Listen Now

Sales is one of the most daunting aspects of entrepreneurship. It’s also one of the most important for your business. Host Mary McCarthy talks to guest Amy Franko about how to overcome the fear of selling. Amy Franko is a speaker, corporate trainer, and the author of The Modern Seller: Sell More And Increase Your Impact In The New Sales Economy. Mary and Amy talk about how push past your notions of selling, and focus on the value you bring. “It is a mindset shift, to be selling yourself, selling your product, your service, whatever that happens to be. And I will say to this day, that I still have those moments where I have to kinda work myself through it and realize that selling myself, selling my expertise, that has value.” ~ Amy Franko What You Will Learn In This Episode: How you should be thinking about sales Discussion on Sales Trends Amy sees now with her clients How you can be a fantastic ambassador for your clients and your company How to overcome the fear of “asking” LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/tsm-the-modern-seller-with-amy-franko.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to our podcast sponsor Liberty National Bank Expect the Best® Liberty National Bank has six locations to help you: Ada, Bellefontaine, Bellefontaine South, Kenton, Marysville, Westerville About our Guest Amy Franko Keynote Speaking/Author/Corporate Training Author, The Modern Seller: Sell More And Increase Your Impact In The New Sales Economy Contact Amy Franko About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Conflict at work may be unavoidable, but a leader can change the way he or she resolves the situation. In this 15-minute episode, Co-Host Sharon DeLay of GO-HR takes the mic to lead the discussion about productive conflict in the workplace. She’s joined by Host Mary McCarthy of YMT Consultants. Sharon and Mary talk about conflicts early on in their working relationship when they were figuring out how to work together, adapting to the other’s different personalities, and their different approaches to working on things. Communication effectively and understanding how the other person communicates is key. “If you don’t understand how the other person… where they are coming from, and it’s not just their cultural values or beliefs, but it’s also just their communication style. Maybe how they respond in very stressful situations. And I think you have to understand that and you have to adjust your way of approaching things, and hearing things in order for it to go from a potentially destructive situation to a productive situation.” ~ Sharon DeLay What You Will Learn In This Episode: A better understanding of productive conflict and its role in the workplace The difference between conflict resolution and productive conflict The benefits of “owning” your part in a conflict LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/tsm-productive-conflict-in-the-workplace-with-sharon-delay.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Join the discussion in our #MicrobizUS Twitter Chat Wednesday, December 5th at 2pm on Productive Conflict In The Workplace. Follow along on our Twitter page @microbizpodcast or follow the hashtag #MicrobizUS Thank you to our podcast sponsor Liberty National Bank Expect the Best® Liberty National Bank has six locations to help you: Ada, Bellefontaine, Bellefontaine South, Kenton, Marysville, Westerville About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

