Idaho Business Podcast

For the first time we take a look at a snapshot of the economics of Idaho. I promise it's not all boring numbers though. Spencer continues to discuss looking at a snapshot of your business or team's efforts for the year. Do you ever review your different streams of revenue vs. how profitable they are? Do you look over your turnover rates? Do you want to know you want to know your customer acquisit...

If you're not looking at the trials in your business and your life as opportunities to get smarter, stronger, more humble, etc. you are doomed to repeat those same trials. On top of that you're going to be impossible to be around because you won't be happy and you will most likely have the attitude that the world is out to get you. It's time to kill the negative talk and thinking and step up and u...

We all know that person, right? That person that turns a 10 min meeting into a 45 min meeting because they just wanted to hear themselves talk. Ask yourself, am I that person? Even from time to time? People who dominate the conversation are looked at as arrogant, or they don't care or does not value others. Being a skilled listener takes practice but yields better results. People don't care about...

It may be a distant thought or it might be currently hitting you in the face:   You're going to need to exit your business.   Have you ever sold a business?   Do you know what buyers are looking for?   Understanding what the process is like will help you know what steps to take before you make the decision to sell.   - Spencer Ward   If you are feeling the love, make sure to subscribe, rate, and r...

What got you here, is most likely not going to get you there.   How intentional are we being with our days, who we spend our time with, and our businesses?   Just because you can cover the hands-on tasks in your business doesn't mean you should.   If you own a service station, should you be the one changing the oil?   No!   Be intentional with your time by creating systems that generate more time...

In the words of Rob Dyrdek, "see it, believe it, do it". If you constantly are seeing reminders of your goals in front of you it's easier to stay motivated to accomplish them. Creating a vision board for yourself, having a note in the instrument panel of your car, or seeing them written on your bathroom mirror every day are ways to keep it fresh in your mind. Why, you may ask? How often do we come...

Consumers are getting smarter and more aware of thinly disguised sales tactics.   Networking with the mindset of "how can I add value to people's lives and listen to them" will get you further than having a goal of handing out 3200 business cards in a single networking session.   People want to do business with those who they like and trust.   We hear more about this from Kristina James, who's an...

When we're younger, we're mostly focused on taking one planned out step after another.   As we get older we're focused on how to make more money, how to be a good spouse or significant other, and how to be a good parent.   Instead of being caught up in the busyness of life, we should take a step back and ask ourselves what do we want out of life, where do we eventually want to be, and what do we h...

Complacency kills, it kills deals, it kills relationships and it kills businesses. Learning how to continually connect with current and potential customers is key.  Even if you have a company 50+ years old and you're happy taking your nice salary out of it, customers don't always stay forever. It's up to you to continue to bring in leads, bids and sales to replenish your revenue when you aren't ac...

I get it. Being a business leader and or owner is hard and not always just fun in the sun… We go through bad days, but who are we to our family when we open the door to our homes as we return from work? Are we transferring the stress from your professional life onto them? Are you avoiding time with those who really matter because you are "too stressed" or "too busy"? Let's dig into that topic toda...

From reading Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, learning more about Damon West, and going through plenty of tough times myself, I've learned there is always something to gain and a way to grow through challenges.   No matter what you are facing, there will always be a positive way out and a way to improve as a person.   Yet the process of receiving these all-important lessons is usually not fun....

As Admissions Coordinator, Camille understands that providing value in the sales process is the way to success. Also understanding how to read the room when you are on a sales call to make sure you don't overstay your welcome. As a nurse, she understands the importance of taking care of your health through choosing the correct home health company, when needed, and keeping up your strength as you a...

As Sheriff of Bannock County, Tony sees the best and the worst every week. One way to continue to keep Idaho such a great place to live is to volunteer, and help build up our youth through sports, and other activities to be a positive influence in their lives. Learning how we can assist in our community is how we will keep Idaho great. If you are feeling the love, make sure to subscribe, rate, and...

In this competitive world it's not enough to just get good grades in college and hope to get a great job.   It's also not enough to just build something new thinking people will automatically show up, without actually getting to know people in your community and also adding value to their lives.   Cassey Leatham is a Select Employee Group (SEG) Relationship Manager at Mountain America Credit Union...

We all know the classic comedy Joe Dirt.   In that film Joe tries to buy some fireworks that explode "and go boom!"   Unfortunately, the owner of the fireworks stand only sells snakes and sparklers, because that's all he likes.   We can compare this with the experiences we're having in our lives.   Are we going to new places, meeting new people, listening to new broadcasts, trying new things perso...

Who or what is keeping you from your dream?   The people we associate with are who mold us and motivate us. It's not our coaches or teachers, it's who we spend countless hours communicating with and associating with.  No matter where we find ourselves currently either physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually we can always achieve a higher level of life. We are the author's of our story...

Do we find ourselves not responding promptly to our customers or keeping commitments to leads that come into our business because we're "too busy"? This is nonsense, put a system In place with an assistant (Either local or virtual). Consistently communicating back to our customers and qualifying leads into sales is the lifeblood of our business! If you are feeling the love, make sure to subscribe,...

Happy Independence Day!   I hope we can all spend some time reflecting upon the things we are grateful for, as we watch the fireworks and enjoy those who we care about around us.   Gratitude brings fruits of happiness; happiness makes you more productive and likable.   - Spencer Ward   If you are feeling the love, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever y...

From the recession in 2007 to Covid and all the craziness that is going on around us now we have seen our share of change within the World. It's our job as business leaders to look for opportunities and adapt to the changes. Now, I'm not talking about changing our moral standards but the way we conduct business. There is always opportunity in change.  

It all starts with your mindset. Do you have the confidence and belief that you can be successful?  Secondly, make sure your core values are in place and you are building a solid team that shares those values. Third, it comes to processes and systems. If you believe that you have to be there for things to go "right" then you may not be ready to take on the extra responsibility of owning another bu...

Are you living a reactive life where you allow the things happening around you dictate the direction of your life? Are you being tossed around like some driftwood on a rough sea? Or are you living a proactive life where you're constantly assessing and finding ways to create a better situation for yourself? Are you bending reality to your will? Finding ways to create opportunities for yourself?  

You know the story when Peter left the boat to walk to Jesus on the water.   He made it a few steps, started to doubt himself, and then fell in.   How often do we find ourselves doing this when managing our businesses?   Maybe we made a long needed change and we hit a snag during it… what do we do?   How do we move forward with confidence in our decision?  - Spencer Ward   If you are feeling the l...

It's our job to serve and love on our customers. Instead of taking stances on one side or the other, why don't we just run Pro-America businesses and focus on building our businesses.

If you haven't watched the movie, American Underdog, you should. It's a story of true grit and determination. When many had Kurt Warner labeled as someone that wasn't good enough, talented enough he didn't allow them to dictate his outcome. How will we decide who will have influence over our outcome? If you are feeling the love, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify...

How often have you written off a balance owed because it would cost more in legal fees than to collect?   Are there times when you wish you could call your attorney for advice on a matter but didn't want to pay the fee to ask it?   What if you could pay a small monthly amount that would allow your company access to legal services whenever you needed them?   Spencer hears from LegalShield Executive...