The C-Suite Mentor - Business Growth for Small Business Leaders with Theresa Cantley

It's never a bad time to take a moment to stop and look at where you are at in your business. Where do you want to go? How are you going to get there? And, most importantly, do you have the right people in place to help you get there?   Many business owners will hire people just to have bodies to fill the roles. While this may work for a little while, you won't ever see your business grow and evol...

One thing I've seen more and more business owners struggling with is keeping a calendar. They may have a to-do list of goals and things they need to get done, but it's not getting them where they want to be. They aren't getting their calendar to work for them .   I recommend learning how to break down your goals into actionable-sized chunks that can be completed throughout your week or month is ke...

If you enjoyed this episode and, in some way, it inspired you to start taking action, I'd love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Send me a DM on Instagram @theresacantley and let me know what your favorite part was.   I would also love it if you subscribed to the podcast and left a review at https://theresacantley.com/itunes   If there is a topic you would love me to discuss or a qu...

Author, mentor, two-time filmmaker, Ted Talk speaker, and long-time friend Denise Solar Cox joins me today to discuss what it really means to belong.   Over the years of doing hundreds of live, in-person engagements, she began to realize that everyone she spoke to wanted to talk about belonging. What does it mean to belong to something? What are the feelings around it and how is it even created?  ...

I've had a few new subscribers lately, so this week I wanted to take the time out to re-introduce myself to those of you who might not know what to expect.   Your Next Best Step podcast is a show on anything and everything that deals with adversity. Any problems or questions that entrepreneurs and business owners from all walks of life may encounter, this is where we break them down, get to the ro...

Lisa Simone Richards, Business Consultant & PR visibility strategist extraordinaire, joins me on this week's episode to discuss just how she helps people to build a winning PR plan.   After years of working for magazines and doing PR for large companies such as Staples, Virgin, and Crayola, her passion now lies in helping business owners and entrepreneurs who are amazing at what they do to reach m...

If you enjoyed this episode and, in some way, it inspired you to start taking action, I'd love to hear about it and know your biggest take away. Send me a DM on Instagram @theresacantley and let me know what your favorite part was.   I would also love if you subscribed to the podcast and left a review a t https://theresacantley.com/itunes   If there is a topic you would love me to talk about or a...

Ranelli Williams, DBA joins Theresa in a conversation about her journey through entrepreneurship and the importance of having faith in yourself to do whatever it is you dream of doing. From there, you'll be able to take the steps needed to propel your business forward.   Once you have that faith, your fears can no longer hold you back. You gain clarity on the things in your business that need you...

If you enjoyed this episode and, in some way, it inspired you to start taking action, I'd love to hear about it and know your biggest take away. Send me a DM on Instagram @theresacantley and let me know what your favorite part was.   I would also love if you subscribed to the podcast and left a review at https://theresacantley.com/itunes   If there is a topic you would love me to talk about or a q...

Your business is your biggest asset, and protecting it at all costs should be your priority. A lot of factors play into the protection of your business, long-term, and without a solid structure, community of people around you, and daily actions that are working towards your goals and not away from them, your business will not have the tools it needs to succeed. If you enjoyed this episode and, in...

Recession-proofing your business sounds like a smart move in the entrepreneurial world, but it can actually lead you down a path of no return.   The problem many people face when attempting to create a plan for their business that is in the midst of a recession is that they only plan for their current circumstance. They function as if the hard times are permanent, and when the market fluctuates ba...

How exactly do you know when is the right time to invest in your business? First things first, it's important to know what to invest in.   Your team – The crew of people you choose to help your business be all that you want it to be. You can't do it all yourself, and having that support system that you take care of will ensure they take care of you in return.   Software – The systems that help you...

When things go astray in this world, as they often and inevitably do, the best thing you can do is to try and learn from it. There will always be struggles and failures along any path in life, and when we look at them as opportunities to do better and be better, the answers will fall into our laps. Getting to the level of success we desire to see for ourselves and our business comes only when we d...

As entrepreneurs, we are in the business of providing value to our customers, in one way or another. Whether it's our products, our services, the environment in which our business operates, or a combination, we are trying to give people the best experience that we can. And that takes being radically responsible for our actions. When you say you are going to do something, follow through. If an empl...

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to operate a business today. People are struggling to hire and retain good employees, while dealing with low supply chains and increased prices on just about everything. But it doesn't have to be a struggle. Diversifying your business is one way to make your and everybody else's lives a bit easier. When it comes to your purveyors, purchasing from multiple...

Everybody wants more cash, right? The problem is figuring out how to get a steady flow of it into your business and not being in the negative at the end of the month. The revenue your business generates is just the top-line number. It doesn't mean that's how much money you take home at the end of the day. Once you factor in all of your costs of operation, that number can look very different. It ca...

A good leader isn't someone who has all of the answers and does everything themselves. A good leader creates a vision for the future and allows those that wish to see the same future to help bring it to light in their own unique ways. Every single one of us has our own set of skills and life experiences that make us who we are. When leading people, it's important to remember this and to help shine...

Everyone needs a place in this world. One where they feel comfortable, where they can be their truest selves without fear or doubt, one that just feels right. For many, there are usually two of these places; Home and work. When you're home, you feel relaxed and safe. At work, a place of unity amongst colleagues, that promotes creativity and innovation. But the third place is something we need more...

"We're functioning in crisis mode." A phrase I've heard all too often. When we face the day with this mindset, our business never has the chance to thrive. Our own fears and anxieties can hold us back from new ideas and people and that will only keep us stuck in place, fighting for our own limitations. Stepping into a new way of thinking takes courage. It's not easy to admit to yourself that maybe...

Working with all kinds of leaders over the years, I come across many who say their core values are one thing, but then show up and act in ways that don't align with those values. They contradict themselves and the wonder why the business isn't functioning the way they want it to. When we preach one thing and then do another, how can we expect the people who work for us and that frequent our busine...

More and more, people are choosing to frequent businesses based on the experience they receive while there rather than just on product or service. People care where they spend their hard earned money, and they want to spend it where they feel best about it. Your customer experience can make or break your business. There are many ways to achieve a customer experience that has people coming back to...

When things get tough and the future of your business can seem uncertain, it's easy to look to those around you for answers. But true innovation doesn't come from copying what the other business down the street is doing. It comes when we look at what others aren't doing. Where are the gaps and how do we fill them in a new, creative, sustainable way? One huge way you can bring innovation into your...

In a post-pandemic world, the way we run business has shifted in many ways. It's exposed a lot of the things that weren't working, and gave us the opportunity to look at our businesses in a new light. It got us thinking about the areas that need work and what exactly we needed to do, and who we needed to be, to fix them. One of the biggest adversities that business owners have had to face these pa...

In order to make sure this year is going to be your best year yet, you are going to want to keep a few key things in mind when developing your business' culture:   Define your core values.  Take into account not only the things that you yourself value, but what your employees value as well. They are as much of an important piece in the grander vision as you are and they deserve to be heard.   Your...

One of the biggest issues business owners across the country are struggling with right now is maintaining their staff. There are many pitfalls that we can find ourselves falling into when hiring and keeping our good employees, and these are the top 3 that I see most people dealing with:   You don't need to hire within your industry.  The person you need to fill a specific role can look like a hund...