How much sleep do you get at night? Have you noticed how it affects you in your business? Small business owners literally can’t afford to have an “off” day. If you are in a larger corporation and there are days where you don’t sleep as well, other people can pick up the slack. But what about if you’re in a small business, where so much relies on you? Host Mary McCarthy of YMT Consultants and Co-Host Sharon DeLay of GO-HR discuss the findings of an Inc Magazine’s article about sleep and leadership, including how sleep influences you in terms of: Charisma Management Decisions Ethics They also discuss Elon Musk and his notorious 120-hour work week. “I wouldn’t want somebody to work 120 hours a week, because I actually don’t think that they are productive in the long run, if you are working a lot of hours. I believe in working smart and being efficient, but you have to take your time away in order to rest and kind of regroup, because I think you are more creative and more productive in the long run.” ~ Mary McCarthy LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/why-sleep-is-so-important-to-businses-success-with-sharon-delay-1.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Related Article: Why Sleep Deprivation Is Worse For You — And Your Business — Than You Think Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Are you incredible? If you are good at what you do, why don’t you tell people about it? “We have this bias that we shouldn’t: A) Be proud of ourselves and B) We shouldn’t talk about it. So, it makes me very sad.” ~ Peggy Klaus Host Mary McCarthy talks to best-selling author, communication and leadership coach Peggy Klaus about the right way to brag about yourself and your business. Klaus is the author of “Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It” She says women in particular have the biggest fear of being terrible braggers. In this week’s podcast, you’ll learn the behaviors of a bad bragger and how to avoid them, plus the three methods that work without sounding obnoxious. Mary McCarthy: “Then it’s not so much about bragging, it’s about sharing what you’ve done for somebody else.” Peggy Klaus: “It’s a great way to brag about yourself in a truly lovely framework.” LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/brag-how-to-blow-your-own-horn-without-blowing-it-with-author-peggy-klaus.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. Related Podcast: About our guest Peggy Klaus Best-Selling Author, “Brag! The Art Of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It“ President, Klaus and Associates Contact Peggy About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Imagine eating at a quick-service restaurant chain that treats its chefs like entrepreneurs: Giving each chef control of the restaurant menu, operations, and culture. That’s what you’ll find at Tender Greens, a restaurant chain that is disrupting the food industry, not only with the way it does business, but also the upscale food that it serves. Host Mary McCarthy and Co-host Sharon DeLay talk to Erik Oberholtzer, the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Tender Greens, now with 27 locations in California, Massachusetts, and New York. Tender Greens says it’s starting a “food revolution.” Oberholtzer talks about the company’s unique structure with its chefs, how it’s gone cashless in restaurants, and the innovative approach the chain takes to working with the farmers who grow their ingredients. “We are an industry that is formed around relationships. Relationships with our guests, relationships with our team and really important relationships with our farmers and artisans. And we form personal… lifelong friendships with a lot of these farmers. And in many ways, a handshake is more powerful than a contract.” ~ Erik Oberholtzer LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/tender-greens-how-they-are-disrupting-the-restaurant-industry.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. Related Podcast: About our guest Erik Oberholtzer Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Tender Greens Locations in California, Massachusetts, New York Champion for the Food Forever organization, promoting food sustainability About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

It’s hard to admit that you don’t always have the answers. But should you really know everything in your business? This week, Host and Microbusiness Consultant Mary McCarthy and Co-Host Sharon DeLay discuss how entrepreneurs can benefit from finding and opening up to a good mentor.  ‘Shouldn’t I be an expert and have everything figured out?’ “Because I’m a business consultant, because my role is to help others work through their issues, and their challenges, and move ahead, I find that for people to trust me, I have to really present myself as the expert, which means that I know what I’m doing. So if I have issues and struggling, I don’t tend to share very often.” ~ Mary McCarthy “We get our set answers down to deflect people so we can continue on our path, continue in our loneliness.. and I think we just get those pat answers down to get people away from us, so we can continue moving on, because if we stop and reflect sometimes, it’s extremely uncomfortable.” ~ Sharon DeLay What You Will Learn In This Episode: The two types of mentors How imposter syndrome affects what we share with others Mary and Sharon’s experiences with mentors and what she is looking for now Steps for a successful mentorship https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/entrepreneurship-and-mentorship-go-hand-n-hand.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to The Successful Micropreneur podcast sponsor Liberty National Bank Expect the Best® Liberty National Bank has six locations to help you: Ada, Bellefontaine, Bellefontaine South, Kenton, Marysville, Westerville Join this week’s #MicrobizUS Twitter Chat Wednesday, October 3rd at 2pm EST on this topic! About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

How often do you step out of the day-to-day of your small business and take a deeper look at the challenges you are facing? Join us as host Mary McCarthy talks to Christian Billman, Senior Incubation Manager for Business Strategy with Alliance Data about Innovation and how Alliance Data takes the concept for a new product or service from the idea phase to launch. In his role, Christian works with many startup businesses and sees many small and micro businesses as great disruptors in the marketplace. “And we just talk about what is keeping you awake at night. What are the things that, man, if there was a challenge you could fix, what would that be… It’s really stepping out of the day-to-day, stepping out of the way that you are focused on delivering to your customer and just saying, what are other things that we could be doing to making things work better for you?” ~ Christian Billman What You Will Learn: The differences between Innovation and Incubation The advantage small businesses have over bigger businesses to learn from their customers The steps to take before adding a new product or service to your business LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/innovation-and-incubation-with-christian-billman-alliance-data.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to The Successful Micropreneur podcast sponsor Liberty National Bank Expect the Best® Liberty National Bank has six locations to help you: Ada, Bellefontaine, Bellefontaine South, Kenton, Marysville, Westerville About our Guest Christian Billman: Senior Incubation Manager for Business Strategy Alliance Data Contact Alliance Data: (214) 494-3000 About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Chances are, you’ve noticed that higher education isn’t as “simple” as it used to be. Tuition costs have skyrocketed, and it’s no longer a “guarantee” that students will graduate in four years, or that they’ll actually get a job with the degree they chose. This week, Host Mary McCarthy talks to Beth Probst, an entrepreneur who has developed a service to help solve that problem. Beth is the Founder and Owner of At The Core, a business that helps high school students uncover what they should do next for their future. It helps them explore different careers that could be a good fit for them, helping them identify their strengths and interests, before spending money on college. “I think on some level, we know things are different, we know things have changed, we know college costs a lot more. We remember our own experiences as we made our way through high school to what came next. And we look at our children and a lot of times, I think on some level, we expect them to put their head down through high school, do what it is that they’re supposed to do, and magically lift their head up, and tell us, I would like to do this for a living and I would like to study this… but it does not work that way.” ~ Beth Probst Find out how At The Core determines a student is best suited for, a list of potential careers, and tips on how you can help teenagers make good decisions for their future in our 15-minute podcast. LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/at-the-core-a-conversation-with-beth-probst.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to The Successful Micropreneur podcast sponsor Liberty National Bank Expect the Best® Liberty National Bank has six locations to help you: Ada, Bellefontaine, Bellefontaine South, Kenton, Marysville, Westerville About our Guest Beth Probst: Founder and Owner, At The Core Contact At The Core 614-404-0646 About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Are you working in a corporate career, but dreaming about owning your own business? Purchasing a franchise may be the right option for you. This week, Host Mary McCarthy talks to Leslie Kuban, an Atlanta-area franchise consultant with FranNet. Leslie describes FranNet as a franchise matchmaker that helps people make the jump from employee to first-time business owner. “We are a matchmaking