Company Of One With Dale Callahan

How much should I be spending on my business? Like all other things in life, modern businesses tend to overspend, Especially small businesses that are not making money yet. I constantly am running into startups who are "investing" money to help the business grow. But, too often, they are only growing in the wrong direction.Instead, it would be best if you focused on spending that will generate sales. Too many people are spending money on things that will likely not move the needle. Perfect tools that are overkill. Logos design. Software that is way too big for the budget. Focus instead on spending money on things that will impact your customers.So let's step back and examine who you should be spending - and on what.How Much Should I Be Spending on my Business1. Marketing Spending money on marketing is usually the biggest issue that will have the greatest impact. Whether the money is via ads, help to do calls, of just your own time connecting and marketing your business. This is number one for a

Five reasons you should consider an online business. I spend a lot of time trying to help people like you start something on the side. (Why You Need to Start Your Own Business Now.)Join me Oct 14th at 6:30 PM CentralWe will do a webinar on this subject of Make Money Online: Business Ideas You Can Start from Home live on Oct 14th at 6:30 PM central. Of course, after that, the recording will still be there.Five reasons you should consider an online business1. Everyone needs a side incomeIn Ep 32: Why You Need to Start Your Own Business Now, I explain that everyone needs a second (or third) source of income.2. Costs little to startCompared to almost every other business, an online business is cheaper to start, maintain, and market. The risks are just low. Expect to pay from zero down and zero per month to just a few hundred dollars a month once you get moving. But you should at very least always break even!3. Gets results quickly. A simple way to test ideasUsing other platforms like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon (to na

The five signs that it's time to quit your job are easy to see from the outside. But often in the middle of the beast, we have clouded judgment.Here are the five signs you need to go, and some ideas of how to deal with things if you need to stay.Five Signs That it's Time to Quit Your Job There is no growth path for you. You do not fit what they want to promote. You are at the top of where you can be. The company does not want to grow. The company is dying slowly (or quickly). The culture is negative. You are being discriminated against. There is no one you trust in the organization. You are no longer passionate about your work.What if you Need to Stay?You might be near retirement or a significant milestone or have a huge benefit from staying the course. Do your job and look for paths to grow for your future gig. Take on some new job in the company as a distraction to get rid of boredom. Start a side gig to get your mental energies flowing.Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my Comp

Today we discuss 7 things I have learned from being an entrepreneur. While there are many courses, especially in universities that teach entrepreneurship, I have found a lot of what they talk about and teach to miss the point. The academic model of entrepreneurship just does not translate into the real world if you really want to make money.So today - let's talk about seven of those things.7 Things I Have Learned from Being an Entrepreneur Execution is everything. Action means more than plans. You cannot determine how your customers should spend their money. Broke people are not really broke. Niche market products are better. Think about My Pillow. Money is the easy part. Marketing is more important than the product. Prospects lie, customers speak the truth.Click here to listen now.Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my Company of One? If you're not, I encourage you to do that today so you don't miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!If you like what you hear, I wo

Using love as a business strategy might seem like a strange title - especially coming from an engineer. Generally speaking we technical people are pretty much just the facts. The talk of soft skills and focusing on people makes me squeamish - so to start talking about loving your customer is really a leap - for me anyway.Over the past few months, I keep hearing pastors talk about being called to love one another. Yes, if you look that up in the Bible - you might find it a time or two - so not really a surprise to hear it. But perhaps I just now have started to hear it clearly. So I have been thinking - what does this mean for me as a university faculty and business owner.We have been talking a lot about this inside the business - so much that "love the customer" is becoming a theme.Using Love as a Business StrategyLoving the customer means... Loving your customer means knowing your customer. Loving your customer means tuning into their frustrations and needs. Loving your customer means treating them

Want multiple streams of income? How would it feel not to be 100% dependent on just your day job income? Today we want to dive into streams of income that others use to smooth out the edges as things get rough - and in 2020, everybody needs multiple streams of income!Develop Your Multiple Streams of Income (MSI)Here are some of the more popular categories others use for diversification of their income. Your Day Job - Never forget to focus on this income source. Providing service through a third party - Pizza delivery, shopper, Uber driver, Amazon driver, UPS, or another delivery driver. Pros - They do the marketing. Cons - You have little control over what you do. Consulting/coaching service - Fiverr, Upwork, etc. - This is the easiest thing to do where you have a little control over what you offer. Pros - It is easy to get started. Cons - Takes your time to deliver the service. Home services - From yard work, small repairs, pressure washing, cooking, cleaning, closet organizing - something for everyone here.

My Reading List for 2020 is a collection of ideas around the topics of success, money, work, time management, and how to think apart from the crowd.All in no particular order.My Reading List for 2020 Atomic Habits The Greatest Salesman in the World The Compound Effect I Will Teach You to Be Rich Rich Dad Poor Dad Thou Shall Prosper  Financial Intelligence Deep WorkSubscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my Company of One? If you’re not, I encourage you to do that today, so you don’t miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!If you like what you hear, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast. I also love reading them and connecting with you. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you! 

