Beyond 8 Figures
A.J. Lawrence
Recent Episodes
Entrepreneurship can feel lonely, but it doesn't have to be. You can achieve so much more with business collaboration and support from others. So this week, Tanya Alvarez of OwnersUp sits down with A.J. to chat about the importance of community building for entrepreneurs and how she’s helping owners to team up and scale faster. They go into the details of finding the right network, keeping each other in check, and growing faster together.
About Tanya Alvarez
Tanya Alvarez is the founder of OwnersUp, a platform revolutionizing how service-based founders scale their businesses. She’s a Miami native with Colombian heritage who built a 7-figure ad agency (Blink Ads) from scratch at just 25. But Tanya found her entrepreneurial journey isolating and overwhelming, which motivated her to create OwnersUp. Now, she helps other successful business owners to collaborate, share challenges, and hold each other accountable.
Beyond her business successes, Tanya is a proud parent and a seasoned marathoner, having completed the Boston, NYC, and a Half Ironman marathons despite living with a rare bone condition. She’s also an avid traveler who has visited over 42 countries and loves learning about other cultures.
What potential pitfalls to look out for in business collaboration?
Business collaboration often comes with a multitude of benefits. However, not all collaborations are created equal, and certain pitfalls can turn an exciting partnership into a tricky situation. Here are some potential issues to be aware of:
- Speaking Different Business Languages: Entrepreneurs, although united in their drive for success, often have unique paths, ideologies, and business languages. If these do not align, collaboration can be difficult. It's essential to find a common ground and clear, effective communication language from the get-go.
- Differing Expectations: A collaboration can quickly go downhill if expectations aren't clarified and agreed upon upfront. From financials to time commitment, ensure everything is out in the open and agreed upon to minimize potential surprises down the road.
- Culture Clash: Every business has its unique culture. If the company cultures of the collaborating parties don't go well, the partnership could face challenges. Ensure both parties share common values and vision before sealing the deal.
Successful business collaborations depend on paying attention to potential problems. If you address these issues from the start, you can achieve a better partnership and accomplish your common goals.
Key Insights:
- Build your support network. Start by actively seeking out communities of fellow entrepreneurs, both online and offline. Don't just network—seek genuine connections where you can both offer and receive support and guidance. That’s how you’ll build a strong support system that will help you thrive personally and grow professionally. (01:57)
- Not every opportunity is worth pursuing. Create a system to evaluate new opportunities that come your way so that you’re not distracted by shiny new objects and lose focus from the bigger picture. This can be a checklist of criteria or a monthly review with your mentor or even a peer group. This process will help you assess if an idea is worth pursuing and help you stay focused on what truly matters for your business. (14:27)
- Use business collaboration for accountability. As an entrepreneur, partnering with a like-minded individual or joining a business-focused group can keep you accountable. This involves sharing your goals, tracking your progress, and tackling any setbacks together. Regular check-ins inspire motivation, helping you stay committed to your entrepreneurial vision. (15:42)
- Establish a routine that works for you. Schedule weekly planning sessions to reflect on your personal and business goals. Use this time to adjust your workload and plan future activities, but also incorporate time for rest and personal interests. This routine will help you ensure you’re headed in a good direction with your business but, at the same time, keep you grounded and balanced in all aspects of your life. (20:34)
- Decide what success means to you. Take the time to define success for yourself, considering both your personal and business values. Once you are clear on that, let these ideas help you make decisions for your business that align with these values, moving steadily toward your vision of success. (30:49)
Tanya’s best advice for entrepreneurs:
“Entrepreneurs are always looking into, like business growth, profit… But what about yourself? Your own well-being? Who keeps you in check on that?” (05:17)
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Successful entrepreneurs, like our guest Jon Matzner, realize the power of stepping outside their local bounds to find and leverage global talent. Today, Jon sits down with A.J. to discuss how venturing beyond local boundaries can give your business a massive advantage at home. They also talk about Jon's experiences living and working abroad, his transition from government to Main Street business, and his approach to creating leverage in his businesses.
About Jon Matzner
Jon Matzner is an accomplished business leader and former national security professional who divides his time between Dubai, UAE, and San Diego, California. With a rich background in government service—specifically in counter-terrorism and non-proliferation strategies—Jon brings a global perspective to his business pursuits. Since transitioning from the public sector, he has launched, acquired, and sold several businesses, demonstrating his passion for entrepreneurship through acquisition.
Jon focuses on improving businesses by hiring top talent from abroad. He aims to modernize traditional industries using AI and help from workers from around the world. He also shares his insights and experiences through his free newsletter, 'Lazy Leverage,' and his X profile.
Strategies for tapping into global talent for business efficiency
The internet boom and rise of remote work have erased geographical barriers and made it easier than ever to hire worldwide, tap into foreign markets, and source products and services from all around the globe. Here are some ways you can maximize your efficiency with global talent:
- Delegate Non-essential Tasks: Global talent can manage operational activities efficiently, freeing your time for strategic development.
- Conduct a Time Audit: Know where your time goes. A time audit can reveal tasks better suited for remote talent, thereby refining your focus on high-impact responsibilities.
- Choose the Right Tools for Collaboration: Tools like Notion are very useful, but it’s all about finding what works for your team.
- Invest in Training and Development: There is so much more to global teams than just virtual assistant tasks or data entry. They can be much more than that if you take the right steps to unlock their potential. Providing resources and training them will be a good return on investment because they’ll improve your company’s efficiency and competitive edge.
- Set Clear Expectations and Goals: Ensure every team member understands their role, the quality of work expected, and the deadlines. This clarity helps in managing projects more smoothly across different time zones.
Remote work allows businesses to tap into global opportunities like never before. With effective collaboration tools, good resources, and clear expectations, you can greatly improve your business efficiency. The above strategies help optimize your operations and equip your business to stay ahead in a globally competitive environment.
Key Insights:
- Keep reinventing yourself. Whether it's learning a new skill or just finding a different approach to everyday tasks, self-improvement is key for every individual. But this also has a positive impact on your business. When you're learning and growing, you bring new perspectives and solutions to your work. This ultimately leads to innovative products, better services, and more efficient processes.
- Choose high-return business opportunities. Jon suggests prioritizing high-leverage activities like creating scalable systems or automating processes if you want to multiply your returns over time. This will ultimately give you more time to focus on your other ventures or priorities in life but still keep your business running smoothly.
- Always start with the problem. Instead of obsessing over groundbreaking ideas, focus on identifying a problem that your customers have. Do this through customer surveys, market research, social media, or competitor analysis to get to the core problems of your audience. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating a product or service without a clear audience or purpose.
- Build a global team. People from different backgrounds tend to approach problems and challenges uniquely. They can bring diverse and creative solutions to the table, which helps your business stay innovative. This diversity also makes your business more agile and gives you a substantial competitive advantage in your local market.
- Build your media leverage. Grow your brand by being active on social media, running a value-packed blog, sending out interesting newsletters, and creating other types of content. These tools can help increase your visibility, position you as an industry expert, and ultimately ensure you’re never out of work.
Jon’s best advice for entrepreneurs:
“I don't think of this as outsourcing. Outsourcing implies that you're throwing it over the fence, and it's no longer a part of your company. [...] No, this isn't outsourcing; this is building a global team.”
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Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey.
There’s one crucial ingredient that sets successful business owners apart from the rest: their unstoppable entrepreneurial mindset. And our today’s guest is the perfect example of that. Join Paola Telfer of Sens.ai and A.J. as they discuss tips for maintaining focus and mental acuity even in the face of challenges. Drawing from personal experience and her work building a cutting-edge business focused on brain health, Paola talks about the importance of aligning values, embracing continuous learning, and fostering genuine connections with business partners.
About Paola Telfer
Paola Telfer is the CEO and Founder of Sens.ai, a company at the forefront of optimizing brain health and wellness. As an avid explorer of neuroscience, consciousness development, and peak states, Paola is passionate about creating tech-forward and accessible solutions for busy professionals. She aims to bring a holistic approach to wellness by combining technological innovation and meditative principles.
Paola's life took a pivotal turn during recovery from an accident, igniting her passion for neurotechnology. Today, she balances her leadership role at Sens.ai with her love for outdoor activities and family life. She epitomizes success through her dedication to enriching lives and embracing life's joys.
