Scaling Up Business Podcast

Today’s conversation is about keeping things clear. It focuses on how to keep that vision clear while you’re busy scaling so that it doesn’t get murky along the way. Your special guest also talks about motivation and how to keep on your vision path when you’re feeling uninspired. Chris Burns is a men’s life coach and helps them activate their purpose, power, and prosperity. He has been coaching men, entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals for almost a decade and has helped them level up to their fullest potential. Chris’s core message is community. Although he specializes with men, for our female listeners out there, don’t tune out as there is still a lot of value in this show! Chris actually used to work with women up until a year ago. The reason for the shift is that Chris looked around and noticed that there weren’t a lot of men-only support groups out there. It’s gotten harder for men to find their tribe and seek a space where they can be vulnerable. Bill notices with his guy friends, there’s a very spe

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Do you have a bad relationship with your business? Is it time to get out? Today’s guest has some insight and some answers on when it’s really time to call it quits before you get burned out. Jess Chan is the Founder & CEO of Longplay, a full-service email marketing agency for DTC e-commerce brands. At Longplay, Jess has helped brands increase email revenue by 639% within 90 days and increase average order value by over 67%. Jess has been featured in Entrepreneur, Influencer Hustle & Thought Catalog. Jess has a background in actuarial science and economics but was going through panic attacks and an identity crisis on where, and who, she truly wanted to be in life. She knew insurance wasn’t the answer. On a whim, an ecommerce brand that Jess liked had a job opening for a marketing assistant, so she applied and ended up getting the job with zero qualifications! After college, she got offered a promotion to run a multimillion-dollar ecommerce company. Jess sees it all the time with her clients when they'r

Do you have a difficult conversation coming up? Perhaps there's a conversation that's long overdue? How do you approach it? Bill has some thoughts and tip on how to gracefully navigate those rough talks in this week's episode!   One of Bill's clients, Alex, had to have a conversation with his board about budget issues. He just knew that his board would not be happy by this news and was dreading the conversation. Bill decided to take some pressure off of his plate by doing a series of role plays to help Alex accurately prepare for a wide range of emotions. The result? Alex felt comfortable when the conversation was going badly with Bill and could still keep his mind and his points on track. Bill was a tough fictional board member! In one instance, Bill just flat out said 'no' to whatever proposal Alex threw at him. This led Alex to get creative with his requests. By the end of the session, Alex felt more confident about the upcoming conversation.   The fundamental lesson here is to roleplay! Play with the fear

Need more eyes on your business? We all understand the power of having something go viral, but where business owners fall short is that they are willing to do anything, no matter the costs, to get that attention. Here’s how you can be strategic in your quest for more attention and get the right kind of attention. Why is it that Elon Musk comes out with a cyber truck and the world stops and goes absolutely crazy? Why is it that, when SingularityU came out, it became a sold-out event almost instantly? How do these things happen so “easily”? Moral value and positive value are of no interest to the media. So what gets their intention? Novelty. Shock also adds value. If you can grab attention for your product in a new way, then the media will be ready to pounce. What are some of the ways you can grab the attention of the media? What’s your novelty angle for your product? In this Tuesday Tip, Bill breaks down how some of the greats were able to make their events/products go viral.   Resources: Scaling Up for Busine

It can be difficult to hang on to your loyal customers as you begin to scale and grow, especially if you plan to increase your prices. Today’s guest knows a thing or two about keeping customers for life, no matter the circumstances. Paul Brown is the creator and writer of the What’s Offline column, which is featured every Saturday in the business section of The New York Times. He and his wife also wrote the Dream Home Diaries blog, also featured on nytimes.com. When he is not writing for the Times, Paul, a former contributing editor to M.I.T.’s Sloan Management Review, serves as an editorial consultant. He has worked with everyone from individuals to Fortune 500 companies and leading academic institutions such as NYU, in developing products that have ranged from software programs and videos to op-ed pieces, TED talks, books, and more. He also had his own twice-weekly blog in Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and The Harvard Business Review. Paul accidentally stumbled into writing for Forbes. His trick was to just ask as

Is there someone on your team trying to sell you on why they haven’t been hitting their numbers? Or are you trying to sell yourself on why you can’t achieve certain KPIs? If that’s the case, then this episode is for you! How do people accomplish extraordinary things when it doesn’t look or sound very reasonable? Bill was working with a cancer survivor who was passionate about creating healthy meals for restaurants. While she was in the middle of growing her business, she found out her cancer came back. Ouch. How do you keep going when you have a health crisis? Bill knew her mission in life, and he knew as her coach, he couldn’t let her quit. She couldn’t quit. Yet, how do you prevail when you have odds, especially health odds, stacked against you? In circumstances like this, you have to use your team and your leaders more than you ever did before. You have to do that scary thing and delegate. Bill’s client knew that her project was important, and she went on to finish what she had set out to do; not by hersel

There’s a lot to cover on this week’s Scaling Up Insights show! We have two returning guest panelists, Liat Lazar and Daniel Marcos, and a new panel guest, Kristin McLane, a 25-year veteran in the computer manufacturing software space. Kristin notes that people are 60X more likely to remember something if it’s in the form of a picture. Bill agrees and this visualization exercise has helped him and his clients. Daniel would find certain staff members doodling in his meeting, which would often offend him until later he realized they were the people who remembered the most about that meeting. They were getting much better results! Does the American dream still exist? Daniel still believes so. Yes, some communities have it harder than others, but with a good mindset, anything is possible and you can overcome it. Just look at the power of social media. We are no longer confined by borders and it doesn’t matter what country you’re in, you can add value no matter your geographical location through the power of the i

Do you sometimes feel defeated and like you’re never going to be good enough? Are you worried that you’ll never truly measure up and enjoy the success you do have? Bill can relate. He was the same way! He felt that maybe “one day” he’ll be done. Until something clicked in place for him. He noticed a highly skilled expert completely and royally screw up. Wasn’t he supposed to be the guy who knew all the answers? That’s when Bill realized, maybe, he’d never truly be finished in the work he was set out to do. Maybe it’s a journey, not a destination. At first, Bill was depressed, but he was able to find enlightenment and really believe and enjoy the process a lot more than just trying to be “done” all the time! We’re all working on skills. We are all working on ourselves. Our work never really is done.   Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during regist

In this week’s episode of Getting Real, we learn about an entrepreneur and her journey towards working with some of the world’s leading companies and how she provides intentional and measurable creativity. Anastasia Leng is the Founder & CEO of CreativeX, an automated creative excellence platform that aims to showcase creative expression through the clarity of data. CreativeX is used globally by Fortune 500 brands like Heineken, Nestle, Unilever, and Facebook to measure creativity efficiency, consistency, and impact across their content. We are producing more content than we ever have before. What used to be easily managed by a team of people can no longer be done at scale. This is where the power of AI and data comes in. Anastasia leverages AI to help build a consistent tone of voice and image throughout a brand. There are a lot of “little” things you must think about and it’s impossible to do this at scale, especially when there are cross-departmental teams to consider. Things like brand consistency, cr

What is a human-centric business? For business owners that want to scale and grow, they have to move away from a purely systems and process structure and focus on the human element. The biggest resource drain in any organization is its people. They are hard to predict, and sometimes difficult to manage. Today’s guest has some insights on how to position yourself for an uncertain future. Deborah Westphal’s career spans more than 30 years and she has worked closely with government agencies and Fortune 100 companies on virtually every continent. In 1999, Alvin Toffler tapped her as one of the founding members of his eponymous consulting firm. A passionate humanist and life-long learner, she has guided leaders to challenge biases, ignite ideas, and build resilience for a secure future for organizations including Lockheed Martin, Marriott, the U.S. Air Force, Bayer, Microsoft, NASA, and more.   Deborah grew up working with her hands and fixing things, whether that be houses or cars. This sparked a love for buildin

Are you feeling a little out of whack right now? Are you not quite sure what’s going on but you just feel “off”? Leaders go through these phases all the time. Here’s how you can get back on track. Bill was working with a franchise client and it was apparent that this entrepreneur had her plate full. Not only did she have children and an ex-husband, but she had hobbies and activities and outside passions. All good things! But, they were draining her. This is where a life purpose comes in handy. When you have a clearer vision for your overall life, you can be really particular about what types of quality things you want to pursue and do in your life. If you have a task that you aren’t passionate about doing, it’s important to find a new “why” so that you can change the narrative on the thing you hate and turn it into something you end up loving and can’t wait to do. This positive psychology trick is so powerful in helping you find joy in your life again!   Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Tak

In this Getting Real episode, Bill and his guest dive into the intersection of people and process, and how you can leverage this power so that you can scale and grow! This week’s guest is Ankur Agarwal! He is an active Angel Investor and the CEO of Clarion Technologies, a company he co-founded in the early 2000s. Today, Clarion has over 400 employees and over 1,000 clients across the world. Ankur is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs, and through his Angel Fund and Incubator, has invested in multiple companies including food startups, e-commerce companies, social ventures, and more. Ankur provides a bridge to highly skilled talent in India for companies that might not need a full-time in-house employee just yet. The great part about Ankur’s company and process is that you have a dedicated team member that you can work with regularly, and you are able to put a name to a face. The biggest challenge Ankur faced at the beginning of his entrepreneurial career was in 2002. He and his wife were looking for jo

There’s a lot of pressure to innovate and break through ceilings. It’s not always easy, and it can be a double-edged sword. You put too much stress on it and you won’t be able to create. Put too little emphasis on it and there’s no direction. Where’s the fine balance? Today’s guest has ways to make this process easier! Josh Linkner started his career as a jazz guitarist, which has been a foundational piece to his extensive experience in creativity, entrepreneurship, and disruptive innovation. He is the Founder and CEO of five tech companies, which have sold for a combined value of over $200 million. What does Josh mean by achieving “big little” breakthroughs? Is that even possible? The concept of this is to flip innovation on its head. We often think innovation means big breakthroughs that change the world. Uber, Google, Airbnb, all come to mind. However, what we often don’t see are the tiny micro-steps that lead us there. Instead of cultivating wildly risky “moonshots,” why not just start small? You can work

Do you find it hard to make a decision or to stick with the same course of action over time? If you’re on the fence, Bill has some quick tips to help you commit and move forward.    Bill was working with a client that constantly had other things on his mind and these thoughts kept spinning off into other thoughts and action steps. Bill noticed that he’d come in sudo-commiting to a plan and then the next shiny object had his eye.    A lot of leaders have some form of ADHD. We’re always getting our attention pulled in different directions, but if you don’t commit yourself, you’ll constantly be the dog chasing its tail.    Bill helped his client lock things in and focus. One of the best ways he was able to do that was through making an outloud statement and commitment to his team so that everyone could be held accountable and moving forward.    Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select

Why does responsibility matter? Why should there be balance? Why is all of this even important? Today’s guest has some answers and suggestions on how you can become a more responsible business. Carol Sanford is an award-winning Business Educator, Summit Producer, Podcaster, and Author. She is a regularly recognized thought leader and has worked alongside Fortune 500 companies like Google, DuPont, Intel, P&G, and more over the last four decades. When Carol went to Berkeley, a man named Thomas Kuhn opened her up to a whole new world of different perspectives. Combining this with the memorable moments Carol spent with her grandparents, who were half Mohawk and lived off the land, Carol saw how one tiny change could create drastic impacts.   Carol decided to take what she learned from Thomas and create a framework that would help you see what kind of paradigm you were living under, understand the impacts of that paradigm, and work on ways you can change it for the better.   Although Carol wrote her book, The

Today’s Getting Real episode is all podcast guest booking, when it makes sense to start a podcast, and of course, it highlights this entrepreneur’s journey, how he got into this space, and some of his challenges. Mark Colgan is an Entrepreneur and Revenue Leader responsible for increasing revenue across a small portfolio of companies where he leverages his 13 years’ experience in B2B Sales, Marketing, and Recruitment. Mark started his career in a sales role and grew his career path into interviewing candidates and pitching them to open roles as a recruitment consultant. Mark grew up in a very traditional household and was determined to follow the same path. After a few years in corporate, Mark decided to take a leap year, but by luck or fate, people were still knocking on his door asking him for work. He discovered that he could do exactly what he was doing before, just remotely, with fewer hours, and for more money. It’s been a dream ever since. Mark shares a little bit about his business model and why he’s

If you are a Founder of a SaaS company then this is an episode you do not want to miss. Today’s guest works directly with SaaS companies and knows the inner workings of how to raise the capital you need in your business. Michael Cardamone was one of the first 30 employees at Box in a BD role and then later led partnerships at AcademixDirect. After six years of being in operating roles, Michael launched Forum Ventures, a BSB SaaS-Focused Accelerator and Fund based in NYC and Toronto. Michael is seven years into his company and he’s already on his fourth fund for the accelerator and has worked with over 200 companies. Some of Michael’s entrepreneurs have never even stepped into Silicon Valley and have raised several millions of dollars. The VC landscape is rapidly changing to find companies outside of California and New York. Michael sees the benefits, too. You want more diversity? Take advantage of the global landscape and hire team members from all over the world to get a different cultural perspective. Count

Have you plateaued professionally and not sure how you can get to the next level? Bill has a quick tip for you today!    Bill was working with a client some years ago and he was frustrated. He felt like he hit a ceiling and he couldn’t figure out how to increase his rates, his growth, and bring more opportunities to his company. It just felt like everything became stagnant and there was nothing that he could do to kick start it again.   Well, Bill has some good news and some bad news. Your success and demise begins and ends with you. It’s easy to blame others, but really, as the leader of the business, you have all the power and the cards to shift direction and focus.    The reality is, you have the company you deserve right now. If we level you up, naturally, your business levels up with you, too!    Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during regi

Today’s Getting Real episode is all about the importance of visualizing the future and how it can help your business and your business trajectory. Nora Herting is the Founder of Image Think. She is passionate about expanding peoples’ definition of creativity and believes the best way to meet the demands of business today is to take a visual approach that blends strategic thinking with creative expression. Nora is also the author of Draw Your Big Idea, which has inspired thousands to think visually and access their own creativity. Nora helps leaders and companies move from insight, the theoretical, into action! She helps leaders visualize in real-time all their big ideas and to help craft a smart, and realistic path forward. This future projection has done wonders and it brings clarity and reduces complexity in the business. Nora is the first in her generation to go to college, however, she found herself unhappy and not really living the path she had truly wanted. In the spur of the moment, she decided to quit