Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Learning More vs Doing More 0:00: Balance between learning and doing in business. Mercer and Jeff discuss the balance between learning and doing in business. They emphasize the importance of practicing skills after learning new information. 2:37: Balancing learning and doing to achieve growth. Jeff suggests quarterly priorities are ideal for learning and implementing new skills, rather than monthly priorities. The...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Service Stacking 0:00: Service stacking for business growth. Mercer and Jeff discuss the concept of "service stacking," where service providers offer multiple services in a bundled package to establish a relationship with clients and increase the likelihood of repeat business. Jeff explains service stacking, a technique for expanding services offered to existing clients, starting with low-risk offers and...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Stupid Things Entrepreneurs Do 0:00: Entrepreneurial mistakes, including taking on too much work and not building a strong team. Mercer started a monthly Entertainment Guide newspaper in his early entrepreneurial days but made the mistake of not learning how to manage a team. He quickly learned that entrepreneurs should build a team, not do everything themselves. 4:10: The dangers of assuming success and the...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is The CFO Role 0:00: Integrating CFO mentality in small businesses. Mercer and Jeff Sauer discuss the CFO role in small businesses, exploring how to integrate the CFO mentality without hiring a full-time CFO. They consider options such as using an advisor or CPA to play the role, and how entrepreneurs without accounting background can still adopt the CFO mindset. 2:37: Financial management for small businesses....

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Do You Need Business Insurance 0:00: Business insurance and its importance. Jeff believes business insurance is essential to protect against financial loss in case of lawsuits or unforeseen events. He cites the low cost of insurance compared to the potential financial repercussions of not having it. 1:54: Business insurance and its importance. Mercer agrees, particularly in protecting against unexpected events...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Merging Between Companies 0:00: Company mergers and partnerships with distinctions and examples. Jeff defines company mergers and partnerships as a legal entity and a structure, respectively, and clarifies the distinction between partnerships and other terms like co-promotions and affiliate relationships. 3:58: Mergers and partnerships for small businesses. Mergers can be risky for small businesses, but they can...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Power of Mindset For Growing Sales 0:00: The impact of mindset on sales growth. Mercer defines mindset as the number one thing needed for business growth, as it shifts the focus from trying to make a sale to providing value to customers. 2:24: The importance of mindset in business and personal growth. Mercer emphasizes that mindset influences the words one uses, as it fuels everything. Jeff highlights the...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Creating New Offers 0:00: Creating and improving business offers. Mercer defines an offer as a way to pitch a product or service, keeping it fresh and interesting to keep the market engaged. Jeff agrees, adding that the word offer is more encompassing than sales or marketing, as it includes various ways to pitch a product or service. 4:07: Creating effective offers in business. Mercer reflects on his past approach...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Managing Expenses 0:00: Managing expenses in business. Mercer and Jeff Sauer define managing expenses as pruning for profit, not just cutting costs. They discuss the trap of investing in new opportunities without tracking expenses, leading to unprofitable decisions. 3:33: Optimizing business expenses for profit margin. Mercer cites Keith Cunningham's financial training for Tony Robbins as a key insight on how to...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Delivering Pitches to Clients 0:00: Delivering pitches to clients and understanding clients vs. prospects. Mercer defines "pitches" as customized offers delivered one-on-one to clients, while Jeff adds that it's about presenting solutions to the client. Jeff notes that winning business through warm introductions can be beneficial, but it also means that the necessary due diligence and planning may be overlooked,...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Forecasting Techniques 0:00: Forecasting techniques for businesses. Jeff and Mercer discuss various forecasting techniques for businesses, including using numbers in a spreadsheet to predict future revenue. They discuss the evolution of forecasting and creating actionable plans in organizations. 3:00: Forecasting and planning for business success. Mercer emphasizes the importance of adjusting forecasts based on...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Dealing with Sunk Costs 0:00: Dealing with sunk costs and the sunk cost fallacy. Mercer and Jeff discuss the concept of sunk costs and the sunk cost fallacy. 3:05: Sunk costs and decision-making in business and personal finance. Mercer and Jeff discuss the concept of sunk costs and how it impacts decision-making. Jeff discusses the concept of sunk cost fallacy in business, explaining that it makes sense to...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Reinventing Yourself 0:00: Reinventing oneself. Mercer and Jeff discuss reinventing oneself, with Mercer reflecting on his New Year's resolutions. 1:05: Reinventing oneself for personal growth and success. Reinventing oneself involves changing one's identity, skills, and habits to reach new goals, whether in business or personal life. Mercer shares insights on reinventing oneself, acknowledging the need to break...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Expense vs. Investment Mentality 0:00: Viewing business expenses as investments. Mercer and Jeff discuss the difference between expense and investment mentality in business. 1:17: Expenses vs business investments. They discuss the distinction between expenses and investments in business, with a focus on how they are perceived in the sales process. 4:44: Expenses as investments, time management, and prioritization....

