Small Business Matters

As the Founder and CEO of VMT Consulting, Veronica Maldonado-Torres empowers leaders and businesses to thrive. A small business champion and supplier diversity advocate, Veronica is a catalyst of growth for both small businesses and large corporations, bringing thought-leadership and innovation to the supplier development space. Veronica excels at building strategic alliances and fostering win-win relationships between small businesses and corporate America. For over a decade, she has successfully guided the development and growth of more than 150 firms across multiple industries ranging from $1M-$100M in annual revenue. In addition to a seasoned business strategy consultant, Veronica is also a well-respected trainer and speaker. Show Notes: In this episode, Veronica Maldonado-Torres shares her passion for small business and the family history behind it. She discusses the opportunities and challenges today's economy presents to the Hispanic business owners, the risks exposure all small businesses face, and

Peachtree Junk Removal - Ryan Tabb - 680 The Fan - 4 - 15 - 20 by

In 2006, Beth Armknecht Miller founded Executive Velocity as an outlet for her trademark enthusiasm and energy for assisting clients with their most valuable asset – their people. Her proven approach provides expert advice on leadership capabilities and builds succession plans for organizational continuity. Beth also served as a Chair with Vistage for 13 years. Beth is a graduate of Babson College and Harvard Business School’s OPM program. She is certified in Myers Briggs, Hogan, Business DNA, Foundations of NeuroLeadership, Strategic Workforce Planning, and Facilitation and Advanced Facilitation from Leadership Strategies. Available on Amazon, Beth's latest book, “Are You Talent Obsessed?”, is a compilation of her best practices for business leaders. Contact Info: beth.miller@executive.velocity.com Show Notes: On this episode of Small Business Matters the Podcast, Tim and Taylor talk shop with Beth Miller, the talent whisperer. As it relates to small business, Beth explains the importance of hiring the

Tim and Taylor Fulton from Small Business Matters go deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, ripple effects, and what business leaders must do now in the face of disruption. Key Points in this Episode: • The Effects on Everyday Life [0:01:32] • Experiencing the Outdoors [0:03:36] • Managing Expectations [0:04:10] • Feelings of Uncertainty [0:07:17] • Small Business Concerns [0:08:56] • Where's the Opportunity [0:10:45] • On Hold [0:11:50] • Moving Forward [0:15:05] • The Ripple Effects [0:16:30] • Impacts on Company Culture [0:19:19] • Technology Shift [0:27:52] • What should Business Leaders Do? [0:30:35] • Surviving and Learning from Disaster [0:38:46] • We're Here to Help [0:45:25]

Health and Fitness guru Rami Odeh owned and operated a successful fitness center in Sandy Springs, GA for more than 20 years. One year later, Rami continues to help people change their lives and companies lower healthcare costs through consulting, coaching, and public speaking. He is also the author of "Quiet the Noise", available on amazon.com. Show Notes: On this episode of Small Business Matters the Podcast, Rami Odeh shares his experiences around entrepreneurship, surviving 2008, understanding the Why, the importance of knowing when to ask for help, and developing an exit strategy. Key Points in this Episode: • Contributions to SB [0:01:56] • Exit Strategy [0:03:33] • Lessons Learned [0:07:26] • The Importance of Resilience [0:10:53] • Leadership [0:11:50] • Best & Worst Mistakes [0:15:24] • Wellness Programs [0:21:25] • "Quiet the Noise" [0:24:00] • The Spiritual Benefits of Exercise [0:26:50] • Advice for Getting Healthy [

When he was just a boy, Trace Blackmore often went to work with his father. Decades later, Trace combined the skills his father taught him with the business knowledge he’d gained over the years to start his own water treatment business. Today, Trace is not only the President of Blackmore Enterprises, he is also the host of Scaling Up! H2O, the popular podcast for water treatment professionals with 10,000 subscribers and growing. Show Notes: On this episode of Small Business Matters the Podcast, Trace drops by to talk about following in his father’s footsteps, venturing out on his own, and the importance of creating a positive work culture within your organization. Key Points in this Episode: • Contributions to SB [0:01:40] • Getting Started [0:02:17] • Building the Business [0:04:02] • Client Engagement and Sales Cycles [0:05:28] • Role as President [0:07:04] • Consistent Growth [0:08:01] • Planning Tools [0:09:05] • Mistakes Made

Rick Mayo founded a personal training business, Alloy Personal Training Center, in 1992. In the past decade, he and his team began helping major brands and independent gyms, health clubs, and fitness businesses around the world deploy personal training systems through a licensing model under the Alloy brand. A subject matter expert on health and fitness, Rick is also a featured conference speaker, both Internationally and domestically and contributes regularly to industry publications such as "Men's Health" nationwide. Show Notes: In this episode of Small Business Matters the Podcast, a long-time friend of SBM stops by to chat with Tim and Taylor about internal communication, embracing change within your business, focusing on your core offering, and the most important role of CEO - thought leader. Key Points in this Episode: • Contributions to SB [0:02:40] • Getting Started [0:04:15] • Time to Learn about Business [0:06:06] • Sys

Bryan Gray became an entrepreneur at the ripe old age of 14 and later led two companies onto the Inc. 500 List. Today, Bryan serves as Chief Executive Officer & Neuro Selling Practice Leader for the Revenue Path Group (RPG). He is also President of MediaSauce, a contributing member of RPG, and leads the business development and strategic direction of both the organization as well as client work. Show Notes: On this episode of Small Business Matters the podcast, Bryan Gray shares his insights on neuromarketing, the importance of understanding the buyer's decision-making process, and understanding the "Why You" and "Why Now" in the sales process. Key Points in this Episode: • Contributions to SB [0:02:07] • Becoming an Entrepreneur [0:02:56] • Three Deadly Cs of B2B Sales [0:04:09] • Connecting Value to Marketing Efforts [0:06:16] • Understanding the Buyer [0:06:58] • The Customer's Decision Process [0:08:50] • Mistakes Small Busin

Eric CoryelI helps organizations identify their strategic position, move accountability down into the organization, and most of all create accountable teams that deliver results. To support these efforts, he also helps individuals and teams establish meaningful metrics, problem solve, deal with their real issues by having difficult conversations, and become accountable to each other. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Eric honed his team leadership and accountability skills throughout his career during which he served in various business roles from purchasing manager to CEO. Twelve years ago, Eric founded Core Connections, LLC dedicated to helping organizations become more agile, customer-responsive, and efficient through the creation of accountable teams. In addition to a popular Vistage speaker, Eric is also a lifelong Wisconsin Badgers fan. Show Notes: Recently, on Small Business Matters the podcast, Eric Coryell stopped by to chat with Tim and Taylor about leading and building accountability

President of Home Town Mortgage in Alpharetta, GA, Steve Beecham is also an author and popular keynote, Vistage, and motivational speaker in greater Atlanta. Never afraid to take a chance in business, Steve began his entrepreneurial career in retail as the owner of a men's and women's clothing store. Over the years, Steve honed his personal skills in the areas of sales, client relations, and business management. Today, he shares his techniques for helping companies and individuals succeed in business through networking and leveraging their social connections. Show Notes: In this episode of Small Business Matters the Podcast, Steve Beecham stops by to talk about his system for increasing sales, without hustling business. Selling in the village, as Steve describes it, is based on earning referrals and depends largely on understanding the way others see you and your business. Steve also shares two important rules for getting where you want to go in business and the wort and best business mistake he ever ma

Radio disk jockey turned business owner and Vistage Founder, Bud Carter has had a successful and colorful career. Arriving in Atlanta during the 80s, Bud was the owner and general manager of a corporate outplacement company. He was also the founder of Vistage (known then as Tech) and became the first Vistage Chair in Atlanta in 1987. Thirty years later, Bud still chairs his two original Vistage groups. Bud has served on 11 private and publicly listed company boards, and is the author of "Pithy Business Quotes" available on Amazon. Show Notes: In this episode of Small Business Matters The Podcast, Bud Carter shares his insights and experience gained as the founder and 30 year Vistage Atlanta Chair. From the role of the Small Business CEO, to the growing complexities and demands on businesses today, Bud's speaks to the changes he's seen in workplace culture, products and services, and managing the workforce. Always entertaining, Bud also shares his affinity for BBQ, good jazz, and the Atlanta Braves. K

John Fenton leveraged the leadership skills he learned as a collegiate athlete to build a successful career in finance, ultimately serving as a managing partner with BDO USA's Atlanta office. A member of the Forbes Coaching Council and a Certified Brain Management Consultant, today John helps entrepreneurs and executives improve their leadership skills with confidence, clarity, and awareness. John has also been published by Forbes.com, and authored the best selling book entitled "5 Minute Mastery". Show Notes: In this episode of the Small Business Matters podcast, John sits down with Tim and Taylor to discuss how a near-death experience changed his life and led to a new career focused on helping entrepreneurs and executives benefit from his experience. John also discusses his new workbook, "5 Day 5 Minute Freedom Challenge", designed to help business leaders master what's important and transform stress into success. Key Points in this Episode: • SB Time Constraints [0:02:34] • John’s Vision [0:03:41] •

Cindy Miller, CEO of Cindy Miller Communications, discusses the importance of a crisis communication plan as well as best-practices for small business communications, marketing and public relations.

With a passion for plants and horticulture, Josh Rutter launched Tropics North, a nursery farm in South Florida, with little experience in business. A couple decades later, Tropics North generated tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue with clients stretching across Florida and the Caribbean. Josh sits down with small business matters to talk about how he started Tropics North, some of the challenges he faced and what business owners can learn from his mistakes. We also discuss Hurricane Andrew and how the devastating storm changed Tropics North and Josh as a business owner. Josh Rutter is now a business consultant working with small to mid-size businesses in the Miami area. Listeners can reach Josh by email at jbr@thirdmaritime.com.

Dez Thornton is a Communications Expert who helps Thought Leaders say the right words in the right way when they matter most. An idea enthusiast with a knack for transforming the complex into the simple, Dez has an uncanny ability to inspire action through story. Dez was professionally trained at the University of South Carolina and Dale Carnegie and was the 2014 President of the Georgia Chapter of the National Speakers Association. Today, Dez dedicates his gift of communication to helping CEOs and business leaders become more effective speakers. In this episode of the Small Business Matters podcast, Dez shares his insights around developing an effective presentation or speech, the importance of preparation and content development, the power of visual maps, and the four components of delivering a speech successfully. We also talk about the reason so many successful CEOs struggle with public speaking, the most common mistakes made by both seasoned and young speakers, appropriate non-verbal communication and

Alicia Butler Pierre is CEO of Equilibria, Inc. and is dedicated to designing business infrastructures for fast-growing companies serious about scaling in a sustainable and profitable manner. This business infrastructure links their people, processes and tools into a cohesive system so that work flows seamlessly and customers, vendors and employees remain satisfied. In this episode of the Small Business Matters podcast, we pick Alicia's brain on why so many successful business owners struggle with business design and operational management, common mistakes business leaders make with process design, and case studies of companies who differentiate themselves with excellent business design. We also discuss Alicia's newest book "Behind the Facade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success" and what the typical Equilibria client looks like.

Small Business Matters sits down with Mike Iverson, Principal at Trillium Financial, to talk about the role of the CFO, common financial management mistakes in business and Mike's favorite key performance indicators(KPIs). We also discuss: How Mike got started with Trillium. The roles and responsibilities of an interim CFO. Examples of a typical interim CFO engagement. Examples of mistakes that Mike sees small business owners make with their finances. Mike's favorite KPIs for small business owners to track. New financial products and services Trillium Financial is working on. Mike's experience being in a Vistage CEO group. The importance of a sabbatical and time away from the office.

Bernie Meineke spent more than 20 years working at Small Business Development Centers across the state of Georgia as a consultant and director. In this episode of the Small Business Matters podcast, we discuss the benefits that a Small Business Development Center can bring to entrepreneurs as well as common challenges and issues facing small businesses. Bernie shares insights he gained working with thousands of small business owners, including the power of a simple idea, the importance of financial statements and myths surrounding the small business economy.

Chris Hanks is the Founder & Executive Director at Kennesaw State University's Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship Center. In this episode of the Small Business Matters podcast, we discuss Chris' entrepreneurial journey, life as a small business coach and consultant and why small business is so important to our economy and communities.

Welcome to the first episode of the Small Business Matters podcast! I'm pleased to have my son, Taylor Fulton, join me to discuss small business marketing, buyer personas, content marketing and inbound marketing strategies.