Mads Singers Management Podcast (Mads Singers )

SaaS is such a key part of the business world in general so it’s always great to go behind the scenes with someone who is actually in the trenches, building and managing a SaaS.  Jeroen Corthout, our guest for today’s episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, is building Salesflare, a B2B CRM servicing a few thousand companies.

While you might think of a SaaS as the company that would be most likely to be built by a distributed remote team, prior to March 2020 Salesflare was 100% in-person in Antwerp, Belgium.  Jeroen had believed that everyone “being in the same room” was always going to be the best-case scenario.  But what he noticed as the team was forced to go remote via governmental regulations and lockdowns, was that the “same room” philosophy was lazy.  “It meant we were relying on accidentally overhearing something.  There was no system in place.”  That system was put firmly in place as 2020 continued, down to how the team would keep track of decisions in meetings (Google Docs visible to all) and how they could see people’s reactions when they weren’t all in the same room (having everyone tiled during a team call so that everyone could be seen).

This intentionality in communication had long been a hallmark of how Salesflare dealt with customers.  Every developer periodically spends a week on the customer-facing side, to get a sense of what is going on there in terms of customer feedback and technical issues.  Jeroen noted that AI will play a role in software development in the future, but for now it’s up to him and his team to try to anticipate what the customer is thinking using processes like developers listening in on calls or watching chats.

SaaS businesses face several dueling pressures.  One is the question of profitability vs growth.  I was glad to see that Jeroen wasn’t chasing profitability at any cost: he was clearly aware of his niche and stated that at the beginning of the episode.  He also shared his desire to improve the hiring process as the company grows in the future.  The other dueling pressure he has to deal with every day is building vs communicating.  The development team has to build a great product and tries to extract from customers what they like, but more importantly, why they like it.  This communication with the customer is key, and Jeroen encourages this early on by not only adding every potential customer on LinkedIn, letting them know there’s an open door should they wish to talk but also by adding more “free trial” time as those new users complete more tasks within the CRM.  

If you, like me, find the SaaS trend fascinating, this episode will be a great chance for you to understand it more, from someone who is living it day-to-day.  Enjoy!

Key Learning Points:

1. Jeroen talks about the essence of what SaaS has to deliver to be competitive - 3:00

2. Jeroen shares the two main jobs of any successful software company - 4:10

3. Jeroen discusses systems he has in place to make sure his team understand how customers are thinking - 7:37

4. Jeroen notes the need to stay in touch with his team and with clients (and how he does both) - 8:14

5. Jeroen explains the process his team uses to improve the product - 9:40

6. Jeroen opines on the game-changing nature of his team going remote due to Covid - 14:54

7. Jeroen stresses the importance of morning standup meetings - 19:35

8. Jeroen ruminates on the push/pull tensions of growth and profitability - 25:50

Connect with Jeroen Corthout:

1. Salesflare
2. LinkedIn

Episode Summary
This week, I am speaking to Patrick Kilner, who has advocated lead generation through the right network and influence. What’s interesting about Patrick is that he built his success from the global recession over 10 years ago. And relied heavily on networking and having the right relationships, which helped him thrive above the global crisis! 

Since then, and after seeing the impact it made on him and his business, he realized how lead generation, as we know it today, became very superficial and lacked depth. He’s always believed that the only way to make your business “disruption” proof is through using influencer pyramid. He also shared a very practical way of networking for small business owners.

I know we’ve covered some exciting episodes about networking for small business owners BUT today’s episode is one thing you would not want to miss! I never thought lead generation as we know it today has a weak point no one talks about!

*BONUS*

Tune in until the very end and learn how you can get a free chapter of his book, Find Your Six!  

Listen to this week’s show and learn: 

• 3 overlooked obstacles in the way you do networking;
• Why lead generation has become a losing proposition today;
• Who should your networking be focused  when you are a small business owner;
• What true influence is and how to win and develop it systematically 

Episode Resources: 

Book: FIND YOUR SIX: Stop Lead Generating & Start Building Influence

Author: Patrick Kilner

1. FindYourSix
2. Mads Singers Free Management Training
3. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these: 

#164: Learn How To Build A Huge Network For Your Small Business

#159: Stop Making This Networking Connection Mistake Today

#49: Byron Morrison on Mindset and High-Performance Consulting

Have comments about the show?
Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Welcome to another episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast! Today's guest is Karena Calhoun. Karena is a mindset, life, and purpose coach whose passion is to help people find their purpose in life and live out their dreams.

Like many people, Karena started in the corporate world, but she decided to take a different path later on and help people.  I begin my talk with Karena by asking her how one finds their passion, what steps to find one's passion in life, and how they should see it. 

Karena shares that one can take a look back into their childhood to rediscover what excites them; this is important for those who don't have the means to get a personal coach or have a support system at hand. She then adds that people shouldn't rely on one's passion while one's passion can be their purpose. Instead, people should look at things they are good at, things that make them excited, things in society or in the world that make you angry, things that make you want to make a change in the world - these are basic steps that will help you jumpstart the process in finding out your passion. 

Karena then shares her experience discovering her passion while still working in the corporate world; however, she liked what she was doing. It wasn't impacting her and the people around her because she was hitting wall after wall. 

This then led her to sit down and think about what she's good at and where she shines, and because of this, Karena eventually found her way to being a life and mindset coach.

When we find our authentic selves and help others along the way, there is no goal that we cannot achieve or dream that cannot be fulfilled.

Key Learning Points:

1. Karena shares that one can take a look back into their childhood to find out and rediscover what they are passionate about.- 3:12
2. Karena says you shouldn't depend on your passion alone- 3:44
3. Mads shares what he calls his "excitement meter."- 6:52
4. Karena shares what for her is the secret to life - 9:55
5. Karena says that it doesn't take much to attain your goals as long as you have that line of sight and know what tasks you should do every day. -11:28
6. Karena reveals that she doesn't let being an introvert gets in the way of her purpose.- 12:13
7. Mads says that people are motivated differently. - 13:19
8. Karena adds that business owners should be able to identify the trigger points of their staff. - 13:34
9. Mads says that when you help your employees identify what motivates and satisfies them, even if it's not related to your business, your employees will present themselves in a much better way and be better employees - 14:55
10. Karena says, "a leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be" - 17:13 

Connect with Karena:

Website

Email

Facebook

LinkTree

Sustainable Digital Entrepreneurship may vary from one entrepreneur to another, and that’s OKAY. In a world of possibilities presented by new media and internet technologies, its success may be measured through a lot of ways and methods. 

Joining me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is an SEO Strategist and Founder of Flow SEO, Viola Eva. 

Viola Eva runs a Digital Marketing Agency called Flow SEO, where they specialize in search engine optimization for digital businesses. She travels around the world to talk about SEO, including content management. 

Digital entrepreneurship has been one of her passions and hobby on top of the digital agency she currently runs. In her body of work that circulates around SEO, she ensures that their approach is data-driven, transparent, and sustainable. 

The main thing that Viola encourages with her team to succeed is being proactive, which she compliments with intensive feedback. 

As dynamic and engaging as she is, she ensures that she gets everyone onboard effectively and efficiently.

Key Learning Points:
1. Viola Eva’s Insight on People Management - 10:42
2. Viola Eva’s Take on Content Creation - 21:30
3. Viola Eva’s Pursuit of Overcoming Initial Obstacle in Digital Entrepreneurship - 30:34 
4. Viola Eva’s thought in Data and Insight Difference - 36:24
5. Viola Eva’s Insights on E-commerce and SEO - 40:54 

Resources Mentioned:
1. Stealing Fire
Author: Steven Kotler, Jamie Wheal

Connect with Viola Eva on the following online handles:
1. Linkedin
2. Flow SEO

3. E-mail: viola@flow-seo.com

Chris Templeton is joining me on today's Mads Singers Management Podcast episode. Chris has been an entrepreneur since the late '90s. Since 2003 he has opened an online marketing firm and shares how his stepmother gave him the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Because of Chris' exposure to the book, he formulated 3 (three) questions and a model that allowed him to help people become more self-aware of themselves quickly. Because it is universal, it enabled Chris to understand why people behave the way they are and act in a manner that serves everybody.

Unlike most roles, management can be tricky because nobody knows what bad management is. After all, we are not aware of what we are doing and why most of the time. Although not a therapist or psychologist, Chris has made it easy to understand. That makes it easy for everyone to know where you are and where other people are and how to move forward that serves everybody. 

Our first management gig is usually our first failure because of our pre-mature perspectives. Business leaders and managers should be able to communicate with everybody effectively because this can influence the behavior of our staff and the people around us.

Communication is critical in many aspects, whether in relationships, business, school, or even your family and friends. However, if you want to work with others and manage other people, you will need to communicate effectively. However, communicating effectively isn't being taught in most schools.

Although it may seem daunting at first, management is a skill just like anything else. Once you understand what you are doing and how to do it, you will appreciate it much more. When you get to know how to do the basics right, you will enjoy doing it more. This becomes more fulfilling when you have a team that will help you every step of the way. 

As managers and business owners, we have the power to create passion in the lives of our staff. However, we must look at how we use our language and what we are saying so that our message is delivered and executed correctly. The answers you are looking for are correct in front of you, but to receive that answer, you will need to be ready to choose what feels suitable for you and what's authentic for you.

Key Learning Points:

1. Chris shares how his stepmother described a concept in The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle. He discovered that we are often driving ourselves crazy in certain parts of our lives rather than external forces. - 01:19
2. Because of our skewed experiences about management, usually from our parents, Chris says that many potential and future managers struggle with managing their business or staff properly. - 06:23
3. Mads says that when you want to work with other people or manage other people, it's all about communicating well. - 07:19
4. Chris says that when we start to communicate authentically, we behave differently. - 09:22
5. Mads says that if something isn't going in the way you want to, rather than put the blame on others, you should work on yourself to make it better..- 10:20
6. Before going off at an employee or giving feedback, Chris says managers should use his model and ask themselves if their story is serving them at that very moment. - 12:14
7. Chris shares a quote from Viktor Frankl, "Between stimulus and response, there is a space, and in that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response lies our growth and freedom."- 17:06
8. Mads says that when you set up an excellent management system or when you first build something that is super solid, management education, for the most part, happens naturally. - 22:21
9. Mads continues that people or companies that don't develop and promote their staff internally tend to hire more people from the outside, making a wrong impression on your existing staff because they no longer see a future in your business. - 24:34
10. Chris says that when you realize that you can create passion in people's lives by being authentic, you will see a great magnitude of indifference, but to do this, you need to look at how your language with what you are saying and how you are saying your message.- 30:15

Resources Mentioned:

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

The Work of Byron Katie

The Honesty Project Playlist

Connect with Chris Templeton: 

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Email

Twitter

YouTube Channel

Podcast

We’re doing something a little different for this week’s episode in the Mads Singers Management Podcast because this week’s guest is none other than Dr. Emil Goliath, a doctor, and entrepreneur. Dr. Emil worked for four years as a full-time doctor until he decided to call it quits and become an entrepreneur as he was fed up with the system of modern healthcare, and he didn’t have the freedom to live the life he wanted. 

While entrepreneurs are undoubtedly the kings and queens of delayed gratification, Dr. Emil said that he witnessed countless times where entrepreneurs have neglected their health only to reach the peak and be in bad shape. Instead of doing extreme workouts and crash dieting, we can take baby steps that can help shift us to at least 1 degree towards being healthy because getting fit and staying in shape shouldn’t be a competition yourself or others.

It’s like building a new habit or replacing an old one with a good one where we slowly start until it eventually becomes a lifestyle. Although many attribute speed and taking on several things at once with entrepreneurship, it isn’t a practical way to succeed with your goals, especially in today’s world where we are constantly bombarded by faux practical advice easily shared through our social media platforms. Nowadays where it’s often paired with aggressive marketing to sell us products that promise to deliver instant results. And because such things bombard us, we tend to overeat the food and information we see around us.

We don’t need to do drastic things immediately, like going on a crash diet or going from 0 to 100 when exercising. Instead, we can do small and gradual stuff until we get used to them. And with things slowly opening up worldwide, we can try joining a class or going to the gym. It’s also essential to hire a personal trainer to know what you are doing and get the best results possible. With such busy schedules, we entrepreneurs must have flexible routines as much as possible. However, just because it’s flexible doesn’t mean we should allow other things to overlap, and we completely forget about it.

Key Learning Points:

1. Dr. Emil says that health is a massive part of the hustle and our lives, that it is intrinsically connected. - 04:23
2. Instead of doing extreme exercises or crash diets, Dr. Emil says that we should ask ourselves what small things we can do today can shift us to 1 degree towards being healthy. - 05:07
3. Rather than doing all things at once, Mads says that entrepreneurs should take the slow and gradual way instead- 05:45
4. Dr. Emil shares about the 80/20 rule, where although it sounds cliche, he says that we should do things that have more bang for our buck because when we start with things that make the most impact, even small changes can give us a positive effect. - 07:29
5. Dr. Emil says that one of the best ways to intentionality, especially in eating, is being aware of your food and tracking your food. - 11:46
6. While data is essential in making choices and changes in life, we shouldn’t overanalyze it. Instead, we can improve our relationship with the information we have. - 17:37
7. Mads uses sugary food as an example and how it impacted him. He then says that once you realize how it affects you, it will be easier for you to be aware of its effects and become more conscious when presented with another opportunity. - 21:19
8. Dr. Emil recommends building an easy exercise routine that you can do regardless of where you are and combining it with some resistance and strength training- 30:23
9. Dr. Emil continues that doing optimal exercise is almost moot, especially if you don’t commit yourself to it. - 30:55
10. While many struggles with being consistent in their workout routines, Dr. Emil suggests that it’s better to give 20% every day when working out rather than pushing for 75% or 100% for five years and achieving minimal results. - 35:14

Resources Mentioned:

The Four Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferris

Connect with Emil:

Website

Facebook Page

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Dr. Emil Nutrition Website

Yellow Pages was a dominant advertising paradigm for many small businesses for so many years and it worked well for many of them.  Put up an ad and the sales would roll in.

Today’s guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast, John Vuong, lived in that universe for ten years before transitioning to the digital advertising world.  John really enjoyed working with small business owners and watching their journeys to build successful businesses.  He had a passion for helping them on that journey and hence when the paradigm began to shift away from Yellow Pages, he moved on to the then-unknown world of SEO.  

He didn’t let that lack of knowledge scare him.  He jumped in with both feet and made more than his fair share of mistakes.  But he says that his sales background really helped him in this new SEO world.  I noted that SEOs are not normally known for being social and gregarious and that a sales background could clearly be a differentiator in that space.

Something we both really agreed on was the importance of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.  This isn’t just important when dealing with clients you are trying to help, but also with employees, you are trying to delegate tasks to.  Failure to delegate in the SEO world will mean the death of a small agency, which I see far too often with owners who also happen to be subject matter experts.

John noted that a lot of his clients aren’t interested in understanding the black box that is SEO: that’s what they pay him to do.  But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t explain some basics to them.  “Consumer education in this space is key,” he noted.

We finished the episode by talking about the importance of company culture.  I firmly believe you can build a company any way that you want to, as long as you are crystal clear on the culture that you are building that company on top of.  

John’s humility and openness about his journey are encouraging for any of those who might be considering entrepreneurship.  Enjoy!

Key Learning Points:

1. John shares his motivation to get into SEO - 3:06

2. Mads talks about the trap of the subject matter expert - 4:32

3. John notes the necessary consumer education for SEO clients - 6:45

4. John discusses his early mistakes - 8:08

5. John talks about how public speaking and podcasting made him more resilient - 10:30

6. Mads shares how his inherent ability to read people got supercharged by DISC - 12:00

7. Mads notes that most SEOs lack EQ - 15:05

8. Mads affirms that you can build a business however you want to, around a culture that matters to you - 22:30

9. John talks about how his sales life prepared him for entrepreneurship - 30:30

Resources Mentioned:

1. Principles by Ray Dalio 
2. Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss

Connect with John Vuong

LinkedIn

Local SEO Search

Nowadays, marketing is diversified. Diversified in the sense that Artificial Intelligence could make or break your marketing strategy and customer experience journey. 

Joining me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is Jerry Abiog, Co-founder and CMO of a company called Standard Insights, an AI Growth Marketing Platform. 

Jerry’s journey started 25 years ago when he first landed his steps in the corporate world. He then realized that he could do better on his own, which eventually led him to become the co-founder of Standard Insights, an AI Growth Marketing Platform. 

Standard Insights help businesses execute the data-driven campaign, and omnichannel campaigns, which later enables them to monetize their data on Facebook, and what this does is, it helps them target the right person with the right product and service at the right time. Standard Insights enable companies to be more competitive in a data-driven world. 

In the manner that Jerry manages his people, Jerry checks upon himself now and then that he is not micro-managing and instead empowers his people by proving them access or liberty to work on the output they all agreed on. Considering that Standard Insights is a start-up company, letting his people believe in the mission and vision that they do is the challenge that Jerry undertakes each day. 

For Jerry, AI is never a static state as it is data-driven. As data changes and moves, so is data, but this is not an excuse for Jerry’s mission to help his clients prioritize and execute smartly. 

***Avail Jerry Abiog's 10% off on your subscription by simply mentioning MADS10! Click here now!***

Key Learning Points: 

1. Jerry Abiog’s Co-Foundership Experience - 4:21
2. Jerry Abiog’s Management Philosophy - 6:46
3. Jerry Abiog’s Most Difficult Experience in People Management - 8:02
4. Jerry Abiog’s Significant Mistake from a Business Perspective - 8:53
5. Jerry Abiog’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) Platform - 10:28, 13:04, 16:10

Connect with Jerry Abiog through the following online handles: 

1. Website 
2. Linkedin
3. Twitter 
4. E-mail: jerry.abiog@gmail.com or jerry@standardinsights.io

Today, joining me for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Joseph Fung, the CEO, and Co-Founder of Uvaro, an online sales accelerator that helps sales professionals be more successful regardless of their specialty is. Based in Canada, Joseph is a lover of all things tech, software, and entrepreneurship.

We begin this episode where I admit that sales aren’t my thing and where I asked Joseph when it is the right time to hire your first sales rep for your company or business. Joseph agrees that sales can be complex because he has also struggled with his first companies. He shares how he tried to learn those skills quickly by going to ToastMasters and the BNI, where he learned how to make a pitch and do the proper handshake.

According to Joseph, unlike other careers where you can get accreditation, sales is different because you can’t just check the list. Instead of looking for someone who has all the credentials, Joseph says business owners should look for someone who knows their customers well. 

While taking risks is part and parcel of starting a business, many entrepreneurs don’t tend to see its downside, especially when some of them have the privilege because they can have something to fall back on if their venture fails. Each of us has our interpretations when it comes to starting businesses. Some say we shouldn’t do business with our friends or families. Some will say that it isn’t wise to start a company with a stranger. Still, regardless if we have a good or bad experience, we should always take it as a learning experience.

Whether you choose to join BNI, ToastMasters, or whatever group is out there, you will reap more than what you have planted initially if you deliberately want to improve yourself. The sound energy you put out there will come back to you tenfold and even more! Although it may not be automatic, intentional improvements will significantly affect yourself and the people around you.

Key Learning Points:

1. Joseph says that everyone looks for sales reps that have sold similar things before. While it can work, he says that it works better if you know your customer well. - 03:00
2. In reply to Mads’ statement, Joseph says that even though top-level candidates or employees may produce good results, they may not necessarily have the same results for you. - 03:47
3. Mads says that many business owners and entrepreneurs don’t tend to see the downside when taking a risk- 12:33
4. Joseph shares that he has had both painful and sound experiences in business. However, both of them were all learning experiences - 18:36
5. While being spontaneous is a good sign when starting a business, Mads cautions that business owners shouldn’t always change their ideas and products every week. - 21:37
6. Joseph says that he is a firm believer in creating a workplace where one can thrive and have a healthy (work-life) balance - 22:24
7. Joseph adds that it’s essential to have partners who have a similar level as you. - 22:43
8. Mads says that the quality of people you surround yourself with matters. - 28:03
9. Joseph says that when you put good energy out there, it comes back to you - 35:18
10. Joseph says that if business owners and sales reps are deliberate about improving each step of the way, the effect will be compounding. - 39:39

Resources Mentioned:

Video Library of Uvaro

Connect with Joseph: 

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

Instagram

Episode Summary

Can you achieve "profit predictability" in your small business operations by simply being effective in communication leadership? Adam Liette, Smooth Operations founder, joins us in today's podcast episode and shares how this is possible! 

Behavioural science tells us that every interaction affects people's performance. Each interaction can work best when we work from a place of comfort or on schedules, when people know what is expected of them and see those expectations met. That's where effective communication leadership comes in place - providing my team members with predictability and creating a more guaranteed space for your profitability. 

In essence, Adam leverages on structured and tangible remote team communication to predict roadmaps for your team and small business operations with the use of an operating system he designed. To him, every business is a living, breathing organization. It's not just an org chart—it's also a group of people with whom you interact in ways that influence their performance. 

This is a must-listen episode! Make sure you take advantage of this and learn about Adam's structured approach to achieving predictability through team communication! 

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• Is emotional leadership really relevant to managing your small business?;
• 2 unlikely tangible results of effective leadership communication;
• How can an operating system make better predictability for your small business productivity. 

Episode Resources:

1. Adam Liette
2. Smooth Operator Podcast Show
3. Linkedin
4. Mads Singers Free Management Training
5. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Book: How to Win Friends & Influence People

Dale Carnegie

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert B. Cialdini

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these:
#163: 3 Leadership Traits That You Need To Have To Avoid Leadership Failure

#92: Isaac Smith on Team Dynamics

#70: Greg Gibas on Remote Work

Have comments about the show?
Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Today's guest on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Simon Kardynal, a Canadian Air Force veteran and the host of Trench Leadership: A Podcast from the Front. With his background in the military, Simon is no stranger to leadership; however, after 26 years of service, some people still get intimidated by his experience. 

Simon also had a hard time communicating with people after leaving the military. He had to make many adjustments, especially when he had to share and reach out to people. But this challenge didn't stop Simon from achieving his goals. He used this challenge as leverage to start his podcast to help upcoming leaders learn to communicate effectively.

Simon and I subscribe to the view that great leaders are built, not made. Because every leader was once a beginner who also struggled to get where they are today, they were once clueless and confused. Some had to go through complex challenges to achieve their goals.

For Simon, it's okay not to know everything. We shouldn't be afraid to ask for help from others, especially if we aren't familiar with something. This also applies to reaching out to people whenever you are faced with difficulties in life. Let's face it, we humans thrive on interaction, but because we all have our unique way of dealing with things, we need to consider how we should approach another person. 

Key Learning Points:

1.Simon shares about a program he was accepted into and how it taught him that leadership isn't about just leading with your brain but also with your heart. - 04:46

2. Simon says that a leader should be a blend of both intelligence and empathy. - 05:08

3. Mads shares that he is more of a logical person than an emotional person and admits he struggles connecting with people emotionally. Still, he doesn't let this stop him from reaching out to people or offering his support in a time of need. - 07:28

4. Simon shares how mingling with others became difficult for him as a leader. - 08:08

5. Mads says that you need different types of people in your company, you need people who can talk to other people, people who can make sales. Having people who are like you is ideal. However, it doesn't apply to every aspect. - 10:09

6. Simon shares that honesty will ensure that things will get done if you're honest and forthright with your people. - 12:17

7. Mads says that it's essential to recognize the different kinds of people you have in your company. - 15:35

8. Simon says that it's easier to build connections than understand when to push someone and read their body language. - 17:31

9. Simon shares a recent experience a few months ago when he realized that different environments require different things. Because of this, Simon's relationship with the people around him drastically increased. - 20:24

10. Simon talks about the importance of reaching out to talk to someone you trust when you find yourself in a difficult situation or don't have all the answers (and it's okay not to have all the answers all the time). - 28:29

Connect with Simon:

Email

Podcast: Trench Leadership: A Podcast from the Front

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Today's guest on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Dr. Erika Michalski, also known as The Consultant Barbie. She is the founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of Strategically Authentic, which loves helping people bring their vision and goals to life. With her unwavering passion for authenticity, she empowers people to show up as they are, see what they can do, what they are capable of, and leverage their skills so that they can move up to their next big thing. Dr. Erika will surely liven up your party as she loves strategic planning and is excited to share it with the world. 

Strategic planning - a fun party trick that Dr. Erika loves to death, is often put on the backburner by companies and business owners until the very end or when their problems start popping up because they have been ignored for too long. 

Although it's become a buzzword, being authentic will allow you to impact the people around you and the things you do, while chasing the same carrot as everyone else may seem ideal and more accessible. However, many will not feel satisfied when they reach their end game and feel like they wasted time and effort on something unworthy. 

Rather than giving in to what society dictates as a measure of success, we should focus on our direction. Often, we look up to other people we admire and try to emulate them, and while there isn't anything wrong with that, we would make much more impact when we show up as ourselves rather than imitating someone else. 

To be authentic, one needs to show up as they are, don't let others define your success, and while it's not wrong to grind for your goals, ask yourself these questions: 

1. Are you pushing because you want to?
2. Are you moving because you're supposed to?

Investing in your people is a must because they are the ones who will drive your business or even sink it. Regardless of whether they decide to stay or leave, it's essential to make people feel valued. 

Don't fall for trendy and generic professional development that you see being paraded around. Instead, spend time with your staff and see where you can take them from there. But before promoting someone, make sure that you will be able to communicate why you are doing that to provide them value and an opportunity to grow. Even the least interested leader will take up the mantle when given clarity on why they are granted that role. The same goes with delegation. Being given clarity and acknowledged will allow people to flourish more.

Key Learning Points:

1. Although it's not new, despite becoming a buzzword today, Dr. Erika says that your contributions will be most effective, and your existence will be most impactful when you show up as yourself, not as a deluded version of someone else. - 03:31
2. Dr. Erika says that authenticity invites you to be more reflective and intentional about your choices in your personal and professional life. - 04:09
3. Dr. Erika says that you are the owner of the direction you are going. - 05:21
4. Dr. Erika adds that authenticity is the decision to learn from other people but not necessarily emulate them. - 05:41
5. Dr. Erika says we have become weirdly obsessed with the idea of not being content with the things we have. - 09:43
6. Dr. Erika shares that if you cannot train your brain to the here and now, to be present, you will only be pursuing and not be content with what you have. - 13:32
7. Dr. Erika says that unhappiness comes when you no longer know who you are because you rely on other people's success metrics rather than your own- 19:34
8. Dr. Erika says that if your identity is tied to a singular point (being an entrepreneur or being someone's significant other), then it is not sustainable- 27:40
9. Mads highly recommends that businesses and entrepreneurs invest in their people, especially managers because most people don't develop their managers because they are not provided with the proper training and guidance. - 28:06
10. Contrary to the famous saying that the best salesman won't make the best sales manager or the best engineer won't make the best engineering manager, Mads believes that if someone has the skills and the personality to learn how to be the best engineer or salesperson, then they can also learn how to become the best manager with the proper training, tools, and support.. - 34:44

Resources Mentioned:

First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Boffman 

The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant

Connect with Dr. Erika

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Joining me today on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than Allan Milham. Allan is the founder of Questage®, a leadership development company based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Allan has been working for the last 25 years with entrepreneurs and leaders with organizations worldwide. 

He has helped people elevate their impact as a leader and understand the leadership brand that can help them get leverage in their careers. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us were affected and had to take a step back. However, to make an impact as a leader, Allan shares his tips on how business owners and leaders should be self-aware and observant with their pace during the day.

Allan believes we all have a different calling which can be tied with purpose so that a purpose title with a legacy then you got back at the end of the journey. We have challenges, and we need a leadership conversation to stay alive, focused, and it can happen during the conversation. Mads also adds that the more leaders, the better. The more people developed leaders, the better. Being a leader, you have to live your values, whatever they are.

A leader is not about leading but learning. We need to be humans who have a lot of curiosity over today's surroundings, join the team by encouraging discussions for better probabilities and take your time wherever you need time to contemplate. These are just simple motions with a significant effect on the environment and culture. 

Key Learning Points:

1. Allan shares how he was a late bloomer compared to his siblings where they had things figured out. - 01:27
2. Allan shares how Questage allows leaders to find the pause they need and to be able to self-reflect - 03:31
3. Allan continues that when leaders can pause and self-reflect, they can come up with better solutions and results. Team members are more excited to be around that team leader because they're slowing down, adjusting, and curious. - 03:44
4. Mads shares that he dislikes the phrase "You should be working on your business, not in your business" because many people don't understand the word. - 04:30
5. Allan says he holistically defines leadership: it's how you lead at home, how you lead with your family, and how you lead in your communities. - 05:34
6. Allan shares that the new generation is demanding more of the Learner Leader type - 06:31
7. Allan believes our calling is tied with purpose, journey, and legacy. - 18:25
8. Mads says it's not easy to reverse roles, but you must be aware. - 22:40
9. Allan says that our bodies are the messengers that let us know when we should take a break. - 23:59
10. Mads is a fundamental believer where happiness is a choice but in also owning your destiny- 27:10

Resources Mentioned:

Enneagram

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr

Connect with Allan:

Website

LinkedIn (Company Website)

Allan's LinkedIn

It’s always nice when our guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast is familiar with hosting a podcast.  In this episode, I’m chatting with Jesse Jackson (no, not that Jesse Jackson) about best practices when it comes to managing and communicating with teams.  Jesse has spent most of his career in the call-center business, working in various divisions, be it sales, customer service, and tech support.  He has managed teams from 25-50 people.  When he’s not with his family he’s recording podcasts about Bruce Springsteen and Dr. Who.    

Jesse moved to a new company last year and had dozens of new team members to meet.  He met all of them in two weeks, asking some short simple questions:

• What do you like about working here?
• What do you not like?
• What can I do for you?
• What’s a song you have to have on a road trip?

Jesse’s fellow managers were stunned that Jesse had managed to meet with everyone so quickly, but Jesse couldn’t understand why this wasn’t a basic expectation: how could he be expected to understand his team if he couldn’t take a few minutes to meet with them?  He created a Spotify playlist using everyone’s songs and shared it, as well as the two most important pieces of feedback that kept coming up in his meetings:

• Everyone enjoyed the family atmosphere of the company, but
• They didn’t feel as much in the loop as they wanted to be

I noted that not only is communication normally an issue between management and teams, but that some managers don’t have the self-awareness to realize that they are not communicating in the way that is best for all the members of the team, but in the way that the manager typically prefers.  Jesse understood that instinctively and said that when he sends out communication he usually does it across multiple platforms, be it email, Loom, and messages on Teams/Slack so that everyone could get the info in the format he/she preferred.

Jesse also noted how far telling team members WHY goes.  He shared multiple occasions in which sharing the why behind his decision led to buy-in and adoption.  That sort of sharing also gives employees the confidence to come to you with ideas for improvement.  He gives those employees the advice that he earned by his own lessons: come to management with facts instead of feelings, and have the confidence in yourself to advocate for your ideas.  Don’t just back down at the first “No.”  Management has natural resistance built-in.

I agreed, pointing out that whenever I’ve seen employees own an idea they work that much harder to get it implemented.

It was a pleasure to chat with Jesse.  Enjoy the episode!

Key Learning Points:

 1. Jesse talks about why it’s so important to meet with each team member when you take over a team - 4:45

2. Mads warns of bad tendency leaders have when communicating with their team members - 7:50

3. Jesse shares why the “mushroom treatment” doesn’t work for team members - 12:30

4. Mads notes the three pitfalls of failing to own unpopular decisions - 15:50

5. Jesse encourages those who want to advocate for change with management to show up with facts, not feelings - 24:45

6. Mads stresses that people will tend to fight to help bring one of their own ideas to life - 30:50

Resources Mentioned:

Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni

Connect with Jesse Jackson

 Set Lusting Bruce

 Twitter

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast! It’s been quite a journey, and I couldn’t have gotten here without your support! 

Joining us today for our 100th episode is none other than Jeremy Lunnen. Jeremy is the global leadership development programs manager of Qualfon that runs contact centers around the world. Jeremy has been with Qualfon since 2006 and leads the efforts of Qualfon University by training and developing people who are moving up their first supervisory positions.

Jeremy and I had a fascinating discussion regarding management and how to train people in becoming leaders. With most job roles requiring some form of training, many people are promoted as managers get little to no movement and struggle in their new position to manage their team. Regardless if a person is a natural-born leader or has the potential to be a leader, they cannot unlock their full potential if they do not receive the proper guidance and training.

We then continued how some managers and business owners become cautious when working with other people from different cultures because there are differences in cultures and how some may get culture-shocked because they get exposed to something unpleasant.  However, because of advances in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more companies are starting to adjust and get used to working with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads points out that many capable people who get promoted as managers lack the essential training to be efficient.- 4:31
2. Mads says that having a company culture is essential, and all successful business is built on solid culture..- 9:33
3. Jeremy likens company culture to growing a garden: having a good place, removing rocks and weeds, tilling the soil, etc. Doing nothing or not taking action in creating your company culture allows negative things to grow and take their place. - 10:00
4. Jeremy says that your company will have its culture, whether it’s the culture that you carefully cared for and cultivated or the culture that popped out of nowhere because you didn’t pay attention. - 11:00
5. Jeremy says that being a manager isn’t all about numbers. Managers need to focus on their soft skills. He then adds that managers need to know their people and what motivates them.- 14:16
6. Mads says, while a great salesperson can’t be a great manager, a person can be trained to be a great manager. However, it doesn’t happen automatically. - 16:28
7. Jeremy stresses that managers shouldn’t focus on gaps or the things that people lack. - 19:22
8. Jeremy quotes Marcus Buckingham: “Focus on strengths, manage around weaknesses.” - 19:48
9. Mads shares that when people don’t see it coming and get fired, you have done a horrible job as a manager because if people aren’t performing well, they need to know. - 27:49
10. Jeremy encourages people to travel to experience and learn about other cultures and meet different people. - 33:24
11. While there are some negatives in working with other cultures, Jeremy and Mads point out that it’s crucial to unlearn some things to grow your staff or team. - 39:06

Connect with Jeremy:

Email: jlunnen@qualfon.com

Podcasts: 

Mission Qualfon Podcast

Leading From The Basement Podcast

Active Management is a lot, like investing successfully in the stock market. If you hope to make a fortune in a day, you’re not going to be successful. What matters most is what you do day by day over a long period of time.  

Just exactly as how my guest today, Ray Blakney paced his way through in building online businesses. 

In today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Ray Blakney joins me to share how listening to employees made his goal-driven Management a lot easier. 

Ray Blakney had training for computer engineering but has been building online businesses over the last ten (10) years. He holds around 150 staff members around the globe from over five (5) different continents. 

As his business grew over time, significant changes had to be made to keep things going. Ray runs his virtual company 100% and operates through Slack. 

Driven by goals, he makes sure he invests in the right things to make it happen. For him, it’s always people first layered with management. 

This mindset is the excellent news Ray wishes to impart - that managing people and business is not static. No matter where you are starting from, you can always get better. 

Key Learning: 

1. Ray Blakney’s Management Philosophy - 1:52
2. Ray Blakney’s Management Challenges and Ways of Overcoming -  6:52, 24:43
3. Ray Blakney’s Take on Delegation - 18:30
4. Management Tips from Ray Blakney - 29:30

Golden Nugget: 

Ray Blakney’s Skip-Level Technique - 9:30, 12:00

Resources mentioned: 

1. Slack 

Connect with Ray Blakney on the following online handle(s): 

1. Live Lingua 
2. Linkedin 

Episode Summary 

In my experience, fixing a workplace conflict, whether it is remote or not, always involve quite - a unique dynamic. Lorraine Segal, our guest for today’s podcast episode, not only knows how to navigate her way through it but mastered the way to it! 

Lorraine thinks of conflict differently. People think when there is conflict, they automatically think that something is wrong. Truth is conflict is part of being human. Most of the time, we approach fixing workplace conflict by simply telling the people involved that “you have to be the better person” or “think of it that it’s just another conflict” - essentially, downgrading the conflict to something that is inexistent. 

Listen ‘til the very end of this podcast and learn the factors to include in conflict remedy, reframing conflict, your unique approach to conflict remedy, and how you can identify a healthy conflict from an unhealthy one! This episode will be your cheat sheet in people management! 

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• What is reframing in conflict remedy?;
• How reframing becomes a better tool in managing your workplace conflict;
• How to never lose a workplace argument again: The importance of workplace conflict transformation.

Episode Resources: 

1. Conflict Remedy 
2. Linkedin
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these: 

#111: Stacy Owen Johnston on The Pursuit of Happiness and Finding Your Authentic Self

#44: Quentin de Pret on Collective Intelligence and Participatory Management

#32: Brent Zahradnik on Learned Interests to Entrepreneurial Success

Have comments about the show?

Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

While the Internet has created so many new opportunities for building business and creating revenues, the realities of the traditional business world have not disappeared.  In fact, with legislation like FATCA and GDPR now in place, it’s more important than ever to have access to a legal mind who understands the digital world.

John Di Giacomo, today’s guest for Mads Singers Management Podcast, is precisely one of those legal minds.  John has an internet law firm called Revision Legal which specifically serves those people who make money on the internet.  He’s been in the “internet law” business for a decade now and has plenty of war stories to share.  

One of those stories was about legal trolls: people who find laws that you might be “violating” and then try to make you pay for those “violations.”  One such scam involves the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and website compliance with that act.  These trolls will test a site to see if the website is accessible to those with disabilities and if not, send a demand for compensation or even file a lawsuit.  John shared some tips on how to amend your website terms and conditions to avoid these trolls, but if you want to learn more, there’s plenty more ADA knowledge on his website.

He also noted that the COVID crisis has actually brought a fair amount of buying and selling in digital businesses and that he’s had a fair amount of work during this time.  But that’s also reminded him of things people fail to do when operating their businesses with a future sale in mind.  One of those things is locking down trademarks.  He shared a case in which a company with dozens of restaurants in its portfolio had to go through an expensive and time-consuming renaming process simply because someone else had duly filed a copyright on the name and ordered a cease-and-desist.

He also warns against inexperienced buyers thinking they can just waltz in and operate a business.  John notes, “it’s not enough to have ‘read all the books’ or ‘listened to all the podcasts.’” There is no substitute for experience.

John has also had a fair number of FBA clients, and as such, has had to deal a lot with Amazon on legal matters.  While some of my friends and clients were involved in FBA businesses, some of what John had to share Amazon’s policies and legal stances were really interesting.

John was our first lawyer ever on the podcast and he’s set a great standard for future lawyers to appear.  Enjoy!

Key Learning Points:

1. John shares what kind of activity he’s seen a rise in during the COVID crisis - 2:25

2. John discusses what the true worth of a business is - 6:00

3. John warns about earnouts - 7:45

4. John notes the challenges of working with Amazon - 11:47

5. John talks about dealing with remote employees - 16:53

6. John clarifies that digital assets can be difficult to protect (and value) - 20:12

7. John relates a trolling technique and how we can counteract it - 22:03

8. John gives us a strategy for developing business in the US - 26:53

9. John discusses the costs of getting a trademark - 31:00

Connect with John Di Giacomo:

1. Revision Legal

2. Facebook

3. Twitter

4. LinkedIn

Joining me in today's episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no other than, Ludovic Vuillier, Managing Director of Baer's Crest and Founder of The Good Life Manifesto. 

Ludovic Vuillier had an exciting launching pad as he started his career in Sales, not as planned as versus like everyone else. From this starting point, he launched The Good Life Manifesto, wherein it aims to help people discern what will make them generally happy and help them achieve whatever that may be for them. 

Garnering from this philosophy and experience, Ludovic profoundly understood the concept and reality of sales in a way that made him realize that the most difficult "Yes" in Sales was his "First Yes." From then, in the way he dealt with his clients and colleagues, he knew very well that each and everyone else is different, and what may work for one may not necessarily work for them either. Such that, in every dealings, putting circumstance in a context must be considered before moving forward. 

Key Learning Points: 

1. Ludovic Vuillier’s Entrepreneurial Tips on Sales - 2:27
2. Ludovic Vuillier’s Biggest Management Challenge - 3:48, 9:15
3. Ludovic Vuillier’s Personal Weakness - 15:36
4. Ludovic Vuillier’s Value Added Contribution - 19:13
5. Ludovic Vuillier’s Take on A Good Sales Framework - 29:24, 31:57

Connect with Ludovic Vuillier on the following online handle(s): 

1. Facebook 
2. Website: baerscrest.com 
3. Thegoodlifemanifesto.com 

Episode Summary 

I’m blasting with Scott McCarthy as he joins us in today’s episode! Scott and I share the same passion around performance leadership. But what’s interesting about Scott is that he is a Senior Army Officer in the day and a business leader at night! 

Scott, like myself, loves learning! Being an Army leader and a leadership coach at the same time, he developed the 3 pillars of leadership traits which will not only help you achieve your peak performance in the business that you are leading but also will help you avoid leadership failure. 

Tune in all the way to the end and make sure you do not miss knowing what you don’t know when it comes to performance leadership! 

What do we cover in this episode? 

• Will the difference between Army Leadership and Business Leadership benefit your leadership performance?;
• How you can avoid leadership failure; and
• 3 pillars of leadership traits that will help you achieve your peak performance 

Episode Resources: 

1. Peak Performance Leadership
2. Linkedin 
3. MFL Podcast
4. Mads Singers Free Management Training
5. Join Mads Singers Management Group 
6. 4 Stages of Psychological Safety by Timothy Clark
7. Never Split The Difference by Christopher Vozz and Tahl Raz
8. It’s Your Ship by Dr. Michael Abrashoff

Today, joining me is none other than Erin Young, the founder, and principal consultant for SlideUX. This family-run consultancy provides practical and measurable approaches to business rather than quick and fancy hacks to unlock a magical way to get rich and earn money. Erin is a user experience architect who shares the same passion as I do to simplify processes, especially in a business setting. 

Erin and I began our talk on how many businesses nowadays tend to offer a lot of services. Although it may generally sound like a good idea, this paves the way for confusion because most business owners may lose their way and even stunt or stop the growth of their business because they have too much on their plate. 

Many businesses tend to follow what's popular instead of providing value. When they are asked, they can't answer their ROI or if that service is helping the company. While most new businesses may struggle to simplify their process, they shouldn't hesitate to cut down their list early on because it might be the only thing stopping them from being successful. However, new business owners should ensure that whatever they are "niche-ing" into is a real need and not just a quick-rich scheme. 

The devil is in the details when you have a business. While seeing the overview of your business can help you feel inspired to work, business owners need to look a little closer to know precisely what's going on in their business and what's being worked on. Sometimes, we even need to get involved and throw ourselves in, especially when dealing with a difficult client or a new task.

Key Learning Points:

1. Erin shares how they used to offer many services to clients initially but had to get rid of them because it would take time for the client to get back to them. - 3:35
2. Mads says that having many services to offer may sound good, but it isn't generally a nice thing to do. - 5:18
3.  Erin shares how cathartic she felt when her company simplified their list of services; she adds that they could cut down on 75% that cluttered their list. - 05: 55
4. Erin says that you don't need to sell it if you don't have a standard for your service. - 7:00
5. Erin shares how she wishes she could go back in time to simplify her business sooner. - 10:21
6. Mads says that if you have an easy-to-replicate and standardize process, you should focus on that. - 11:21
7. Erin says that she uses the standards in her company as somewhat of an entry pass, especially for clients who want a longer-lasting relationship. - 14:21
8. Mads says that the devil is in the details when it comes to business.- 16:21
9. Erin says that she sometimes gets involved with her staff to retrain them rather than seek a new client.- 17:09
10. Mads says that if you have particular case studies, gaining new clients - even in the most "niched" areas becomes so much easier- 18:38

Connect with Erin:

Website

Facebook 

YouTube

Twitter

Today’s guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Timothy Colson, has spent many years in leadership, first in a big box retailer for almost a decade, then for a nationwide insurance company.  Today he runs his own insurance and financial services firm in New York, about an hour outside Manhattan.

Part of why Timothy runs his own firm today is his love of culture and the way that it can shape a team.  “We sell commodities.  There’s no need to take that so very seriously.  I want a team that values creativity, honesty, and having fun.”  Timothy noted that when he emphasized those core values, it wasn’t difficult to attract A-players to his team. 

Timothy noted that great culture happens when people enjoy their work, feel trusted and empowered, and come to work every day feeling like they are part of something.  I noted that that goes hand in hand with performance.  People who are performing well tend to be happier.  Those who are not performing well know they aren’t performing, and are a drag on themselves and the culture.  If they can’t get with the program, they have to go (and it’s better for them too!).

We also discussed “situational leadership” as a topic that is getting more attention these days.  Timothy sees that as assessing what is the most important issue in a given day or week, identifying the right person to deal with it, and then deploying that person to do so.  This fosters trust and empowerment in a team, as opposed to micromanagement, which tends to discourage team members.

Timothy and I also enjoyed roasting the old and outdated chestnut that, in management, you should always “treat everyone the same.”  The reality is that different people need different techniques and approaches.  Timothy talked about one particular scenario in which one of his team was performing very well, but not using the methods that had been determined as the “right way” by the higher ups.  After spending some time with her, he decided to ask for forgiveness instead of asking for permission from the higher-ups and leaned into the methods she was using to win.  He then documented those and passed them up the chain for approval.  Rather than insist that there was only one right way to do things, he took a gamble and helped coach his employee.

Timothy has a clear passion for the science of leadership and it was a pleasure to get to know him well.  Enjoy this episode!

Key Learning Points:

1. Timothy notes that it only takes one person to poison the culture of an entire company - 4:00

2. Timothy shares what he thinks a great culture does - 5:15

3. Mads reminds us that people who perform tend to be happy - 6:56

4. Timothy gives us his definition of situational leadership - 16:50

5. Mads warns that “treat everyone the same” as an idiom in management is outdated thinking - 19:00

6. Mads stresses the importance of self-knowledge to complement knowledge of your team - 21:32

7. Timothy shares how he found a way to help one of his team members grow in an unconventional way - 27:44

8. Timothy talks about an “aha” moment in regards to micromanagement - 33:03

9. Mads notes the biggest danger of micromanagement - 35:11

Connect with Timothy Colson

Tri-State Legacy Group

Today’s guest in the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than the sales evangelist, Donald C. Kelly! Donald runs an organization called The Sales Evangelist, where he and his team create a podcast and other business resources. He used to be a software sales rep who was very successful in his career. Donald shared what was working for him and enabled him to get coaching opportunities, speaking opportunities, and even consulting to companies where it grew. Now Donald has 14 individual teams where they do consult and sales training with their clients. He is also the host of The Sales Evangelist Podcast, where he and his team product podcasts for their clients.

Although it’s common for business owners to pass the torch to the next generation to focus on more critical business tasks, it cannot be successful if one does not delegate duties and responsibilities effectively. Effective delegation enables business owners, and managers must be able to plan efficiently.

While the pandemic has allowed more people and businesses to be flexible, it has also made more people become easily distracted because many people are working from their homes and can easily be pulled into rabbit holes. Donald shares his top 3 things on how people can manage their time better: (1.) Focus on the essential things on your list first (2.) Breaking down your time to 15 to 30 minutes to get things done, allowing room for error, and lastly (3.) Allowing yourself to have time for fun.

While the new normal may seem scary for most people, we can take small steps to improve our quality of life, whether at work or at home. While a schedule can help fast track a project or close a business deal, entrepreneurs shouldn’t focus on how much time is being spent on a particular task or project but rather on the output instead. Of course, you’ll need to communicate this clearly with your staff or team members.

Key Learning Points:

1. Donald shares his top 3 tips on how business owners can manage their time efficiently: 
2. (1) Planning and categorizing your days, (2) Give yourself 15-30 minutes chunks of time and giving yourself room for error, and (3) Have time for yourself to have fun and plan your day before. - 06:31
3. Mads agrees that many business owners and entrepreneurs tend to do too many things for their business, but it doesn’t help their business move or grow at all - 11:26
4. Mads adds that people should know and focus on their core priorities and make sure that they work on things or tasks that help move them closer to their goals.- 12:06 
5. Donald says that business owners shouldn’t push something off to a person if they don’t know what’s supposed to be done. - 12:38
6. Mads says that it’s better to delegate the things you don’t know to other people when growing a big business instead of figuring it out by yourself. - 13:59
7. Mads says that too many people focus on the process instead of the outcome - 19:30
8. Donald says that while we can fill up our calendars, it’s essential to use your time effectively and allow some room for error. - 24:12
9. Donald adds that people should do a daily recap when their work ends to be ready for the next day. - 24:24
10. Donald shares that it’s essential for business owners and managers to plan a fun time for themselves and their team, especially with the world dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and adjusting to a new normal in life. - 25:06
11. Donald says that it’s essential for you to nurture this culture to your team or staff, especially with many working remotely, so that things will flow more smoothly. - 26:53

Resources Mentioned:

15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management: The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs by Kevin Kruse 

The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran

Donald’s planner template

Connect with Donald:

Facebook Group

Instagram

The Sales Evangelist Podcast

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

Email

Episode Summary

In the past episodes, I’ve talked about ways on how to build your network! And this week’s guest and episode is slightly different from what we used to have on the pod. Today, Louis and I will discuss how to build your network, narrow your niche, and how the mentioned actions made a huge network for Louis’ small business! 

Are you struggling to grow your network in your small business, too? As with other episodes about networking, Louis and I shared what worked best for us and our businesses which you might gain some insights on! Tune in and discover how your small business can build a huge network! 

Listen to this week’s show and learn:

• Why doubling down on what you are good at matters;
• The power of delivering value and showing up in building your network;
• Are the basic ways of getting clients no longer working?  

Episode Resources:

1. Louis Goodman
2. Love Thy Lawyer Podcast
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed this podcast? Check out these:

#36: Frank Agin on Scaling Networking Connections

#101: Pablo Gonzalez on Networking and Discovering Positive Black Swans

Have comments about the show?

Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Seven years ago Martin Ebongue was living in France, working at a job that he enjoyed.  But he wanted more freedom, and since he had already built some online businesses with good revenue streams, he was able to quit that job and go on a world tour for 18 months.  He ended up settling down in Bali, which is where he was when he joined me as a guest for an episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast.  

One of the big themes of discussion for us on this episode was delegation.  Martin stressed the need to let go of your ego: “I’m not always the best person to take care of a certain task,” he noted.  But it’s not enough to just come to this realization.  There also has to be a process for delegation.  Martin’s process involves him going through the task once himself before handing it over to someone.  That person then confirms that they understand exactly how to accomplish the task (and if they don’t they can ask).  This seems to work well for Martin as he has only had one team member leave in the last seven years.  

I shared that one of the biggest pain points that should lead people to delegate in the first place is the burden of being a subject matter expert (sometimes in multiple fields).  That means that people are always coming to you for decisions, creating bottlenecks.  Martin agreed, saying that while it may feel like a burden to create a process in the first place, that’s only a short time commitment which pays outsized dividends in giving you more of a personal life.

Martin also believes in having a team culture that looks for collaboration rather than competition.  Given that his team is spread out across three continents (Europe, Africa, Asia) that’s a powerful mindset to keep the team collaborating.  This collaboration extends to the hiring process.  Martin’s first two employees were simply excellent freelancers that he ended up bringing on full-time.  He began to realize that people who have achieved mastery in a certain field tend to know others who have also achieved mastery in different fields.  This led him to start looking for potential candidates from his team’s recommendations.  There are so many different components to a great team, and different candidates bring different skills and personalities to the table.

Along these same lines, I was recently chatting with a coaching client about a new hire he was very excited about.  “If only I could get one more like him,” he said.  “Well,” I said, “why not ask him?”  Winners know winners.

Martin is one of those winners and I know you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Key Learning Points:

1. Martin shares the locations of his remote team - 2:43

2. Martin discusses the importance of letting go of your ego in delegating better - 3:45

3. Martin talks about how he empowers his employees once he has delegated tasks to them - 6:35

4. Martin outlines his process of delegation - 8:02

5. Martin states that he has only had one team member leave in seven years - 11:15

6. Martin notes the progression of some freelancers to becoming his first hires - 16:05

7. Martin emphasizes the importance of asking your people to help find new hires - 17:30

8. Martin stresses the short-term pain that needs to be overcome in creating new processes - 20:20

9. Mads talks about the hazards of being a subject matter expert - 25:18

10. Martin opines about the time of team culture he wishes to foster - 29:08

Connect with Martin Ebongue

Facebook

The principle of business process management is that processes are critical to the success of an organization or of a business. How an organization or business repeatedly and sustainably transform its business processes from X to Z is the essence of the organization.

Joining me in today's episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is Kieran Browning, Business Optimization Consultant. Kieran joins us today to impart to us how he is working with Agency Owners to streamline their processes so they can grow without the owner's constant involvement. 

Kierran Browning works directly with agency owners to streamline their operations and scale their business without the stress. 

Kieran's philosophy in process management is that problems must not repeat over and over again. Otherwise, the process does not work, or the process is not enforced. 

For Kieran, the process and the people must work for the organization. 

****Avail Free  Strategy Session for One (1) Hour And Know How To Increase Your Organizational Efficiency***
Click Here!

Key Learning Points: 

1. Kieran Browning'sBrowning's Process in Streamlining Businesses - 1:08, 2:25
2. Kieran Browning'sBrowning's Roadblocks in Business Process Management - 3:42
3. Kieran Browning'sBrowning's Learnings from a Management Standpoint - 12:35
4. Kieran Browning'sBrowning's Tips on Process and Task Management - 19:57

Connect with Kieran Browning on the following online handle(s):

1. Website: www.KieranBrowning.com
2. Linkedin
3. E-mail Address: kieran@kieranbrowning.com

My guest for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is the ambitious introvert Tasneem Ali. Tasneem is an authentic leadership coach at Fervent Living and the Client Director for Online Audience Measurement at IPSOS. As an ambitious introvert herself, Tasneem loves helping her fellow introverts grow in their way while growing in their career by creating an authentic leadership presence.

Most of the time, new business owners will hire people in their likeness or those who resemble their personalities and traits in one way or another. While this may seem like an excellent way to get the ball rolling, it can create problems later on, mainly if a conflict arises in the company or workplace; this can lead to severe issues with your staff and even investors if not checked. However, to win at having the right team, one has to hire right, and in doing that, one has to understand what they are as a person, what kind of people you work well with, and who you are looking for. 

While there are tons of ways to look for people, whether it's using a recruitment agency to look for potential employees or looking for them by yourself, but regardless of what method you will be using, winning at hiring the right people is by making sure you get your write down your job description clearly and what kind of people you want for the job. 

And since we are dealing with people, we should also treat our employees as human beings.

Business owners tend to have a rather unhealthy obsession with themselves and only care about their business, thus neglecting their people because they can be easily replaced. While investing in your team members can be time-consuming, the rewards you will reap will be great.

Spend time to identify your employees' strengths by either a.) taking strength-finder tests, b.) asking them because people generally know what they are good at or what they are interested in, and lastly c.) observing working closely with them.

Key Learning Points:

1. Tasneem says that an essential step in winning or getting things right is by hiring the right people - 01:30
2. Tasneem says that when hiring right, one should understand who they are, what kind of people we work well with, and who you are looking for. - 02:08
3. While experience is an essential requirement, Tasneem adds that business owners and managers should look beyond the CV of potential employees and look at their characteristics and see if they can work well with you and who you are looking for. - 02:16
4. Mads says it's not just about hiring someone good but also understanding what fits you as an individual and understanding the role. - 03:50
5. Tasneem says that when building your network, business owners should join associations and trade bodies that are relevant to your business because not only will you be updated with the latest trends and information in your niche but because you will quickly get recommendations of people who you can work with - 09:05
6. Mads shares how he uses LinkedIn to his advantage when traveling. He reaches out to people by opening his LinkedIn and messaging random people in the area he is visiting. He adds that this has allowed him to meet great friends and allies who he will likely never meet if he didn't reach out at all. - 10:17
7. Tasneem says that business owners should foster an environment where employees are committed to working where they feel that they belong and contribute to the success of their organization. - 16:08
8. Tasneem talks about how people are not giving feedback well; she builds a strong team because she is very open and forward. But how we deliver feedback should also matter to allow a shift in people's mindset. - 19:35
9. Mads says that the value of a company is in its people, and the more you increase the skillset of your people, the more valuable your company has, the more your company's worth increases, the more you will have happier clients. - 22:33
10. Tasneem says that business owners should put people first because when you put people first, they put your business first. - 22:42

Resources Mentioned:

Blog

Connect with Tasneem Ali:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Email

The proliferation of podcasts in all spheres means that occasionally one of my guests also hosts a podcast.  My guest for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Justin Varuzzo, hosts the Marketing and Service podcast.  Here he interviews guests who share, through different techniques and strategies, his focus on exceptional customer service.

Justin shared several stories that illustrated something we instinctively know but don’t often ponder: the bar for customer service is so low that even a minimal effort will impress people.  Justin shared that when asked, most people can’t even come up with three exceptional customer service experiences.  While that’s bad for our society as a whole, it’s a great opportunity for businesses to shine and to build strong long-term relationships with customers.

I really agreed with this and I shared the importance of adding 24-hour chat support to e-commerce websites in an increasingly globalized economy.  While some people mistakenly consider such chat support to be a luxury, the reality is that it’s often the difference between someone placing an order and someone not placing an order and we have often seen for ourselves the jump in sales after chat support was added.

Justin also noted the people sometimes miss the basics when looking for some special hack to promote their businesses.  One of those basics is making sure that you claim your Google My Business account and make sure that all of the information is correctly filled out.  This can make a difference to your SEO in general and local SEO in particular.

One of the maintenance tasks in Google My Business is responding to reviews and Justin noted that he’s seen far too many solopreneurs, in particular, take negative reviews personally.  As a result, they tend to respond inappropriately, for all the world to see.  I agreed, and added that a negative review can sometimes turn out to be a positive thing!  The whole world can see your response and if you do it right, people can and will still do business with you.  In fact, some of the biggest brand advocates we’ve seen once left a bad review...which takes us back to how we kicked off the episode: talking about the lifetime value of customers and doing what is necessary to keep customers happy rather than take the chance of losing them.

Some customers deserve more attention than others...these are the “whales” that keep your business afloat.  Justin advocates doing something nice for them on a regular basis.  It’s just one more way to stand out in a global marketplace.

I really appreciate Justin’s customer-oriented approach, and I think you will too!

Key Learning Points:

1. Justin explains his focus on the customer journey - 2:53

2. Justin talks about his goals in building a relationship with clients - 4:10

3. Justin shares a fascinating story about customer service experiences - 8:28

4. Mads discusses the rising importance of 24-hour chat support - 13:30

5. Justin notes the importance of warranty in a purchase decision - 18:30

6. Justin warns against the danger of taking negative reviews personally - 24:20

7. Mads explains what a great opportunity negative reviews can be - 25:10

8. Justin advocates doing something nice for the “whales” in your business - 27:40

9. Justin explains a mistake many make on employee evaluations - 30:33

Resources Mentioned:

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

Connect with Justin Varuzzo

Marketing and Service

Episode Summary

This week, I am speaking to Daryl Urbansaki, who spent years doing Meta-Analysis to finally study at least - on a scientific basis the ultimate key success factors in business that make money across the board! These business success factors are the ones you would want to take a list on! 

Key factors in small business success or any business may seem complicated to you, but the truth is, Daryl has had it summarised for you! While he's able to do half the battle for you, good and effective leadership is still crucial for it not to work against you and your business objectives. At the end of the day, concepts are only as good as the ones implementing them. 

Magic happens when you put your mind into it! Learn how you can integrate these critical success factors examples in your business, and navigate it to your advantage!

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• 8 fail-proof key success factors in business that make money;
• Where do business owners struggle the most?;
• The single most important thing a business owner can focus on. 

Episode Resources: 

1. Best Business Coach
2. Linkedin
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these:

#141: TaJuanna Taylor on Learning from Other Leaders and Mastering Your Skillset

#34: Ludovic Vuillier on Effective Sales Framework

#29: Melinda Byerley on Priorities and Management

Have comments about the show?

Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Julian Goldie is joining me from Bangkok for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast.

Julian runs his link-building agency where he builds backlinks to help clients rank higher on Google, get more traffic, and be seen easily. Julian has clients worldwide and has worked with several freelancers and contractors alike. But Julian didn't get to where he is today without a bit of struggle. Like most beginners, Julian hired cheap VA's because he wanted to get things done efficiently. However, this proved to be more of a problem rather than a solution.

Freelancing is not a new concept; it's been around for quite some time now; however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and many people working from home currently, freelancing has been put in the spotlight. 

With many companies going remote for the first time during the pandemic, many have struggled to shift from the traditional work setting to a small workshop setting. 

While many companies struggled going remote, many employees, especially those who work in corporate or in rigorous environments or career fields, found freedom. Many employees could spend more time with their families, learn a new skill, discover something new about themselves, pick up a new hobby, and many more. Many people would still prefer to work remotely even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

As a business owner, you want to be doing SOP's as little as you can. 

Learn to delegate small, time-consuming, mundane tasks to your staff so that you can focus on more important things and grow your business or spend time on things or hobbies that matter to you. It's essential to have a solid framework to quickly onboard and train any new staff you hire or upskill the existing team you see fit for a promotion.

Although some may think that SOP's are a waste of time, these can save you time on training so you can quickly get a project started or work with a client but do keep in mind that you'll need to adjust to your staff's language and knowledge because not everyone is on the same page. If you have an outsourced team, you can have your project managers translate the SOP into your staff's language like Julian's team in the Philippines.

Key Learning Points:

1. Julian says that paying more for a VA or freelancer pays off more because they are proactive and quality is assured. - 03:08

2. Mads says it's essential to have a solid recruitment process so that you can hire the best talents and weed out the bad. - 04:10

3. Mads says that recruitment is about hiring the right people, having solid training, and having solid workflow processes.- 05:49

4. Julian adds, sharing from a book he has read recently, that managers and business owners should maximize their processes, not their people- 06:55

5. Julian says that SOP's should be kept simple. Writing it down in Google Docs is enough. - 09:28

6. While going out of your way to deal with a problem can save you time and money, Julian says business owners should instead spend their resources on something more substantial.- 16:57

7. Julian says that business owners should be careful to incentivize when working with freelancers. You want to try to be one of the best clients to your freelancers - 18:12

8. Julian adds that you need to find the balance between managing freelancers properly and giving them the trust, the freedom, and the flexibility to do their jobs as well as they can. - 19:18

9. Julian says that it's essential to be very clear with your expectations when working with freelancers- 26:19

10. Julian says that regardless of the metrics you use, it's essential to keep it simple so that they know exactly what is expected of them.- 28:48

Resources Mentioned:

Principles: Life and Work: by Ray Dalio

Connect with Julian:

LinkedIn

Upwork

YouTube

TikTok

Email

Website

Coaches are like guides who help you unpeel and navigate what you know to help you come out with the best outcome.

Joining me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no other than, Todd Palmer, the leader. He knows that we only learn by leaning into the uncomfortable and away from the comfortable.

Todd is a serial entrepreneur and has been a CEO for 25 years. Recently, Todd retired and is currently, a full-time coach and speaker helping entrepreneurs through his company Extraordinary Advisors to do inside out leadership training, to help them stick around their business, take their complicated business issues and make those complicated business issues simple so entrepreneurs can create a life designed to typically involve entrepreneurship and their personal life to help them enjoy a better life and a profitable experience versus trying to do all by themselves which for Todd is the real hidden trap of entrepreneurship.

Todd subscribes to the view that every entrepreneur should never stop learning and should always consider themselves as long life learners to be able to know better and figure things out accordingly for them.

Key Learning Points:
1. Todd Palmer’s Biggest Management Challenge - 1:37
2. Todd Palmer’s Common Client Challenges - 14:41
3. Todd Palmer’s Insights and Tips - 31:49, 37:07

Connect with Todd Palmer on the following online handles:
1. Extraordinary Advisors

2. Linkedin
3. Twitter
4. E-mail: todd@extraordinaryadvisors.com

While we frequently talk to entrepreneurs on the Mads Singers Management Podcast, we also enjoy speaking with top leaders at companies.  Today’s guest, Esbe Van Heerden of OnFolio, is one of those leaders.  She’s spent five years building and running online businesses, with a heavy focus on operations. 

Esbe started our discussion by explaining the challenges of rapid growth.  In her case they went from five team members to 25, and from 25 assets under management to 52.  That meant that as systems were developed, they sometimes had to be abandoned because they didn’t work at the new scale.  But she was also constantly reminded that any system is better than no system.

I readily agreed, noting that the number one challenge I see in my personal coaching clients is a lack of willingness to trust the process.  So many business owners are just looking to replicate themselves instead of putting in the hard work necessary to build a business, which means creating processes, delegating tasks, and trusting people.

Part of delegation is setting expectations, and Esbe shared that one of the areas that she’s recently improved in is setting expectations and KPIs for her team.  Not only does this make them easier to manage, but it also makes it easier to let them go when they aren’t meeting those expectations.

If your staff are properly managed by clear expectations, that means it costs you less to deliver services, which is one part of raising profits.  The second is making sure that you laser-focus on your niche, the one thing that you do really well.  When you are laser-focused you can charge your clients more because you are going to be delivering a better quality of service.

This is a major mindset shift for entrepreneurs who must come to focus on the “one thing” mentality as opposed to the “cash grab” mentality.  In the latter case, distractions disguised as revenue drag you away from building a sustainable business.

Sustainable businesses are kept that way by making sure you have the right clients.  Esbe recently did an audit which led them to drop ⅓ of the clients in their portfolio, which, in classic fashion, were roughly the 20% sucking up 80% of the time of the company.  While some of those clients were legacy clients, people who first helped the company get up and running, being in business often means making the tough, not the easy, decisions.

Esbe will often pause to think about what she wants to say, and I wish more people had this thoughtfulness instead of just rushing to answer questions.  I think you’ll appreciate her answers and her way of answering.

Key Learning Points:

1. Esbe talks about the challenges of a rapidly growing company - 2:30

2. Esbe recounts the creation and evolution of the company wiki - 5:33

3. Esbe shares her perspectives on the difference between management and operations - 11:40

4. Mads warns about the frequent problem of owners bottlenecking their own businesses - 14:20

5. Mads parses the difference between owning a business and owning a job - 19:46

6. Mads shares the importance of shifting your mindset as a business owner away from a “cash grab” mentality - 21:37

7. Mads argues for narrowing the scope of what you do - 23:07

8. Esbe talks about dropping the bottom ⅓ of their clients to focus on the top ⅓ - 24:15

9. Mads talks about the benefits of laser-focusing on your niche - 27:14

10. Esbe notes that it’s easier to let people go when there are KPIs and expectations in place - 31:45

11. Mads reminds us that we don’t know the quality of a plan until we execute it - 40:20

Connect with Esbe Van Heerden

Esbe@onfolio.co

Today's guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Todd Kuckkahn, a keynote speaker, executive coach, and fellow DiSC practitioner.

Although Todd has had several experiences under his belt, it wasn't until a couple of months ago that he decided to take the leap of faith and become a full-time entrepreneur. Much of Todd's work involves aiding, developing, and creating businesses; he was also a high school basketball coach, where he also taught in high school and even in colleges. Although entrepreneurship can be quite a challenge, it has its highs when you seal the deal with a client and its lows when you question yourself if you can eat next month. The rewards that you can reap are worth it! It's not always set in stone because some may become an entrepreneur early on while others may have it later in life, but regardless of when you will be taking that leap of faith, it's essential to keep in mind the lessons you pick up learning along the way.

While there are apparent differences between big corporate companies to small and medium businesses and startups, regardless of where you belong, it's essential to stay focused on your purpose and why: What's the reason behind it? Why are you doing it? 

I cannot stress enough how important communication is because often, when high-performing managers or anyone on your staff starts performing poorly, it could be they have problems at home. Instead of waiting around for things to worsen, it's essential to approach them and help them get them back on track. 

One of the easiest ways to do this is with the use of DiSC in your workplace or organization; this allows you to discover a person's communication style and meet them halfway rather than dragging them through the mud. 

We are all bound to make mistakes. However, because we have self-awareness, we now know what to do in the future to avoid repeating that mistake. But to know oneself, one must practice what they absorb from reading books or listening to podcasts, and these don't happen overnight! These habits take time, so allow yourself lots of room for improvement. 

Be mindful of what you are feeding yourself, regardless of its platform; rather than binge-watch a show, you can spend that time exercising or reading.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads says that he has observed that most teachers make good managers. - 01:32
2. Todd says that being an entrepreneur doesn't need to have a timeline. To some, it may happen when they are as young as 22, while others may achieve it later in life. - 03:36
3. Drama and conflict will always be part of the business, your family, and even your relationships. Still, Todd says that conflicts can be a good thing when you know how to handle them, and that's why he says that you must have your base value and continue to build on that and develop your communication skills.- 05:39
4. Todd adds once you develop your communication and people see that you're an honorable person because you live up to your values, then the trust grows, and by trusting each other, you can have constructive conversations around that conflict because the faith is there.. - 06:04
5. Mads says that people don't understand people who are different from them. That is why he advocates the importance of learning about DiSC and applying it in life or your workplace. - 10:36
6. In building your company culture, Todd shares his 3-prong mantra: Dream Big, Know How to Have Fun in the Work Place, and Get Stuff/Work Done.- 15:13
7. Todd recommends reading as a tool for personal development, whether by yourself or within a company, that you can then use and relate with people by having conversations. - 17:50
8. Taking a cue from Simon Sinek, Todd shares how exercise and love are similar because you don't instantly fall in love with somebody, but rather it's a process when taking on a partner. - 21:59
9. Todd says that we all make mistakes, but we must have self-awareness so that we won't repeat that mistake in the future. - 23:22
10. Todd says that it's vital for business owners and leaders to detach themselves from their business and nurture relationships with people, regardless of whether it's done over a Zoom meeting or in person if they are nearby. Have an inner circle where you can discuss your challenges so they can help you solve them- 27:08

Resources Mentioned:

FISH! philosophy

I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition by John C. Maxwell

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni 

Connect with Todd:

Website 

LinkedIn

Schedule a Meeting

Email

Twitter

YouTube

Facebook Page

While many leaders have leadership challenges, there are particulars of leadership unique to each leader level—the transition from being an individual contributor to leading others, then leading other leaders require enhanced capabilities.

Michael Tanner joins me in today's episode of Mads singers Management Podcast to talk about his passion for Leadership Development. 

Michael started his management and leadership career 23 years ago; his experience at the US Marine Core made him realize the true essence of leadership - that it is not about the rank or your direct reports, leadership, after all, is about the relationship. 

Currently, Michael is not just a software developer but also a leader of other software developers. It is alongside his career that he is also engaged in what he calls his retirement business, which is focused on Leadership development in his earnest desire to see people win. 

Michael subscribes to the view that leadership involves influencing others towards a shared goal. 

Michael also believes that leadership development is essential for emerging leaders. The transformation of mindset from being an individual contributor to becoming a significant partner or leader is crucial in not just carrying out the responsibilities but transforming the organizational culture itself. 

Key Learning Points:
1. Michael Tanner’s Management Philosophy - 4:31, 5:23
2. Michael Tanner’s Leadership Inspiration - 7:58
3. Michael tanner’s Insight on how to get out of “Career Survival Race” - 11:23
4. Michael Tanner on Grooming Emerging Leaders - 19:45, 23:22
5. Michael Tanner’s Approach to Personality Tests - 29:30

Golden Nugget: 

Golden Rule on Leadership - 37:41

Connect with Michael Tanner on the following online handles:
1. Credible Leader
2. Twitter
3. Linkedin
4. E-mail: michael@credibleleaders.com

While hiring is one of the most important parts of running any business, the truth is that many companies are not intentional about hiring.  They don’t have calibrated questions that relate to company culture.  They don’t use an assessment.  They don’t have interviewing skills.  I’ve written about these topics before, but it’s always great to learn more from others who spend a lot of time thinking about these subjects.

That’s why it’s my great pleasure to welcome Beth Miller to this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast. Beth runs Executive Velocity, which is a talent management and leadership advisory management firm.  Beth works with business owners and their leadership teams and helps identify future leaders in the organization. 

Both Beth and I know how much money can be lost by bringing on the wrong team members.  That’s why it’s so important to be intentional in the hiring process.  Beth identifies the beginning of this process in having a “company story.”  If you don’t know where you came from, it’s really hard to figure out where you are going, and the profiles of the people you need to help you along the way.

If companies have taken the time to write their story, they can then use that to put together a hiring process, another item that many companies don’t often possess.  Key elements of that process that Beth and I discussed:

• Calibrated questions - not just the generic ones (“tell me your strengths and weaknesses”) but the ones that are related to how you company thinks, acts, and executes
• Assessments - using tests like DISC and Business DNA which not only shows inherent characteristics but opportunities for helpful adaptations
• Video - it’s never been easier to find out rapidly how many candidates should be dumped from the process early on (or to get excited about those who might be great fits)
• Interviewing skills - don’t assume everyone “knows how to interview.”  Cultivate those skills in those who most frequently interview new team members

Key Learning Points:

1. Beth discusses the importance of a hiring mindset - 1:57

2. Mads shares the two most important skills of a manager - 3:41

3. Beth warns about the dangers of a manager hiring a “Mini Me” - 4:40

4. Beth notes that many businesses don’t know how to attract the best candidates - 8:10

5. Beth shares the importance of having a “company story”  - 9:45

6. Mads notes how game-changing adding a video requirement to a job application can be  - 12:55

7. Beth encourages the types of questions that are tied to your company’s culture - 16:10

8. Beth shares what “I” vs “we” language means when a candidate is recounting a failure - 19:17

9. Beth stresses the power of assessments - 25:15

10. Mads shares the usefulness of DISC - 28:49

11. Beth talks about planting palm trees and how that’s related to training employees - 40:14

Resources Mentioned:

1. How to be a Great Boss

Author: Gino Wickman

2.  DISC profile

3.  Business DNA

Connect with Beth Miller:

1. LinkedIn

Employee engagement propelled by spending quality time with your employees irrespective of employee rank and roles makes magic. Innovating engagement can both be tricky and costly in the absence of creativity. Most of the time, the simplest ingredient is the most neglected. 

The success of a business is highly dependent on how effective communication is across all ladders. 

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Noel Andrews joins us, who is an advocate of effective communication. 

Noel Andrews is the CEO and owner of Jobrack, which is an online job board. He subscribes to the view that communication is two-way. Receiving the message is not enough, the manner the message was conveyed and received makes it work, and building connection is the key for this to happen. In the absence of connection, communication among employees will be one way which has proven itself to be ineffective and inefficient over time. 

Noel is fully aware that his most significant strength is helping business owners scale up their business by finding them A-players his customers need. With this advantage in mind, Noel ensures that he is in touch of his management philosophy wherein Noel provides that he can figure out what he desires as output and later communicates it. He always finds time to do so. For Noel, the impact of his people-oriented action is crucial in the manner that the body of work is done.  

 
Key Learning: 

1. Noel Andrews’ Management Philosophy –  (3:44) 

2. Unique Management Style – (27:04); (28:57) 

3. People Management Mission – (6:31), (6:46), (7:03)  

4. Outgrowing Business Related Challenges – (14:38) 

5. Identifying Tomorrow’s Leaders – (21:25), (21:56)

6. Onboarding Process – (8:16)

7. Business Risks – (35:54) 

8. Tips, Tricks, Suggestions – (40:57), (44:50)

Golden Nugget: 

Management Philosophy – (3:44), (15:52) 

Implications of spending time in communicating – (4:53), (9:49)

Applications Mentioned: 

1. Slack

Connect with Noel Andrews' on the following online handle(s): 

1. Website 

Every entrepreneur makes this mistake: Ineffective Delegation. AsrorJon joins us in our podcast episode today to share how he has been an active player in the cleaning service business industry. Unlike others, AsrorJon immediately became resourceful when he realized how technology and effective delegation skills could potentially increase his business's revenue and leads. AsrorJon's humble beginnings in establishing his cleaning service business led him to become skillful in management. We share the same take on management and delegation, making this episode exciting and exciting! A fact about our guest today is that he is my first Uzbekistan podcast guest, so it's refreshing to hear new ideas and stories! 

If you want to know how to turn one business venture into multiple ones, then this is for you! Learn more about an expert's secret by tuning in!  

What else do we cover in this episode? 

-Management lessons learned from his corporate experience which he has been practicing in all of his businesses 

-Hiring lessons learned from his past mistakes 

-How he learned effective delegation and how it helped him exponentially 

Resources Mentioned: 

The Immigrant’s Companion: Making Your American Dream a Reality

Author: Asrorjon Shukurov

Connect with Asrorjon Shukurov: 

Linkedin

Personal Website

Green Cleaning Association

Fix Contractors

Interworld Cleaning

Pruz Investments

Joining me today on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Andrea Overend, founder and owner of Globetrot Pro and Dream Vacations Cruise and Land Vacations travel agency.

Andrea had an early start on entrepreneurship and has had many ventures since then, including her restaurant and travel agency.

Now, unlike most travel agency owners, Andrea thrived during the pandemic despite being caught up in confusion when the lockdowns all over the world started. Even though some travel plans were postponed, the experience made Andrea realize the importance of having her team around to help the business stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrea had an early start with team building. With her experience in the military, this became a natural thing for her because many teams surrounded her during her stay there; eventually, Andrea slowly branched out to other circles like her church group when she returned to civilian life.

Unlike many business owners who tend to hire directly, Andrea likes to build up her staff and even dip her hands into the nitty-gritty of business, such as learning about a specific niche, the logistics involved in setting up that business, or what permits need to be claimed or applied for. And while it's common for companies to go over their budgets or exert more effort, it shouldn't be because of something that's not essential. 

Although it may not be evident initially, business owners should know what department or niche their staff should belong to, spend time with their team and get to know them. This dynamic also helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses; while you may enjoy crunching numbers, a staff member of yours doesn't. Another critical aspect in running and building a business is delegation. While being in control feels nice (and it has its perks!), holding on too tightly to power can cause problems in the long run.

