230 | What Makes You 400% More Likely to Land Your Next Client with Brandon Barnum
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
Release Date: 08/05/2025
255 | The Hidden Cost of Growth and How Smart Leaders Fix It with Megan Crabtree
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
Behind every growth problem is a lack of structure. Many businesses scale fast, only to realize they've outgrown their systems, their teams, and sometimes even themselves. The result? Burnout, chaos, and missed opportunities are hiding in plain sight. In this episode of The Business of You, we explore what it really takes to grow a business with intention — learning from someone who survived the burnout and chaos caused by the hidden traps of growth for growth’s sake. This conversation is about leadership that balances people and performance, and why data without heart (or heart without...
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254 | How Accountability Creates Freedom in Business and Life with Robert Hunt
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
What if the thing you’re avoiding is the very thing holding you back? Accountability often gets a bad reputation — as pressure, control, or punishment. But what if accountability is actually the key to freedom, clarity, and sustainable success? In this episode, we explore why so many leaders feel stuck even though they “know what to do,” and how ownership — not excuses — is what creates real momentum. Robert Hunt is the founder of REF Dallas, a CEO peer group and leadership platform he’s grown since 2013. Known as “The Accountability Guy,” Robert helps leaders reclaim...
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253 | How AI Is Changing the Way Companies Scale with Casey Woo
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
What if the most important people in a company are the ones no one talks about? They’re the builders behind the scenes. The operators who organize chaos, fix what’s broken, and quietly turn vision into reality. Scaling isn’t glamorous — but it’s essential. In this episode, we explore what it really takes to grow companies fast and smart, and how AI is accelerating the shift toward adaptable, cross-functional leadership. Casey Woo is a public market investor turned high-growth technology COO and CFO with more than two decades of experience helping companies scale. He’s served as a...
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252 | What Founders Need to Know About Bringing a Product to Market with Kerim Kfuri
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
If you’ve ever dreamed of launching a physical product—turning an idea into something tangible—you’ve probably noticed how overwhelming the process can feel. Manufacturing, sourcing, quality control, logistics, global suppliers…every step has layers most founders never see until they’re already in trouble. In a world where disruptions happen daily and the global economy shifts without warning, the founders who succeed aren’t just innovative—they’re prepared. Today’s guest, Kerim Kfuri, brings more than two decades of global supply chain expertise spanning technology,...
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251 | What It Really Takes to Succeed on Amazon with Pasha Knish
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
If you’ve ever looked at Amazon and wondered how some brands scale effortlessly while others disappear into a sea of competitors, you’re not alone. Amazon can feel like an unpredictable giant—full of opportunity, but also packed with complexity. And as more entrepreneurs jump in, the brands that win aren’t the ones chasing trends…they’re the ones building with intention. Today’s guest, Pasha Knish, has lived through every era of Amazon—from the Wild West days of early e-commerce to today’s data-driven, hyper-competitive marketplace. With more than 13 years of hands-on selling...
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250 | The New Rules of Paid Advertising and What's Working Now with John Horn
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
Have you ever wondered why some brands seem to crack the code with paid ads while others burn through budget with nothing to show for it? If you’ve ever dabbled in Google Ads—or avoided them out of fear of expensive mistakes—this conversation will open your eyes to what’s possible when strategy and execution align. John Horn, CEO of StubGroup, has helped hundreds of companies transform underperforming campaigns into profitable acquisition machines. His team is ranked in the top 1% of Google Partners worldwide for performance and customer care—and their reputation is...
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249 | The Hidden Skills That Make Great Leaders With Vicky Brown
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
You know that moment when someone sees something in you long before you’re ready to claim it? For many leaders, that moment becomes the spark that changes everything. For Vicky Brown, it was the gentle (yet persistent) nudge that pushed her from devoted “number two” to founder of a thriving HR firm that’s been supporting high-performance companies for more than two decades. Too often, business owners think of HR as paperwork, policies, or “the stuff you deal with when something goes wrong.” But Vicky’s story—and her expertise—reveal a very different truth: HR is leadership....
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248 | The Most Powerful Leadership Skill No One’s Talking About with Keri Ford
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
When success starts to feel like stress, what if your body could tell you why? For high-achievers, it’s easy to push harder, hustle faster, and ignore the quiet signals of exhaustion. But for Keri Ford, those signals became her greatest teachers. A former Creative Director turned award-winning CEO, Keri discovered that the real key to high performance isn’t found in strategy or mindset — it’s found in the nervous system. Through her groundbreaking Somatic Success® method, Keri has helped elite women — from celebrity clients like Alison Sweeney and Kaley Cuoco to powerhouse founders...
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247 | Turning Your Story into Sales With Dr. Danny Brassell
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
What if the fastest way to grow your business isn’t marketing harder, but speaking smarter? In this episode, Dr. Danny Brassell shares how to make storytelling and public speaking your most powerful tools for attracting clients, building authority, and confidently closing deals. Known as the “Jim Carrey with a Ph.D.,” Danny has spoken to over 3,500 audiences worldwide and co-founded The WellCrafted Story Workshop™, where he teaches entrepreneurs how to transform their stories into client-generating presentations. The Power Of Clarity And Connection If you’ve ever struggled to...
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246 | Don’t Scale Your Business Without Hearing This Franchise Model with Bennett Maxwell
The Business of You with Rachel Gogos
What happens when business growth outpaces the guardrails that keep it sustainable? This week, I sit down with Bennett Maxwell, serial entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Franchise KI—best known for scaling Dirty Dough Cookies from one store to over 450 franchises sold in just two years. After experiencing both the highs and the chaos of hypergrowth, Bennett now helps entrepreneurs build wealth through franchising the right way: with systems, structure, and staying power. How To Grow Fast Without Burning Out Bennett reveals the critical mistakes founders make when scaling too...
info_outlineWhat if the fastest way to grow your business was simply…asking?
Referrals aren’t just nice to have–they’re the most trusted and efficient way to land new clients. But most business owners either forget to ask or are concerned about appearing too pushy.
This week, we’re joined by Brandon Barnum, CEO of HOA.com and author of Raving Referrals. After growing his income 10X in only 18 months by mastering referrals, Brandon now helps business owners grow through genuine relationships, strategic partnerships, and repeatable systems.
How to Ask for Referrals Without Feeling Salesy
Brandon shares a simple 3-step framework you can start using right now. You’ll learn how to set the stage early in a client relationship, spot the moments when people are primed to refer you, and ask in a way that feels natural and service-led. If you've ever hesitated to ask, this conversation will show you exactly how to do it confidently.
How to Make Referrals a Core Part of Your Business
If you want consistent referrals (don’t we all?), Brandon walks through the systems and habits that keep your brand top of mind. From building your personal “Top 50” referral list to using simple co-marketing strategies with trusted partners, you’ll learn how to create a referral engine that keeps working in the background, without adding to your daily workload.
Enjoy this episode with Brandon Barnum…
Soundbytes
16:11 - 16:24
“Find people that are serving your perfect prospects every day. They're already talking to the people that you want to help, and what you want to do is package yourself as the solution to their challenges.”
20:28 - 21:12
“There's three places that you get your business and referrals. Number one, your clients. Number two is your social sphere, and that's everybody on social media. It's also everybody that's in your phone…and number three, professionals and businesses that serve your perfect prospects every day. I call that complimentary businesses.”
08:59 - 09:12
“Step one is set the stage. Step two is to listen for the referral triggers, and then step three is to A, S, K, to G, E, T. You got to ask the right way at the right time when someone is a peak referral state”
Quotes
“84% of B2B sales start with a referral. So if you're selling to business owners, you better be working by referral.”
“When someone's referred to you, they're 400% more likely to hire you.”
“The biggest gap that I see when it comes to referrals is that people don't ask for them.”
“People don't refer you because they want to help you. They refer you because they want to help solve the challenge of someone else.”
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: https://ravingreferrals.com/
Connect with Brandon Barnum on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbarnum/
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