Xero Gravity: Big Wins & Massive Fails

Social media is huge. So how do you make sure you’re taking advantage of the right social channels to connect with customers? For social media to deliver, creative thinking, a rock-solid strategy and dedicated time are first and foremost. A combination that’ll bring your audience to you and help you find them. Which is where Xero Gravity #38 comes in. Special guests Mychelle Mollot, CMO at Klipfolio, and Raheela Nanji, director at Ree Consulting Inc., together with Elizabeth and Gene, get into the nitty gritty of social media for small business. Topics run the gamut from which social media platforms are right for you to the ever-evolving world of hashtags to vanity metrics. Plus, Mychelle Mollot invokes the name Moz, who just happens to be led by Rand Fishkin, who just happens to be a very-near-future guest — 3/23!

“If you're a business that has a strong public constituency network, a lot of fans, I would seriously think about how to convert them into investors, because once you convert them into investors, you’re also converting them into your fan base, marketers and loyal customers.” It’s one of the juicy nuggets Michael Shuman, renowned economist, educator, author and community economic developer, shares with Elizabeth and Gene about raising money from your community. You’ll also hear about his other small businesses essentials for funding, including the laws and benefits around growing capital, and choosing the right path to acquiring it, be that through crowdfunding, a community cooperative, a direct public offering or small business loan. So if your community is where your heart is and where you want your business to grow, don’t miss Xero Gravity #37!  Invest locally, listen anywhere.

If you’ve ever had one of these folks slyly sneak under the radar to disrupt the cultural and financial flow of business, we have the podcast for you. Enter Nancy Riegle, VP of Human Resources at the National Association of Manufacturers, who you might say is a “difficult detector.” Backed by 20+ years of experience, she’s truly seen it all when it comes to less-than-ideal employees. Tune into Xero Gravity #36 and you’ll hear her take on what to look for and how to solve the difficult employee challenge. Among Nancy’s insights: job screening questions focused on soft skills and intangibles, understanding behavior versus skillset, separating performance expectations from cultural ones, and the cannot-be-overstated role that kindness and dignity play. It’s 30 minutes with Elizabeth Ü & Gene Marks that’ll save you time, money, energy and unnecessary stress. With one Positive Nancy!

Get ready for one inspiring episode where we uncover the power of small business mentorship — going inside e-commerce giant Shopify’s nationally renowned “Build A Business” competition. Courtney Symons, a partner marketing manager at Shopify, who helps lead the massively popular yearly event, and JD Crouse, founder and principal of Bolder Band Headbands, which won the contest a few years back, join co-hosts Elizabeth Ü and Gene Marks on the podcast. Tune in to Xero Gravity #35 to hear Courtney and JD passionately share their interwoven stories of how mentorship can help a new small business triumph in today’s crowded marketplace. Especially when the mentoring  comes from the likes of business legends including Virgin’s Richard Branson,  Shark Tank’s Daymond John, Tim Ferriss, Arianna Huffington, Selita Ebanks, Gary Vaynerchuk and Tony Robbins.

Are you looking to start your next business, or maybe thinking about retirement? Succession planning is the key to making sure your small business journey ends with a ‘happily ever after’. In this episode of Xero Gravity, Dr. Sabine Rau, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Business at King’s College London, and Judy Wicks, author and entrepreneur, drop by to share their stories about succession planning with Gene and Elizabeth. Together, Sabine and Judy illuminate the difference between ownership and leadership, discuss issues of family inheritance and show how your key values can be hardwired into a business before sale. Sabine urges small business owners to be very clear about what they’re trying to achieve when looking at succession. “You can't have it all,” she said. “You have to be very clear what you want to achieve.” We find out how you can do it with grace and success.  

Here’s to retiring in a good place — figuratively and literally. On Xero Gravity #33, we’ll help you with the former. Starting with a Roth 401(k) and Roth IRA  — it can happen sooner than you thought. With innovative new legislation and an arsenal of instruments to ensure small business owners make the right types of investments, today is a great day to get inspired to put your future finances on the right path. Rochelle Odessor, Vice President of Madison Planning Group, and Justin Follmer, MBA, from Coastal Wealth Advisors, catch up with us for a deep dive into the retirement details. So tune in for powerful portfolio advice. And get a jump on sipping coconut cocktails alongside crystal clear, blue waters, or chopping firewood accompanied by a front yard view that stretches beyond the horizon.