How to deal with a setback...That is a question we all encounter from time to time.Setbacks look like a lot of things: Job loss Project failed Demoted Did not get the job you hoped forHow to Deal with a Setback Own it - take 100% responsibility. Placing the blame is great - but it takes you out of control. You have become a victim, and you cannot change the circumstances. We want to blame others because Politics Discrimination Stupidity Relationship issues Write down the thoughts  - How do you feel.  I lost this job and will never get another good job again. I was overlooked for the promotion because they found me out - I have hit my peak. Since I am [black, white, male, female] I will never get ahead in this [industry/company] Write down the reality - What is more likely the truth. I got this job, can get another. I know more now. I am more valuable. I have learned more and can do more - if I want to. Do I? Others who are [black, white, male, female] have done remarkable things in this [industry/company]  -

When it comes to your financial success at work, it is all about the money.Yet,  in the United States, over 70% of the population lives paycheck to paycheck - barely making enough to make it through the month. I can only assume this is true of most other countries also.And - the amount of money does not matter. People are living in poverty to those who should have - based on their monthly income - plenty of money.As I have worked with entrepreneurs - and wannabe entrepreneurs, money is often the trap keeping them from taking the leap.But as we look back at the roles in your Company of One, the financial role is a big one. Their Chief Financial Officer or CFO.I usually refer people to Dave Ramsey or I Will Teach You to  Be Rich to learn these concepts, but too often, I find myself in conversations with coaching clients where I have to teach them some basics about money.So today, I am picking back up on your Company of One - and diving into the role of your chief financial officer.It's All About the Money

Ready for some business ideas you can start from home?I get asked all the time for ideas - so today, I just wanted to share a few of them to help you see what is possible.Business Ideas You Can Start From Home Coaching families or kids  Sports training Tutoring Health care for kids with special needs (like food allergies) Consulting for small businesses SEO Social media Payroll Bookkeeping Support Shipping Tech support Customer service Ecommerce site Sell products you make Become a value-added reseller Create online courses Sell products on eBay or Amazon Freelance your services - Design, writing, copywritingGet started Now Start with the easiest product or service - Do something you do anyway. Start the easiest way - Use sites like Shopify, Amazon, or eBay to sell your products. For courses, use Udemy. Start now - Just do it now. Start imperfectly - Forget polish. Just post and then edit laterClick here to listen now.Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my Company of One? If you’re not, I en

Is overcoming the fear of failure in your side hustle something you have been thinking about?It should be. That fear of failure is likely holding you back and keeping you from making the bold moves you need to make.Want help in your side hustle?Schedule Your 45-Minute Discovery Session with DaleOvercoming the Fear of Failure in Your Side Hustle1. Identify the fear. Put it in writing.  Failure Looking stupid Doing the wrong thing Making the wrong decision Wasting your time and getting nothing of it My idea has already been done I do not know enough.2. Speak the truth about the fear  What does failure mean? Quitting and trying something else. No big loss. The only people who think you are stupid are those not doing anything. If you are going to operate as an entrepreneur - or anything out of the norm, you may look stupid to others. What this means is they think you are not acting normal. Good. Broke is normal. Hating your job is normal. Being frustrated with less income is normal. Not taking real action is norm

Ever take a course on how to make money?Did you find it awesome and frustrating at the same time?A while back I got a random phone call from a woman in New York. I have no idea how she got my name or number, but she said that she wanted my help. She was trying to get a business started so she could replace her income at her $60,000 per year job. But she was having no luck. She said "I have spent $12,000 trying to learn how to start and grow a company. Nothing has worked. I have bought books and taken courses at $2000 a whack. I am overwhelmed and still no income."Most of my coaching clients will say something similar. I will mention marketing from some pros like Amy Porterfield, Jeff Walker, or .... so many others. These clients do not doubt that what Amy, Jeff, and the many others teach works - but they are overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to put into an unknown. They also get new information daily via a blog post or Facebook ad. What do they do?How to Make Money without Information Ov

Want to know how coaching works?I know I did before I got into my first coaching session. I had just shelled out a good amount of money and was coming into my first coaching call, wondering if it was going to help move the needle.Since I started coaching, I get a lot of people asking me about how coaching works.There is a curiosity about coaching - especially what we often call executive, career, or startup coaching - which all tend to look the same as how they operate - just with different desired outcomes. Recently a client told me that he was getting lots of advice from others (people who had expertise in the field), but yet, nothing was holding him accountable.So today, I wanted to give a picture of how coaching works, who it can help, and why it might be worth the investment of your time and money.How Coaching WorksRemember the old adage - "You get what you pay for."? This adage tends to be true for advice as well.Good coaching has four critical components: It helps you define success. Most of

Adjusting Your Goals Midyear? So, we are at the halfway point of 2020. Wow-what a crazy year.Some of you have suffered. Loss of income, furloughs, a decline in business.Others have prospered powerfully.So this is a great time to rethink 2020. What has changed? What is going in a new direction?For me Stepped away from Associate Dean of the university. Now refocusing efforts into new areas. Focused on growth in coaching. Doing a lot more one-on-one coaching than I have in the past few years. Working on a new book deal. Changing fitness goals.Adjusting Your Goals Midyear1. ClarityWhat do you want to happen? Who do you want to be? This is a struggle for a lot more people than you would think. I am one of them. Money? Travel? Doing something special? Living in a new house? A new car? I find most material things trivial these days. How would the Lord have me serve? If so - am I just to sit around and wait on the answer? No - I have to step out toward a goal and pray for direction. I need to be moving to serve. I ne

Use your curiosity to market yourself.How?Asking questions makes you look like you care and it also gives you the opportunity to connect with others - letting them share their expertise with you.In other words, you are asking people to tell you about what they do. And, per the book How to Win Friends and Influence People - this is a powerful tool to get people to like you.So how do you do it?Use Your Curiosity to Market Yourself on the Job1. Learn How Things Work at Work The result is that you connect with people and expand your presence at work. Learn about where the processes flow. As your team hands-off work, where does it go next?2. Find People Doing Interesting Things at WorkJust exploring because you are interested. Makes you known by others and add value. This is especially useful in large companies. For example, if in engineering, be curious about what the real estate division does. Ask questions, get a tour, go to lunch.3. Show Up at Meetings You Might Otherwise MissShowing up in larger meetings - es

These 11 steps to a better LinkedIn profile will help you be found by recruiters and will also help you brand yourself to future and current employers.While a lot of people spend time on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms, LinkedIn is the one platform that is more connected to professional impact more than others.11 Steps to a Better LinkedIn ProfileYour LinkedIn profile is likely to be the first thing people see about you. Do the following steps to create or refresh your profile.1) Good Headshot PhotoIt should show your face well, be professional (as it applies to what you might want to do – no need for a suit and tie if you're going to be a professional skydiver). Best to get it made by a professional photographer – but at very least a well-lit headshot from a friend's iPhone.2) Your NameThis is no place for nicknames unless you are professionally known by them.3) Professional HeadlineThe headline is not your job and title. Instead, make it information that will draw your potential v

Become more valuable to your boss in just a few simple steps.If you followed the last podcast, How To Calculate How Valuable You Are To Your Boss, you can now learn how to make that data work for you so that you can become more valuable to your boss.If you have not done that work, you can either jump back and do episode 180 (How To Calculate How Valuable You Are To Your Boss) or make your best guess and move ahead.Either way - we are going to dive into ways to make you more valuable at work.Today we will dive into the things where you add the most value at work. So if you found them by doing the work (from Episode 180 How To Calculate How Valuable You Are To Your Boss) or you just know what you did as the most valuable - here are the steps to make it work.What you need before you start A list of the things you did to add value to your employer over the last year. You might have that from working on Episode 180 or from just a list you made. Organize the list according to what added the most value over the year

How to calculate how valuable you are to your boss. Sounds like a big promise? Does it sound like math? Both are true - but I can handle the promise and the math is pretty simple - so you can handle it. While we measure value in a lot of different ways, the most powerful way to show value is by showing your financial impact to the company. You only have two reasons for being on the payroll. To make the company money. By this I mean you directly contribute to the revenue. If you are part of bringing the product and/or service to the customer, you are about making money. If you are in sales, product development, or production (you create the product or service) or have a role interfacing with the customer, you are likely revenue-generating. To save the company money. These would be people who are making the company more efficient and profitable and possibly those who keep customers coming back. Project management, much of accounting and finance, quality, safety, or any kind of other back-office administration f

17 Ways to Market Yourself. Yes, I said market yourself. As we move through the four roles of your Company of One model (See Episode 174: Grow Your Own Company of One) we are now focused on your CMO or your Chief Marketing Officer.You might notice some overlap - which is normal. The last few episodes dealt with how to become better at operations - or your COO role. As you might expect - operations and market overlap in many places.But the key focus areas are different: The COO is focused on delivering value to the customer.  The CMO is focused on communicating value to the customer - how it can or how it was delivered.  So today we will focus on the 17 Ways to Market Yourself - a quick and powerful list to help you get amazing results.17 Ways to Market Yourself1. Define your expertise. Who do you help, how, and what benefit do they get from your help? For example, ”I help technology professionals connect their tech experience to their personal brand and company so they can maximize their income and growth whi

Three tools for powerful focus and incredible results. Sound like a big promise? Perhaps - but these three proven tools have a long track record of results in companies like Google, Intel, Youtube, and MyFitnessPal.The three tools are 1) Four Disciples of Execution, 2) Objectives and Key Results, and 3) Entrepreneurial Operating System.Each of the three tools is similar in that they drive focus and results. You only need one of the three, but since each tool works better in specific environments, we will take a look at all of them spending more of our time on the first tool, since it is most likely to have a positive impact on your Company of One."Ideas are easy, execution is everything" -- John DoerrA Quick RecapIn the last few weeks I have been going over the Company of One model: Episode 174: Grow Your Own Company of One - An overview of the model itself covering the 4 roles - operations, marketing, finance, and research. Episode 175: The Three Kinds of People at Work. Which one are you? - The mi