All Episodes - Adventures in Businessing: Entrepreneurship, Small Business, and a Healthy Dose of Humor

Leading to Fulfillment - Episode Zero

While there will not be new episodes of Adventures in Businessing, we are excited to announce a brand new podcast. Here is a sneak peek with our episode zero. Leading to Fulfillment is a weekly 30 to 40 minute podcast that highlights the impact of People-First leaders and teams where fulfillment is the true measure of success.. In each episode James Laws has conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, and other thinkers from all walks of life and kinds of businesses to find out how they think & lead differently and make decisions that lead to fulfilling work and fulfilled teams.

Parting on Good Terms

Show Notes: [0:00:38] Intro | Timely Topics Final Episode of Adventures in Businessing! Brief Recap [0:04:00] How Do We Walk Away From Partnerships? How do we walk away without resentment? How do you end on good terms? Storytime with Jeremy! [0:12:16] The Best Ways to End Well Start well.  Try to keep emotion out of the equation as best you can.  [0:17:00] What to do About Toxic Partnerships [0:25:30] Parting Words The finality of life ends al partnerships... Last man standing? Likely James Walk through all the what-ifs...including your will.

Navigating Tension in a Business Partnership

Show Notes: [0:00:38] Intro | Timely Topics Last time on Adventures in Businessing Quoting Nacho Libre [0:02:34] All Relationships Have Tension How does one get around inevitable tension? Tensions are typically a good sign that you care. Have well-defined roles to alleviate the pressure and stress. You need to be a little thick skinned. Misalignment is the genesis of many tensions. Navigating tension lies in transparency and communication. Fundamental disagreements can happen. [0:10:05] If You Want to Navigate Tension Well, You Have to Navigate it Often You have to talk about the business and eachother, the overall feeling...

Why Form a Business Partnership

Show Notes: [0:00:39] Intro | Timely Topics Last time on AIB... [0:04:09] Benefits of Starting a Partnership Before You've Started a Business You don't have to be good at everything. You can lean on your partner to fill in the gaps. Look for someone who brings skills to the table you don't have. Feel out the relationship with the potential partner before overcommiting. You ideally want a partner with similar enthusiasms and energy levels. Even if you get along, if you can't agree on the vision...that's a huge red flag. [0:20:36] Trust is Essential If you have...

How to Get the Most out of Business Events

Show Notes: [0:00:58] Intro | Timely Topics Jeremy is REALLY excited about this one. [0:02:30] How to Choose a Business Event The Nitty Gritty: Hotel selection, what to eat?  Is there a way to predetermine things about the event you wish to attend? You must determine what you’re looking for out of a conference. What are your outcomes? “We live in a magical world…because internet” There’s a workshop, virtual and in-person, for everything you can imagine-- technical and rudimentary. [0:09:45] You’ve Picked out Your Event..What Now? How to prepare to get the most out of our ev...

The Importance of Business Events

Show Notes: [0:00:54] Intro | Timely Topics Considerations around hosting video podcasts of AIB on Youtube. [0:02:33] Events, Events, Events… How to make the most of them.  Why we recommend them.  Why they’re worth the time and money.  The major benefits of events across the board.  *Brief disclaimer on vaccination and mask wearing while attending events during the COVID pandemic.  Getting out of your typical office or home office comfort zone to induce creativity.  [0:08:46] Unpacking Great Events (Location Matters) The Global Leadership Summit The Cult Gathering CaboPress Traffic & Conversion Summit COLLISION If you're one to feel punished b...

Planting, Protecting, and Propagating Your Culture

Show Notes: [0:00:46] Intro | Timely Topics A brief recap of our series on culture. Minimal, memorable, and meaningful values. [0:02:05] Planting, Protecting, and Propagating Your Culture The power of alliteration. You can plant the seeds of your culture. ...but you can't force it. Culture is something you can determine and discover. Your purpose and values have to align with themselves and your culture at large. You have to check on this regularly, preferably annually. Pruning & What to Fight for Has your organization changed enough to warrant culling or adding a core value? Your mission statement can...

Discovering Your Values

Show Notes: [0:00:58] Intro | Timely Topics Brief Discovering Purpose Recap [00:03:03] Thoughts on Values Values are guardrails. "Stay between these lines." Values can be deceptively easy. Values force you to make tough decisions. [00:05:51] The Right Number of Values? What's too many? What's not enough? An exercise in comparing and contrasting other company's values Some well intentioned core values could actually be red flags... Avoid the generic and indescript. Value being memorable. Nailing down your core values take time, and could rightfully be a slow process. "Is this a value or a purpose?" Values should have specificity. [00:15:47...

Discovering Purpose

Show Notes: [0:00:47] Intro | Timely Topics Culture Recap [0:03:18] Purpose...is it something you discover, or decide on? Disagreements and opinions ensue! What is THE why? Purposes should align. A manufactured purpose might not fare so well in the long run. [0:12:52] The Infinite Game, The Why From purpose to a just cause. The just cause has to be personal and meaningful. Purpose should be authentic. [0:15:25] Helping Leaders & Organization Find Purpose Purpose, mission, and vision are the same...or are they? [0:17:17] Reviewing Purpose Statements Can you match the statement to the organization? *send us your purpose statements...

