Tag: Grow your business

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044: Servicing Customer Base Through Tumultuous Time

It may sound like a cliché, but we say that with every problem there is an opportunity. And with the number of issues the world currently has, the opportunities are huge. Unfortunately, this is not an easy feat.

One of the pressing matters during this tumultuous time is sustaining service to the customer base. Business owners had to think of ways to get their services and products to people who need them. 

In this episode, the Business Geeks focus on solutions that can help entrepreneurs during this challenging time. If your business is feeling the effects of the pandemic, we’ll give you tips on how to adapt and share effective ways on how to operate your business. 

What To Listen For:

  • Real estate difficulties in Australia in the present times (03:25)
  • Employment situations in Sydney and the States (05:40)
  • The differences between the past and present living (07:19)
  • Business automation – yay or nay? (12:11)
  • Value vs Skill – what do business owners need to consider? (15:22)
  • Business solutions to counter the challenging times (18:18)
  • The significance of looking at the numbers: timewise and profit-wise (29:10)

One Cool Thing

Joe: Switched from Amazon Echo to Apple HomePod (32:03)

Take My Lunch Money

Jen: Design Powers – Women-owned and led company that designs websites (35:05)

Check-In With The Geeks

Posted by Business Geeks Podcast on Thursday, November 11, 2021

Catch us live each week on Monday 4:00pm EST / Tuesday 8:00am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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040: Get Started With Your MVP

Business Geeks Podcast

The concept of a minimum viable product (MVP) originated from Eric Ries’ Lean Startup. It stresses the importance of identifying and presenting a product’s most rudimentary features so a business owner can collect the maximum amount of validation with the least amount of effort and resources.

In this episode, the Business Geeks discuss the importance of using MVP and how you can use it to fund, launch, and develop your business idea. They also share minimum viable product examples for businesses in the contracting or trade industries.

What To Listen For:

    • Getting investors vs using your own funds for your business (06:25)
    • MVP needs to feature what separates your business from others (11:20)
    • Airbnb as a case study for MVP (12:24)
    • Using MVP to strip down launch strategies (14:13)
    • Pare down the features (17:00)
    • What single problem will your MVP solve and how can you market it? (21:58)
    • Other features can be used as an “upgrade” (23:30)
    • Impose deadlines (24:01)
    • Use MVP even beyond the launch and as your business develops (24:46)
    • MVP for contracting or trade businesses (27:23)
    • Listen to what your ideal clients want or what you think they will want (34:30)

What’s Grinding Our Gears
Joe: Phone carrier call waiting systems and strict policies (39:33)
Jen: Subscription company with a confusing message (46:44)

Get My Lunch Money
Joe: Elgato: stream deck products (52:45)
Your Podcast Concierge (57:08)

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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039: How to Instantly Know Where to Focus! The Eisenhower Matrix

Business Geeks Podcast

As a business owner, you will have days where your to-do list will overwhelm you. To get back some control, you can start categorising your tasks according to the four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix: 1. important and urgent; 2. important and not urgent; 3. not important and urgent; and, 4. not important and not urgent.

In this episode, the Business Geeks talk about how they apply the Eisenhower Matrix to classify their tasks, how the matrix could be improved or adjusted according to personal management style, and the importance of delegation.

What To Listen For:

    • Categorising tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix (02:06)
    • The origin of the matrix (04:35)
    • Do you delegate only “urgent, not important” tasks? (05:10)
    • Other people’s “urgent, important” tasks may not be your emergency (05:56)
    • Maximise the “important, do later” quadrant for your plans (07:22)
    • The bucket list of tasks (08:02)
    • The “One day, maybe” list (10:06)
    • Delegate “do now, urgent” tasks to keep the quadrant light (11:48)
    • Delegate now vs delegate soon (14:29)
    • Define what is “important” and “not important” (15:25)
    • “Are we working hard on the wrong things or are we working hard on the wrong things?” (19:27)
    • What if you can’t delegate? (21:45)

America vs Australia
Sam: Passion fruit, sausage rolls and meat pies, pork belly and crackling, and fairy bread (28:10)

Review
Joe: 5-star review from CSTJKA (33:59)

What’s Grinding Our Gears
Joe: Emails and hard sell add-ons (37:22)

One Cool Thing
Sam: Headliner: an app that you can use to create audiograms, captions, videos, etc. (53:05)

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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038: The Employee Mindset vs The CEO Mindset

Business Geeks Podcast

Did you know that most businesses fail because of the entrepreneur having the wrong mindset? 

