well as…
- How to overcome the challenges of managing a distributed team
- Spurring creativity and productivity with remote working
- Strategies for integrating in-office team members with those working at home
- Her ambitious 10-year goals… and what she’s doing now to achieve them
- And more
The dream of every business owner is to achieve freedom. That’s what not having a boss is all about, right?
But, says Mandi Ellefson (and she speaks from personal experience), all too often you’re more stressed and busier than ever as an entrepreneur.
You don’t have to be, adds Mandi. You can work as little or as much as you want… and watch your company grow.
The first step is making yourself, as the owner, unessential to day-to-day operations. Mandi shares how to make that happen, as well as what must come next.
Tune in for all the details on that, as well as…
- The wrong way to build a professional services business (most go this route) – and what to do instead
- A biggest mistake professional service providers make when growing their company
- How to recognize the people who can help you take your business to the next level
- A strategy for creating more value for your clients… while increasing your profits
- How to offer lofty guarantees to your clients… and stick by them with absolute consistency
MJ Fitzpatrick wants you to listen to that little voice that is telling you to break new ground, to try a new tactic, to create a new product, or start a new business… even when everybody in your life says it’s crazy.
He helps entrepreneurs with business problems get to the root causes – not just treat the symptoms. For example, not selling enough is usually the #1 in most businesses – but why you’re not selling is something you may not realize. Often, it’s your attitude, says MJ. He talks about how to overcome that obstacle.
One thing to keep in mind, says MJ, isn’t that business doesn’t have to be a grind. It can be hard work but fulfilling. After he came to that realization he formulated a better way to do business and he shares that in this interview.
Tune in to find out…
- Why business should be fun– and how to make it so– even when things are tough
- The question you must ask yourself often– and if you answer no, you have to rethink things
- The importance of a “safe space” for your employees– it’s not what you think
- Who your business serves... other than your customers (and why they’re just as important)
- And more
Steve Sims’ clients often ask the impossible. And he provides, whether it’s a marriage ceremony in the Vatican or a private concert from Andrea Bocelli.
How does he do it? He reveals at least some of his secrets, including the first step to making any connection that can advance your business or career in a big way. Steve says that most people go about networking all wrong and fail miserably at self-promotion.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Steve. In fact, he maintains anybody can do the “impossible” if they are willing to put in the work.
He reveals the things you should be doing right now to make it happen, as well as…
- Why he still considers himself a massive failure – and embraces it
- A surprising reason many businesses should avoid high net worth clients
- The power of positioning yourself as a solution – not someone who sells something
- The “sell nothing” strategy that gets him the best customers
- A “less is more” take on self-promotion
As a consultant focused on helping companies break through to the next level, Josh Long knows a thing or two about the obstacles that typically hold a business back and how to bust through them to unlock massive growth.
Josh says you must first identify your business’s biggest issues – the bottlenecks that waste your time and money.
You take on the biggest of the biggest first… then the next (which is usually obvious once you solve the first one)… and so on… until your company is more efficient, productive, and profitable.
We get into the details of how to implement that strategy, and also talk about…
- Why entrepreneurs are often wrong about what’s needed to improve their business
- The first problem you must solve in your business – it’s not lead generation and it’s “closer” than you think
- A four-part approach to more productive meetings that get results
- The dangers of “under-communicating” with your team
- And more invaluable knowledge from experience regarding business optimization and growth
Many business owners have a business they’re proud of… with great products or services… satisfied clients… the whole deal.
But, says Dan Kuschell, they haven’t been able to translate that into growth and profits. They’re like the best kept secret in the market, and that’s not a good thing.
Dan specializes in helping business owners get out of their own way and recognize the blind spots that are stopping them from optimizing their operations so they pull in more leads, more sales, and more profits.
A big part of that is getting “out” of the business. We get into the details on that, as well as…
- The power of investing in yourself – and not just your business
- How to run a business like a championship football team
- Must-haves for your marketing and product strategies
- The biggest mistakes most business owners make that are easy to avoid
- And more
BJ Foster is CEO of PRR, an award-winning public relations firm that works with government agencies, organizations, and businesses in the fields of transportation, public health, economic development, and environmental policies — helping them better inform the people in the community.
