Business Infrastructure - Curing Back Office Blues

For the past four years, this show has consistently aired every week, not missing a beat. This consistency is only a part of our success formula. Other factors include amazing guests, subscribers and listeners like you, and an all-star team! * The Business Infrastructure podcast started as a scrappy idea of host and producer, Alicia Butler Pierre. What she originally thought would simply be anothe...

Mohammad Ali Ajlouni may not float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, like the famous boxer by the same name, but he is a champion – a champion of operations. And it might very well be the reason why his original episode made it to our list of the top 12 most downloaded. * With over 37 years of combined experience as a high-ranking military official, chemical and industrial engineer, COO, and b...

This was the second episode to ever air on the Business Infrastructure podcast in 2018! It's one of our Top 12 most downloaded episodes to date… * Being insane isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to managing fast growth in your small business. Find out why in this episode as Alicia Butler Pierre makes the case for insanity in your business operations and why business infrastruc...

It's no surprise that Dr. Frank Barsi's interview made our list of the Top 12 most downloaded episodes. The covid-19 pandemic and the associated supply chain disruptions offered a wellspring of interest in Lean and Six Sigma quality frameworks. Discussions around operations, once confined to the back office, have now earned their rightful place in the forefront of critical decisions made by techni...

It's a brand new season on the Business Infrastructure podcast – Season 16! In nearly four years, there's so much to celebrate especially as we approach our 200 th episode. That's why this season we're reflecting on our success factors starting with you, our loyal listeners and subscribers, as well as our top-notch guests. In that spirit, we've compiled a list of the top 12 most downloaded episode...

Producing the world's first-ever audio masterclass on business infrastructure was no small feat! In this bonus episode, we pull back the curtain and go backstage so you can hear a firsthand account of what it took to produce each masterclass episode. * Jarvis Gray is our special guest host. Tune in as he guides a conversation with Alicia Butler Pierre, Cornelius Dowdell, and Clarence Levy on what...

We've come to the final episode in our 13-part audio masterclass on business infrastructure! At this point, you've heard six stories of entrepreneurs and leaders in small businesses trying their best to keep their cool amid chaotic fast growth. If you've missed any of those episodes, be sure to go back and listen to them so that you can follow along with the info contained in this episode. * Behin...

In the last story of our Business Infrastructure audio masterclass, you met Clenard Smith. He's determined to take his flourishing food distribution company public. But there's one problem. He needs more physical space! Or at least that's what he's convinced himself. His consultant manages to convince him otherwise while also getting him to contend with the root cause of his company's space constr...

We're well underway with Season 15 - Business Infrastructure Masterclass. Here's a quick update from the host, Alicia Butler Pierre, on what to expect for the final masterclass episodes. Great things are brewing!

Prior to the pandemic, people were already spending a lot of time in their offices likely sitting behind a computer. Now, that time has doubled if not tripled for many as companies begin to adopt work-from-home policies. In fact, there are scientific studies that show a direct correlation between the actual layout of a workspace and productivity, job satisfaction, and profitability. * A Work Space...

Vandana Thiagarajan was the subject of the last story you heard in our Business Infrastructure audio masterclass. She's desperately trying to make sure she and her co-founders can once again fulfill their promises to their customers. Their consultant introduces them to the Service Delivery Blueprint as a solution for quickly pinpointing the source of missing target deadlines. * A Service Delivery...

As small businesses grow, so does the need for consistency. Your ability to provide value and meet promised deadlines is only as good as the people, tools, and processes you have in place to deliver your goods and/or services.    * A Service Delivery Blueprint describes how you provide goods and services to your customers. Once defined, it enables consistency in your customer order-to-delivery pro...

In the last episode of our Business Infrastructure audio masterclass, you heard the story of twin co-founders, Karen and Sharen Benoit. They've been given a second chance to pass an audit of their mental health clinic's records. Their consultant friend comes to the rescue by teaching them how to design a compliant Paper Records Management system that consolidates, organizes, stores, and protects t...

As appealing as paperless offices are, there are still some industries that require meticulous physical recordkeeping. These types of records must comply with regulatory guidelines to legally operate. This is where a Paper Records Management system can be useful. * A Paper Records Management system links the processes, tools, and people needed to create, name, categorize, store, and purge physical...

We're continuing our first time ever masterclass edition of the Business Infrastructure podcast. In the last episode, you heard the story of Sarah and Steve Reuben - siblings whose rivalry and siloed leadership enabled a virus attack on their family-owned business's network. A consultant taught them how to design an Electronic Records Management system to organize, store, and secure their digital...

A paperless office comes with many perks. It frees up physical space, removes geographic work restrictions, and makes information accessible from anywhere. But there's a catch. * Without careful organization, adequate security, and an ironclad data backup and recovery plan, there's always the risk of losing electronic records due to manmade or natural disasters. * An Electronic Records Management...

Welcome back to this masterclass edition of the Business Infrastructure podcast! In the last episode, you heard the story of Albert Andoh, the optimistic child entrepreneur of an emerging tech startup. He met a consultant who introduced him to the Business Design Blueprint as a way of proving organizational capability, capacity, and scalability to investors. Now you can learn how they did it. * Th...

What comes to mind when you think of an organizational chart? Do you have one for your small business? After listening to this episode, you'll understand just how powerful this tool is. * An organizational chart visually communicates more than just your company's chain of command, but also its maturity and growth opportunities. For these reasons, at Equilibria, we refer to it as a Business Design...

Welcome to the masterclass edition of the Business Infrastructure podcast! In the first episode, you heard the story of Emily Miller, the founder of a fast-growing non-profit. She met a consultant who introduced her to a Business Parts Analysis as a means of sustaining the growth. * As Emily discovered, fast growth is exciting but requires adding more people to your team to make sure important tas...

It's Season 15 on the Business Infrastructure podcast and we're trying something different. Many of you asked for it and it's here – a business infrastructure masterclass! * Over the next 13 episodes, you'll hear the alternating stories of entrepreneurs faced with the challenges of unfilled customer demand and the specific tactics used to calm the chaos. Discover how they each rise to the challeng...

Trello. Asana. Monday.com. ClickUp. These are all amazing tools. And we've tried them all here at the Business Infrastructure podcast, but in the end, we landed on Notion as the tool to organize our back-office operations. * Notion is an all-in-one digital workspace that brings together once disparate and hidden documentation into a single platform. Information once buried in nested folders on a n...

Tal Zlotnitsky is the Co-Founder and CEO of Our. Love, an exciting and unique startup that combines love and relationship wellness with technology. What's love got to do with business? Everything! Your personal relationship can affect your work performance, especially if you operate a business with your significant other. * Our. Love might be a startup, but Tal is no stranger to entrepreneurship....

Kate Erickson's back! When she first appeared on the show, she shared some of the key processes and philosophies behind Entrepreneur on Fire's (EOFire) operational excellence. This time, she's giving us an audio tour of the game-changing technology she credits with powering the back-office operations of EOFire's 7-figure business – Asana. * As the "heartbeat" and Chief Implementer at EOFire, Kate'...

Kimanzi Constable sums up his entrepreneurial journey as "I used to deliver bread for a living, now I write." Of course, there's more to his story than this. A lot more. Through his relentless pursuit for building a profitable six-figure online business, he's now the author of four books, has appeared on over 250 podcasts, and has written articles for over 80 publications including Forbes and Busi...

Every U.S. Dollar in Research & Development (R&D) tax credit yields $20 in new economic activity. With that kind of return, why don't more small businesses take advantage of these tax credits? Answering that question is what led Lloyed Lobo on his fintech journey. * With a background in software engineering, Lloyed was already familiar with technology companies and enjoyed a successful career lead...