Local Business Talk

Entrepreneurship can be a roller coaster of ups and downs. Tristan Wright joins us today and tells the story of how he was riding high, hit the lowest of lows, and came back stronger on the other side

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for generating business leads. Knowing how to use the system and optimize your profile is a huge advantage that separates you from your competitors. Janine Hogan is a LinkedIn profile specialist and joins us today to cover tips, ideas, and best practices for using Linked in your small business.

Motivation is a hot topic both the personal development space and the business world. But motivation only can take you so far. To get true results you need momentum on your side. Today we discuss the difference between the two concepts and how momentum can bring you to ultimate success!

Today is November 1st so we just finished up with Halloween. I happened to visit our local pumpkin patch multiple times which may seem like torture for many people, however I took some valuable lessons from the experience. In this episode I compare my time at the pumpkin patch to business topics such as not following the crowd, pushing through the tough times, and building a fantastic company culture. Click to listen to the full episode!

This is a special Halloween edition of Local Business Talk so we bring on magician and memory expert Denny Rourke! Denny has spent 45 years perfecting his craft and uses his skills to help businesses gain marketing attention and drive more sales.

Using social media in your small business can bring a lot of value to your company and your followers. It can also expose you to some unexpected hazards that are difficult to navigate. Our guest today is LeAnne Morman who has an extensive background in media, PR, and small business needs

Year end is approaching fast and a topic many small business owners face is how to handle employee bonuses. There are several things to consider from the type of bonus, when to tax, when to pay, and more. Today's episode covers the basics you need to know about employee bonus pay.

Today our topic is the 90's movie Tommy Boy with Chris Farley and David Spade. This movie is about an auto parts company in Sandusky, Ohio and the characters that operate the small business. We can take a lot of good lessons from Tommy, Big Tom Callahan, Richard and Ray Zalinski back to our own small business lives.

Facebook is the largest social media platform on the planet. Everybody is using it for personal reasons, but can it be effective for our small business? There's a lot to learn and the platform is constantly changing. Tom Luke joins me today to discuss all things Facebook including ads, algorithms, and more. 

Sometimes the most difficult part of small business is just getting started. Of course, once we start there are many obstacles and challenges so pushing through and being persistint is a key trait of any entrepreneur. Paul Madsen joins us today to discuss his journey through recruiting talent, coaching business owners, and producing almost 100 episodes of "The Grow Your Biz" show on cable TV and online.

How much of your revenue is dependent on just a single large client? What would happen if your largest customer no longer used your services? This isn't a fun topic to think about, but it's an important discussion in small business. Today we cover what it means if a large client leaves and how to best prepare your business to handle the loss.

Today's episode is about change in our small businesses. We see changes to employees, changes with customers, changes with our vendors, and more. How do we react to change? What should we do when unexpected changes happen? The song "Keep on Rollin" by REO Speedwagon has some fantastic advice when it comes to this topic in our small businesses

So many of us go through life and business without knowing what we really want to do. Tocarra Nicole was there but figured out how to break free and unlock her potential. Today she teaches women entrepreneurs how to do the same. Her message is powerful and energy is amazing so listen close to this episode! Topics we cover include:

Revenue is what drives small business forward every day. What if you could find more revenue in your business without re-inventing the wheel? Howard Wolpoff helps small business owners get more clients and increase revenue without spending more money.

How much should you charge for services? Is your price too high? Is it too low? There are endless questions when it comes to pricing and generating revenue for small business. Today I discuss a different view of pricing and how to test the waters to see what the market will pay. You could be leaving a lot of untapped revenue on the table without even knowing it!

This week our topic comes from the Prophet Habakkuk who was a biblical prophet around 600-700 B.C. I listened to a Bible verse on Sunday that struck home with virtually every line that was read. Themes such as crying out for help, writing down a vision, and playing the game for the long term all are discussed in this one verse. We can take these ideas back into our small business today!

This is the 100th episode of Local Business Talk! We've covered many topics, went through a few iterations of the show, and learned a lot along the way. Today I recap the journey it took to go from episode 1 to 100 and cover the big lessons I learned throughout the process. It's a fun experience talking small business and hosting the show and I look forward to 100+ more episodes!

Cyber security is something every small business needs. Unfortunately, most steps to protecting our businesses are usually missed even when they are easy to complete. Rob LaMagna-Reiter of FNTS joins us today to discuss simple and effective ways we can protect our small business from cyber attacks

There is a change coming effective January 1st, 2020 to the minimum salary threshold needed to classify employees as salaried. Employees must earn at least $12,000 more than under the previous law. This change will impact over 1 million workers nationwide so make sure you are prepared.