They’re a great asset to creating positive change. We chat about that work, including why PR can be so powerful if done correctly — and how it can do more harm than good when it’s not.
But BJ also shares some of the lessons she learned over her long career in startups to large companies. One of the most important is about what a business needs at its core to grow efficiently and effectively.
We also talk about…
- How to be an effective manager when you inherit a close-knit team
- Ways to leverage your employees’ strongest skill sets
- The unique ownership structure that has her juggling multiple roles – and how she keeps things straight
- Why employee feedback is so important (and why you can’t just do annual reviews)
- And more
Mitch Russo has a philosophy when it comes to profits. It’s about what you earn and what you save. This entrepreneur, author, and consultant has followed that mantra in the many businesses he’s built and sold, as well as with the work he does with clients today.
One way he and his partners found to save big time on operating costs allowed one of the businesses to grow very quickly.
He gives all the details on that business model, the other benefits that came with it, and how he overcame the technical challenges that popped up. A quick clue: his workforce was “invisible.”
Tune in to get all the details on that, as well as…
- Creating a sales force that pays you
- The first lever to pull to grow your business
- Why you shouldn’t start selling unless you know this
- The right way to work with a business coach
- The growth potential and flexibility of going virtual
When starting a business, it’s tempting to want to grow as fast as possible. You want to see a return on your investment of time and money, after all. But too much growth too fast can actually sabotage the long-term viability of your company, says Matt Inglot.
Matt, founder of web development and lead gen company Tilted Pixel, has a different way, one which starts with creating a clear business model that informs all your decisions and creates sustainable growth.
He shares the hard lesson he learned in his own business that inspired his approach and guides his client work, as well as the strategy he uses to ensure he can focus on serving clients well rather than constantly generating new leads.
Tune in to find out…
- Why cutting clients will actually boost your bottom-line
- The wrong way to conduct client/customer relationships
- Ways to wow your clients so they hire you repeatedly – providing years of steady income
- Creating an effective plan for working with freelancers
- The downside of hiring cheap help that most don’t realize until they’ve done it themselves
“The revenue follows if your purpose is clear, and you’re living in alignment with that.”
As you can see from that quote, when it comes to business growth, Bryan Falchuk is a big believer in mindset and culture. He says those principles should guide everything you do – every interaction with potential investors, your customers, and even your team members.
He’s seen this working firsthand in the companies he coaches, as well as the startup he’s intimately involved in right now. And what he’s discovered is that you can’t “fake” culture.
Bryan says there are key ways to get buy-in from employees, including one thing you must do or risk losing the creative spark that will take your business to the next level. We talk about that, as well as...
- How to grow your psychic and emotional income
- Do your employees feel comfortable pushing back? Here’s why they should
- The danger of trying to make everybody happy all the time (especially as a startup)
- Striking the right level of personal relationships in your business
- The important role finding meaning and purpose in what you do plays in achieving success
Team building is a popular practice in corporate America. But often the lessons learned are quickly forgotten as soon as people get back to their desks. Andrew McMasters has a unique approach.
With his company, Improv Mindset, he uses improvisational acting techniques to foster better communication among teams. He makes clear that this isn’t about telling jokes or wearing funny costumes, as you might have seen with improv on TV.
His techniques make people more confident and able to trust their fellow employees… which makes for an effective team.
We talk about the exercises he walks through with his clients, as well as…
- The power of “yes and”
- How to get over your stage fright at work
- The worst way to do a sales call
- A strategy to ensure you always give constructive feedback
- And more
Over the last 20 years, Joseph Hagar, CFO of engineering and construction firm McKinstry, has seen exponential growth in the company, with a huge spike in the number of employees and offices spreading nationwide.
But despite being trained as a CPA, he says the company didn’t rely on financial numbers or other metrics to set policies or make business decisions.
Instead, they created a firm foundation for growth by developing what they considered to be their most valuable asset… as well as putting systems in place to maximize that asset’s potential, company-wide.
We discuss that asset, as well as…
- How to set up predictable outcomes for your business
- What to do to make sure your company doesn’t have a leadership crisis
- Fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in your employees
- The three-layer model for effective employee development
- And more
Russ Shulman of Sound Bookkeepers isn’t just a whiz with numbers. He’s also a philosopher of business… and life. In fact, he says that the path to happiness is to be the same person at home and at work.
