BiggerPockets Business Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

35: Starting a Brand New Business While Putting Family First with Carol Scott of Scott Silver Concierge Realty Dec 24, 2019

Show notes

Have you dreamed of starting a new business but can’t imagine how in the world you’d fit that into your already-packed family schedule? Love the idea of getting your significant other involved in your venture, so you can tackle the world together—power-couple style?

It CAN be done… and today’s guest is passionate about sharing how, with the right approach, you can even get the kids on board, too!

In this engaging episode, BiggerPockets Business Podcast host J Scott interviews his wife and co-host Carol Scott, as she launches a brand new business. Carol shares her expertise in leveraging the successes you’ve had in your personal and work life to create a company that generates income while prioritizing—and not compromising—your responsibilities at home.

Carol also provides actionable tips on creative hiring from the get-go to put together an impactful team that can help drive your vision. She also discusses the power in telling everyone you know, loud and clear, about what you’re doing.

Together, Carol and J teach how to instill values of collaborative entrepreneurship in the family and the crucial importance of a dedicated workspace to help shift mindsets, support one another, and make progress toward your goals.

And if you’re hung up on the expectation of perfectionism and doing it all, make sure you listen to Carol’s often-controversial take on how to overcome that unattainable, society-driven notion!

Enjoy, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast to continue learning throughout 2020 and beyond. Happy Holidays!

In This Episode We Cover:

Carol's backstory—from employee to stay-at-home mom
Her new business—a boutique real estate brokerage
What makes a real estate agent unique
The difference between working IN your business vs. working ON your business
How she juggles putting family first while running a business
The main reasons to hire somebody
Valuable tips on finding, interviewing, and hiring the right people
Advice for stay-at-home business owners
Family as the #1 priority
Tips for starting a business
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/bizshow35

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

34: From NO Business Experience to $40M in Sales and Shark Tank Success with Jamie and Brian Ratner of CertifiKID Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

Are you concerned that your lack of business experience is going to hinder your ability to start and grow a company? Do you think that being a marketing expert is a prerequisite to getting your first customers? Well, that’s not the case... and our guests today are here to prove it!

Jamie and Brian Ratner—co-founders of CertifiKID, a multi-million dollar family-focused deal site—are here to tell you about how they started their company without business degrees, without a big team, and without a big marketing budget. And on this episode, they teach us how you can bootstrap your business and how building a team that buys into your vision can propel you to success.

Jamie tells us how she stood on the street corner handing out flyers, trying to find that first customer. And Brian tells us how—10 years later—they were able to put themselves in front of some of the most influential investors on the planet. Brian also tells his story about how he went toe-to-toe with Kevin O’Leary (from Shark Tank), negotiating a deal that would bring them a big six-figure investment and a realization of one of their big business goals.

And if you’ve ever dreamed of being on Shark Tank, make sure you listen for Jamie’s tip on how to bypass the cattle-call auditions and get straight to the decision makers!

Check them out, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss our next show!

In This Episode We Cover:

Why it's important to move quickly and be the first to market
How to hire employees by reaching out to customers
How they follow trends to never become boring to their customers
How they complement each other in their business
How they got into Shark Tank
How they plan for success and not failure
Why building a strong team is their #1 priority
Why you should make appropriate sacrifices
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow34

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

33: How to Generate Business No Matter the Product or Service with Pat Fenton Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

Having trouble generating business in your business? Having difficulty converting sales?

CEO, mentor, coach, and marketing expert Pat Fenton is here to talk about the principles of attracting—and converting—customers to your business. No matter what you offer, whether it’s a product or a service, the principles for getting business are the same.

Pat shares actionable steps on how to generate business, how to influence people to contact you, how to grow by expanding your network, how to create reciprocity, and how to add value above and beyond the competition to get continuous referrals and repeat business.

Make sure you listen for Pat’s words of wisdom about how to turn failure into success and how even those who fail the most can ultimately end up being the best.

Check him out, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss our next show!

In This Episode We Cover:

Why mentorship is a necessity
How you can strike out 7 out of 10 times and still be a superstar
Why top professionals like rejections
Why practice is where the money is made
Building on existing relationships rather than starting over with new customers
What to be aware of in partnerships
Asking yourself what problems you are solving
Understanding the sales process
Why capital is not the driver of success
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow33

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

32: Building an App That Partners With Billion-Dollar Brands—But Only Because They "Just Got Started" With Wes Schroll and Tyler Kennedy Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

"If you wait until you have a perfect plan," says Fetch Rewards co-founder Tyler Kennedy, "you're never going to get started."

That line sums up Tyler's journey alongside his partner Wes Schroll. Today, they take us behind the scenes at their fast-growing startup, which employs 100-plus people and helps two million-plus app users earn discounts on everyday consumer products.

You'll learn how Fetch started "pivoting" right off the bat, how Tyler and Wes approached giant brands like Kraft and Dove (hint: start small), and how two magic words turn regular old customers into evangelists.

No matter what business you're in, you're in the business of looking for "win-win" arrangements. And in this interview, you'll learn how to do that from two creative, tenacious entrepreneurs who credit their success to getting started BEFORE they had it all figured out.

Download this episode, and make sure you're subscribed to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won't miss the next one!

In This Episode We Cover:

What is Fetch Rewards
How the idea came to be
Focusing on the customer experience
The steps they took to build the app
How they scaled to 1.7 million users
How they earn money
Giving rewards to users (and getting even better at it)
What their company looks like from an organizational structure
Focusing on the customers first
The culture of the company
Why you should be a problem solver
Their individual roles
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/bizshow32

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31: Leveraging Your Network to Launch and Grow Your Business with Gavin Steinberg Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

Do you have a business idea but are afraid that you don’t know enough about the industry to achieve success? Do you worry that you’ll hit a roadblock that will keep you from growing your business to its full potential? These are scary thoughts that plague many entrepreneurs, but there is a simple solution to overcoming these risks!

Gavin Steinberg—real estate developer turned founder of the novel furniture subscription company The Everset—is here to tell you how he overcame these risks to his business. His solution is all about leveraging your network and finding other people who can help you navigate those areas of your business where you may not be the expert.

When Gavin decided to enter the world of furniture, he was like a fish out of water. It wasn’t an industry that he knew, but it was an industry that he wanted to be part of. Leveraging his relationships and relying on the help of others who did know the industry, Gavin was able to gain the expertise that he needed and lean on others to help his company grow and thrive.

In this episode, he tells us how we should be constantly expanding our network and recruiting others to help us grow in areas where we don’t have the knowledge or experience to do it ourselves.

Make sure you listen for Gavin’s words of wisdom about how unlikely it is that your first idea will drive your ultimate success and how you should embrace the changes your business will inevitably go through.

Check him out, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss our next show!

In This Episode We Cover:

How Gavin created a novel furniture subscription company
Where they offer their service and to whom
How he found his partner
How he's leveraging his network
Strategic partnership with real estate communities
Reaching out to customers by offering service as an amenity
3 things furniture should have: quality, reasonable price, and looks
How they got their first customers
The ability to say no
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Forums

Check the full show notes here: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow31

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30: How to Guarantee Profit From Day 1 with Mike Michalowicz Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

Do you worry that after everyone and everything else in your business is paid, there will be nothing left for you? Have you been taught to believe that the first several years of your business must involve constant financial struggle? Well, it doesn’t have to be that way!

Mike Michalowicz—author of five amazing business books, including The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur and Profit First—knows firsthand how important it is to ensure that you get paid each and every day. And in this episode, he teaches how to make sure that you’re profitable in your businesses from day one.

Mike tells us his story of entrepreneurship highs and lows. After two early successes, he found himself in dire straights, not bringing in enough money to pay his bills and falling into depression. But it was these struggles that made him realize that there was a better way of running his businesses—a way that would ensure that he could take care of his family while his businesses would continue to grow.

The formula is simple, even if it’s not obvious. Mike breaks it down step by step, so that even the most skeptical among us will realize that immediate business profits are just a simple mindset shift away. He helps us realize that profitability in our business is already “baked in” and that by changing our habits, we can start extracting it TODAY!

And make sure you listen for Mike’s business-changing idea: start slow, let it grow.

Check him out, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss our next show!

In This Episode We Cover:

How Mike discovered his vocation despite his big failure
Why you don’t have to be a billionaire to be successful
The significance of the profit first formula
The 5 foundational bank accounts
Why you should start slow, and let it grow
How one company switched to profit first and innovated their way to earning more
What companies with debt should do
The Parkinson's law
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow30

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29: Scaling Multiple Businesses and Making a BIG Social Impact with Andy Seth Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Want to "do well" AND "do good"? Andy Seth's done just that—building several businesses and doing big things in his community. In this episode, he shares how he did it.

You'll love hearing about Andy's journey from humble beginnings, like how he hustled at every turn and how he fought with what he calls "a terrible business partner"—his own ego! (Can anyone relate?)

Andy shares great tips for finding what you're really passionate about and maintaining your energy while juggling multiple pursuits. You'll learn why it's OK to bounce around as you look to make a real impact beyond success and money. And our conversation on hiring might totally change the way you look at job applicants.

Oh—and don't miss Andy's story about writing his book, Bling, in a shockingly short period of time. Andy is a super-thoughtful entrepreneur who's looking at the big picture and making a real difference in people's lives every day.

Check him out, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won't miss our next show!

In This Episode We Cover:

Andy's upbringing and how he grew up struggling financially
Making $300K/year as a DJ in college
How he sold two tech companies before he graduated college
How to build businesses in parallel
How to not fall victim to your ego
His hiring and job description tips
How he was able to write a book in five days
Why he dislikes "world domination"
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow29

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28: Marketing Funnels, Automation, and an Actual 4-Hour Work Week with Ryan Dossey Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

Whoa! Today's episode is a masterclass in building a business that runs without your day-to-day involvement.

You might have heard of Ryan Dossey the real estate investor, but today he takes us behind the scenes of Call Porter, his live call answering business, employing 27 people in St. Louis, Mo.

You won't find Ryan in the office, though. He lives 1,800 miles away. And because he's put an executive team in place, he can focus on his "superpowers": content marketing and big-picture strategy.

You'll love hearing Ryan's tips on how to keep remote employees accountable, why "core values" aren't B.S., and how to screen potential mentors/coaches to make sure they know what they're doing.

This is a seriously inspiring episode, and you'll walk away ready to automate and delegate those tasks you've been meaning to get off your plate.

Download this one, and subscribe so you won't miss the next BiggerPockets Business Podcast episode!

In This Episode We Cover:

Starting a call center catered to real estate investors
How he became good on the phone
How Call Porter works
Vetting and hiring the right people
How the St. Louis "accent" helps them close deals
How he used paid advertisement and funnels to get clients
Incredible tools to gain more leads
Training employees to convert leads
Using How to Win Friends and Influence People principles
Automating the whole business process
Benefits of having employees work from home
Why you should establish core values in your company
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/bizshow28

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27: The 3-Step Social Media Strategy to Attract and Convert More Leads with Brendan Kane Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

There are tons of social media “experts.” But how many of them have gone from zero to one million followers in just 30 days?

Today's guest Brendan Kane did. And in this episode, he teaches us the straightforward strategy outlined in his book One Million Followers.

If you like the idea of attracting leads on social media but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. You’ll love Brendan’s simple recipe for creating content that attracts followers, spreads your message, and turns leads into customers. He's worked with everyone from Taylor Swift to dentists hoping to grow their practices—and his advice boils down to a few lessons you can apply right away.

This episode could gain you thousands of followers and help you form valuable connections. So don’t miss it! And subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss the next one!

In This Episode We Cover:

How Brendan got into business online
From zero to 1 million followers in just 30 days
Which platform should you start with?
How much money do you need to spend?
His process involving hypothesizing, testing, and pivoting
75,000 tests
5 elements of content to test
2 reasons you should test a lot
What makes a good content?
The concept of hook points
Targeting your core audience
Do you really need viral content?
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes on BiggerPockets: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow27

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26: Fail Fast? No, Start Slow! Secrets from Building (and Exiting) the World’s Biggest Wine Brand with Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

How would you run your business differently if you started with the end in mind?

Today’s show is all about forming your exit strategy up front… and there’s no one more qualified to talk about that than the co-founders of Barefoot Wine.

Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan weren’t even “wine people” when they went into business. Yet they found a way to outsell everyone else and eventually had giant companies competing to buy THEM. (They happily sold to Gallo in 2005.)

In this episode, you’ll learn the strategies that drove their explosive growth and the way in which you can apply them—no matter your experience level.

From the simple question that launched their business, to the pitfalls of “falling in love with your product,” to why every entrepreneur should meet business brokers for lunch once a month, this show is packed with practical, hard-won wisdom you can immediately implement.

Download this one, subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast, and share this episode with just one person who you think you would get value out of it!

In This Episode We Cover: