Back Bedroom to Big Business

If you’re keen on improving your business or starting a new business, Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast is here for you. Each week in this 12 episode series, hosts Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley bring up and discuss great tips and strategies. Dino and Simon, are here to solve problems and answer questions such as: do I have to have venture capital? Can I grow and do well organically? What characteristics do I need to have to be successful? Are the mistakes I’ve made common? What should I be on the lookout for? Is there a margin of error? Do I need to do everything? Must I know the numbers? And so much more. Because of the value in what they offer, Back Bedroom to Big Business will quickly become your favourite podcast for motivation to get your head in the game. Turnover is vanity. Profit is Sanity. Cashflow is king.

BB2BB014 From Zero to Global - How Businesses Become Global Sensations on Zero Funding [BrewDogs, Spanxs + 4 others] Part 2 02/20/2020

BB2BB014 From Zero to Global - How Businesses Become Global Sensations on Zero Funding [BrewDogs, Spanxs + 4 others] Part 2 Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by the talented and educational hosts Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. Our hosts are a winning team with combined experience, research, and know how to help other business owners get where they want to go. Back Bedroom to Big Business is not an average business podcast that makes you feel inspired, but not motivated to action. You’ll be taking notes during their weekly episodes and planning how to implement what you’ve learned. During this episode, Dino and Simon discuss part two of their series about building a global business without venture capital funding or significant investments. This episode will focus on case studies of extremely successful online businesses and how they attained their global status with little to no support. The Businesses Basecamp - Project management platform Self-funded Started with a team of only four people Grew 100,000 customer organically Committed to a vision he could execute Grammarly - Writing assistant Spell and grammar checker and much more Charges 800 universities and 100,000 writers Free Google Chrome extension 7 million active users daily Focused relentlessly on one core value: Helping people communicate better wherever they write online Shutterstock - Stock/Royalty free photos Limited market Combined his personal skill of photography and web development Shot 30,000 photos in the first year of business Personally coded the site 2 Billion dollar business Commonalities: Founding principle - focus on solving a valuable problem for the market Passionate Finances Surviving/thriving Cash flow Profitability “Honestly, I couldn’t live without it, man.” (Grammarly) “He’s not a magician or lucky. He just made some really good decisions and acted on them.” “They are solving a problem that makes a real difference and has real value in the world.” “Reinvesting to grow further.” “Every dollar is a prisoner.” “Return on spend is a great metric.” Visit our Website! Want more of Dino and Simon? Mentions: /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12542981

BB2BB013 From Zero to Global - How Businesses Become Global Sensations on Zero Funding [BrewDogs, Spanxs + 4 others] Part 1 02/13/2020

BB2BB012 Summary of Season 1 02/06/2020

BB2BB012 Summary of Season 1 Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast brought to you by our experienced, educated, and well-spoken hosts Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. This podcast puts out weekly episodes for business owners and entrepreneurs of both large and small businesses with great tips, tricks, strategies, stories, and blueprints to help along the way. Each episode is chock full of great information and often times a funny anecdote or two. Always truthful, Dino and Simon won’t lead you astray. During this episode, our great hosts look back on their first season episodes one through eleven. These episodes span two separate series: Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs (episodes two through six) and Fatal Mistakes by Entrepreneurs (Episodes seven through eleven). What you’ll hear during this review: Season review How to apply these lessons and strategies How to ensure that you do something with this knowledge Case study examples Shift in thought and even posture Lightbulb moments Awareness of the problem but the inability to solve it Low and high-value questions Client patterns Clarity and Messaging Characteristics of Wildly Successful Entrepreneurs E2 Solve Valuable problems E3 Embrace Challenge E4 Constantly Solve Problems E5 Share Passion E6 Get Lucky Fatal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs E7 Obsession E8 Need for Speed E9 The Chase E10 Wrong Trousers E11 Toilet Roll “The value of any knowledge is only truly realized when you use it and apply it.” “So what are you going to do now?” “A great coach can facilitate coming up with a solution.” “Connecting the dots isn’t so easy.” “Everyone must build their own blueprint for success.” “Continuous momentum is needed.” “Any plan does usually survive first contact.” “Use the three Cs: Clarity, confidence, cash flow.” “How to build purpose, meaning, and passion.” Visit our Website! Want more of Dino and Simon? /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12542966