service for people who usually have never owned their own business before. They’ve been working in a corporate career. They’d love to have independence, more control, more flexibility in their own business, but they don’t have their own entrepreneurial idea so to speak, and they are not in a spot usually to take a big risk.” ~ Leslie Kuban Leslie talks about why more women are entering into franchising, how entrepreneurs can minimize their risk, and maximize their chances for success with operating a franchise. LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/purchasing-a-franchise-with-leslie-kuban.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Episode Bookmarks: :57 What is FranNET? 2:00 Leslie talks about her history working in several different franchises 3:32 Talks about joining FranNet and the process they use to help entrepreneurs 4:17 Some people don’t consider franchises to be small businesses, but they are. 5:24 Why the number of women is growing as franchise owners 7:25 Who makes a great franchisee? 9:00 How innovation plays a part in franchises 10:00 What are some of the top franchises? 11:16 What is a Semi-Passive Investment? 12:33 How much of an investment is a franchise? 13:00 One last piece of advice from Leslie… don’t rush yourself. Thank you to The Successful Micropreneur podcast sponsor Liberty National Bank Expect the Best® Liberty National Bank has six locations to help you: Ada, Bellefontaine, Bellefontaine South, Kenton, Marysville, Westerville About our Guest Leslie Kuban: FranNET, Atlanta Franchise Consultant – Atlanta Franchise Experts atlanta@frannet.com 770-579-3726 About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Are these dirty words holding you back in your business? This week, Host and Microbusiness Consultant Mary McCarthy and Co-Host Sharon DeLay of GO-HR talk about the Top 5 Dirty Words for Microbusiness Owners: Profit Sales Brag Credit Debt The word Mary thinks is the worst is “brag.” Sharon chose “sales” as the word she thinks small business owners fear and hate the most. They are words that entrepreneurs need to get over, to get ahead in their business. “Call it business development if sales is not the word for you. But what you are doing, is you’re bringing business in the door… Call it courting clients. Whatever works for you. It is a tough word, it does have a lot of negativity surrounding it, but it’s a necessary part of your business.” ~ Sharon DeLay “It’s easier to sell somebody else than sell yourself. You are wanting to get people to say yes to you, to like you, to want you. It’s not about you, it’s about your product or service.” ~ Mary McCarthy LISTEN NOW:  https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/top-5-words-microbusiness-owners-hate.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Episode Bookmarks: :44 Sharon talks about GO-HR, full-service, outsourced HR for small businesses 1:15 Mary and Sharon list the Top 5 dirty words for microbusiness owners 1:57 Sales – why entrepreneurs struggle with it and how to get over it and do it well 3:37 Brag – Mary talks about why it’s her favorite dirty word and the power of talking about what you and your business does best 6:56 – Profit – The stigma of “for profit” businesses versus “non profit” businesses. Why do people think a not for profit business is more helpful to people? 8:43 Credit – Why people see it unfavorably, knowing your credit score and why a loan may be necessary for business growth 10:21 – Bad Credit and Debt 11:26 – Talk to an account and business consultant to see what’s right for you 11:53 – Final thoughts on the Top 5 Dirty Words and why they really are positive for entrepreneurs Non-profit organization mentioned in the podcast: Women’s Small Business Accelerator (WSBA) Join this week’s #MicrobizUS Twitter Chat Wednesday, September 5th at 2pm EST on Top 5 Dirty Words For Microbusiness Owners Related Podcast: Biggest Challenges Facing Microbusiness About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