Key Insights:
- Communicate openly with your business partners. Honest and open communication builds trust and improves teamwork. This kind of relationship helps you achieve your shared goals but also solve problems when they arise more efficiently, which is a win-win for partnerships. (05:07)
- Stay humble. Being humble is important for entrepreneurs. It helps you grow by allowing you to see and seize more opportunities for growing your business. Also, everyone prefers working with people who are transparent, so you’ll always get much more out of being humble than pretending you have all the answers. (09:36)
- Keep your brand messaging authentic. Stay true to your values if you want your customers to trust you. People can tell when a brand is authentic and not just after money or trends. So, this authenticity in your messaging will attract and retain customers who share similar values, ultimately building a loyal community around your brand. (11:22)
- Recognize the transformative power of mindset. Paola found that by clearing her mind, she could think better at work and be more peaceful at home. This is something you can achieve as well. Start with a regular self-care routine and try simple activities like meditation and deep breathing. They can help you be more present, reduce stress, and sharpen your focus. (21:22)
- Align your business with your core values. This alignment creates a business culture and brand identity based on what you truly believe in. It helps you connect with customers and employees, build a good brand reputation, and make your company stand out from competitors. (38:38)
Paola’s best advice for entrepreneurs:
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Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey.
Dive into the essence of entrepreneurship with Mikael Dia, as he uncovers the four pillars crucial for business success. From profit to fulfillment, gain insights to simplify your journey towards sustainable growth.
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Joint venture partnerships can help your business grow faster and generate greater profit, but it's important to plan and carry them out carefully. Charles Byrd of Pure JV joins A.J. to discuss the strategies for fostering successful partnerships. Unlike the common trial-and-error approach that many entrepreneurs default to, Charles emphasizes the importance of a structured and systematic process for creating and managing joint ventures. He also shares his tips for maintaining a work-life balance, choosing the right partner, and measuring the success of these collaborations.
About Charles Byrd:
Charles Byrd is the Founder of Pure JV, which is an online training, product launch, and internet marketing company that is boosting results for niche markets. He’s a joint venture expert, renowned speaker, and educator in the sphere of joint venture partnerships.
As a Silicon Valley veteran and former director at a billion-dollar software company, Cadence Design Systems, Charles is commonly praised as "The Chaos Killer." After leaving his corporate role, he infused his project management skills into entrepreneurship, creating a successful online productivity course. He quickly mastered joint venture marketing for his course and developed a systematic process to strike 2-6 joint venture deals per week. Today, Charles uses his unique skill set to educate other entrepreneurs and corporations, helping them maximize their potential via strategic joint venture partnerships.
Key Insights:
- Implement the right framework for success in joint venture partnerships. This helps avoid chaos and makes collaborations more fruitful. So, begin by mapping out your goals and building a structured process that captures every aspect of the cooperation. This will lead to increased productivity and ensure both sides benefit from the partnership. (04:25)
- Prioritize long-term relationships over short-term interactions. Investing your time in building trust and working towards mutual benefit with your partners will create a better foundation for growth than short-term initiatives. This will create more value over time for both sides and foster a growth-focused environment for joint venture partnerships. (12:11)
- Partner with those who serve your ideal clients. This cooperation enables you to present your value proposition to a pre-qualified audience and improves the potential for a successful partnership. (17:51)
- Align with partners who amplify your message. When both of you push the same message out into the world, it reaches more people, sounds more convincing, and helps your joint venture partnership be a big success. This alignment ultimately leads to stronger brand recognition and a wider customer base, driving substantial growth and profitability for both partners in the joint venture. (21:44)
- Balance personal life with business ambitions. Prioritize your personal life and aim to build your business around it if you want to be really fulfilled with your life/work balance. This means building systems that support your family life, well-being, and overall life satisfaction, such as remote work options, flexible hours, or delegating tasks, for instance. (29:45)
- Diversify your leads. This not only mitigates risk but allows you to tap into various pools of potential clients, increasing overall market reach and brand awareness. You can strengthen your current position this way but also futureproof your business. (33:39)
Charles’ best advice for entrepreneurs:
“You build so much goodwill and rapport from building long-term relationships, you basically have an army of advocates all around. And that feels very good.” (05:40)
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