Maximize with your Most Profitable Customers

Introducing Aaron Vidas and Strategy Box

Aaron Vidas is an advisor who works with tech companies, professional service firms, social enterprises, and B2B companies. In his former career as a marketing manager and sales person, he was often wondering what type of customer should he target to be the most profitable. He answers this question with his new B Corp Company, Strategy Box, which clarifies which customers and opportunities are of most value. Check out this week’s Boiling Point to see how you could be making more profit off of fewer customers.

In this episode

• We hear about how Greg met Aaron at a B Corp Champions retreat in Portland, Oregon.
• Aaron explains how his system helps companies find higher value opportunities.
• Aaron tells us 80% of results come from 20% of your actions in brick and mortar businesses, and even higher ratios for Internet based companies.
• Aaron tells us about an experience in his past where he thrived after he fired two clients that made up 2/3 of his business.
• We discuss the hard step of making a decision not to work with a client that is not willing to pay you what you are worth.
• Greg and Dave suggest we should take a look of how much unpaid work your team puts toward any project.

Links

- StrategyBox Website

- Aaron Vidas' Website

- How to Find your Most Profitable Customer Ebook

- Strategy Box Blog

Keep your Investment in your Community

Introducing Andy MacCallum

Investors are always out looking for the ability to make more money from their current money. However, more often then not the money is being invested into multi-national companies or in far away places. What if you could make money AND impact locally? You might be able to do just that.

Andy MacCallum is the vice president of development for Natural Forces Wind Inc., a company that develops, constructs, and operates wind farms in the Maritimes and BC. Through the use of a community economic development investment fund (CEDIF) called Wind4All, his company allows for investment to in local wind farms. The program allows for a 14% return on investment through dividends and tax credits while aiding the government to reach better renewable energy rates. This means you don’t only help out your own pocket book, but also the environment. Natural Forces Wind Inc. sets up the investment so that it is minimal risk, as the majority of money is not spent until the project has been “de-risked”.

Check out this week’s Boiling Point to find out how you could make money by helping your community.

In this episode

• Andy tells us about Natural Forces Wind and the projects it has already taken on.
• We learn the difference between community scale vs. industrial wind farm investments.
• Andy tells us about the exponential growth in Canada’s wind farm market.
• Andy also explains CEDIFs and how they work.
• He tells us about how Wind4All is different than other CEDIFs.
• He also tells Nova Scotians about an upcoming opportunity to invest.
• Greg is inspired by how investors can make money and impact locally.
• Dave sees a wild west of investment opportunities at home.

Links

- Andy MacCallum on Linked In

- Wind4All

- Natural Forces Wind Inc.

Sharing your Most Powerful Tools… your Stories

Introducing Dan Martell

The ability to connect with others by expressing your experiences and lessons learned are often the most powerful gift you can give to someone else. Learning from others experiences can rocket you past your current issues and help you avoid other “pot holes”. Dan Martell is a man who has built a reputation and businesses through his ability to be vulnerable and honest.

Dan didn’t have the easiest childhood. He was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager and dealt with anger issues as well.   He was taken out of his home as a young person, moved back and forth between foster and group homes, and spent two trips to jail. At one point, he was involved in a high-speed chase with police and crashed a stolen car into a house and attempted to take his own life. After sobering up, Dan knew he had to take a different approach to his life and promised himself that he would never waste another day of his life.

Since that time, Dan discovered computer programming, built five tech companies, and raised venture capital twice. He has sold three of his companies to investors like Mark Cuban, spent time with Richard Branson, and invested in 30+ tech start-ups. After selling his most recent company, Clarity.fm, Dan decided to take his next step in sharing his experiences and stories with the world in a YouTube channel built for current and aspiring entrepreneurs.

In this episode

• Dan tells us how a turbulent upbringing came to a head and made him change the way he was living his life.
• We learn how his drive pushed him to start numerous companies and helped entrepreneurs connect with each other.
• He tells us his inspiration for his new YouTube venture that has him sharing his beliefs, ideas, frameworks and strategies (both personal and professional).
• We learn why Dan jumps into things headfirst.
• Dan gives us his definition of “hustle” and how anxiety can be a great barometer.
• We learn why Dan decided to start sharing the story about his youth.
• Dan also tells us that success has nothing to do with nature vs. nurture, but it is self-made.
• Dave admires Dan’s energy, passion, and the authentic leadership that Dan has that allows for vulnerability and sharing.
• Greg believes it is important for us all to be vulnerable and share our stories and notes that you don’t have to have a crisis point in your life in order to achieve great things.

Links

- Dan Martell's Website

- Dan Martell's Twitter

- Dan Martell's Linked In

- Clarity.fm

- Dan Martell's YouTube

Get your Message Out There

Introducing Kim Houlahhan

Entrepreneurs who own small or medium sized businesses work hard everyday in order to gain or maintain success. There is a lot of hard work and many hours put forth toward their business. Often these businesspeople need to spend so much work on the “day-to-day” work of their business that the important job of building relationships with current and potential customers and spreading their stories and message get pushed to the backburner. However, the marketing efforts of any business are an important part of what keeps the entire machine running. 

So how do you find the extra time to connect with your community? By finding someone like Kim Houlahan from the Houlahan Group. The Houlahan Group is a communication and marketing company that acts as a virtual marketing department for small to medium sized businesses. These days everyone has the tools to market their business right on their desk, however it is a matter of what you do, how often you do it, and how effective your marketing is. Like Kim notes, everyone has an oven in their kitchen but not all of us can cook. Kim helps companies by giving the ability to have great content consistently that engages people and builds their trust. Learn some of her strategies in this episode of the Boiling Point.

In this episode 

• Kim gets ambushed into an interview with Greg and Dave.
• We hear the great marketing that Kim is doing with Dave at Vision Coaching.
• Kim discusses how a business like hers actually keeps people accountable to their own goals.
• We hear how consistency and great content are the best ways to market your brand.
• Kim discourages an over-monitoring of your marketing stats as being consistent and good will build your stats.
• There is a discussion of how people do business with the people they trust and how your content can build that trust.
• Dave and Kim discuss how they come up with content for Dave’s Fresh Ideas newsletter.
• Greg reiterates the importance of telling and retelling your story and notes that just because you have access to marketing tools doesn’t mean you don’t need assistance with it.
• Dave mentions how missing your opportunity to tell your story for even one month means you are missing the opportunity to connect.

Links

- The Houlahan Group website

- The Houlahan Group Linked In

- Kim Houlahan on Twitter

- Vision Coaching website

- Fresh Ideas Newsletter

- Greg's Blog on Medium