Key Learning Points:

1. Andrea shares that when she opens a business, she acts on what she knows. 
2. For the things she doesn't know, Andrea immediately hires an expert or finds a book for that topic. - 06:03
3. Andrea shares her teambuilding philosophy: gathering and taking things off her plate. - 06:42
4. Andrea says that there will be days where you will be working for 120 hours or spending more than your usual budget; however, it shouldn't be because you're beating ahead or trying to figure out something that you're not needed for. - 07:57
5. Mads says that you'll need to make sure you can provide excellent customer service if you're selling an expensive brand or product. - 09:15
6. Mads likens hiring experts to cheat codes in a game where you can gain instant access to a level or beat the final boss with ease. - 10:20
7. Andrea says teambuilding with a consultancy is very important for your team. - 12:59
8. Andrea says that the best hires you have in your staff still need leadership and direction - 13:54
9. Mads says that when he hires people, he doesn't just look at what credentials a person has but also how that person can develop later on. - 15:58
10. Andrea says that while staff should follow SOP's, they should also have freedom because not everything is black and white. - 23:04
11. Andrea says that while we often hear information and that implementation is essential, it doesn't mean we have to take in everything. She adds that even one action step is enough to make a change in your life.- 41: 44

Connect with Andrea:

Facebook

Website

It is every leader’s responsibility to own and communicate a vision for those who desire to follow. It is every leader’s responsibility to map out a course on a larger scale and find good talent to become a significant partner in developing people to their fullest potential. These are just a few of the many responsibilities that are expected from a leader, but a leadership legacy focused on developing people is something more.

I discussed these insights today with Rocky Romanella in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast.

Rocky is known to be a respected business leader willing to take risks and new challenges. With more than 40 years of executive-level experience, Rocky navigates and guides business ventures to define, prioritize, and deliver strategic initiatives for maximum value and profitable results. He is also the Founder of 3sixtymanagementservices wherein, they work with clients to generate sustainable business results through its proven Balanced Leadership Model.

Rocky learned and realized that great leaders believed in their people until they were ready to believe in themselves. This insight was one of the leading anchors in all his business undertakings. 

Rocky also believes that profound self-awareness is significant in learning, developing, and eventually growing whatever that maybe. 

Get It Now! 

Tighten The Lug Nuts: The Principles of Balanced Leadership

A 5 STAR book

Key Learning Points:
1. Rocky Romanella’s Take on Internal Growth - 4:48
2. Rocky Romanella’s on His Professional Success - 9:22
3. Rocky Romanella’s on Acquiring Talents - 23:17
4. Rocky Romanella’s Take on Delegation - 26:54

Resources Mentioned:
Book: Tighten The Lug Nuts: The Principles of Balanced Leadership
Author: Rocky Romanella 

Connect with Rocky Romanella on the following online handles:
1. 3sixtymanagementservices
2. Linkedin
3. Twitter
4. E-mail: rockyromanella@gmail.com

Competing against household brands these days might be one hell of a ride which stems from the belief that the precursor to success is a capital venture; however, not at all a pre-requisite. 

Sometimes, entrepreneurs can prove out quite a bit with little to no capital by simply investing in learned interests. 

Joining me today's episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is Brent Zahradnik, owner of AMZ Path Finder to share with us today how his vision alongside with his team help brands effectively and profitably advertise on Amazon Marketplaces. 

Brent Zahradnik is from Eastern United States and runs his Amazon Advertising for four to five years now. Together with his team, he works with businesses using it as a platform in both American and European Places. 

In every success from setbacks, Brent always acknowledges the fact that he is not an expert on everything such that he values the work his team does. One of the things he enjoys the most about people management is its ability to surprise him in many ways rather than simply compartmentalizing him from the time team members get hired. 

Brent subscribes to the view that by hiring self-motivated individuals, the business value needs not to be reinforced but instead becomes naturally nurtured. 

Key Learning Points: 

1. Brent Zahradnik’s Business Growth and Dynamics - 1:20, 17:02
2. Brent Zahradnik’s Biggest Management Challenge - 4:01
3. Brent Zahradnik’s Take on Succession Planning - 9:30
4. Brent Zahradnik’s Take in Onboarding - 20:52
5. Brent Zahradnik’s Take on Delegation - 24:10
6. Brent Zahradnik’s Mission in People Management - 26:46, 27:40
7. Tips, Tricks Around Management - 32:31, 33:46

Tools Mentioned: 

1. Slack
2. Dynamite Hiring 

Connect with Brent Zahradnik on the following handles:

1. Linkedin
2. AMZ Path Finder
3. E-mail: hello@amzpathfinder.com

Sometimes entrepreneurs can be so focused on working for themselves that it’s considered shameful to ever go and work for someone else.  But when you have such a limiting belief, you miss out on the opportunity to learn.  Our guest for today’s episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Effie Parnell-Hopkinson, is someone who didn’t limit herself and came away from a job experience with some lessons that helped her level up.

Effie has spent some of her careers as a bodybuilder and while studying for her undergraduate degree people started to ask her (unsurprisingly) about proper eating and exercise.  After enough people were asking, she started a health coaching business while getting her Masters in nutrition.  At some point along the journey she met Dr. Emil Goliath, who also had a health coaching business.  They became business partners (and started dating) and that’s where she is today, handling operations for Health Evolved.  

Knowing she had come from a business owner background, I was keen to find out what she had learned during her stint working as an employee in another business.  “Nobody really knows what they are doing,” she said wryly.  “Everyone is learning and making mistakes, and even though a business may look like it’s succeeding from the outside, there are real challenges on the inside.”  I couldn’t have agreed more.  So often in my business coaching experience, I’ve seen people who own jobs, not businesses, precisely because they haven’t taken the time to create systems or properly delegate.

They don’t teach those sorts of skills in school, and Effie and I agreed on the importance of apprenticing for someone successful.  Don’t focus on the money but instead treasure the incredible knowledge and lessons you are going to get from someone who is further along in a journey than you are.

One of those key lessons you might glean is making sure that remote teams have proper expectations, especially given time zone differences.  People need to know how and why they are doing something and should be given all the resources they need at the very beginning.  Effie added on that part of proper delegation is getting to know the team member better during onboarding.  If you know where they want to go personally and professionally, you’re more empowered as a manager to help them get there.

That also means hiring for cultural fit, which you can only do if you have taken the time to write a job description that properly spells out not just what the job entails but what kind of company you are.  I noted that when dealing with hiring that no hire is always better than a bad hire.

This chat with Effie really flew by and I think you’ll appreciate and enjoy her perspectives.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads discusses the “shame” that is sometimes spread in the entrepreneurial community about working for someone else - 4:25

2. Effie shares her struggles in working for someone else after having her own business for so long - 5:25

3. Effie notes some insights she gained from having a job - 7:14

4. Mads talks about the “free lessons” on offer when you apprentice for high-level entrepreneurs - 10:12

5. Effie shares a “paint it done” strategy she uses for delegation - 13:20

6. Effie opines on the importance of clear expectations when working across multiple time zones - 18:00

7. Effie talks about the importance of hiring for cultural fit - 24:52

8. Mads shares that “no hire is better than a bad hire” - 26:25

9. Mads notes that the brand of team software you use is less important than the team being properly trained to use it - 28:15

Resources Mentioned:

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

Connect with Effie Parnell-Hopkinson

1. Facebook 

2. Health Evolved by Dr. Emil

Joining me today from Dublin, Ireland, for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is the owner of Arlo Blue, Sinead Kearns.

Initially, a teacher who worked in a school for the disadvantaged, Sinead loved her job. However, being an ambitious person made her seek better opportunities. 

Remembering her father's advice on being your boss, Sinead went back to her roots and thought of what path to take. Naturally passionate about sports and fashion, Sinead took the plunge because she wanted to provide high-quality clothing at reasonable prices. 

Often, many business owners believe that they need to know everything to start a business. While this may be true initially, you don't need to continue on this path, especially if it takes up most of your time. Learn to delegate small tasks to your staff even if you are starting to focus your energy on building and developing your business. Later down the road, you can bring in experts who lighten the burden and help your business grow. 

(Refer to Episode 97 where Nicolene Elhadad talked about having a super team) No matter how small or stupid, asking questions may help you see clearer and set you on the right path or give you the best lessons.

Starting a business is all about taking risks. However, it can improve lives and even give you fame or fortune when done right. While those closest around you only want the best for you, they may not be necessarily equipped with the knowledge and experience of businesses. However, even if you fail a business venture, you can use this as a stepping stone in a future job search or take lessons from it to start again. 

Sometimes, we may get rejected by others or make mistakes. However, this doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. It can allow us to take a step back and come back with a better strategy.  We should also ask for help or share our problems because many people are willing to help even in the most simple ways.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads says that management is such a critical self-development journey- 07:18
2. Sinead mentions Gwyneth Paltrow as an inspiration where there would be no stupid questions or where she would be ashamed to ask questions. - 07:36
3. Sinead says that it's essential for business owners to be open to learning, that they are learning and want to learn all the time, even if she has to ask obvious questions. - 08:13
4. Mads says that business owners who tend to pretend they know everything even if they don't are a great way to make many mistakes. - 08:48
5. Sinead recommends approaching someone ahead of you and asking them to be your mentor. - 09:39
6. Mads says that people shouldn't be discouraged, especially when receiving feedback from their friends or family. While people who love you and care about you want the best for you, they may not necessarily know anything about starting a business. - 12:11
7. Sinead says that when you can (and if you can), start hiring experts to make your business run smoothly. - 20:08
8. Sinead says that it's essential to be honest with your staff, especially if you make mistakes or if your business is facing challenges. - 23:42
9. Mads says that we shouldn't be ashamed to ask for help or share our problems because we are more likely to get and receive support from people. - 25:40
10. Mads says that when you have a good network, people love to help- 25:29

Resources Mentioned:

The Common Path to Uncommon Success: A Roadmap to Financial Freedom and Fulfillment by John Lee Dumas

Entrepreneurs on Fire Podcast with John Lee Dumas 

The One Thing Podcast

Connect with Sinead:

LinkedIn

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Sometimes the side project you are working on ends up dwarfing your day job and becomes the path you never expected.  That’s what happened to my guest for this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Slawek Czajkowski.  In 2008 he was building a company out of a small village in Poland when his side project, Surfer SEO, offered such possibilities for scale and growth that he knew he had to give it his full attention.  So he did.

Right away Slawek realized that he and his fellow managers had to go from being subject matter experts to managers of experts.  They are entirely different skill sets and the latter requires people who are open-minded to personal development.  When I asked him how management was similar to SEO, he responded that he considered them opposites: people who are skilled in SEO could be bad with people and introverted, whereas those skills would be disastrous in a manager.  While I agreed with that framing, I also noted that if someone in SEO was always looking to just get a little better every day, so could a manager, and that’s an ideal to strive for.

Slawek agreed with this and we also started talking about goal-setting strategies, and how “small” goals are virtually worthless.  Slawek said that he’s consistently thinking “10X” across various KPIs and encourages his team to think in the same tracks.  This is such a great practice because when you let someone set “reasonable” or “small” goals, they will simply end up doing the same things, but maybe with slightly more effort.  But when you ask people to do great, big, unreasonable, scary things, they will be forced to change their way of thinking and get creative.  That’s when exciting things happen.

You won’t get anywhere with goals as a company if you don’t have the right team members, and Slawek and I both love hiring from within, though Slawek also does a lot of hiring by referral.  While I think this is a good practice, there are also a couple dangers to be avoided:

• Sometimes “hire my friend” is more of a plea from someone who would like to work with a friend, not a reference to someone who is the best fit for a role
• When things go south with a referral, they can sometimes take the employee (or employees) who referred them in the first place, making for a double whammy

I still maintain that one of the best ways to find great candidates is to know a lot of people, which you can do by effective and smart networking.

The time with Slawek passed really quickly and I think you’ll find his straightforward work ethic and humility as encouraging as I do.

Key Learning Points:

1. Slawek notes that wherever you have processes, you have opportunities to automate - 2:40

2. Slawek talks about how Surfer SEO grew out of a side project - 3:26

3. Mads warns that being a subject matter expert can sometimes lead to your getting “stuck” instead of growing - 6:20

4. Slawek and Mads discuss how SEO and management are similar...and not similar - 6:55

5. Slawek shares his goal-setting strategy - 10:50

6. Mads talks about the “secret” of becoming good at something - 16:55

7. Slawek explains why he prefers to hire almost exclusively via referrals - 20:00

8. Mads shares a pro-tip when it comes to recruiting - 21:35

9. Mads notes why “hire my friend” isn’t always a good idea - 25:10

10. Slawek shares his “secret” to success - 28:05

Connect with Slawek Czajkowski:

 Surfer SEO

Are you thinking of wanting to grow your business? Discerning if you have the cashflow needed? Knowledgeable enough to discern where to invest, or is it even worth investing? What if... Investing is not the key to growth? Or your investment is not returning? 

I get that. If it weren’t on your mind, you wouldn’t be here. While a  systematic plan of action is there on the surface to help you increase your customer platform and boost revenue, which by the way, are both great things to mention - growth alone isn’t sufficient to sustain and run a business if the right conditions aren’t satisfied.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs or growing businesses that are excited about growth to accept willingly – or even create challenges that they’re not furnished to handle. Most of the time - it involves not getting their cashflows right to sustain their businesses. 

Joining us LIVE in this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no other than Rob Te Braake from ABEL Finance. 

I recently worked with Rob Te Braake and we’re cooking an excellent Financial Course where every entrepreneur or business owner can learn from figuratively and practically! 

Rob helps online businesses with Finance Strategy by assisting entrepreneurs to understand their numbers profoundly most notably from a high-level perspective to know and gain insight on the resources they decide to invest, helps them plan for the future - like what does that do to your overall budget or cashflow and how “financially prepared” your business would be when the odds aren’t in your favor. 

Rob subscribes to the view that understanding every business’ numbers can add so much value. This profound understanding of business cashflow could help an entrepreneur make better decisions and allows room for risk awareness more transparently or accurate at least. From reviewing the past numbers to planning ahead and forecasting - all these entail the efficient manner of handling your business cashflow - knowing and understanding. 

He acknowledges that the change in mindset is a longer process than it should most especially if the business is doing great. For Rob, being actively aware of your finances or business cashflow allows three things: 1) Growth, 2) Profit, and 3) Risk Awareness.   In hindsight, SMART BUSINESS. 

Key Learning Points: 

1. Rob Te Braake gets across on One Important Thing - 3:50
2. Mindset Shift - 5:33, 7:02
3. Business Variation Implications - 25:32, 28:21

Golden Nugget: 

Financial Risk Awareness - 12:04, 16:42, 29:34

Connect with Rob Te Braake on the following Online Handles: 

1. E-mail - rob@abel-finance.com

Hiring is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and my guest for today’s episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Mark Webster, had so much good information to share about that topic.  Mark is Scottish but has spent enough time in the US that his accent is somewhere in the mid-Atlantic.  He currently runs Authority Hacker, which he co-founded in 2014.  Authority Hacker educates website owners about the ins and outs of SEO.  In a previous life, he ran a digital marketing agency with 30 team members.  He also holds a small portfolio of affiliate websites.

One of the first things Mark talked about was the importance of hiring superstars.  “We want A+ people or nobody,” he said.  I couldn’t agree more: the cost of a bad, or even a “not so good” hire is significant.  Mark agreed, noting that one of his big mistakes in the past was not firing a bad hire quickly enough.  He noted that in big companies they get a “performance improvement plan” and three warnings, etc. but those small businesses don’t have that kind of “luxury.”  A business can be significantly damaged while you drag your feet on what should be a simple decision: letting a bad fit leave the organization. 

Mark also shared some great tips to mentally frame the recruitment process.  Firstly, he thinks about recruitment as a funnel.  You want to get “leads” (applicants) and you can only do so by really compelling “copy” (job descriptions).  He then shared that 10 out of every 50 applicants are people he really wants to pursue.  He also gave his thoughts on various online assessments (I mentioned my love for DISC) and he also shared some questions he likes to ask:

• “How would your last three bosses/clients rate you on a 1-10 scale?  We do check references.” He says this even though they might not have time to check references.
• “Are you more interested in the job or the company?”  If they don’t mention the job at all in their answer Mark knows it’s not a good fit.
• “What sorts of books/podcasts/youtube channels do you read/listen to/follow?”  If it’s mostly trashy fiction, we know these aren’t people who are dedicated to personal development.

I loved hearing these, so I added one of my own, “Do you do better working on your own or on a team?”  I’m not so much interested in the answer than in the way the question is answered.  If the person answers right away, I know that is the true answer.  If they pause and answer more slowly, then I know they are telling me what I want to hear (or at least what they think I want to hear).

Mark and I talked for quite a while and could have gone on for even longer, but I wanted to be respectful of his time (and yours), so I had to wrap it up at some point.  If you’re interested in thinking through your hiring process more thoroughly, this episode is for you.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads points out the costliness of a “not so good” hire - 4:54

2. Mark argues that you can outsource many things in a startup, but not HR - 6:41

3. Mark talks about a mistake regarding bad hires - 10:15

4. Mark shares his conception of recruiting as a “funnel” - 14:50

5. Mads talks about the concept of “recruitment as sales” - 24:11

6. Mark agrees and talks about “pre-selling” the company during a final interview - 24:40

7. Mads notes that the best hires love challenges - 25:25

8. Mark offers a framing question that helps him weed out candidates - 27:32

9. Mads adds on to that point, by noting the way that a particular question is answered gives a lot of information - 28:22

10. Mark adds some additional unusual questions that help him gain information about candidates - 33:45

11. Mads underlines the importance of having forums/opportunities to connect with staff - 45:41

Connect with Mark Webster

Authority Hacker Podcast

Sometimes what sets us on a particular journey in life is not a particular aptitude or knowledge of a subject, but a traumatic failure.  When you hit rock bottom you get a certain clarity of thought that can help you not only to avoid such mistakes in the future, but to share those lessons with others.

Zachary Pritchard, today’s guest for Mads Singers Management Podcast, is someone who dealt with two such failures and has made them strengths: communication and finance.  While his undergraduate degree is in wildlife, in which he was in charge of water management, he ended up building a business and growing it from 3-12 employees.  He now works as a financial coach, helping people with their budgets.

We started talking about communication right away and I shared how important DISC was for me to understand my employees and clients and how I can communicate with them.  I firmly believe that it’s not what you say, but how people hear what you say.  Zach agreed, adding that part of effective communication necessarily resides in honesty and vulnerability.  “If you can’t be honest with yourself, you can’t be honest with your team,” he noted.

Zach also talked about the importance of developing enough of a relationship with his team (something that can grow out of consistent 1-to-1s) that they could feel comfortable disagreeing with him in a professional setting.  I agreed, noting that it’s not enough to say you have an “open door” policy (which I hear so often), but to actually make your employees feel that that is really true.  If people don’t trust you, they won’t open up.  I also shared a technique to use to ensure that your employees will be comfortable sharing their ideas that might contradict your own.

Zach is a proponent of the Dave Ramsey method of financial freedom and I lamented that we spend all this time learning complicated math that we are unlikely to ever use, but aren’t taught even one bit of financial education in school.  Zach’s financial coaching practice is one way to correct that!

I enjoyed chatting with Zach and I think you’ll find his perspective helpful.

Key Learning Points:

1. Zach relates how poor communication cost him his job - 3:30

2. Zach notes that the most important part of effective communication is total honesty - 6:07

3. Zach wants that honesty to go both ways, so that his employees can overcome any hesitance to contradict him on a business strategy - 7:27

4. Mads agrees, noting that a good relationship is at the core of good communication - 8:53

5. Mads also shares an effective strategy to make sure your employees feel comfortable “disagreeing” with you - 10:21

6. Zach discusses the importance of being vulnerable in work conversations - 20:05

7. Mads points out the importance of learning your team’s communication styles - 21:35

8. Zach shares that what happens at home necessarily spills over into work - 29:45

9. Mads laments the lack of financial education in school - 34:15

Resources Mentioned:
 Webinars on Budgeting

Connect with Zachary Pritchard

 All Around Financial Coaching

Communication technology and advancement in information paved the way of different modes of organizing and doing work. The idea of working and coordinating with co-workers without meeting face to face is now a reality. Hence, diving deep, understanding the business needs, and applying a data-driven management style uniquely can become a vital recipe for success and equity to be sustainable.

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, we discuss the importance of communicating with clarity in all forms most especially that businesses operate in a continually changing environment with many factors influencing outcomes in different ways every day. This communication style magnifies the implications of being data-driven as a leader.

Joining us today is Remotivate’s Founder and Business Consultant, Anna Shcherbyna.

Anna Shcherbyna is currently running three businesses particularly her own recruitment business where she helps online entrepreneurs to bring in top talents for their business needs, and she also helps operate two other companies that are in the service industry that does operations management explicitly.

Anna acknowledges the fact that each business and industry is unique. Hence, gaining the data and being driven from it lunges people to trust the system and the tools supporting it to create space for equity. Also, this creates accountability for everyone involved in the process and refining the process to adapt to each business need uniquely.

Anna Shcherbyna’s management style emphasizes the benefits of being transparent in approaching business dealings and its direct impact, as echoed by her data-driven philosophy.

Key Learning:
1. Anna Shcherbyna’s Management Philosophy - (1:24)
2. Mission in People Management  - (5:17)
3. Anna Shcherbyna’s Management Style  - (16:53), (17:42)
4. Overcoming Management Predicaments - (9:17), (11:08)
5. Transforming Managers of Tomorrow - (12:00), (14:45), (15:45)
6. Relevance of Business Risks in Scaling Up A Business - (21:09)
7. Anna Shcherbyna’s take on Process - (25:35), (29:00)
8. Anna Shcherbyna’s Management Tips, Tricks, And Techniques - (32:34), (33:05), (33:30)

Golden Nuggets:
1. Why Trusting Your Team is Very Important - (24:03)
2. Managing Expectations and Following Through - (34:29)
3. Business Operations Reality - (29:54)

Reference Mentioned:
1. Book: The One Thing Book

   Author: Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan 

2. Book: Traction

    Author: Gino Wickman 

Apps Mentioned:
App: Notion

Connect with Anna Shcherbyna online:
1. Remotivate
2. E-mail: anna@remotivate.eu

Joining me today on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Maya Middlemiss. Maya is the Creator and Founder of Happy Healthy Homeworking, and she has been working remotely for quite a long time, way before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maya launched her business back in 2000, a year she clearly remembers because it coincided with her millennial baby. What was supposed to be a solo business grew into an agency where she employed people from three different countries. She then left that business to completely go freelance, where she also spends her time writing and consulting, specializing in the future of work, business, and how we collaborate online. While many loom the work future due to the pandemic, Maya is excited and sees it as an opportunity to evolve.

Renting pricey office buildings was the norm of many businesses. It was somewhat of a beacon that let others know that you have established yourself. While a good corner office with a view is excellent for the CEO or President, ordinary employees struggled to work because of long commute times and even accessibility to transport. Some employees opted to move closer to their workplace but struggled with balancing their paycheck because they would spend most of it for rent and not having enough for food and other necessities.

While working remotely is not a new concept, many of those who just began their remote working journey have struggled because the lines between work and personal life often get blurred. However, there are productivity hacks one can implement to improve your work-life balance.

I prefer working on a solid office desk and in complete silence. In contrast, others thrive in the buzz of their local cafe or restaurant. Take the time to find out what works best for you. Some people perform well during the day, while creatives like writers, graphic designers, and video editors may perform better at night in a world where there aren’t many distractions in their homes and surroundings.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads says that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have realized that they no longer need fancy and expensive offices to function. - 03:23

2. Maya adds that because of the pandemic, many businesses have also realized that remote work can be productive and possible. - 03:35

3. Mads says that remote working will have consequences for both businesses and employees. However, it’s better for everyone. - 05:30

4. Maya hopes to see a renaissance where people will be working in smaller towns where money will be pumped into the local economy and new jobs will be created. - 06:13

5. Maya says that businesses should adopt a remote-first course of action to continue no matter what comes their way.- 09:27

6. Maya says that once we liberate ourselves from the idea that we should constantly be working, we can start working more flexibly, and we can start to tune in to our rhythm. 14:28

7. Maya says that the more we know ourselves and our rhythms, the more productive and happy we can be - 15:08

8. Maya recommends that one have a dedicated space where they can do their work to dictate how you want things to be and surround yourself with things that make you productive.- 18:32

9. Mads shares that it’s essential to have a separate place for work and play. - 22:34

10. Maya adds that while not everyone may afford a separate home office or office space in their homes, they can look for creative ways to maximize their space and create boundaries to achieve work-life balance. - 24:11

Resources Mentioned:

Newsletter

Connect with Maya:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook Page (Healthy Happy Homeworking)

Maya’s Facebook

Facebook Community

Instagram

YouTube

Website

Joining me today on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than David Gaines. David is the owner and CEO of La Terza Artisan Coffee Roasterie and the co-host of The Third Place Podcast.

Although La Terza has initially been from his friend, David bought the business, and it made him realize what a great cup of coffee was and how big of a difference it was to drink a well-made cup of coffee. While I'm not a fan of coffee, David believes that there is still room for me to change and have a cup of good coffee one day.

While people see coffee as a beverage, David sees it as a vehicle talks about being the third place and how coffee (and his coffee shop) became the third place where people from all walks of life can come together and hang out. This can also be where people can talk about uncomfortable topics or events they have in mind or witnessed personally.

A social enterprise or social business is defined as a business with specific social objectives that serve its primary purpose. These kinds of businesses usually maximize their profits and benefits to both society and the environment. Social enterprises generally use their profits to fund social programs such as feeding programs, free medical and dental checkups, skills and job training, or something as simple as offering free haircuts or food packages to help people in need. These kinds of businesses usually work together with their community to achieve their goals. 

Whatever problem, no matter how small or big, an employee has at home, they will always carry it with them at work, and this reflects in their performance at work, which can affect the energy and flow of your business.

Although business owners don't necessarily need to provide everything for their employees, being aware of how your employee is doing and lending a hand can help steer them back in the right direction.

Spend time doing regular team buildings, Myers Briggs tests, and even DiSC assessments to find out how you and your employees can click together.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed some plans, David looks forward to seeing an employee-owned business in the next couple of years, where he and his teams can share the cake. Once you've established your ground rules, you will have a company culture where everyone has each other's backs no matter what comes their way.

