21 Hats Podcast
The 21 Hats Podcast is a weekly conversation with entrepreneurs who share their challenges and compare notes on how they’re coping with the pandemic, whether their businesses are as profitable as they should be, how big a price they are willing to pay for growth, and why they hired their brother-in-law. Every week, host Loren Feldman has a conversation with three of the show’s six regulars: Karen Clark Cole, CEO of Blink UX; Paul Downs, CEO of Paul Downs Cabinetmakers; Jay Goltz, CEO of The Goltz Group; William Vanderbloemen, CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group; Dana White, CEO of Paralee Boyd...
We Need to Go Back to Marketing for Humans
This week, in episode 176, Paul Downs tells Jay Goltz and Jaci Russo about the latest developments in his year-long campaign to stop relying so heavily on Google AdWords. At a specially arranged, two-day marketing event, Paul got to sit down with a series of architects and designers who had already been vetted and who he hopes will become repeat customers. So far, Paul says, the results look promising. Plus, we also discuss: Do you write your website copy to …
Dashboard: Don't Blame Your CRM
This week, Gene Marks talks through the latest developments in customer relationship management software, which is both his area of expertise and a real pain point for many business owners. Among other things, Gene tells us about the impact artificial intelligence is already having on CRM, including what A.I. makes better as well as what it makes worse. Plus: How do you get salespeople to use your system properly? And what should you do if you’re completely frustrated and ready …
Bonus Episode: Are Salespeople Built or Born?
It used to be that best practices in sales were pretty standard across the board. But since the pandemic and with the advent of artificial intelligence, says Lance Tyson, founder of the Tyson Group sales consultancy, it’s like the Wild West out there. Suddenly, everyone’s playing by different rules, and the best sales approach can vary, depending on the seller, the target, the industry, the region of the country. The keys, Tyson says in this week’s bonus episode, are to …
Clients and Taxes and Bears, Oh My!
This week, in episode 175, Jaci Russo explains how she put an end to her eight-month drought of new clients. Jennifer Kerhin takes us through the bureaucratic nightmare of managing remote workers based out of state (“That is a headache that I don't wish on my worst enemy,” says Jaci, who has found a way to sidestep the problem). And Liz Picarazzi brings us up to date on her ongoing struggle to get her trash enclosures certified as bear-resistant. The …
Dashboard: It’s the Data, Stupid
This week, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday will represent hugely important shopping days for many retailers. But Gene Marks tells Loren Feldman that the sales those days generate aren’t necessarily as important as the data they generate -- so long as the retailers are smart enough to capture it. Gene also talks about why business owners need to understand that when they sign their tax returns, they—and not their accountants—are responsible for what the returns show. Plus: why Gene …
Start Up, Throw Up, and Grow Up
This week, in episode 174, Dana White drops a few surprises. When we began this podcast in 2020, Dana had two promising hair salons in Detroit that she’d named after her grandmother, Paralee Boyd. She had an innovative business model designed specifically for women with thick and curly hair. And she was on her way to winning a prestigious business plan competition. All of which presented her with a wide array of opportunities to consider. Would she continue to bootstrap? …
The I-Hate-Marketing Approach to Marketing
This week, in episode 173, Shawn Busse tells Jay Goltz and Mel Gravely why he doesn’t want his firm, Kinesis, to be known as a marketing agency. Part of it is his sense that people just don’t trust marketers. But Shawn also believes that what Kinesis offers its clients is much more than just marketing. Hearing that prompts Mel to take us through his recent decision to spend a lot of money rebranding his construction business, which he says created …
Dashboard: Can You Fire Employees Who Won’t Return to the Office?
This week, Gene Marks warns business owners that the National Labor Relations Board has taken an action that could make it harder to fire employees who won’t come back to the office. But is that really the case? Gene’s also concerned about a new rule proposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that makes it even more important that business owners review their policies and training regarding harassment of employees. And then Gene reviews the case of an employee who …
Best of: Sometimes, Dreams Do Come True
If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you know we spend a lot of time talking about all of the things that can go wrong for a business owner. And yes, in part because we started recording these conversations just a couple of months before the pandemic hit, we’ve had plenty to talk about. Even this year, with the worst of the pandemic behind us, we’ve been talking about everything from excess inventory to lost clients to layoffs to ineffective …
Dashboard: It’ll Change Everything
This week, Shawn Busse tells Loren Feldman why he’s long been skeptical of big data, especially the data many businesses collect from their customers. What’s the alternative? Shawn suggests doing something radical and having actual conversations with your customers, especially your best customers. Shawn also talks about why it seems so many businesses are struggling even as the economy is surging, at least according to the latest GDP figures. Plus: What exactly is wrong with the titans of Silicon Valley?