Small Business Highs and Lows. Overcoming Adversity and Powering Through Problems – SBS 66

Does everything always go right with your small business? We didn’t think so. Dave and Shannon have had a bad week and no amount of their patented optimistic self-delusion will get them through without spending some time on the Small Business Show sharing their stories and talking through ways to keep yourself and your team motivated when times are tough. Read more

Small Business Planning for the Worst and Scott Adams Book – SBS 65

What happens to your well thought-out Small Business plans if you become incapacitated? Who steps in to handle the myriad of details that you take care of each day. Dave and Shannon have discussed the more formal ways to setup a succession plan, such as disability insurance and Key Man policies, but what about the equally important, but informal information Read more

Crazy Ideas vs. Managing Your Time and Naysayers – SBS 64

Ever have a crazy idea? Of course you have. Exploring those ideas can be the thing that leads to the next business opportunity. And that next business opportunity might eventually be the thing that puts food on your table. You need to pay attention to those crazy ideas, but you also need to learn how to make sure you don’t just Read more

Managing the Growth of your Business with Bryan O’Connell of Meras Engineering – SBS 63

Any growth for your small business is good and the faster the better, right? Bryan O’Connell, co-founder of Meras Engineering would disagree! Bryan joins us today on the Small Business Show to talk about managing growth, choosing business partners, finding an advisory group that holds you accountable and more. We also discuss the value of an MBA degree, creating a customer Read more

Optimizing your Small Business & Your Time: Kelan Raph of Grand Canal Solutions – SBS 62

Kelan Raph has built a career helping people get their products from point A to point B. With his current venture, Grand Canal Solutions, he and his team have developed Optimize, a service that automatically identifies enhancements and optimizations to your product shipments, warehousing and more. Kelan talks to Shannon and Dave about blending partnerships with opportunities, his marketing experiments, how Read more

When and How to Sell Your Small Business – Seapoint Business Advisors – SBS 61

Ever thought about selling your business? We thought so! Bob Grewal  of Seapoint Business Advisors sells businesses for a living, and he deals with all kinds of issues you haven’t even considered yet. Recasting financials, dealing with your employees, reducing the perception of risk and distributing revenue are all things you’ll have to deal with and Bob provides some great perspective on Read more

Small Business Middleman – thriving in the internet age? – SBS 60

In 1995 it was predicted that the Internet would kill “the middleman.” Here we are a couple decades later and not only are middlemen still in business, they’re the norm. In fact, as Dave and Shannon discover, everyone is a middleman, even if only for themslves, and that’s OK. Add in a dash about the Gig Economy and a sideline tangent Read more

Would a $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage Impact Your Small Business? – SBS 59

Shannon and Dave put on their kevlar vests – and tinfoil hats – and tackle the topic of a rising minimum wage as it relates to small business. Do you hire entry level employees or summer workers? Who will benefit from this? Who will get special exemptions with the government? How will it work? These are the questions Shannon and Dave Read more

Jason Snell from Six Colors: From Magazine Editor to Small Business Publisher– SBS 58

Long-time technology journalist Jason Snell spent 17 years writing, editing and managing teams at Macworld magazine before leaving that behind to start his own small business publishing company, SixColors.com. Along the way, Jason also created and managed various Podcasts like The Incomparable, TV Talk Machine, and Upgrade. Jason joins Shannon and Dave to talk about the experience of moving from manager to business owner, Read more

Using Slack to manage your Small Business Team and More – SBS 57

Shannon and Dave have both run virtual (or semi-virtual) companies for decades and have used all manner of electronic communication tools to keep their various teams in sync. These days they both make use of Slack (among other tools) to organize their lives and make teams feel like teams. Hear them talk about all the tools they use and why Read more

Paul Goodman & PuraVida Bracelets Execution on an Idea – SBS 56

Ever sit on the beach and have a great idea? Paul Goodman and his business partner did, bought 400 bracelets from cart vendors, traveled home and PuraVida bracelets was born! They sold their first batch, ordered more, started and now they sell 50-100 thousand bracelets each week. Paul tells Shannon and Dave about all kinds of things … including the first Read more

Small Business Customer Reviews – Managing the positive and negative – SBS 55

Episode 55 means it’s a perfect time to discuss what your two favorite business geeks have learned from watching Sammy Hagar over the years. You might be surprised to hear the revelations that Shannon and Dave have. Then it’s on to reviews. Every business gets reviews, even those that don’t think they do (someday Dave will learn that every episode matters!). Read more