Monday - August 05, 2013
Is it time to start a second franchise location/ Joel Libava joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the issues that have to be dealt with before you can make the move to add a new outlet to your franchise operation.
Is your organization ready to grow into a new location. Joel Libava joins Jim Blasingame to discuss whether your organization is ready to support the extra effort that will be required when you add a second branch office or store.
Why isn't "Leading from behind" working as a foreign policy? Rich Galen joins Jim Blasingame to report on the unprecedented retreat by the U.S. of dozens of embassies in the Middle East, and what message that sends to our enemies.
Is the U.S. sending the wrong signals to our enemies? Rich Galen joins Jim Blasingame to report on whether the Obama foreign policy is making the U.S. weaker and more vulnerable to our enemies.
When Republicans and Obama play chicken, who will win? Rich Galen joins Jim Blasingame to report on whether Congressional Republicans will succeed in holding Obamacare hostage with the new fiscal year funding fight with Obama.
Get more performance from employees with with non-monetary motivation. Tom Anastasi joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several ways to focus motivating steps that encourage employee performance, without increasing payroll.
Want to help your employees have a greater sense of success? Tom Anastasi joins Jim Blasingame to reveal non-monetary ways to help employees feel more successful , motivated and engaged.
Will the Obama succeed in blaming Republicans for shutting down the government? Stephen Moore joins Jim Blasingame to provide Republicans with a better strategy for fighting Obamacare without shutting down the government.
Four years after the Great Recession, the U.S. economy is still languishing. Stephen Moore joins Jim Blasingame to report on the poor performance of the U.S. economy, and explain why Obama policies are anti-growth, especially with small businesses.
Wall Street is setting records, while Main Street is languishing. Stephen Moore joins Jim Blasingame to report on why there is such a disparity between Wall Street's record-setting numbers and less than 2% growth for Main Street.
Tuesday - August 06, 2013
Do senior citizens need a conservative lobbying alternative to AARP? Daniel Weber joins Jim Blasingame to discuss why he formed AMAC as a conservative alternative to AARP, and why AARP is not a friend of small business.
Senior citizens are well represented on election day, but what about lobbying? Daniel Weber joins Jim Blasingame to explain why conservative senior citizens need to support lobbying groups that can offset the AARP's agenda.
Do your salespeople know how to ask questions? Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the training they received that taught them how to ask the right kinds of questions at the right time.
If you want to improve sales performance, use role playing in sales training. Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the power of role play training in helping salespeople have more success.
What should you ask a prospect first? Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to compare notes on the best way to get a conversation going with a new prospect, including what is the best first question.
Email is one of the best inventions of the 20th century. Marsha Egan joins Jim Blasingame to discuss why email is the standard communication method of the marketplace and why all generations in the marketplace must use it.
Let customers and the situation dictate how you communicate with them. Marsha Egan joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the various tools of communicating and how to follow the customer's lead on which one to use.
Only 1 in 7 family businesses are passed on to the next generation. Jerry Ripperger joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the financial challenges of transferring family business ownership to the next generation.
Let the government help sell your business to your employees. Jerry Ripperger joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) as a tax advantages plan to help employees buy your business.
Where do employees get the money to buy the business with an ESOP? Jerry Ripperger joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the various capital sources used to fund an Employee Stock Option Program (ESOP) purchase of a business.
Wednesday - August 07, 2013
Value added service is unprofitable on many levels. Chip Bell joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why innovation service should replace your value-added service strategy, to keep customers happy without cutting into your bottom line.
Here are some innovative service principles to profit from. Chip Bell joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several innovation service principles that will help you boost customer satisfaction and your profit picture.
Who's in control of your day - you or events? Gene Griessman joins Jim Blasingame to compare President Lincoln's lament about how events controlled his work with how small business owners feel about the same thing.
Get your attitude right to deal with events you didn't see coming. Gene Griessman joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how having the right attitude about unplanned events and challenges determines how things turn out.
Handle challenges by rethinking them as an opportunity. Gene Griessman joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to reframe and redefine challenges so they are posed as something that could turn out well.
Here's how you create a customer for life? Jim Blasingame reveals his New Law of Customer Relevance, which is where you create customers for life by helping them help their customers.
Why are small businesses not asking banks for business loans? Jim Blasingame explains how a lack of loan demand by small businesses explains why the economy is growing at such a poor rate.
Small businesses react to Obama policies by refusing to take risks. Ray Keating joins Jim Blaisngame to connect Obama's anti-business policies that are causing small business owners to avoid taking risks, making investments and hiring more people.
Anti-business policies do not make businesses want to invest and hire. Ray Keating joins Jim Blaisngame to compare other recoveries where pro-business policies produced economic growth, with President Obama's recovery.
Why is U.S. unemployment still at 35-year record lows? Ray Keating joins Jim Blaisngame to reveal the several factors that are holding back hiring, including the primary one, which is anti-business policies from Washington.
Thursday - August 08, 2013
How does a sole proprietor handle the "shiny objects"?Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to offer tips and best practices on how entrepreneurs who don't have a staff can break projects down in order to stay focused.
Are you addicted to Facebook? How about Twitter? Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the tendency to get sucked into a social media addition, and how small business owners can make social media work for them.
Are you sure you're ready to launch your project? John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on how to make sure you're properly informed, oriented and really ready to launch that new project.
Are you capable of staying focused on one objective? John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to offer tips and best practices on how to get and stay focused on the direction that will provide the most success.
The last quarter brings with it two big responsibilities. John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the two big jobs of the fourth quarter: finishing the year off strong, while simultaneously preparing to launch the new year.
How did leaders in your life open doors for you? Bill Treasurer joins Jim Blasingame to share some of the ways the leaders in his career opened doors for him; and showed him how to be a leader himself.
When a leader is a mentor without knowing it. Bill Treasurer joins Jim Blasingame to talk about leaders become mentors because you just observed them and paid attention.
Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the rate of change in terms of how to sell to customers and how you must harness the power of the internet to reach your customers.
Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to explain that things have changed in sales and early stages of contact are becoming irrelevant, plus why general sales calls no longer work.
Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you must demand the attention of your customers by asking them about their expectations, plus how mobile computing will be a major part of your future.
Friday - August 09, 2013
What is your innovation strategy? Ken Tencer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why innovation must be at the heart of everything you do, every process, every step, ever thing you do for customers.
Your customers will tell you all you need to know about innovating. Ken Tencer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how discovering your customers' expectations will help you know how to create an innovative culture and strategy.
Why are business managers pessimistic about business conditions? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Tatum Survey that shows business managers are not optimistic about business conditions for the next few months.
Why are sales and capital investment still languishing? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame with this month's Tatum Survey, which indicates that sales are only up because they had no where else to go, plus capital investment is down.
Unemployment is entrenched and chronic in the U.S. Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame with this month's Tatum Survey, which shows unemployment continuing to be stubbornly entrenched in the U.S., and no sign of improvement.
Do you know what content curation is? Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to define content curation, how to use it, how to not use it, and how it is like content aggregation .
Every smartphone owner should know what "smishing" is. Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that "smishing" is when you're prompted on your smartphone by a malicious party to give them private information. Good companies don't do this.
How do you decide which battles to fight? Peter Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to offer a very valuable philosophy to adopt when deciding which battles to fight and which ones to just let go.
Do you take on challenges as they come or pick your battles? Peter Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal three ways to decide if whatever is in front of you is something you want to take on right now.
When it's okay for small business owners to be selfish. Peter Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that sometimes, when faces with certain issues, it's okay to be selfish and say no to those that don't benefit you and your company.
Monday - August 12, 2013
Are you balancing your business and family life well? Kita Szpak joins Jim Blasingame to offer tips on how to have a balanced relationship with your successful business and your family life.
Here's a free resource to help you balance your business and family life. Kita Szpak joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the free TeleSummit she's conducting with 21 experts on how to have a balanced life between your business and family.
The most powerful business card is the book you wrote. Paula Lovell joins Jim Blasingame to encourage anyone who wants to increase their professional credibility to consider writing a book, even if you self-publish.
Self-publishing is not the same thing as vanity press. Paula Lovell joins Jim Blasingame reveal that the difference between Vanity Press and self-publishing is that the latter form of writing a book actually has a plan to sell the book.
Promoting a book has changed. A lot. Paula Lovell joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how promoting a book has changed in the past decade, including using guerilla marketing and social media techniques to get the word out.
One day, your business will be interrupted. Are you prepared? Jim Blasingame offers tips and insights into how to prepare your business for the inevitable interruption that will happen to every business, large or small.
Do you own a smartphone and have a mobile website? Jim Blasingame reports on two recent polls that show how small businesses are prepared for the increasing expectations of mobile customers.
Was the Detroit bankruptcy inevitable? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to report on the real reasons the City of Detroit took bankruptcy and what the rest of us can learn from this dramatic failure.
How many special exemptions will be given out for Obamacare? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the chances that only those who don't have political connections will have to comply with the disastrous Obamacare.
CNN and NBC's announcement to make movies and mini-series about Hillary Clinton are very controversial. Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the likelihood of Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy in 2016 and whether there will be movies made about her before that.
Wednesday - August 14, 2013
What is required for leadership excellence? Tim Irwin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal three leadership fundamentals, including be clear with your team, be innovative and trust the team to solve customer issues.
Small business have their special sauce that is a major differentiator. Tim Irwin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the role that leadership plays in training employees to be able to deliver your small business's "special sauce" to customers.
Anything you post on social media sites is not private and is forever. Cliff Ennico joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the dumb things people do on social media sites that get them into legal trouble.
Don't let employees do dumb things on social media sites. Cliff Ennico joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the things you can, and can't, do to make sure employees don't do something stupid on a social media site.
What are your rights as an employer regarding employee social media activity? wCliff Ennico joins Jim Blasingame to report on what you as an employer can do regarding the social media activity of your employees.
What's wrong with the business sector? Tom Asacker joins Jim Blasingame to report that he is seeing more dysfunction in business relationships today than in years past, and they discuss some of the possible reasons.
Tom Asacker joins Jim Blasingame to the evolution of the marketplace, plus why innovation is a way of life not a means to an end.
Don't say you can if you don't know that you can. Arky Ciancutti joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the role that closrue plays in building and sustaining a trust relationship in business
Are you using trust as a way to maintain relevance with customers? Arky Ciancutti joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the critical role that trust plays in meeting the relevance expectations of customers
Don't let trust be the victim of growing pains. Arky Ciancutti joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to handle business growth without losing the trust levels you've achieved with customers.
Thursday - August 15, 2013
Why do small business owners try so hard? Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the desire to seek excellence and why this manifests in the way small business owners commit themselves and try so hard.
Do you think there's anything wrong with influencing others. Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the real value of influencing others as an important part of what makes the marketplace go round.
Wall Street is up and Main Street is down. What's wrong with this picture? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame with the NFIB Report on the disconnect between the mania on Wall Street and the economic malaise on Main Street.
Why are sales and profits still down for small businesses? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame with the NFIB Report that shows small business sales and profits are still languishing because of the business community is not willing to take risks.
Why aren't small business owners hiring? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame with the NFIB Report which shows small business owners are still not making plans to increase their employees with new hiring.
Small businesses have a great advantage online. Lois Geller joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the many ways small businesses have an advantage over big business in the online world.
Demonstrating values online is a great small business advantage. Lois Geller joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why and how small businesses can demonstrate their values in their online presence in a way that no big business can.
Why is the Obama administration working so hard to get Americans to accept welfare? Steve Moore joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the deplorable steps the Obama administration is taking to rob Americans of their dignity with welfare.
Why are federal employees trying to avoid being subject to Obamacare? Steve Moore joins Jim Blasingame to report that most federal employees, including Congress, will likely not have to be subject to Obamacare, like the rest of us.
Obama has a plan to make more Americans beholden to the government. Jim Blasingame reveals some of the evidence of how the President Obama is working to get more Americans to be increasingly subject to the federal government
Friday - August 16, 2013
How do luxury retailers survive during a slow economy? Pam Danziger joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what the rest of us can learn from some of the practices of luxury retailers use to stay close to customers.
Have you harnessed the power of word-of-mouth? Pam Danziger joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how luxury retailers use word-of-mouth to their advantage, including the new kind, user generated content.
The callback is a powerful sales tool. Jim Blasingame to reveal the concept of a call-back as a sales strategy, and how it can be the difference between staying connected to prospects who need time to decide.
How much would you pay for the most powerful customer care tool in the world? Jim Blasingame reminds you of something you knew but may have forgotten: "Thank you" are the two most powerful words in the marketplace.
Has the Wall Street bubble lasted as long as it can? Jim Blasingame warns small businesses about the inevitable bursting of the Wall Street bubble and how Main Street will become collateral damage.
Have the chickens of Chinese central planning come home to roost? Gordon Chang joins Jim Blasingame to report on the many defects in the Chinese economic system and to predict that China is heading for a recession.
Chinese central planning has created a false economy and a debt bubble. Gordon Chang joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the evidence that the Chinese government has created a false economy, is headed for collapse, and how this will impact the U.S.
How religious are you about data? Tim Berry joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the good, bad and ugly parts of using data in your decision-making process.
Make sure your data serve you, not the other way around. Tim Berry joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to improve your decision-making process by balancing your instincts and your data.
The best way to discover customer expectations is to keep your contacts simple. Tim Berry joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power of simple polling of customers, one question at a time, can keep you connected to what customers are thinking.
Monday - August 19, 2013
Do you know how to be an active listener? Jim Ballard joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the EAR method of active listening - Explore, Acknowledge, and Respond - and how to use this technique effectively.
What people are feeling may be behind what they are saying to you. Jim Ballard joins Jim Blasingame to conduct a role play where the two Jims demonstrate how active listening works, using the EAR approach.
Has the American culture created an obesity epidemic? Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the problem of obesity in the U.S. and explain why it is not a problem in many other countries.
American obesity is causing problems with out health care programs. Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the challenges Medicaid and Medicare are having due to an explosion of obesity, plus why is the government pushing food stamps.
America has become politically polarized and so has the debate about how to help the poor. Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how the different political philosophies are different when it comes to helping the poor.
Few things are harder than working with family. Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the challenges that are part of working with family in a small business, especially for couples.
Here are some tips on how to improve the working conditions of your family business. Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to reveal family business success tips, including: pay everyone and identify who's in charge.
How did the pioneers use the first digital media tools? Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to talk about what it was like to use email in 1985 and the Internet in 1990, and when she understood the power of these new tools.
New media is just new tools that use what you've always known about customers. Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that even though you may be using new media to find customers, what you say to them hasn't changed.
Why is social media so difficult for small businesses? Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the reasons marketing with social media is not easy for small businesses, and offers some tips and best practices.
Tuesday - August 20, 2013
In today’s marketplace, you don’t find customers, they find you. Brett Clay joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how the Internet has changed customer expectations and how to serve them with content we distribute to them.
Stay relevant with customers by delivering information to them. Brett Clay joins Jim Blasingame with tips on how small businesses stay relevant to customers by creating and delivering online content, including your own and that of others.
Grow more sales by growing better salespeople. Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to talk about screening, hiring, training and motivating the best sales people.
Salespeople must have established standards for performance. Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the benchmarks he uses to help sales organizations, including training, coaching and specific expectations.
Accountability produces professionalism. Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how benchmarking accountability creates professionalism in your sales people and produces more sales.
Do you allow your biases to get in the way of success? Beverly Inman-Ebel joins Jim Blasingame to discuss two human biases, semantic equivalence and halo, and how we allow them to prevent effective communication.
How do our biases impact our decisions and relationships? Beverly Inman-Ebel joins Jim Blasingame to discuss two kinds of biases we all have, contagious bias and association bias, and how they impact our personal and business relationships.
Does Gen Y think about trust differently than Baby Boomers? Mike Muetzel joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how trust between the generations can be different, especially in small businesses and large corporations.
Don’t Millennials have the responsibility to accept coaching? Mike Muetzel joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how to bring the two universes - the Millennials and everybody else - together for organizational success.
Every generation should respect the generations upon whose shoulders they stand. Mike Muetzel joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how to get Gen Y and Baby Boomers to meet in the middle.
Wednesday - August 21, 2013
Every small business has challenges every day. Jay Myers joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how his company faced a concentration of devastating bad news and how they recovered and learned form it.
Don't let a crisis go to waste. Jay Myers joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to take advantage of challenges and setbacks so that they serve to make you stronger and more prepared when tough times pop up again in the future.
When you want to grow your business, licensing could be one of your options. Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to share how she is pursuing growth plans by developing a licensing options she would sell..
Licensing a product or service has many key steps. Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the key elements to pay attention to when licensing a product to grow your business.
The key to licensing IP is in the legal documents and practices. Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the key legal steps to take when licensing your intellectual property to others.
Will government workers have to comply with Obamacare? Jim Blasingame reports on how government employees don't want to be subject to Obamacare and whether they will get an exemption not available to small businesses.
How is your social media strategy working? Jim Blasingame reports on how small businesses are doing with their social media strategy, specifically that two-thirds of those polled are successful or expect to be successful.
If you have fewer than 50 employees, how will Obamacare impact you? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report on what will be the impact of Obamacare on small businesses with less than 50 employees.
Will federal employees avoid complying with Obamacare? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report on the fact that, as of now, federal employees in all departments and offices, will not lose their current healthcare benefits under Obamacare.
Are you ready to enroll in an Obamacare exchange? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the steps, cost structure and quality of care you will experience when you enroll in an Obamacare exchange.
Thursday - August 22, 2013
Are you a mono-faceted networker? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to encourage you to think of networking as both online and face-to-face, and use both to support and contribute to the other.
What do you do when a prospect or customer asks you what it's going to cost them? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that developing a customer requires an understanding of how you can help them before you tell them how much your services will cost them.
How bad will Obamacare be for small businesses? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the many ways that Obamacare will have a negative impact on small businesses of all sizes and number of employees.
The U.S. economy is barely growing four years after the end of the Great Recession. Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to report on what small business owners are saying about why their business is not growing and why they're holding back growth plans.
Is crowdfunding in your future? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the concept of crowdfunding and their recent contest to encourage entrepreneurs to conduct better business planning.
Is a real, week-long vacation in your plans? Katherine Crowley joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the value and benefits that a small business owner can receive by taking a vacation for an entire week, including the challenges of doing so.
Women treat each other at work differently than they treat men. Katherine Crowley joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how different women are when they're working with other women than they are when they work with men.
Execution and reliability are two entrepreneurial success traits. Paul Casey joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why being reliable and having the ability to execute on your ideas are valuable traits for entrepreneurial success.
If you can't manage finances and if you''re not pragmatic, you probably won't be a successful entrepreneur. Paul Casey joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why being competent with finances and being pragmatic are two critical traits of successful entrepreneurs.
Be decisive, organized and demonstrate good judgment. Paul Casey joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why successful entrepreneurs have these three traits: decisiveness, they're organized and they demonstrate good judgment.
Friday - August 23, 2013
There are many reasons why any small business owner should become an author. Andrea Nierenberg joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why being an author is a credential any small business owner can accomplish, including how to use the book.
Reinvention or extinction, the choice is yours. Andrea Nierenberg joins Jim Blasingame to explain why, with the marketplace moving so fast, every person and business has to be in a constant state of reinvention.
There are 3 million hispanic small businesses in the U.S. Hector Barreto joins Jim Blasingame to report on the work The Latino Coalition is doing on behalf of hispanic small businesses, including matching them with prospects.
Hispanic small business owners worry about the same things as everyone else. Hector Barreto joins Jim Blasingame to report on the issues his organization will cover in their upcoming gathering of Hispanic small business owners.
Obamacare will not be good for any small businesses, including Hispanic ones. Hector Barreto joins Jim Blasingame to report on the failure of Obamacare to improve healthcare and lower health care costs.
Do you have an abundance mindset? Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what it means to have an abundance mindset, and why it's essential to being successful as a professional in sales.
Professional salespeople must have an abundance mindset. Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why you should only hire salespeople who have and abundance mindset, and they explain how to do this.
How are you tracking cash and profit performance? John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to encourage small business owners to make it a management habit to project and track cash flow and profitability, and they explain how.
This small business owner waited too long to plan for her business after her death. John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to tell a sad but true story of a business owner who put off financial and succession planning until it was too late.
What elements of a succession plan does a small business owner neeo? Jhn Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the things a small business owner must do to make sure their business continues in the event of their death.
Monday - August 26, 2013
Do you have a problem solving system? Gary Harpst joins Jim Blasingame to reveal a five-step problem solving system, including defining the problem and the root cause, and developing solutions.
Use this 5-step program to solve problems. Gary Harpst joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the last two of the five-step problem solving program, including implementations and execution.
Are U.S. college graduates ready for the workplace? Burt Folsom joins Jim Blasingame to report on why many American college graduates aren't prepared to join the workforce without remedial training by their employers.
How deep does the failure of U.S. education go? Burt Folsom joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the issues that are causing the U.S. education system to receive an F grade on getting students ready for the workplace.
President Obama wants to restructure higher education. Burt Folsom joins Jim Blasingame to report on Obama's plan to restructure higher education and whether his model will be Obamacare?
The Age of the Customer is creating disruptions and opportunities. Ramon Ray joins Jim Blasingame to report on three industries that are experiencing disruptions and opportunities, depending on how invested you are in the original.
Is providing games your next marketing tool? Ramon Ray joins Jim Blasingame to report on industries that are being disrupted by new opportunities, such as providing games instead of words, crowdsourcing for capital and on-demand workers.
Should we care that China wants to buy more food sources from the U.S.? Ken Gronbach joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the developments where China has bought much of the U.S. apple supply and wants more.
China has made a bid to buy Smithfield products, which produces pork products. Ken Gronbach joins Jim Blasingame to report on another story about China trying to buy U.S. food sources, including Smithfield pork.
Unlike much of the rest of the world, U.S. demographics looks good. Ken Gronbach joins Jim Blasingame to report on why the state of U.S. demographics for the next half century looks good, including our nature of assimilating immigrants.
Tuesday - August 27, 2013
Drew Williams joins Jim Blasingame to explain that growing a business requires capital, plus no matter your business you must be a marketer.
Drew Williams joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how to get capital for your start up, plus he explains that you have to spend less than you earn to have a successful business.
John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to explain that the first impression you make to your customers is the most important, plus why training your employees to greet customers is necessary.
John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to explain that there's no excuse for small businesses not to make the 2 most powerful words in the marketplace, "thank you," a priority.
John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to share a story about Publix and how their good customer service, including saying "hello" and "thank you" are putting their competitors out of business.
Jim Blasingame discuss results of his recent poll which show that most small businesses are not making new investments in the future, plus why there is a dullness in the marketplace.
Jim Blasingame explains that training your employees should be a priority, plus using convenient and affordable online training programs.
Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you should never underestimate the value of any job and that you should give equal consideration to each position in your company when hiring new employees.
Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to explain that employee referrals are the best method for hiring that results in long term retention and that most people find jobs through information connections, plus why it's risky for an employee to refer someone to job.
Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to explain that business owners tend to hire the opposite of the person that didn't work out, but should instead stick to list of traits and competencies.
Wednesday - August 28, 2013
Do you know what a technology assessment is? Russ Madlener joins Jim Blasingame to report on a recent Microsoft survey of small businesses to determine how closely they have aligned their technology with their business model.
The power of the cloud has changed the technology assessment for small businesses. Russ Madlener joins Jim Blasingame to report on a Microsoft survey of what small business look for in a technology assessment, including productivity, mobility and security.
What country has water to spare in the Pacific Rim? Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that while China is water deficient, Japan is exporting water, and what that could mean to geo-politics and economics.
How could sand and graphite be stronger than steel? Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to report on two kinds of new-tech materials - carbon and silica - that are more useful and stronger than steel, plus a new kind of light bulb.
Here are two aerospace innovations. Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to reveal a new construction and design of an airship, or blimp, used as a cargo carrier, plus an inflatable space station.
Is having business relationships a best practice? Ruth Sherman joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the power of professional relationships, how to acquire them and why having them is not only the right thing to do, but a best practice.
Do you think of relationship capital as important? Ruth Sherman joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the concept of banking relationship capital and why it's important to your professional success.
Our sustainability expert talks about teams. Bruce Piasecki joins Jim Blasingame to report on why the companion to his sustainability book is about team building.
Does your team demonstrate these traits? Bruce Piasecki joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the traits of a successful team, including cohesion, integrity, generosity and sustainability.
Is failure necessary for sustained team success? Bruce Piasecki joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the relationship between success and failure as it relates to effective and sustained team building.
Thursday - August 29, 2013
The Supreme Court's Defense of Marriage Act ruling created tax scenarios. tEva Rosenberg joins Jim Blasingame to report on the various tax and benefits issues facing the parties and their employees.
Don't let tax avoidance turn into tax evasion. Eva Rosenberg joins Jim Blasingame to talk about what tax evasion can look like in a small business, and reveal how a small business can get themselves into dire straits with the IRS.
Exporting is good business, but foreign bank accounts can create problems. Eva Rosenberg joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the things you have to do if you open a business bank account in another country.
How do you present yourself to others? Catherine Kaputa joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power of presenting the right posture and the impact you have with your body language, and why this matters to your success.
Ladies, is your body language hurtin you professionally? Catherine Kaputa joins Jim Blasingame to offer advice to women about how to use present yourself physically in the workplace for maximum positive impact.
There is $1.2 TRILLION of outstanding student loans in the U.S. Giovanni Coratolo joins Jim Blasingame to report that 20-somethings are starting businesses at a low rate because of their record levels of unpaid student loans.
Will the GOP shut down the government in order to stop Obamacare? Giovanni Coratolo joins Jim Blasingame to report that Congress and the White House have many jobs to do in a short period of time, but so far are not near a compromise.
the U.S. Constitution can be annoying for any president. Giovanni Coratolo joins Jim Blasingame to report on th unprecedented disregard President Obama has for the Constitution in the way his administration goes around Congress.
Humans were meant to talk to each other face-to-face. Judith Glaser joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the primordial nature of human conversation, and how we can prevent technology from killing this powerful behavior.
We're influenced by conversations in at least three major ways. Judith Glaser joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why it's valuable to understand the three levels of conversational intelligence, including biochemical, relational, and co-creational.
Friday - August 30, 2013
Joanne Black joins Jim Blasingame to explain that we are so dependent on technology that we forget about the person we're communicating with, plus why technology is a great tool, but nothing beats a personal conversation.
Joanne Black joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you must be deliberate in your approach to customers and that you have to reach customers before they know they have a need, plus how referrals are still the best way to connect.
Joanne Black joins Jim Blasingame to discuss connect with people that fuel your business, plus how referrals allow you to set the criteria on which others are evaluated in a competitive situation.
Christina Cavanagh joins Jim Blasingame to explain that email isn't going away, plus how to deal with inbox volume efficiently and effectively.
Christina Cavanagh joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the impact of smartphones and how easy it is to run your business from a smartphone, plus how smartphones help to keep email messages concise.
Olalah Njenga joins Jim Blasingame to discuss who is responsible for the values for your company and for the understanding the values of your customers, plus getting millennials to understand the concept of values & taking them into the workplace.
Olalah Njenga joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you must establish values for your company that are non-negotiable, plus what will happen to small business without culture and values.
Olalah Njenga joins Jim Blasingame to explain that millennials value flexibility and while there are some values that are negotiable based on a company's interaction with their customers, while others can't be as flexible.
Jay Baer joins Jim Blasingame to explain that customer interaction has changed fundamentally and that customer relationships are created by information, plus why you must adopt long-term thinking about customers.
Jay Baer joins Jim Blasingame to explain that podcasting is a great way to reach and educate your customers in this mobile society, plus why you should build a show where you don't talk about yourself, but interview future customers.
