As you've heard on this podcast, Casey Graham started a business called Gravy that is on a mission to return $1 billion back to small businesses. Casey is now hosting Gravy's new podcast called Gravycast that gives listeners and inside looking at building a billion dollar business. Join us over at Gravycast! 

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Greg Crabtree. Greg is a speaker, author, entrepreneur and financial expert.  Crabtree has used his entrepreneurial skills to develop Crabtree, Rowe & Berger, PC, a CPA firm focused solely on the needs of entrepreneurs, helping them build the economic engine of their businesses. Working with entrepreneurs all over the country in a broad range of industries, Crabtree has simplified financial reporting and empowered all entrepreneurs to take ownership of their finances.  He has pioneered a revolutionary metric for driving business profitability: measuring labor efficiency and developing simple benchmarks for company, team and individual performance.   Today Greg talks about how to get your business over the seven figure mark by investing the right way. He shares his biggest tips on return on invested capital and shares his key performance indicators that lead him to success. Listen in as Greg Crabtree shares his insider tips on investing while empowering you to take financial ownership of your business.   What You’ll Learn How to take your business beyond 7 figures. Greg’s research on the number one KPI for your business. How to become a portfolio entrepreneur. Why thinking differently could be the key to success. How to invest in a way that works for your business.   How to simplify scouting methods.   www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io simplenumbers.me   Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Nicole Moore. Nicole is a NYU Certified Life Coach, passionate about helping Women everywhere find True Love and transform their relationships, especially the ones they have with themselves. Today Nicole talks about how a failed relationship lead her to 7-figures, and how you can apply that to your own business. She shares her biggest tips on finding the right marketing message to share with your clients and how she has used her message to solve her client’s biggest problem.  Listen in as Nicole Moore shares how she niched her business and reached 7-figures in six years. What You’ll Learn How to rise after failure. Nicole’s personal life mission. How to sell the seemingly impossible. Why finding the right marketing message is crucial. How to grow your email list. Why you should use Youtube to your advantage. www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io https://www.loveworksmethod.com/ Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Nicole Moore. Nicole is a NYU Certified Life Coach, passionate about helping Women everywhere find True Love and transform their relationships, especially the ones they have with themselves.   Today Nicole talks about how a failed relationship lead her to 7-figures, and how you can apply that to your own business. She shares her biggest tips on finding the right marketing message to share with your clients and how she has used her message to solve her client's biggest problem.  Listen in as Nicole Moore shares how she niched her business and reached 7-figures in six years.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with James Wedmore. James is an introvert from Laguna Beach, CA who has spent the past 8 years teaching online entrepreneurs how to leverage the power of online video and YouTube with such courses and programs like Video Traffic Academy and 48Hr Film School.  Starting in 2016, he made a massive shift to focus on a big gap that he saw missing in the marketplace: The Mindset of Entrepreneurs. He launched a podcast (Mind Your Business) and a new flagship program (Business By Design) to help other content creators, authors and coaches thrive online.   Today James talks about focusing on the person behind the business, and how that can help you attract the right team.  He shares the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when it comes to problem solving strategies and gives a more behind the scenes look into what made him look at his business in a new perspective.  Listen in as James Wedmore shares his best kept secrets on how to surround yourself with a team that will get you to 7-figures.   What You’ll Learn How to find the right people. James’ mailroom strategy. A job posting site you may have overlooked. The most successful way to solve any problem. How to focus on the person behind the business. Why you should “murder the entrepreneurâ€.   www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io www.mindyourbusinesspodcast.com   Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Trivinia Barber, is the founder of Priority VA — a boutique, virtual assistant agency that got tired of seeing hardworking, growth-minded entrepreneurs get overwhelmed and burnt out while scaling their business to the next level. Through Trivinia’s intensive, hand-picked recruitment process, and in-house skill development, she guarantees that her roster of world-class clients (Amy Porterfield, John Lee Dumas, Social Media Examiner, Todd Herman etc.) get served only by elite-level assistants equal to the demands of a quickly growing online business. Today Trivinia Barber talks about why having a virtual assistant could take your company to the next level. She shares the biggest mistakes you could be making when it comes to hiring your own virtual assistant, and the steps she takes to make sure everyone is matched with their ideal assistant. Listen in as Trivinia shares her best practices in navigating the virtual assistant world. What You’ll Learn How to be successful in hiring. The hidden power of the Colby test and why you should be using it. Trivinia’s take on the ask method, and to find what your customer really wants. The biggest trends for virtual assistants in 2018. How to test the character of your future virtual assistant. The biggest help virtual assistants can provide for you. www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io www.priorityva.com Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Selena Soo, a publicity and marketing strategist for visionary entrepreneurs, experts, and authors who want to reach millions with their message. She’s helped clients and students get featured in places like O, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, and Inc., and land interviews on national TV. Many of Selena’s clients have become industry leaders with 7-figure businesses, raving fan bases, and hundreds of thousands of followers. Her signature approach comes down to building powerful and long-lasting relationships with influencers and the media in a thoughtful, authentic way.   Today Selena Soo talks about how influencer marketing can take your business from a hidden gem to a household name. She shares the biggest mistakes you could be making when it comes to connecting with influencers and how to make the right people pay attention to what you have to share. Listen in as one of the top marketing strategist shares her do’s and don’t of influencer marketing.   What You’ll Learn How to get in contact with people the right way The power of a superfan. How to get the right people to pay attention Selena’s current vision for her latest launch, Impacting Millions The biggest opportunity you may be missing. How to best prepare for your next influencer relationship. www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io www.selenasoo.com www.impactingmillions.com   Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Grant Baldwin, creator of The Speaker Lab. He’s presented at over 400 conferences and given over 1,000 presentations to 400,000+ people. Grant uses humor, stories, and specific actions that your audience can use and implement immediately. Today Grant Baldwin talks about how public speaking can help you get in touch with the right audience for your business. He shares the biggest mistakes public speakers are making during and after an event, and how you can make sure you are getting the most out of your speaking arrangements for the benefit of your company.  Listen in as one of the top rated keynote speakers teaches you the art of tapping into the benefits of public speaking. What You’ll Learn How to find the value in public speaking. Why finding your niche is key. How to get in touch with a lead generation. How to prepare for your next speaking event. Grant’s number one tip for new speakers The biggest mistake speakers are making. How to best prepare for your next event. www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io www.thespeakerlab.com www.freespeakerworkshop.com Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Evan Tardy. Evan helped build DrAxe.com from $0 to 2X, 3X, and 5X year over year revenue growth, which landed them #130 on the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies in America, and the #1 fastest growing company in Tennessee in 2016. In 2013 he was named president of draxe.com and by the age of 30, was responsible for generating over $90M in direct revenue with yearly revenues of $50M+. He built a profitable direct response ad budget of $1M/month, and landed draxe.com on the Inc. 500 list two years in a row. Today Evan talks about his start at draxe.com and the experiences he had that lead him to generate growth so quickly. He shares why he decided to see it through during trying times, and why it is important to always try new things. Listen in as one of the fastest growing entrepreneurs teaches you how he made it through the early struggle. What You’ll Learn How Evan got started in a small business. Why an employee’s track record matters. How to give value first, and get business later. How to use “The Flywheel†to your advantage. Evan’s current day-to-day structure as President. How often you should change up your position.   Why trying something new, has no disadvantage. www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io www.draxe.com Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Ray Edwards, communications strategist and copywriter to some of the most powerful voices in leadership. Ray’s client list include New York Times best-selling authors Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Jeff Walker, and many more. He is a published author himself, with books such as Writing Riches,  and How To Write Copy That Sells. Over the course of his life, Ray Edwards has assisted in generating over $300 million in sales for his clients. Today Ray talks about how to allow yourself to have the permission to prosper. He shares how to use your mind, will, and emotions to find the true meaning behind your business and more importantly, how you can connect that meaning to your customers. Listen in as one of the top communication strategists in the world, gives advice on how to market and grow your business with a clear conscious. What You’ll Learn Ray’s take on the five M’s of business. Why focusing on your company message is more important than marketing. How to prosper internally. What areas of your life are under the influence of a lie. How do you know your company is telling the right message? What having a prosperous soul means for your business. How to handle adversity within your business. Links www.rayedwards.com www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come.   Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Damon DeCrescenzo, CEO of The Credit Pros. Damon leads a team of credit experts in helping clients across the United States. Damon earned a B.S. from St. John’s University in New York, and has since founded and ran a number of successful companies in a number of industries. These include a mortgage brokerage, a successful real estate agency, restaurants and nightclubs, a real estate development company, and an internet marketing firm. Today Damon talks about why enlisting the right people on your leadership team can set your business up for success. You’ll hear how Damon has learned to live in the future and how his spam box has actually become his greatest resource. Listen in as Damon discusses how having the right partner, could land you in the Inc. 5000.   What You’ll Learn Tips To Building A Continuity Company How To Get The Right People Around You When bringing on a partner makes sense for your company. How To Surround Yourself With the Right People Learn when you should hire from within, or avoid at all costs. Why scorecards could be your key to success. The game-changing power of having a COO. Links thecreditpros.com twitter.com/nydamon www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io   Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.  

Starts At Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away. At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come. Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Nathan Hirsch, founder and CEO of FreeeUp. At the age of 21, Nathan founded his first online venture out of his college dorm room selling and buying student textbooks. He then rapidly scaled his e-commerce business to a multi-million dollar e-tailer clocking in revenues in excess of $30 million on Amazon across a 6 year period while serving over 10,000 customers.  Today Nathan shares how outsourcing can work for you in the expansion of your company  and how to assure you are hiring the ultimate virtual assistant army. He also shares the trial and error strategies he used early on in his business to help it succeed, so you don’t have to. Listen in as one of the top outsourcing experts gives us his secrets to success.  What You’ll Learn How to hire the top 1% of the workforce. Why hiring based on experience is NOT the way to go. How to interview thousands of applicants in just minutes. How to make outsourcing work for you. Nathan’s current strategy to take on saturated markets How to use feedback to your advantage. Why being available to your clients can pay off big time. Links https://freeeup.com/ https://twitter.com/realnatehirsch www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io Thanks For Listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away.   At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come.   Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Pat Flynn, founder and host of The Smart Passive Income Podcast. Pat’s podcast has consistently ranked as one of iTunes’ top 10 business podcasts, allowing Pat to help hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs grow their businesses and create their own Smart Passive Income. Today Pat talks about the latest digital marketing strategies he is implementing to grow his following and to reach new customers. He also shares the strategies he used early on in his business journey to grow to where he is today. Listen in as one of the top digital marketing experts gives us a peek behind the scenes of his business.   What You’ll Learn How Pat got his start in digital marketing and online business. Pat’s current vision and strategy for his business Smart Passive Income. How to identify your unique advantages. Why being vulnerable with your customers can pay off big time. Pat’s philosophy on staffing your business. The power of Bonjoro. How Pat is currently leveraging YouTube.   Links www.smartpassiveincome.com www.youtube.com/patflynn www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io   Thanks For Listening!   We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away.   At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come.   Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Clate Mask, co-founder and CEO of Infusionsoft. Infusionsoft began as a start-up in 2001 helping small business owner simplify their growth by providing a software solution that automated sales and marketing. Since those early days, Infusionsoft has experienced remarkable growth. Today, Clate leads a staff team of over 650 employees and a customer base that now exceeds 150,000 users. Today Clate talks about how to lead in a hyper-growth environment. When you are leading a business that is experiencing rapid growth, there are several guiding principles that you must keep in mind in order to do this well. Listen in as Clate discusses what it takes to lead your business through the growth stage.   What You’ll Learn You can’t lead your company and ‘do’ the work of the company. Your inability to let go of your tasks will limit your company. The meeting rhythm you should start using to bring focus to your business. When bringing on investors makes sense for your company. How to avoid ‘talent-constraint’ in your business. Your belief in your business will dictate your willingness to take on investors. Learn to hire using your Purpose, Value, and Mission. The game-changing power of ‘Disciplined Optimism’   Links www.infusionsoft.com www.allgravy.io casey@allgravy.io   Thanks For Listening!   We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million-dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away.   At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come.   Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey speaks with Chandler Bolt. Chandler is a 24-year-old entrepreneur from South Carolina, who has achieved more by age 24 than just about anyone we have ever known. Chandler cut his teeth in business in college, working in the Student Painters internship. He set the sales record for that internship in six months and then dropped out of school to start his own business. That business was Self Publishing School, which helps authors write their book in just three months. The program also teaches authors how to market and sell that book after its finished. Chandler talks about how he came up with the idea, and the many systems he had to implement in order to surpass the 7-figure mark.   What You’ll Learn You can create something out of nothing if you hit the ground running It’s about perseverance and grit How planning can be a cop out for getting things done The value of “less but better” More businesses die of indigestion than of starvation Benefits of per product profit analysis Importance of evaluating the numbers on a consistent basis The significance of marketing and sales skills and why marketing and sales skills aren’t the only things that matter   Key Takeaways: “I’ve learned a lot and failed a lot.” “Your business idea doesn’t have to be the sexiest, you just have to implement it.” “You can create something from nothing if you hit the ground running.”   Links www.self-publishingschool.com www.allgravy.io   Thanks For Listening!   We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

  Gravy is a proud sponsor of the 7-figure CEO Podcast. This is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs break through the million dollar barrier facing them in their business. This podcast moves past the ‘theory’ of business and focuses on practical strategies that you can implement right away.   At Gravy, we exist to help entrepreneurs and CEO’s solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. We know that this one problem alone costs small businesses billions of dollars nationwide each year, and we want to help. We are passionate about entrepreneurship, and we want to help as many businesses leaders as we possibly can build healthy, thriving businesses that will continue to serve people, solve challenging problems, and provide jobs for years and years to come.   Today’s Guest: In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey sits down with Chad Ingram, CEO and founder of JJUMPP. In 2013 Chad was finishing up his undergrad at BYU and headed to law school when he had a change of heart. Law school would be a safe option, but he decided to take a chance and launch a new business. With the lessons learned from that early experience in business, Chad started his latest venture, JJUMPP. JJUMPP is a software company that helps businesses develop a comprehensive online presence. It allows you to manage and control all the online tools that spread information about your business.   Chad shares his story and talks about the many up and downs of leading a company. You’ll hear how Chad had to challenge himself personally in order to take JJUMP to the next level, and how he and his team solved the most challenging problems that businesses face as they cross the 7-figure mark.   What you’ll learn: How Chad got his start at JJUMPP. Why engaging your customers for reviews is so important. The best business ideas are not always revolutionary. How Chad developed himself personally in order to grow his company. How to go from an operator of your business to becoming the visionary for your business. The leadership model that Chad uses to develop his team. The best approach for solving your churn issue. The most difficult decision Chad made early in business. The one business process Chad would recommend for every business owner.   Links www.jjumpp.com www.allgravy.io www.caseygraham.com   Thanks For Listening!   We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter   To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

    Today’s Guest:   In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey sits down with Lisa Catto, CEO and founder of The Business Catalyst and co-founder of Marvel Property Solutions. As a business coach, Lisa knows what it takes to push revenue to 7 and 8-figures. Hear what Lisa says is the most important factor in breaking through these revenue barriers. Hint: it’s all about your people!   Lisa was an early innovator in the digital marketing space in 1995. She helped to develop the digital marketing strategies for large blue-chip companies including, Adidas, Kellogg’s, Quaker, and Sony. Since then she has personally coached businesses in just about every industry to implement marketing strategies. And in 2012 she co-founded Marvel Property Solutions, a gas and plumbing company located in London.   Time Management Learn why multitasking is a myth and how you can increase your productivity Why you need a ‘no-interruption’ zone during your work day.   Hiring Determine early on what kind of culture you want to have in your business. Have clearly defined and communicated core values.   Firing Learn how to implement a 3-strike process The EFET system to communicating your expectations to your employees.   Process Create the metrics needed to keep your employees aligned with your core values. Create Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for every employee.   Finances Don’t just look at your numbers, interpret the numbers.   Personal Growth Audiobooks is a great way to grow yourself and to encourage personal growth on your team.   Links www.marvel.plumbing www.thebusinesscatalyst.eu www.allgravy.io www.caseygraham.com   Thanks For Listening!   We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter   To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

  In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey sits down with Nate Grahek, CEO and founder of Sticky Albums. Hear how Nate took his hobby and turned it into a profitable business, crossing the 7-figure mark in just two years. Nate talks about the decisions that were most critical to his success, and his biggest wins and failures along the way.   Nate was working in Corporate America and running a small photography business on the side, when he had a ‘lightbulb’ moment. In order to market his business to potential customers Nate created an app that could showcase his work on the go using only his phone. It wasn’t long before Nate’s app drew the attention of other photographers, and in 2012 Sticky Albums was officially in business designing and selling software for photographers worldwide.   Critical Decisions Find the right business partner, by leveraging your network and finding someone who aligns with your core values.   Time Management Marketing and getting the word out is worth your time especially early on. Trying to do customer support, marketing, and sales by yourself does not work. Hiring someone to support customers will allow you  to focus on what only you can do. Don’t be the bottleneck for your top performers.   Hiring Let employees audition during the hiring process. Hire contractors and treat their project like an audition. Keep your expectations in check. One hire is not going to solve all of your problems.   Process Listen to the customers who are actually using your product or service well. That group will give you insight into how best to improve your product and business. Customers who don’t value their time, won’t value your time. Recording calls with customers became a productivity hack, and helped to create content for marketing.   Finances Compounding churn is a problem for software businesses. You can’t fix churn when people are leaving, it’s too late by then. The way you fix churn is to assist your customer’s during their implementation of your product/service.   Personal Growth Try to learn from people who have done what you are trying to do, and who have been where you want to be.   Links www.stickyalbums.com www.allgravy.io www.caseygraham.com   Thanks For Listening!   We’d love to hear your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below Share this episode on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter   To help this podcast: Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes.

In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey sits down with Mike Arce, CEO and founder of Loud Rumor. Mike started his marketing agency as a one-stop shop for all things marketing, branding, and website design. Hear how Mike niched his business to increase sales by 7x; creating greater margins, less-stress, and a freshly minted 7-figure business.

In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey sits down with Stu McLaren, CEO and founder of Tribe. Stu has taken his talents of leadership and created his business to help people grow their online communities. Listen in to what Stu has to say about giving up your time, promoting your products, knowing your audience, and hiring the best employees. Stu McLaren helps experts transform their knowledge and influence into recurring revenue by launching, growing, and scaling 7 and 8-figure membership sites. Stu started a software company in 2004 called WishList Member. In just a few short years this software would become the world’s most popular membership platform for WordPress powering 60,000 online communities and membership sites. Stu sold his interests in WishList Member in 2014 to focus solely on coaching and helping entrepreneurs create, and grow their own lifestyle business. Stu credits his success to years of cultivating meaningful relationships. Learn Stu’s approach to networking, why it was so impactful on his business, and how it could change the way you approach business networking as well. Leveraging Yourself Build on top of the relationships you have built over the years. Become known for something specific showcase your expertise be consistent Consistently volunteer your time for free to get your foot in the door. This will help you build relationships, become known, and showcase your expertise. Do not ask people about their problems, identify their problems and help find a solution. Know Your Audience Know your audience better than they know themselves Identify their external and internal problems or challenges. External: What are they searching for and seeking solutions for. Internal: What thoughts are keeping them up at night? To identify these problems look at what your audience is commenting or asking on social media, blog posts, podcasts etc. Once you have identified the issue talk about it. Hiring Do not hire the cheapest talent. Instead, hire someone who will help your business grow. Hire the A level workers, not the B level workers. An A level employee will do what they are told and try to find their own solutions before asking others for help. A B level employee wants to find the easiest way out, so instead of finding their own solutions they immediately ask for other’s opinions. Make the hiring process an audition not an interview. Before hiring a new employee, give them a small task to do so you get an idea of what type of worker they are. Product Launch Be intentional about creating a ton of anticipation early on for your product. Build up to specific date of which they can buy and then hit them with something big. Promote your product because you know it is something that is going to benefit the people you are selling to. A good idea is to have four major promotions a year that you go all in on each quarter and then a few smaller promotions throughout the year. Learning When you are learning you want to take that knowledge or wisdom and then apply it to your business. You want to try and learn in the fastest and most leveraged way possible. Stu hires someone whose job it is to learn from courses and then create an in depth two to four page summary about the course. This allows you to focus on your business without wasting time. This also allows the time you spend reading the course summary to be leveraged towards fitting it into your business. The best way to learn is to build relationships, spend time with other entrepreneurs, and ask questions. Links: http://www.stu.me http://tribeworkshop.com https://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast Casey sits down with Shaun Buck, CEO and founder of NewsletterPro.com. Shaun learned the value of sending newsletters to clients and prospects while owning a dry-cleaning business and chose to take that idea and make it into a business. Hear what Shaun has to say about the importance of newsletters for your business and how it can help your company grow. As a young kid, Shaun always dreamed of becoming a business owner—that dream became a reality when Shaun opened his first business at age 16; a pager company. Of course during this time pagers were on their way out and soon Shaun’s business was too. But Shaun kept at it, and has since owned a handful of successful businesses, including one that he calls his dream business, The Newsletter Pro. With this business, Shaun helps business owners market and expand their companies. The Newsletter Pro took off from day one, growing over 4000% in the first two years alone, and it hasn’t stopped growing since.  Get practical steps from marketing expert Shaun Buck on how he grew his business. Including valuable insights on how you can apply the marketing lessons he has learned to your business.  Business Management If you have a big business idea, but are still tied down by your current business do not hesitate, pursue your thought. Pivot your current business or go for the new business. Take your current business earnings and use that money to jumpstart your new business. Double-down where you believe you have the biggest opportunity. Hiring Employees Hiring is not committing. The most you are committing to an employee is a day’s work. Hiring someone is not a permanent thing, people can be fired. Do not be scared to hire early because this could potentially hold back your business growth. Hire a person that fits in the culture of the office. This means that the potential employee should respect your mission, core values, and business purpose. Firing Employees Do not be afraid to fire someone. Make the firing process easy and quick. The firing process should be swift and to the point. Questions about the reasons for termination can be answered later so the person has time to process their thoughts. Most times the firing should not be a surprise, the employee should know why they are being let go. Try to give the person being fired warnings and consistent feedback. Newsletters Newsletters allow for businesses to communicate to customers and convert prospects. Creates a more personal relationship with your customers by sharing your life and business experiences. Create the content for the newsletters do not look to the customers for content. Write a newsletter that talks about you and a business lesson Promotions and things about your business can be inside the newsletter/ The main goal of the newsletter is that customers and prospects feel as if you, as a business owner, are smart and reliable. Know when to cut ties sending newsletters to certain customers. Personal Growth Be consistent with you learning and growth. Surround yourself with friends and business owners who can mentor you and teach you. The best thing you can do is talk to other business owners and have conversations about your business and other people’s business. Read books that help you grow, listen to other people for change, attend conventions/conferences that help you learn. Links: https://www.thenewsletterpro.com https://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast Casey sits down with Nick Ray, CEO and co-founder of Modern Nash. Nick took a small idea, a U-haul truck, and a trip to Atlanta and shaped it into the seven-figure business he now runs today. Hear how Nick runs his business today through ancillary services, big data points, and surrounding leadership. Nick grew up in a family of restaurateurs and has worked in the retail and food and beverage industry for over 25 years. He has done just about everything you can in the restaurant business. From dish washing to upper-level management to ownership, Nick’s background has given him a sharp focus on customer service and the consumer shopping experience. Which was the springboard for his latest business-venture, Modern Nash. Modern Nash is a furniture supply company that is changing the way consumers shop for home furnishings. The business model is unique, creative, and amazingly simple. Listen to hear how Nick is carving out a new niche in the furniture industry. Hiring Employees Do not hire to fill a hole. Doing this causes disruption and difficulty for your existing employees. Look to hire the right people for your business. Seek referrals from friends or other business. You want to have employees you enjoy being around. If someone refers a potential employee than they obviously like being around them. Be a company that helps employees get to their next step in life, do not hold them back from that. Creating Services Think about the issues that you have faced in life and start small. Once your business grows create ancillary services because this is where the big bucks will come in mostly. Data Pinpoint the one or two big data points that really matter to your business and focus primarily on those. What bid data points are going to move your business forward? Customer care Create services that the customer needs and that make their life easier. Follow-up with inquiries in 24 hours. Give the customer multiple options to contact you and meet with you. Automation is key to improving your business. Automation services make it easier for customers to use your business. However, do not let automation get in the way of the personal interaction; find the balance. Leadership Find people in your life that will help you grown and change into a better leader. Listen to what others around you have to say and lean in on their advice. Have at least one person who can mentor you through the business process and also be there to talk about life. Links: https://modernash.com https://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

Daniel took his business to the 7-figure mark in just 13 months. During the first 6-months of business Daniel’s revenue was $0. But in the 7 months that followed Daniels business brought in $1.1 million of profit. Since then Daniel company has grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Daniel purchased his first business at age 16 and his first rental property at age 18. Since then, Daniel has consulted for real estate brokerages, grocery chains, stock advisers, and investment newsletters. Focusing mainly on inflation related investments and strategies, Daniel has become a top resource expert for over 200,000 people who subscribe to his FutureMoneyTrends.com Newsletter where he analyzes stocks, investment trends, and produces some of the most watched investment videos on the Internet. Business Finance The economy is always changing so always be anticipating and adapting to this change. Do not be bullish in the stock market, but do choose to invest in the latest trends. Keep six months to a year’s worth of cash expenses at hand always. You never want to be making decisions because you don’t have the money. Personal Finance Compound your savings with cash value whole life insurance policies. It’s tier one capital. Your wealth is compounding at about a 5 percent rate. It has nothing to do with life insurance. Make a commitment to save. Managing Employees Hire people you trust and people you know. Find people who like to do what they do. Employees work best when they can do what they want to do. Allow employees to start business and companies. Share in their success and their failures. Employees will perform better when you allow them to do what they want to do. Recognize your weaknesses and surround yourself with employees who counteract them. Employees know their role so, let them perform where they work best. Business Management Don’t make money for the materialism sake. View your advertisers as partners not advertisers. Defend your subscribers by being particular about your advertisers. Their success is directly tied to your success. If you’re building a business it is more about the build then the financial investment. Deliver same-day response to your customers to show them that they matter to you. Focus on one medium not five. Always seek unconventional ideas that will be beneficial for your customers. Target people who have never advertised because they have the untapped audience you want. Over promise and deliver beyond that promise. Don’t be lazy, be relentless in delivering the best. Links: https://www.futuremoneytrends.com https://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

Lior Gantz is the editor of Wealth Research Group, a publication dedicated to providing valuable insights on future money trends, personal finance, and stock market principles. Lior began investing in the stock market at the age of 16, and is now bringing the proven strategies he has learned to the subscribers of his newsletter. Lior has built and runs numerous businesses and has traveled to over 30 countries in the past decade in pursuit of thrills, opportunities, gaining valuable knowledge, and experience. LINKS https://www.wealthresearchgroup.com https://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com In this episode of the 7-Figure CEO Podcast Casey sits down with Lior Gantz: CEO and founder of Wealth Research Group. Lior discusses the importance of your personal money as well as your companies money and how you can invest your money into progressive businesses making a change in the current economy. Top Take-Aways Do not hold back to sharing with others the key to your success. Learn from others how to improve your business and life. The world is run on the knowledge people have and how they organize it. What to Invest Do not put more than 10% of your money into speculative investments. After payments and savings invest some of your disposable income. Where to Invest Invest your money in companies don’t hold on to it and don’t let anyone else do it for you they don’t put it in places that will make you good money Smaller companies that are up-and-coming or have begun to make their mark. Mining industry, cryptocurrency industry, and cannabis industry. The cannabis industry is growing 26% every year. If you do not like the product invest in the ancillary industry. Why to Invest It is a smart idea to invest some of your disposable income. If you can afford to invest your money do it. Investing is a lot about relationships. Who Invests? Manage your own money and investments, do not hire someone to do it for you. People looking for opportunity and payoff. People willing to take risks and hop on a plane to search for their next investment. People with an open mind to new ideas and industries. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

Justin started his first business at the age of 8. From then on, Justin knew he would always be an entrepreneur. In the years following, he has owned and operated businesses in all kinds of industries, many producing 8-figures of revenue. With so much experience in so many different businesses, Justin has learned what it takes to build a great 7-figure company and how to leverage marketing to bring great companies to market. He is now the founder and CEO of SyncSumo, Zenfusion, Fresh Agency, and many other eCommerce brands dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, business owners, and marketers grow their business through coaching, automation, and done-for-you services. LINKS https://zenfusion.com https://freshagency.com https://syncsumo.com https://justinlofton.com https://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   In this episode of The 7-Figure CEO Podcast, Casey sits down with Justin Lofton, CEO and founder of SyncSumo and Zen Fusion. Justin has created two companies that help businesses automate and organize their social media ads. Justin’s insight into managing your business and your employees will help you, as a leader, create growth and success in your company. Social Media Strategic social media advertising can help get your companies in potential customers faces. Use it as a place to communicate with potential customers, employees, and users. Managing Business Find balance in yourself and in your business. Focus on your companies one big objective and the today things will follow. Create value in your company’s products and customers. Do not push against the flow of mother nature. Go with the flow. Plan on a quarterly or 90 day basis in terms of looking towards the future based on your current projections. Managing Employees Focusing your employees on the companies one big objective creates a common focus and mindset. Employees should not feel guilty for leaving work. Create balance in your workplace so employees feel balance. Who to Hire Avoid hiring friends of employees. Be Selective Hire people who you can train and do not have a skill set they are bound to. Hire people who have a driven mindset that you can train and develop for your company. People set in their ways are hard to change for your companies goals and values. Community Create community with your customers by having subscriptions. Continually be placing out more content or products to help your customers. Business survive by creating community. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

Billy is a highly creative and energetic producer, emcee, and leadership consultant. He is passionate about working alongside great organizations and helping their story come alive. Billy’s creativity, enthusiasm, and innovative approach to producing events, turn ordinary environments into engaging and compelling experiences. Billy has partnered with Delta, Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-a, FIFA, The John Maxwell Company, and many other notable organizations to help them transform their corporate events into experiences that live on. LINKS http://elevateliveevents.com https://growingleaders.com http://www.allgravy.io Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   PRODUCT If you see a problem change it by activating ideas. Focus on the value of the product not the price of the product. Higher prices for products comes with setting the standard high. How do you deploy the impact of your organization? What are you doing to make it sticky for your people? Do not just set a price you are comfortable with. Take your widget and mark it up. HIRING PEOPLE Start by hiring people you know. Do not get comfortable hiring people just like you. Hire people who are the opposite of you. Hire people you trust and who care about what they’re doing. Seek positive and nimble people. When you hire someone expect change, and do not settle them into a title too quick. Discover their strengths and weaknesses, then place them in a position where they thrive. ORGANIZATION Have weekly reports that assess profit and loss statements. Class your products to make organization easier. Leading Indicators Looking closely at the things that lead you to more revenue, more customers, and more impact. These indicators can be influenced more easily. Lagging Indicators Looking closely at things like tight PNL, weekly reports, and data. These indicators are difficult to influence but necessary to check. Create quote documents to organize your products/services so you can indicate what needs to change in the future. TREATING CLIENTS Your business is about the client, not you. Make your product/service so valuable that the client has no other choice, but to talk to others about your business. Ask clients, “have you thought about this?” This helps your clients solve their problems and understand what they need to do. Make your clients feel like the heroes. When you work for your client you are there to activate their ideas, not your own ideas. Anticipate guests Invite clients to the office. By inviting clients to the office, you are creating a valuable relationship with them. Clients are able to see the space you work in and become excited about the fact that you are going to take care of them in every way possible. LEADING As a leader, the best thing you can do to gather ideas is get them from the quietest people Ask questions, shut up, and speak last. Your team members will feel enabled to talk and share ideas. Sometimes, team members do not talk because they want to be on your good side so, ask a question and wait till the end of the conversation. If a team member makes a mistake, remember to go after their heart. Value your team members heart and talent above their position. Create a learning opportunity by discussing and solving the issue together. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

Cameron is the mastermind behind hundreds of companies’ exponential growth. He has mentored dozens and dozens of companies all around the world who have gone on to have 9-figure exits. Cameron has built a dynamic consultancy: his current clients include a “Big 4” wireless carrier and a monarchy. What do his clients say they like most about him? He isn’t a theory guy—they like that Cameron speaks only from experience. He earned his reputation as the CEO Whisperer by guiding his clients to double their profit and double their revenue in just three years or less. LINKS Cameron’s site: CameronHerold.com Cameron’s books: CameronHerold.com/books COOAlliance BuzzSumo: Find the most shared content & key influencers Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   TOP TAKE-AWAYS In order to scale beyond the first million a company needs to be obsessed with culture.  Media shows culture as the work-from-home lifestyle with all the perks, but this is false. 7 FIGURE COMPANIES FOCUS ON: 1. Having a Vivid Vision 2. Hiring the Right People 3. Planning Strategically 4. Meeting Rhythms 5. Leveraging Technology VIVID VISION Create a future description of every aspect of your company three years from now. Use this three-year description to begin planning how you will reach this vision in a month’s time, a year’s time, etc… Lean three years into the future and then work it backwards to where your company is today, and that’s how you won’t get stuck. HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE Focus on hiring fractional people who have done that specific job before. Hire fractional people for project by project work or by job necessity in the company. Hire type A people who can manage themselves and hold themselves accountable. Your network is your net worth. PLANNING STRATEGICALLY Focus on building an operational company that has enough gross margin to cover your overhead and pays for your profitability. Always have something to sell to your clients. Continually tweak SOP’s so new hires know the company process, but keep them simple. MEETING RHYTHMS Meetings are necessary The key is to make sure that you do them properly, get results through them, and don’t over invite people. Verne Harnish philosophies focus on creating core types of meeting for your organization. You need to have a strategy meeting every year and every quarter, financial review meeting every month, planning meeting every week with your leadership team, one on one coaching meetings where you coach each of your direct reports for a half hour to an hour, and then your daily huddle. Know how to run a meeting and how to participate in a meeting. “Sorry, I’m late,” is not an excuse always be 5 minutes late to everything. Use strategy meetings to determine whether your products should continue to sell or be discontinued. LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY Look for technology accelerators, hacks, shortcuts and apps to accelerate the growth of your business. Use technology comfortable to you and your employees. IN CONCLUSION Focusing on hobbies and relationships outside of work is important for personal growth. End the business day at the same time every day and try not to work weekends. Read books or articles that are specific to your current company projects. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com  

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_057__Taking_Control_Of_Your_Business_With_Kim_Walsh-Phillips.mp3″ title=”7CEO 057: Take Control Of Your Business With Kim Walsh-Phillips” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Kim has two companies that are all about creating ROI for her clients through lead generation. She hates awareness campaigns because for too long she thought you marketed just for awareness, but learned it is all about ROI. You can market through results and not just pay to get your name out there. She founded and runs two companies: Lead Digital Group – generates revenue for companies using social media Elite Capital Advisors – generates seminar attendees for financial advisors She spent 10 years struggling going day to day hoping she could pay the bills and made a change when a friend gave her No B.S. Direct Marketing by Dan Kennedy. She started applying direct response marketing ideas with social media and started seeing great results. Over time she was able to present what she had done to Dan, which led to them writing a book together, No B.S. Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing (his #1 selling book of all time). After 10 years in business and many iterations, they reached the 7-figure mark.   LINKS Elite Digital Group: Connect with Kim & her team No B.S. Direct Marketing by Dan Kennedy & Kim Walsh-Phillips No B.S. Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing by Dan Kennedy & Kim Walsh-Phillips BuzzSumo: Find the most shared content & key influencers Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   TOP TAKE-AWAYS BREAKING THROUGH 7 FIGURES Kim realized she had to take charge of her life and business. After 10 years in business, she did a few things that helped her & recommends them to other business leaders: Shut Up Your Head Trash – stop telling yourself the story that you can’t do it or what people will think when you do do it. We all have things we tell ourselves and mindsets that we must overcome to breakthrough Invest In Education – you have to spend money and time to help you find a different path, new skills and challenge the way you’ve always done things Position Yourself As The Expert – you have to provide valuable content from your voice and experience every week to your audience Take Control Of Your Prospect Meetings – instead of chasing your leads around, you have to take charge and “prospective client interview” Say “No” To The Wrong Clients – if there are clients you don’t want to work with, you have to get rid of them – they’re not worth the income & you need more leads so you can replace them Raise Your Prices – price is not an arbitrary number, it should be equal to the value you’re providing HOW TO PRICE YOUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES The prices of your products and/or services should be based on the value that you’re bringing. You need to be able to prove the value you’re providing for the end user to validate their cost. If your prices are too low, the perceived value is low as well and they’re more likely to get rid of you or not buy from you again. But, if your prices are higher, they perceived value is higher as well. BE THE EXPERT You have to step and platform yourself as the expert in your niche. You can do this by sharing valuable content to your audience. To learn what people are interested in, use BuzzSumo. That shows you what people are sharing on social media and you can give them exactly what they’re looking for. You can create a monthly content calendar using that information. Do not spend time highlighting other people – you become the expert in your field. HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE Always make your candidates jump through hoops. That will prove that they are willing to go above and beyond. You need to have a quick Round One in your interview process so you’re not wasting a bunch of time. Two tools to use are: Indeed – you can post your job listings and get more applicant leads Acuity Scheduling – that’s an online scheduler that helps setup interview calls Kim also gives each new hire 90 days for intense on-boarding. She understands they need time to understand your company and services before they’re able to represent them well. And they need time to understand the expectations you have of them. DAILY MEETING & TEAM SYSTEM Kim’s team has a very specific system on how they interact on a daily basis. They have a daily meeting that includes the following: Word Of The Day – Each person shares one word that describes how they’re feeling Daily Theme – Each day they focus on a different area (Motivation Monday, etc.) Basecamp Review – Each person shares their Basecamp projects for accountability Numbers Review – Each person shares where they stand with their Key Performance Indicators Agenda Items – Someone can add an item to the agenda ahead of time they need to talk about with the team LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE YOU WOULD TRADE PLACES WITH A lot of people will give you advice, but you need to filter through what they’re telling you. Listen to the people who you would be willing to trade places with. If you don’t like or agree with what their advice has done for them, you probably shouldn’t listen to them. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_056__Beginning_With_The_End_In_Mind_With_Oliver_Billson.mp3″ title=”7CEO 056: Beginning With The End In Mind With Oliver Billson” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Today we’re joined by Oliver Billson – a brilliant leader who shares about starting & running multiple 7+ figure businesses. Oli started his entrepreneur journey at 15 years old building & selling custom computers to friends and eventually exporting them outside the United Kingdom. His next business came out of his passion for cars and he eventually dedicated time to learn marketing so he could take control of growing his businesses. That led to teaching people how to market & grow their business using the systems they created to scale their company. He currently spends his time building their full-service marketing agency in the UK that serves businesses worldwide. They broke the 7-figure mark (via monthly run rate) within four months of starting. LINKS OliverBillson.com: Check out the Blog & schedule a call Scaling Up & Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish Traction & Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman Beyond Entrepreneurship by Jim Collins The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com TOP TAKE-AWAYS TEAM ALIGNMENT One of the most important tasks you need to own in your organization is to strategically align your team with the bigger picture of where you’re going. That means you need a vision or north star for where you’re heading and a mission your team can get behind. Your team will have great success when you’re all clear on where you’re going and what you’re working to accomplish. When you have this, you’re able to create a meeting rhythm to practically stay the course & remain aligned, reducing ambiguity. 7-FIGURE CEO SKILLS NEEDED If you’re not working to grow your leadership skills as quickly as your business, there will be a problem. The skills that got you to 6-figures are not the same skills you need to get you to 7-figures in your business. You have to develop new skills that will help you lead with control without being controlling. The links section recommends several books that will help you develop the skills needed to lead your business to the next level. BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND Knowing the end goal for your business is important, but it’s also key when you think about how you want new leads to interact with you. Before you create a new marketing campaign, it’s important to start with what you ultimately want them to do – book a sales call, sign a contract, visit your business, etc. Once you know that, you can then decide what it is you need from them when they first make contact with you. One of the most successful ways Oliver’s team makes this happen for them & their clients is using Facebook Lead Ads. Most people are using Facebook daily and you can get your message in front of them easily and cheaply, gather their information, drive them to relevant content & get them to take the next step with your business. FUNNEL DESIGN FORMULA FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS FINISH: What’s the end? What do you want people to do? START: Where do people start? How are you first interacting with them? MILESTONES: What milestones do they go through to get to the end? CONTINGENCY: How do we get people back to the milestones so we can keep them moving forward? IMPLEMENTATION IS THE BRIDGE Implementation is the bridge that takes you from feeling stuck in your business to getting the results you want. You must be able to implement what you’re learning to break through to the next level. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_055__Self-Sabotaging_Your_Business_With_David_Bayer.mp3″ title=”7CEO 055: Self-Sabotaging Your Business With David Bayer” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] After David Bayer graduated from college, he created an online business to sell posted for college dorm rooms. That led to him doing internet marketing for Ducati Bikes as they launched, as well as starting a company that built out a network of financial service sites using SEO. He went through a very difficult time with substance abuse and depression that led him down the path of studying the patterns of the human mind and behavior. So in the past two years, he’s worked to create David Bayer Business as a coaching and training company which works with entrepreneurs to develop an invincible mindset and teach them the tactics and strategies to be successful in business. The belief is that success in business is based on your mindset, so when you get a healthy mindset, you are able to better set yourself up for success. They quickly grew past the 7-figure mark and are one of the fastest growing companies in the personal development space. LINKS Free Ebook: Mind Hack: The 4 Mental Habits of the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs 7CEO Episode 037: How To Use Speaking To Grow Past 7 Figures With Pete Vargas Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com TOP TAKE-AWAYS YOUR BRAIN IS GOAL-ACHIEVING ORIENTED The core of your operating system is your brain and your beliefs determine what your life will create because your brain simply wants to achieve what it believes is right and true. Your perception of the world and your decisions are changed based on your core beliefs. So it’s important to align what you believe with the vision of the future you want to create. INCONGRUENCE LEADS TO SELF-SABOTAGE You can literally miss opportunities because of the beliefs you have and the decisions you’ve made about certain things. For instance, if when you were young you heard your parents argue about money, you likely decided that money causes problems. As you go through life, your core belief that money causes problems manifests itself when you’re faced with any situations related to money, likely causing you to miss opportunities. It becomes automatic thinking until you decide to reprogram your brain and beliefs. CHANGE YOUR AUTOMATIC THINKING & REPROGRAM The first two steps to reprogram your brain and core beliefs are: Understand you have automatic thinking happening in your life and become aware of what that thinking is Create new thoughts and believes that align with the future you want Instead of asking, “Why am I stuck in my business?” ask questions like, “How am I not stuck? What am I doing that is working for me? How am I perfectly as far along as I should be right now?” THE POWER OF IMAGINATION Based on psychological studies, our brains do not understand the difference between reality and imagination. Thinking about “How” to achieve your preferred future stops you from achieving it. If you think you need to know the how to create something, you won’t be able to imagine it. You won’t imagine something that you don’t have the answer to how for it if you believe the how is required. Therefore you must not focus on the “how” and begin to imagine. When you imagine, your brain physically changes which inspires new thoughts and ideas that become the “how”. If you can realize you don’t need to know the how and make decisions about how your life will be, you will be able to imagine it and create mental pictures of it, which allow you to move forward rapidly. THE TWO STATES OF BEING There are only two states of being and you can only be in one or the other: Beautiful State – joy, calm, peace, excitement Suffering State – boredom, anxiety, overwhelm, jealousy Suffering is only caused by your own thinking. Suffering is separate from the experience and you have the ability to change your thinking that will put you in a beautiful state instead. So you have to proactively change your mind and thinking. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_054__Grow_With_Webinars_With_Mariah_Coz.mp3″ title=”7CEO 054: How To Explode Your Business With Webinars With Mariah Coz” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Mariah Coz is the founder of Femtrepreneur – a company that helps entrepreneurs with digital products and premium programs that help with the creation of online courses. The courses are typically geared for small niches where they can create a big difference and impact in that industry. She created her first online course about how to live in a vintage camper that was very successful. Based on her success of this course and the online marketing of it, she started Femtrepreneur. Within 3 years, they’re on track to be a $3MM business. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com LINKS Contact Mariah Coz: Website Podcast – TheFemShow.com Social Media: @MariahCoz – Twitter Scrum: The Art Of Doing Twice The Work In Half The Time – Amazon Profit First: A Simple System To Transform Any Business From A Cash-Eating Monster To A Money-Making Machine – Amazon The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear And Take Life To The Next Level – Amazon DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook For Growing Your Company Online – Amazon Ketogenic Diet TOP TAKE-AWAYS JOINT VENTURE WEBINARS Mariah credits the success of her fast-growing business to doing joint venture webinars. These are webinars hosted by both parties – so each person with an audience is on the webinar, promotes it to their audience and sells their products. They created product bundles that sold and produced a lot of revenue. This was the most successful thing to get started and she focused on doing this only. STOP DOING LIST You have to recognize what provides the most ROI for your time and your business. And then STOP doing everything else. Your success will be dependent on your ability to say “NO”. HIRING FOR YOUR TEAM Hire people because you see they have real talent and can bring something to your team. Once they’re on the team, take 30-60 days to notice what they are specifically talented or skilled to do. That may mean they change roles or get added responsibility. Hiring the right people to fill the right roles will help you position yourself as the leader/CEO to do what only you can do – and what you enjoy doing. WEBINAR PROCESS TO PROMOTE SALES & GROW YOUR BUSINESS One of the best ways you can promote your products and brand is to do a webinar. It’s a perfect platform to showcase what you’re selling and create revenue. There are great systems and templates you can get (from Mariah here) and plug in to your business. You don’t have to create anything from scratch when it comes to webinars and they can provide a big boost in your business. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_053__Think_Bigger_With_Zach_Smith_and_Thomas_Alvord.mp3″ title=”7CEO 053: Think Bigger With Zach Smith and Thomas Alvord” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Zach Smith and Thomas Alvord of Funded Today join us in this episode from Utah. Zach is the CEO and Co-Founder and has been in sales and the digital space for about 10 years. Thomas was in law school when he became intrigued with digital marketing. He used his background and skills most recently working on the political campaigns of Ted Cruz and Ben Carson building email lists using digital marketing. Zach and Thomas decided to join forces about 2.5 years ago and now Funded Today is the world’s largest crowd-funding platform – a place for someone with an idea to raise money to get the process started for their new product or idea. In 2.5 years, they’ve raised $110 Million and exceeded the 7-figure market quickly. Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com TOP TAKE-AWAYS MAKE THE NUMBERS MEANINGFUL It’s important to have key metrics you look at and hold your team accountable and visibility to review them at any time. In general, entrepreneurs live off gut while CEOs live off dashboards. The larger your company the more important it is to have clear, accurate data to be able to make informed decisions. Keeping up with numbers will also allow you to view month over month and year over year data for good comparisons. PARETO PRINCIPLE (80/20) Pareto Principle implies that only 20% of your efforts produce 80% of your results. This principle makes knowing your numbers so important. You have to know your metrics – the one you care the most about and a few others that help lead you to that number. This principle is true regardless of what industry you are in or what type of product or service you’re selling. YOUR TARGET MARKET The first thing you must decide when selling is your target market. Ask the questions: Who is your market? How big is the market? How fast is it growing? Can you be the leader in the market? Once you have the right marketplace, you can systematize your sales process so that more than just you can sell your product/service. You elevate yourself by letting go of the sales and empower others to run the sales. Once you have someone else running sales, determine what other products or services you could offer that compliment your core offering. HOW TO THINK BIGGER IN YOUR BUSINESS Use Thomas and Zach’s SLCRR approach to ask the questions to generate new ideas and ways to increase sales, profits and value. S – Services – what other services can we sell? L – Leads – what can we do to get more visitors? C – Close – how can we close more leadss? R – Results – how can we create greater results to add more value for our clients? R – Repeat – how can you get repeat business? Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_052__Lead_Generation_With_Vince_Reed.mp3″ title=”7CEO 052: Lead Generation With Vince Reed” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Vince Reed became an internet marketing junkie in 2007 during the real estate market collapse when he needed to make a career change just to pay the bills. He learned lead generation and created three companies around what he learned. He recently sold one of those marketing companies and now focuses on teaching entrepreneurs how to drive traffic to their business through the major online platforms available (i.e., Google, Facebook, etc.). He loves empowering entrepreneurs to control the flow of their business leads believing leads are the lifeblood of every business. Each of his companies grew beyond the 7-figure mark.   LINKS Connect with Vince Reed – Facebook Internet Traffic Factory – Website Vince’s New Book Internet Traffic And Leads – Amazon Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   TOP TAKE-AWAYS THE VALUE YOU OFFER You have to pay attention to what your customers want and allow that to dictate what you’re offering them and how much they’re willing to pay. Even if you’re not changing the price they pay, you might be able to change the way you explain the value they receive and grow your business. RAISING UP TEAM MEMBERS One of the best ways to get new team members and even business partners, is to offer them an internship initially. That will allow you to see how serious they are, what they’re capable of and how well you work together. The important thing to remember is to allow people room to grow and escalate in your business. ABOVE AND BEYOND VALUE For all your customers, you need to ensure you’re able to provide more and more value. To scale, you need to focus on the people who are already paying you and interested in what you have to sell and the value you can add. You can be smart about marketing your products and services just to your existing customers (using Facebook ads, etc.). Getting something physical into the hands of your customers (i.e., book, gift, letter, etc.) will help them remember you and keep you top of mind as someone who adds value to their lives and businesses. All you really need to reach 7 figures in revenue is to win over your existing customers! That provides the depth to your business that makes your lead flow more valuable. DRIVING TRAFFIC Learn how to drive traffic to your business yourself – no one will care as much about your business as you do! You can hire an agency or have someone in-house to do it, but you need to understand how to do it yourself first. Regardless of how good your sales funnel is, if you don’t have any one to sell to, it won’t do you any good. You can get better results doing it yourself versus paying an agency, even if you mess up and don’t get results right away. The amount you pay an agency can be used as ad spend! KNOW YOUR NUMBERS One of the most important things you can do is know your critical numbers. You have to know what’s going on in your business – with leads, sales and customers. Some to look at are page views, leads, conversion rates on sales funnels, and customer value (leading indicators). By knowing the numbers, you can work to do better month after month. CHECK YOUR EGO You have to put your ego aside and realize that unless you’re a billionaire you have NOT arrived – you have something to learn and can learn from anyone. Go to events, join a mastermind, read books, ask someone to mentor you.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_051__Sticky_Business_With_Benj_Miller.mp3″ title=”7CEO 051: Sticky Business With Benj Miller” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Benj Miller is a serial entrepreneur – I call him the “Atlanta Richard Branson” – he has three businesses over the 7-Figure mark with a fourth on its way! He is passionate about helping small business owners build their businesses and provide the assets they need for growth. 1. Syrup Marketing works with companies ($3-30MM revenue) to help them understand their brand and visualize it and take it to market with digital marketing services. 2. CodeSmith Development is custom software development and integrating multiple softwares to help companies work more effectively. 3. Transcend is a commercial real estate brokerage that helps small companies find office space that reflects their company culture and mission. 4. Traxion is a SaaS platform for companies that run EOS. LINKS Connect with Benj Miller – Website Twitter LinkedIn EOS Model – entrepreneurial operating system – Traction by Gino Wickman Toggl – app to track what you do to create your “Stop Doing” list Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com TOP TAKE-AWAYS STOP DOING LIST Syrup began in 2004 as a way for Benj to quit his job as a creative director and start his own company. In 2009, the company grew 300% and by 2012, they broke the 7-Figure revenue mark. One of the best decisions he made was to elevate another leader in the company to run the day-to-day operations of the business. Benj realized he was a great visionary, but not a good operator. With that decision, he was able to do what he was best in the world at and empower others to do what they’re good at. Ultimately you’re going “CEOs are a tuxedo in the front and a hospital gown in the back”. The quicker we can turn over to others the things we’re not good at, the better our company and team environment will be. HIRING TIPS Force yourself into pessimism – look for the reasons to NOT hire someone. Then if you do hire them, you know where they will need coaching. Realize what gear they work – make sure you’re hiring people that work in the same gear as you. You don’t want someone that will cover more or less ground than you will in a given day. Be thorough with what you expect for the job. One way to do this is to walk through an exercise with them that could take a while, but will be beneficial in the long run! Provide a list of the roles and responsibilities you expect from the new hire Ask them to chart how they rate themselves at each role and responsibility of the job (How well they like it and how well they would perform it Ask them, “How do you think we should measure how well you’re doing at each of these roles and responsibilities?” and create their performance measurements together. MUST-HAVE BUSINESS PROCESS Understanding who you are as a business is the most important thing you can do for your business. Asking who you are, what you do, who you serve, etc. are the most important questions you can answer before you spend money on any other thing to grow your business. You have to start with who you are and who you are helping with your product and/or service. Going through this exercise every 3 years is crucial to continued growth. KEY METRICS In addition to looking at your financial reports regularly, you need to define and measure the most important numbers in your business. For example: 1. Magic Number – Future Revenue divided by Fixed Monthly Operating Costs (tells you how long of a runway you have if you don’t sell another contract or product) 2. GAP Number – The amount required to hit your profitability goal for the month Having key numbers like this will simplify what you’re looking at and keep you on track.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_050__Prioritizing_Your_Day_with_Bryan_Miles.mp3″ title=”7CEO 050: Prioritizing Your Day With Bryan Miles” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Bryan Miles is the Co-Founder and CEO of Belay Solutions (formerly Miles Advisory Group with brands eaHelp, MAG Bookkeeping). He and his wife, Shannon, started Belay a few years ago as a virtual services organization to serve leaders around the country. They live in Georgia with their 11-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. Bryan joins us for a second interview to take a look at the more personal side of being an entrepreneur and CEO. Check out his first episode here, as well as his wife Shannon’s here. LINKS Bryan’s first episode on The 7-Figure CEO Podcast: Episode 2 Bryan and Shannon’s Virtual Services Organization: Belay Solutions Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com TOP TAKE-AWAYS As many business owners have, Bryan has dealt with anxiety due to the stress of running a business (i.e., payroll, growth, decisions, etc.). A few years ago he made a decision to change his approach to leading his business and prioritize his personal life and health. As owners, we have to acknowledge we have limits as humans. We have to be willing to say “No” and pass up opportunities that may seem good, but don’t fit what we ultimately value and want to accomplish. We must also realize there will be times things aren’t going to go as planned and we must make decisions how we will handle them so they don’t crush us. OWN THE BUSINESS INSTEAD OF RUN THE BUSINESS One of the best decisions Bryan made is to empower people to lead and run the business, so he and Shannon don’t have to be involved in the day-to-day operations. They have brought in and raised up leaders that run operations while they are able to work in their strengths. One of the best ways they’ve done this is taught their team how to be better problem solvers than themselves. They’ve helped their team learn that a problem doesn’t get presented to them unless they have a few solutions to present as well. This is a great way to get out of the operations of your company. PRIORITIZING YOUR DAY Bryan also shares how he and his team prioritize their day, which can transform how you schedule your day and actually accomplish the important things in your business. Each day, write down three tasks in each of the following categories: – MUST – you must do these tasks today – SHOULD – you should do these tasks today – COULD – you could do these tasks today You complete the “MUST” tasks before you begin working on the “SHOULD” tasks and the “SHOULD” tasks before you begin working on the “COULD” tasks.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_049-Your_Perfect_Day_With_Andy_Levine.mp3″ title=”7CEO 049: Your Perfect Day with Andy Levine” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Andy Levine started his company, Sixthman, 15 years ago which takes fans and bands on vacation together on cruise ships. He sold it in 2012 and continued to run it until 2016 when he stepped into the role of Chairman. He was a previous guest of the podcast on episode 28. Today we’re taking a different approach to the podcast and talking about some more personal stuff that leaders of an organization deal with. Andy shares about how he has developed a rhythm for his days that is best for him, his family and his leadership. LINKS Andy’s first episode on The 7-Figure CEO Podcast: Episode 28 Productive App – Productive habits and daily goals tracker Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com Apply for a Breakthrough Call with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Action   TOP TAKE-AWAYS Andy journaled for a year and logged what he did with his time and what was going on with his family. He started on the journey to help build the optimal day for him and his family. He used his phone to write about 300 words a day to describe what happened during the day, how he spent his time and how the day went. Through this he developed an ideal rhythm for him. YOUR PERFECT DAY IN THREE PARTS 1. MORNINGS FOR ME – Exercise – Crossfit, Yoga, swimming or running – Learning – Listening to a podcast or reading – Music – Playing guitar or piano – Mindfulness – Identify five things, touch four things, pick out three unique sounds, two unique smells and one unique taste (which helps with anxiety) – Nutrition – Make a good food choice first thing in the morning To Business Owners and Entrepreneurs: You CAN take time for you! You don’t have to buy into the idea that you have to work so hard that you neglect yourself and those you love! If you’re leading people, you’re going to do a better job if you show up feeling confident about yourself and ready to connect with and lead people! You don’t have to always be the first person in the office! Anxiety is a big issue that entrepreneurs go through and maybe it’s a result of a noisier, busy world that our bodies aren’t able to process everything that’s coming in. Physical exercise is one of the best therapies for anxiety. 2. DAYS FOR OTHERS Each of us have gifts that should be used to help others. As the leader of an organization, you should plan to spend the first hours of your day serving others – helping them achieve their weekly wins. You can also invest in your customers to serve them! If you’re investing in yourself first then you will have the energy and bandwidth to serve others for a few hours. It’s also very important to expand your network and go out and meet with people. Through getting out of your everyday, office routine to meet with others and go to conferences, you help others, hear of opportunities, and innovate new ideas for your business and life. 3. NIGHTS FOR US This is meeting your family or loved ones in a shared orbit of interest. Ask your loved ones what they enjoy doing just with you? By asking them you take the guess work out of how to best love your family and friends. By showing initiative, you communicate they are important. There are three big relationships we have that should be prioritized. Create a daily rhythm to take care of these relationships and that works well for you! 1. Ourselves
 – This is probably the hardest relationship because we know everything about us. 2. Others – customers, employees, peers 3. Significant relationships – those you love and friends   Feeling Stuck In Your Business? I’m currently offering free 30-minute Breakthrough Calls to help business owners, presidents and CEOs with their current business challenge. If you have over $400K in annual revenue and would like help, schedule your free Breakthrough Call today.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_048__How_To_Scale_Your_Business_With_Cindy_Eagar_From_Infusionsoft_Elite_Programs.mp3″ title=”7CEO 048: How To Scale Your Business With Cindy Eagar From Infusionsoft Elite Programs” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Today we’re flipping the mic and my friend, Cindy Eagar from Infusionsoft is interviewing me. Infusionsoft is best know for it’s small business automated marketing software. While they sell software, they’re really on a mission to help small businesses succeed. One of the avenues they do this through the Elite Programs, which Cindy runs. LINKS Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com Elite Programs Stages Of Business: Text STAGES to 72000 to receive the follow-up for this conversations on the 7 stages of a business. Apply for a Breakthrough Call with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Action   INTERVIEW Cindy: How did you come up with the idea for The Rocket Company? Casey: I was on staff at a church and I saw a huge need to fill the gap of very practical steps to lead a healthy church – raising money, recruiting volunteers. After two years of talking about with my wife, I left my position at the church and started my own business. Cindy: Did you go after your passion/dream? Casey: Totally. My dream was never to build a big company. I just wanted to help people. As a result of helping enough people, we ended up building a company. I didn’t know anything about digital marketing and the stages of business. Cindy: What did you end up doing in business that you didn’t think about when you started the company? Casey: I hate administration – the follow up of calls and quotes were awful. I had sheets of paper everywhere. That’s part of how I found Infusionsoft. The numbers and finances were rough too. I also didn’t think about the weight of having employees and the responsibility of payroll when I started – the stress was more than I ever thought. I was passionate about the work, but hated the business of it. Cindy: Who did you hire first? Casey: A part-time assistant and part-time bookkeeper. These were the roles I was worst at and needed help. I would verbally close a deal, but had issues getting contracts signed and invoices sent so they would pay me. I needed help. Cindy: What didn’t you know that you didn’t know at that time? Casey: I didn’t know how to effectively lead people – as a visionary, I would have a new idea everyday and was wearing out my team because they never knew what was going to happen next. I didn’t know anything about email or automated marketing. We grew to $550,000 revenue without ever sending an email to our list. Cindy: Did you ever think, “I don’t want to grow because that just means more of the same problems”? Casey: Absolutely. If four people were confused, I couldn’t imagine having 40 people and the destruction that would come. Our only focus before coming to Elite Forum was SALES SALES SALES. We didn’t have any structure and the only number we cared about was sales – I didn’t know about customer lifetime value and the other ways to grow a healthy company. Cindy: What changed for you? How did you transition to a structure in your company that grew? Casey: Pain! The sales grew in spite of us. We were first to market with automated marketing, so there was a bit of luck on our side. We grew to a million in sales and that’s when I came to Elite Forum. I was on a webinar and you guys were talking about a meeting rhythm…all I knew was to wake up, tell people what to do and make sales. And honestly it was working with our sales numbers. But I knew there had to be a better way and the meeting rhythm intrigued me. Cindy: Many entrepreneurs feel like they’re allergic to meetings. Did you feel that way too about them? 
 Casey: I definitely hate sitting around and wasting my time with a pointless meeting. But, when we came to Elite Forum, Clate and the team leading the meetings explained the meeting rhythm as a way to take the vision of your company and make it a reality. Cindy: I imagine you were doing this naturally though – you’re a visionary. Casey: I did, but I did it quarterly. And I was driving the team crazy because I was dreaming with them and it was just chaos. The meeting rhythm was life- and company-altering. We learned from you how to set a vision and values and mission as a company. Then setting annual priorities that lead to what we’re focusing on monthly and daily. Cindy: I love your term “visionary arsonist” – you would bring new ideas all the time and not moving in one direction. Were you frustrated – thinking you had the wrong people on the team or what? Casey: Of course. Sometimes I thought it was me and other times I thought it was the team. It just felt like chaos all the time. If you don’t know the why (purpose) behind the goal you’re going after (mission), then your team members won’t care about reaching the goal. Cindy: What did you do to get the right people on the team? And how did you keep them motivated and in the right direction? Casey: Yeah…it’s hard! We were trying to get A+ people on a C+ budget. But…when you have a strong purpose, values and mission, it’s very attractive to people when you’re trying to recruit them. Even stronger is to have a job profile that connects the person with what they’re doing to how it makes a difference to the mission. People will be willing to work for you for less when they can connect the dots with something they believe in. Clarity attracts the right people and it repels the wrong people which speeds up the hiring process and keeps you from wasting your time and theirs. Cindy: Looking back – do you have a story about landing someone you didn’t ever think you could get on the team? Casey: Oh yeah. I recruited a guy for two years and towards the end of the recruitment period, I invited him to our annual planning retreat. He came and helped us plan the next year and afterwards decided he wanted to be a part. He was able to see exactly what we were doing and what his role would be. Cindy: We do that at Infusionsoft too – we ask candidates to come consult with us for three months and five years later they’re now working here. You do a lot of interviews on your podcast – what would you say is the biggest difference between a 7-figure and 8-figure CEO? Casey: The 7-figure CEO still likes to be in control. The 8-figure CEO likes to have people who are in control. An interview I just did with an 8-figure CEO said you need to own the business, but not run the business. The 7-figure CEOs often are still doing things they’re not gifted at and that they should be giving away to someone else on the team. Cindy: So how do you process and transition from the 7-figure to 8-figure CEO? There’s mindset you have to change, but what are the tangibles to letting go of control and empowering others to run the company? Casey: Three things: 1. Nail down Purpose, Values and Mission and how that connects to your operations. You have to get those out of your head, communicated and visible to your team and hiring to those for every role in order to breakthrough. 2. Hire and develop a leadership team. You need people who can make decisions and manage their own P&Ls. They are likely experienced and will cost more, but they will be able to lead the people who are doing the work. 3. You need a meeting rhythm – a structure that will create control for your team so you don’t have to control everything. Nothing changed my business more than that one process. Cindy: At what stage do you need to recruit other leaders into the business? Casey: As you approach the 7-figure mark, you need to be recruiting people and then bring them on after you hit a million in sales. Cindy: How did you get excited about your day once you were doing less and leading more? Casey: I had much more fun when I accepted the fact that it was my role to motivate the team around our purpose, mission and values. It was a transition when my to do list was a lot shorter, but I enjoyed it more and more. I evaluated my job based on how the company did at accomplishing our goals, not did I get everything done on my to do list. Cindy: After working with so many business owners, what do you see as the biggest lie entrepreneurs tell themselves? Casey: They say, “It’s going to get better.” Whether it’s about the team member they’ve have issues with or getting to the next revenue level. Things don’t just get better and hoping they will is NOT going to work. If you don’t address the issues, they don’t just go away. Every day the leader has to step up, even when it’s tough, and make the decisions to make things better. Things don’t get better unless you get better as the leader. Cindy: So, it’s about taking action and taking responsibility. Casey: Yes. Our tendency is to blame the market or people, but the reality is the buck stops with you, the leader. You may not be able to fix it today, but you can address it today and start moving. Another lie is that a bigger business is a better business. A bigger business is more responsibility and risk than even when you stepped out to start the business because you have more to lose and more people on the team. All your problems aren’t solved when your business grows, they’re solved when you solve them! Cindy: What kind of lies do you tell yourself? Casey: I tell myself that I suck. I say, “Maybe I just got lucky” because I’m scared that maybe my best days are behind me. Cindy: How do you manage the self-doubt and keep going? Casey: If I’m left alone, it gets worse. I have anxiety and depression, so I have the manage those with exercise, counseling. Working out helps me feel good about myself, which improves my state. Being able to talk with a counselor and admitting what I’m feeling gets it out of my system and releases it. Being with friends and not isolating myself is huge for me. It reminds me that I got in to business so I could have the freedom to experience life with my family and friends. Cindy: When you focus on these life hacks to help manage your self-doubt things seems to be better? Casey: Yes. When I take responsibility for what I’m thinking and choosing not to have expectations of others, things change because you change. Cindy: When you were building The Rocket Company, what did you have to say no to so you could focus on growing the company? In your career, family, hobbies, etc.? Casey: During the early stages, I said no to myself most often, which was totally unhealthy. I was obsessed with growing it. So I’ve had to recover a bit by my drive where my soul suffered. I was doing crazy stuff in order to keep the business alive. I had to fire the staff in one day because the account balance was low and the line of credit was tapped out. I outsourced the business operations to the Philippines and flew there with our last money in the bank. Because of the time difference, I would work all day and then all night when they were working to make sure our customers were taken care of. It was just crazy! I said no to friends and missed a lot of stuff that I really care about. Cindy: Was it worth it? Casey: Some of it. I have regrets about the things I missed like missing my daughter’s preschool Daddy Night because I was sitting in a hotel in another state. Those are the things I sacrificed that I regret. The flip-side is that now I get to take my daughter on an annual trip. Cindy: All we have is the present, so right now, what do you do to deal with some of the regrets you have? Casey: I would say I don’t dwell on them even when they come back. I feel the regret for a moment and then I just decide to change it. Pain motivates me to take action more than anything. So if I hate the way things feel, I will take action. Cindy: What are you most proud of? Casey: I think I’m most proud of the people who I’ve had the opportunity to work with that have enjoyed what they were able to do and enjoyed their time working with us. We don’t always get it right and it’s not a perfect place to work, but I’m proud of providing a great, learning environment for people. I’m proud of my daughter who is a hungry learning and loves entrepreneurship. I’m proud of my son who loves taking care of people. Cindy: Let’s do some rapid fire questions…1. What’s one thing you do everyday? Casey: I text about Alabama football with two of my best friends. 365. Cindy: 2. What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on yourself at one time for coaching? Casey: $25,000 at once Cindy: 3. What’s one goal you’re working on right now? Casey: Buying industrial real estate that has amazing recurring revenue that will be around for years to come. Cindy: 4. What’s one bad habit you have? Casey: Talking bad about myself Cindy: 5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? Casey: My mentor helped me see that I was a manipulator and helped me see the real reason for life and what brings the most joy was helping others. Instead of kicking me out, he took me under his wing to mentor me and gave me a chance in his organization. When I look back, I realize that when I started businesses to help people that’s when the business was most successful. Casey: Let’s talk about Elite Forum a little bit. What is it? What do they get to experience? Cindy: Elite Forum is about transitioning from doing everything to having people who do things. It’s like an intervention for controlling entrepreneurs. We give them tools to let go with confidence. We teach the way Infusionsoft grew from $1MM to $10MM – from hiring to meeting rhythm. Elite Forum is an event at Infusionsoft headquarters for business leaders who want to grow their companies. It’s amazing to see the transition in the business owners to implement what they learn and empower people in the organization to think and act like owners as well. Casey: If someone wants to take the step to learn about it and come, what can they do? Cindy: If you text STAGES to 72000, we will share with you the STAGES of business we’ve discovered and how to get to the next stage. You’ll get a PDF and video from our CEO, Clate Mask, explaining the stages and helping you determine where you are. 
Casey: Elite Forum changed the direction of our business and even my life and I highly recommend you checking it out and connecting with Cindy about their programs.   Feeling Stuck In Your Business? I’m currently offering free 30-minute Breakthrough Calls to help business owners, presidents and CEOs with their current business challenge. If you have over $400K in annual revenue and would like help, schedule your free Breakthrough Call today.  

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_047-Building_Your_Target_Audience_With_Brian_Clark.mp3″ title=”7CEO 047: Building Your Target Audience With Brian Clark” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Brian Clark is the CEO and Founder of Rainmaker Digital which “provides tools and training for content marketers and digital entrepreneurs”. They’re the company behind Copyblogger, StudioPress, and Rainmaker Platform. Initially, they built individual companies that reached 7 figures or more that were eventually rolled into one company (Rainmaker Digital) in order to provide a holistic solution for entrepreneurs and content marketer. They currently have 65 employees, most of them virtual, and they ran $12 million in 2015 revenue. Brian is an 18-year veteran of online businesses. He started out as a business lawyer, but didn’t enjoy his profession and quit to start his own company in 1998. He realized the potential of the internet and combined it with his passion for writing. He grew an audience and email list by writing about pop culture and things he loved, but didn’t know how to monetize what he was doing. So, he transferred his efforts and created content and a service-based business around his business law skills. He was doing content marketing before it was called that. He learned by watching other businesses and marketers, teaching himself marketing and copywriting. By 2005, he was well over 7 figures, but was burned out and doing all the work himself.   LINKS Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com Rainmaker Digital: http://rainmakerdigital.com/ Permission Marketing by Seth Godin: http://www.sethgodin.com/permission/ MyCopyblogger (free training for content marketers and entrepreneurs): http://my.copyblogger.com/ Rainmaker Platform: http://rainmakerplatform.com/ Apply for a Breakthrough Call with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Action   LEARNINGS Building A Company That Will Last You have to be willing to say “No” to 98% of opportunities that come to you so you stay true to your long-term success of really helping solve the problems of your audience. There will be plenty of opportunities that come along that seem like good options and could generate quick profits, but may ultimately hinder the bigger vision of your company. You must determine what you’re motivated by and stay true to what you want to build. Begin with the end in mind. Having Low Employee Attrition The majority of Brian’s employees and partnerships came from the audience he created with the valuable content they continued to release. All but three of his hires have worked out in the last 18 years and he credits that rare success mostly to how well-aligned people are with the values of the company when they’re hired. People knew what they were getting when they were hired because they already knew so much about the company and culture Brian built. Process-Driven Business Most entrepreneurs are not process-driven. In order to scale a business, you’ll need to create processes and often times that requires bringing in someone who it process-oriented. As the entrepreneur, you’ll need to be willing and open to adopt a new way of doing business. Getting Your Business Growth Unstuck Often many businesses get stuck because they try to use the same marketing message and strategies that got them to their current success. Oftentimes, to continue growing, you must change and pivot your message to reach a different crowd. You often can sell to the “low hanging fruit” one way, but will have to change your message to reach the next sphere of potential customers. You should start with this smaller change before you scrap your product and try to reinvent what you’re doing. Email Is Not Dead The stats still show the most effective sales engine is email. Email marketing is not going away anytime soon. So the most important activity of your business regardless of industry is collecting email addresses. Who Is Your Target Audience? You need to narrow down your audience to a small group of people who relate with what you’re talking about. Your message should be polarizing to attract the exact right person and the rest of people should either ignore your message or be turned off by it. If you try to appeal to a broad audience you will fail.   Feeling Stuck In Your Business? I’m currently offering free 30-minute Breakthrough Calls to help business owners, presidents and CEOs with their current business challenge. If you have over $400K in annual revenue and would like help, schedule your free Breakthrough Call today.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_046__Effective_People_Management_with_Yuri_Elkaim.mp3″ title=”7CEO 046: Effective People Management With Yuri Elkaim” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Yuri Elkaim was propelled into the health, fitness and well-being industry after going through some medical circumstances he faced at a young age. He had a rebellious, entrepreneurial personality and decided to start his own company to help people become healthy. In his first year, he made $6,000 online working part-time. After four years, they broke the 7-figure mark. Over the years he has published three books, including a New York Times best seller, and now coaches wellness and health professionals to grow their businesses. He has a vision to reach a billion healthy people on the planet.   LINKS Connect With Yuri: YuriElkaim.com Download “The Idea Filter†: Healthpreneurgroup.com Upwork (online freelance platform): https://www.upwork.com/ Groove HQ (simple help desk software): https://www.groovehq.com/ Apply for a Breakthrough Call with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Action Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   Take-Aways How Do You Set A Good Goal The point of setting a goal is not that you get the exact right number, but that you set a direction for yourself and your company to start moving. Focus more on setting things into motion than making sure you have the precise goal or number in front of you. 2. Recruiting A Team When you first begin you will likely be doing a lot of work and handling most of the details. But as you grow, it’s important recruit a team so you will be doing what you’re best at and what gives you the most energy. 3. Getting Unstuck One of the best things you can do to get unstuck in your business, leadership and life is to get out of your normal routine and meet new people. You can connect with other industry leaders at conferences and meet ups. These relationships can lead to mentors and ideas to help you move beyond your current place in life and business. 4. Hiring In A 7-Figure Business Yuri attributes low turnover to hiring people that are deeply passionate about their industry, plus providing a flexible schedule with clearly defined results they are expected to hit. They tend to hire people who are young, committed to growing and learning and developing their skills and particular craft. The most important part of hiring is to start with a very clear job profile so you know who you’re looking for. You can go to sites like Upwork to find a people, as well as ask your customers and team members who they know. Verne Harnish teaches “the organization’s biggest weakness is the CEO’s biggest strengthâ€. To make your business stronger, you must be willing to give away the responsibilities and results that are your strengths. That will create a well-rounded organization that’s not dependent on you. 5. Have A Defined Meeting Rhythm Schedule a Weekly Team Meeting: Thirty minutes to recap a success from the previous week, review key metrics, highlight a customer story, look at the week ahead and evaluate the progress of quarterly goals. Be cautious that you’re not meeting your people to death. The best way to do that is to lead by numbers and review those once a week. Effectively Managing People For Results The best way to manage your people well is to setup Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each role. These are the most important results they are consistently working towards. KPIs are the 3-5 most important metrics that help move your business forward. Example KPIs include: New daily opt-ins, unique visits to blog via search (non-paid), average time on website, ROI on ad spend, membership retention/churn rate Cash Is King It’s important to stay connected to your financials and review reports regularly. For example, daily sales, cash flow report for what’s expected for income and expenses and monthly financial reviews. Yuri has decided to save 10% of all sales to make sure they’re able to tackle any issues they face. Another idea is to save three month’s operating expenses.   Feeling Stuck In Your Business? I’m currently offering free 30-minute Breakthrough Calls to help business owners, presidents and CEOs with their current business challenge. If you have over $400K in annual revenue and would like help, schedule your free Breakthrough Call today.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_045-8_Non-Negotiables_Of_Business_Finance_With_Casey_Graham.mp3″ title=”7CEO 045: The 8-Non-Negotiables Of Business Finance With Casey Graham” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] How do you take control of your business finances without spending a bunch more time you don’t have and reduce your stress? After starting & selling multiple companies, including a three-peat INC 5000 business, Casey Graham has put together “The 8 Non-Negotiables Of Business Finance” and he shares them in this recent training for business owners, Presidents and CEOs.   LINKS Apply for a Breakthrough Call with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Action Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   The 8 Non-Negotiables of Business Finance 1. Take Responsibility While you may not be an accountant or certified financial planner, you still must take responsibility for your personal and business finances. Casey learned this the hard way and ended up with a surprise tax bill one year because he wasn’t engaged in the finances of the business. You must make a commitment to keep your eye on the finances and the system outlined in the following non-negotiables. 2. You Don’t Have To Do It All Yourself Just because you’re responsible doesn’t mean you have to do all the work.  There are three people you need to create a financial system that will work for you. 1. Bookkeeper – this person pays the bills, handles data entry and keeps things organized 2. Controller – this person takes the date provided by the bookkeeper and creates reports that mean something for you and your business. They interpret the information and help you see what happened in the future as well as forecast what’s anticipated in the near future. 3. CFO – a part-time or fractional CFO will help you take your business further, faster. They help you see the bigger picture and make long-term decisions. 3. Stay Focused On The Goal What’s the most important number you and your team are focused on? If you have a goal you’re focused on, you’ll be much more likely to hit it versus getting pulled in different directions of options and possibilities. The number could be daily sales or new subscriptions or signed contracts – it depends on your business and the mission you’re on. Once you have this number, have your bookkeeper send a DAILY report of where you are with that goal. 4. Know Where You Are You must know where you are with your finances at all times. Visibility of your income and expenses month to date will help give you clarity and make real-time decisions. Most business owners receive a report on the 15th each month on how the previous month went. This “rearview mirror†approach will lead to getting stuck – you must be able to see where you are what’s coming ahead. I recommend getting a weekly snapshot report that shows you what the income and expenses are month-to-date and what is expected to happen the rest of the month. 5. Look Ahead As Much As You Look Back As important as knowing what happened in the past is to making decisions, you must be looking forward to predict what’s coming down the line as well. You can accomplish this with a 90-day forecast report you get weekly from the Controller. This report predicts what income and expenses look like in the next three months. You will be able to adjust your sales efforts and budgets for spending based on what you forecast. 6. Make Decisions Off Data Not Gut Looking ahead with your finances is important, but looking back shouldn’t be totally given up. Reviewing the previous month’s financials will give you great data to be able to make good decisions. Getting an ugly report out of the finance software in your inbox doesn’t have to be the only way you review the previous month. If you’re like most business owners, you prefer to see things in pictures/images. The controller should create simple graphs of your data so you can see what’s happening. It allows you to view trends for the year and how you need to adjust to optimize your business. 7. Pre-Determine The Business Profit It’s possible to decide ahead of time how much profit you will receive each month. The best way to do this is to budget off percentages. You can put your finances in three categories and decide what percentage each will account for your business. The budget categories are: 1. Staff – these are all the people required to make your business run 2. Operations – these are all the expenses necessary to run your business (excluding people) 3. Profit – this is your net profit (pre-tax) of your business. Every industry will require different percentages, but the goal is to predetermine what they are and stick to them. That will mean you need to adjust month-to-month with your expenses and sales efforts to reach your profit margin. 8. Get Cash Out Of Your Business Without Hurting It Many business owners don’t take as much cash out of the business as they should. But you can pre-decide how much and when you take money out of your business without hurting it. It requires planning and making decisions with your business partners and leadership team. You don’t have to do all this at once, but taking steps to implement a system in your business for finances will make a big difference for you as the owner. The first step is definitely to find the right people to help you. You do NOT need to spend your time in the details of the finances, but take responsibility to make sure they’re handled by a qualified person or team of people.   Feeling Stuck In Your Business? I’m currently offering free 30-minute Breakthrough Calls to help business owners, presidents and CEOs with their current business challenge. If you have over $400K in annual revenue and would like help, schedule your free Breakthrough Call today.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_044__Time_Management_That_Actually_Works_With_Casey_Graham.mp3″ title=”7CEO 044: Time Management That Actually Works With Casey Graham” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Traditional time management is often one of the biggest barriers to growth and fulfillment as a business owner. Casey recently hosted a free training call for business owners, presidents and CEOs to talk about why traditional time management doesn’t work and what to do about it. When starting a business, it requires a different kind of focus and energy than when your business is established and ready to scale. Many business leaders get stuck and don’t know how to transition so their company can scale.   LINKS Apply for a Breakthrough Call with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Action Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   LEARNINGS The Problem With Time Management Time management keeps people busy, focusing on activities and filling up the schedule. It often leaves you feeling stressed out and out of control. Every day looks the same with a hodge podge of events that have you feeling scattered. It doesn’t have to be this way! To transition to a system that works for you, you must make the decision to do less, more productive work. That requires a commitment to only doing what you can do as the leader. This shift can be difficult and takes discipline, but if you commit you will see you can go from accomplishing more and more to accomplishing the most important things. It’s About Results Management Not Time Management So, instead of focusing on filling up your calendar with random activity, you need to outline the most important results you want to accomplish each week and then plan your time and calendar. This allows you to take control of your calendar and what you spend time doing versus it controlling you. Your days will be focused on the most important things, instead of the urgent fires you have to put out for your business and team. Work In 30-Day Sprints The process of managing results begins by outlining what you want to accomplish for the next 30 days. Every month, take an hour and write out what you want to accomplish in your life and business. Set 1-2 goals for each of these six areas: Business Financial Family Fitness Friends Personal WARNING: It’s easy to set too many goals – as leaders we have a big vision for our lives and business. Start by writing out all the things you want to accomplish. Then come back through with a realistic perspective and narrow them down to 1-2 per area. Think In Days Not Hours In this new way to manage your time and results, you have to think in days, not hours. If you categorize your days in three categories, you can bucket your activities to achieve the 30-day sprint goals you’ve outlined. The three days are: Money Days – focus on money-making activities that help you grow the business. It could be sales calls, product development, strategic planning, etc. You should focus 80% of your day on these activities. Planning Days – accomplish the things needed to make your Money & Off Days successful. These days will include team meetings, team delegation and development, learning new skills and cleaning up messes. Off Days – you need time to disconnect and recharge as the leader. An Off Day is a 24-hour period where you have no business-related activities – no thinking or talking about business or with your team. You need to shoot for at least one Off Day a week. Depending on your goals for the month, you will be able to determine if the other days are Money-Making or Planning Days.   Set Three Weekly Wins As you begin the week, you should look at your 30-day goals and determine three wins – these are the three things you will get done if nothing else gets done this week. Setting these three wins will help you stay focused and make sure you accomplish the most important things in your life and business. Tips To Make The Transition To Results Management One of the most important things you can do is to hire an assistant, if you don’t have one already. If you’re not sure where to find one, we recommend our friends at Belay. If you do have an assistant, then they need to listen to this training and help you make the transition. If you treat every week like a new week, then you will be able to start over even if you fail. It’s not about perfection, but about progress. If there’s something you don’t accomplish one week, don’t give up and throw the towel in on this system. Learn from the week and move forward into the next. The best way to do this is to work ahead and make sure you plan the next week on Fridays. This allows you to review the current week and get your mind in the right place for the next week.   Feeling Stuck In Your Business? I’m currently offering free 30-minute Breakthrough Calls to help business owners, presidents and CEOs with their current business challenge. If you have over $400K in annual revenue and would like help, schedule your free Breakthrough Call today.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_043__Work_Place_Environment_With_Elizabeth_Dukes.mp3″ title=”7CEO 043: Invest In Your Team With Elizabeth Dukes” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Today we’re talking with Elizabeth Dukes, co-founder, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer of iOffice – a workplace management solution for fast-growing businesses. They offer a variety of software solutions to help create fantastic work environments that promote collaboration and productivity. Elizabeth helped start the business 15 years ago and they broke through the 7-figure mark after three years of business. They currently have 42 team members. Elizabeth manages the marketing and sales, while her partner manages the operations and technology development. They are passionate about investing in the team of people who really make the business run and creating an environment where they thrive.   LINKS Check out iOffice: Website   Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn Email Elizabeth: edukes@iofficecorp.com Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com   LEARNINGS Hiring As You Get Bigger When you first start out, you should hire people to help cover the skills that are your weakness. The most important things to look for are people with character, strong work ethic, sense of urgency and most important a willingness to learn. As your company grows, you will be able to hire more skilled people to cover every area of your business, even where you’re strongest. You can also hire people with more experience who have less of a learning curve in your business. The most important lesson in hiring is to understand the culture of your business to ensure you hire the right personality to fit that. Your culture is unique and you need to make sure people understand and fit. Hiring As Needed Or Ahead Of The Growth Curve Early in your business you will likely need to hire one at a time and as people are needed. As you grow you’ll be able to begin hiring ahead of the curve to ensure you’re prepared and structured for sustained growth. The most important thing is to have a good pipeline of people you want to hire. Measure Your Team’s Performance Each position in your team needs to have defined benchmarks that can be easily measured. These will help determine if they’re performing their jobs well and it also helps them know what’s most important to focus on. There should be a system in place to review these regularly and talk about how things are going, what roadblocks they’re facing and how you can help. Your People Are Your Power House Without a team of people, your business doesn’t have profitability or satisfied customers. They are the linch pin for your business success. Therefore, the most important thing you can do is to create a place where they love to come, are able to collaborate and are productive. You need an environment conducive to your culture and their personalities. You might need to provide different environments based on who you’re hiring and what you want to accomplish. If your business is large enough to have your own office space, you need to think through this and possibly make some changes based on what results you’re looking for and who’s on your team. Co-working spaces are a great alternative if you can’t afford your own office yet. There are many around the country now that offer great environments for people to collaborate without the high overhead costs. Growing Your Business Early On The key Elizabeth attributes to their quick growth early on is having channel partners. These companies they aligned themselves with had established audiences and customers bases that cared about the products iWork were launching. No matter what your industry, you might be able to partner with other businesses that you can plug into that will share your products and help you grow faster than if you were on your own.   Can Your Business Run Without You? I offer personalized coaching to help entrepreneurs create the business they dreamed of when they started. It’s 1.5 days to tackle your current challenges and help you break through to the next level. Apply today and our team will follow up for a consulting call if it’s a good fit.    

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_042-How_To_Delegate_Work_And_Ensure_Its_Done_Right.mp3″ title=”7CEO 042: How To Delegate Work And Ensure It’s Done Right” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Delegation is a big issue among entrepreneurs and hinders the ability to scale their leadership and business. Today I’m sharing a web training from a few weeks ago on how to delegate and ensure the work is done right.   LINKS Check out Belay (Virtual Executive Assistants – formerly eaHelp): BelaySolutions.com Purchase Assistant Rocket: AssistantRocket.com/Offer Email your top take-aways and learnings to Casey@CaseyGraham.com Apply for personal coaching with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Breakthrough   LEARNINGS What To Delegate, When Any repetitive tasks that you’re doing should be delegated. Most of the time there is someone else that can do these tasks just as effectively. Projects with a start and end date are great items to delegate as well. One of the best ways to figure out these activities is to do an inventory of all the activities you spend your time doing and categorizing them into four categories: $10/Hour: answering the phone, running errands, etc. $100/Hour: customer follow up, writing an email, etc. $1,000/Hour: planning your day, writing sales copy, etc. $10,000/Hour: creating new and better offers, selecting team members, etc. As the leader of your organization, you should delegate all $10/Hour and $100/Hour activities. Most of the $1,000/Hour activities can be delegated as well so you can spend most of your time at the bottom of the activity funnel. The Happiest & Healthiest People… …Are those whose expectations meet reality. That’s a quote that’s stuck with me for years! One of the best things you can do is to clearly define reality so you can communicate your expectations to your team. That will reduce frustration for you and your team significantly. Step One: Fill Out The Delegation Matrix Worksheet The Delegation Matrix is a simple tool to create a written, agreed upon delegation of a task or project. You can complete the matrix before meeting with team member(s) who will be responsible or you can fill it out together. There are five parts of this tool and I’ve walked through each one for a family vacation planning project I did with my assistant recently. Cast The Project Vision: Define who’s responsible, what you want accomplished and what the result looks like Determine The Evidences Of Success: These are the details of the project that you must get out of your head so people know what you expect Clarify Success Details: Inside each evidence of success are other details and preferences you may need to outline. Determine Action Steps: These are the steps that must be taken to get the project or task started. Come To An Agreement: Once you walk through the Delegation Matrix, take time to have a conversation about the details and timeline, make any adjustments and then sign to indicate you’re in agreement. Step Two: Meet To Talk Through Delegation You will take time to walk through the Delegation Matrix you filled out with the person you are delegating to. It allows you make sure the details and results are clear, as well as time to negotiate the timeline and expectations. As an entrepreneur oftentimes we don’t fully understand the work load of the people on your team. The period of negotiation allows them to talk through how it affects the other responsibilities they have in the business. This conversation in total will take about 20 minutes and has the potential to save you a lot of stress and tension in the working relationship. Step Three: Manage The Delegation On a weekly basis, you should have check-ins to have a conversation on how the project or task is going. It’s also a chance for the person to communicate any road blocks they’re facing they need help with. My assistant and I have a weekly meeting system that allows me to delegate so many tasks – we walk through the meeting system, plus how we work together in Assistant Rocket.     Can Your Business Run Without You? I offer personalized coaching to help entrepreneurs create the business they dreamed of when they started. It’s 1.5 days to tackle your current challenges and help you break through to the next level. Apply today and our team will follow up for a consulting call if it’s a good fit.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_040__From_Bankruptcy_To_7_Figures_In_9_Months_With_Leah_McHenry.mp3″ title=”7CEO 041: From Bankruptcy To 7 Figures In 9 Months With Leah McHenry” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Leah McHenry is our first success story from podcast listeners to break through the 7-figure mark. Leah and her husband and business partner, Steve, started listening in the fall of 2015 as they launched an information business for musicians. They were broke, living paycheck to paycheck less than 12 months ago, and now they’re making over 7 figures. Even though they were in a desperate financial place, Leah decided to invest money into learning information marketing to grow her online music fan base and to start selling an online course to other musicians teaching them what she’d learned. Over just a few months, they moved beyond just financial stability to record sales months and business success. They just passed over $200,000 in sales in one month. LINKS Connect with Leah: Savvy Musician Academy or Leah’s Tribe or Facebook Family Wealth by James E. Hughes: Amazon Email Casey: Casey@CaseyGraham.com Apply for personal coaching with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Breakthrough   LEARNINGS You Value What You Invest In No matter where you are in your business, investing in learning and your personal development is key to breaking through. At every level of business there are barriers and obstacles that you must overcome or skills you need to acquire. Investing in coaching is one of the keys to moving forward.  If you’re interested in a coaching relationship with Casey Graham, click here to learn more about attending a Breakthrough Day like what Leah and Steve did earlier this year. Leah, Steve and their five children have created an environment of learning in their home. They are constantly reading books, listening to podcasts, purchasing courses and paying coaches. As humans, we value what we invest in. They weren’t able to invest a lot always, but the key is they invested what they could. Marketing Is Measurable Measuring and monitoring your marketing numbers will help you make informed decisions, specifically how much to spend on marketing. You need to be able to identify how much it costs for you to acquire a customer and then a predictable process to continue acquiring new customers to grow. Leah’s team uses Facebook primarily to get their leads which allows you to target your audience and track your numbers. Know Your Target Audience You need to create the avatar of your audience to be able to market to them directly and specifically. There is so much power in addressing the exact pain points your product/service can resolve with them in your marketing campaigns. One question you can ask to find out their pain is, “What are your top two questions related to XYZ?”, with XYZ being your niche/product/service. The answers will help you develop your marketing language so prospects relate and are drawn in to your offer to help. Another thing to note is that your customers think they know what their problem is, but in reality it’s another thing.  When you call out the true problem or issue they’re facing, you elevate yourself as the “expert” and you have more credibility with your audience. Hiring Leah and Steve created a very specific hiring process they take every candidate through. It helps them identify the prospect’s strengths and personality type to determine if they’re a good fit for the role. Having multiple steps in your hiring process helps you identify those who are truly interested and qualified. If someone isn’t willing to go through all the necessary steps, then they aren’t a good fit and you need to move on. One step to include is an “audition” – a project the prospect must complete before moving on in the process. The project is related to the role your hiring for and allows you to observe how well they follow directions and if they’re willing to do the work required. Action Creates Traction One of the most important things you can do to break through, is to implement something and take action. If you feel stuck, you can’t delay and worry about taking the right action – just take action and get moving. Even the wrong action will help create the momentum you need to break through.   Can Your Business Run Without You? I offer personalized coaching to help entrepreneurs create the business they dreamed of when they started. It’s 1.5 days to tackle your current challenges and help you break through to the next level. Apply today and our team will follow up for a consulting call if it’s a good fit.  

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_040__Master_Your_Hiring_Process_With_Brad_Weimert.mp3″ title=”7CEO 040: Master Your Hiring Process With Brad Weimert” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Brad Weimert started Easy Pay Direct in 2009 – an online credit card processing company for high-level e-commerce businesses. Specifically they began to help “high risk” businesses susceptible to consumer disputes have stable merchant services. He started the company after his personal experience with other processing companies and wanted to solve the need in this niche. The company broke the 7-figure mark within three years despite not acquiring large amounts of funding necessary to scale quicker. LINKS Easy Pay Direct: www.easypaydirect.com/ ARXFit: arxfit.com/ Spark Hire (video interviewing platform): www.sparkhire.com Email Casey: Casey@CaseyGraham.com Apply for business coaching with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Breakthrough   LEARNINGS Details Make Your Marketing Stand Out Take note of the details in your marketing to ensure your product stands out and gets noticed. Changing and enhancing your message will help you reach your audience and increase your market share. If marketing is not your strength as the entrepreneur, it’s critical that you outsource or hire someone to help you. Hiring In A Tech Start-Up Without a lot of capital, Brad outsourced contractors to get the job done. As they got closer to the 7-figure mark, he was able to be strategic about the hires he made and building a team that would help them scale faster. Fast, well-done, & cheap production cannot happen at the same time – you can never have all three when you’re outsourcing or hiring a team. You will need to make an investment in your team to get the quality you want. Coaches And Mentors Matter One of the most influential people in his life and business has been Tony Robbins. Robbins says, “Proximity is power”. You must be willing to invest heavily in your personal development to surround yourself with the people who will help your leadership and influence expand. If you are financially constrained, your brain works differently and your conversations are different than if you’re financially free and successful. But, if you can deliberately create an environment where you are around financially successful people, the way you think about life and finances and business will change. Make choices to be around people who are intentional and deliberate about living successful lives – people who are where you want to be. Who are you around? Who are you paying to be around? How are they affecting your outlook on life and business? Master Your Hiring Process Brad’s key process to success at Easy Pay Direct has been their hiring process. He outlined their system to build a great team: One of the best ways to find the right people is to use good copywriting for your ads and job postings. It’s worth hiring someone to write great copy to qualify AND disqualify potential candidates. You should provide a colorful description of your company, the job and who you AREN’T looking for. Be sure to include a call to action that will help you eliminate people and narrow down the field. Next you can conduct a video interview using Spark Hire asking them specific questions to help you determine if they fit your company culture and the role. This can be automated and doesn’t require any time of you or your team. A personality test helps you to match with the job role and responsibilities. A technical assessment ensures they’re tech-savvy and can keep up with your team. A Skype interview will be the first interaction with you and will give you an idea of culture fit. By this point, you have narrowed the field to well-qualified candidates without wasting any of your time in the process. Last is an in-person, group interview – this is a series of collaborative tasks to see how well they interact with the existing staff. Your team can provide feedback to help you make your hiring decisions. A Healthy Culture Leads To Happy Customers The better you serve your team, the better they are going to serve your customers. It’s a win-win situation and you are able to create good relationships along the way, which is the most important type of success. Life Is About The Depth & Quality Of Your Relationships In every interaction, focus on the person and the relationship instead of the outcome you hope to get from them. Connect with people on a relational level instead of just achieving a transaction. Out of those relationships you will get the results you hope for and many times even better than you hope for. Can Your Business Run Without You? I offer personalized coaching to help entrepreneurs create the business they dreamed of when they started. It’s 1.5 days to tackle your current challenges and help you break through to the next level. Apply today and our team will follow up for a consulting call if it’s a good fit.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_039__How_A_Moving_Company_Broke_Through_To_7_Figures_With_Wade_Lombard.mp3″ title=”7CEO 039: How A Moving Company Broke Through To 7 Figures With Wade Lombard” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Today we have Wade Lombard, 35 year old entrepreneur from Birmingham, Alabama. In 2007, he transitioned from ministry to start a new business, Square Cow Moovers, in Austin, Texas, with his dad and brother-in-law. They began the company in the recession of 2008 without any knowledge of the moving industry. They built their business with guerilla marketing and making the promise to work hard and do what they said they would. They broke the 7-figure mark after 4 years and will be close to 8-figures this year. Wade’s role focuses on marketing, sales and brand. They’ve grown to 45 trucks, 185 employees with 8 branches in Texas and Colorado. They still focus on providing the quality of service when they began.   LINKS Check out Square Cow Moovers: SquareCowMovers.com   Email Casey: Casey@CaseyGraham.com Apply for personal coaching with Casey: CaseyGraham.com/Breakthrough   LEARNINGS Build A Solid Reputation Despite the reputation of movers in the industry, they made the decision to always provide the best customer service and experience regardless of the bottom line. They have always been willing to give up a few percentage points of profit to take a “not satisfied” customer to “elated” customer. Determine Your Target Audience You must decide who your target audience – who you can serve best and make the most money for your margins. Wade and his partners decided they were going to go after the average family as their target client. Get Creative With Your Marketing One of the most successful marketing strategies Wade used was to take empty moving boxes with a simple letter attached to houses with a “For Sale” sign. They offered their services when the client was ready to move and established their brand within the community. They also partnered with a box company who provided all the boxes for a promotion in the marketing letter included. Success Is A Science – Model What Others Do If you see a business tactic or process that works in other businesses, figure out how to make it work in your business. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when there are so many successful businesses already. Own Your Brand You can make every single thing you do consistent with your brand. Examples from Wade: cowference, moovers, cow print, herd calls, etc. You must drive it internally and externally. Hiring You must accept that hiring quality people will always be one of the top three toughest areas in your business. Looking at the character of the person can often be more important than the skills they bring to the table. Most skills can be taught and are therefore secondary in the hiring process. For their hourly work force, the interview process is about determining the type of person the candidate is more than what they know how to do. Marry Your Metrics To What Really Matters You need to determine the numbers that matter most to move the needle and measure them and keep them visible. To get and keep your team on board, you must make this simple and keep it in front of them. For Wade and his team, their top metrics are: Customer survey results – they survey every customer and determine an average score for their branches. Employee ratio – this is the number of employees to your revenue. Each branch must keep this in a healthy range for their business model. Damage ratio – this is the amount of damages caused in the moving process. Sales – each branch has a sales goal they must meet. Laughable Financial Plan Before beginning the company, they made the decision to not finance anything except for moving trucks. Three months into the business, they ran out of their investment capital. Because of their initial decision about debt, they didn’t pay themselves for a few weeks and pushed harder which got them the sales needed to get off the ground. They’ve stuck to their guns on this decision, which caused slim profits initially, but has paid off in the end. Who’s Asking You The Hard Questions? As the entrepreneur, you only know what you know. Having a paid coach will not only help you learn, but they’ll ask you the questions you won’t ask yourself. And the accountability that comes from paying someone to coach you will push you to the next level.   Can Your Business Run Without You? I offer personalized coaching to help entrepreneurs create the business they dreamed of when they started. It’s 1.5 days to tackle your current challenges and help you break through to the next level. Apply today and our team will follow up for a consulting call if it’s a good fit.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_038__How_To_Create_A_Company_That_Runs_Without_You.mp3″ title=”7CEO 038: How To Create A Company That Runs Without You” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Today you’re going to hear a web training I did for entrepreneurs recently. I shared from my experiences and learnings of how to create a business that runs without you and I share the three phases of a business. Once you make a decision which type of business you want, you can make some key decisions to get there. The phases of business aren’t based on size or revenue, but on characteristics I’ll share with you. If you’re interested in taking your business to the next level then a Breakthrough Day might be a good option for you. Breakthrough Day is a day and a half of personalized coaching I do for entrepreneurs who are serious about their business and are willing to make a 5-figure investment in their leadership development. I know the value of coaching and would love to be your coach. Fill out the application and we’ll setup a free consultation call if you’re a good fit. LINKS Breakthrough Days Application For Free Consultation Call: CaseyGraham.com/Breakthrough Connect with Leah McHenry, Casey’s guest who shared about her growing business & Breakthrough Day experience: Facebook LIVING Overview: A “living” business is dependent on you, the entrepreneur. 93% of small businesses in the U.S. fall into this category. It’s characterized by When you begin the business, you must be committed to the “hustle”. There is a lot you have to do that you wouldn’t normally want to do Characteristics Of A Living Business: Personal: You have no time and high stress. As the leader, you often think in days. People: You’re mostly working alone, but might have some part-time employees or contractors helping you. Process: You have very few processes because you’re trying to get the work done. Profit: You’re likely paying yourself, but you’re not making any profit beyond that. Product: You likely have a singular product or focus that you deliver. Decisions To Advance To A Lifestyle Business: Hire a part-time bookeeper, assistant or someone to deliver your service/product. You think you don’t have enough money to do this, but when you hire this person it will free you up to make more money. Focus relentlessly on sales or raising money. You have to wake up everyday thinking about getting your next customer until you break the 7-figure revenue mark. Have one product in one market that will pay you. LIFESTYLE Overview: The “lifestyle” business can run for a period of time without you.  As the leader, you don’t have to sell, market and delivery your service/product every single day. You don’t have to go into the office every day and you feel successful and like you’ve gained momentum in business. Very rarely can you sell a “lifestyle” business for a profitable exit as the entrepreneur. Characteristics Of A Lifestyle Business: Personal: You as the entrepreneur has an increased amount of free time and reduced stress because you’re not as worried about surviving. You usually think in months and are able to plan ahead. People: You likely have a small team that have strengths to cover your weaknesses as the leader. The team is very reactive to you. Process: You have figured out the product(s) that are sustainable in your market and you often have your sales & marketing processes in place. Profit: Most of the time you have high profit margins, allowing you to have positive cash flow and more money in the bank. Product: You likely have multiple offerings, but can only do one thing at a time well. Decisions To Advance To A Lasting Business: Hire a management team to take over your strengths, as well as your weaknesses, that will allow you to get out of the day-to-day operations. Process your business decisions through metrics, not on your gut feelings. You must intentionally think about building the profit margin of the business. You must have your team thinking this way as well – managing the income and expenses of the company. Set your Purpose, Mission and Values that will provide focus and a decision matrix as you move forward. LASTING Overview: The “lasting” business can run AND grow without you.  It’s growing and scaling significantly. A “lasting” business isn’t the best type of business necessarily – you as the leader must make the decision which type of business you want and then make the decisions necessary to advance. Characteristics Of A Lifestyle Business: Personal: More skill than effort is required to have a “lasting” business. You must acquire these skills from coaches and mentors. You should be focuses on people and money allocation, not the day-to-day operations. People: You’ve hired to all disciplines in your business and you are able to lead through dashboards and metrices Process: Everything in the business is measured with a system. Every component of the business is broken down into processes that are visible. Profit: The profit is healthy and driven off the efforts of the others in the company, not just you. Product: You can have many products/services developing and being sold at the same time without any of them suffering.   PERSONAL You as the leader need to grow and develop as a leader to get your company to the next level. PEOPLE You need to have the right people in the right positions. There can be employees or contractors that make up your team. PROCESS How the business runs and the work gets done. There are key processes and systems you must have in place for your business to grow and be successful. PROFIT Your business is either making money or it’s losing money. There are some key decisions to make when it comes to making a profit. PRODUCT What are you selling – this can be a product or service or technology. Can Your Business Run Without You? I can help you break through in your business and life – apply for a Breakthrough Day today.  

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_037_-_How_To_Use_Speaking_To_Grow_Past_7_Figures_With_Pete_Vargas.mp3″ title=”7CEO 037: How To Use Speaking To Grow Past 7 Figures With Pete Vargas” artist=”Casey Graham” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Today we have Pete Vargas, Advance Your Reach, which trains speakers and businesses to use speaking as a tool to build their business. Pete began the business 14 years ago while he was working full time as a youth pastor. He worked early in the morning and late at night to get things started. LINKS E-mail video platform: BombBomb.com Free Download from Pete – 55 Different “Stages” You Can Be On + 5 Revenue-Generating “Stages: AdvanceYourReach.com/Casey Email Pete: Pete@AdvanceYourReach.com Email Casey: Casey@CaseyGraham.com LEARNINGS Hustle When you begin the business, you must be committed to the “hustle”. There is a lot you have to do that you wouldn’t normally want to do Use Speaking To Build Your Business Regardless of what type of business you’re in, you should utilize speaking, online and offline to build leads and increase sales. This doesn’t mean you need to be on a big stage with a large audience. It means you take advantage of opportunities to talk about your business and how you can help people with your service or product. There are 5 “stages” you can take advantage of to grow your business. To download those, go to AdvanceYourReach.com/Casey Don’t Wait To Hire Your First Person You must think through the activities you’re spending your time doing that someone else can do it, to free you up to do what only you can do in the company. That will allow you to live in your sweet spot which will increase the value of your business. Go Sell Something You shouldn’t worry about any systems in your business before reaching $1M in sales, EXCEPT sales. You must go out and sell your product and/or service in order to succeed. Nobody Cares About Your Business When you’re talking to leads and potential clients, remember that they don’t care about you or your business. They care most about them and their business and agenda. That’s just life and you need to meet them where they are to successfully reach them. How To Handle Finances Don’t wait too long to hire a bookkeeper. You don’t need to have this responsibility on your plate and it’s not an expensive position to hire. As the leader you need to stay in tune with your business cash flow and your ROI (return on investment) for marketing expenses. Can Your Business Run Without You? Take this 45 second “Success Quiz” and we’ll tell you what to do next in your business to reach your freedom goals.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_036__5_Reasons_Your_Business_Cant_Run_Without_You_And_You_Will_Never_Sell_It.mp3″ title=”7CEO 036: 5 Reasons Your Business Can’t Run Without You (And You Will Never Sell It)” artist=”Casey Graham” download=”false” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” ] Entrepreneurs and business owners are on a slippery slope. They are often the default center of the business and that is an unforgiving hamster wheel. This is why most small businesses can’t scale…they can’t grow beyond the entrepreneur’s personal capacity.  I did a Facebook Live broadcast about 5 Reasons Your Business Can’t Run Without You an posted the video below. Please watch it and learn from my mistakes…and what I finally discovered that allowed me to sell my company for a life changing multiple. Subscribe To My Youtube Channel and Get Notified When I Upload Business Breakthrough Video Content Can Your Business Run Without You? Take this 45 second “Success Quiz” and we’ll tell you what to do next in your business to reach your freedom goals.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_035__From_50_A_Day_To_7-Figures_With_Jeff_Luther.mp3″ title=”7CEO 035: From $50 A Day To 7-Figures With Jeff Luther” artist=”Casey Graham” download=”false” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” ] Today we’re talking with Jeff Luther, founder and President of Home-Probe, Inc. He started his home inspection business 15 years ago without any intention of it being a stable business, but as a way to pay the bills early on. After just a few years, he crossed the 7-figure revenue mark.   LINKS Do You Have A Self-Sustaining Business? Take our short, 10 question quiz to see how you stack up(we’ll even give you a score!):  https://ownerssuccessclub.com/score   Connect with Home-Probe Inc. & Jeff Luther: http://www.atlantarealestateinspection.com/ Podcast episode with Forrest Walden: http://caseygraham.com/episode17 Share your learnings with Casey & Jeff: Email Casey@CaseyGraham.com   NOTES Set A Clear Daily Goal & Stay Focused When Jeff started his company, he was at ground zero. He set a goal of making $50 a day and wrote it on a calendar every day, how much he made. Setting that goal gave him clarity for what he needed to do and freedom to stay focused on that goal. He did this by cutting grass and working at Home Depot simply for health benefits.   Phases Of A Small Business Living – You, the owner, make a great living, but the business is dependent on you Lifestyle Business – The business can run without you, but it can’t grow with you Lasting Business – The business can run AND grow with you   How You Treat Your Staff Determines Your Company’s Growth Jeff admits to making a lot of mistakes as he grew his team, starting with how he setup compensation. After a few years of doing a commission-only structure, he realized he was creating a competitive, fearful environment. Once he setup a stable compensation plan plus benefits, his team wasn’t driven by fear to make the sale, but delivering a great product which led to more referrals and better customer service. Taking care of your team will give them “mental margin” so they don’t have to worry about anything except delivery your service/product and create raving fans. A question you can ask yourself to decide if you’re treating your team well is, “Would I be happy if my son/daughter was working for a boss like me?” The answer to that question can be very telling.   How To Succeed During An Economic Downturns When the economy isn’t favorable for your business, you need to be agile to find different ways for people to go business with you. In the real estate crisis of 2008, Jeff simply supplied generators for the inspection of homes that didn’t have utilities – it was something simple, but made the difference so Jeff could stay in business during that tough time.   Working IN vs. Working ON As the owner, it’s important for you to stay connected on some level with the day-to-day operations of the business. BUT, to get to the next level, you have to separate yourself to be able to focus on growing the business and looking to the future. The best way to do that is to have a capable team of people you trust to carry out the operations and deliver your service/product.   Having The Right People On The Team Implementing a “people analyzer” is a key system/process to breaking through the 7-figure mark. That will help you find and hire the right people who fit your culture and share your core values. From the current team of people you have, write down the traits and characteristics you like about most and create a template of what you’re looking for in future hires. You can duplicate the best people already on your team in new hires by comparing them during the hiring process. Your “people analyzer” will also help you assess your current team and determine if there’s someone who doesn’t fit your culture and core values. You can also ask yourself: How do I feel when I know this person is going to be around? Knowing what I do now, would I rehire this person again? Fear Of Success As a leader, the fear of success can be real. Whether it’s that you don’t deserve the success or not being understood, there is real stress and pressure that comes as being the owner. Staying connected with other entrepreneurs is helpful to realize you’re not alone and provides perspective.          

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_034__Three_Types_Of_People_Needed_To_Get_Your_Business_To_7-Figures.mp3″ title=”7CEO 034: Three Types Of People You Need To Get Your Business To 7-Figures” artist=”Casey Graham” download=”false” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” ] Today Casey brings along two of the people who helped him start, grow and sell a 7-figure business, Becca Harper and Renee Weber. They talk together about how they’ve worked together for the past 8 years and how their different wiring has helped them work together for success. They reference Les McKeown’s book The Synergist throughout this episode to describe and define the three different types of people needed to grow a 7-figure business. After being coached by Les, Casey and the team adopted the language to help them better understand how to work together to reach their goals.   LINKS Do You Have A Self-Sustaining Business? Take our short, 10 question quiz to see how you stack up(we’ll even give you a score!):  https://ownerssuccessclub.com/score Connect with Becca Harper and learn more about her business, Clarity Consulting: http://clarityformybusiness.com The Synergist book by Les McKeown: Amazon The Synergist Quiz from Les McKeown: SynergistQuiz.com 7CEO 007: How To Create A Growing, Sustainable Business With Special Guest Les McKeown: http://caseygraham.com/episode7     NOTES Three Types Of People You Need Visionary: Casey represents the “visionary” who generally has the business ideas and sets the direction of the company. The “visionary” often has more ideas than they’re able to implement and need help accomplishing their dreams and goals. Because they usually start the business, they often think they are the best and have the most to lose. They have a tendency to think they’re always right and don’t realize how they effect the other people in the organization. Many times, they’re losing so fast they leave the rest of the team behind. Without awareness of how they are wired, they will believe everyone thinks the way they do and if they don’t, they should. Operator: Renee represents the “operator” who helps the “visionary” DO the work and accomplish their goals.  The “operator” is often very flexible, which helps them adapt to the “visionary’s” changing direction. An “operator” often needs to receive direction since they don’t naturally have a lot of ideas for new direction. As the business is getting started, the “operator” plays an important role to help the “visionary” get it launched and is able to pivot to the necessary changes as they get going. A “visionary” entrepreneur will have a VERY difficult time getting the business off the ground without an “operator”. Processor: Becca represents the “processor” from The Synergist”.  Most processors are very organized and process driven. They like things to have order and be systematized. Often times a “processor” doesn’t join the team until the business is established and in order for it to continue to grow, there must be systems and processes implemented. The “processor” can be seen as an adversary at first because visionaries and operators have been running the business and the “ rocessor” comes in trying to change how they’ve been working. But they bring the stability into the business that’s necessary to continue growth and enable stability. Transitioning To A Healthy Team To Grow & Scale To get to the next level in the business, the visionary must be able to develop the skills necessary to hire and run a team of people to accomplish their goals. This requires developing the “synergist” skills to relate to others and make decisions that are for the good of the whole company.   Systems And Processes To grow the business you must simplify what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. By implementing systems and processes, you create simplicity which allows you to systematize – systems allow you to scale the business.   How to Implement Systems and Processes Hire the right person. You can’t expect a visionary or operator to be able to effectively create and run systems in the business. It’s not their natural skill set, so you must have a “processor” in place. Use the synergist quiz to look for the right person Determine what are the most important systems you need to create. You must objectively assess the activities of the organization to determine what’s working well and what isn’t. Systematize the activities around the questions the visionary and operators are asking all the time   Key Metrics To Drive The Vision And Provide Clarity Start with the goal or mission and work it backwards, asking, “What will it take for us to reach this goal in the different areas of the business?” Create 2-3 key metrics for each person that will help you reach your mission on a daily/weekly basis Report weekly to keep the metrics visible and provide accountability. Green = on track or have hit goal Yellow = not on track or need help to get beyond a road block Red = didn’t hit the goal   Focus Of A CEO A CEO must proactively look down the road to anticipate the road blocks and be able to remove them. You have to be able to see what’s happening in the company and be able to lead the team based on data not gut. This doesn’t happen often in businesses early on, but the entrepreneur must be able to make this transition.    

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/7figureceo/7CEO_033__How_A_Writer_Built_A_7-Figure_Business_With_Jeff_Goins.mp3″ title=”7CEO 033: How A Writer Built A 7-Figure Business With Jeff Goins” artist=”Casey Graham” download=”false” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” ] Jeff Goins was the marketing director for a non-profit when he started a blog and collecting email addresses. His list grew to 10,000 emails within the first year when he began to figure out how to monetize his site in order to quit his day job. He started by writing books and ebooks for writers and made $50,000 off his first ebook launch, Tribe Writers. He ended up making $150,000 with his side business the first year allowing him to quit his day job. He teaches writers how to succeed through blogging and online marketing. LINKS Jeff’s Blog: http://goinswriter.com Connect with Jeff on Twitter: @JeffGoins Jeff’s Online Course: Tribe Writers Jeff’s Bestselling Book: The Art Of Work Assistant Rocket LESSONS Be Patient And Don’t Burn Bridges If you’re transitioning from one job to the next, it’s important to understand that how you leave one is the same spirit you bring into the next. So don’t burn bridges and make sure you transition well. Delegate Clearly And Fairly To Your Team The load you’re willing to handle as the entrepreneur and owner of the company cannot be transferred to employees as you begin to build your team. You must delegate very clear job expectations and don’t put too much responsibility on their plate.B Build Your Audience Or Your Products First In many industries, one of the best ways to be successful and break through is to make sure you’re providing products and services your audience wants and are willing to pay for. That means it’s essential to build your audience so you have people to ask what they want and will pay you for. Get It Out Of Your Head You can build a lot of processes and systems, but it’s important to get out of your head the ones that are driving your business. You do NOT need to continue to do the same tasks over and over again as the leader. You must be able to delegate the tasks that aren’t tied to exponential growth and productivity. Check out AssistantRocket.com for a resource we put together to help you focus on doing what only you can do. Actionable Data To Look At As The Leader Be sure you’re looking at the numbers that actually matter and will help you make informed decisions about your business and its growth.  The most important ones we look at daily are: A: Attract traffic: How many visitors came to your site today? B: Build the list: How many new email address today? C: Convert sales: How much money did we make today? What’s Your Finish Line And What Does It Matter? You must have a clear vision for your life in order to know at the end of the day that you didn’t succeed at the wrong thing. Many of us are successful, but we will still feel empty and unfulfilled if we aren’t focused on succeeding for the right reasons.      

Today, we’re talking with Brad Martineau, Founder of Sixth Division. His company’s mission is to help clients that utilize InfusionSoft implement more practical client journeys. Brad was the 6th employee at InfusionSoft when it was a half-a-million dollar company and was instrumental in helping them become a $15M/year company. InfusionSoft is automation software for lead generation and client management. Where Brad and Sixth Division come in is in helping clients successfully and effectively use InfusionSoft to capture those leads with the goal of turning them into permanent clients. Not only did his company personally break the 7-figure mark in just 9 months, but he’s seen many of his clients do the same. Links “Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100Million in No Time Flat” by Michael Masterson http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Fire-Aim-Zero-Million/dp/0470182024 Infusion Soft-sales and marketing automation software www.infusionsoft.com GKIC and GKIC Info Summit-the place for small business owners and entrepreneurs https://gkic.com/infosummit/ Steps to Take Concentrate on ONE product or service. There is a tendency for entrepreneurs to want to spread themselves out over a wealth of client offerings because more options seems like an easier way to make sales. Don’t. Pick ONE thing and do it really well-do it better than anyone else. Remember, too that if you want to reach that million or higher mark, you need to identify how to sell that one product profitably. ‘Niche’ Down At Least 3 Levels.   Along with offering only one initial product, you need to target your audience and concentrate solely on serving them. You need to be really specific.   Anything else is scattered and aimless. Brad’s strategy was to target 1) InfusionSoft users 2) who had been using it for at least 6 months 3) that were in the financial bracket to purchase something in the $6K and above range. “Niches are where the riches are”. Get In Front of People.   The internet is great but you need to get in front of people. Brad and his business partner Dave identified their target market and then focused in on where to find those potential clients. You want to go where there are pools of people that fit your niche. Ideally, these would be actual events and conferences. Grab any stage time that you can. While you may find some buyers through traditional networking or by being a vendor, you need to put yourself forward as THE authority on your subject-you do that by taking any opportunity to get on stage in front of your audience. Hire For Where You Want To Be, Not Where You Are. If you hire based only on skill set for the tasks you need done today, you are not likely to find the right people.   You need to find people who share the same mindset about where you want to go in the future. If your market is serving entrepreneurs, you need to make sure you have people on board who are dedicated to and understand the quick changes and active mindset of the entrepreneur.   Now, to assess whether candidates fit into Sixth Division’s vision, Brad and his team do a series of ‘activity-based’ hiring, not traditional interviews. Anyone can say anything-it’s how they approach what needs done in your business that will indicate to you if they’re the right long-term fit. ‘Productize’ Your Service Delivery.   In many industries, when a business is offering a custom-type solution service, it creates a lot of problems with back-and-forth, delays on response times, running over project time and budget, etc. Instead, ‘productize’ your service into a ‘package’. In other words, take all of the components of the service you’re offering and bundle them into a specified time period with a specific name. For Sixth Division, this is their client’s “Makeover” that is a consultation and strategy work-up. This forces you to recognize your costs ‘in time’ and manage your calendar. There is no option for projects to run over because you have now established a time period for the entire service to take place in. Brad’s Parting Words of Wisdom He didn’t spend a lot of time ‘learning’ by reading, webinars, etc., with the exception of one paragraph of one section of ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’. While he loves learning, when you’re trying to reach that first million, there needs to be a little less learning (you’re going to the school of hard knocks anyway when opening a business!) and a lot more implementing. Dominate-don’t dabble. Just get up and start doing it. One thing implemented is better than 1000 things read. .FOCUS- The best entrepreneurs make their business work. Where to Find Brad and Sixth Division    Website:               www.sixthdivision.com Twitter:                @BradMartineau LinkedIn:              https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradmartineau Facebook:            https://www.facebook.com/iambardley?ref=br_rs