DecaMillionaire Decoded

I'm always amazed at the number of dentists that listen to the show. It's always very humbling when I meet one of you in person and you tell me how much you enjoy our content and how it has helped you in your businesses. So, with this episode, I want to pay special attention to all of the dental entrepreneurs out there.   In this episode, I look at what it takes to grow your dental practice. From...

Selling a business provides many new and exciting opportunities. Although it may be tempting to use the proceeds of the sale to start a new business, there are reasons you might choose to wait. In this episode, I look at the effect our current economy could have on a new business.   I also examine how the mass migration going on in the US could have a variety of impacts on emerging businesses. Per...

Expectations are an important part of business. A CEO sets expectations for growth over time. Your sales department outlines product and service expectations for potential clients. But can expectations be harmful to your business? Inherently working to exceed expectations isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, if you're setting expectations too high and consistently underperforming, that could be...

Making the transition from business owner to employee after selling your business is something that many entrepreneurs aren't well prepared for. Friends, I'm not referring to those who've sold their companies and must now find a job. Instead, I'm talking about those who do as I recently did, selling their business and staying on as an employee. Are you truly prepared for that type of transition? C...

Your company's core values are more than just a few "feel good" words plastered on your wall. They have the power to shape the entire culture of your business. Therefore, it's critical that your values actually mean something. More than this, they must be such a part of your daily culture that you and your team embody them without a conscious effort. In this episode, I discuss the importance of ch...

In this episode, I discuss something very near and dear to my heart... the pro forma. You've probably heard of pro forma before. In fact, you may have used them in your business. But are you aware of the many different pro forma documents and their unique benefits?  Using pro forma documents can help you understand what the future holds for your business. I'll discuss this and explain the differen...

Have you ever wondered why some leaders are more effective than others? The extreme ownership principles taught by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, both in their book and consulting firm, shine a light on the necessary traits of effective leaders. But how do you take battle-tested (literally) leadership principles and apply them to your business?   In this episode, I explore how extreme ownership app...

Succession planning and exit planning are terms that are often used interchangeably. However, each one is a vital aspect of business planning that works to achieve different outcomes. So, what is the difference? In this episode, I take a closer look at succession planning vs. exit planning. I also discuss their benefits, why and how business owners should use them, and when to begin planning.   Th...

Understanding your customers is a critical aspect of business. But there might be more substantial benefits than you think. When you're just starting off, it's usually necessary to take on as many clients as you can. However, as you grow, this practice could actually stunt the growth of your business. In this episode, I discuss 3 ways (metrics) to determine your ideal client and how you can use th...

Business owners are just wired differently than most people. We want to do things our way and we're willing to work twice as hard to make that a possibility. I've often said we're the only people in the world who will work 80 hours per week for ourselves so that we don't have to work 40 for someone else. But it takes a special kind of person to succeed in business. You've got to be tenacious and w...

As a business owner, you must always be ready for change. Adapting and reacting to shifts in the market, technologies, consumer trends, etc., can help keep your business moving in the right direction. Sometimes, that means pivoting away from your original plan. Pivoting to a new business model or offering doesn't indicate failure. If done properly, it could be an effective strategy. In this episod...

One of the greatest parts of entrepreneurship is the freedom to choose how you're going to operate your business. You can choose the type of business you want to run, what your product will be, who you're interested in helping, etc. The possibilities seem to go on and on into eternity. As long as you follow sound business principles, you're at least going to have a shot at success regardless of th...

Mentorship is a valuable asset in the business world. It is beneficial for both the mentor and the mentee. The mentee benefits from your experience. On the other hand, you, as the mentor, get to sharpen your skills and increase your network. Perhaps you've identified a promising young talent in your company and want to help them grow. But where do you begin? What's the most effective path to accel...

When you own a family business, it's important to keep family discord and internal conflict out of the business. Those who can manage the family dynamics within their companies will often see them become generational businesses. But that's not always the easiest thing to do. In this episode, I'm joined by a father & son team who has made the family business work. My dear friends Chris (CEO) and Sc...

Owning a family business is as much a part of the American dream as having a house with a front porch swing and white picket fence. It's a fine dream to have, and for many, it can be a reality. However, owning a family business is hard. You're dealing with all the usual problems business owners face while adding complex family dynamics to the mix. Things can grow even more complicated when it's ti...

Recession is a very real part of the economic cycle. Yet, it's one that nobody really likes to talk about. Understandably, the term conjures many negative emotions. People become fearful during periods of uncertainty in the economy. But we must think differently, as business owners. Although your instinct may be to draw back and cut spending during economic uncertainty, this will likely prevent yo...

Luke Acree is the President of ReminderMedia, an organization that helps businesses generate leads, develop repeat clients, and capture referrals. Under Luke's leadership, ReminderMedia has expanded its product line to include turnkey social media management, digital magazines, email marketing, and analytics. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Longwood University and al...

Business owners all over the country are feeling the effects of inflation in their organizations. The longer it goes on, the harder it becomes to simply "wait it out." The truth is many business owners are facing a tough choice… continue watching their profit margins diminish until they're forced to close their doors or increase their pricing. But how can business owners raise their rates without...

In the tough economy we're in, we frequently see fierce price wars raging between companies. Business owners are tenacious, bullheaded, and ferociously competitive people. We want to win at all costs, and all the time. But winning a price war can be dangerous—when we're not careful with our emotions, we can find ourselves trying to win a race to the bottom. So, when you see your competitors drasti...

Christopher Shea is the Chief Investment Officer at WealthSource Partners, a financial advisory firm dedicated to helping financial advisors thrive with business resources, innovative solutions, and ongoing support. Chris's diverse career in the investment management industry includes security research, portfolio construction consulting, investment product development, and portfolio management. Be...

Business owners and leaders always set visions not only for their companies, but for products and services as well. The thing is, life happens, and not everything turns out exactly as we plan. While we leaders and managers can push through change, disruptions, or obstacles, it's not necessarily the same for teams and employees—and we're inclined to go so fast that we don't think about how the peop...

Many of us business owners are like drivers: our heads are always in the future, thinking about where our companies are headed. On the other hand, many of us aren't experts in human resources and have difficulty working with groups of people with different personalities and skill sets. Still, people are an essential aspect of a company and we have to have a core group of high-performing employees...

Undoubtedly, in our lives as business owners, we will reach a point where we find ourselves considering selling our businesses. Some owners may feel like they've already achieved a certain goal while others may want to sell their business to raise funds for a new venture. Whatever the reason is, we business owners need to be prepared, and we need to take a step back and evaluate whether it's reall...

What do you do when you hire the wrong person into your company? One of the most difficult aspects of owning and running a business is human resources—people, and hiring them. As business owners, we spend a lot of time, money, resources, sweat, intellectual equity, and energy trying to hire the right people: we articulate and write the perfect job description and go through hours of countless inte...

We entrepreneurs have an unbelievable propensity for optimism. When it comes to cutting ties with something familiar, we often face familiarity bias. So, when it's time to phase out a product or service, we tend to cling to it. Or because it's familiar to us, we never know the right time to innovate our product or service mix and lose out on opportunities to widen our margins. But, friends, the wo...