Brad Talks Shop on The Edges of Lean Podcast
I had a blast talking with Bella about some of the things I’m most passionate about, including answers to many of the questions people have asked me over the years.
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When I talk to people about what it is that I do, I often talk about that time in the growth trajectory of a business when everything that used to feel fun and simple becomes messy and complex.
But what if things get to a point where everything feels that way? When everything feels equally important and equally chaotic?
It's definitely time to systematize, right?
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How entrepreneurship gave me the confidence to be me
Nobody told me growing up that I needed to get straight A’s and a college degree.
Nobody told me that I needed to get a stable, well-paying job and climb the corporate ladder.
Nobody told me that I needed to find a nice girl, settle down, and start a family. (Ok maybe my Jewish grandmother did, but let’s roll with it).
But in upper-middle class suburbia where I grew up, when the dominant thing you see around you is one kind of path, you think that’s the path you’re supposed to follow too.
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Remember when you were young and life used to be simple and fun?
When your biggest worries were whether mom brought home the right flavor of cereal from the grocery store or if you'd be allowed to sleep over at your friend's house.
And then you grew up, and adulting happened…
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How to scale your business by fixing the weakest link first
Recently, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I was browsing Hulu when a flash of red hair and bright lips caught my eye. It was a timeless masterpiece and one of the most well-known shows of classic TV - an episode of I Love Lucy titled The Chocolate Factory.
Have you seen it?
In the episode, Lucy and Ethel are hired to work on the assembly line of a chocolate factory. Their task is simple - pick up each piece of chocolate that comes down the conveyor belt, wrap it, and place it back on the belt.
Sounds easy, right?
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How to improve your creation process so that you can actually attain your vision
“All things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.” - Stephen Covey
Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has had a profound impact on me throughout my adult life. I always seem to be reminded of Covey’s wisdom and lessons at precisely the right times. And it’s particularly during this time of year that I’m reminded of one of those lessons - that all things are created twice.
I’m reminded of that lesson because it was during this time five years ago that I went through a pretty big turning point in my career. One that started with the sudden and devastating closure of my last business, but ultimately led to the creation of BE Lean.
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In 2011, the company I was working at was at the brink of bankruptcy. I didn’t know it at the time, but we were just one payroll away from having to close our doors.
A year later, we not only survived, but had earned over $5M and expanded our team by 5x.
As incredible as that turn of fate was, I’m not here to tell you about how we turned things around and went from near failure to unequivocal success. I’m here to tell you about what came next.
Just two years after our meteoric rise, our profits had vanished entirely, we were forced to lay off half of our staff, and we were on life support - again.
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It’s Tuesday morning at 8:30am and I’ve just posted on LinkedIn.
In what’s become a weekly routine, I go to the menu at the top right of my screen and pull up my history of posts and activities. It’s the posts I’m after.
As I scroll through the list, I jot down the most up to date number of views, likes, and comments for each post in a spreadsheet I use to keep track. I calculate my engagement rate too, a tip I picked up from a client of mine that runs an influencer marketing agency. I repeat this process each and every week, often having to update my numbers for the same posts over and over again as they continue to garner engagement.
Is there anything more mind numbing and tedious?!
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Six months ago, I set out to create an assessment tool in order to gain some insights that could help me help more businesses. I wanted to see what businesses were (and weren't) measuring, how they viewed the importance of process in their business, and how they made decisions about what to work on and improve.
Recently, I sat down to take a look at what the past six months of data showed. I was curious if there would be a pattern or narrative that emerged that would tell me something about how business owners grow and operate their businesses.
There was. And surprisingly enough, the pattern emerged in the first five questions…
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Here’s how to do it the right way
Imagine this.
You walk into a grocery store on a mission to hunt for a better breakfast. You’re looking for something healthy, affordable, and substantial enough to keep you going through your morning Zoom meetings.
But in this grocery store, every brand name is foreign to you. It’s like you’re grocery shopping for the very first time.
As you walk down the breakfast aisle, you’re overwhelmed by the dizzying array of options stacked on either side of you. There’s granola and grits. Muffins and muesli. Jams, jellies, and marmalades (what’s even the difference?). And more than two dozen peanut butters that come in every variety imaginable.
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It’s been so easy over these past nine months to fall into the monotony of everyday life. I once took for granted how the ability to meet someone for coffee or go to an event breaks up the work week and puts you in a different state of mind.
So when I had the opportunity earlier this week to be on a podcast, the experience refreshed me and gave me an energy that’s lasted all week. It’s what got me out of bed this morning excited to share it with you!
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“Scale thoughtfully. Source locally.”
My ears perked up.
I had just finished listening to an episode of The Tidbit on Full Service Radio hosted by Kim Bryer, Founder and CEO of Cureate. The show discusses tidbits of knowledge around starting and running small businesses with a food and beverage lens.
The outro Kim uses to sign off from each episode reverberated through my mind.
Scale thoughtfully...
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How Quick Base gave this entrepreneur the platform to pursue her dream
When Sharon Faust was 5 years old, she knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur.
She looked up to her mom and watched as she crafted the life that she wanted with her own hands and spirit. A true creative, Sharon’s mom was an artist and entrepreneur who started a graphic design firm and opened a store that sold local crafts and artwork.
Sharon’s mother wasn’t the only source of inspiration in her life. Her grandmother ran a real estate business, and her father grew up on a family-owned farm.
These examples instilled in Sharon a deep desire to create something of her own one day. She wanted that life of independence and fulfillment she admired so much about her role models.
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When you think of an entrepreneur, what image comes to mind?
Is it someone like Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg, or Elon Musk? If so, you’re not alone.
When I typed the word “entrepreneur” into a Google Image search, this was the result…
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