On the Dirty Secrets of Small Business radio show, co-hosts Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, who are also the coaches of their business, Maximum Value Partners (MVP) www.maximumvp.com are fresh from the recent Thanksgiving celebration. No, they aren’t talking turkey, but rather stuffing as it relates to all the stuff small business owners have to contend with.

In this week’s show, they debunk the common myth that centers on “I told them once, so they should get it.” Nearly every owner goes through this with his or her team of employees in being challenged on how to communicate effectively. Directions and insights that seem crystal clear to the owner can often take 2 or 3 or even dozens of times to explain so team members really get it. To the owner, it feels like you are babysitting at times or even dealing with a very young child. Keep in mind that communication is very difficult and what may be inherently clear in your mind might not be so clear when presented to your team. Your team members usually have different backgrounds and experience so it might be that you’re using words that you think are very clear but have a different meaning to your team. We see it all the time when discussing numbers and using terms like profit, which is totally clear to us, but most people don’t see what we see. If you get a lot of blank stares or think that your people have taken on the look of a deer in the headlights, maybe it’s time to examine how well you are communicating the back-story of what you need to be implemented.

A great thing to do is pause and have your team feed back to you what they just heard so that you can ensure you’re on the same page. If you aren’t on the same page, you’ll quickly be able to identify where the confusion exists.

In having owned 20 businesses of their own and advising hundreds of small businesses over the years, Jack and Adam know how critical communications can be for the success of the business and the motivation of the team. It is also a good idea to understand how each employee handles and engages in the work environment. MVP utilizes a DISC analysis which can shed light on personality and management styles that also includes the nuances of how people communicate and process orders/directions. For more information, visit

http://maximumvp.com/mvp-services/extended-disc-training/ and also give Jack and Adam a call to discuss. 877-849-0670

In this week’s Dirty Secret of the Week, the coaches discuss the secret that owners are always working. Many small business owners can relate to this because they are balancing all the work things with their personal lives. In reality, though, an owner’s brain never turns off and when they do shut things down by force that’s usually when things with the business don’t continue to go well. Jack and Adam’s advice is to accept that, yes, in some way you are always working. Knowing how to manage it and not have it totally consume you in your off time is the key to being a small business owner who can accept this responsibility and be there for the others in his or her life.

For more details on getting satisfaction from your business and hearing Jack’s HOW Question of the week, access the podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or call (radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670). You can also call into during the show each week at noon (EST) – 1:00 pm on WINT 1330 AM, call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches!

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Jack Mencini and Adam co-hosts of Dirty Secrets of Small Business® podcasts are the true insiders to help small businesses with their challenges. This week’s dirty secret centers on the premise that “good partners are hard to find, but invaluable when you find one!”

Jack and Adam have over 15 years experience in coaching small businesses to success and sustainability with their business Maximum Value Partners (MVP).

In having owned 20 businesses of their own and advising hundreds of small businesses over the years, they understand the nuances and trying times that small business owners contend with. Jack and Adam also realize that it is good to have a partner who is different from you and brings a contrarian mindset to the table. If you hire all like-minded people and even have a duplication of yourself with your business partner, this leaves little room for creativity or exploring new ideas that someone who may think differently can offer to brainstorm.

It is also a good idea to be open and honest with your business partner regarding the good, the bad and the ugly or else it won’t work. Through honest communications with each other, you need to be on the same page for where you’d like the business to go and have the same shared values with your mission and vision. Not having to argue and increase stress with your business partner will bode well for the success and profitability of your business.

The MVP coaches also debunk the myth that your business will be profitable in the first six to twelve months when the new business is starting up. According to Adam, most people think of this in terms of them being able to take money out of the business. It’s the old job versus owner mentality. Running a business is not like being employed within an organization, working for someone else and having a job. Running a business needs to focus on growing and feeding the business first with investments of the owner’s savings and/or incurring debt to keep cash flowing into the business. Jack and Adam are saying that in some unusual cases, new businesses can be profitable early on, but in most cases, either the business owner or the spouse still has their job to keep things a float before jumping in 100% and not having another salary as a safety net.

For more details on getting satisfaction from your business and hearing Jack’s HOW Question of the week, access the podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or call (radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670). You can also call into during the show each week at noon (EST) – 1:00 pm on WINT 1330 AM, call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches!

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On the weekly show/podcast, Dirty Secrets of Small Business®, Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter co-hosts uncover the secrets, which many of the United States 28 million small businesses face day in and day out. This week’s secret centers on the premise that “your banker really can help you if you know how to help him help you.” Jack and Adam have a tremendous amount of experience with small businesses in having owned over 20 small businesses themselves and coaching hundreds of others through their own firm, Maximum Value Partners www.maximumvp.com

According to Adam, some of the ways that you, as an owner, can help your banker build a better relationship with you is to focus on: regular communication (quarterly at minimum) to keep him or her informed of the growth, developments and even challenges your business is facing. In these discussions, it is really good to describe and emphasize the positive situations and the next steps you are building for profit and sustainability. It is also a good idea to have discussions with your banker on updates before you need the money so that the banker has the back-story of your goals and vision for the business. That’s right, go to your banker BEFORE you need the money.

Jack also interjected that it is critical that the business owner learn how to effectively present the numbers for the business. Also, with banks continuing to make changes to personnel and the way they make decisions in the processing of money for a small business, it is important for the owner to have an understanding of the bank’s current process. Often times, this insight can help an owner in asking for more money initially rather than having to go back numerous times if more funds are needed. It has been MVP’s experience in coaching owners, that if you present well, which is part of their 7 Keys to Success http://maximumvp.com/7-keys-to-success/, there is an opportunity to get a larger loan rather than you may have originally thought.

In this week’s myth, they debunk the idea that success is all about making money. If it was all about making money, you wouldn’t have nearly the number of small businesses in this country since many of those owners made or make less than if they worked for someone else. Money is certainly one measuring stick, but you need to find other variables. Some other measureables to guide you in determining the success of your business are all about loving what you do, doing things the right way, not compromising your principles and focusing on the quality of life which allows you to do more things in your family and community.

For more details on getting satisfaction from your business, small business challenges and being profitable, access the podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/ to hear this November 14^th broadcast and more of Maximum Value Partners’ clients success stories to hear great insights for your own business.

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or call (radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670). You can also call into during the show each week at noon (EST) – 1:00 pm on WINT 1330 AM, call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches!

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Many small business owners are energetic, dynamic and share the philosophy that they are capable of doing it all for their business. Starting out, these new owners are doing the operations plan, hiring, dealing with vendors, filling the pipeline with new customers and ultimately being pushed and pulled in a thousand directions. It usually starts out this way with the boss doing everything.

Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter of Maximum Value Partners (MVP) know that over time, it’s impossible for the small business owner to be an expert at all facets of the business. One of the most challenging parts of running your own business is that you are constantly faced with situations where it isn’t always obvious what you should do next and thinking that you can do everything yourself. Jack and Adam often use the visual of the overlapping of their 3 Circles model to explain what the owner is feeling: http://maximumvp.com/the-3-circles/

In this week’s dirty secret, Jack and Adam who are the hosts of the Dirty Secrets of Small Business show, uncover the fact that many small business owners feel that transferring the business to the kids is the best exit plan. Most business owners didn’t start their company with the idea in mind of getting out of it or doing an exit plan. Yet, many small business owners have dreamed about building something that they could one day turn over to their kids.

Unfortunately, it’s usually not that simple and often the wrong course of action for the health of your relationship with your kids and the health of your business. There are far better ways to go when you wish to exit the business. Give Jack and Adam a call at (877) 849-0670 or email them at radio@maximumvp.com to start the discussion and the exit plan.

In this week’s client success story, Adam shares the overview of how one company accelerated their growth by using several of MVP’s 7 Keys to Success http://maximumvp.com/7-keys-to-success/. The Presenting, Profit Plan and Organization points are the 3 of the 7 keys, which provide the groundwork for this client’s plan for accelerating their growth. It can work to accelerate your growth as well!

For more details on this success story, access the podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/ ) to hear this November 7^th broadcast and more of Maximum Value Partners’ clients success stories to get great insights for your own business.

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or call (radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670). You can also call into during the show each week at noon (EST) – 1:00 pm on WINT 1330 AM, call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches!

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Many of us have heard about Dale Carnegie. He was one of the first quasi business coaches who wrote the book over 60 years ago: How to Wind Friends & Influence People. It is still relevant today and it comes down to making people feel respected and appreciated. Dale Carnegie along with Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter of Maximum Value Partners are very like-minded in having similar ideas of how business owners should deal with their teams and what it takes to be a good leader.

In this week’s dirty secret, Jack and Adam who host of the Dirty Secrets of Small Business show, uncover the fact that as a small business owner, if you don’t like people, you shouldn’t be a business owner! Nearly every business owner spends the largest part of their time dealing with people “stuff.” If people aren’t your thing and Dale Carnegie’s philosophies never hit home with you, chances are you won’t have too much fun owning a business. As the owner, you will be involved not only in keeping operations, profits, inventory and customer relations running smoothly, but there will be the nuances of dealing with employee relationships between the teams and even personal issues if someone isn’t performing due to a family health crisis or their own lack of being motivated. The small business owner has to balance the professional demeanor with understanding and solutions when “stuff” gets into the day-to-day operations. You don’t have to be a Dr. Phil, but you need to manage all the people issues.

Another myth of small businesses is that you need to guard your ideas so someone doesn’t steal them. There tends to be a feeling of paranoia with small business owners keeping things private and not sharing or brainstorming with their teams. There needs to be trust with your inner circle and also knowing that by having this confidence to share a new idea with a talented individual or team, that the discussion may lead to greater developments and insights to build on your initial ideas.

In this week’s segment of How Come?, Jack ponders: How come people don’t ask a lot of questions and instead go along with what they know? Is it because they are afraid of not looking like they are not in control by knowing everything or is it because a great fault of leaders usually has them talking 80% of the time and only listening 20% of the time? If the percentages were reversed, it may result in the small business owner getting ideas and answers from the talented team working in their company. As a small business owner, try to develop the habit of active listening and couple that with asking questions by letting go of the feeling that you are less powerful because you are engaging others to be part of the solution. Your teams will feel motivated and involved in building success and sustainability because you asked the questions!

Didn’t get to catch the show on Monday? You can listen to the podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/ ) to hear more of Maximum Value Partners’ clients success stories and great insights for your own business.

Every week, on DirtySecretsofSmallBusiness.com catch up on a success story from one of their clients in the world of small business. If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or call (radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670) to get insights from the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches!

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