You can’t put a price on peace of mind — especially with the real threat to small businesses from natural and cyber security. So what precautions can you take to safeguard against a cyber attack or natural disaster? In Xero Gravity #32, David Raissipour, SVP of Product & Engineering at Carbonite, and Russ Findlay, Head of Marketing for Hiscox USA, join us to debunk all that’s unsettling about security, data breaches, data backups and disaster insurance. We’ll share how you can allay your fears and remove the dangers, by taking the proper measures, simply and affordably. You’ll learn how mitigating these risks to your data and business can increase profits and peace of mind. Listen in, and never look back!

An appreciated employee is your best asset. So attracting and keeping staff must extend far beyond good pay, benefits and free Friday lunches. Workers are on the hunt for real perks, flexible schedules and a salary package that will keep their job satisfaction level high. Above all that means being heard, respected and trusted. Intangibles that say, “I’m appreciated.” How will you stand apart in today’s highly competitive marketplace, where businesses one-up each other for new talent? Can you find employees who will enjoy their work, stay longer than a year or two, and become advocates for your business? In this episode of Xero Gravity, Comedy CPE founder, Greg Kyte and Josh Reeves, CEO at Gusto, debunk the myths of what makes employees tick, and share ways you can boost your business culture to ensure they stay motivated and happy.  

On episode 30, we’ll share insights on how you can bring your business idea(s) to fruition through access to capital funding. As a business owner / entrepreneur, you’re probably aware of the traditional lending options out there. Yet there are many other ones available. What we’re going to do is help remove the tricky parts from the equation, so you can find those that best suit you and your business model. Together with our guests, President of Xero, US, Russell Fujioka, and Head of Small Business, Restaurant & Government Banking, at TD Bank, Jay DesMarteau, we’ll talk about the multitude of ways you can get the equity you need confidently, now, along with what the future of lending looks like.

Taking your passion from a hobby to full-time business can be a challenge. But not an impossible one. On this week’s Xero Gravity podcast episode, Emma Chapman, co-founder of online business A Beautiful Mess, drops by to chat with Gene and Elizabeth about this very subject.Between her tips on the ways to look after finances and your three-year forecast, to how to hire your first employee and balancing work with your personal life, Emma’s insightful ideas — inspired by her own journey — are sure to enhance your entrepreneurial skillset. So you can make your dream business a reality, too.   As a bonus, Emma’s offering all Xero Gravity listeners $15 off A Beautiful Mess’ new small business course: Start Small, Dream Big. To redeem this limited time offer, simply head to shop.abeautifulmess.com and enter the promo code DREAMBIG at checkout.

Technology continues to disrupt the flow of business, making it more important than ever to understand the powerful role apps can play. How can you combine mobile and apps in your business? How are they being used across the world? What would a planet without them look like? In episode 28 of Xero Gravity, hosts Gene Marks and Elizabeth Ü explore mobile applications and the opportunities they present for small business. Joined by Mark Paddon of Guide Kick, and  Redmer Schukken of Ice House Corporation, Gene and Elizabeth ask some pointed questions about app development and use. And delve into there connection to online security and the streamlining of business operations.    All that and more — including why Southeast Asian businesses are bypassing desktops and going straight to mobile — from the delightful duo of hosts Elizabeth Ü and Gene Marks!

Chances are the line between your professional and personal life sometimes gets blurred. 2016 is a chance to set boundaries, once and for all. Here’s 10 ways you can create the life you envisioned when you started your business, or maintain the balance you already have.   In episode 27 of Xero Gravity, we chat with Michelle Garcia, founder of Heirloom Catering, and Jeremy Smith, who heads up the Block Small Business division at H&R Block, about their business resolutions for 2016. Michelle explains how her company, finally out of “survival” mode, will implement a complete “no more excuses” overhaul of her bookkeeping method. While on the flipside, Jeremy’s advice to business owners will be to start 2016 with a detailed 12-month plan. All that and more, from the delightful duo of hosts Elizabeth Ü and Gene Marks!

When it comes to partnering with big box retailers, there are many myths small business owners should be aware of. How exactly do you go about setting up a partnership? What do big box retailers expect from small businesses? Is it worthwhile? In this episode of Xero Gravity, Gene and Elizabeth chat with Laura Curtis, founder of Malvi Marshmallow Confections, and Howard Saunders, retail futurist with 22nd and 5th Limited, about making these partnerships work. Laura shares insights from partnerships such as Dean & DeLuca and Anthropologie, while Howard shares nuggets from his 25 years in retail. “Big Retailers aren’t going to make a fortune out of you. You will make a profit, but the reason they need small business is to make them look locally connected.”  And there’s much more where that came from. Ear we go!

