Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss a variety of topics, starting with the expansion of Spirit Halloween stores into the Christmas season with Spirit Christmas, highlighting the pop-up retail model’s risk-managed approach. They then dive into Michael Girdley’s list of “11 tells of successful people,” exploring traits like clarity of speech, the ability to take action, and a willingness to take risks and be introspective. Shannon shares his own experiences with entrepreneurial challenges, including a software business failure that led to a successful book.

The hosts also emphasize the importance of unfailing self-belief and optimism while discussing how successful people make hard tasks look easy and seek to align compensation with their contributions. The episode includes a sponsorship message from Shopify, underscoring its role in helping entrepreneurs sell products effectively.

• 00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #591 for Casual Friday, October 18th, 2024
  • October 18th: National Necktie Day
• 00:01:19 Spirit Halloween stays open with a new sign...Spirit Christmas!
• 00:04:11 SPONSOR: Shopify – For anyone to sell anywhere, sign up for a one-dollar-per month trial period at Shopify.com/BusinessBrain and upgrade your selling today!
• 00:06:21 Michael Girdley-11 Tells of Successful People
  • Clarity of speech
  • Two Marshmallow Thinkers
  • Cheap Cars
  • Introspective by Nature
  • Bias to action
  • Super responsive
  • Make hard things look easy
  • Intellectual honesty
  • Game selection
  • Want to be compensated for contribution
  • Unfailing self-belief and optimism
• 00:18:15 Being able to frame your failures
• 00:20:01 BB 591 Outtro
  • Subscribe to the show
  • [email protected]
  • Call/Text: (567) 274-6977
  • X/Twitter: @ShannonJean & @DaveHamilton, & @BizBrainShow
  • LinkedIn: Shannon Jean, Dave Hamilton, & Business Brain
  • Facebook: Dave Hamilton, Shannon Jean, & Business Brain

The post “Tells” of Successful People – Business Brain 591 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Are Podcasts a good marketing tool for your Small Business? Can you connect with your customers on a different level by hosting your own Podcast and if so, how do you get started? Join us today on this episode of the Small Business Show to find out about this topic and more.

Podcasts are increasingly popular. Over 51% of the US population has listened to a Podcast and 31% of the population have listened to a Podcast in the last month. 62 million people listen to Podcasts each week. One of the key aspects of Podcast success is the niche audience. There are over 750,000 Podcasts out there with most covering very specific topics.

You know we believe that the riches are in the niches. A Podcast is a new way to connect with your existing and potential customers – not everyone has time to read your blog posts, and not everyone is following you on social media. Join us today and hear your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss how to get started, what topics to discuss and much more.

Listen in and then join us at the Small Business Show support group to ask questions and to share your own tips.

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #228 for Wednesday, June 19, 2019
• 00:01:35 Beginner’s Mind
  • Edison’s Podcast Research
  • Tom Webster at Edison Research
• 00:03:27 The Business of Podcasting vs. Adding Podcasting to Your Business
• 00:05:39 Podcasting, a new way to connect with your existing audience
• 00:07:26 A co-host as a consistency partner
• 00:10:02 Your podcast adds authenticity to your business
• 00:12:09 Share your stories
• 00:13:51 Wrangle your schedule with seasons
• 00:15:12 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if there’s a board seat available in your area!
• 00:17:08 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year
• 00:18:42 Talk about your history and your team
• 00:20:55 Shannon-On-The-Spot
  • Rebound on Poshmark
• 00:23:19 Make sure to do video
• 00:24:35 Just get started!
• 00:25:31 Podcasting is your safe place
• 00:27:06 Please leave us a review! businessshow.co/review
• 00:27:55 GG 228 Outtro
• Links mentioned in this episode:

How to Start a Podcast
Podcasting for Beginners
An Insiders Guide to Podcasting

The post Using a Podcast as a Marketing Tool – Small Business Show 228 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Join us in this episode as we explore the benefits of taking breaks to recharge, share our own travel experiences, and the value of disconnecting from work tasks. We emphasize effective time management and integrating events into schedules to prevent monotony.

Additionally, we delve into the significance of emails in business operations, emphasizing the importance of a strong email strategy and impactful newsletters. We discuss leveraging AI tools like Grammarly and structuring newsletters effectively to cater to subscriber preferences.

Furthermore, we provide tips for creating engaging newsletter content, including humor, anecdotes, and emojis in subject lines for brand recognition. We stress aligning content with subscribers’ interests and encouraging feedback to enhance our content.

• 00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #528 for Wednesday, February 28th, 2024
  • February 28: National Time Refund Day
• 00:01:32 Sitting around for a change
• 00:06:21 SPONSOR: Squared Away empowers highly-educated military spouses to become trusted remote executive assistants, all working on US hours.
• 00:08:05 Email is King!
• 00:09:34 What Makes a Good Company Newsletter
  • Value your readers’ time
  • Start with the TLDR
  • Shannon’s Monologue from MacResQ
  • Don’s Soapbox from Small Dog Electronics
  • Buy their attention for the next sentence.
  • The Whistle, The Workhorse, and The Whale
  • Push people to your blog post with the longer story
  • Brand with an emoji!
• 00:20:57 BB 528 Outtro
  • [email protected]
  • Call/Text: (567) 274-6977
  • X/Twitter: @ShannonJean & @DaveHamilton, & @BizBrainShow
  • LinkedIn: Shannon Jean, Dave Hamilton, & Business Brain
  • Facebook: Dave Hamilton, Shannon Jean, & Business Brain
  • Instagram: @DaveHamilton & @ShannonJean
  • Mastodon: Dave Hamilton
  • Threads: @DaveHamilton

The post Creating a Quality Newsletter – Business Brain 528 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

In Episode 649 of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon focus on the power of consistency and content creation in modern business. Kicking off with a listener email about the value of handwritten thank-you notes, they stress the importance of thoughtful outreach and relationship-building. From there, they segue into a deeper discussion on how every business is now in the content business, whether they realize it or not. Content isn’t just about marketing—it attracts clients, builds brand awareness, and even draws in potential employees.

The hosts emphasize that consistency beats quality when it comes to content performance on social media. Platforms favor creators who post regularly because it signals commitment, reducing the risk for the algorithm to promote your content. They encourage business owners to focus on one platform at a time, master it, and avoid spreading themselves too thin unless they have the team to manage engagement genuinely across multiple channels.

They also share practical advice: save every piece of content you create into a “content library,” reuse old posts as your audience grows, and use tools like Opus.pro and Loom to generate and repurpose video content. The key takeaway? Start now, even if it’s messy. Authenticity, consistency, and strategic content reuse will compound over time to grow your presence and business impact.

• 00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #649 for Casual Friday, May 16th, 2025
  • May 16th: National Pizza Party Day
• 00:01:14 David-Treat Everyone like a customer...with a handwritten note!
• 00:02:54 Every Business is now in the content business
• 00:05:35 Consistency matters more than being on the right platform.
  • Which platform(s) is(are) right for your business?
• 00:10:25 Build a content library
  • Social media is like a parade
• 00:12:12 SPONSOR: NordLayer – NordLayer is network security for modern businesses. Save up to 22% off NordLayer at NordLayer.com/brain and use code BRAIN for an extra 10% off.
• 00:13:50 SPONSOR: Shopify – For anyone to sell anywhere, sign up for a one-dollar-per month trial period at Shopify.com/BusinessBrain and upgrade your selling today!
• 00:15:21 FridAI
  • Shannon resale video content
    • Opus.pro
    • Loom
• 00:17:51 Using multiple platforms (im)properly
• 00:21:14 Experiment with timelapse videos
• 00:23:50 Business Brain 649 Outtro
  • Review Business Brain
  • Subscribe to the show
  • [email protected]
  • Call/Text: (567) 274-6977
  • X/Twitter: @ShannonJean & @DaveHamilton, & @BizBrainShow
  • LinkedIn: Shannon Jean, Dave Hamilton, & Business Brain
  • Facebook: Dave Hamilton, Shannon Jean, & Business Brain

The post Every Business is in the Content Business + FridAI – Business Brain 649 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Timing plays a critical role in the success of your business. When you launch your products, when you hire new employees, and in the case of Jarie Bolander, when you publish your book. Join us this week on the Small Business Show as we meet Jarie to discuss his new book,The Entrepreneur Ethos along with his good friend, Mihir Shah CEO of Drobo.

Listen in and hear why Jarie felt compelled to create a roadmap for entrepreneurial success by building more ethical, inclusive and resilient companies.

We also have a bonus today with Mihir Shah adding his comments to the discussion about the “why” of being an entrepreneur and how stepping in to solve problems can be rewarding far beyond any financial gains.

Listen to the show, then join us on the Small Business Support Group to ask more questions and to add your voice to the discussion!

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #149 for Wednesday, December 13, 2017
• 00:02:17 Mihir Shah – from VC to CEO... always turning things around
• 00:03:32 It’s fun to strategize, but more fun to be hands-on
• 00:04:25 Jarie Bolander – the classic, patently-unemployable entrepreneur
• 00:06:17 The Entrepreneur Ethos
• 00:07:45 What’s the “why?” behind being an entrepreneur – Speak your truth
• 00:09:33 “If you want to be the best entrepreneur in the world, you need to aspire to the ethos”
• 00:10:44 The importance of timing – Patience vs. Procrastination
• 00:12:18 “I’ve always wanted to run my own business”
• 00:13:24 Failure is an option, but never the end result
• 00:14:03 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year
• 00:17:28 SPONSOR: Storyblocks.com/sbs gets you their Triple Bundle for just $149
• 00:19:36 Always stepping on landmines and learning how to diffuse them
• 00:22:39 The Drobo 5C – first USB-C product of its kind in the marketplace
• 00:23:56 The meeting of two minds, focusing on the positive
• 00:27:21 Unacceptable behavior is (finally) being called out
• 00:29:36 Stay away from the hardware business
• 00:32:23 Self-awareness matters!
• 00:35:33 Focusing on how to grow “You”
  • Founders Network
• 00:39:34 SBS149 Outtro
  • The Entrepreneur Ethos
  • theDailyMBA.com
  • A gift from Mihir and Jarie: visit DroboStore.com and use code SmallBiz10 for 10% off

The post The Entrepreneur Ethos – Interview with Jarie Bolander and Mihir Shah – Small Business Show 149 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.