Listen to “#553 Becoming Indistractable: How to Acquire the Skill of the Century” on Spreaker.

On this episode of The Small Business Radio Show…

SEGMENT 1, starting at 0:00: There is no doubt that today, especially with technology, we are addicted to distraction. Even when we don’t have a distraction, we actually go looking for one! So how do we control our attention and focus on what we need to get done in business and in life? Here to help is Nir Eyal who is a lecturer, an international bestseller and author of “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.”

SEGMENT 2, starting at 20:15: The 800 pound gorilla in the room in retail is Amazon. They just recently announced they are investing $15B to attract more small business owners to their platform. But what can small businesses do to stand out from Amazon? Many are focusing on their in-store experiences. Here to help small business owners do that well is Leigh Sevin who is the co-founder of Endear, the first-ever Outbound Retailing platform.

SEGMENT 3, starting at 37:15: People with disabilities make up 19% of the population and, if recognized as a formal minority group, it would be the largest minority group in the U.S. Nadine Vogel is here to help small businesses understand how those with special needs are strong candidates for employment.

Sponsored by Nextiva, TransUnion ShareAble, and Jobber

More on each segment below.

 

Segment 1: Nir Eyal lectured at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. His first book, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products”, is an international bestseller and taught Silicon Valley how to design behavior. His next book, “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life”, reveals the Achilles’ heel of distraction and provides a guidebook for getting the best of technology without letting it get the best of us.

1:30 – Why the root cause of distraction has little to do with our phones.

4:00 – How to finally focus and do what we say, in business and in life.

7:00 – Why becoming indistractable is the skill of the century.

8:30 – Tips for becoming indistractable.

10:30 – What should you do when you find yourself seeking distraction?

13:15 – How to manage distractions from technology and distractions at work.

Segment 2: Leigh Sevin works with fashion retailers such as MM.LaFleur, Jarbo and Margaux to help empower their sales associates through user friendly technology. Leigh was eager to help brands of any size meet the needs & expectations of the modern consumer and teamed up with her co-founder Jinesh Shah to create Endear, the first-ever Outbound Retailing platform.

20:15 – What can small businesses do to stand out from Amazon?

22:00 – What can retailers do to provide an authentic customer experience?

23:30 – How do you make sure the experience in your retail store aligns with your brand?

25:30 – What kind of personalized experience do modern consumers want and how to stores achieve this?

28:00 – How can stores utilize technology to empower sales staff?

31:30 – How can you measure the success of an event at your retail store?

Segment 3: Nadine Vogel is the CEO of Springboard Global Enterprises, which is home to Springboard Consulting, Disability Mama, The WIP Group and The Springboard Foundation which is their affiliated charity. Springboard Consulting works with corporations around the world to mainstream people with disabilities in the global workforce, workplace and marketplace. Vogel is the author of “DIVE IN, Springboard into the Profitability, Productivity and Potential of the Special Needs Workforce.”

37:15 – Why small businesses should look to those with special needs as strong candidates for employment.

41:15 – What do small business owners need to do to make sure their company is organizationally ready before actively hiring employees with disabilities?

43:15 – If a current employee becomes disabled due to an accident or illness, what do companies need to know about how to accommodate them?

44:00 – What do you say to small businesses who think people with disabilities will be a burden on the company?

48:00 – If someone’s disability affects their work performance, how does a company handle that in a legal and ethical manner?

Sponsored by Nextiva, TransUnion ShareAble, and Jobber