On episode 25 of Xero Gravity, we dig deep into cashflow, and get answers to questions like: How do you increase it? How do you generate an income to live comfortably? How do you keep things running smooth during rough patches? “If you have situations where you’re not getting the consistent income that everyone would love to have in business, you have to make sure you have back- up resources and an understanding of the trends in the business that will allow you to get through the bad times, in preparation for the good times.”   Will Slade knows. Founder of accounting and bookkeeping firm Slade and Company, Will shares his cashflow acumen with Gene and Elizabeth, on navigating cashflow management and effective budgeting to stay in the black and out of the red. Right on the money!

Is crowdfunding the real deal for jump starting a new business, or an elixir that turns out to not be so magic? We uncover the answers with the help of bakery bon vivant, Lenore Estrada, co-founder at Three Babes Bakeshop, whose Kickstarter campaign has helped put her and her partners make great dough. You’ll learn about the countless opportunities crowdfunding can bring your small business, how how far it can take you, and what potential traps you need to be aware of. And you’ll hear Lenore’s story of what work is involved to make crowdfunding work for you. So what’s the right crowdfunding recipe for you? Put on your thinking cap (or chef hat) and listen in as we throw everything but the kitchen sink your way, on Xero Gravity #24.  

Can you do two things at once? Can you keep services flying off the shelves during the biggest shopping season of the year, and still give yourself enough downtime so as not to burn out?   Tune in for answers on Xero Gravity #23, as Elizabeth and Gene welcome in Alex Gray, President and CEO of Skylight Global, and Tyler Jensen, CEO of The Startup Garage. Together, these two savvy entrepreneurs talk about how to strike a holiday balance with targeted sales and marketing, and still give yourself time a well-deserved break from the consumer shopping frenzy. You’ll hear how shifting between spending on social media and online advertising, and curating content for your website can mean more customers, engagement and revenue. Not to mention the power of CRM, outreach and storytelling, and the vital role authenticity plays. Happy profitable holidays!

Are you ready for the holiday shopping season? Have you thought about what’s in store after January 1st? Can you extend the holiday sales cheer throughout the new year? Tune in to Xero Gravity #22, as Elizabeth and Gene welcome in a couple of retail experts who believe you can. The two, successful startup entrepreneurs Kelly Barker, founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Prep Cosmetics, and Clint Bowers, founder and CEO of Smart Business Concepts, share their insights and tips to help you keep those products flying off the store and/or e-commerce shelves. You’ll learn the importance (and some keys) to not putting all your eggs in one basket, wrapped up in the holiday season that you forget the larger picture, which includes seasonal staffing levels, inventory ordering, branding and social media, and cultivating repeat customers from holiday promotions.

Feel confident in yourself and your business? Enough to make changes like bringing on a new hire, or tightening the budget? Then you’ll want to listen in. It’s Xero Gravity #21, where Gene and Elizabeth expertly debunk the ambiguity around what it really means to have confidence in your business and the economy. Each shares their own experiences in building business success, and together they offer insights that can help you feel confident to reach your entrepreneurial goals. Now meet Liz Mason, a self-professed number nerd and COO at High Rock Accounting, and Greg Kyte, MBA, CPA and COMIC, who founded Comedy CPE. These wildly different CPA-turned-entrepreneurs will also share their individual experiences with building successful businesses, and discuss how confidence underlies some of their most strategic decisions. Now tune in if you want to pump up that professional poise!

This episode of The Xero Hour with Bob Knorpp and Saul Colt feautures an great talk from Jason Blumer on the Art of Fitting in, results only work environments and blowing stuff up in the workplace. This talk was recorded at Xerocon Denver as part of the Xero Unplugged sessions.  Jason Blumer can be found at www.jasonblumer.com For more information on Xero please go to Xero.com Questions or comments on the show?

This episode of The Xero Hour with Bob Knorpp and Saul Colt feautures an inportant conversation with Ryan Lejbak, the CEO of ZU a digital development shop that has been in business for 20 years. In our conversation we talk about firing customers, every company has done this but Ryan shares his story of firing 120 customers, as well as how his company managed during and after he suffered a health setback.   For more information on Xero please go to Xero.com Questions or comments on the show?