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Failing vs Being a Failure 0:00: Defining failure and being a failure in business. Mercer defines failing as a natural part of life, happening every day while being a failure is a finality and an identity. Jeff agrees, adding that failing is feedback while being a failure is an emotional identity that can lead to a stopping point. 3:02 Impostor syndrome and comparing oneself to others. Jeff has struggled with...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks 0:00: Staying up-to-date in business as an experienced entrepreneur. Old dogs learning new tricks: Staying fresh, and open to new ideas while leveraging experience. 1:13: Adapting to new technology while preserving old methods. Jeff emphasizes the importance of updating one's mindset, skill set, and business strategies to stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. He grapples with...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Developing a Financial Runway 0:00: Financial runway for businesses. Mercer defines financial runway as the amount of time a business can keep operating with its current expenses, based on the amount of money it has in the bank. Jeff agrees, adding that he measures a financial runway in terms of time, such as months or weeks, to determine how long a business can continue operating if revenue drops to zero. Mercer...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Hacks for getting your time back 0:00: Time management hacks for entrepreneurs. Mercer and Jeff discuss hacks for getting time back, with Mercer emphasizing efficiency and maximizing potential, while Jeff questions the need for time hacks. Both agree that time is a scarce resource, and they share strategies for gaining control over it, but Mercer acknowledges that arriving at a state of complete control is...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Goals for 2024 0.00: Mercer and Jeff Sauer discuss their goals for 2024, including holding themselves accountable through podcast form. They organize their goals into buckets such as financial, business, and personal, and plan to share their progress throughout the year. Jeff emphasizes the importance of continuous goal setting and execution, rather than setting new goals each year. 3:12: Personal growth and...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Predictions for 2024 0:00: 2024 predictions for business owners. Jeff and Mercer discuss macroeconomic trends and patterns for 2024, with a focus on navigating through them as business owners. 2:03: The state of the economy in 2023 and 2024. Economic challenges continued into 2023, with layoffs, cutbacks, and decreased consumer spending. Despite pessimism, there is hope for 2024, with potential signs of economic...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Leveraging Cash 0:00: Leveraging cash to improve business operations. Leveraging cash to make the business run more smoothly by investing in systems, advertising, and employee retention. 1:50: Managing cash flow in business. Mercer and Jeff discuss how to manage cash flow in a business, with Mercer emphasizing the importance of keeping cash for a rainy day and Jeff highlighting the benefits of hiring ahead of the...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Getting Outside Investment. 0:00: Mercer defines getting outside investment in a business as receiving cash from external investors in exchange for equity. Jeff says outside investment can come in the form of equity or non-equity investments, such as debt financing or royalty deals. Mercer shares some strategies for getting outside investment including validation, partnership, and stability, depending on the...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is When to Hire a Business Coach 0:00: Hiring a business coach and their role in entrepreneurship. Business coaches provide objective advice and frameworks from an outsider's perspective. Jeff shares his experience with hiring a business coach, explaining that they started by taking courses and reading books before investing in one-on-one coaching. Mercer agrees, noting that there's a hierarchy of coaching options,...

Welcome back to Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer today's topic is Minimum Viable Resources. 0:00: Mercer defines "minimum viable resource" as the bare minimum needed to prove a business concept. Jeff suggests using less expensive resources, such as those found on Fiverr, to complete tasks that do not require senior expertise, while still charging the same amount to clients. Sauer advocates for leveraging processes and systems to generate profits in business while minimizing...