BiggerPockets Business Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

25: What You Can Learn from a Company that Manages 12,000 Contractors with Ken Davis of TaskEasy Oct 15, 2019

Show notes

Today we get a peek inside a company that handles lawn care for 800,000 properties across the U.S.

And although few of us will ever build such a behemoth, trust us—you will learn a ton from this episode with TaskEasy CEO Ken Davis.

In it, you'll hear how Ken started the company to solve his own biggest headache, why TaskEasy zeroed in on mowing lawns, and the biggest operations challenges the company faces as it services thousands of clients.

Also, Ken speaks to the importance of doing right by your very first customers before scaling, why ideas are a dime a dozen (execution—not so much), and how the right mentors can save you a fortune.

Ken also reveals his No. 1 tip on how to automate processes in your own business. So if you are looking to get more organized and think strategically about how your business is set up, download this episode and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won't miss the next one!

In This Episode We Cover:

The original vision of TaskEasy
Starting a lawn care company without owning a single lawn mower!
The difficulty of hiring a contractor
The power of technology and automation
How he manages his contractors
Their business processes
How they handle issues and conflicts
The single most difficult support request they take
How to turn a synchronous experience in support
Why they do tasks manually first
How they're marketing evolved over time
Why you should focus on the "ones and tens"
Why you should surround yourself with mentors
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check full show notes on BiggerPockets: http://biggerpockets.com/bizshow25

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24: LIVE from BPCon2019: Ask Us Anything! Oct 13, 2019

Show notes

All the BiggerPockets podcast hosts on stage in one place!

This bonus episode was recorded at the BiggerPockets Conference last week in front of a live audience of more than 1,000 people at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee.

We turned the mics over to our members, who fired a bunch of great questions at Scott Trench and Mindy Jensen, Brandon Turner and David Greene, Joshua Dorkin, and J and Carol Scott.

Our panelists covered some nitty gritty real estate topics like tackling vacancy and how to invest IRA funds, as well as big-picture concepts like motivation, marketing, and how to teach family members the importance of investing at an early age.

Also -- everyone reveals what animal they would be if they had to choose. And one member of the audience challenges David Greene to produce an analogy on the spot… listen to find out whether he performed under pressure.

Our first conference in 7 years was a big success, and we’re so thankful to everyone who came out to learn, network, and have a great time.

Download this bonus episode, and be sure to subscribe to all three shows so you won’t miss an episode.

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24: Achieving 'Time Freedom' and Franchising a Personal Training Business with Paige Wilcox Oct 08, 2019

Show notes

What if you documented every process that makes your business run?

Imagine how much easier it would be to scale and how much less stressful it would be to take a day (or week or month) off to spend with your family?

Today’s show is about creating standard operating procedures to make your life easier down the road. Paige Wilcox of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness breaks down how she and her husband built a personal training business that can run on autopilot—which eventually allowed them to open their first franchise.

You’ll learn how Paige thinks about systems, how she automated her email marketing, and how businesses can expand. Paige brings a ton of energy in this episode, and it’s clear how much she loves being in business for herself and putting her stamp on her community.

Download this episode and subscribe to hear more stories like hers!

In This Episode We Cover:

How a blind date lead to marriage and a business!
The story behind their business
How to start a wellness business with your spouse
What was wrong with their initial business model
How they scaled up their business from 30 to over 100 clients and growing!
Shifting from customer type to client type mindset
Automation and marketing machines
What is franchising and what made them decide to go that route
Their first franchisee
How they put everything on SOP
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

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23: Scientifically Proven Sales Techniques with David Hoffeld Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

Grandpa may have been a great salesman in his day. But if you’re using the same strategies he used (and most of us are), you’re ignoring powerful brain science that flips conventional wisdom on its head.

And you’re leaving a lot of money on the table.

In today’s episode, we’ll dive into new research with David Hoffeld, a sales trainer who wrote the bestselling book The Science of Selling.

After listening to this show, you’ll have a far better understanding of how your prospects think through concepts like fear and risk. You’ll learn how to overcome their objections by “priming,” how to use stories to reassure them, and how to address the six “whys” that explain every buying decision.

Plus, when you do lose a sale, you’ll be able to apply David’s framework for analyzing exactly what went wrong. That way, you'll know how to close the very next deal!

Turns out, potential buyers are often turned off not by the product itself but by the way it’s presented by the salesperson.

Listen to this episode to learn the “buyer-centric, science-based” sales methods David teaches his clients. If you like this show, let us know in the comments below! And be sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you won’t miss an episode!

In This Episode We Cover:

How a “make 100K/year” ad spawned David's start in sales
How our brains form buying decisions
What is “sales shame”
The importance of giving first, then asking
Providing value through knowledge and curating articles
Getting people to thank you for a cold call
40-50% of salespeople underperform vs. quota
The 6 "whys" that motivate people to ACTUALLY buy
Using stories to get past client’s fear of risk
Stories' ability to engage a different part of the brain
Analysis after losing a sale to strengthen process
Priming for commitment
Why putting too much emphasis on “the close” is misguided
Rejection based on the product vs. rejection based on the way a product is presented
Buyer-centric, science-based selling
Selling like our grandparents did
His thoughts on over-dependence on technology
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

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22: The Free Strategy to Reach WAY More Customers with PR Expert Josh Elledge Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Josh Elledge got started trying to solve his own problem. After launching the personal finance tool SavingsAngel.com, he came to realize that by far the best way to generate brand awareness was to provide massive value to news organizations—who would in turn give him a free platform to promote himself!

