Listen to “#566 Why People Are Complaining About Your Meetings” on Spreaker.
On this episode of The Small Business Radio Show…
SEGMENT 1, starting at 0:00: I hear people complain about having too many meetings all the time. But I don’t think having meetings is the problem, it’s how we’re having them. Done right, meetings can be extremely valuable. Here to help is Meeting Maven Elise Keith.
SEGMENT 2, starting at 17:00: There has been a huge shift toward small business owners using freelancers instead of employees because they can keep their overhead low plus match the best person to the best task when they need to. However, effectively using freelancers is not without its challenges, especially when they are virtual. Here to show us a successful strategy is Shawn Hessinger, the Executive Editor for Small Business Trends.
SEGMENT 3, starting at 35:00: A lot of small business owners see Amazon as their biggest competitor. But if you’re selling a product and you’re not using Amazon as part of your distribution strategy, you’re making a big mistake. Here to show us how to use Amazon successfully is Owen Franklin, the founder and CEO of Blue Summit Supplies.
Sponsored by Nextiva, efile4Biz, vCita and Blue Summit Supplies
More on each segment below.
Segment 1: Elise Keith is the author of “Where the Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization”. She is the founder and Meeting Maven for Lucid Meetings.
1:45 – What makes a successful meeting?
3:30 – The two things you need to decide before you put a meeting on the calendar.
4:45 – Why the first five minutes of a meeting matter the most.
7:15 – Why icebreakers are still great long after you’ve gotten to know your team. Plus, what are some examples of good icebreaker questions to start your next meeting?
10:45 – The specific meeting practices high-performing organizations use to create a healthy culture and drive results.
12:30 – How to spend the last 5 minutes of every meeting.
Segment 2: Shawn Hessinger is the Executive Editor for Small Business Trends. He manages Small Business Trends’ global team of staff writers and editors directing news coverage. He is a professional journalist with more than a decade of experience in the traditional newspaper business plus another 10 years of experience in digital media for various online trade publications, news sites and as head moderator for several online communities.
17:00 – Why freelancing has been a hot topic in the news recently.
20:00 – What kinds of tasks can a freelancer handle for your small business?
21:15 – Where can you find good quality freelancers for your small business team?
24:00 – How do you manage a small business team who is scattered all over the world?
27:15 – What tools do you use to communicate with your remote team? Do you use video?
29:45 – What kinds of things do you need to watch out for when hiring a freelancer?
30:30 – What skills are you looking for when hiring a freelancer?
Segment 3: Owen Franklin is the founder and CEO of Blue Summit Supplies, an e-commerce solution to overpriced big-box office supply stores and the largest third-party seller of office supplies on Amazon. He spent a decade engineering rockets and earned a bachelor’s and master’s along the way, only to realize he was frustrated with the lack of positive change he was bringing about in the world. Now, with his wife Tiffany, French bulldog Larry, and Blue Summit Supplies team by his side, he hopes to impact the world for the better –through the power of e-commerce smarts and office supplies.
35:00 – How did you start your online business? How does Amazon help you run your business?
39:00 – What are some of the challenges to running your business on Amazon? What three things do you need to be successful?
43:00 – How can a small business who is just starting out on Amazon learn about Amazon advertising without spending a ton of money?
45:45 – How to get quick and easy access to 1099’s, W-2’s, and the tax forms you need to file by January 31st.
Sponsored by Nextiva, efile4Biz, vCita and Blue Summit Supplies