We get into that, the importance of finding balance, and the fulfillment that comes with doing work you love and that helps people, as well as more practical matters.
Russ says that bookkeeping can be a very powerful tool that can actually grow your business. And if you or your current bookkeeper don’t know how to do the necessary analysis, you’ll want to tune in for Russ’s strategies, as well as…
- Financial metrics you must monitor closely
- Your bookkeeper’s number one qualification (that they probably don’t have)
- The biggest contributor to your company’s growth – it’s not more sales
- How to hire people who are better than you
- And more
Andrea Heuston, founder and CEO of Artitudes Design, has a motto:
Be the so-called dumbest person in the room.
It’s a philosophy that has guided her since during her firm’s startup phase and up to present-day. We unpack exactly what that means and how it guides your hiring.
A willingness to make some radical changes and try to focus on a niche market has also made Artitudes Design more successful than ever in recent years.
We talk about that transformation, as well as…
- The 5+ pros that everybody’s business need
- 3 reasons why to be an entrepreneur that inform your success
- How to build an engaged team that drives success – salary isn’t the solution
- Why you should embrace failure (if you take this next step)
- And more
Creating a cohesive team is the #1 contributor to success in your business, says Jeff Rogers, chairman and founder of M&A advisory firm OneAccord.
But recruiting top employees and getting everybody in your organization on the same page are also the biggest challenges.
Jeff offers up solid - but unexpected - strategies for finding and hiring the best people… and then making sure everybody can work towards the same goals.
We also go into what makes a company an attractive acquisition - and how to maximize its value to potential buyers.
Listen in to discover…
- The types of businesses that won’t sell… unless you take this step
- The 3 best business books you know and a 4th you must read this year
- 2 must-dos for startups you’re not thinking of
- The biggest mistake most small businesses make
- And more
If you’ve been in a condo or commercial building in the Seattle area, you’ve no doubt run into the handiwork of Gene Kettler and his team at Frontier Door and Cabinet.
But you don’t have to be in manufacturing or construction to benefit from what 21 years in business has taught Gene about figuring out the right product mix to attract the most customers… how to become the go-to provider in your industry… and strategies for putting the right team in place to drive consistent growth.
Gene reveals all his secrets, including…
- How to identify ideal customers and projects
- The pitfalls of acquisition – and how to avoid them
- Why a culture of growth attracts the best employees
- The dangers of ERP systems
- And more
Peter Adams’ philosophy is simple:
You can deploy the best technology, but if it doesn’t actually solve a real problem in your business… it’s worthless.
It’s not that Peter, founder of the Lighthouse Information Systems company, doesn’t like technology… he embraces it.
He just likes to make sure his clients get the right tools they need to drive their businesses forward. Often it’s much different than what you think you need.
Listen in to find out…
- The greatest source of friction in your business
- How to identify a good business system quickly
- The first step in building a scalable tech infrastructure
- Ways to differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace
- And more
Too many entrepreneurs have some level of success but then struggle to take it to the next level, says Doug Hall.
Doug specializes in helping those folks get out of their own way to find the personal income and time freedom they desire.
But his approach to taking control of business is different from that of other coaches. He uses a technique only practiced by a few hundred experts around the world.
Listen in today to get a small taste of what the Go for Growth podcast is all about.
Discover…
- The type of people you need to actually grow consistently
- Why you can’t “scale up” your brain – and how to get around that obstacle
- How to create one true vision for your business and get buy-in from everyone
- One of the best ways to get your message out to prospects and customers
- And more
It’s all too easy to get busy with the day-to-day of your business… and neglect to put systems in place that will help your company grow and be profitable in the long-term.
Jim Roddy, a business advisor with payment solutions provider Worldpay, helps small business owners streamline operations and plan for the future.
A big part of that is making sure it can survive – and thrive – if you’re not around.
We talk about the right way to delegate, as well as…
- Cross-pollinating business best practices
- Choosing passion over experience when hiring
- Why you want to avoid “big sales” – and what to do instead
- The advantages of “cheating” in business (and it’s totally ethical)