Key Learning Points:

1. David reminds us of the golden rule: treat other people how you want to be treated.- 04:35
2. Mads says that business owners should love their competitors because the world is so big and it's much better to collaborate with the people around you instead of competing.- 09:06
3. Mads says that when we focus on our competitors, we generate negative energy. - 09:27
4. David says that the happier our employees are, the more productive they become.- 11:50 
5. David says that business owners should look at the whole person and how they can help and provide for that person to become more productive and build a company culture. - 14:20
6. David says the more opportunity business owners offer to their employees and seeing them as a whole person, the more we can build a team culture in our business.- 15:08
7. Mads says that when you don't have happy employees, your business has no value. - 16:01
8. David says that business owners should live and embody the values that they created for their business.- 16:40
9. David shares that business owners should hire for character first rather than skill set.- 26:56
10. Mads adds that he looks at attitude, culture, and personality fit when hiring because skills can be taught. - 28:52

Resources Mentioned:

The Third Place Podcast

Social Enterprise Alliance

Connect with David:

LinkedIn

Email

Website

Facebook

The Radical Business Podcast

It’s not often that you’ll hear a guitar strumming in the background of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, but that’s precisely what my guest Chris Wilson was doing at one point when we discussed the changing ways his team gave music lessons post-Covid.  Chris graduated from the Berklee College of Music in the 1990s as a guitarist and started teaching in his apartment.  Before long his practice grew and pre-Covid he and his team of 25 were servicing 650 clients at the Academy of Music and Art just outside Chicago, Illinois.

One of the challenges that Chris faces is that there are no long-term music instructors in his team.  A lot of these people graduate from arts programs, as Chris did, and want to do something in that field.  So they will go to auditions or try various options while teaching, whether that’s in music, dance, or theater (all of which Chris’ academy normally offers).  Sometimes they teach for a few months, sometimes for a few years, but if they end up working in the arts, they will stop teaching, and if they don’t make it in the arts, they leave the field entirely.

While Chris can’t control the circumstances of his crew of creatives, he has found a way to keep them teaching with him as long as possible: offering flexibility...within reason.  Understandably people in the arts will sometimes need to leave for an audition suddenly and will need to deal with their group of students.  Chris and his team have found ways to accommodate that, but it all starts with that attitude that everyone is there to help everyone else.  Options include:

• Getting a fellow teacher to substitute for you
• Making a video for your current students, asking if they would like to delay lessons for a week

Anything is possible...except just leaving without telling anyone.  

While employee retention is key, so is employee training.  It’s not that obvious, but being qualified as an artist doesn’t make you a great teacher.  Chris realized this right away and put together a mentoring program making sure that the newest teachers had time and conversations with the most senior teachers.

We also talked a LOT about books that impacted each other (linked below) and Chris shared his passion for proper delegation, which for him means giving as much support as possible to someone when you delegate, not assume they know everything and abandon them.  We also talked about the adjustments he and his team have had to make during Covid (music and dance lessons are fairly easily done online, theater productions cannot be done at all).

It was fun to have a musician on the show and I think you’ll enjoy our discussion.

Key Learning Points:

 1. Chris tells of the (accurate) warning he received that there were “no jobs waiting for students of the arts.” - 1:30

2. Chris talks about being part of the gig economy - 2:53

3. Chris shares his initial mistake in management, then how he rectified it - 5:20

4. Chris notes that being qualified as an artist or musician doesn’t qualify you to teach - 10:04

5. Mads chimes in, noting that often the best way to learn is to teach - 12:41

6. Chris observes that many creatives are, indeed, shy - 13:43

7. Chris points out that delegation should not be abandoned - 15:07

8. Chris talks about the transitional nature of his workforce - 20:00

9. Chris and Mads talk about the benefits of remote work post-Covid - 26:40

10. Mads questions the point of being angry...ever. - 35:00

Resources Mentioned:

1. The E-Myth by Michael Gerber

2. The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard

3. Work the System by Sam Carpenter

4. Success Principles by Jack Canfield

Connect with Chris Wilson

 The Academy of Music and Art

The effects of COVID-19 came as a shock to everyone. A lot of organizations have turned to new work-from-home policies to keep employees safe while at the same time following the rules rolled out by the government. 

Fortunately, the impact for businesses wherein working-from-home became a norm is less vulnerable, but by “less vulnerable,” it does not mean that these businesses are not exempted. People Management just became a little even more creative. 

Erick Rodriguez, the founder of Virtuous Imports, joins me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast to talk about his successes at a young age and how efficiently he handles remote management, most importantly in today’s pandemic. 

Erick Rodriguez is a 25-year-old Colombian-American who resides in Manila, Philippines. Erick’s expertise includes working with virtual assistants and e-commerce. He had over 40 Filipinos and 2 Americans working for him. 

Erick shares how his views about People Management in effect impacts positively in today’s pandemic. Erick subscribes to the belief that for the set up to work positively, “effective communication” plays a considerable role in sustaining business continuity at the same time getting everyone on board.

For Erick, Remote Management requires a unique approach to every employee, considering that the business set up entails a lot of intricacies.

Key Learning Points: 

1. Erick Rodriguez’s General Insights about Remote Management in times of COVID-19 - 1:13
2. Erick Rodriguez’s Critical Team Dynamics - 12:36, 16:08
3. Erick Rodriguez’s Shares Unique Expertise on Remote Management - 19:59
4. Erick Rodriguez’s on People Management - 24:11

Resources or Applications Mentioned: 
1. Slack
2. Hubstaff

Connect with Erick Rodriguez on the following online handle(s):
1. Linkedin
2. E-mail: erick@virtuousimports.com

We have an exciting topic today! Like many others, every episode has always been unique. Johanna Renoth joins us today! Johanna is not a believer in social media marketing. Yes, you read that right! She is a believer in e-mail marketing. For Johanna, e-mail marketing shifts an entrepreneur's focus to highly-impacting business drivers.  

Johanna believes too much usage of social media marketing can have a pressing effect on entrepreneurs like you. These effects are described in two aspects: reactive decisions and distractions from the pressures of the social media should-be's. And both of these take away the deep focus entrepreneurs need to create new ideas for income-generating actions and managing business risks. Learn more about the challenges and opportunities you can explore in digital marketing without social media! I told you, this is going to be an exciting episode! 

What do we cover in this episode? 

• How usage and too much exposure to social media as a marketing medium affects entrepreneurs negatively
• What is the influence of social media technology and marketing on an entrepreneur’s mental health
• How does social media affect entrepreneurial leadership 

Episode Resources: 

1. logofflivemore.com
2. byesocialmedia.com
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Episode Summary

Like myself, this week’s guest, John Papaloni, is a serial entrepreneur whose people management skills are put into action every single day. John, CEO of Papaloni Media, shares his proven and tested tips on how to manage staff effectively, especially when you’re a small business owner wanting to gain the traction you’ve been wanting to see! 

John and I talked about delegation and how this became his most challenging people management attempt in the business he has, especially when he was starting up. He also shared how other people management takeaways worked for him and how neglecting the tips on how to manage people at work became ineffective for him at a time that you can learn from. 

If you’re a business owner who’s just starting up and you don’t know where to begin in managing your people, make sure you don’t miss this episode! Learn how to manage staff effectively for FREE and in case you need any support for your team’s growth, sing out!

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• How you can better transition from hiring to onboarding; 
• The critical times delegating becomes crucial for your business; 
• 5 successful people management tips you may have been neglecting.

Episode Resources: 

1. Papaloni Media
2. Linkedin
3. Instagram
4. Mads Singers Free Management Training
5. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these:
#128: Lincoln Kokaram on Building Relationships with Your Team and Management Development
#31: Carrie McKeegan on Effective Hiring and Management
#15: Josh Patrick on Successful Business Leadership

Have comments about the show?

Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Welcome to another episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast!Joining us today is Ceri Hurford-Jones. Ceri has had humble beginnings by working on a farm but eventually made his way up and worked by being the managing director of Spire FM and finally starting his own business. 

Ceri and I share the same passion for helping businesses develop, grow, and succeed. So today, Ceri and I sat down to talk about management and how to hire the right people. 

Being open, honest, fair, fun, professional, and unconventional are Ceri's values; however, he shares that, while we can share or influence others to follow our values, these won't work or impact if we do not follow our values. And although change doesn't happen overnight, you will eventually see many positive changes (and close more deals) in yourself and your staff. However, simply writing down your values and making stuff up along the way to prop up a company or brand quickly won't help it survive in the long run. 

Like most business owners, Ceri also had his share of difficulties in his career where another group tried to do their job, and although this led to the radio being bought, Ceri was able to bounce back. 

Ceri stresses the importance of being open with your staff by sharing whatever profit or loss you've made because this allows your staff to help gain an insight into the business or company and make them steer the business in the right direction. An informed team is also good at making decisions that will help you and everyone else involved in the industry.

Key Learning Points:

1. Ceri says that you can't share your values if you don't live or follow your values in life - 3:44
2. Although it sounds cliche, Ceri shares how a staff that makes you (the business owner) look good can work wonders for your company and/or brand. - 5:38
3. Mads shares how businesses, especially the small ones, are helping people by offering jobs because this allows people to have something to look up to. - 07:21
4. Ceri says that good people (employees) stay longer because they take pride in their business. - 08:24 
5. Mads says that when it comes to hiring people, one should start with their staff because people like working with like-minded people.- 10:39
6. Ceri encourages business owners and managers to be open with their team by sharing updates about its projects.- 12:44
7. Ceri says that business owners should not be scared to make their staff "mini-owners" in their business or schemes. - 19:15
8. Ceri shares that one shouldn't start something if they're not going to see it through seriously- 20:47
9. Ceri adds that business owners should hire slowly and fire quickly - 21:18
10. Mads says that managers shouldn't sit around and focus on the stats and numbers but instead focus on their team members well-being.- 27:00

Connect with Ceri:

LinkedIn

Jonathan Kiekbusch was born and raised in Germany,  and his early career revolved around business development in different industries. 

From there, Jonathan joined a big American usability company. He began as an account executive and was eventually promoted to Director of Sales in Europe. 

Jonathan’s first startup was in the security industry. He ran it for three years before eventually selling it. During this time, he met his co-founder and they started the digital marketing product business which is now SEO Butler. 

A crucial part of Jonathan’s ’s mission is hiring the right people and providing mechanisms and goals for employee growth and development. He believes strongly that training and development is an integral part of managing the talents of his team.

Jonathan recognizes the challenges of hiring in today’s competitive marketplace.  He firmly believes that communicating effectively is essential for employee growth and business development. 

Key Learning:

1. Jonathan Kiekbusch’s Management Philosophy - (5:15), (8:40)

2. People Management Mission -  (10:30)

3. Improving People and Business Innovation - (26:06), (27:08), (27:40)

4. Manager’s Transformation - (30:05), (31:22)

5. Jonathan Kiekbusch Tips, and Techniques - (18:26), (19:14) 

Golden Nugget: 

Capability Building - (12:54)

Connect with Jonathan Kiekbusch online with the following handles:

1. Website

Welcome to another episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast! Today, we are joined by Navin Jaitly! Navin is an expert in a field where I don’t make well - sales! 

Navin works with business owners, business executives, and even business leaders. A firm believer in seeing the good inside of people rather than the outside, Navin has a passion for changing the way business leaders and their teams think.  Navin also believes in changing the relationship dynamics in a team to know that they are valued and appreciated. Like many of us, Navin also had his “dark days,” where he shares that he also struggled to work; however, Navin was able to turn it around and even start his own business. 

Navin and I noted that many entrepreneurs suck at making sales or hate making sales with a passion, thus leaving many of them lagging or performing poorly, which causes them to miss out on clients and opportunities. 

But all hope is not lost as Navin is on a mission to change and impact the lives of at least a million people globally.

Navin then adds that business owners and managers shouldn’t immediately judge a potential employee by looking at their CV. Instead, ask them important questions like goals and plans after five years. 

An excellent way to approach this is by applying DiSC. DiSC theory was developed by Dr. William Martson and has become an essential tool in the workplace because it can help business owners gauge how their employees will perform. 

Key Learning Points:
1. Mads says that most businesses don’t grow because business owners lack delegating or the skills but rather because they don’t have the right mindset. - 3:50
2. Mads points out that many companies and brands are doing many bad business practices. - 4:09
3. Navin says that business owners should find out the “why” of a potential employee, especially if you’re hiring salespeople - 6:53
4. Navin says that sales are the lifeblood of businesses; he then adds that the relationship with how business owners make sales and treat their sales team should change - 06:08
5. Navin talks about the Dilts Logical Level by the psychologist, Robert Dilts, and how can it be used to find your why and your purpose- 7:57
6. Navin likens sales to gaining weight. - 12:10
7. Navin believes that sales are like education because you get to educate your customers on what they need.- 15:30
8. Navin points out that while external skills are essential, finding out a person’s why can help you fix problems quickly... - 20:00
9. Mads shares the importance of DiSC and how it can be used to sell to your potential clients and/or customers immediately. - 26:14
10.Navin points out that managers should never forget the human aspect when managing their staff. - 32:29

Connect with Navin:

Navinjaitlycoaching.com

Instagram

LinkedIn

Facebook

Email

Twitter

Today’s guest in the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than Lindsay (Hauptman) Sutherland! 

Like myself, Lindsay had an early headstart in her career (she had her start in the automotive industry) but also had to learn many things the hard way, but because of this, Lindsay was able to have and live the life she wanted however, to achieve this, Lindsay had to make some drastic changes like relocating from another state (some people have commended her, while others called her crazy because relocating meant moving at a slower pace in life) and giving up a lovely house.

Lindsay also shared how her parents died at a much younger age and weren’t able to retire, and because of this, Lindsay didn’t see herself working all her life, thus prompting her to follow her desire in life. 

Starting young in management, Lindsay shares how she struggled at first because she didn’t have a mentor to guide her; however, Lindsay was eventually able to find her niche and live the life she always wanted. We also touched on minimalism and how freeing it is not to own so many material things; you can simply pack your stuff in your backpack and be on your way to the beach or another country.  

Lindsay and I shared some insights into how business owners can be friends, colleagues, and bosses with their staff while maintaining professionalism.

Key Learning Points:

1. Lindsay says it’s important to follow your burning desire - 3:34
2. Lindsay stresses the importance of being able to express yourself - 9:40
3. Lindsay shares an anecdote where she was helping a colleague who unexpectedly got pregnant; while Lindsay gave her grace, her colleague filed for unemployment and said terrible things about her. This experience led Lindsay to put up boundaries. - 7:52
4. As a manager, Lindsay saw herself more of a servant for the people rather than the “end-all, be-all” or the “big kahuna” - 10:32
5. Mads says that it’s essential for business owners and managers to figure out who you are as a person and find out what works for you when dealing with people.. - 13-51
6. Mads would instead take the risk of people, especially when making new connections, friends, or relationships, rather than avoiding getting hurt. - 19:53
7. Mads says that people should let go of the fear of things not working out.- 22:05
8. Lindsay likens the relationship between a manager and an employee to a one-sided relationship because managers need to be “on” all the time. You’re being watched all the time, and sometimes you don’t even feel human. After all, it would be best if you were positive most times because the people around you can feel a sudden shift in your energy. - 23:19
9. Mads adds that managers should always put their best foot forward and be their best selves because their energy can affect their staff; however, it’s okay to take some time off to refresh yourself. - 25:35
10. Lindsay says that it’s essential that we manage our expectations so that we wouldn’t end up disappointed or upset in the event things fail. - 30:11

Resources Mentioned:

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

Connect with Lindsay Sutherland:

Website

Podcast

It’s not often that we’re able to speak to someone who has managed in three different cultures, and that’s why I was so excited to welcome Alex Zuev of Ardor SEO onto the Mads Singers Management Podcast.  Alex is a self-proclaimed IT geek and started his career developing payment systems in Russia similar to Paypal.  After success in that field, he started his own business and as part of the bootstrapping process learned how to do his own SEO.  Soon enough he was helping others with that, too.  He has spent time working and living in China in a digital marketing position for Alibaba.  He’s also lived and worked in the United States, specifically NY.  Today, Alex and his wife make their home in Asia, Vietnam specifically.

With such a CV, I was keen to get into all the cultural differences in management he’s witnessed.  One of the first points he discussed was the gap between a boss and an employee:

• In China there is an enormous gap between the two, with a pronounced dislike for foreigners in the management ranks
• In the West, particularly in the US, there’s more of a collaborative relationship, akin to colleagues
• In Russia there’s a mix of the previous two systems

What does that mean on the practical level?  Well, during his time at Alibaba, he had to fight for three months so that his team could get direct access to developers so that problems could be addressed pre-emptively and directly instead of in the slow and plodding manner of large corporations.  Once that connection (and correction) was made, Alex saw a 2X/3X improvement in the quality of work, but if he hadn’t known to be persistent, that improvement wouldn’t have ever happened.  

That’s one of the reasons he prefers working at smaller companies: it’s easier to get your ideas implemented (or at least heard).  It also means you can be thinking in the same ways by running things like a book club in your team.  As new ideas from these books get bounced around from discussions, they can also be directly applied to processes and procedures.

Speaking of processes and delegation, Alex’s ultimate delegation trick is automation.  He’s a big believer in using technologies to “set it and forget it” with processes whenever possible.

Alex has a wealth of information and experience and we could have spoken for much longer than we did.  Enjoy! 

Key Learning Points:

1. Alex discusses the value of empathy in communication - 9:20

2. Alex shares his experiences working with Filipinos - 11:41

3. Alex notes the importance of personality testing in hiring - 14:06

4. Alex talks about the differences between working in a small firm and a big one - 15:27

5. Alex addresses the Chinese dislike for foreign managers in their ranks - 19:55

6. Mads talks about the upside of challenges - 23:15

7. Alex preaches automation as delegation - 27:45

8. Alex opines on the value of a company book club - 31:13

Resources Mentioned:

Clockwork by Michaelowitz

Connect with Alex Zuev

 Facebook

My guest today for the Mads Singers Management Podcast, is Renata Porter, the Founder of Renata Porter Limited and a motivational speaker. Renata calls herself a "serial fixer" because she is the one people call when their teams or managers are not working how they intend to. She also helps small business owners and non-profit youth sports clubs accomplish their goals. Renata and her team's in-depth knowledge and experience with their "people focus" help clients take intentional and meaningful approaches to lead in their respective fields and organizations.

Contrary to popular belief, managers, business owners, or any person who manages people or has people report to them perform better when not in their area of expertise. When people are in their area of expertise, they tend to interfere with the natural flow of things and micromanage their staff or processes. 

An essential aspect of being a manager or business leader is not about the perks, power, or money you take home. Still, it's about being able to communicate with your employees so you can get them motivated to work by putting their best performance forward. Take the time to get feedback from them. If they don't give you feedback, consider it a lesson learned, as it will quickly tell you which employee is having problems and needs helps or who has something to say. However, this doesn't mean you have to be their best friend but rather have a good enough relationship with them to be told if they need to render extra hours or pick up some slack if they are falling behind at work.

As a manager and business owner, you need to be aware of how you approach people because not everyone is on the same wavelength as you: some are naturally more inclined to start independently. In contrast, others may prefer to be given direction. While some fear that management styles may change or revert to their old ways, I don't believe that will happen because you will encounter fewer of those kinds of problems when you hire well. We cannot communicate enough. It's okay to share a lot because communicating effectively isn't just about talking but also listening, clarifying, understanding, and not jumping into decisions or conclusions hastily.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads says that one of his favorite things is when people work in an area/expertise that they don't know well because it allows them to work more efficiently than when working on their area of expertise. After all, they tend to interfere with the processes. - 03:18
2. Renata says that many managers tend to get sucked in the "doing" part instead of focusing on the leadership roles - 03:45
3. Renata says that she is the kind of person who will sit down and discover why someone feels a certain way with their tasks or projects. - 05:22
4. Renata believes that business owners, managers, or anyone who handles and manages people should connect with them on some level. - 07:09
5. Mads says that the most important thing a manager will do is build relationships with their staff. - 08:30
6. Renata says that most companies don't spend time training someone to be a manager, but when they do, their employees' training is high, making it harder for employees to relate to. - 10:14
7. Mads says that managers and business owners need to develop their staff as the people they will need for the future- 13:57
8. Mads says that companies should have a more holistic approach when it comes to planning where the whole organization is involved - 15:37
9. Renata says that the perception of people in management is often skewed. That's why it's essential to build a bridge between management and the staff. - 21:32
10. Mads shares that networking is the best way to find the best people before you hire them - 37:19

Resources Mentioned:

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by the Arbinger Institute

Connect with Renata:

LinkedIn

Website

Non-profit Sports Club Website

Email

Instagram

One of the ironies of discussing company culture is the fact that so often some of my coaching clients who are trying to grow as entrepreneurs describe their company’s culture as what they would like it to be, not as it actually is at the moment.  Culture is the beating heart of any organization and when that’s muddled or off-track, everything suffers.

My guest for this episode Mads Singers Management Podcast is someone who knows that in her core.  Jocelyn Kopac, like me, started her first business in her childhood.  I sold strawberries; she sold farm fresh eggs to city-dwellers from Chicago who were enjoying the countryside.  Jocelyn is a serial entrepreneur and business strategist who works specifically in the DEI field: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion.  In this vein she helps entrepreneurs build and develop an inclusive company culture as well as have crucial conversations with those members of the team who may not understand the importance of DEI.   

Jocelyn is passionate about DEI and helped me understand some things: 

• Diversity is not just about skin color or race but can refer to people being in the military or not, being married or single, or having kids or not having guardianship of anyone
• Equity is about giving each other the tools to make sure we have equal opportunities to grow and mature as people and team members
• Inclusion is understanding that differences between us exist, nevertheless, we can and should introduce processes that allow us to cooperate and win together despite those differences (a smart tool I use in this process is DISC)

You can guess that this naturally led to a discussion of company culture, and I lamented the fact that so often people talk about the culture they want to have instead of analyzing the challenges with the culture they actually have.  Jocelyn shared the story of a recent hire who lasted precisely one day (Jocelyn did note that she hired against her gut feeling, so she takes some of the blame) because the company culture “spit her (the new employee) out.”  It simply wasn’t a good fit.

Part of their culture is making sure there’s no micromanagement going on and that everyone is bringing their “A” game every day.  She also enjoys sharing the goals and perspectives of different departments of the company with everyone so that they can see the bigger picture, make better suggestions, and ultimately, better decisions.  I couldn’t agree with that perspective more, and is definitely part and parcel of why I prefer to hire from within my organization.

Key Learning Points:

1. Jocelyn talks about the first business she ever started...at the age of 7! - 2:47

2. Jocelyn shares the 32-hour workweek she has in place for her team of creatives - 11:36

3. Mads chimes in to share his agreement about outcome-based work instead of time-based work - 15:02

4. Jocelyn talks about how and why she tracks the time of her team - 17:00

5. Jocelyn explains her three strikes rule - 21:45

6. Mads talks about how important it is for culture to be “what actually exists” as opposed to “what people want to have” - 24:25

7. Mads shares the importance of communicating with people in the way that they will understand best - 29:20

8. Mads warns about the bottlenecks that entrepreneurs can create - 34:22

9. Mads shares a management lesson he learned the hard way - 39:45

10. Jocelyn talks about cultivating her team across the different departments of the company - 43:58

11. Mads notes why he prefers to hire internally - 48:45

Resources Mentioned: 

Track to Success Facebook Group

Connect with Jocelyn Kopac

Jocelyn Kopac

Joining me in today's episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is an entrepreneur and author, Simon Severino! Simon and I shared our thoughts on accelerating business growth and revenue increase through his 90-day strategy sprint. Simon shares that for revenue increase to be met, business entrepreneurs must transition from working IN the business to working ON the business. Simon has been working in coaching entrepreneurs in getting product launches done for business growth and revenue increase. 

Simon's 90-day sprint program offers shifts entrepreneurs' focus to scaling business to ensure an increase in revenue and then improve sales and marketing. Find out more in this episode about having repeatable sales, better marketing, and revenue increase!  

What else do we cover in this episode? 

1. 3:18 - Simon’s 90- Day Strategy Sprint 
2. 4.15 - Business Acupuncture Points To Increase Revenue 
3. 8.55 - 90-Day Strategy Sprint Business Coverage 
4. 15.13 - The Kind Of Businesses Which Will Benefit From The Program 
5. 17.16 - Simon’s Mindset About Hiring and Delegating 

Resources: 

Strategy Sprints: 12 Ways to Accelerate Growth for an Agile Business

Author: Simon Severino 

Connect with Simon Severino:

1. Strategy sprints 
2. Mads Singers Free Management Training
3. Free Community Group For Managers & Leaders 

A common theme discussed on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is the question of hiring.  Who to hire, when to hire them, and perhaps most importantly, where to find them.  Our guest for today’s episode of the pod, Tim Brown, has had plenty of time to think about these questions in recent years as he’s grown his business, Hook Agency.

One of the first things I talked about with Tim was how challenging it can be to grow a business financially.  As you go from 10+ employees up to 50, you’re not going to be seeing a lot of profit, as you’re likely to be reinvesting a lot of it into the company to help grow it.  Tim agreed, noting that it could get “lonely” during that time and you have to persevere in order to keep the growth going.

Part of that growth is the people you bring on, of course, and we talked about the pros and cons of hiring younger and less experienced people.  I pointed out that while it’s tempting to bring in an external hire who is a superstar in a particular area, it’s almost always significantly cheaper to develop an internal hire, who can also then be shaped and molded to your company culture.

You also want to do internal audits to find common traits that you can add to your hiring brief.  When we looked at our top performers in one of my businesses 9 out of the top 10 had lived abroad at least six months.  Not the first criteria one might think of, but on reflection, it speaks to a willingness to get outside of your comfort zone and a basic responsibility to legally exist elsewhere for an extended period of time.

Tim noted that as much as he and his colleagues might share memes in slack about how isolation is affecting people at work (“we know you’re wearing sweatpants with your shirt and tie”) he also knows that people are actually getting depressed and has recently added a small monthly benefit to offset therapy costs.  This way he can show that he isn’t blind to this issue and that he believes that therapy does help.

Finally, as we continued the hiring thread that ran through this entire episode, I stressed that networking is one of the best things you can do not just for recruiting purposes, but to learn mistakes from others in your industry.  You can make all the mistakes yourself, but why would you want to?

Tim’s honesty about the challenges he’s faced is refreshing and you’ll enjoy his perspectives and passion for building a business the right way. 

Key Learning Points:

 1. Tim shares that he has sometimes had to let things “break” in order for everyone to learn (and implement systems) - 3:10

2. Mads notes that the better you can show the client the ROI, the longer they will stick around - 6:05

3. Tim laments the lack of professionalism he sometimes sees in small businesses - 8:50

4. Tim parses the difference between lifestyle and growth businesses - 10:10

5. Tim talks about a recent trend in his company of hiring younger and less experienced employees - 15:35

6. Mads shares that it’s always significantly less expensive to internally develop someone in an area of expertise than to hire a high-priced external superstar - 20:05

7. Mads gives a metric he sues when hiring people that relates to how long they’ve lived abroad - 21:45

8. Tim notes the importance of empathy in regards to Covid-19 and isolation - 33:00

10. Mads warns that the “I’m going to fix this” attitude isn’t just about poor delegation, but about an active ego - 37:17

11.  Mads stresses the importance of networking as a way to learn mistakes more quickly rather than having to figure them out yourself - 38:55

Resources Mentioned:
1. Who by Geoff Smart
2. Traction by Gino Wickman

Connect with Tim Brown

Hook Agency 

LinkedIn

Today's guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than Dana Kaplan, all the way from New York City. Dana is an emotional intelligence and education consultant, coach, and the pioneer of DEIAB in ACTION from the womb to 12th grade (*Diversity Equity Inclusion Access and Belonging- IN ACTION). She is an educator who believes that learning is more than the four walls. Following her dream and passion for teaching at-risk children, Dana realized that more should be done in teaching emotional intelligence and bringing diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging into action. Because of this process, Dana discovered that it doesn't matter what the curriculum is or the assignments are if we don't have a strong sense of self. Believing who we are as individuals like our own personal hero led her to develop Empathetic Education with Dana.

Despite being at the top of their game, many leaders, business owners, and managers often struggle with emotional intelligence and understanding themselves and the emotional state of the people around them. As Dana pointed out, we are aware of our emotions most of the time. However, we don't know where we create meaning with our emotions most of the time. This is where Dana brings up our childhood experiences, where we associate them with negative experiences, but rather than blame and shame our negative experiences, Dana says we should use those negative emotions as reference points on why we are feeling that way. Having a rich self-awareness allows you to become this rich leader, an even richer participant, and an active listener that will enable us to be engaged in a community.

The more you are aware of yourself, the more you understand about yourself, the more you can take action and utilize it for your day-to-day activities. Through playing, one can discover more about ourselves, and when we are willing to play, we are not so focused on the outcome or process but rather on what we can do to play the game; this is something most of us forget once we become adults. 

While we may all come in and bring different things to the arena, each of us has something to share with others and a role to play, and in a world of diversity, we should always have spaces where people are not afraid to speak up or share their stories. 

The most challenging conversations we will have will often be with ourselves, and what may be hard for you won't be hard for another person. The raising of voices, the passive-aggressiveness, hiding from feedback, and pointing the finger at other people can be prevented when we allow ourselves to open up what other people have to share with us and take the opportunity to sit and absorb it.

Key Learning Points:

1. Dana aims to create cultures filled with compassion, curiosity, and courage because, ultimately, we all want our voices to be heard, listen to learn, and build a space where we feel a strong sense of belonging. - 02:16
2. Dana says that while we are aware of our emotions, we often don't know where we create meaning with our feelings- 03:31
3. Remembering negative emotions from bad experiences doesn't mean we need to relieve them but rather use them as a reference point for what upsets us. - 04:40
4. Dana says that emotional intelligence can be summed up as knowing who you are as a human and then knowing who you are in an ample space. - 05:41
5. Mads says that he has always been keen on understanding one's himself because, for him, that is the most effective way to get the most out of yourself and live your best life.. - 06:13
6. Dana says that when we create a space that invites curiosity, we create opportunities for ourselves, whether in management, leadership, or even just life in general. - 11:28
7. When asked about what play looks like for adults or people in the corporate world, Dana says it's all about perception; what we do with your object (toy) will be different from what another person will do to their object (toy)- 13:36
8. While there may be people who don't want to play with you, things can change when they see their leaders roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty and play. - 16:23
9. Dana says the most challenging conversations we will have will often be with ourselves. - 21:13
10. Dana says that we should be more open by focusing on the good things that happened around us rather than focusing on that one bad thing and dwelling on negativity to create a culture that propels the people around us and allows them to use their voice again. - 27:52

Resources Mentioned:

Adam Grant

Brené Brown

Connect with Dana Kaplan:

LinkedIn

Website

Facebook Page

Instagram

Linktree

Work with Dana Kaplan

Episode Summary 

If you are a business owner looking to accelerate in scaling your business, this recruitment tip and podcast episode is for you! 

Funny to say, Mike and I have been friends for a while, but it’s only now that I have him on my podcast! Mike and I wonderfully exchanged our ideas around recruitment and how he’s using this recruitment tip to improve his hiring process! 

Mike knows that people are the business's greatest asset and the most challenging part of the business too. So, for him, having great talent goes a long way! 

Mike knows that getting rid of the wrong people is a huge factor in performance and profitability. It is the difference between good and great companies, the best leaders, and dysfunctional ones. Recruitment can be challenging, but using this recruitment tip will make you a better manager. Listen until the very end, and take note of this recruitment hack for you to improve your hiring process! 

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• What is the hardest part of running your business;
• How to avoid bad hires;
• How can business owners successfully pivot around out-of-control situations;
• Is “Hiring Slow, Firing Fast” the secret formula to productivity? 

Episode Resources: 

1. Ecom Crew 
2. Linkedin
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these:
#3: Jonathan Kiekbusch on Hiring Right

#84: Mark Webster on Hiring Practices

#91: Lindsay Tjepkema on Growing in a Pandemic

Have comments about the show?
Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Welcome to another episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast. Joining us today is none other than the bubbly business psychic, Carrie Cardozo!

Like most of my guests, Carrie had her start in the corporate world until she decided to start her own business. Now unlike most people, Carrie is a psychic. While this may make some people uneasy, Carrie uses her gift to help businesses and business owners gain the clarity they need in their business to propel them forward, break boundaries, or understand their staff a little better.

Carrie and I share a trait where we allow flexibility once we give them a task or delegate something. Although at the same time, this may seem counterproductive to some, Carrie and I believe that it’s essential for business owners and managers to be open to their staff regardless of whether the company is doing good or bad. 

Being open to your staff allows them to make better decisions, but business owners should be mindful of whom they share because some people are not very good when it comes to receiving negative news. 

Carrie shares an anecdote where she implemented a project management system on a whim and caused her employees to question her if she was happy with what the employee was working on. While Carrie’s intentions were good, the lack of communication made her employee feel unappreciated. Because of this, Carrie stresses the importance of having an open stream of communication with your staff because it will benefit both sides.

I then asked Carrie to share how she reads people, and this is where Carrie’s gift comes into play. Carrie can read people’s energy even if they don’t talk too much or share what’s going on during their first meeting. 

We both agree that many people don’t know themselves very well and sometimes project this logical persona to please others and deny their desires.

Key Learning Points:

1. Carrie encourages business owners to communicate with their staff, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic - 3:45
2. Mads says that most employees can sense and feel that something is not right in the company - 4:22
3. Carrie says that respect has to go both ways.- 6:45
4. Mads shares his concept in which he identifies the opinion makers in a team before making significant changes - 7:21
5. Carrie shares her rule of thumb with her meeting dynamics - 10:58
6. Mads says it’s essential to get to know your staff and their strengths and weaknesses - 12:50
7. Carrie thinks we shouldn’t be quick to judge people because people have strengths and weaknesses that are often not displayed or talked about- 13:24
8. Carrie says that although an employee may seem quiet, business owners and managers should allow their employees to show you what they can do. - 15:10
9. Carrie teaches people to connect to their “heart space” when working with people - 18:45
10. Mads says that people should go after what they want, which emphasizes their willpower.- 21:41 

Connect with Carrie:

Facebook 

Instagram

LinkedIn

Website

My guest for this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is Greg Gibas who, like me, also owns an outsourcing company based in the Philippines.  Even though Greg was born in Poland, his family moved to the United States when he was young.  He ended up doing a Masters in Marketing in Australia and built a business in the Philippines.  He’s been living the digital nomad life long before it was cool.

One of the first things we talked about was how Covid may end up being the moment when remote work exploded into the mainstream.  We chatted about the changing dynamics we are watching unfold right now.  Even though Greg stands to benefit from this change, he has thought a lot about work philosophically and made some points that really rung true to me:

• Geoarbitrage isn’t just great for employees, it’s also great for employers.  Employees can choose a place they truly want to live and use a lower cost of living to save game-changing amounts of money.  Employers are no longer constrained by the labor pool in their limited local market.
• Small businesses will follow what their competitors do.  As they see other companies move into remote work, paying significantly less for the same level of worker, they will follow suit, which also frees up more capital to grow.
• The wage gap may close, soon.  If remote work becomes a “new normal” then the major wage gaps that currently exist will necessarily close, as remote workers find out just how valuable (or not) they are.

I’ve always wanted to create the biggest businesses possible and help the most people I can.  I think there are many problems in the world, but I think a lot of them can be traced to a lack of employment.  Give more jobs to more people in the world, and there will be fewer problems, I truly believe.  Yes, I approve that message and No, I’m not running for political office!

Greg and I have worked with hundreds of people over the past few years and he said something about hiring that I also really agreed with.  He said that the most important quality in any employee is attitude.  That’s also something he hammers home with people who brag about being ignorant about technology.  “If you don’t even know little aspects of technology, you can really get taken advantage of and/or be blind to possibilities,” he noted.

I think you’ll truly enjoy Greg’s perspective, experience, and optimistic outlook on the future of work in general, and remote work in particular.

Key Learning Points:

1. Greg opines about remote work pre-Covid - 2:14

2. Greg talks about geoarbitrage and its benefits for employees and employers - 6:58

3. Greg observes that companies in expensive locations may try to cut their wage bill by going remote - 10:20

4. Greg shares the most important quality he looks for after working with hundreds of employees - 11:30

5. Greg anticipates the worldwide wage gap closing if remote work becomes more “normal” post Covid - 16:03

6. Greg thinks just having a little bit of tech knowledge will save you a lot of time and money - 25:40

Connect with Greg Gibas

Gibas Associates

In essence, business is equivalent to generating revenue alongside with its all other essential components to succeed.

Damian Thompson, Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Salesability joins me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast to tell us how he redefines sales in this age and time.

Damian Thompson is the co-founder of the company called LeadFuze and, at the same time, the Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Salesability, which helps start-up entrepreneurs and business owners scale-up their sales through team-driven sales techniques.

Damian’s journey started when he was selling software in the mid-90s and then worked for a company called Symantec and McAfee. He traveled around the globe to set up the sales team, which eventually led him to learn enterprise sales first.

As time went on and had his own business, his approach became specific and targeted. As a business owner himself, he emphasizes the relevance of hiring the right people for the right positions.

He knows the businesses he could help scale-up and the companies he couldn’t. With this, he acknowledges the fact that SALES itself is a process, and in one way or another, there are new and different ways of doing things.

Key Learning Points: 

1. Damian Thompson’s Tips for Starting Entrepreneurs - 13:52 
2. Damian Thompson’s Three (3) Essential Categories of Sales People - 15:06, 19:44
3. Damian Thompson’s Interview Process - 22:42
4. Damian Thompson’s Take on Onboarding - 26:48

Resources Mentioned:
Book: First Break All The Rules
Author: Marcus Buckingham 

Connect with Damian Thompson on the following online handles: 
1. Salesability
2. Linkedin
3. Twitter 
4. E-mail: damian@salesability.co

Management is ultimately about problem-solving.  Oftentimes those answers aren’t readily apparent because humans are involved, and they are definitely more complex aspects of any problem!

Today’s guest for Mads Singers Management Podcast, Zuzana Dobro, is someone who, like me, likes solving these human problems.  Zuzana helps entrepreneurs think transformationally.  She’s spent over a decade consulting both in house and with agencies on customer and user experience.  She’s worked with startups, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between.

Early in the episode Zuzana and I talked about relationships.  I noted that there are some people who are particularly talented in SEO but for some reason have absolutely no talent at building relationships.  One of the most important things in management is to build relationships with the people who work for you.  Not only does that make for a more cohesive work environment, it’ll also increase team productivity.

Relationship-building is what Zuzana does when she is working with teams that cannot come to a consensus.  She relishes the chance to brainstorm, facilitate, and use the fact that she’s not a direct stakeholder to bring objectivity and a solution-oriented approach.  I agreed with her and stress with my clients that it’s not about “winning” or “losing” when getting to a consensus for a decision, but finding a solution that presents the best outcome for everyone.

Zuzana asked me about how I screen for clients and I told her one of the very first things I look at is personality, particularly DISC.  If I don’t think I’ll be able to coach someone based on their personality, I won’t take them.  I also put all potential clients through my management course.  The goal here is to try to pre-emptively address some issues so that when we do finally get to coaching, we share a common vocabulary and methodology.  Zuzana noted that when she doesn’t feel comfortable with a potential client she’s very happy to refer that business out and keeps up relationships with colleagues in order to do just that.

Part of keeping up those relationships is keeping your word, and Zuzana talked about how small the business world can be, and how you can’t afford to develop a bad relationship as a management coach: don’t burn bridges as entrepreneurs are always sharing information...as well as the names of good, as well as bad, service providers with each other.

Key Learning Points:

 1. Mads shares a weakness of those who excel in SEO - 6:58

2. Zuzana notes a key trait of good managers - 9:35

3. Mads underlines the importance of setting expectations of communication with clients - 12:35

4. Zuzana reminds us that reputation really does matter - 16:35

5. Mads explains how he screens for clients - 20:35

6. Mads discusses a strategy for shaping decisions prior to a meeting - 25:40

7. Zuzana offers an alternative strategy when there isn’t consensus prior to a meeting - 30:13

8. Mads talks about the difference between outcomes and solutions - 41:10

9. Mads notes how communication has to change when chasing bigger clients - 43:00

Connect with Zuzana Dobro:

 1. Zuzana Dobro

Change is hard in life in general, but particularly so when you’re moving to a new way of managing your company and executive team.  Some will not buy into the changes and find their way to the exit, others may resist and not actively support the new system.  That’s why it’s so important that the owner believes in the change and reinforces that change in his management team and all the way down to front line staff.

Neel Parekh of MaidThis went through this about a year ago and on this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast he tells us about how he successfully implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).  Neel shares some tactics that really helped his team to accept the new program and work through some of the awkwardness at the beginning of the implementation process.  Neel and his team have been scaling and growing, and just recently franchised his successful MaidThis brand, which is a cleaning service dedicated to vacation rentals and Airbnbs.  You might also enjoy, as I did, the fact that Neel is constantly turning the tables to ask me questions!  I respect and enjoy his curiosity and I think you’ll find some great content, particularly on how to run better meetings.

While it was awkward for him and his team in the beginning (it felt unnatural), Neel persevered and used scorecards to track KPIs for his direct reports.  I emphasized the importance of personal conversations during 1-to-1 meetings (including the fact that they should happen every week for direct reports).  If you don’t get to know your team, you will have no greater context for what they do and why they do it.

We also talked about team meetings and how different they are from 1-to-1s.  Neel asked how often a manager should be talking in the meeting and I said, “As little as possible.”  I reminded him of my principle: a manager should talk last and least.  If you have difficulty with this, consider designating someone as the meeting manager to keep things on track.

If you insist on talking in team meetings, you will often take away agency from your team.  When you offer a “solution” you take away the oxygen from their journey to find a solution.  When you’ve told them your preference how are they going to come up with their own?  A team has to solve these challenges together, without you, otherwise, they can’t ever grow.

Key Learning Points:

1. Neel describes how his company implemented EOS - 2:47

2. Mads insists on the importance of 1-to-1 meetings - 6:45

3. Mads explains his philosophy regarding team meetings - 9:43

4. Mads notes the importance of a meeting manager - 11:10

5. Mads cautions us on what happens when departments don’t communicate - 16:20

6. Mads chats about DISC - 24:57

7. Neel shares how blue-collar workers respond to recognition and compensation - 29:50

8. Neel discusses ideal candidates for a MaidThis franchise - 33:10

Connect with Neel Parekh:

1. Neel Parekh

2.  MaidThis Franchise

The one constant factor in all of one’s endeavors is you; self-awareness or profoundly understanding oneself, is, therefore, essential in business leadership. This strength enables a person to become empowered as awareness allows one to make better choices in management and business operations whether it be to change, adapt, or grow.

Joining us in this 14th episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no other than Josh Patrick, founder of Cracking the Cash Flow Code!

Josh Patrick has been in the business arena for more than ten years now; being in the business for a long-time allowed Josh to gain knowledge on what he wanted, and what he stands for most especially in business leadership. With being grounded on his passion, the values he embodies as a person and as a leader transpires in the manner he helps other people find their purpose, which in turn empowers morale and productivity. 

For Josh, the most effective way to be successful in the business is to work through others.

Key Learning: 

1. Management Philosophy – 2:30

2. People Management Mission – 4:30

3. Outgrowing Business Challenges – 7:14

4.  Identifying Tomorrow’s Leaders – 11:43, 12:49
 5.  Hiring System and Screening Process – 13:41, 18:03
 6. Trick in Sourcing Anchored from Values – 20:05

7. Management Accountability – 23:02

8. Onboarding New Hires – 25:25

9. Unique Management Style – 29:44

10. Management Tips, Tricks, or Suggestions – 43:34, 44:11

Golden Nuggets: 

Hiring Trick (Activity) – 5:50

The truth about owning a business successfully – 6:39

Values-Based Management – 12:14

Walking the Talk: Vision – 36:04

Stage 2 Decision Process – 38:49

Right Tool for Appropriate Management – 41:22

Resources Mentioned: 

1. Big Rocks 

Author: Stephen R. Covey

2. Traction 

Author: Gino Wickman

3. E-myth

Author: Michael E. Gerber

4. Book Yourself Solid  

Author: Michael Port 

5. The Challenger Sale 

Author: Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon

6. The Challenger Customer

Author: Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, Nick Torman, and Pat Spenner

7. Sustainable Business 

Author: Josh Patrick

8. 80/20 Rule in Business  

Author: Perry Marshall

Connect with Josh Patrick on the following online handles: 

1. E-mail: jpatrick@stage2planning.com
2. Contact Number:  8028461264 ext 102
3. Website  

Episode Summary 

As you know by now, a business that efficiently runs is much more likely to find continued success over the long term. If you’ve ever asked yourself as an entrepreneur, “How to increase business efficiency?” Well, let me tell you - efficiency boosts productivity and can give you an edge in today’s competitive market.

Adam and I talked about how to increase business efficiency and its high points. A lot of entrepreneurs out there are struggling to scale up simply because: They haven’t identified the deeper layer of the business industry they are in. 

Have you identified the business industry you’re in? You’re in for luck! 

Tap in now and tune in until the very end to know how that matters!  

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• How to get to know your business;
• Why getting to know your business industry helps you improve business efficiency;
• How can you begin training your brand. 

Episode Resources: 

1. Start A Party Rental Company
2. The Tent Guy 
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ podcast? Check out these: 

#133: Kison Patel on Being Decisive and Solving Problems Effectively
#69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up

#52: Marquis Matson on SEO Marketing for Start-Up Businesses

Have comments about the show?

Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Believe it or not, even when you’ve grown a business to a level that allows you to step away, business owners struggle to do just that.  It’s a good problem to have, but even better, it’s a problem you can deal with if you are willing to make some important changes.

Today’s guest for Mads Singers Management Podcast, Adam Anderson, is someone who has had to make those important changes multiple times.  Adam has spent 22 years as a tech entrepreneur, specifically in the area of cybersecurity.  He’s had almost two dozen companies and they represent wonderful successes, disappointing failures, and one great sale.  That sale made him think he was special, but over time he’s learned that he was lucky, and that process of learning to grow beyond luck has given him what he calls a “Street MBA” in which you learn by doing. 

Adam is particularly proud of the people who have come to work for him who were either young or inexperienced (or both!) and were transformed by working with him.  One particular group of developers started with him from scratch in one particular business and within the space of a few years were making 6-figure incomes.  This reminded me of a couple excellent employees that I’ve had the chance to develop over the years, both of whom were 18 years old with no education when they started with me and now manage 60 people each.  

This influence and authority over your employees is very powerful and Adam shares at least one occasion in which he felt he did not use that power for good.  In trying to encourage a playful and irreverent “anti-corporate” atmosphere, he created such a party environment that an employee got addicted to alcohol and ruined his life.  

That influence needs to be particularly present when promoting staff into management.  Adam made the mistake of thinking that everyone was entrepreneurially-minded (like himself) and hence used the “throw them in the deep end” strategy when he promoted people into management.  He learned the hard way (and pretty quickly) that this was no strategy at all.  I concurred, underlining an important theme in my coaching: people can learn and grow into management skills, but they have to be taught how to do so: they can’t just be expected to “learn it as they go.”

Once you do get those people properly trained you are free to step away from the business, and Andy confessed that he had a hard time doing that.  He had to learn to trust the process and not interfere with his management team, otherwise, they were never going to grow.  He’s learned how to add value to his company as a whole and gives us some great networking tips (I add one of my own!).

Key Learning Points:

1. Adam reflects on the things that make him smile the most - 2:50

2. Mads adds satisfying similarities in his own journey as an employer - 4:35

3. Adam warns about the dangers of promoting great performers into management - 11:00

4. Adam also notes that “abandonment” is not a great strategy for new promotions - 13:00

5. Adam shares his surprise at how challenging it was to manage managers - 15:00

6. Mads assures Adam that he sees this problem all the time - 18:45

7. Adam tells us his new “most important job” once he was removed from day to day operations - 23:50

8. Mads adds a tip for “getting lucky” - 24:30

9. Mads gives some alternative strategies for networking when there don’t seem to be obvious opportunities - 27:50

10. Adam gives us the reason why networking is not prospecting - 28:53

11. Mads shares an organization that is great for networking but isn’t normally thought of as a networking organization - 29:40

12. Adam tells us his four stages of business building - 31:36

13. Mads reminds us that management can indeed be fun - 37:50

Connect with Adam Anderson:

1. Adam Anderson CEO

When COVID-19 made remote work more mentally possible for many businesses, the tools necessary to maintain and sustain that remote work, like Zoom, thrived.  Today’s guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Liam Martin, co-founded Time Doctor, a SaaS that has also continued to do well during this strange global period.  If running Time Doctor wasn’t enough, Liam also runs a conference called Running Remote, a business he started in part just to find out the answers he needed as he continued to grow and scale a remote company.  

If you don’t know about Time Doctor, it’s a way for any business to not just track time for work, but also analytics for how long it takes to do a task and what was done.  Among the fascinating facts that Liam and his team have discovered over the years?

• People who go onto Facebook during the workweek are more productive
• A 32-hour work week is optimal

We found out that Liam himself works pretty close to that 32-hour week, spending roughly 66% of his time on podcasts or speaking at conferences.  I loved hearing that, as it’s such a far distance from the mentality that pervades some of my coaching clients who are newer in entrepreneurship, who tend to think of their productivity in relation to hours, ergo, more hours, means more productivity.  Wrong.  What really matters is doing a few things very, very well.

That attitude also matters for your subordinates.  Liam shared a fascinating story about how he incentivized his team not just to chase any backlinks, but links with great authority.  By no longer using sheer numbers of backlinks as a KPI, but rather the Domain Authority (DA) score of each particular backlink, the team was able to up the quality of what they were getting at a fraction of what they would get if they hired someone: on average the Time Doctor team was paying $32 per backlink for DA of 50 and higher, whereas agencies routinely charge $350 for DA of 60+.  A 10X value, and keeping that value in house?  That’s the sort of stuff that builds great businesses.

This discussion of time management also led us into a discussion of the unhealthy #hustle culture, and why working 100 hours a week (or more) doesn’t make you some productivity hero, but only more likely to burn out and take your team down with you.

Later in the pod Liam also shared a story about how he was able to narrow down his search for a COO type to exactly 87 people in the entire world that publicly had what he was looking for.  It’s inspiring to see effective time management at every level of Liam’s thinking, especially in recruiting.

Speaking of time, that’s likely to fly by as you listen to this pod, one of my favorite discussions of this year.  Enjoy!

Key Learning Points:

1. Liam notes the importance of tracking how much time you’re spending with your clients - 2:50

2. Mads shares the importance of KPIs, particularly as you scale - 9:30

3. Liam talks about Dunbar’s Number and how technology can help us stay connected as a tribe - 10:15

4. Liam shares how many hours a week he works, and a number of hours a week he knows will end in failure for everyone involved - 12:26

5. Liam pushed back against #hustle culture - 14:10

6. Mads notes that it’s not about hours you work, but about doing a few things really, really well - 16:45

7. Liam gives a case study of how he and his team improved the quality of the backlinks they were getting - 20:30

8. Liam shares his predictions for the near future of remote work - 25:30

9. Liam shares a quote from Napoleon that guides how he gives out orders and assignments - 30:18

10. Mads talks about process documentation and the fact that the faster this is created, the faster a company can grow - 31:45

11.  Liam shares another fascinating case study as to how he brought in an A player from Wordpress to level up his team - 36:22

Connect with Liam Martin

Running Remote’s YouTube Channel (pro tip - Liam personally manages this page, so it’s a great way to get a hold of him)

We hear a lot in the news these days about “diversity” and “inclusion” and it’s often best to speak to someone who is working on these issues each day to get a sense of the state of affairs.  Today I welcome one of those people, Genesis Amaris Kemp, to the Mads Singers Management Podcast.  Genesis is a self-proclaimed “enthusiast” for inclusivity and diversity and has a book that outlines her thoughts on the subject: Chocolate Drop in Corporate America.

Genesis and I started the episode talking about passion and I shared how fortunate I was to have stumbled across my passion via a great boss.  She was such a great manager that I ditched my planned career path to study management so I could become as good as her.  One of the problems I run into when I chat with people is they aren’t getting out there often enough to find their passions.  Pro tip: you’re not going to find your passion sitting on your couch.

Part of being a great manager is being able to give feedback, but it’s also the hallmark of a great employee to be able to take feedback.  I’d love to say that I was a natural, but it actually took me years to be able to just say “thank you” and thoughtfully consider what had been shared with me instead of just getting defensive and resentful, which of course led to total lack of productivity on my part.

Part of the “feedback” that the corporate world has been receiving is the need to be more inclusive and diverse in the workplace and in leadership roles.  This has even led to a quota system in Norway that mandates that 40% of the seats of boards of publicly traded companies must be held by women.  That’s actually been discouraging to friends of mine who earned their spots before these quotas.  I also recently fielded complaints from those who looked at our speaker list for the SEO Mastery Summit: “Why aren’t there more women?”  We simply didn’t have a lot of women apply.  Genesis and I talked about the relevance of quotas, the importance of making sure there’s a wide range of individuals of different ethnicities and cultures in given businesses, and the need to ensure that those individuals can see a path for them to rise and spread their wings, to not just be seen, but be heard.

The trap of “checking the box” or “tokenizing” diversity is always lurking, even in our subconscious, so it’s worthwhile to challenge our assumptions and look to improve our workplaces for ourselves and our team members.  Enjoy this episode with Genesis!

Key Learning Points:

 1. Genesis gives us her definition of passion - 1:45

2. Mads relates how a great boss changed his career path and allowed him to stumble across a passion - 3:20

3. Mads reminds us that hearing feedback isn’t always easy - 7:30

4. Mads goes on to warn against the defensiveness that is almost a reflex when hearing negative feedback - 10:30

5. Genesis defines diversity, inclusivity, equity, and equality - 12:40

6. Mads underlines the high stakes of hiring in a small business - 17:35

7. Mads shares his own challenges in finding female speakers for a conference he runs - 22:55

8. Genesis warns of “check the box” syndrome - 28:45

9. Genesis also warns of divided employee resource groups (ERGs) - 29:30

10. Mads reminds us that mentors love to help those who are passionate - 37:30

Resources Mentioned:

Chocolate Drop in Corporate America

Connect with Genesis Amaris Kemp

1. Facebook

2. Email

Many entrepreneurs or business owners right now take businesses so seriously that people management becomes second or third on their list without fully comprehending the amount of effective people management could generate. 

More than just managing businesses, engaging as qualified, being another form of managing people poses relevant increases in people’s productivity as well as their level of energy, and output. All these are possible when viewed and done in a different light. 

What I just shared is the reason why I am not missing out to be joined in today's episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast by Laura Roeder, Founder of MeetEdgar, to welcome 2020 with her new insights about people and business management. 

Fascinating as she is, Laura has been working full time since she graduated and was supporting herself since then. She has been an entrepreneur for ten years now. 

Laura has had different business models from consulting, online courses, SaaS - pretty much all in online marketing and social media marketing. 

Laura leads MeetEdgar, a Social Media Automation Tool that helps content on social media channels automate to make it easy for everyone who avails. 

Likely as how she leads her team, Laura swears, by making life as easy as possible for people to make their contribution. So whether that includes clearing roadblocks for people, making sure that the people can communicate with others easily, helping them have the information organized, supporting their thought process to be more effective at work - Laura seizes opportunities as such. 

Laura has been guided by the fact that - in general, people are always doing their best, which reflects how she manages her people and business, makes critical decisions, and even in connecting with them. 

Key Learning: 

1. Laura Roeder’s Management Philosophy - 2:12
2. Laura Roeder’s Management Challenges, Strengths, and Weaknesses - 4:23, 11:22, 14:30, 16:10
3. The Most Important Management Skill learned by Laura Roeder - 7:53, 8:18
4. Laura Roeder’s take in Delegation - 18:19
5. Identifying tomorrow’s Leaders - 23:21
6. Managing Managers - 27:38
7. Laura Roeder Business Risk - 29:02
8. Management Tips from Laura Roeder - 32:09

Tools Mentioned: 

1. MeetEdgar 

Connect with Laura Roeder on the following online handles: 

1. MeetEdgar  
2. Laura Roeder 
3. Facebook 
4. Twitter

LinkedIn continues to be an even more relevant part of networking and sales and it’s not often that you can speak with someone who’s been on the inside of that company, helping businesses use the platform to get outstanding results in recruiting and sales.

My guest for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Jonathan Baldock, is one of those insiders.  Based in Toronto, Jonathan spent a decade helping LI’s largest global customers with their recruitment goals as well as advising on social sharing and employee advocacy.

With 700+ million members, LinkedIn can be a loud place.  But throughout our conversation, Jonathan kept noting that it wasn’t about reaching everyone: it was about the share of voice in your industry.  Share of voice refers to conversations in your industry and what your footprint is within those conversations (and looking to increase them).  Jonathan likened the share of voice to two car dealerships that are side-by-side.  One has three cars and the other has 100.  They can both sell you cars, but one definitely looks more attractive at first glance.

You don’t increase the share of voice by simply sharing content about how awesome your business is (and how you need to buy from us NOW).  Here are two wonderful tips Jonathan shared:

• Get buy-in from your employees.  If you take a company with 50 employees, they will have, on average, 800 followers.  An average person may have 800 connections on LinkedIn.  When one of your employees shares a job opportunity, or a thought leadership post, or an article from your company, they have the potential to reach many times the number of your company’s followers.
• Use a 3/2/1 ratio for every 6 pieces of content you are sharing:
  • 3 pieces of thought leadership
  • 2 industry-specific pieces
  • 1 piece about your company

Jonathan stressed the importance of not worrying about winning a share of voice for all of LI, but again, just within the important scope of your clients and prospective clients.  LI is, after all, primarily a B2B platform.

I shared with him my own pet peeve of seeing people tag dozens of people in posts.  Jonathan agreed that this not only wasn’t effective but was likely to lead to your getting unfollowed (unsurprisingly!).  Best practice?  Tagging one, maybe two people, and using one, maybe two hashtags in your posts.

LinkedIn definitely feels like a black box to many of us, but after this episode, you’ll feel that it’s less mysterious!  Enjoy.

Key Learning Points:

1. Jonathan shares some tips for building your LinkedIn company page - 5:04

2. Jonathan discusses the importance of posting and sharing content in driving interest - 7:00

3. Jonathan offers some best practices for sharing on LinkedIn - 27:20

4. Jonathan notes the importance of focusing on your clients and prospective clients (vs. the whole world) - 29:15

5. Mads shares a pet peeve: tagging a bunch of people in a LinkedIn post - 31:07

Resources Mentioned:

 
LinkedIn Sales Blog

LinkedIn Marketing Blog

LinkedIn Talent Acquisition Blog

Connect with Jonathan Baldock

LinkedIn

My guest for today's episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Tony Jalan; Tony has been in sales and sales management for 24 years & has also worked with John C. Maxwell, where he has learned tons of lessons. As an executive leader, he helps develop sales leaders in all businesses by connecting them to the right tools, resources, and people to help them live out their best lives.

Like management, many business owners tend to expect a lot when they hire their first salesperson or employee. However, this is when many new managers and leaders fail because, in most cases, new managers and leaders do not get the support they need and want, compared to entry-level roles and positions. Now, rather than getting upset or angry, business owners and leaders should take a step back and create a list that has everything necessary to them, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Even if you don't precisely know those things, it's essential to set some boundaries and your goals.

You may also consider soft skills when onboarding your first employee. Add a little challenge like Tony, where he likes to give assignments during the onboarding process to know if the person is the right fit for the job. It's also essential to make potential employees feel welcomed; because, like you, your employees have their own goals. Schedule them in for some one-on-one's to get to know them better.

Eighty percent (80%) of your thoughts today will repeat themselves tomorrow. You can try journaling (this is a reminder to try my hand at journaling) to vent or be thankful for the small accomplishments you have made during the day. This way, you can look back at your entries and see what things you can improve when you have a rough patch, whether in your business or personal life. And always remember, WAIT - Why Am I Talking? When we talk, we talk of what we know, but when we listen, we are learning. 

Key Learning Points:

1. Tony says that business owners and managers should be able to layout specific expectations of their own when hiring their first employee. - 05:19
2. Tony adds that even if you don't know what things are important to you, you should consider relatability and other aspects when you hire your first employee so that things will work smoothly. - 05:38
3. Mads says that business owners should make potential employees welcomed- 08:44
4. Tony says that business owners and leaders should also understand what's important to their employees, like what their goals are- 10:02
5. Tony mentions Nick Saban, the coach of the Alabama Football Team, and shares that when the coach recruits new players, he asks them what they want and what their goals are. He then adds that once you get the answer, you get their heart, allowing you to coach their minds. - 11:09
6. Tony shares a quote: The average players want to be left alone, the good players want to be coached, the great players want to be told the truth. - 12:55
7. Tony says that we should be mindful of our language because what we say matters a lot - 15:10
8. When asked by Mads if there are ways to salvage a relationship, Tony says it's best to own it and accept the fact that it's happening rather than be defensive about it, and while it may be a tough pill to swallow, but it creates a culture where people will own up their mistakes. - 17:40
9. Tony shares a quote: Delegation without direction leads to disappointment. - 20:22
10. Tony recommends journaling because it allows you to practice gratitude. He says it's the best self-help book you will pick up. - 25:08

Resources Mentioned:

The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Connect with Tony:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Twitter

Blog

Email

There are many business books that share theories about how to manage companies.  Unfortunately, many of them are heavy in theory and light on real-life experience, which is why I’m always keen to talk with those who don’t just have a set of experiences with one company, but many sets of experiences across multiple companies and industries.

Someone who fits that profile is Henry Daas, who joined us for this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast.  Henry is a serial entrepreneur, business coach, author of a book about money and finance and currently writing a book about the “seven silos” of a business, which he has arranged into an acronym spelled as “codfish.”

Henry used a website to find an English word that would match the first letters of each of the concepts that he found were vital for any successful and serious business:

• Customer Service
• Operations
• Development
• Finance
• Infrastructure and IT
• Sales and Marketing
• Human Resources

Henry has a great skill stack, one of which is in finance, so I really enjoyed our conversation about business finances.  We agreed that a shocking number of business owners do “bank account financing,” meaning that they run their business and build their financial outlooks based on what is going on in the company bank account.  This is just one of the many issues I talk about in my finance course for entrepreneurs.

Henry insists that business owners doing less than $1M in annual revenue should know the numbers from their balance sheet and profit and loss statements backward and forwards.  He also noted how casual most business owners can be about securing credit during good times.  “Otherwise,” he says, “You won’t be able to get it when you do need it.”

I really appreciate Henry’s humble and understated style and there’s a lot more to this interview that you’ll enjoy.  Dive in!

Key Learning Points:

1. Henry shares how he developed his Seven Silos concept - 1:57

2. Henry gives his opinion about “writer communities” - 5:35

3. Henry talks about the #1 finance issue most small business owners face - 7:30

4. Henry talks about the importance of a credit line, even when you don’t need one - 10:27

5. Henry cautions against “bank account” financial planning - 13:45

6. Mads discusses two aspects businesses should consider when making investments  - 20:31

7. Henry discusses the one milestone that makes you a “real business”  - 26:32

8. Henry discusses “micro clients” and their relation to the 80/20 rule  - 31:00

9. Henry shares his biggest management mistake - 39:02

10. Henry warns about the “equity trap” - 40:35

11. Mads explains why he takes business partnerships more seriously than marriages - 42:00

Connect with Henry Daas:

1. Henry Daas

Episode Summary
Joining us again today is Lincoln Kokaram! Lincoln shares in our podcast episode today his humble experience and how he used this to be where he is today! Lincoln's story is unique amongst others because he empowers his employees as he's starting to have opportunities for himself too! This leadership strategy not only benefited his business but, at the same time, benefited his employees too! 

Like me, Lincoln believes that people are always an important asset. And that the way you manage your people reflects on the % you allocate to develop and grow them. Whether it be that means your time or resources to hone and empower your employees. Make sure that you don't sell yourself short today! Tune in now, learn today, run your business, and be the great leader you are! 

What do we cover in this episode? 

• How to correctly empower your employees and have your attrition reduced 
• Why investing in your people is always a better choice 
• How can you listen better to your employees and still be a leader 

Episode Resources: 

1. His Business Partners
2. E-mail: lincoln@hisbusinesspartners.com
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group

We are all subject to our own biases, and this is the reason why effective workflows, policies, processes, and procedures exist for a reason. It allows everyone to look at facts and find equally unique challenges and unique opportunities. 

No less than Vincent D’Eletto, founder of WordsAgent.com joins us in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast to share how having an effective workflow, and standard operational procedure unites everyone involved in the business to generate better results across the board. 

Vincent D’Eletto owns and operates WordAgents.com which is a content creation agency that houses almost one hundred fifty writers and editors. He also maintains portfolios of SEO Affiliate Websites and a restaurant owner at the same time. 

Vincent acknowledges the fact that by having an efficient system, it’s what separates where good fails and great prevails. By this, having effective workflows and procedures requires high-level thinking in looking at things toward the work that people do. Not only it is beneficial for the business from a management standpoint, but also drives people empowerment.

Key Learning: 

1. Vincent D’Eletto on Workflow and Effective Operational Procedures – 1:54, 3:24, 9:50

2. Vincent D’Eletto insight in promoting a Team member – 20:08

3. Mission in People Management – 25:12

Connect with Vincent D’Eletto on the following online handles:
1. Website
2. Linkedin
3. E-mail - vincent@wordagents.com

Some years ago you may have had to convince people that content marketing was useful, or even more importantly, that they might need it for their own businesses.  That’s not the case anymore.  Content truly is king in this era of the internet, and even the search engines have learned how to (mostly) parse the good content from the bad.

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, I welcome Sofie Couwenbergh of Let Me Write That Down For You, which, as you can guess from the name, is a content creation firm. Sofie has had that business for eight years now.  Before that Sofie was the in-house copywriter for an international publisher.  Not content to write for a living, Sofie also does it in a side business, her travel site Wonderful Wanderings.

In my different businesses, content creation is key and I wanted to hear Sofie’s take on whether this should be an in-house priority or something that is hired out.  She immediately asked:

• How much content do you need?
• Do you need it consistently?

The answer to these questions will indicate whether you are looking at a one-shot project (outsource) or something that you’re going to need consistently (consider a dedicated contractor or a hire).  “Google is always changing, your competitors are always updating their content: if you’re not giving content serious attention, you’re going to be left behind,” Sofie shared.

So what about hiring people and how to find great writers?  Sofie gave some great tips on what to do if you do end up using a large marketplace like Upwork.  But she also shared a little known place where you can find great writers without having to pay Upwork’s fees.  We also agreed that the more you pay, the likelier you are to get “publish-ready” content that doesn’t require a lot of editing.  You can save money by hiring someone cheaper, but you’ll spend that in the time you need to spend getting their work up to par.

Sofie also shared that when you do bring someone in the house, you don’t want to throw everything at them at once.  Document all the steps (hopefully because you have modeled them yourself) via documents or videos, and make sure your hires have everything they need to succeed.  

Sofie’s passion for getting her client’s messages right (she calls herself a “straightforward perfectionist”) is palpable and after listening to this episode you’ll have a better sense of some of what goes on behind the scenes in creating high-quality content and corresponding high rankings in search results.

Key Learning Points:

1. Sofie talks about the choice between doing content in house vs outsourcing it - 2:45

2. Sofie discusses the importance of content - 5:20

3. Sofie shares the challenges of hiring in a large marketplace like Upwork - 7:45

4. Sofie gives us a lesser-known place to find great writers - 8:44

5. Mads discusses the advantage of using someone who consistently writes for a living - 12:49

6. Sofie offers pointers about training someone for in house content - 19:13

Connect with Sofie Couwenbergh:

1. Let Me Write That Down For You

The traits of a visionary leader and a leader who loves coaching exemplify in its form of management style. These type of methods move people by telling then not where to go but how to get there, and affecting people towards a common goal; thus motivating everyone else in the team. It is done by holding long conversations beyond the workplace and helping each and everyone else who is part of the loop to find strengths and weaknesses and tie those to career aspirations and actions. 

Combining the two management styles allows individuals to build long-term capabilities with an overall strong climate impact. 

Wayne Richard joins us from Bean Ninja in this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast. 

Wayne Richard is the Director for Global Operations of Bean Ninja wherein the organization he is part of specializes in cloud-based bookkeeping and financial training to online businesses. They also support a large number of SAS, e-commerce, and different coaching service-based, markets. They are spread all over Australia, Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and the Philippines. 

These successes are not magic in a split of a second to Wayne. He ensures that he is able not just to spend time, but more so, Wayne can invest time to profoundly understand what is it that he wants them to do. Wayne as a leader also aids his team members to identify their best talents, and at the same time help them identify their gaps so he could be able to provide them the support they need and help them position themselves towards strengthening those areas. 

As guided by his management philosophy, Wayne Richard subscribes to the view that modeling the behavior he wants his leaders to be living is the key to be able to let them understand the vision he readily has in his mind.

Key Learning: 

1. Wayne Richard’s Management Philosophy –  (2:50), (3:54), (4:33) 

2. Unique Management Style – (11:06)

3. People Management Mission – (5:00)

4. Outgrowing Business and Management Related Challenges – (6:40), (7:05), (16:49) 

5. Identifying Tomorrow’s Leaders – (8:15)

6. Managing Managers – (9:20)

7. Business Risks – (21:45), (22:30)

8. View on Delegation – (24:25)

7. Tips, Tricks, Suggestions – (25:50), (26:27)

Golden Nugget: 

Management Assimilation – (26:27)

Leaders who Self- Identify – (8:15)

Resources Mentioned: 

1. Traction

Author: Gino Wickman 

Applications Mentioned: 

1. Slack (for internal communications)

2. Wrike (for Project Management) 

Connect with Wayne Richard’s on the following online handles: 

1. Website 

Today, joining me for this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than the resilient entrepreneur Michelle A. Mercier.

Michelle is a business coach, motivational speaker, and host of The Resilient Entrepreneur Podcast. Michelle is on a mission to bring back humanity in business because she believes that keeping things personal is suitable for businesses.

Michelle hopes to get rid of the "hustle and grind' and "badge of busy"' mindset because it has become a misguided norm in today's society where people fail to see how self-awareness and a healthy perspective can help them reach unlock their full potential.

We begin our talk where Michelle mentions a quote from Sheryl Sandberg on how being resilient is like a muscle where you can build it up and draw on it and become the person you're meant to be.

Although life is constant, it can throw us into some weird situations. With the universe notorious for throwing giant curve balls at us, Michelle aims to cultivate the right business mindset and soft skills to foster the resilience to succeed in a world with ever-changing circumstances. But being resilient isn't simply flicking a switch and things being okay instantly, and this is why we need to recognize that adversity and that it's okay not to be okay sometimes.

When learning new habits, people shouldn't underestimate the power of their old habits because they may relapse and go back to their old ways. However, a little progress can go a long way. One can practice bookending like Michelle does so that you won't be bombarded with so many thoughts to think of when you go to bed or be distracted while you work or spend time with your friends and family. These small things can change the way you show up to people, on stage, in front of your clients, friends, and even family. One can also challenge themselves by shaking up a few aspects of your life by learning a new skill or improving an existing one, but you shouldn't worry too much if you have missed a step in your routine or two, especially if things are out of your control.

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads says that things only seem to be difficult because you haven't done it- 05:28
2. Michelle says she isn't happy with the definition of "resilience" in the dictionary because the act itself requires some effort. She hopes that people will be more accepting of the mores of adversity to continue moving forward. - 06:42
3. Michelle says that sometimes it's okay not to be okay. - 07:30
4. Michelle adds that while some things may be out of your control, you will always choose your feelings or reactions. - 08:19
5. Mads says that it's vital that we take full ownership of the things around us instead of blaming others. - 09:04
6. Mads says that the only person who can turn your life around is yourself. - 09:36
7. Michelle says that she believes that self-awareness should be the main criteria when running a company. - 12:39
8. Michelle says that business owners should be in tune with their employees to know how to manage them properly. - 13:18
9. Mads says that shooting down ideas from your staff is the worst thing a manager can do because it can make them less likely to share their thoughts and make them shut down. Even if it was a bad idea, acknowledge that they took the time to come up with an idea, and it is a benefit to your team. - 30:56
10. When forming new habits, Michelle shares how she likes to bookend her days by journaling, exercising, or visualizing the day so that she won't be thinking of all the crap when she goes to bed. - 34:38

Resources Mentioned:

The Resilient Entrepreneur Podcast

Connect with Michelle:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Facebook

Empowering a team is not rocket science. Profound appreciation and understanding of shared responsibility are the primordial requirements along with trust will entail for productivity to work at a large extent. Not to mention of having a remote set up.  

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, we are joined by Daniel Chabert, who shares to us his management philosophy and how he capitalizes on autonomy and camaraderie. 

Daniel started a business in 2012; he started venturing in affiliate marketing and quickly expanded into building different sites related to affiliate marketing and e-commerce.

Much of Daniel’s business success is referred to his management style, wherein Daniel gives people autonomy, space, and authority to make decisions and embrace full responsibility. He advocates growth and connection among his team as he is fully aware that having a remote set up is challenging. 

Daniel subscribes to the view that when each of his team members assumes responsibility on a specific project, ownership comes naturally considering that the affection this approach entails would result in collective thinking and goal. Also, interdependence or “trust” is crucial to employee empowerment as it promotes internal harmony, which in effect makes the work more efficient. 

While employees may have the liberty and autonomy to decide on their own accord, the secret to empowering a team is that they unite towards achieving a common goal. While the components may be separate from each other, all these when combined are relevant with the end goal in mind.

Key Learning: 

1. Daniel Chabert's’ Management Philosophy –  (3:24) 

2. Unique Management Style – (17:40); (18:22) 

3. People Management Mission – (4:56) 

4. Outgrowing Business Related Challenges – (6:30) 

5. Transformation – (21:50)

5. Identifying Tomorrow’s Leaders – (9:21); (11:05)

6. On boarding Process – (15:07)

7. Business Risks – (23:14) 

8. Tips, Tricks, Suggestions – (25:04)

Golden Nugget: 

Empowering a Team – (3:24) 

Employee and Management Connection – (11:05)

Applications Mentioned:
1. Slack
2. Google Sheets

Resources Mentioned:
1. Let my People Go Surfing
Author: Yvon Chouinard

Connect with Daniel Chabert's’ on the following online handles:
1. Linkedin
2. E-mail - danielcpdk@gmail.com

Joining us in this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Julio Monzon, COO of Monetizemore. He describes himself as a holistic thinker who empowers other leaders by capitalizing on the organizational culture.

Building a unique and dynamic business today is a challenge and Julio banks on the trust of his employees and the culture established. 

He knows, for one, the implications of having a vibrant culture that engages and energizes employees; and believes in almost every case, if the culture is established it no longer needs to be imposed but is lived mutually.

For Julio, social factors play a huge part in building a culture which cultivates leaders and empowers team members. He acknowledges the challenge at the beginning of every change process; hence, getting the buy-in for Julio is also a chance for the leaders and executives to gain an understanding regarding the concerns of the workforce.

In addition, having each employee live the company culture allows Julio to provide an avenue for other leaders to be creative in their own way by allowing them to navigate the space freely instead of taking instructions on “how to’s”.  

Julio subscribes to the view that once the extended team is engaged and strategical performance feedback is established, the execution process is refreshed and then evolves.

Key Learning: 

1. Julio Monzon’s Management Philosophy - (4:54)
2. Mission in People Management - (5:32)
3. Julio Monzon’s Unique Management Style - (9:36), (10:00), (10:44) 
4. Going beyond Managing - (11:53), (15:09), (15:25) 
5. Julio Monzon’s take in Identifying Leaders - (20:04), (20:55)
6. Business Transformation - (22:23), (23:19)
7. Personal Transformation - (24:22)
8. Management Tips, Tricks, or Techniques - (26:17), (28:45) 

Golden Nuggets:
1. Context’s Importance - (18:42)
2. Culture Driven Leadership - (11:53)

Connect with Julio Monzon online with the following handles:
1. Linkedin
2. Website
3. E-mail - julio@monetizemore.com

A lot of people have read Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Work Week.  Many of those have gone on to try to live, in some part, the lifestyle of the digital nomad that Tim champions in that book.  Of those, few have persevered beyond their first failures to one or more successes.  That lesson, the lesson of “failing forward,” isn’t really discussed in the book but is a key part of the life of successful digital nomads.

On this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast I chat with Amar Ghose, who grew up in Silicon Valley and read The Four Hour Work Week  when it first came out.  That planted a seed that led Amar to try establishing several different businesses with varying degrees of success until in 2013 he co-founded Zenmaid, which is a scheduling software for maid services.  He’s got a remote team of 20, distributed around the world, and has himself been living the nomad life since 2015.

One of the things that Amar learned during the lockdowns earlier this year was the value of 1-to-1s.  He had a chance to ask his team what they were interested in learning about and doing during the rest of the year and found out some hidden desires and talents, for example that one of his team wanted to do some copywriting, even though they were in an entirely unrelated department.  This opened up an avenue for me to stress (as I do in my management course) that 1-to-1s are always to be done with regular reports on a weekly basis, not just during a lockdown but even during “normal” times.  

A trait Amar looks for when hiring that I really appreciated was the desire to develop personally and seek feedback (and receive it graciously).  He talked about how far some of his team had come in the years they had been together because of this trait.

We also got to learn a bit about his motivations behind acquiring a SaaS business, Burnchurn.io, that is unrelated to ZenMaid but still benefits from the way Amar has been learning to grow and manage businesses.  One of those ways is the strategy of “managing up,” which Amar looked into more closely when an employee sent him a Harvard Business Review article on the topic.  In brief, this strategy allows Amar to work for his team in different departments, insofar as he often looks over solutions that the team has already come up with.  By more trust and delegation, Amar has been able to apply himself where he is most needed and valuable, and that’s a game-changer for a small business.

Key Learning Points:

1. Amar shares his biggest management challenge - 2:54

2. Amar discusses the importance of 1 on 1 meeting during the lockdown - 8:30

3. Mads stresses the importance of regular 1 on 1s with direct reports - 11:45

4. Amar shares a key trait he looks for when hiring - 13:01

5. Amar shares (for the first time anywhere) his acquisition of burnchurn.io - 14:35

6. Amar notes the challenges of being a non-technical founder - 18:55

7. Amar talks about “managing up” is a game-changer - 22:35

8. Amar discusses his annual MRR goals for ZenMaid - 28:30

9. Amar tries to sell Mads on the value of using Twitter - 35:05

Connect with Amar Ghose:

1. Twitter

Episode Summary 

Dr. Catherine Wiberg joins us in today’s episode! Dr. Catherine and I chatted about a topic I have not covered for you yet. And that is employee retention and engagement. As leaders, we all know how the dynamics of employee engagement plays a key role in employee retention. But how do we exactly do it perfectly? 

A sense of belongingness is important to regard when we work with other people. But there’s so much into it that leaders must dig deep to understand their people. The way employees are engaged relies heavily upon their leader’s leadership. When a leader knows his people, he easily knows what affects their motivation. And when this is executed, people feel heard, and when people feel heard, people feel they are relevant. Dr. Catherine shared her 3Rs framework, making it easier for you to do and follow! Tune in ‘til the very end to know what it is! You’d love to listen to this episode and save it on your phone! 

What do we cover in this episode? 

• How do you not lose money on resignation and recruitment by improving your employee engagement
• How can you capitalize on your onboarding process for a better revenue turnout 
• How can a leader’s leadership tolerance better organizational culture 
• What are you missing out in your ways of increasing your employee retention

Episode Resources: 

1. Profitable Alignment 
2. Linkedin 
3. Twitter
4. 12 Week Year by Brian Moran & Michael Lennington
5. Strengths Finder by Tom Rath
6. Leadership & Self-Deception by Arbinger Institute
7. Mads Singers Free Management Training
8. Join Mads Singers Management Group

Joining me today on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Itai Sadan, CEO, and Co-Founder of Duda, the leading white-label website builder for digital marketing agencies and SAAS platforms. Trusted by over 15,000 and counting agencies, SaaS platforms, freelancers, and even small businesses use Duda on a day-to-day basis to build their businesses and their digital presence. At 11 years old, Duda has over a million paying subscribers and 200 employees, and seven offices (and growing!)

Starting a business, regardless if it’s your first or your hundred, can be a struggle, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic where many of our norms were suddenly flipped overnight and where we had to quickly adapt to the many changes that unfolded with the flip of a switch.

Despite the challenges, COVID-19 has also allowed new ideas to take form and change the face of business. 

You will have sleepless nights, working long nights, and anxiety when you are working towards your first million. However, this will eventually become easier down the road. This then allows you to cope much better when it comes to scaling up or reaching your next goal, whether it’s your first billion, another branch, or even a new business venture altogether. However, you can breeze through most challenges when you have the right partner, but in finding the right partner, you’ll need to set clear goals and expectations since you will be spending most of your time with them.

For a business venture to succeed, sometimes we need to bring in or hire chemistry with ourselves and our staff through conducting one-on-one’s with each of your staff or sending out a newsletter every month where highlights and updates are being made aware. Doing this allows you and your company to move as one to take on challenges together rather than having one person deal with something and shoot at it blindly.

Key Learning Points:

1. Itai says that even though the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging to some people, it allowed him and other businesses to flourish by creating new ways to connect. - 3:08
2. Itai says it’s essential to have a good partner when starting a business. - 07:24
3. Mads likens partnership to marriage because you will be spending most of your time with your business partner.- 08:34
4. Mads stresses the importance of having a solid conversation with your partner- 11:23
5. Itai adds that business leaders and owners should have clear roles and responsibilities for their staff. - 12:40
6. Itai says that once you start taking money from investors, it becomes another relationship with your partner, staff, and others.- 21:22
7. Itai says that the experience you are bringing on board is much more important than the actual money. - 25:43
8. Itai shares how one employee told him that there was no transparency in the company, and it made him realize that he needed to put in the effort to keep everyone in the loop. - 28:02
9. Mads says that when promoting someone internally, even if you don’t have much budget to get them the best courses or training, you need to go out and do something to invest in them somehow. While they can learn at their own pace, it may take them longer, and however, when you invest in them, you will be reaping great rewards. - 34:51
10. Itai says that it doesn’t matter if you’re the squad leader and a great shooter because that is still one rifle shooting in one direction. You’ll need ten rifles shooting in the right direction, reminiscing about his army days in Israel before he started Duda. - 39:27

Connect with Itai:

LinkedIn

Company LinkedIn

Company Website

Twitter

Company Twitter

Facebook Page

Instagram

YouTube

By definition according to Small Business site, Business networking is defined as the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers. The primary purpose of business networking is to tell others about your business and hopefully turn them into customers.

This definition is probably the most common known knowledge to people who are new in the industry. Our guest in today’s podcast episode reshapes it.

Joining me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is, Frank Agin, a Professional Networking Expert to tell us more about how he scales networking connections. 

Frank Agin is an Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Author who advocates networking out of its common notion. 

He runs an organization in the United States called AmSpirit where it focuses on helping entrepreneurs and business owners to become successful through networking.

Frank has always believed that Networking is about giving to the world and finding something that a person is passionate about and eventually finding other people who happen to have the same interest as you.

Key Learning Points:
1. Frank Agin’s Networking Model - 10:57
2. Frank Agin’s Tips on Entrepreneurs about Networking - 14:57, 15:24, 39:23
3. Frank Agin’s Technique about Structured Meetings on Networking - 27:56, 35:10

Resources Mentioned:
Book: All You Have To Do Is Ask 

Author: Wayne Baker 

Connect with Frank Agin on the following online handle(s):
1. AmSpirit
2. Linkedin
3. Twitter
4. E-mail: frankagin@amspirit.com

Whether you run a small business or heading multiple businesses, there would always be several activities going on every time, and there would always be numerous changes happening simultaneously. These realities pose a challenge to handle at once and not let work become chaotic. 

This is why to stay on top of things, Matt Mower, a software builder, and developer advocates the use of an effective software tool designed for every business need. 

Joining me on this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no less than Matt himself to talk about how meaningful and useful software can be used in businesses regardless of the organizational size.

Matt’s background involved building software as he worked in software companies for years, including software building mostly in the world start-ups and SMEs. 

Over the years, Matt gained a profound understanding of HOW software usage makes a significant business impact once tools are identified to focus on clarifying how an investment could then turn to a relevant output. 

This approach involves enabling people to become agents of change complemented with the targeted tool or software to solve the problem instead of just presenting the software as it is. 

Key Learning Points:
1. Matt Mower’s Least Liked Experience in Building Software - 1:42

2. Matt Mower’s Challenges & Strategies in Software Building - 3:52, 6:05, 6:57

3. Matt Mower’s Headstart Tip For Non-Tech People (Start-Up) - 17:40 

4. Matt Mower’s Approach for Large Business on Software Building - 21:46, 23:04

5. Matt Mower’s Pro-Advice To Get Started in Software Building - 30:23 

Resources Mentioned:
1. Mullin’s Seven Domain Model
2. Assumption Mapping by David Bland
3. Impact Mapping by Gojko Azdic
4. Testing Ideas
Author: Author: David Bland

Connect with Matt Mower on the following online handles:
1. Website
2. Linkedin
3. Twitter
4. E-mail: matt@theartofnavigation.co.uk

Joining me on today’s episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than Skye Barbour. Growing up with entrepreneurial parents, Skye knew she wanted her own business. Still, unlike her parents, she didn’t want to follow in their footsteps where she had to give up something to pursue her dreams. Skye wanted the best of both worlds. Skye wanted to earn great money and be a present and great mother to her children. Because of her experiences, Skye was able to see what real-life leadership was like, complete with challenges in handling people and operations. She even got to make all the mistakes under the sun, but Skye could grow a long-term sustainable business despite all these. Skye knew she had to leap after experiencing burnout and being pregnant with her first child.

While the allure of being a freelancer or being able to work on your terms will never stop, to balance those things and live the life you want, you’ll need to have discipline and roll up your sleeves from time to time to get things done. But to reach your goals, you’ll need to get some people on board as well because you can’t be the only one doing everything as this will only hinder the growth of your business.

As Skye pointed out, people can be so frightened of what might be the future that we stay stuck in the doing, and although you can automate and delegate a bunch of things in your business, it takes time and needs development.

While everybody is replaceable, as it should be, because businesses need fresh brains and hands from time to time, having a throwaway culture in outsourcing can cause problems for your business. Hiring a VA can help solve many things for you, but if you don’t have systems or SOPs in place, they will struggle too; sometimes, the problem doesn’t lie with the VAs you hire but within yourself. 

Management doesn’t necessarily need to take an extended period. However, you will need to have the right person or the right people to get things done for this to be successful. Once implemented, your business will be smooth sailing in a month or two!

Understanding your core strengths and having a growth mindset will help you become a great leader.

To make sure your business is successful, you’ll need to be able to write down your recipe and pass it on to people so they know how to run your business. This is especially true when your business is your brand. Hire experts that can lighten your burden so that your business can grow and flourish, and ultimately it’s about moving you from doing the tasks in the business. 

Key Learning Points:

1. Skye says that to grow a long-term sustainable business, this is what she calls the missing link who want to - 01:58
2. Skye says she is an advocate of applying herself and doing the work. This means that you’ll need to roll your sleeves up and work 03:32
3. Mads shares that he has been living remotely since 2014, and while it has its perks, he says that to work from the beach or to live the life you want will require discipline. - 06:16
4. Mads says he asks people if they want to build a business or build themselves a very glorified, well-paid full-time job because the difference between those two is vast. - 08:08
5. Mads says that once business leaders and managers get the mindset right, they realize that they shouldn’t be doing unnecessary work- 11:50
6. Mads says that when it comes to hiring people when you treat your staff as a cheap resource, they will also treat your work as an affordable resource. - 18:54
7. Skye says that regardless of who you bring into your business, you should invest time and resources in them if you want to get the best out of them. - 20:54
8. Mads says that anyone can be a good leader as long as they understand their core strengths- 26:36
9. Skye agrees that there isn’t a silver bullet solution. If you don’t understand your people and what resonates with them, then they will not be able to do a good job- 30:16
10. Skye shares her analogy where business is like a car where people parts of a vehicle and to get to the destination, many leaders and business owners expect and assume that their staff don’t need to know, she asks how people will do their best when they don’t know what’s going on or what the whole things for - 32:31

Resources Mentioned:

Full Freedom for Entrepreneurs with Skye Barbour

Connect with Skye Barbour:

LinkedIn

Website

Instagram

YouTube

LinkTree

We often complain about the fact that there’s so much that “they” don’t teach us in school that we need not just for our careers, but for life.  Turns out that instead of just adding one more voice to that chorus, someone decided to address those challenges by writing a book.

Today’s guest for the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Mark Herschberg, is the author of the new book The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success that No One Taught You.  Mark has managed to pull off a rare trick: 20 years in academia, teaching at MIT, and 20 years as a CTO, working with garage startups and Fortune 500 companies alike.

One of the aspects of our conversation that I found funny was how both Mark and I had to intentionally overcome parts of our own personalities in order to live the lives we do now.  For me, as a classic introvert, I chose to ride a bus to work early in my career.  I started with “Hi”s to strangers and when that became easier, I graduated to “Hi, how are you?”  Mark’s technique was more dramatic: he used ballroom dancing.  “If I made mistakes, it wasn’t the end of the world,” he noted.  He took what may have been “high stakes” for others and turned it into a practice ground for himself.  Not only did he become better at networking, but dancing gave confidence to his public speaking. 
 

I shared that Toastmasters had been part of my own journey to improve in public speaking, and we noted that activities and hobbies like dancing or Toastmasters serve as their own form of networking.  Rather than having to subject ourselves to the sometimes cringey world of “networking events” we have both come to realize over time that when you pursue interesting things you will run into interesting people.  And before too long, you’re “networking” without even knowing it.

We also spoke about the value of negotiation and how some managers are “afraid” to train their employees to negotiate: “What if they use that against me?”  But Mark really noted that this isn’t a smart way to think.  It’s always better to negotiate against a good negotiator than a bad one.  A good one figures out how to get the best outcomes for everyone instead of playing a zero-sum game.  Yes, they may use their new negotiation skills “against” you, but they will appreciate your investment in them as a person, not just as a numbered employee. 

Mark is so full of fascinating stories and helpful lessons that this episode could have easily gone on longer.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Key Learning Points:

1. Mads notes that the best salesperson doesn’t necessarily make the best sales manager, and certainly can’t become one without training - 3:43

2. Mads shares that often when people say they “don’t like managing” it’s because they don’t know how - 5:20

3. Mark stresses the importance of being incrementally better than your competition rather than focusing on being the “world’s greatest” - 7:07

4. Mark used ballroom dancing to help with his fear of public speaking - 11:04

5. Mark gives us a tactic to get networking results without attending “networking events” - 15:05

6. Mark has been encouraging people to re-invest the time they have saved with Covid - 23:40

7. Mark talks about the importance of learning how to learn - 30:00

8. Mark goes back to memories of geometry in school to connect learning to life - 33:45

9. Mark makes the case for training your team to negotiate better (even if it’s against you) - 37:45

10. Mark points out that there’s no substitute for practicing what you learn in books, courses, and podcasts - 42:20

11. Mads talks about the prestige and advantages that come from hosting groups - 47:30

Resources Mentioned:

The Career Toolkit

3D Negotiation

Bargaining for Advantage

Start with No

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher

Never Split the Difference

Good for You Great for Me

Connect with Mark Herschberg:

The Career Toolkit

Episode Summary

It’s no secret how hiring remote workers or setting up your virtual team made you save tons of cost. Since the pandemic, remote working has become the new norm. Do you agree? In fact, a lot of businesses right now offer hybrid work set-ups. If not, they are hiring remote workers and setting up their very own virtual team. 

Omar and I talked about our experience in having our virtual teams. He shared how his communication dynamic has been working for him, which made his business scale up to its capacity now. He shared proven tips on how to keep remote employees engaged and the productivity it yields. 

By now, there’s no proven science yet, in terms of communication dynamics for managing a remote team. But one thing’s for sure: If you are not effectively managing people face-to-face, there’s no chance you’d be with a remote team!

Tap in now and tune in until the very end! 

Listen to this week's show and learn: 

• How do you manage a remote team differently?;
• What are the better ways of your communication process?;
• How can you use a filtration process to find the right people for your virtual team?

Episode Resources: 

1. The $100 MBA Show
2. Webinar Ninja 
3. Omar Zenhom
4. Mads Singers Free Management Training
5. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Enjoyed Mads Singers’ Management podcast? Check out these:

#114: Maya Middlemiss on Scaling Your Business to be Remote-First and How to Be Happy and Healthy When Working from Home

#107: Richard Matthews on Building Systems and Working Remotely

#41: Erick Rodriguez on Remote Management in times of COVID-19

Have comments about the show?

Hey, do you have ideas for topics you’d like Mads Singers on future episodes? He’d love to hear from you at mads@madssingers.com!

Digital technologies, infrastructure, systems, and processes are as important as the people involved in digital alteration; it is also as crucial as people management.

Communication and empowerment play a considerable part in this business culture, considering the business dynamics it entails for digital maturity.

Joining me LIVE in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no other than Karl Kangur, Marketing Director of Smash Digital. Karl shares in this episode how he learned people management by experience and how it turned out to be a learning process for him too.

Karl is currently staying in Vietnam, whose doing Digital Marketing for eleven years now. He started as a person specializing in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and affiliate websites and eventually making it to the Agency World.

Being a visionary leader as he is, he knows that by having a clear road map of what he aims to be, and where he seeks to be, operating business in digital marketing, in general, becomes more manageable.

For Karl, management to him came in as trial and error as he started at a very young age to which he learned management through the ropes. Karl believes that communicating clearly and effectively and empowering people by giving them the authority to make decisions spells out the difference. This became his backbone is people management.

Karl believes that by giving people chances, it surprises each one who gets to witness, knowing them differently.

Key Learning Points:

1. Karl Kangur”s take on Management - 2:00
2. Karl Kangur’s Management Roadblock - 4:36
3. What Karl Kangur considers win - 5:52
4. Karl Kangur’s Interesting Business Outlooks - 14:43
5. Karl Kangur’s Takeaways - 18:17, 23:00, 25:42

Golden Nuggets: 

Karl Kangur being Visionary - 8:07

Connect with Karl Kangur on the following online handle(s): 

1. Smash Digital
2. Karl Kangur
3. Email - karl@smashdigital.com

While technology is an important part of scaling any business, without the right people, that scaling will never be successful.  This is a deeply held belief of my guest for today’s episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Ryan Stewart.  Ryan, like many entrepreneurs I know (myself included), doesn’t limit himself to one business.  But he has smartly ensured that all three play in the same space: Webris, a digital marketing agency focused on SEO for B2B SaaS, The Blueprint Training, to train people to be better SEOs, as well as a software company that helps companies automate their marketing.

While Ryan has been in the marketing space for a decade now, he originally started as a consultant for Deloitte before discovering this thing called “internet marketing.”  Soon enough he was building his own websites, wordpress plugins, and even a digital marketing agency, all of which he has sold at one time or another.

Right away I asked him how he managed to keep all these businesses running smoothly, and he quickly answered: people and processes.  He firmly believes that the only thing that stops businesses from growing quickly is having the right people in place.  I couldn’t really disagree with him.  People are everything to a scaling business.  

As for where to find those people, Ryan really likes using LinkedIn not only because he can learn a lot about a potential hire there, but also see what their activity level is like and learn more about them through what they are commenting and sharing.  He has an interesting recruiting process in which he puts final candidates through a paid trial in order to assess them in a “real world” environment.  Not everyone goes for it, but that’s one more part of the screening process that gets him to the right candidate.

As for what could differentiate an SEO agency from the competition, Ryan focused on customer service and EQ.  “Customers have differing levels of what it is SEO ‘does’ exactly, so you need to know what level of knowledge you are working with and communicate appropriately.”  I agreed and pointed out that that’s also related to how much you charge.  The better you communicate with your client about what you’re able to do for them for what you’re charging them, the likelier they are to accept your (higher) prices.

Ryan’s an expert in his field and very comfortable chatting about the things that matter to him.  I think you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Key Learning Points:

1. Ryan talks about his secret to maintaining multiple businesses successfully - 2:45

2. Mads shares why you DON’T want to just hire a copy of yourself - 4:15

3. Mads discusses the importance of case studies - 10:13

4. Ryan agrees and notes that those case studies should be niche-specific for maximum impact - 10:13

5. Mads notes the direct relationship between pricing and what you’re able to do for a client - 14:30

6. Ryan talks about how Covid-19 has affected his business - 17:10

7. Ryan sees the value in SEO is something that cannot yet be automated - 20:28

8. Mads talks about the fading importance of physical office space as part of business “legitimacy” - 27:15

10. Ryan talks up the value of LinkedIn as a place to hire - 30:45

11.  Ryan tells us why he pays people for a paid trial as part of the hiring process - 32:07

Connect with Ryan Stewart

LinkedIn

Twitter

Episode Summary 

Today’s episode tackles every business owner’s fear: hiring younger and qualified but inexperienced employees. Ron Nussbaum is our guest today! Ron’s management experience dealing with younger and less experienced employees assures business owner’s that: it can be done. So as long as the communication lines are open. This aspect has been Ron’s nugget in managing, developing, and creating lifelong retention of his younger employees. Learn more about the benefits and how to turn things around when dealing with them by tuning in today! This is an episode you will surely love!

What do we cover in this episode?

• How do you deal with the complexity of hiring and having younger and less experienced employees
• What management style is best suited when hiring younger employees 
• How expected results  can be delivered despite hiring less experienced employees 

Episode Resources: 

1. Linkedin
2. Email: ron@nuttnest.com
3. Mads Singers Free Management Training
4. Join Mads Singers Management Group 

Nothing in life can be achieved through a quick fix. Nobody gets it that easy which is why the long and difficult process is the only way through. A person cannot just be consistent accidentally. It’s a thoughtful choice you make every day. 

Focusing on the actual work that needs to be done may seem cliché, but it works true and has shown proven results. 

Kris Reid from Ardor SEO subscribes to this view. 

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Kris Reid from Ardor SEO joins us as he tells us more about how his management philosophy helped him to be successful now. 

Kris Reid started as a Software Engineer and once worked in Finance until the global crisis. This event led him through to being in the SEO Industry of this digital age. 

For Kris, having a purposeful - targeted vision and turning that vision into action can make that person holding the vision unstoppable. 

Kris ensures that the people he works with also understands profoundly the vision that he has. This philosophy paves the way for guaranteed results and delivery. 

For Kris, meaningful focus and consistency do not only rest on the services Ardor SEO provides but also in the manner he chooses the right people and the way he deals with the people he is working with by establishing the connection to each of them.

***Catch Kris Reid and Mads Singers on this Podcast episode!**

Key Learning: 

1. Kris Reid’s Management Philosophy – 2:28

2. Mission in People Management – 3:43, 7:34

3. Outgrowing Business Challenges – 5:55, 18:14

4. Kris Reid’s Approach on Delegation – 9:52

5. Kris Reid’s Unique Management Style – 13:14, 

6. Tips, Tricks, Suggestions – 19:11

Resources Mentioned:

1. The E-myth
Author: Michael Gerber

2. Profit First
Author: Mike Michalowicz

3. Clockwork
Author: Mike Michalowicz

Connect with Kris Reid on the following online handle(s):
Website

Joining us from Cape Town, South Africa, today’s guest on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is none other than self-made millionaire, franchise business coach, and entrepreneur Nicolene Elhadad!

Nicolene and her husband started from their garage and have worked their way up to several franchises and businesses all over South Africa.

However, it’s not all about earning money. Nicolene and her husband believe in helping people and changing their lives; they even encourage their former employees to go beyond their abilities and never go backward in life.

Nicolene and I then talked about delegation and how important it is in a business. Many business owners are often afraid to let go of the reins and hand over tasks and responsibilities to their employees because of the fear of failure; however, many business owners struggle to grow their business and waste a lot of time and resources. Instead of feeling busy or looking busy, entrepreneurs and business owners should spend their energy elsewhere to grow their business.  And while it’s essential to have the right kind of people in your business, a good mindset is also necessary so that you can move your business forward faster. Recruiting people is easy, especially if you’re a known brand or company, but getting them to work with you is difficult.

Key Learning Points:

1. Nicole points out that once people figure out what your product is and how good it is, they don’t care how far or near you are located- 3:11
2. Nicole says you don’t need to be making millions, have a massive team, or have a famous brand before you can start franchising; you need a system that works. 
3. It would help if you found people who are like you. - 5:20
4. Mads says that if you want to develop fast, you want to get rid of everything you do in your business and have other people do it. - 8:02
5. Mads points out the importance of developing and growing your staff to be able and capable of doing the work they should be doing. - 10:00
6. Nicole says that business owners should try to have a coffee date with each of their staff once a month to understand them better. They may even have a hidden talent that can help you bring in more money or clients for the business. - 11:09
7. Mads points out that having a business doesn’t mean you should be running the business but rather hiring the right people to make the business work. - 11:44
8. People will buy from you in to your business because you’ve given them that safety net.
9. You’ve done all the hard work for them; now they get to partner with someone they can look up to. - 18:17
10. Nicole believes in having a super team, a better group than you that can take care of all the unnecessary and mundane tasks off your plate so that you can focus on growing the business. - 19:18
11. Mads shares how he gets surprised by his staff when pushed because they deliver more than you expected. - 21:57
12. Mads shares how people need to learn, and the only way to do that is by trying out things, failing, and making mistakes. 22:50

Connect with Nicolene:

LinkedIn

Website

Facebook Group 

Passionate about building businesses that would exemplify his wealth, Dane Maxwell truly exemplifies how he can make great deals with the businesses that he has so far ventured in. 

Joining us in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is no less than, Dane Maxwell, owner of a low-multi million dollar SaaS business and an author himself. 

Dane’s journey started when he started building software in service companies. He acknowledges the fact that although his businesses began with 16 different ideas, 11 of which failed while 5 of it succeeded. Dane attributed its success when he started to listen and embrace to his customers’ ideas. 

Dane himself is spontaneous that he likes to build businesses with rapid speed, and he does it by finding a market, finding the first opportunity, and putting an expert in place to solve an issue.

Dane knows what he aims for and what his real goal s are. It is with those “end in mind” that he systematically plans and executes the by-products of what he aims for. 

Key Learning Points: 

1. Dane Maxwell’s Entrepreneurial Mindset - 4:24 
2. Dane Maxwell’s Biggest Business Challenge - 22:50 
3. Dane Maxwell’s Golden Nugget - 45:00

Resources Mentioned:
Book: Start from Zero: Build Your Own Business and Experience True Freedom

Author: Dane Maxwell

Resource: Wealth Dynamics
Author: Roger Hamilton

Connect with Dane Maxwell on the following online handles: 

1. Website
2. E-mail: dane@danemaxwell.com

To lead a team nowadays requires collective synergy among the people involved in the team - this is what Quentin de Pret is preaching as aa Transformation Advisor and Coach. 

Joining me in today’s episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is Coach and Advisor from Mango Chutney, Quentin. 

Quentin had a chance to explore the field of collective intelligence and participatory management, which in essence helps to build peoples’ sense of community and belonging in a remote workspace so people will feel engaged despite the complex work dynamic. 

He also built a company called Mango Chutney, which takes care of small and medium businesses in organizing daily life like how to be efficient yet stimulate engagements considering the modern workspace involved. 

For Quentin, participatory leadership is essential for adapting to change and innovation. It uses available knowledge and involvement to achieve the common good on any issue as it allows them to deal with issues by using the collective intelligence of people concerned. 

Key Learning Points:
1. Quentin de Pret’s Management Philosophy - 4:26

2. Quentin de Pret’s Management Model - 10:00, 17:18

3. Quentin de Pret’s Insight on Culture Transformation in Organization and Peer Communities - 22:16, 32:47

Connect with Quentin de Pret on the following online handles:
1. Website 

2. Linkedin 

3. E-mail: quentindepret@gmail.com