Sam’s Tailor is a small, family-owned tailoring business in Hong Kong that has built itself into a global brand known for the amazing quality of its 24-hour bespoke suits.  Sam’s Tailor has created suits for royalty, celebrities, world politicians like Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, and fashion designers like Tory Burch. This week, Host Mary McCarthy and Co-Host Sharon DeLay talk to Roshan Melwani, a third generation proprietor of Sam’s Tailor. Roshan talks about the challenges of working in a multi-generational business with his father Manu and his uncle, the difficulties of finding and retaining skilled workers, and how he’s changing the business. “I think if you are gonna force change, you are gonna fail. And I did fail, and I failed over and over and over again. I think we need to lead change… if you want change, you need to lead change, and you need to stay true to yourself and keep moving forward, without ruffling other people’s feathers. That’s how you win.” ~ Roshan Melwani What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Podcast How Sam’s Tailor has become a global brand, operating from a small shop Roshan’s leadership style and why it works Roshan’s morning routine and why he says it’s the secret of his success LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/hong-kong-or-the-us-biz-is-the-same.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox About our guest Roshan Melwani Director at Sam’s Tailor in Hong Kong Telephone: (852) 2367-9423 About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox 

How much would your small business grow if you could better understand what your customers wanted from you? What if you could read their emotions through something that everyone does, and never realize they are doing? “And that’s exactly the information you want as a business owner. You want to understand what happened. Why are you losing clients? Or why are you gaining clients? And actually address the problems that are limiting you from growing.” ~ Dr. Aleix Martinez Host Mary McCarthy talks to Dr. Aleix Martinez, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University. Dr. Martinez studies artificial intelligence and works to build computer systems that are as intelligent as possible, in order to improve productivity. Dr. Martinez has found that while people experience an emotion internally, it shows up physically on their faces by moving different facial muscles and changing facial color. They have created computer vision algorithms they say work better than humans at detecting someone’s emotions very reliably. He is part of a spin-off company called Online Emotion, that performs this real-time emotion recognition, to put this research into action for industries like retail, security, gaming, entertainment, health, and marketing. “These technologies are actually going to expand businesses. They are going to improve your productivity so much. It’s just a new revolution. It’s here. It’s not the future. It’s actually already happening. You have to embrace it allow these technologies to help you grow the business.” ~ Dr. Aleix Martinez LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/facial-colors-and-recognition-of-moods.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Mentioned in the podcast: Online Emotion Real-Time Emotion Recognition Related Reading about Dr. Aleix Martinez’s work:  “At first blush, you look happy – or sad, or angry” Thank you to podcast sponsor GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. What is a microbusiness? It’s a small business with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur. About our guest Dr. Aleix Martinez Professor, Electrical & Computer Engr., The Ohio State University martinez.158@osu.edu Online Emotion About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

Have you thought about what a big government contract could do for your microbusiness? The benefits are HUGE. The federal government spends more than $450 billion in business opportunities a year. But it can be difficult to understand a way through the challenges that come with these hefty contracts: The requirements can be confusing The government uses a different “language” and terms in their RFPs (Request For Proposals) than what most small business owners are used to The contract terms can be changed, or the program can lose its funding Host Mary McCarthy talks to Jamie Rhone of McClinton & Roy LLC, which helps small and medium-sized businesses navigate federal acquisition regulations. Jamie worked in the federal procurement career field with the Air Force, and has directed multiple government acquisition programs and contract negotiations. In this episode, we talk about understanding the game of government contracts: the rules, the costs with complying with federal acquisition regulations, and the consequences if a microbusiness can’t deliver on what they promise. “The more you understand the rules of the game, the easier it is to be competitive and to win.” ~ Jamie Rhone What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Podcast How to navigate the challenges of bidding on and then executing the requirements of a government contract What you need to know BEFORE applying Jamie’s advice to an entrepreneur who is ready to work with the government LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/government-contracts-should-you-go-after-them-with-jamie-rhone.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Mentioned in the podcast National Contract Management Association   Thank you to podcast sponsor GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. What is a microbusiness? It’s a small business with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur. About our guest Jamie Rhone Federal Procurement Professional McClinton & Roy LLC Veteran Officer and Procurement Professional Jmrhone@mcclintonandroy.com About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

Have you wondered if you are pricing the right amount for what you offer in your business? Are you letting fear of what competitors are doing, or what customers might say if you raised your prices, stop you from charging what you should? Chances are, you should be pricing higher and charging more for your services! Host and microbusiness consultant Mary McCarthy says it’s the #1 thing she sees when she sits down with entrepreneurs and looks at their finances. Nearly 100% of the time, they are underpricing themselves. McCarthy and Co-Host Sharon DeLay talk this week about how your pricing must change as you evolve your business, and the missed opportunities when you don’t. “So if you don’t price correctly for it, you don’t have the opportunity to grow.. but if you want to market, you want to grow to a second location, you want to add another employee? If all you are doing is covering the costs and there is nothing left over, then you don’t have any money to grow. So you have to build in a growth opportunity.” ~ Mary McCarthy Stop thinking small! “We tend to undervalue our time. So as entrepreneurs, we do it all. We do the bookkeeping, we do the marketing, we do the business development. We do the management. And we just continue to add that on to ourselves and not give that a numerical value. As the business grows, I think that is where more people probably get into trouble than maybe starting out the gate underpriced.” ~ Sharon DeLay What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Podcast Why many entrepreneurs are underpricing and undervaluing what they do 3 ways to calculate what you should charge for your service, product, or business Factors service-based businesses must consider when determining their price LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/did-you-price-to-make-money-with-sharon-delay.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. What is a microbusiness? It’s a small business with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur. About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

When you are tens of thousands of dollars in debt you can give up, or choose to do what this entrepreneur did to turn his business around. Host Mary McCarthy talks to Tommy Mello, an entrepreneur who went from $50,000 in debt seven years ago, on course to hit $39 million dollars in revenue this year. Tommy is the owner of A1 Garage Door Services, located in 11 states. His goal is to grow the business into the largest residential garage door company in North America. “…focus on the one thing until you get it done that’s going to impact the business the most… don’t stop until you get it there, because so many entrepreneurs, we do 20 things at once, we throw everything up in the air, nothing gets done.” ~ Tommy Mello What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Episode: Hear Tommy’s story of how he got out of 50k in debt in seven years The KPIs – Key Performance Indicators – Tommy uses in his business The biggest changes that have helped Tommy grow his business Tommy’s 8 steps to delegation LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/an-entrepreneur-goes-from-50k-in-debt-to-multimillion-in-just-a-few-years-with-tommy-mello.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our podcast guest Tommy Mello Founder, Home Service Expert Owner, A1 Garage Door Services Co-Owner, A1 Lead Generation About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

Are you so busy that you’re just checking things off your list, instead of planning and achieving the vision for your business? It’s easy to lose sight of what you’re really trying to accomplish, when you are stuck in the day-to-day. That’s why having a strategy, a plan of action that helps you achieve a goal, is so important for your business. “The challenge for me when I think about people creating strategy is, we’re just so excited to have our passion turned into an idea and somebody willing to buy it, that we don’t really think about being a million dollar or ten million dollar business, we’re just thinking, wow I just want to have a customer.” ~ Mary McCarthy This week, host Mary McCarthy talks to Jennifer Milius, an author, speaker, and leadership coach about the importance of strategy in your microbusiness. A microbusiness is a small business with 20 of fewer employees, including the solopreneur. What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Episode: Questions to ask yourself when forming a successful strategy The elements of your business where strategy is important BHAGS – Big, hairy, audacious goals for your business LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/start-with-strategy-with-jennifer-milius.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our podcast guest Jennifer Milius Leadership coach and speaker Author of the Einstein and Moo book series jennifermilius.com About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

Just because you can cook, doesn’t mean you can run a food business! They are some of the hardest small businesses to launch and run successfully, so you are going to need to master a lot of skills to make it work. Host Mary McCarthy talks to Dr. Iris Cooper, Co-Founder of Glory Foods and the owner of JustAskIris!, which provides entrepreneurial coaching, strategic planning, business plans, marketing research, and branding for small businesses, especially food enterprises. They are also hosting a workshop for food entrepreneurs called Almost Everything You Wanted To Know About The Food Business! It’s a four-hour workshop on August 10 in Westerville, Ohio that includes a consulting session and a breakfast sponsored by US Bank. In this episode, Mary and Iris talk about what it takes to make it in an industry where it’s tough to get funding, operates with tight margins, and has one of the highest failure rates of all small businesses. Their advice works for food enterprises of all kinds: restaurants, catering, food trucks, and food products. The marketing tips can be applied to all small businesses. What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Episode: Importance of finding your ideal customer How to properly research the market The evolution of Glory Foods into a fresh and canned food product line available in grocery chains nationwide, and why it became a successful food business LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/what-to-know-about-operating-a-food-business.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Register for Almost Everything You Wanted To Know About The Food Business! Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our Guest Dr. Iris Cooper JustAskIris! 614-750-1870 iris@justaskiris.com About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

Your goal is probably pretty simple: You want to drive traffic to your website, find new customers, and get new business. But where do you start? Kim McCumber is the Founder and CEO of Floodlight Training & Consulting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Floodlight Training & Consulting assists small businesses through training, consultation and direct management. Kim talked with host Mary McCarthy about all of the online marketing channels available to entrepreneurs, and how to choose the one that’s right for them. Online Marketing Options: Email Marketing Social Media Display Advertising Search Engine Optimization Paid Search PPC (Pay-Per-Click) marketing such as Google AdWords There are so many options, it can be hard to decide where to begin and confusing to know which will give business owners the results they are looking for in their business. “I think that the most important thing is to try not to get overwhelmed with the feeling that you have to do everything in online marketing, especially as a small business. You tackle one or two online channels at a time. And you become proficient in it, you make sure it’s driving good return in your business, and then you move on and expand.” ~ Kim McCumber, Floodlight Training & Consulting What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Episode: The online marketing channels available for small businesses to use Should all small businesses use paid online marketing strategies? Kim’s email marketing strategy: Tips on what to send and how often LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/the-what-and-how-of-online-marketing-channels.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our Guest Kim McCumber Floodlight Training & Consulting 405 13th Ave S, Myrtle Beach SC 29577 843-790-5111 kim@floodlighttraining.com About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses. Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox

It’s no secret that there’s an overwhelming feeling of negativity in just about everything right now. But that doesn’t mean we should choose to join in. This week, host Mary McCarthy and co-host Sharon DeLay are talking about the benefits of positive leadership, and the steps we can take to become positive leaders in life and business. “I think some people when they go to start their own business, they take that as an opportunity to be the task master. I’m in control. It’s my business. We’re going to do it my way or the highway.” ~ Sharon DeLay It comes down to making a choice. “We have to remember, if you are a positive leader, you are a leader in not just your business, but also in your personal life. You are a leader with your employees, with your clients, with your vendors. We are leading how people respond, react, relate to us. And those are all choices. So we can be positive and bring people in and make them want to be a part of our circle. We really can. And that’s a choice that we can make.” ~ Mary McCarthy What You Will Learn In This 16-Minute Podcast: What it means to be a positive leader The difference between leadership and authority The traps to avoid to become a more positive leader How Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle can help you become a better leader LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/becoming-a-positive-leader.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Links mentioned in this podcast: Simon Sinek’s TED Talk: Why Great Leaders Make You Feel Safe Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our Co-Host Sharon DeLay GO-HR 4889 Sinclair Road, Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 473-0122 sharon.delay@go-hr.biz Sharon DeLay is the Founder and President of GO-HR, a full-service HR consulting business in Columbus. It works mainly with microbusinesses, doing everything from hiring to firing employees, and all Human Resource Management services that fall in between. You can’t “Go” without HR. About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses.

Marketing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. That’s the message from Shanna Chamberlain, the Founder and Creative Director of HinterBrands, a digital marketing and advertising agency. Shanna spoke with host Mary McCarthy of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm, about how to take the fear out of marketing and make it something you do every day in all aspects of your business. In this week’s podcast, Shanna and Mary delve into a topic that many microbusiness owners aren’t thinking enough about: Reputation Management. “For a lot of our clients they might be a service-based business. We want to highlight the people that are using them. Having them put their reviews out on to social media, to showcase the positivity that people are experiencing with your business.” ~ Shanna Chamberlain Shanna outlines what a small business can do to help their reputation and in turn, improve the SEO and the likelihood someone will find their business online. What You Will Learn In This 15-Minute Podcast: Changing the perception of marketing in your business Reputation Management: What it is and how to do it well The importance of online reviews for your business LISTEN NOW: https://media.blubrry.com/micropreneur/thesuccessfulmicropreneur.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/new-marketing-ideas-to-grow-your-microbusiness.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Overcast FM | Castbox Thank you to podcast sponsor Pathways Financial Credit Union. They offer business loans with a competitive interest rate and flexible terms. They have locations in Columbus, Delaware, and Marysville, Ohio. About our Guest Shanna Chamberlain Founder and Creative Director, HinterBrands shanna@hinterbrands.com 614-800-9002 About our Host Mary McCarthy Host, The Successful Micropreneur Podcast CEO, YMT Consultants Co-Founder of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc. Mary McCarthy is the President of YMT Consultants, an entrepreneurial consulting and training firm in the Columbus, Ohio area. It focuses on one-on-one work with microbusiness owners (businesses with 20 or fewer employees, including the solopreneur), assisting them to monetize and create systems for their small businesses.