Levership

In this episode of the Levership Podcast, Chris Johnson and Matt Symes discuss the importance of building a sellable business, the various types of investments entrepreneurs can make, and the critical role of process improvement in maximizing returns. They emphasize the need for entrepreneurs to be intentional about their investments, particularly in processes and people, to create a sustainable b...

In this episode of the Levership podcast, Matt Symes and Chris Johnston discusses the importance of time management for leaders. They emphasize that being busy does not equate to being productive and that leaders must redefine their responsibilities to enable others rather than just doing the work themselves. The conversation covers the pitfalls of email management, the need for intentional time a...

In this conversation, Matt Symes and Chris Johnson explore the critical elements of effective strategy in business. They discuss the importance of understanding good versus bad strategy, the necessity of a strategic cadence, and how external market changes impact business decisions. The conversation emphasizes the need for small business owners to step back, analyze their operations, and create a...

In this conversation, Matt Symes discusses the significant impact of AI on small businesses. He emphasizes the importance of understanding how to implement AI effectively, particularly through fractional implementation, and shares practical examples of how AI can enhance various business processes, including content creation, email management, and meeting preparation. The discussion highlights the...

In this episode of the Levership Podcast, hosts Chris Johnson and Matt Symes delve into the foundational principles of business strategy and the importance of practical implementation. They share personal stories of their entrepreneurial journeys, highlighting lessons learned from family legacies and experiences at Procter & Gamble. The conversation emphasizes the need for accountability, effectiv...

In this conversation, Matt Symes and Chris Johnston discuss the principles of effective leadership and entrepreneurship through their experiences with Levership and other organizations. They emphasize the importance of focus, clarity, and alignment within leadership teams to drive business growth and transformation. The discussion highlights the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, the significance...

In this conversation, Matt Symes discusses the importance of understanding the customer journey and the various touchpoints that businesses have with their clients. He emphasizes the need to identify friction points and improve the overall customer experience. Through examples from different industries, he illustrates how mapping the customer journey can lead to better service delivery and custome...

 In this conversation, Matt Symes discusses the critical importance of investing in employee development and creating effective growth plans within organizations. He emphasizes the need for small businesses to focus on their people's growth to prevent disengagement and turnover. The discussion also covers the significance of defining organizational culture, whether as a family, sports team, or vil...

Summary In this conversation, Matt Symes and Kyle Racki discuss strategies for appointment-based businesses to better meet customer needs, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, capacity management, and understanding customer demand. They highlight the significance of creating a business model that allows for profitability while being responsive to customer requests. The discussion also covers...

In this episode, Matt Symes and Kyle Racki discuss the critical importance of cash flow management for small businesses, particularly those run by technician founders. Matt emphasizes the common pitfalls of neglecting cash flow, the significance of invoicing and accounts receivable, and strategies to improve cash flow. The discussion also covers the challenges of client payments and the necessity...

Matt Symes and Kyle Racki discuss the importance of attracting the right clients for businesses. They explore a simple exercise to assess your current client base and discuss how to evaluate if clients are paying the right amount for your services. Matt provides insight on how to qualify your potential clients in order to filter out poor fits and leverage referral networks to make mailbox money.  ...

In this episode, Matt Symes and Kyle Racki discuss the importance a high-performing team can make in driving a business' success. They highlight the challenges of finding and retaining the right people and emphasize the need for a clear understanding of the skills and competencies required for each role. They also discuss the importance of strategic thinking and prioritizing the most critical issu...

In this episode of the Levership Podcast, Matt and Kyle discuss the leverage opportunity that lies in optimizing a business' appointment scheduling.  Matt highlights the need to focus on maximizing profitability per week rather than per service. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the ideal mix of services that maximizes return. Matt also explores the concept of working at the top of one...

Brooks Van Normal, founder of Pipeline Formula, discusses the importance of a strong partnership between marketing and sales in generating pipeline. He emphasizes that outbound is not dead, but rather becoming more efficient with the use of tools. Brooks shares insights on effective cold email strategies, highlighting the value of offering sales assets that provide immediate value to prospects. He...

Jono shares his journey of creating visual explanations and sketches to distill complex concepts. He discusses some of his favorite sketches, such as the curb cut effect and the Swiss cheese model, and how they have resonated with people. Jono also offers advice for leaders on how to connect with others and explain abstract ideas, emphasizing the power of visuals and storytelling. He reflects on t...

Evan Santa discusses his background in building sales teams for Canadian tech companies and his current role at Keep, a fintech company. He shares his experience at Vidyard and how he challenged the sales system to sell to smaller customers and improve the buying experience. Santa emphasizes the importance of creating a strong sales system and finding hungry individuals with a drive to compete wit...

The conversation explores the power of networking and finding communities as an entrepreneur. The hosts discuss the importance of having a network outside of your immediate business team where you can vent and share experiences. They highlight the value of being able to skip small talk and have meaningful conversations with like-minded individuals. The conversation also touches on the higher preva...

The Christmas tree effect refers to the tendency to keep adding more and more tasks without considering the finite amount of time available. This leads to a lack of focus and the inability to prioritize important tasks. The effect can be seen in both personal and professional life, resulting in missed deadlines, longer checklists, and decreased productivity. Strategic teams should focus on subtrac...

Summary   In this conversation, Kyle and Matt discuss the process of restarting and resetting after losing key executives in an organization. They emphasize the importance of the people you surround yourself with and the impact they have on the success of the company. They share their personal experiences and lessons learned when dealing with the departure of key executives. They discuss the need...

Summary In this episode, Scott Tower, Director of Sales at Proposify, shares his journey in sales and provides insights into growing sales within a team. He emphasizes the importance of process-driven sales and the need for patience and perseverance. Scott also discusses the challenges of transitioning from founder-led sales and offers advice for hiring sales reps. He highlights the qualities he l...

Summary In this conversation, Kyle and Matt discuss the importance of understanding competition in business. They highlight the different ways businesses compete, including with the status quo and competing alternatives. They emphasize the need to identify and understand competitors in order to position oneself effectively in the market. The conversation also covers methods for gathering competiti...

Summary Ross Simmons, a top marketer, discusses the importance of personal branding and content marketing for CEOs and leaders. He emphasizes the power of leveraging media to communicate with and influence your target audience directly. Ross shares his mantra of 'create once, distribute forever' and provides insights on how to effectively distribute content on different platforms. He also discusse...

In this conversation, Kyle interviews Kathy Doucette, the COO and CFO of Proposify. They discuss the role of a CFO and COO, the importance of a single source of truth in finance, and the CFO's role as a strategic partner. They also explore how finance can be integrated into operations and the challenges faced when joining a company with financial red flags. They highlight the dangers of relying so...

In this conversation, Kyle and Matt discuss various strategies for leveraging media and networks to promote your brand and generate leads. They cover topics such as remote work, being a guest on podcasts and blogs, paying influencers, buying established channels and websites, partnering with complementary businesses, using events and speaking engagements, review websites and affiliate marketing, a...

Kyle and Matt discuss the importance of cash efficiency and capital investment. They emphasize the need for organizations to plan and allocate their cash effectively in order to reinvest in the future. They introduce the concept of the triple C exercise, which involves evaluating expenses and determining what to cut, control, and continuously improve. They also discuss the importance of evaluating...