In order for your business to grow and scale, switching from a worker bee to boss mode is essential. 

In this episode, we nerd out about the differences between the employee mindset and the CEO mindset and how you can get your mindset straight in order to grow your business. 

The major difference between having a CEO mindset and an employee mindset is the vision. CEO’s don’t get stuck on the day-to-day grind but look at the long-term vision. A CEO’s role is to create the company’s mission and vision and to create its growth strategy. 

Are you holding your business back with an employee mindset or are you pushing ahead with a CEO mindset?

What To Listen For:

    • Wearing all the hats as a business owner (6:05)
    • Embracing the role as visionary (6:46)
    • Working hard on the wrong things (6:55)
    • Working only on the things you should be working on  (7:12)
    • Having the CEO mindset from day 1 (7:46)
    • Thinking of your team as an asset (9:19)
    • 92% of businesses fail within 10 years (13:44)
    • The importance of delegation (14:03)
    • What is a CEO and what is their role? (17:35)
    • The number one question to ask yourself if you are wearing the CEO hat (18:50)
    • Asking the wrong questions (20:18)
    • It’s okay not to have all the answers (24:13)
    • Delegating and having systems (32:12)

What’s Grinding Our Gears
Jen: The person who posts on Facebook: “If you care about XYZ then you will copy and paste this post”

Get My Lunch Money/One Cool Thing
Jen: Rowan Tree

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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037: Elevator Pitch Going Up!

Business Geeks Podcast

When you meet a potential client or network partner, how do you answer the inevitable question “What do you do”? How do you make sure that the person you’re talking to understands your value proposition and is engaged by your introduction that they will want to work with you? 

In this episode, we talk about elevator pitches. Terms related to it. Its origin, and some examples that will make you think about how you can effectively pitch your services without sounding like you’re selling a car to another person.

What To Listen For:

    • What is an “elevator pitch”? (04:33)
    • Do you use just one pitch? (07:10)
    • Do you think about the verbiage of your pitch? (08:34)
    • What’s the unique value proposition? (09:39)
    • “Elevator pitch” vs “proposition pitch” vs “value proposition” vs “positioning statement” (12:04)
    • Joe’s long proposition example (14:07)
    • You don’t have to condense what you do (16:43)
    • People asking questions about your introduction is not a bad thing (17:28)
    • Confusion does not equal interest (18:16)
    • Joe’s 5-second elevator pitch (19:38)
    • Origin of “elevator pitch” and its evolution (23:01Some final thoughts and tips (25:43)

What’s Grinding Our Gears
Jen: Companies that make it hard for customers to pay for their services (28:05)

Get My Lunch Money/One Cool Thing
Jen: The Art of Sucre: reinventing cotton candy (33:34)
Joe: Cheesecake-stuffed apples (36:45)

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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36: Networking, Networking, Networking

Business Geeks Podcast

There’s a famous quote that goes, “Your network is your net worth.” 

For business owners, this quote stresses the importance of building relationships and constructing a vast network of potential collaborators, partners, customers, guests, and the like. Networking can be an awkward and sometimes onerous duty, though.

In this episode, we dive deep into the importance and meaning of networking, offer controversial opinions about this topic, share stories of attending awkward networking events, and discuss the current state of networking during the time of COVID.

What To Listen For:

  • Networking can be difficult regardless of your personality type (03:32)
  • “Your network is your net worth” (04:35)
  • Networking defined (06:07)
  • “Networking is evolving for the better because of women business owners” (07:43)
  • An all-women vs mixed networking event (10:58)
  • A networking event with “green” business owners (12:23)
  • It’s hard to tell the value of a relationship as it evolves through the years (14:49)
  • “Success is contagious” (16:40)
  • Networking is not about making a sale (17:53)
  • Awkward moments during networking events (18:49)
  • Virtual and online networking (20:49)
  • Attending a networking event needs a purpose and clarity (24:28)
  • Non-traditional ways of networking (26:49)

What’s Grinding Our Gears
Jen: Spending a lot of time on introductions in online events (32:40)
All: Online etiquette (36:29)

Get My Lunch Money/One Cool Thing
Joe: Rent an AMC Theater for $99 (27:47)

Check-In With The Geeks
Sales Circus, Feb 15-19, 2021

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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035: Unique Ways To Generate Leads & Fill Your Sales Pipeline!

Business Geeks Podcast

As business owners, we always need to keep our sales pipelines full and robust to make sure we have regular and consistent revenue coming in. To achieve this goal, we need really good lead generation strategies. Oftentimes, though, we implement overcomplicated lead generation strategies thereby bypassing simple, creative and effective ways to attract clients into our businesses. 

In this episode, the Business Geeks share favourite and not-so-favourite lead generation strategies. We discuss the pros and cons of each one, offer practical tips on how to implement them, and share stories of the outcomes after using those strategies on our own businesses.

What To Listen For:

  • Importance of keeping pipelines full through effective lead generation strategies (03:43)
  • “Now Customers” vs “Future Customers” vs “Soon-to-buy Customers” (05:18)
  • Lead magnets (06:47)
  • Reaching out to people (07:36)
  • Podcasting (09:18)
  • Video email sequences (09:57)
  • Facebook groups, podcast kits (10:35)
  • Use different strategies (12:58)
  • Speaking to small groups and events (15:03)
  • Different definitions of “lead” (17:47)
  • Proving your credibility as an expert (19:10)
  • Collect WhatsApp contact info (21:26)
  • Paid sponsorships (22:18)
  • Online events (26:11)
  • Short masterclasses (28:11)
  • Don’t ignore loyal customers (31:02)
  • Referrals and rewards (34:24)
  • Chatbots (39:00)
  • Networking (41:04)

What’s grinding our gears
Jen: Businesses that are on the free version of tools (42:17)

Joe: TV commercials that use bright, glaring light (50:06)

Get My Lunch Money/One Cool Thing
Jen: Leadaro Agency (53:56)

Check-In With The Geeks
Sales Circus, Feb 15-19, 2021

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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034: Is It Time For A Re-Brand?

Business Geeks Podcast

Is your businesses’ look and feel starting to look a bit stale? Are you expanding your audience or considering a whole new one? Is there a disconnection between what you want your brand to be and what your customers think your brand is?

If you answered yes to these questions, then it may be time to rebrand and refresh the markets perception of your business.

In this episode, we talk about rebranding.  When is it time to rebrand?  And what are the different mistakes that businesses make when going through the rebranding process. 

When rebranding your business, it’s always a good idea to involve your current audience. Check in with your customers and clients and research the market before going all in.

While rebranding can be a good thing, it may be risky and costly for your business when not handled carefully. When done right, revamping your brand can help build your customer base, strengthen your brand perception, and grow your business.

What To Listen For:

  • Auditing your business to know when to rebrand (4:55) 
  • Name changing in your business is huge (9:45)
  • Merging and rebranding (12:00)
  • Re-branding errors (12:50)
  • Re-branding for established brands (13:50)
  • Listening to your audience (16:05)
  • Asking for feedback before rebranding (16:40)
  • Getting people to understand what you do (19:45)
  • Rebrand vs refresh (21:04)
  • Re-educating your audience (21:27)

What’s grinding our gears
Joe: People not wearing their masks, specifically in amusement parks and amusement parks not upholding their policies (32:30)

Get my lunch money
Joe: Johnson’s Popcorn (38:50)

Check-In With The Geeks
Sales Circus, Feb 15-19, 2021

Check-In With The Geeks

Catch us live each week on Monday 8pm EDT / Tuesday 10am AEST at the Business Geeks Podcast page on Facebook.

Submit your question to the geeks at questions@businessgeekspodcast.com to have your question answered live on the show. Be sure to include your business name for a free shoutout.

Find Samantha at SamanthaRiley.global

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Find Jennifer at Sparent.co

Find Joe at SuperJoePardo.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS