How do you prompt the break of a long-term business relationship?



MVP guys discuss ending long-term business relationshipsJack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, the small business coaches from Maximum Value Partners (www.maximumvp.com) get owners unstuck from the state of HOW! (How questions are those questions that perplex small business owners day in and day out.) In this week’s episode of Dirty Secrets of Small Business at 7:30pm (EST) on WINT Radio 1330 AM and 101.5 FM every Wednesday, the cohosts discuss: How do you prompt the break of a long-term relationship? The break up could be with an employee, a customer/client or perhaps a vendor.

They define a long-term relationship as being 5-10 years and as a business owner, you have been through some stuff and had a chance to see how the other party performs. Having been through some stuff with the other party, it can be hard to break the relationship off, even though it is almost always the right thing to do.

“People don’t break off very easily,” said Adam. “In business coaching, every time we break from a customer… even if there is a good reason or bad reason… we tend to feel that there is a little dark cloud over the situation. And, it doesn’t’ feel good, especially in the moment.”
Over the years, they have found that when a bad situation or bad fit between the coaches and their clients surfaces, they know now to break it off right away. “There is always that feeling of discomfort or loss, but it is better to end it as soon as possible,” said Jack.
When it comes to something not working, it is better to cut it off sooner than later “When we had our first client break off, we were caught off guard because we weren’t ready to let them go. But, they were ready to flap their wings and fly on their own,” said Jack.
“They gained knowledge from us and put it to good use,” said Adam. “We took a break for a year and then they came back to us to have as a sounding board and help them look for answers to their ‘How Questions.’ Within a few years they wound up selling their business to a competitor for a nice profit!”

If you do make a break… it might not be forever… just for now. Good partnerships might need to take a rest and it is sad, but it could be that you had a good run. The lesson is that, the coaches did well for the client and they are both successful, but it is time to take a break for a while. This could be true of any of your vendors, customers, or employees as well. As much as many of us would like these relationships to be life-long, the reality is that very few wind up lasting more than a few years at best.

In addition to this topic, Jack and Adam give insights into how much to pay your employees, how to look at salary from an annual perspective or an hourly perspective. Also, how do you know if you have a problem with your employees and if they are trying to blackmail you into getting a higher salary? The business coaches also share a few dirty secrets on how to set selling prices during this episode.
For more info on small business challenges tune into this week’s May 24 podcast on iTunes or http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/ or call Jack or Adam for help with your small business challenges at 877-849-0670.

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or contact Jack and Adam directly at radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670.
You can also call in during the show each week when you are listening on Wednesdays at prime time 7:30pm (EST) on WINT 1330 AM and 101.5 FM. Or call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches or tweet your question to @MaximumVP.

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How do you get the owner of a dysfunctional company to change?



Maximum Value Partners discuss dysfunctional discuss small businesses

Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, the small business coaches from Maximum Value Partners (www.maximumvp.com), a.k.a “The UnStuckers”, address many how questions and get people unstuck from the state of HOW! In this week’s episode of Dirty Secrets of Small Business at 7:30pm (EST) on WINT Radio 1330 AM and 101.5 FM every Wednesday, the cohosts discuss how do you get the owner of a dysfunctional company to change?

When you start talking about dysfunction in the workplace or in the home, the word “normal” will usually pop up. What is “normal” for you can be very different for someone else from a different background or experience. What is “normal” will also change over time due to social norms and what the family or the business is experiencing.

Years ago the normal family unit was mom at home and dad being the breadwinner with daily dinners and all members of the family around the dinner table at 5:30pm. Back then…that was normal, but probably pretty unusual in today’s environment.

In looking at small business and addressing the question of what is normal, it is often difficult for the business owner to know what is normal since they typically only know their own business. It’s helpful to get the perspective of outsiders, especially ones who have seen a lot of different companies. This helps the business owner understand and admit that there is some dysfunction in the workplace. Initially, there will be some denial because the business owner sees what is going on in their business as normal.

A couple of examples of what dysfunction might look like include family members who are employees and don’t differentiate between work and personal. For instance, if they yell and scream at each other at family functions, you will usually hear them reacting in the same way in the work environment. This can be very disruptive to the other team members and even the outside vendors and customers. And it’s not normal! Too many times, this dysfunctional behavior is not viewed as a problem because the owner’s relationship is based on the family dynamic rather than the professional work dynamic.

In addition to this topic, Jack and Adam give insights into the value and ramifications of what the constant churn of people in a small business organization can do to the future of the business. Jack and Adam share a few dirty secrets on how to quickly tell if you are hiring a good employee and how to tell if a business is running smoothly within a few minutes.

For more info on small business challenges tune into this week’s May 17 podcast on iTunes or http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/   or call Jack or Adam for help with your small business challenges at 877-849-0670.

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or contact Jack and Adam directly at radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670.

You can also call in during the show each week when you are listening on Wednesdays at prime time 7:30pm (EST) on WINT 1330 AM and 101.5 FM. Or call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches or tweet your question to @MaximumVP.

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Why are the small guys ignored?



Maximum Value Partners doing their magic in the studio to record Dirty Secrets of Small BusinessJack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, co-hosts of Dirty Secrets of Small Business, which airs live on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm (EST) on WINT 1330 AM and 101.5 FM, discuss the question: Why are the small guys, the small business owners, ignored?
Both men are also business partners and small business coaches with Maximum Value Partners (MVP) www.maximumvp.com who delve deep into the discussion of why this is the case that the small companies are often ignored for business loans and their impact on the community. Why aren’t they more celebrated, promoted, and appreciated like the bigger companies? These small companies have great stories to tell as well.
Why it is this the case? Jack starts the discussion by saying that many small business owners lack the insight and tools to be professional self-promoters and the ability to present and tell their business story in an appealing or sexy way to grab people’s attention.

Owners of small businesses don’t think bigger because they don’t know how to go about getting the financial backing for cash and capital to grow their businesses as those who are among the venture capitalist (VC) and the Wall Street types. A small business owner does not command that kind of attention to make the VC or Wall Street maven stand up and take notice. What is alarming is that the small business owner is not looking to borrow huge sums of money in the millions to make a go of it, but rather amounts that are in the lower spectrum being in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There is a definite market for small business owners to stand up and be recognized and not ignored. Marcia Pledger columnist for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer had an ongoing column for ten years title: My Biggest Mistake and How I fixed it http://amzn.to/2pDNSq8

The book is an interesting compilation on small business stories. The chapters give an inside look of how the challenges within small business were addressed and solved. These stories resonate with people because folks can relate to them and get their hands around them pretty quickly. They are real stories that many of us have experienced ourselves. Most of us can relate to dealing with families issues (whether it be as part of a business or not). Almost none of us can relate to raising hundreds of millions of dollars from Venture Capitalists or selling our company for billions of dollars, yet those stories are the ones most often told.

Several recent television programs give some insight for how to tell the stories of small business in an interesting way: The Profit with Marcus Lemoni and the long-running Shark Tank with 5 VC individuals, who weekly skewer the small business individuals who are presenting. Yes, these companies aren’t being ignored, but many times they are not getting the backing they need to make a go of their small businesses. And for each of these stories being told, there are millions more!

Sometimes, these shows have a negative effect on people who might be thinking about starting a small business. Jack and Adam have the feeling that a potential small business owner will watch the Shark Tank and it scares people about going to ask for money. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to 5 individuals who seem like they are ready to be the firing squad?

In digging deeper about supporting small business, Jack feels that the system is rigged against small business. “The people who make decisions on dolling out the big bucks are usually made up of government bureaucrats, professors or college ivy league types who have never run a business themselves.

“People who are in power to doll out the dollars are usually looking at high tech start-ups. These high tech companies are not what you would consider Main Street USA.” Jack feels it is rigged by the VC who would not help the small business and the Main Street USA companies to get funding to grow and expand. For these small businesses, it is often times just too hard to try and get the smaller loans.

Jack states that many VCs make the decision to not give money to a small business because it is not fancy enough. The florist on Main Street USA…the VC sees nothing sexy about giving her money to improve her company. It is a sad truth that 25 million jobs can be created in small companies if there were to each get better and simply add one employee. But, a fancy professor or bureaucrat or Wall Street guy will not see it as sexy to give $50K to a florist to help her business expand.

Jack further explained another example of the system being rigged. One of MVP’s clients, who was not a fancy high tech company but a solid company, wanted to expand and go to a suburban community. In order for him to do business in this community, he had to pay the mayor off in an “under the table” deal because the mayor did not want that business in his community. If it had been a sexy IT company, the mayor would have been head over heels to do it. The small business owner did not go through with giving the pay off.

For more info on how not to be ignored as a small business and the topic of purpose versus profit, tune into this week’s May 10 podcast on iTunes or http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/ or call Jack or Adam for help with your small business challenges at 877-849-0670.

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or contact Jack and Adam directly at radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670.

You can also call in during the show each week when you are listening on Wednesdays at prime time 7:30 pm (EST) on WINT 1330 AM and 101.5 FM. Or call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches or tweet your question to @MaximumVP.

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How do you know when to fight?



MVP discuss knowing when to fight in your businessFor their first show in the new prime time slot, Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, co-hosts of Dirty Secrets of Small Business, which airs live on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm (EST) on WITN 1330 AM and 101.5 FM, discuss the thorny topic of: How do you know when to fight? They are covering this subject as it relates to small business issues and taking a stand to fight for your position and also discussing being too afraid to stand up for yourself and your beliefs.

Adam started the discussion with the question: Will you fight at all costs?

If someone pushes you, are you one of those people who pushes right back and wants to fight because that was how you were brought up? Is it part of your nature to react in that way?

If you have been in business for a while, you will probably know if someone has that fight or flight mentality. Some business people will fight even if they are in the wrong …no matter what the consequences may be. Other people, even if they are in the right, won’t engage in controversy or start the fight. But, overall how do you know when it is right to fight?

Most humans don’t want to admit their mistakes. For many men in our current culture, a man will never stop to ask for directions or admit that he is wrong. Jack interjected that maybe a man just feels misunderstood. More often than not, the mentality is that it is often hard to admit a mistake and apologize.

How do you know when it is the right time to fight?

According to Jack, “When your gut says this is wrong and I have to do what is right. But, most business people capitulate to the attorneys and try to find a way to settle. Even though we know it is wrong, the small business owner will not fight and I think that is wrong. Your first instinct is the right instinct and to go ahead and fight if you are right! Fight for your right!”

For more info on when is the right time to fight and insights on the value of understanding your small business financial statements tune into this week’s May 3 podcast on iTunes or http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/ or call Jack or Adam for help with your small business challenges at 877-849-0670.

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

If you have a success story or a question you would like to share, email or contact Jack and Adam directly at radio@maximumvp.com or 877-849-0670.

You can also call in during the show each week when you are listening on Wednesdays at prime time 7:30 pm (EST) on WINT 1330 AM and 101.5 FM. Or call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches or tweet your question to @MaximumVP.

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How do I document stuff?



MVP Guys Recording the Podcast

How questions come to small business owners daily. Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter of Maximum Value Partners www.maximumvp.com and cohosts of Dirty Secrets of Small Business have been through thousands of them. They have been coaching together for over 15 years and one of the How Questions that they address today is – “How do I document how we do stuff here?”

To start the discussion, Jack interjects that one way to look at documenting your business process is to create a functional organizational chart to see who is doing what. The other key charts to develop are 4 flow charts to analyze your business cycles.

These are -The Revenue Cycle, The Purchasing Cycle, The Payroll Cycle and The Production Cycle.

For the Revenue Cycle, the phone rings or there are customer inquiries. Start by drawing little boxes with the titles: Orders Received. Look to describe how the orders are documented, the flow and description of the orders into the system and into the accounting system. The same can be said for Purchasing with the question to be asked: Is there an authorized request for that?

You will have the visuals with the boxes and the start of how the process starts and generates within your small business.

The Payroll Cycle includes your team on your payroll and the 1099 contractors or advisors and those people you want to hire. The fourth cycle is Production. All businesses produce products or services and this is typically the part of the business the owner knows and loves best. These cycles and what they represent will be the general big overview to document stuff and how effectively your small business is being run.

Where do you start?

One MVP client relies on SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to document all the steps with everything they do to fix the cars that come into the business, which is a car collision repair and reconstruction business. The damaged car is documented from the first time it rolls onto the lot to the final handing back of the keys to the owner to pay and drive away in the newly fixed car. This small business owner doesn’t rely on having all the details just in his head. He found a starting point to go over all the steps, document the processes and share the info with his team. This process also includes describing all the steps with deadly detail, all the complexities to systematize the entire process that even a new comer can come in and follow the check list!

For more info on peeling back the layers of the 4 cycles and documenting all the stuff within your small business tune into this week’s podcast on iTunes or http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/   or call Jack or Adam for help with your small business challenges at 877-849-0670.

Jack and Adam also announced that Dirty Secrets of Small Business is making the move to prime time! Starting on May 3, the show will air live on Wednesdays from 7:30 pm (EST) to 8:30 pm (EST) right after Tech Talk on WINT 1330 AM. The move to Wednesday evenings has the small business coaches, as part of the station’s must-listen-to lineup with other business shows scheduled to air in the evening time slots.

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

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 in during the show each week during April at noon (EST) – 1:00 pm on WINT 1330 AM, call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches or tweet your question to @MaximumVP.

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How do I use the numbers to run my business?



It’s no secret that Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter hosts of Dirty Secrets of Small Business encounter many “how questions” when coaching their clients at Maximum Value Partners www.maximumvp.com. On this week’s show, they zero in on one key how question that plagues more small business owners than you can imagine: How do I use the numbers to run my business?

“Usually the discussion starts with us asking the small business owners about their balance sheet, “ said Jack. “We go on to drill a little deeper and ask the owners what is on the report and then have them explain the profit & loss statement. Many will give the answer that you take your sales and subtract your expenses and you come up with the profit number. Not bad, but that is just about all they can explain.”

Many small business owners just do not understand the numbers. Or even how to explain the profit & loss statement and the balance sheet. It’s not their fault. We typically find that no one has ever explained to the owner “why” these reports are important and how they can be so helpful and comforting when it comes to running and managing their business.

Our experience has been that the majority of business owners want to understand how to properly use their numbers to run the business. The biggest challenge is they are typically too embarrassed to ask for help or they have been programmed to respond, “well that’s why I have a CPA.” What a load of bull! This approach leads to lots of upset business owners when they don’t have cash to pay hefty tax bills from profits that aren’t in the bank come tax time. If you’re the business owner, you need to take ownership of your numbers, not delegate that to someone else.

Being able to talk about sales and invoices, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll is a good start, but there is so much more to running by the numbers. Perhaps most important is the ability to forecast your business and create a Profit Plan that shows how your business will make money this year. Why wouldn’t you as the business owner want to understand how you are going to make money this year? If you don’t care, no one else will.

If your numbers are all over the place… it doesn’t have to be that way.   To find out more about why it is so important to look at these numbers and have a good solid understanding of the figures within your business, tune in to this week’s podcast on iTunes or http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

Jack and Adam also announced that Dirty Secrets of Small Business is making the move to prime time! Starting on May 3, the show will air live on Wednesdays from 7:30 pm (EST) to 8:30 pm (EST) right after Tech Talk on WINT 1330 AM. The move to Wednesday evenings has the small business coaches, as part of the station’s must-listen-to lineup with other business shows scheduled to air in the evening time slots.

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

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 in during the show each week during April at noon (EST) – 1:00 pm on WINT 1330 AM, call 440-946-9468 to ask your question to the Maximum Value Partners’ coaches or tweet your question to @MaximumVP.

 

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Marcia Pledger Shares Small Business Secrets, Mistakes and Successes



Marcia Pledger with Jack Mencini and Adam SonnhalterJack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter hosts of Dirty Secrets of Small Business welcomed Marcia Pledger, business/financial journalist as their guest on the April 3 show to discuss everything small business!

Marcia is a business reporter and columnist for The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com. She has vast experience covering topics ranging from small business and technology to manufacturing. Her articles include sharing stories of “reinvention”​- either online or in print. Marcia has delved into talking with business owners on such topics as: What drives a person or company to make a drastic change that led to success? Why reinvent the wheel or not to dwell on setbacks? How do you come back after your business has faced a downturn?

Marcia drew from her experiences of interviewing some 450 business owners over a 10-year period for her “My Biggest Mistake…and How I Fixed It” column in The Plain Dealer. She discussed these topics and many more with Jack and Adam, who have been small business coaches for over 15 years.

Jack and Adam shared many of their stories with Marcia by drawing on examples from coaching their clients at Maximum Value Partners (www.maximumvp.com).

Through the April 3 discussion with Marcia, the business coaches said that many of the experiences detailed in her book “My Biggest Mistake…and How I Fixed It: Lessons from the Entrepreneurial Front Lines,” are very similar to numerous challenges they have been coaching their clients on.

The high-energy conversation with the journalist and business coaches touched on planning, reinvention and having the right partner in business. They shared a common dilemma many family businesses have in how to fire a family member who needs to move on so that the business can succeed.

To hear more about the insights discussed on this April 3 broadcast with Marica Pledger, access this podcast and all the Dirty Secrets of Small Business podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/

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 in 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 or tweet your question to @MaximumVP

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When to Overhaul Your Business



Recording the Dirty Secrets of Small business

A really tough HOW Question for this week’s show with Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, who are both business partners and business coaches of Maximum Value Partners www.maximumvp.com is How do I know when to overhaul my business?

As cohosts of the weekly Dirty Secrets of Small Business radio shows and podcasts, they tackle many tough HOW Questions and this week’s one is no different in having them dig deep to offer insights on how small business owners can navigate the challenging obstacles of making their businesses successful.

When does having trouble with your business turn into a total overhaul or a even closing the doors for good? It is rare that the business the owner started day one is the same business years later. All businesses go through transition, change and evolution. These changes don’t always mean growth and don’t always mean devastation either. But, if you are at the point of continually losing money or not making much money at all, you have to ask yourself: Why am I doing this and why isn’t it any fun for me to run this business anymore?

As business coaches, Jack and Adam focus on the scary six-letter word: PROFIT, are you making any money? Too many business owners cannot answer this question. They will quickly say “yes” or “no” but when we ask them how they know they are or are not making a profit they usually respond by saying “there is money in the bank” or “we are paying taxes.” While those might be signs that your business is profitable, it may not in fact be the case.

One of the Dirty Secrets of Small Business we’ve learned over the years is that most small business owners don’t understand or use their financial statements. If you don’t use financials statements to guide you and don’t know where your cash flow is coming from, how can you really chart the course for success or even know that it is time to make some significant changes or perhaps close the business down and walk away?

MVP helps business owners recalibrate and overhaul their businesses by focusing on the 7 Keys to Success. Keep things simple, starting with know what your main role is as the owner, which can be boiled down to three words: Plan, Direct and Control.

To learn more about how to know if it is time to overhaul your business turn to the March 27 podcast and all the Dirty Secrets of Small Business podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/.

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 in 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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Faith and Small Business



Faith and small businessJack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter business partners and business coaches of Maximum Value Partners www.maximumvp.com and cohosts of the weekly Dirty Secrets of Small Business radio show and podcasts discuss the topic of how do you incorporate faith into your business life.

Adam referenced the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge where the main character enlisted to fight in World War II but did not want to carry a gun or kill anyone due to his strong religious beliefs. The movie brings out the concept of being true to your beliefs, your values and your virtues while also navigating the world around you.

In today’s business world, people are often suspicious of anyone who leads with announcing their religious orientation. According to Adam, it’s sometimes seen that you are like a TV evangelist. If you are leading with your religious announcement could it be that you are deflecting something else in your background or business? Or are you just being comfortable sharing your beliefs? The old adage is not to talk about politics or religion and you need to be politically correct to hide your feelings and your beliefs. Is that really the best way to interact in a business setting?

How do you incorporate faith in your business without losing business and how do you not take it personally if the reaction is not the positive response you wanted? Jack says you have to put things into perspective and learn how to digest the feedback. Sometimes you just might have to spit out the feedback and move on. If you are part of a small company you can rarely ignore it. The intent from the person giving the feedback is not usually meant to upset someone. It may be that the comment happened in a wave of emotion or was said in an incorrect way… “I really didn’t mean to say it that way.” It may be too late to try and rewind or correct it at that point.

Even if you don’t like how someone is saying something to you…focus on what they are saying rather than on how they deliver it to you. The seventh key of the 7 Keys to Success http://maximumvp.com/7-keys-to-success/ is about presenting, which is important in one-to-one communications between you the small business owner and your employee, vendor or client.

To learn more about being your true self in business and presenting effectively turn to the March 20 podcast and all the Dirty Secrets of Small Business podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/.

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 in 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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Most family businesses are total mess!



Whether you are starting out with a new business or have had your own small business for several years, you can learn a great deal by tuning into Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter have been helping small businesses with all of the challenging how questions for over 15 years with their own business, (having owned and operated over 20 small companies) as coaches for Maximum Value Partners (MVP) www.maximumvp.com. Now with their weekly radio show, Dirty Secrets of Small Business, as cohosts, they tackle the issues small business owners face day in and day out. They get business owners unstuck from the state of how!

In this week’s show there are four segments!

Segment one is a common myth of small businesses- All business owners are independently wealthy! Jack and Adam debunk this myth that all owners are draining the bank account and rolling around in cash!

Segment two is the dirty secret of the week- Most family businesses are total mess! Family businesses have their own definition of normal and which staff member has what responsibility based on the relatives (who are also part of the staff) and their relationships.

Other non-family run businesses operate as a “meritocracy:” people doing well based on their own actions versus the family name driving their position in the business. Many people feel that if you are sleeping with the boss you will have an advantage. Well that is very true!

Segment three is the How Come this or that exists? – How come state governments are not taking care of roads, the city’s bridges, flooding waterways and all the disrepair by saying that there is no money? To Adam, it’s like someone saying; “I don’t have time for that.” It is blowing off the real issue and the work needed to find a solution.

Segment four is the small business success story that is chronicled from one of their MVP clients. This week, Adam talks about one of their clients who needed to have the company run smoothly and grow when they are away from the business to take a vacation. The goal is to not to have pending disasters become reality six months down the road just because of your time away earlier in the year.

To learn more about all of these segments and how to take time away from your business, turn to the March 13 podcast and all the Dirty Secrets of Small Business podcasts on iTunes or at http://maximumvp.com/dirty-secrets-small-business-radio-show-podcast/

Do you have any How Questions of your own to email to Jack and Adam? Do it by sending your questions to radio@maximumvp.com or submit a question on their web site at http://maximumvp.com/how/.

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 in 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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The post Most family businesses are total mess! appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.