If you’ve been struggling to get press or establish yourself as an expert, this episode might just change the whole way you approach publicity. Josh lays out a realistic path for starting off small (sorry, Oprah’s not going to pluck you out of obscurity), describes the two things you must do to raise your authority, and explains how to convert your newfound visibility into sales (without coming across as too “salesy”).

Josh gets into the nitty gritty of how to quickly and easily create a press kit, how to build long-term relationships with journalists, and when appropriate, how to lean into polarizing viewpoints to create true fans. Whether you’re a business owner or a subject matter expert hoping to raise your profile, this episode is a perfect guide for how to “let the media do your selling for you!”

Tell us what you think of this episode in the comment section below, and don’t forget to subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast on your favorite smartphone app so you won’t miss the next episode.

In This Episode We Cover:

Failing with 6 businesses succeeding on the 7th
How to be in front of an audience
How to do market research
Focusing on your online authority
How to build your online presence
Converting your presence to business
Media for visibility vs. media for authority
Why he prefers providing big value and how it affects his business
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

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21: Reframing the Rat Race: How to Use Your Day Job to Prepare for Entrepreneurship with James Anderson of Forged Axe Throwing Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

What went into building an (almost) seven-figure axe throwing business that earns hundreds of five-star reviews?

For James Anderson, it all started well before he left his 9 to 5.

As a marketer and tour guide, he learned how to create buzz, split-test, design systems, and craft world-class experiences… skills James later put to use bootstrapping the Whistler, B.C.-based business he co-founded.

In this episode, you’ll learn why James believes market research is “the most important work that you never get paid for.” He gives us his tips for measuring the effectiveness of both online AND offline marketing campaigns, reveals his company’s current profit margins, and shares a hilarious story about an exhausting grand opening that forced him to temporarily shutter the business on its very first day.

You’ll also learn how James diversified his business by developing scorekeeping software, how he handles insurance, what lessons he learned from a previous Christmas light venture, and the BIG opportunity most entrepreneurs aren’t taking advantage of today.

James’ story is a real blueprint for how to transition from a traditional day job into entrepreneurship, so if you’re interested in doing the same, make sure you listen to this episode today.

If you get value from the show, please rate and review us on iTunes, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss the next one.

In This Episode We Cover:

Using your 9 to 5 as an internship for entrepreneurship
How James started with planting trees for 10 cents
How he got the idea of Forged Axe Throwing
What “soft adventure” is
James and his partner's business plan
How they found venues for axe-throwing
Their marketing strategy centered around creating excitement
Why they had to close on their first actual day of business
How to automate customer service
Traditional marketing vs. online marketing
How to track offline marketing efficacy
Decreasing “friction” for customers
Why they didn’t franchise
Opportunities for buying businesses
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

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20: The Questions You MUST Ask Every Potential Hire with David Greene Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

“Finding the right people.”

Ask any entrepreneur about their biggest challenge, and you’re likely to get some version of that answer.

So, when you’re building a team, how do you REALLY judge the character, motivation, and “fit” of a potential hire?

There’s a way. And on today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Business Podcast, David Greene reveals the EXACT questions he’s used to build out his team of real estate agents in the San Francisco Bay Area.

You might know David as the author of two books (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat and Long-Distance Real Estate Investing) and as co-host of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast. But he also runs a thriving business buying and selling houses—and that’s the focus of today’s show.

You’ll learn how David learned to delegate tasks that drained his energy or didn’t fit his personality, how hiring his first assistant proved to be a HUGE turning point for his business, and the two things that set him apart from all the other agents out there.

Also, David shows us how “frame control” can allow you to help close more deals, how he looks for employees everywhere he goes (even towing garages), how he differentiates “checklist tasks” and “skill tasks,” and how to train for both. Plus, he touches on what toothpaste brands and Chick-fil-A can teach us about our own businesses.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by taking on another time commitment, listen for David’s tip about creating synergy between his various ventures and the secret to creating a lead “funnel.”

David’s story and work ethic are truly inspirational, and you’ll learn a TON from the way he uses systems and leverage to run his agent business like a well-oiled machine.

Listen to this episode—count up the analogies—and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss the next one!

In This Episode We Cover:

Being first in mind to his target audience
His first employee
How to leverage every part of the business
Helping other agents become better
Having a productivity coach
How to transition from you doing everything to delegating to a team
Checklist work vs. skill tasks
How to acquire talent using a personality assessment
Letting people tell you their story
How to manage time
Finding people with high standards
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Listen to the episode on BiggerPockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/bizshow20

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19: From “Naive” Newcomer to 8-Figure Revenue in 4 Years with Barnana Co-Founder Nik Ingersoll Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

Prepare yourself for an incredible tale of entrepreneurship. It features a hardscrabble upbringing, relentless optimism, negotiations with Amazonian tribesmen, and some bold guerrilla (“gorilla”?) marketing stunts.

Barnana has been making organic banana snacks since 2012. The founders call bananas “Mother Nature’s energy bar”—hence, the name.

When they started, they didn’t have much money of their own. So, they had to build a business that appealed to investors.

Today, co-founder Nik Ingersoll reveals exactly how they did that. You don’t get into 20,000 stores (including heavyweights like Whole Foods and Costco) without money. But as Nik explains, it doesn’t have to be YOUR money. In fact, one of the most valuable parts of this episode is Nik’s story of how he used “lean startup” principles to raise Barnana’s first round of funding.

Also, ever wondered how much it actually costs to make that healthy snack you’re munching on? Well, Nik breaks down Barnana’s supply chain and profit margins in detail—from working with distributors/middlemen, to using brokers to get Barnana’s products into stores, to getting certified as “organic.”

And he shares some great ways he’s generated free publicity over the years, including the launch of this farcical new product.

This is one of our best episodes yet. Tell us what you think, and subscribe to the show so you won’t miss an episode.

In This Episode We Cover:

Nik's background and how he has been hustling since he was a kid
Starting various businesses and founding Barnana
How he taught himself to code
Taking on a huge undertaking by starting a massive retail business
Barnana's crazy supply chain
Working with organic products
How he raised capital creatively
Figuring things out one part at a time
Channel strategy
Best advice for anyone who wants to get into the food retail business
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/bizshow19

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18: How to “Have it All” by Living with INTENTION with Brandon Turner Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

Be honest. Have you ever set an ambitious goal, mapped out a plan—and then watched that goal get buried under an avalanche of more urgent (but less important) responsibilities?

We bet you’re nodding. Maybe even wincing. Doesn’t feel great, does it?

Today’s show is about breaking that cycle.

And to help us, we brought in a familiar voice. Brandon Turner, co-host of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast, thinks a LOT about this.

Today, he shares the tools he’s used to achieve financial freedom through real estate investing, move to Hawaii, improve his personal health, AND spend more quality time with his growing family—tools you can use to get clear on your vision and really stick to your next big goal.

You’ll hear about Brandon’s failed first business venture, how he got into real estate investing for cash flow, and how he discovered a way to bring BIG value to BiggerPockets as Employee #2, despite not owning a computer the year before!

Brandon also reveals the surprising reason he chose to go all-in on mobile home park investing (hint: NOT necessarily because it’s the “best” investment) and the workflow that allowed he and his partners to get hundreds of pads under contract in just a few months—the exact method he outlined in the new-look BiggerPockets Intention Journal.

Oh, and you’ll learn the meaning of “M.I.N.S.” and the role they plan in moving your business forward (ESPECIALLY when the going gets tough).

Brandon shares why writing out a “vivid vision” of your future might be the best thing you can do to move you closer to your ideal life, why he asks, “What would be awesome?” and then works backwards, and why he and his wife organize a goal-setting retreat together on the same day every year.

This is an awesome episode that lays out a battle plan for getting WAY more done while setting aside quality time for friends, family, and fun.

Download this one, and subscribe using your favorite podcast app so you won’t miss any future shows.

Listen on BiggerPockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/bizshow18

In This Episode We Cover:

Brandon's mobile oil change business plan (that he didn't execute on)
How he flipped a house and spent all the money
Brandon's very first house hack
How he “got into the business of collecting units” and quit his job
How a cold email led to him working for BiggerPockets
The strategy he used to write 50 blog posts in a year for BiggerPockets
Brandon's thoughts on the path to 100 units
Why you should ask yourself, “What would be awesome?”
How to ask, “What if it was easy?” and work backwards towards your goal
How to balance family life and health with business
Why he chose mobile home park investing (hint: not because it’s the “best” asset)
How to "have it all" (as long as you’re focused and tracking everything)
Tips for setting goals as a couple
How to identify the “Most Important Next Step” (M.I.N.S.) and then time block it
The 90 Days of Intention Journal
The importance of writing down goals every day
And SO much more!

Links from the Show

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17: Using Fear as Fuel with Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora, Co-Founders of Back to the Roots Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

Today’s episode is proof that fear isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, it can be a powerful motivator. And more importantly, fear serves as a signal that you’re pushing yourself far beyond your comfort zone and blossoming as an entrepreneur.

Overcoming doubt is one of several topics we discuss with Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora, co-founders of a startup that produces a growing line of home gardening and food products.

You’ll love the story of how they met and hatched their idea in a college classroom, why they strive to practice “conscious capitalism,” and how they got PAID to collect the raw material they used to grow their first products (mushrooms grown out of used coffee grounds!). Alejandro and Nikhil also share their tips for raising capital and the story of how Back to the Roots struck deals with giant organizations like Whole Foods and the New York City Public School System.

This is a motivational show featuring two entrepreneurs who are wise beyond their years, and it’s packed with practical tips for scaling any kind of business.

Download this one today, and share it with two people you know would get something out of it! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts so you won’t miss a beat.

In This Episode We Cover: