Monday - October 02, 2017
Quint Studer joins Jim Blasingame to report on how he turned his entrepreneurial endeavors into helping new entrepreneurs get established, educated, and funded.
Quint Studer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that in order to promote entrepreneurship, communities need to minimize regulations, encourage qualified employee training, education and a strong economy.
John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to discuss his new book “Your exit map” which leads business owner through the process of divesting of the business they founded.
John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the first step to take before you put your business up for sale is to try to imagine what you’ll be doing the day after the closing that's better than running your business.
John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how many years in advance you should take to prepare your business for sale, and the reasons why it takes years.
Brian Merritt joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some tips and best practices on how to establish a successful relationship with a bank that will allow you to grow.
Brian Merritt joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the mission and methods of his new online bank that was founded to serve small businesses.
Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the reasons every organization should conduct regular meetings with managers and key employees.
Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several steps to use in your meetings to help you make them have value and purpose, including preparation, announcement, structure, and leadership.
Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal five types of personalities who seem to pop up and derail meetings, including the pontificator, the talker, and the hijacker, among others.
Tuesday - October 03, 2017
Marsha Egan joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the difference between someone talking about making things happen and actually accomplishing something.
Marsha Egan joins Jim Blasingame to establish the power of setting deadlines and priorities when you’re making business plans, and to not fear failure.
Ramon Ray joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the possibilities of business disruption, how that would impact your financial stability and how to minimize the damage.
Ramon Ray joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how the “gig economy” works, how participants feel about it and possible negative effects on society.
Ramon Ray joins Jim Blasingame to review some of the elements in the current tax reform proposal, and whether it’s fair for small business.
Cindi Bigelow joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how she feels about being the 3rd generation CEO of a family business, including the influence she has on those around her.
Cindi Bigelow joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how the role of the 21st-century major corporation has changed and whether their current practices are good for the rest of us.
Rick Newman joins Jim Blasingame to debate whether the national anthem controversy for the NFL is going to have a lasting effect on its customers, the fans. Rick says no, Jim says yes.
Rick Newman joins Jim Blasingame to report that Russia did, in fact, conduct significant ad buys on Facebook alone during the 2016 election cycle, which most of it was anti-Clinton, but no indication of Trump collusion.
Rick Newman joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how Congress gets to their tax reform numbers by balancing concession with raising revenue, while Jim points out the corporate and small business top rate should be the same.
Wednesday - October 04, 2017
Ami Kassar joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the greatest dilemma of entrepreneurs is not knowing how much you want to grow and how much risk is comfortable for you.
Ami Kassar joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the dilemma of entrepreneurs who want to grow, but can’t because they don’t understand what is required, especially from a capitalization and organizational standpoint.
Ami Kassar joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that every entrepreneur has a growth tipping point, beyond which they shouldn’t go.
Jim Blasingame reveals the devil in the proposed details for small business tax reform, which indicates a disparity between tax rates for small firms and big ones.
Jim Blasingame reveals how the tax reform numbers are arrived at, and why Congress should not balance the budget on the backs of small business.
Robert Bethel joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the three most important things a business owner should do to keep their business from failing.
Robert Bethel joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that solid, sustained and even profitable growth can still take you down if you don’t understand that growth is not self-funding.
Robert Bethel joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that a dynamic growth plan must include having it executed by your people.
Mark Donnolo joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the compensation of your salesforce must be structured to align with the short, mid and long-term performance goals of the company.
Mark Donnolo joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the first things to do when establishing a sales compensation plan, including knowing what you want to measure, and understanding balanced performance.
Thursday - October 05, 2017
Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the best practices that will help you maintain strong sales through the end of the year, including extreme customer service.
Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to lament the fact that there seems to be a major security breach every month that puts up to millions of people at risk for having their privacy stolen.
Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to discuss whether there will be real tax reform this year, including eliminating the death tax, or just tax rate adjustments.
Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the current tax reform proposal and whether it will be as beneficial for small businesses as it is for big ones.
Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the tax rate numbers proposed by Congress are a balancing act between what they think constituent groups will accept and what they want to keep in Washington.
Clara Villarosa joins Jim Blasingame to tell the story of her life as an executive, entrepreneur, author, mentor and mother.
Clara Villarosa joins Jim Blasingame to reveal, after living 87 years, what she thinks is the key to wise living, including keep moving and keep thinking.
Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that when pricing personal services, you have to think like a business, and not like an employee.
Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss whether men and women price their professional services differently.
Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how conceptual selling will help you get all the answers from a prospect so you don’t tell them your pricing before you’re ready.
Monday - October 09, 2017
Tom Anastasi joins Jim Blasingame to continue his report on the full-length film he’s been making for the past 4 years with all volunteers, and how he turned $20K of expenses into a $6 million production.
Tom Anastasi joins Jim Blasingame to report on his business plan for the full-length indie film he’s produced with all volunteers in the past four years.
Sarah Hiner joins Jim Blasingame to recommend some tips on how to keep employees happy, including recognizing their anniversary with the company, giving them their birthday off, etc.
Sarah Hiner joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the reasons why we need to create a written financial plan, for our business and personal.
Sarah Hiner joins Jim Blasingame to report on new mobile apps from financial companies that help transfer money, plus senior organizations you can join as better alternatives to AARP.
Vicky Oliver joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the ways to handle a bad boss, including trying to understand why they act as they do and seeing if you can make things easier for them.
Vicky Oliver joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to determine if your company has a bad boss, and it’s you, what to do about that.
Deb Calvert joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the difference between enabling your salespeople and ennobling them by discussing the shared values of serving customers.
Deb Calvert joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the first steps to ennoble your sales force, which is to get everyone on the same page regarding what the organization stands for.
Deb Calvert joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that by sharing your vision and allowing your processes to be challenged you ennoble your sales force.
Tuesday - October 10, 2017
Karen Reisman joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the key selling skills you can learn from a cookware salesman at the state fair, including: focus on your customer and overcome objectives.
Karen Reisman joins Jim Blasingame to continue revealing what she learned from a cookware salesman at a state fair, including give something away, tell stories, create an emotional context.
Pam Danziger joins Jim Blasingame to report on what the impact may be now that the two big home-shopping networks have merged.
Pam Danziger joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several reasons why the merger of the two big home-shopping networks don’t have to have a negative impact on Main Street retailers.
Pam Danziger joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the small businesses that will outlast the current consolidation in the big electronic retailers are the ones who create a distinctive brand image.
Jim Blasingame reveals that Naisbitt’s Razor – the more high tech we have, the more high touch we’ll want – must be the foundation of a small business market strategy.
Jim Blasingame joins Jim Blasingame to report on his recent poll of small business owners that indicated the economic expansion had finally reached Main Street, and some reasons why.
Ivan Misner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how most people are surrounded by quality referrals but aren’t taking advantage of them.
Ivan Misner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that there is a language of referrals that we must learn to speak and listen for, that includes a form of listening called the Reticular Activating System.
Ivan Misner joins Jim Blasingame to remind us that cold-calling is dead and actually could create a negative impact on your brand, and how to replace it by practicing the skill of giving and getting referrals.
Wednesday - October 11, 2017
Bryan Mattimore joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the difference between a strategic alliance and other joint ventures, and why this option may be your next growth step.
Bryan Mattimore joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how regular Main Street small businesses can use strategic alliances to expand their reach of capital, talent and other resources.
Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to report on his NFIB Index that shows the small business economy only dropped a little, even in the face of multiple Mother Nature events.
Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to report on his NFIB Index that shows small business elements like sales investing and hiring were all down slightly as a result of the impact of unprecedented storms.
Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to report on the details of the tax reform elements we know, and whether small businesses will be treated as well as corporate America.
Adam Levin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that because of the multiple elements of personal information lost, the Equifax breach is the worst in terms of extreme consumer exposure in history.
Adam Levin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the cyber-criminals are increasingly moving down market, and offers three ways to protect your business.
Rick Maurer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how not being able to get out of our own way, unforced errors, can keep good companies from making necessary adjustments in time to maintain success.
Rick Maurer joins Jim Blasingame to remind that since small businesses have control of their own destiny, there are no excuses for unforced errors that prevent accomplishing necessary adjustments.
Rick Maurer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that by examining a project that isn’t working, you should be able to see what part of that dysfunction is because of organizational, or leadership unforced errors.
Thursday - October 12, 2017
Kita Szpak joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to make the transition from only having time for your business, to finding a way to schedule time for yourself.
Kita Szpak joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the ways to become a more discerning consumer of information, how to separate the signal from the noise.
Cliff Ennico joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that enforcing free speech as an employee depends on which state you live in.
Cliff Ennico joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that employers who want to control political speech in their offices should check with the state law first.
Cliff Ennico joins Jim Blasingame to reveal three practices that will give an employer more control over the political speech in their workplace, including talk with a local attorney, discuss concerns with all employees, and how to take action against offending employees.
Stacey Hanke joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that sometimes, people have to be interrupted, but other times, you should follow more sensitive practices.
Stacey Hanke joins Jim Blasingame to talk about whether there’s a difference between how men and women listen, and therefore, interrupt, and she has some tips for both genders.
Christopher Bishop joins Jim Blasingame to report on what’s considered the key to having happy Millennial employees, including how they view status and values.
Chris Bishop joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the advice given by a Millennial thought-leader on her generation, including, forget the dream job, never stop learning, and get some grit.
Chris Bishop joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that while Quantum Computing is a reality that when ubiquitous, will change the world, but isn’t going to replace digital leverage anytime soon.
Monday - October 16, 2017
Joseph Semprevivo joins Jim Blasingame to tell the story about how he and his family came to create the most successful cookie in QVC history, including mistakes they made.
Joseph Semprevivo joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how a tax cut would benefit his company because he would put all of the money he didn’t send to the government back into his business.
Scott Aurnou joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Russia hack of the NSA by breaching the software of the Russian anti-virus software made by one of its vendors, Kaspersky.
Scott Aurnou joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the fact that U.S. leadership can’t effectively fight our enemies because they’re too busy fighting with the other side of the political aisle – in other words, no leadership.
Scott Aurnou joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the Equifax breach was the most damaging commercial breach because of the breadth of consumer information that was lost.
JoAnna Brandi joins Jim Blasingame to what most employees need, especially Gen Y, to become engaged, which is a positive sense of meaning and accomplishment, and she offers suggestions on how to make this happen.
JoAnna Brandi joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the key elements required to have a workplace with positive energy, including being personally positive, fostering a positive environment, and cut down on the criticism.
Kim Scott joins Jim Blasingame to reveal her thoughts on why being completely candid with peers and direct reports is the best way to seek excellence.
Kim Scott joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how what to expect from multiple generations of people when radical candor is applied in management, especially with Millennials.
Kim Scott joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some tips on how to address unacceptable hygiene and inappropriate dress among your employees.
Tuesday - October 17, 2017
Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that every product or process in your business should be evaluated annually to make sure it’s fulfilling the goals you set up for it when it was new.
Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to build an analysis matrix which can be used to evaluate whether you continue to pursue a product or even a customer, based on their performance.
Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report on the executive order by President Trump which puts in place the ability of individuals and small firms to acquire health care coverage through professional associations.
Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report how President Trump is taking a cue from the courts and dismantling the illegal elements of Obamacare by executive order, thus creating limited duration health care policies, and allowing for new reimbursement arrangements.
Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report on how the recent steps by President Trump have put pressure on Congress to keep working on an Obamacare repeal and replace legislation.
Jim Blasingame reveals that as fear and greed are under assault by digital forces, six other motivators are essentially unchanged.
Jim Blasingame discusses why it’s essential that Americans get back to disagreeing instead of fighting about our differences, which is what our enemies are counting on, and indeed contributing to.
John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several real examples of how people made investment mistakes, like not being liquid enough, or consolidating in one industry.
John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that some people think they’re so smart in one area of business that they can automatically transfer that ability to something completely different.
John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that every business should have documents that can help you recover in the event of the 3 Ds, which are divorce, disability and death.
Wednesday - October 18, 2017
Barbara Friedberg joins Jim Blasingame to explain what an economic cycle looks like, how it occurs and why you should care.
Barbara Friedberg joins Jim Blasingame to report on the position of the U.S. economy in the economic cycle that has been going on for more than a decade.
Barbara Friedberg joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on what to do with your money if there is a correction coming in the stock market, which we all know is coming.
Troy Tate joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the elements of the personal aspect of being a small business owner, beyond whether you can actually run the business.
Troy Tate joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that while personality profile tests provide important information, it’s not enough to determine whether you’re cut out to be a business owner.
Stephen King joins Jim Blasingame to reveal four key areas of management that must be pursued based on analytical data, not your gut or instinct.
Stephen King joins Jim Blasingame to emphasize the essential focus on profitable pricing, why it drives what ultimately happens to your business, and how to do it right.
Stephen King joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the first step to help you fund the investment of a new hire is replacing a low-profit customer with a new, higher profit customer.
Thursday - October 19, 2017
Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what a customer relationship looks like when it’s so bad you should fire that customer and move on.
Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that one of the biggest mistakes a salesperson makes is moving on before it's certain there’s no opportunity, plus forecasting prospects who are still suspects.
Paul Angles join Jim Blasingame to report on a LinkedIn strategy he conducted to see how much his network could be leveraged by making an offer to help his contacts.
Paul Angles join Jim Blasingame to reveal how to avoid cold-calling and other 20th-century prospecting methods by using your LinkedIn network as a way to get face-to-face with a higher level of contact and referrals.
Paul Angles join Jim Blasingame to reveal his new data mining technology and how small businesses should think about aggregating data about their prospects and customers.
Robert Levin joins Jim Blasingame to encourage you to identify ways you can take your offerings to market with the help of digital tools, platforms and strategies.
Robert Levin joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how much digital resources small businesses have to employ in order to meet the expectations of 21st-century customers.
Robert Levin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power of your original content – blog posts, video, etc. – aimed at contributing to customers before they buy.
Monday - October 23, 2017
Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to report on the news from Twitter about why they’re considering doubling their character count from 140 to 280, and how they plan to roll that out.
Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the new elements offered by Facebook, including becoming the go-between you and your favorite take-out joint. Also, why you might not like YouTube’s new algorithms.
Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to report that the social media platforms will help you narrow your advertising focus – all you have to do is give them your customer information – NOT!
Dr. Eric Cole joins Jim Blasingame to report that the Equifax breach is likely 240 million accounts, each of which includes all of your personal and credit information, and why we’re losing the cyber-war.
Dr. Eric Cole joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that we can’t expect the government or big corporations to protect us in the cyber-war, we have to take care of ourselves and offers some tips on how to do that.
Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the concept of digital leverage being the over-arching terms to encompass digital applications, such as artificial intelligence, social media, etc.
Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the term the “Internet of Things” and why as great as the application of it can be, it also carries with it certain exposures.
Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what AI is, how it’s being used, and why it should become even more beneficial when it becomes more human compatible.
Tuesday - October 24, 2017
May McCarthy joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why customers want to know what your business purpose is, besides selling them stuff.
Mary McCarthy joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why demonstrating your company values is critical to help customers believe your business is relevant to them.
Chad Moutray joins Jim Blasingame to report on the many ways the manufacturing sector, and the economy, will benefit from the tax cuts being proposed.
Chad Moutray joins Jim Blasingame to report on the National Association of Manufacturing report that shows its members are optimistic about the future of the economy on many levels.
Chad Moutray joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why more robots could actually create manufacturing jobs in the U.S.
Beverly Flaxington joins Jim Blasingame to talk about her recent visit with Jim and other Brain Trust members, plus why being a professional in sales is different from just trying to sell stuff.
Beverly Flaxington joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why your business must have a sales strategy that drives the goals of your company and funds that essential fundamental, gross profit.
Judith Glaser and Joan Pryde join Jim Blasingame to share their stories about how they were first diagnosed with breast cancer, Joan in 2000 and Judith in 2001.
Judith and Joan join Jim Blasingame to reveal what they had to do in order to beat breast cancer, including their treatment and subsequent follow-up plan.
Judith and Joan join Jim Blasingame to offer advice based on their experience on how to be screened for breast cancer and why regular self-exams are critical.
Wednesday - October 25, 2017
Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the many different resources available to small business startups and owners from the SBA to SBDCs to Chambers of Commerce, use them.
Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the reasons you might not want to spend hundreds of dollars upgrading your smartphone – at least not for a while.
Steve DelBianco joins Jim Blasingame to report the new top domain options, including branded domains like .Amazon, instead of .com, especially when it’s the same name as say, a river in Brazil.
Steve DelBianco joins Jim Blasingame to report on Europes plan to penalize and fine anyone who follows the ICANN “Whois” information and contacts the domain’s administrator.
Chip Bell joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the best way to diffuse a serious customer problem is to have already banked goodwill with that customer that exceeds the problem.
Chip Bell joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that you can make unhappy customers glad again without giving the store away – all it might take is just making a reasonable gesture.
Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to reveal research on how to make some blood tests faster by using acoustical technology to separate blood elements.
Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to discuss that regardless of the cause, the earth seems to be warming and the implications are wide and varied.
Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to report on research that is making meat from cells that can be eaten, and the many implications that could follow.
Thursday - October 26, 2017
Tom Asacker joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that today customers are ruling you in or out based on how they feel about you – your relevance – before they know if you have value to them.
Tom Asacker joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the resistance or ignorance of businesses to adjust to the new paradigm of relevance being more compelling for customers than your value proposition.
Leo Haviland joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the elements in the economy and politics that could cause the current bull market conditions to turn the other way.
Leo Haviland joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the implications for the stock market if there is no tax relief this year, plus the ironic relationship between Wall Street and Main Street.
Leo Haviland joins Jim Blasingame to offer his concerns that market volatility may cause a bumpier ride for the stock market and the economy in 2018.
Jim Blasingame reveals that your operating cash is different from your business capital, and how to treat both so you can make them last longer.
Jim Blasingame talks about how ladies especially should be more careful as they use public conveyance technology, and how to ask for chivalry from men you know, and how to accept it when it’s offered.
Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to report on the progress toward regulatory reform that President Trump has produced and should get credit for.
Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the small business elements of the current tax reform debate and whether we’ll get a bill this year.
Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to offer the three ways President Trump is taking executive steps to put pressure on Congress to make health care laws that end Obamacare once and for all.
Monday - October 30, 2017
Chester Elton joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what “soft skills” look like when managing people, and why they’re important to achieve a culture of positivity.
Chester Elton joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how assuming the best in people results directly in a higher-performing organization, plus when to offer a compliment for performance.
Debbie Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that some people who recommend products on social media are actually being paid to shill for that company.
Debbie Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to report that even on social media, we have to know who our specific audience is just like when using traditional marketing.
Debbie Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to report that social media marketing is different from traditional marketing in that it’s more difficult to accomplish a call to action ROI.
Janet Christy joins Jim Blasingame to report on how small businesses can learn about how to know and understand customers from doing business with big firms.
Janet Christy joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that if you want to become a world-class business, watch how big companies conduct themselves when you try to do business with them.
Janice Kephart joins Jim Blasingame to report on what she learned during the Homeland Security Week event, which brought together experts, vendors and policymakers.
Janice Kephart joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the bio-metric technology innovations that she saw during the Homeland Security Week event, and how they will help keep us and our first responders safe.
Janice Kephart joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that we have a great deal to be concerned about regarding cyber-security, and that it will likely be a big part of the next battleground.
Tuesday - October 31, 2017
Bill Schley joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what a microscript is, and why it should be very short and very intuitive.
Bill Schley joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power of what he calls microscripts, how to create and use them.
Dawn Fotopulos joins Jim Blasingame to report on how she’s helping inner-city communities learn about business and why they must make a profit.
Dawn Fotopulos joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how profit and cash work in your business, how to create both, and what happens if you don’t have enough of one or the other.
Dawn Fotopulos joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why proper profitable pricing is essential to your business survival, including how to create margin, not just markup.
Ed Harrington joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why we might be our own worst stumbling block when it comes to taking your business to the next level.
Ed Harrington joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that when organizations are capable of laughing at itself, it has a greater potential to not become hidebound.
Jim Canterucci joins Jim Blasingame to compare a self-driving car to the possibility of a self-driving employee, including what is the essence of both.
Jim Canterucci joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the ways to hire, train and motivate self-driving employees, which look like they’re taking ownership and demonstrating leadership.
Jim Canterucci joins Jim Blasingame to ask whether every employee can be a self-driver, and the assumptions that are part of a self-driving culture.