BB2BB011 Fatal Mistake #5 - No Spare Toilet Roll. 01/30/2020

BB2BB010 Fatal Mistake #4 - The Wrong Trousers 01/23/2020

BB2BB009 Fatal Mistake #3 - The Thrill of the Chase 01/16/2020

BB2BB009 Fatal Mistake #3 - The Thrill of the Chase Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by entrepreneurs and coaches Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. This podcast began with a series of episodes regarding the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. This episode is the third in our hosts second series titled Fatal Mistakes. This is no ordinary business podcast. There are no gimmicks and no false promises. No snake oil salesmen here. Dino and Simon are tried and true with years of success and experience to back them up. If you desire success in your business you’ve come to the right place. In this episode, Dino and Simon dig into the thrill of the chase. This mistake affects not only small businesses and entrepreneurs but also big businesses such as Lehman Brothers and Enron. Simon makes a great point that understanding a bit of psychology and human behavior can go a long way in understanding any industry. We must understand our own mindset and our emotional investment to ensure that we’re making rational decisions. Listen for great details: Irrational exuberance Building a bubble Conversions by Door-Knocking Drives commission = drives greater losses How to avoid this error Revenue - Expenses = Profit Revenue - Profit = Expenses Sales is not profit Cashflow / money in the bank Working capital Taxes ROI P&L “Lots of people . . . put an incentive out there, special knock down price for six months, but what you’ve done is undersold your next six months.” “Some sales are bad volume. Not profitable sales.” “Sustainable growth and sustainable profit are imperative.” “The online entrepreneur has minimal overhead.” “Just because the money is in your bank account doesn’t mean its yours.” “Focus on both top and bottom line health.” “I am the business. The business is me.” Visit our Website! /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12542942

BB2BB008 Fatal Mistake #2 - The Need for Speed 01/09/2020

BB2BB007 Fatal Mistake #1 - Obsession 01/02/2020

BB2BB007 Fatal Mistake #1 - Obsession Welcome to the Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast hosted by the experienced entrepreneurs Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley. During this weekly business podcast, Dino and Simon discuss the many route to being a successful entrepreneur. Both Simon and Dino have run successful businesses on their own. They’ve come together in this podcast with the hopes of helping you! Welcome to your new favorite podcast for entrepreneurs. In this episode, Dino and Simon tackle the first in their series of five fatal mistakes, obsession. (See episodes 1-5 for the successful characteristics series.) Dino advises that failure to recover from some of these mistakes can cause your business to fail miserably. Before getting started with the topic for today, our hosts give a quick rundown about this series of mistakes. Five Fatal Mistakes: Obsession/denial My creation has life Microwave mindset - need for speed Misunderstanding urgency and mistaking it for speed Thrill of the chase - irrational exuberance Danger of overexcitement Wrong trousers Showing up as the wrong person in your business There’s no spare toilet roll Running out of cash/cashflow When asked what is different about their business people will often give a lot of emotion and not data. No one wants to hear that their business plan is the same, irrelevent, uneeded or set up to fail. You have to let your baby (business) grow up and not be blindly and emotionally obsessed then creating a blindspot. When you are in the process of making a decision are you using rationale or emotion? “People describe their business as their baby.” “We’re different and we care more . . . that’s exactly what every recruitment consultant I’ve ever heard says.” “We don’t often operate logic and emotion at the same time.” “Cant see the forest for the trees because you planted them.” Visit our Website! /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12542876

BB2BB006 Five Characteristics #5 - Get lucky (make your own luck) 12/26/2019

BB2BB006 Five Characteristics #5 - Get lucky (make your own luck) Welcome to the Back Bedroom 2 Big Business podcast hosted by the inspiring coaches and entrepreneurs Dino Tartaglia & Simon Hartley. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, have just gotten started on your business journey, or have been in the game for quite a while this will quickly become your new favorite podcast. Dino and Simon are honest about their own journeys as well as giving tips and strategies from loads of other successful entrepreneurs in all different markets and niches. Far from a boring, monotone, by-the-numbers business podcast, Dino and Simon are both energetic and excited to help you succeed! In this episode, Dino and Simon do a swift review of last week’s characteristic, in their six-part series, which was sharing passion and engaging others. Our hosts quickly move on to today’s topic and the final in this series of characteristics displayed by successful entrepreneurs: getting lucky or experiencing the lucky break. Being in the right place at the right time is not by chance. It means we’re in the right place often enough that the right time happens for us. Simon describes it as the effect. (soccer reference/explanation) Study for the game while sitting on the bench. In the business world luck is engineered, it’s not simply good fortune/good luck. Awareness is an integral part of becoming successful and not depending on dumb-luck Strategy Application of knowledge Get an education on what you do Watch competitors - build off of their mistakes Become prepared Re-reviewing all the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs for a wrap-up: Identify a really valuable problem and be very passionate about solving it Embrace the challenge Continually solve problems Share passion and engage other people Get lucky, making their own luck “Success doesn’t happen by chance.” “It’s not luck that drives success.” “Making your luck then puts luck as a very powerful tool.” Visit our Website! /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12542834

BB2BB005 Five Characteristics #4 - Share the Passion and Engage People 12/19/2019

BB2BB005 Five Characteristics #4 - Share the Passion and Engage People In this episode, Dino and Simon quickly sum up the last episode and its characteristic focus which was solving problems instead of simply seeking answers; then move on to discuss the fourth characteristic of amazing and wildly successful entrepreneurs which is they share their passions and they engage with others. Others can be employees, contractors, customers, fans - essentially anyone who is around. Using this characteristic startup companies that are being performed out of a back bedroom or shed can compete with global giants on the business scale. Simon gives an example using , the founder of . Startup companies can win because they are formed by a concentrated pool of talented, passionate, and hardworking people all pulling together toward one goal/one solution. How do we get the best people possible and make sure they will work well together? Ask this question instead: why would a really great person elect to leave a very safe corporate job with benefits and start working for a fledgling startup business? Engagement Cause Mission The above-bulleted items unlock potential. The mission is what will attract people who want to help propel you forward into success because what you’re doing matters! This should not be labeled as a person’s attitude. It is their character! If you deliver your vision for your business or product and convey it with passion other people will step up. Others will engage you (as you should engage them) because they already have something you’re speaking to inside them. Selling the mission and selling the vision Impossible - Simple It is either within a person or it’s not Passion can not be manufactured If you are lacking in passion or drive it is unlikely you will successfully engage others. Dino and Simon don’t mean engage like the Human Resources checkbox definition which means essentially keeping people business. Our hots mean sharing our visions and ideas with others ie employees, partners, suppliers and so on. A lot of startups were obviously built on passion because many entrepreneurs have forgone salary in order to build a team and generate their product. Simon takes a moment to explain his new project regarding character analysis for professional sports teams. No one on his team is currently making any salary. They are being asked to invest! Why do they do it? Passion! Diven for success. They believe in the cause. They believe it will change lives. Simon takes a moment to discuss Airbnb - which relies completely on word of mouth. See a video where Brian Chesky, founder of Airbnb, describes it’s beginnings . How do these successful entrepreneurs make things happen? How do they get this high level of engagement and buy-in? Foundational characteristic from episode one: finding a problem and caring passionately about solving it Hard work - idea to tangibility Commitment Energy Engagement is relationships People want to be a part of the story In the next episode, our hosts will discuss the final characteristic of wildly successful entrepreneurs! Are you feeling lucky? “Sam Altman () says we need to create loves, not likes” “Fans will forgive far more than customers. Fans will rave about you more than customers.” “Your biggest fans will also be your biggest critics. They will give you honest feedback.” “We can’t function on our own. A team is needed.” Visit our Website! /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12452219

