Clearing Obstacles

Episode 11 - Go Big Island Life

“If you're always distracted by going from one thing to the next, to the next, you'll never get enough traction to be able to share the gifts of this profoundly successful real estate agency,” explains host Dan. With entrepreneurs, there is never a shortage of good ideas. The hard part is reigning those ideas in, and staying focused on your actual overall goal. Today, host Dan is joined by Gretchen and Bobby Harttown, the owners and operators of Go Big Island Life, a real estate agency in Hawaii to discuss the obstacles that are keeping them from maximizing their potential.
 
Gretchen and Bobby’s goal with their business is to make a big impact within their community. Where they are struggling currently is with the ability to focus and keep one another accountable. Dan suggests that they find a group or a coach that can provide a more objective perspective and help them stay more accountable to their commitments. When asked what their 3 year vision is for the agency, Gretchen and Bobby did not have an exact idea of this vision, nor a written plan for how to get them there. Dan explained that their first step would be to get aligned on their vision for the business and learn how to say ‘no’ to the ideas that are not worth their time and energy. 
 
Next Actions:
• Consider bringing in a freelancer or part time employee who can do technician & logistical work, specifically, to free up 5 hours (or more!) per week for their schedule.
• Isolate the parts of their marketing strategy that work best for them and put more of the resources toward those. Say no to distractions and stay focused on the goal.
• Identify your ideal customer and pre-qualify people early on through psychographics and demographics of your prospects.
 
Quotes
• “By not maximizing your potential, you're also not able to serve or help as many people as you otherwise could.” (0:26 | Dan) 
• “How we get there is as important to where and when we get there for us.” (11:00 | Bobby)
• “One of the things that we've been talking about as far as our marketing is to be really impactful in the community.” (14:30 | Gretchen)
• “Find a group or a coach or somebody that can hold your feet to the fire and pin you down on your commitments and then support you in achieving those commitments.” (27:10 | Dan)
• “If you're always distracted by going from one thing to the next, to the next, you'll never get enough traction to be able to share the gifts of this profoundly successful real estate agency.” (32:48 | Dan)
• “In not honing your ability and having the discipline, the focus to say no to those things that are not worth your time, you're denying those who will be worthy of saying yes to because you're too distracted.” (1:18:33 | Dan)
 
Links
Connect with Gretchen & Bobby Harttown:
Website: Gobigislandlife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gobigislandlife/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gobigisland/
Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
 
Clearing Obstacles: The Customer Journey
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 10 - Adam Smolak

“One thing I have learned is just to go slow, and build the systems as we go,” shares Adam Smolak, founder and owner of Entity EcoTherapy. While Adam does have a systems implementation plan in place and knows what needs to be done for his business to scale successfully, he still finds himself struggling with overwhelm from wearing so many hats as an entrepreneur. Today, host Dan is joined by Adam to discuss the next steps required for him to reduce that overwhelm and reach his business goals by his August 2024 deadline. 
 
Being the President, Owner, CEO, CFO and staff manager all rolled into one can quickly become overwhelming. Adam knows that to sustain his business and have the freedom he wants for spending time with his family, he will need to hire more specialized staff such as a support coordinator and a participant coordinator. His operations manual is around 85% complete and from Dan’s suggestion, Adam is going to mark time on his calendar for continually revising and improving the manual. Dan shares that the best way to handle overwhelm is to reduce the uncertainty by setting realistic timelines for each step with buffer room, delegating tasks out, and designing his systems in reverse order.
 
Next Actions
• Make a list of what is missing from each of your systems. In Adam’s case these are his operations manual, his onboarding manual and his hiring manual.
• Design the systems required in reverse order. This way you will not have to play as much catch up down the line.
• Play Tetris with the tasks for each system by assigning staff and resources based on priority. Outline what each staff member is responsible for and set up a timeline with enough buffer room.
 
Quotes
• “Overload means there's too much on your plate. Overwhelm means your relationship to that overload is dysfunctional.” (15:38-15:44 | Dan)
• “I probably do get overwhelmed because there is a sheer amount of work. However, not all that work has to be done at once. So I prioritize those things. At the same time, I do know that I will have to introduce new staff members to help me.” (17:00-17:16 | Adam)
• “Before you grow, make sure you've got functionality within the business, otherwise you just scale dysfunction.” (17:41-17:47 | Dan)
• “One thing I have learned is just to go slow, and build the systems as we go.” (18:23-18:30 | Adam)
• “There's a pattern with myself where I get really uncomfortable  and I'm forced to do things. And that's when the business grows the most.” (28:25-28:35 | Adam) 
• “If we were doing work together on a client call right now, Adam, I would say pull open your calendar right now, and isolate two or three days where you can dedicate to those revisions… This is the reverse engineering process when it comes to time, money and people, resources. So it doesn't catch you by surprise.” (34:54-35:31 | Dan) 
 
Links
Connect with Adam Smolak:
Website: www.entityecotherapy.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091285465126
Clearing Obstacles:
clearingobstacles.com
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 9 - Steph & Co.

“Start with what's most imperative for your life, that essential purpose. And then let's build a business that we can make sure fits that,” explains host Dan. Today, Dan is joined by the co-founders of Steph & Co, Jeffrey and Stephanie Chapman, to discuss the next steps for their business after scaling down and modifying this past year, as well as take a look at redesigning their KPI scorecard to include both trackable data and intangible or emotional KPIs. 
 
In 2022, Jeffrey and Steph rebranded their business from Clay by Steph to Steph and Co, moving operations to Nashville from California, and downsizing the team back to just the two of them. They also began a transition to working with less labor intensive materials to make their jewelry products. Instead of working their lives around their business, they wanted to start putting higher priority on their family and home life after the birth of their youngest child. Although the brand was successful before the changes, these value-based decisions ensure that the rebranded business will fit in better with Steph and Jeff’s lives. 
 
Next Actions:
• Switch the sequencing. Instead of building your life around your business, build your business around the life that you want to have.
• Some KPIs are not just numbers and business data. Emotional KPIs like how you feel each day about your business are just as important to keep in mind when making decisions.
• Measure your business against the three pillars of relationships, expectations, and balance.
 
Quotes
• “Start with what's most imperative for your life, that essential purpose. And then let's build a business that we can make sure fits that.” (0:25-0:33 | Dan)
• “Our long term vision for the company was always to make it less labor intensive than it was.” (9:10-9:15 | Jeffrey) 
• “We rebranded the company early 2022, as a step towards giving us the flexibility in the long run of leveraging some more of these products that we are offering that might not require so much overhead in the transition period.” (9:44-9:56 | Jeffrey)
• “Economy changing was one factor, and seeing numbers start to drop, that are KPIs that we've been tracking for a while, and trying to figure out what inputs were causing that.” (13:38-13:47 | Jeffrey)
 
Links
Connect with Jeffrey and Stephanie Chapman:
Website:  shopstephandco.com
 
Clearing Obstacles:  clearingobstacles.com
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 8 - Nick Lawler

“Critical thinking is impossible without imagination. So, thinking is a creative process,” explains Nick Lawler, founder and CEO of Sukha Business Coaching, which offers business coaching, research services, and consultancy. Today, Nick joins host Dan to talk about critical thinking and why it is important for business owners. He shares six steps that critical thinking entails as well as actionable tasks you can take to begin creating a work culture that encourages curiosity, creativity, and thinking critically. 
 
One of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs is allowing their own limited thinking to get in the way of achieving their goals. In order to clear that obstacle, business owners must learn how to think critically and be more mindful of their process and approach to solving problems. Instead of just running on autopilot and continuing to be blocked by blind spots in your thinking patterns, try writing down the best question you can think of. Then, gather evidence based data, check the validity of that data, and collaborate with others who can see around your blind spots and give their feedback. 
 
Next Actions:
• Create a space and a structure to give yourself room for thinking critically. Be mindful of which places allow for the space and structure that you need such as while in the shower, walking the dog, gardening, or reading. 
• Start writing down the questions and ideas you think of. Make your question as specific and clear as possible.
• Get feedback on your written ideas through collaboration. This will help you to see around your blind spots. 
 
Quotes
• “The biggest obstacle we face that we need to clear is how our limited thinking stops us achieving the goals we want to achieve.” (7:40-7:50 | Nick) 
• “Make the question small enough to be specific and make the question small enough that you have a good chance of being able to answer it clearly.” (25:42-25:55 | Nick)
• “Don't do your thinking before you do your writing. Start writing, because that's what will help your thinking.” (33:35-33:41 | Nick)
• “Critical thinking is impossible without imagination. So, thinking is a creative process.” (37:53-38:00 | Nick)
• “Create some space and some structure that gives you thinking time.” (43:33-43:38 | Nick) 
 
Links
 
Connect with Nick Lawler:
Website: https://www.sukhayoga.co.uk
 
Clearing Obstacles:
Website:clearingobstacles.com 
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 7 - Chad Davis

“Trusting other people to do it right has always been my struggle. And I have to remind myself, I can't go over there and try to fix this problem. They’ve got to figure it out for themselves,” explains Chad Davis, CEO of All American Landscape. Today, Chad joins co-hosts Matt and Dan to discuss the obstacles that he needs to clear in order to reach his goals of growing the maintenance side of his business.
 
Chad loves being involved in the larger installation projects, but is not nearly as fond of doing the sales and administrative side of the business. Even though he has employees working on the installs, he finds himself tempted to work on-site himself and struggles with trusting others to do things correctly. In order to continue growing the business and have more time available to spend with his wife and children, he needs to focus more on the management side of things. While talking with Matt and Dan, Chad realized that the business processes and specific job title expectations are not written down. By blocking out spots on his calendar for strategic work and making a commitment to that investment of his time, he can create set Role Foundations so that each employee is clear on what is expected of them.
 
Next Actions
• Determine your vacation time and put it on your calendar as a set goal line.
• Block out a minimum of 5 hours a week (even if it’s in 1 hour increments) on your calendar for strategic work.
• Create Role Foundations by identifying the expectations for each specific role within the company, including the standards expected.
 
Quotes
• “I used to do all of it. I’d do the sales, make sure it's installed right. Do all of that. It just was too much.” (9:41-9:50 | Chad)
• “That's another reason I brought the maintenance department in. You can't sell a company like mine without some kind of constant revenue stream that you can say on paper.” (10:45-10:53 | Chad) 
• “Five year goals would be just more than doubling the size of the maintenance part. I don't think I want to grow too much more on the installation side.” (12:55-13:07 | Chad)
• “I don't chase the money. I want to make a good living. I want it to be worth money, but there's a certain point where quality of life is no longer worth the amount of money that I make.” (14:01-14:12 | Chad)
• “Trusting other people to do it right has always been my struggle. And I have to remind myself, I can't go over there and try to fix this problem. They’ve got to figure it out for themselves.” (20:09-20:20 | Chad)
 
Links
Traction, by Gino Wickman: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/
E-Myth Mastery, by Michael Gerber: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Mastery-Essential-Disciplines-World-Class/dp/0060723238/
Connect with Chad Davis:
Website: aalandscapeandstone.com
 
Clearing Obstacles:
Website: clearingobstacles.com 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 6 - Lisa Furilla

“I feel like I can learn from everybody I meet. And I allow my management, my employees, everybody to be involved with a lot of the decision making that we do,” shares Lisa Furilla, owner of Practically Perfect Day Spa and Salon. Today, Lisa joins co-hosts Matt and Dan to set an action plan for how to navigate the obstacles she is facing with opening a med spa addition to her business..
 
Lisa has been in business for nearly 13 years and attributes her success to employee management and having a fantastic tribe, many of whom have been with her for more than 10 years. She has a strong passion for her employees and explains that one of her main obstacles is handling those employees who are not aligned with her vision for the business. Since Lisa does not have her vision and core values written down and clarified, it is currently not scalable and difficult to enforce. Additionally, she struggles with ensuring that her employees are following all processes properly and adhering to every safety standard. Doing this sometimes causes Lisa to feel like she is micromanaging. Dan explains that in actuality she is micromanaging the processes, not the employees because safety is a huge requirement for the beauty industry. In order for Lisa to successfully open the med spa, she will need to write out her vision and incorporate her values into an everyday shared ethos, so that those values and their aligned behaviors can be scaled and be present even when she is not.
 
Next Actions
• Write out the vision. Get those ideas, dreams, and values well-documented. That clarifies it for you, for your team, and then provides you with a mechanism to help correct that behavior or departure from your intended vision or values. And then it also has the potential to become scalable.
• Micromanaging the processes as the new business gets underway, so you can avoid the compulsion to micromanage the people.
• Keep the Values alive by incorporating them into everyday ethos and conversations, so they are not merely forgotten platitudes.
 
Quotes
• “It's never been about money for me. It's always been about just enjoying the people around me. I think that makes a big difference.” (5:12-5:22 | Lisa)
• “The beauty industry is constantly changing, and there's always something new out there. So just never getting stuck in your ways, always knowing you have to grow, I think that's kind of what sets us apart.” (5:32-5:45 | Lisa)
• “I feel like I can learn from everybody I meet. And I allow my management, my employees, and everybody to be involved with a lot of the decision making that we do.” (10:56-11:09 | Lisa)
• “You could bring me in a gazillion dollars, but if you are messing up the whole morale of the place, you’ve got to go.” (14:11-14:18 | Lisa) 
• “I want people to feel at ease around everyone that works in our place. Your attitude and the way you present yourself is a big deal.” (24:17-24:29 | Lisa)
• “There might be some room to micromanage the processes, so you don't have to micromanage the people, right? If you can be really precise in all the protocols and safety measures and hygienic and aesthetic, and those processes are so meticulously crafted, people won't feel micromanaged as much as the processes are being micromanaged, again, out of necessity, because of the nature of what your industry is.” (36:58-37:26 | Dan)
 
Links
www.Practicallyperfectdayspa.com  https://linktr.ee/practicallyperfectdayspa?fbclid=PAAaaIv5bQdfzYnIrLObYFUoc-,
clearingobstacles.com
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 5 - Patrick DeBuff

“I'm great at installing closets, hanging blinds, that kind of stuff. But when you get into the weeds with books and employees and management, that's where I think guys like me struggle,” explains Patrick DeBuff, owner of The Closet Guy, a custom closet company. Today, Patrick joins co-hosts Dan and Matt to talk about the obstacles he is facing with growing his company and to set an action plan for applying the lessons he has learned in his coaching with Matt.
 
Patrick is quick to recognize that his competitive nature and passion for doing a job quickly and perfectly can be both good and bad for business. He finds that he does not always have time to work on employee management tasks because he is continually putting himself back into a technician role. Additionally, the lack of a written employee manual leaves room for misinterpretation and without clarity his employees are more likely to interrupt him with questions. In order for Patrick to not leave money on the table and open up more opportunities for his business, he will need to step back even more from a technician role and fully step into his role as a leader. 
 
Next Actions
When you interact with your employees, you are establishing an expectation for what is appropriate. Set boundaries early on so that you and your employees are being treated the way you want to be treated. Make time for managerial work and be firm with your employees about not interrupting that time. Chunk down employee management tasks into more feasible steps in order to stay on track. 
• Establish communication expectations for you and your team
• Set aside time specifically for coaching and business work
• Chunk down the strategic work that needs to be done into baby steps
 
Quotes
• “I'm great at installing closets, hanging blinds, that kind of stuff. But when you get into the weeds with books and employees and management and that kind of stuff, that's where I think guys like me struggle.” (4:34-4:45 | Patrick)
• “Nothing hurts my feelings more than a dissatisfied customer.” (5:06-5:08 | Patrick)
• “There's nothing really written down. I show them how to do it, and that's how they do it. And that does obviously leave room for interpretation, because I can't show them every situation.” (16:47-16:59 | Patrick)
• “It's a struggle trying to not want to go in there and do it yourself, and fix it, and make it perfect yourself.” (20:49-20:54 | Patrick) 
• “If I go do 4 or 5 sets of 12 reps of an exercise, all I'm going to see is my inability to walk without a limp tomorrow. That's the immediate result of that, and there's nothing fun about that. I have to understand what the long game is. But if I keep doing that I'm going to see the final results that I'm looking for." (45:11-45:35 | Dan)
 
Links
Clearing Obstacles - clearingobstacles.com 
Episode 5 RX - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ia_R2MRSXcMw4AMMEmwYqLDNTqxj8DxL?usp=share_link , BlindSide Window Coverings - https://blindsmissoula.com/
The Closet Guy - https://www.closetguy.com/
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 4 - Post-Game Riff (Andrew Kinkler)

“If you have a frustration or a problem that you're experiencing, that's more than likely not the problem itself, that actually is just a symptom of the problem,” explains host Dan Kent. Today, Dan and co-host Matt Pierce get together for a post game riff to talk about takeaways from their coaching session with Andrew Kinkler. For context, check out Episode 2 where Dan and Matt speak with Andrew about the obstacles getting in the way of his business goals. 
 
Much of what was actually holding Andrew back came down to time management and self-accountability. He often found himself “fighting fires” of moment-to-moment business challenges, instead of sticking to his actual plans for the day. This caused his actions to be misaligned with his values and also caused his business to suffer when time was being spent on the wrong things. Andrew was lacking financial clarity and accountability to a time budget. And without these things, it would be difficult to standardize processes and implement systems that could help his business run more smoothly. 
 
How someone structures their day typically comes down to motivation. And that motivation has to be grounded in the things that you value the most and are supremely aligned with your best self. If you are not motivated and not taking accountability for your actions, you will end up spending your time on the wrong things and getting in your own way. 
 
Quotes
• “It's just as much as checking in to see how your plan is going, and then also checking in with yourself about how well you stick to it.” (15:25-15:31 | Matt)
• “If you have a frustration or a problem that you're experiencing, that's more than likely not the problem itself. It is actually just a symptom of the problem.” (17:31-17:41 | Dan)
• “How you structure your day hinges very much upon how motivated you are or are not to do the things that you probably should be doing.” (20:44-20:55 | Dan) 
• “There are certain decisions that need to be made about creating those systems and standardizing things and maybe even getting somebody to do some of that work that really couldn't be addressed without the financial clarity that was required.” (28:04-28:18 | Dan)
 
Links
Website: Clearingobstacles.com
Best Self Coaching: Bestself.coach
Matt’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/the_owners_coach/
Basic Time Budget Calculation Template: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uugP0PCxpssDuEnR28e-n4s1EL8FPeoG?usp=share_link 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 3 - Your Financial Dashboard

“We need to be able to make informed decisions on a regular basis, so you need to have a high level familiarity with everything going on in your finances without doing a deep dive anytime you just need some simple information,” explains Dan Kent, host and owner of Best Self Coaching. Today, Dan shares best practices for creating your own financial dashboard, so that you can make better informed decisions about your business finances.
A financial dashboard is a customizable way to easily see all of your financial indicators at a glance. It works similarly to a dashboard on a car, you’ll be able to see just the data you actually need rather than getting overwhelmed by extraneous information. Dan provides a free downloadable template to get you started that requires nothing more than a basic knowledge of Excel. Once you populate the information for the spreadsheet, you will just need to review it monthly for accuracy.
 
Next Actions:
Being able to easily access your financial indicators will allow you to make better informed and more strategic decisions. The complexity of finances can be a difficult obstacle to navigate, but when you have a dashboard at your fingertips there is less potential for overwhelm. 
• Download the free template from the Google Drive link below.
• Fill in your revenue as the first data point.
• Next, add your cost of goods sold and your gross profit (revenue minus cost of goods sold).
• Add total expenses and then net profit
• Calculate the net profit margin (net profit divided by gross revenue)
• Consider including indicators like payroll to revenue ratio, accounts receivable, and accounts payable
 
To go deeper into this episode’s “Next Actions”, take a listen to the episode where we explore it even further.
 
Quotes
• “If you don't have a reliable mechanism and a consistent system to make informed and strategic decisions related to your finances, then you're going to find yourself stuck.” (2:59-3:10 | Dan)
• “Consider a financial dashboard not unlike the dashboard on your car.” (4:20-4:23 | Dan) 
• “The very first thing that almost every business owner is going to be looking at is their revenue.” (8:52-8:56 | Dan)
• “We need to be able to make informed decisions on a regular basis, so you need to have a kind of high level familiarity with everything going on in your financials without doing a deep dive anytime you just need some simple information.” (22:04-22:21 | Dan)
Connect with Dan Kent:
Website: clearingobstacles.com
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/117J2FIQ6AFIYQXw73lLqeL25HmTGJe7o?usp=share_link (Assets discussed in the episode) 
Best Self Coaching: bestself.coach
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 2 - Andrew Kinkler

“We're not clear on our future. We don't have that goal, and we're just doing the busy work. It just goes back to a very basic but powerful concept of, ‘you’ve got to keep your vision in mind’,” shares Andrew Kinkler, owner and CEO of Apex Property Care. Apex provides all the backend management for properties including cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, maintenance, subcontractor management, and private home management. Today, Andrew joins hosts Dan and Matt to talk about the importance of following a time budget and not getting so caught up putting out fires.
 
Putting out fires is not a strategy. Andrew realized he was frequently being pulled away from important tasks to put out fires. This caused him to expend resources on the wrong tasks and ultimately fall behind. As Matt explains in his skiing analogy, it is important to not just look down at your feet, but instead to look five to seven moguls ahead. In his coaching with Dan and Matt, Andrew recognized the importance of being clear on his goal for the future. By having a clear goal and staying focused on his values, he is able to create and stick to a time budget rather than just bouncing from fire to fire. 
 
Next Actions:
Establish your Vision and higher purpose for your life, and always keep it in front of you. The small but significant actions you can take in your business will lead to direct results that will help it serve your life - as it should.
• Vision clarifies the Goals. 
• Goals clarify the Plans. 
• Plans clarify the next Actions. 
• Get moving on those next actions, and you’ll see the difference in the short-term and the long-term.
• Create a time-budget if you find yourself in a consistent time deficit.
 
To go deeper into this episode’s “Next Actions”, take a listen to the episode where we do a break-down, and explore it even further.
Quotes
• “If I don't put out this fire, there's going to be short-term pain that could lead to long-term pain.” (50:01-50:06 | Andrew)
• “You're looking down at your skis. Look five to seven moguls ahead of you.” (58:56-59:00 | Matt)
• “Whether it's time and attention or money, if you don't have that visibility of what's coming up, you're going to blow through your budget.” (1:00:56-1:01:04 | Matt) 
• “If you're not precise with the problem, you're going to start solving the problem and it's going to be the wrong one. And now you're actually two steps behind, because you expended those resources solving the wrong sh*t and that’s not useful.” (1:03:43-1:03:51 | Dan)
• “We're not clear on our future. We don't have that goal, and we're just doing the busy work. It just goes back to a very basic but powerful concept of, ‘you’ve got to keep your vision in mind’.” (1:14:05-1:14:22 | Andrew)
 
Connect with Andrew Kinkler:
https://www.apexsteamboat.com/
 
Other resources from Episode 2:Podcast Resources - www.clearingobstacles.com
Coach Dan Kent - https://bestself.coach/
Coach Matt Pierce - IG: @the_owners_coach, matt@ownerscoach.biz
Book: Willpower Doesn’t Work by Ben Hardy
Link to the Expanded “Next Actions”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ICbZP0tYWBHceoyDIQ1cQzUDspkmddwR?usp=share_link
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm