Leaders Who Scale

Scaling From The Start - Dani Friesen - Leaders Who Scale - Episode #026

Today’s guest started their business with their husband and zero experience in the landscaping industry and ran the company out of a trailer on a farm. Now they operate out of a 4800 square foot commercial space and they’ve grown to 13 employees. Dani Friesen is the Co-Owner and Vice President of Friesen Landscaping. Dani shares how to navigate hiring the right people for your business from day one, three tips on improving your cash flow, and the different ways to show your employees how much you appreciate them.    Takeaways: Early on, it’s not always easy to figure out what kind of person would be an ideal employee. Because of this, you’ll likely face high turnover as you filter out the wrong people and narrow your search down to only the right people.  The most important aspect of finding the right people is finding people that will show up and that care about the outcome of the work they do.  As your company grows and you find the right people, you need to establish processes so your employees can run the company. This lets you work on the company and not in it.  You need to buy from vendors that will stand behind you and their products. This will have massive implications for your cash flow, especially for smaller companies working on expensive projects.  If you’re an expert in what your company does, you don’t need to become an expert in all of the little things that revolve around your company. Find accountants, lawyers, bankers, etc. that you can trust to handle the things you’re not an expert in.  Put systems in place to track your profit and loss from the start of a job until it’s completed. There are many industry-specific tools that you can use to implement and run these processes.   It’s important to make sure that your employees feel appreciated. This can come in many forms and can include simply saying thank you, giving an extra raise or company-wide events.    Quote of the Show: “I honestly think some of our customers are some of the best people we've talked to and learned from” - Dani Friesen   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-friesen-8265169b/  Friesen Landscaping Website: https://friesenlandscaping.com/  Friesen Landscaping Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friesenlandscaping/  The Planted Container Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecontainedplanter/    Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/07gqLp_3QlA   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/ 

The Importance of Core Values - Jordan Barrick - Leaders Who Scale - Episode # 025

Core values are so important to build into your company. Having them in your business will help your growth in sales and relationships. Today's guest is Jordan Barrick, Vice President of Quality Home. Jordan joins Jeff Siegel on Leaders Who Scale to discuss how his furniture business had its ups and downs but turned out to be a successful business. Jordan is expanding his company in beautifully furnished homes with the help of his team. Listen in on Jordan's tips on understanding core values and how to never give up on yourself.   Takeaways: Make sure to count your costs before going into any endeavors.  Not all ideas will work. Do not let one failed idea put you down. Continue your confidence because one may be successful. If your company is moving to a different location, put up signs to advertise your business. Customers will visit you more often to look at your marked-down products. Be open, honest, and kind to your customers. Honesty and kindness can grow a relationship with them. Your customers will be more inclined to continue doing business with you if you have a developed relationship. Find and join business groups that have frequent meetings. Seeing what other companies have going on and how they work their business can help inspire you with your company. Growth in your company is key, but you need to build a good foundation in your business beforehand. Make sure everything is good to go before you grow it. Don't just build core values because someone told you. They're not aspirational. Build core values to show that you care about your company, employers, and customers.   Quote of the Show: “Grow, scale, develop talent, and open new stores. If you're not growing, you're dying.” (23:15)   Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/QualFurn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-barrick-812b7441/ Website: https://qualityhome.com/ Blog: https://qfurniture.wordpress.com/   Shout Outs: EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey Permission To Screw Up by Kristen Hadeed   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/PEc6uZ5DuA0   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/ 

Cash is King - Eddie Uyeta - Leaders Who Scale - Episode # 024

Some businesses start as tiny seeds and grow into strong oak trees, but not all of them succeed into trees unless you have the right employees to help water them. Today's guest is Eddie Uyeta, President and CEO of Uyeta Landscape & Maintenance. Eddie joins Jeff Siegel on Leaders Who Scale to discuss how he took over his parents landscaping business and made it grow money trees. Listen in on Eddie's tips on growing your company on every neighbor's lawn.   Takeaways: Have monthly meetings with every division to see ​how things have been and how any progress is going. It will help find any mistakes before it is too late. Encourage your employers to reach their goals in the company. Chime in and give advice on what they should do differently or not. Being vocal will show your employees that you care about their goals. In order for your company to grow, you need to have the right people working for you. If you have unfit workers, your business will fail. Look for the people who want to scale with your company. Try to do activities with your employees. Doing these activities together can create stronger relationships. Try to eliminate those “should have, would have, could have.” Focus on the now. Don’t always look at the big picture. It is key to focus on the “weeds” of the business to fix any little mistakes. Schedule mini-reviews with your employees. It is another way to coach them in any areas they need help with before mistakes happen.    Quote of the Show: “It's like buying a used car. You got a good deal on it but, you inherited all the problems too.” (28:02)   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uyetalandscape/ Website: https://www.uyetalandscape.com/ and https://midoriplantscapes.com/   Shout Outs: Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/mfweVhIDhyM    Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/   

Cash Flow Focused - Taylor Brown - Leaders Who Scale - Episode # 023

The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Well, if you know how to plan your business correctly, you'll see it grow! Today's guest is Taylor Brown, Owner of Elite Turf Supply and Turf Impressions. Taylor joins Jeff Siegel on Leaders Who Scale to discuss how his landscaping business grew out of the ground and across hundreds of neighbors' lawns. Listen in on Taylor's tips and tricks on advancing your company to the next level.   Takeaways:  Do not be afraid to expand your company. If you see an open opportunity to expand, go for it. Take on the challenges that come your way.  It's so important to have two different companies, specifically, one focused on installs, and the other focused on supply. This is crucial to have because it helps with relieving stress for you and your employees. Having two different companies will make the process and work very fluid. Make sure to reach out to different companies. Look for ones that are similar to yours and see if they manufacture whatever your company specializes in. Then offer to work with them and distribute products to expand your business within other businesses, growing your connections. Try to differentiate your product so that you are the only company that manufactures it. Position it so your customers think that there is no competition. If you continue to scale past your competitors, you will have an opportunity to get a bigger supply chain in order for your company to grow. Remember, you want to make sure you change the lives of your customers and the lives of your coworkers as well. Make them feel wanted and welcomed. Customers do not work to get you. You work to get the customers. Don't let them do everything.    Quote of the Show: “To any listeners, you think you have it all figured out that might change and that's okay because you think you know your life's laid out but right around the corner might be something better. So be open to it, and try new things. You might just find something better right around the corner.” (38:55)   Links: Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/tiebs32 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorbrownsales/ Website: https://www.eliteturfsupply.com/ Company Instagram: ​​https://www.instagram.com/eliteturfsupply/?hl=en Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turfimpressions/?hl=en   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/C4jdNJ4E62k   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/ 

Improving Your Company with Intention - Michael Maiscalco - Leaders Who Scale - Episode # 022

Today’s guest is a dynamic financial and operational leader with decades of experience in the consumer services industry. In the five years he has been with his current company, he has helped it grow from 45 employees to 125 employees and tripled its revenues. Michael Maiscalco is the Vice President of Revenue and the CFO at Earthlight Technologies. Michael joins the show to discuss hiring best practices, maintaining a culture across the country, and using measurable indicators to improve your company.   Takeaways: Regardless of their position within the company, every employee is an extension of the brand and represents the whole company. With this in mind, it’s very important to ensure culture fit during the hiring process. Companies are changing their perspective on HR because it is more than just hiring and firing. In successful companies, HR becomes an important touchpoint for everyone in the business in terms of culture setting and keeps everyone on the same page. Even if you have operations across the country, it’s important to have regularly scheduled quarterly meetings with all of the leaders. It’s even better when you can get everyone together in the same physical location for the meeting. Make sure to do things with intention and purpose and go above and beyond when listening to your customers because they won’t necessarily remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel.  Develop weekly and monthly measurable indicators for the health of your business and use these in your weekly and monthly team meetings.  Sometimes, employees aren’t able to do a job well because they are in the wrong position. If they are a good culture fit, try to find the right role for them before trying to part ways with them.  The current supply chain issues are taking a toll on smaller companies that don’t have the buying power to secure large orders of inventory that can last them a few months.   Quote of the Show: “If the answer is because that's always the way we've done it, it may be time to take the step back and revisit, is it the best way to be doing it?” - Michael Maiscalco   Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiscalco/  Mike’s email: mikem@earthlighttech.com Company website: https://www.earthlighttech.com/    Shout Outs: The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni Predictable Success by Les McKeown   Ways to Tune In: Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/337eea2a-f8ab-4b4f-8a36-fe4143b5913b Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-who-scale/id1609131634 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PFtdxDlXcnaojG8jJk74T Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc3dob3NjYWxlLmNvbS9mZWVkLnhtbA YouTube: https://youtu.be/IfdB5eX86pE   Leaders Who Scale is sponsored by Siegel Solutions, providing world class accounting, advisory and QuickBooks and Acumatica Cloud ERP Services. Learn more at https://siegelsolutions.com/    Leaders Who Scale is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/