BB2BB004 Five Characteristics #3 - Constantly Solve Problems 12/12/2019

BB2BB004 Five Characteristics #3 - Constantly Solve Problems In this episode, self-made businessman and coach Dino Tartaglia and co-founder of World Class Leadership Simon Hartley continue their five characteristics of wildly impressive and successful entrepreneurs. After briefly touching on block two: embracing and accepting challenges from episode three, we dive headlong into attribute number three which is constantly solving problems. The profound difference between finding an answer/quick fix and solving a problem: Seeking an answer is a one and done action Seeking an answer tells me what to do, read, watch . . . Imports someone else’s answers and solutions Outsources the challenge Solving a problem does the following: Pushes the entrepreneur to stay a step or two ahead Allows for learning from others but sculpting a solution to our specific business. Explore the Entrepreneur journey! If we import an answer from someone else blindly we are hoping it works. When it doesn’t work out or we don’t get the results the expert got we tend to blame that expert instead of taking responsibility for not doing our own legwork. The journey doesn’t focus only on the destination of success, but instead means revisions and pivots. Simon shares a story about BuzzFeed’s startup and change from banner ads. () The Entrepreneurial Method Theory Test/experiment Failure Review/learn/recreate Start again Dino and Simon are definitely not trying to tell fledgling entrepreneurs and startups not to bring in an expert when one is needed. Absolutely us an expert. Absolutely outsource particular elements of your business such as marketing. How can you tell if you’re shifting responsibility or outsourcing responsibility? Take an inventory with the below bullets. Do you have or want to develop this skill? (example sales) No - shift responsibility to a specialist - this is not outsourcing Even though you are not responsible for the sales portion specifically you are responsible for Understanding how it works Being able to speak to your numbers Making informed decisions As we move forward in this series we can see how each characteristic piggybacks onto the other and why they create the most impressive and wildely successful entrepreneurs. So far on our journey, Dino and Simon have introduced us to the first characteristic - finding a problem and passionately caring about solving it. In the previous episode, we discussed characteristic two - accepting/embracing challenges which led us to number three today with problem-solving. Come back for the next episode of the podcast when our hosts discuss with us the number four characteristic - sharing our passion and engaging in others. “Business is an intellectual sport.” “It’s okay to fail and then pick yourself up.” “Start to understand currently little things make a big difference often.” Visit our Website! Dino’s LinkedIn: Simon’s LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12367145

BB2BB003 Five Characteristics #2 - Embrace the Challenge. 12/05/2019

BB2BB003 Five Characteristics #2 - Embrace the Challenge. In this episode of Back Bedroom to Big Business podcast, Dino and Simon move forward with their series of wildly successful entrepreneur characteristics! The passion is the motivational fuel that enables you to break through the barriers and challenges that will get in the way of your success. This is a building block on the entrepreneurial journey and leads into the second characteristic and the focus of this episode: Embracing the Challenge. Understanding 'Entrepreneur' is more of a personality type than a title: Happy to be pushed forward/experience pressure A problem solver by nature/problem-solving skills Aware there will be challenges and enjoy the grappling match Not waiting or expecting challenges to disappear Understanding challenges and problems occur at every level of the business building process. Embracing this and know that it leads to success. Embracing opposition with enthusiasm Not looking for easy Dino shares with us a powerful story about the success of entrepreneur, Scott Belsky (Adobe). Scott says when we hear stories about entrepreneurs we often hear the beginning (great idea & motivation) and the end (massive success or failure). The 'messy middle' gets left out. What is in the middle is exceptionally important. This middle ground is where the hard decisions are made, money and time is lost, and self-doubt can take up residence. The messy middle is what makes the success at the end worth it and most people never get to see it. Importance of taking a deep dive into expectations: Many people step or run away from corporate business to change their lifestyles or the amount of time they have to spend doing what they want to do. Often these people crave immediate results. Often when an entrepreneur starts out, if we don't get the results we want, like a petulant child, we throw up our hands and say 'What's the point?' This reverts back to the first characteristic of success - passion is the point. The desire to solve the problem is the point or the end goal. We need to get rid ourselves of the goalposts we (and others) set up for us and instead focus on the progress we are making. When you step out on the ledge of entrepreneurship is is extraordinarily important that we keep in mind what you have is valuable. If what you are pursuing has no value for you or anyone else you wouldn’t pursue it. Remembering this and keep it at the forefront of your thoughts helps immensely to meet challenges when they arise with enthusiasm and durable motivation. At the very end of the discussion, Dino and Simon touch briefly on episode four. This episode leads us to the third characteristic of incredibly successful entrepreneurs which is the interesting concept of the differences in searching for an answer and solving a problem. Quotes: “Once you understand challenge is part of the process, then like anything, you adopt another mindset.” “You never reach the top. There is always another side of the mountain to climb” “Not everyone is looking for easy.” “Until you put an actual product in front of an actual customer, you don’t know if they’re going to buy it or not.” “Easy to say ‘What’s the point?’ and throw in the towel, but these people didn’t.” Dino Tartaglia LinkedIn profile: Simon Hartley LinkedIn Profile: /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12284768

BB2BB002 Five Characteristics #1 - Solve a valuable problem that you're passionate about solving. 11/28/2019

BB2BB002 Five Characteristics #1 - Solve a valuable problem that you're passionate about solving. Welcome back to Back Bedroom to Big Business! In this week's episode, we take a deep dive with Dino and Simon into the first of five characteristics of impressively successful entrepreneurs: Identify a need or problem that has value to many people and that you (as an entrepreneur) care passionately about solving. This is a foundational characteristic without which success is very unlikely. This is a different way of looking at the beginning of your business because most people escaping their boss use the logic of ‘what am I good at?’ and ‘how can I make money from it?’. As Dino and Simon explain we must realize that business is not all about monetizing skills. We must have another form of motivation! We must look deeper! In This Episode Characteristic one: Identify Need Our hosts share a few anecdotes about entrepreneurs Sean Rad (Tinder) and Sara Blakley (Spanx). These are two of many business creators who did so out of a problem they experienced for themselves and they were surprised and delighted to find they could solve this same problem for others as well. It’s important to know that neither of these, now amazingly successful, individuals had any experience in the business categories they now top! (Dating app & undergarments/fashion.) We must have an appreciation for the problem or need we’re trying to find a solution for! Some people stumble upon moments of awareness of needs, but only complain and do nothing. This is because of the lack the passion which is the second half of the equation. Idea traction - if it helps me perhaps it could help others “Someone who is entrepreneurial in their thinking will have a thousand ideas an hour. “ “This is about taking a step back. Do I care? Am I passionate about solving these problems?” “Your solution and your business can go viral!” Visit our Website! /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/12096380

BB2BB001 Introducing Back Bedroom 2 Big Business & Season 1 05/15/2019

BB2BB001 Introducing Back Bedroom 2 Big Business & Season 1 The path to success is not a one-size fits all t-shirt we buy online hoping it looks just as good on us as it does on the model. Likewise, success does not mean throwing caution to the wind either. In order for us to achieve success, we must know ourselves, what drives us, what we’re passionate about and be able to turn that into a business that is prosperous - a business that sustains success for the long haul. In this twelve episode season of Back Bedroom 2 Big Business, Dino Tartaglia and Simon Hartley will lay out for their listeners the five characteristics of wildly successful entrepreneurs. They will also dissect five fatal mistakes that entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them. The audience will enjoy listening to these educated men deliver tips on what it takes to be a successful business owner. With thirty years experience their take on the ever-changing entrepreneur/business landscape crucial for anyone thinking of dipping their toe into the work of entrepreneurship or bettering the model they are currently working with. The conversational tone of the show allows the listener to feel at ease even if they have no background in business. This season will have no guests as the goal is to help you discover your path to success, not to follow someone else's. In This Episode An introduction to the show and what to jewels of knowledge to expect it moving forward The Importance of Risk Taking them Calculating them Being conscious of them Do not listen to only one person’s story of success Details can vary or even contradict There is an infinite amount of value in learning from many different peoples’ route to success. When we pick and choose different items from many peoples’ stories we can adapt them to meet our business needs and thus catapult us into success. Commonality Though each success story is different, there are similar patterns of behavior in each “The Way” to do things is a myth Disproving and giving examples of entrepreneurs who did not take massive risks in their quest for entrepreneurship Taking the shine off of JFI “Jump in and Figure it out”. Many more people are less successful using this strategy Capital Discussing Burn-Rate and why it is important for every startup business Why scaling first is sometimes not an option Moving Landscape of Internet Business Five Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs “Entrepreneurship is about jumping off a cliff and building an airplane on the way down.” “The fact that it’s someone else’s solution means it might not work for you.” “Following one person is dangerous.” “Success leaves clues.” -Jim Rhon “Identify a problem and truly care about solving it.” “It’s as simple as some people think on the run and some need to think then run.” Visit our website! /episode/index/show/successengineers/id/9791285

Back Bedroom to Big Business

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