What is Company Culture

Show Notes: [0:00:53] Intro | Timely Topics Previous Episode & Series Recap [0:02:36] Bridging the Gap from Uncertainty to Culture The norms and stardards, i.e. the default state of behavior in your organization. When you have these figured out, you can answer the question, "What do I do when I don't know what to do?" [0:04:49] "Now we're going to talk about Culture." What is your company culture? It's a BIG umbrella! The textbook definition, the assumed, the implicit and explicit. "Your culture is a combination of who you are, what you value, and how you behave." Creating...

Helping Your Team Navigate Change

Show Notes: [0:00:00] Intro | Timely Topics The Uncertain Edition? Recap on Uncertainty to Action & Unknown-unknowns [0:02:30] How Do You Lead & Navigate Through Change? Acknowledging the different types and areas of uncertainty in your business: 1) The uncertainty you may feel as an owner/manager. 2) The uncertainty that your team might feel from lack of clarity and/or communication. "How do you handle the uncertainty you feel, and how much of that do you share with the team?" "How do you ensure the team has the clarity they need?" Living with chronic uncertainty can negatively impact anyone, literally rewiring our...

Moving from Uncertainty to Action

Show Notes: [0:00:57] Intro | Timely Topics Radio voices are a go. Wear sunscreen! A brief recap of the previous episode. [00:03:00] Leaving Behind Analysis Paralysis Punished by choice, leaving uncertainty to chance, and overconfidence All of them exhibit a lack of knowledge/experience/data. Gaining information when under the thumb of uncertainty. Iterative action/s through uncertainty. Understanding pieces at a time. "Put one foot in front of the other...and soon..." You can't overestimate the value of action. The scientific method is your friend! You make observations and you ask questions. That's the start. "What...

Identifying & Understanding Uncertainty

Show Notes: [0:00:49] Intro | Timely Topics We’re all surrounded by uncertainty in these trying times.  Dealing with uncertainty in your business & your life How we respond to universal uncertainty is unique to each of us.  [0:05:25] Identifying Uncertainty in Your Business  We wrongfully attribute uncertainty to risk.  We often lack the information to reasonably define uncertainty as risk. Using Slack as an example. Certain people are excited by uncertanty. It’s very important to be able to react to the unknown things that pop up.  You can address some uncertainty simply by not being too certain o...

Work / Life Balance

Show Notes:   [0:00:00] Intro | Brief Recap   A Look Back on ‘Humanizing Your Team’ Final Part of the Series on Distributed/Remote Work   [0:02:50] Work/Life Balance vs Work/Life Integration   “Work/Life Balance is a Scam”? When we think about work/life balance, we tend to think of it as:  “I go to work to provide for the life I want to live, and I’m trying to intentionally keep those two things separate.” We argue that what we’re looking for is not necessarily “Work/Life Balance”, but rather Work/Life Integration. Instead of segmenting your life i...

Humanizing Your Team

Show Notes: [0:01:12] Intro Brief Recap on the Last Episode of AIB [0:02:05] “How to not turn your coworkers into your crazy Facebook uncle.” In a polarized world where everything is extreme, our society has a habit of pitting us against each other on most topics and issues.  We evolved to be able to read body language and in-person communication. But now we need to adapt to modern technologies and to the landscape of changing industries, and distributed workforces.  Unlike Facebook, you can’t just turn off your coworkers.  How we humanize each other goes a long way...

Set-Up for Success for Distributed Teams

Show Notes:   [0:00:54] Intro    You have found it! Jeremy messes up Kevin’s ‘flow’. Very Brief Last Episode Summary   [0:2:23] Decisions We’ve Made to Set Up for Success for Distributed Work   Rule #1: Experiment! Rule #2: Test what works for you, throw away the rest.  Categorizing our decisions by clarity, connection, and collaboration. How transitioning to distributed, at first, brought teamwide clarity to a halt. Being colocated for so long was our crutch, the one that made us think we were better at clarity than what we actually were. Looking back, we also confused in-office distraction an...

Why We Chose Distributed Work

Show Notes   [0:00:00] Episode Summary | Intro [0:02:25] Remote Work: Pros/Cons   How we’ve done it, and how you can learn from our mistakes.  There are options.  The pandemic has made a huge portion of people realize their jobs can be done from home.  Not everyone is going back to the office, and for valid reasons.  The pros far outweigh the cons.  Comfort and convenience go a long way toward being productive.    [0:06:40] Why We Chose Distributed   We started as a completely co-located business.  Think 1/3rd....or 1/10th of Silicon Valley and you have the right idea...

Managing Up

Show Notes   [0:00:00] Episode Summary | Intro   Jeremy tries out new greetings… And also recommends everyone watch Guga Foods.    [0:02:16] Managing Up & Why it Works   Challenging...and comes with many landmines. Do it right and your life is easier. Do it poorly and it could make your work and culture really suffer. You can’t control whether someone is a good or bad manager, but you can put your best foot forward. You have very real restrictions in how you can deal with a manager, and how you interact with them.  Managers aren’t perfect, and are ofte...

Managing Relationships with Others

Show Notes   [0:00:39] Episode Summary | Intro   Jeremy gets “folksy”.  All relationships take work and conscious effort to make them affective.  This applies to work, family, and friends. You’re managing relationships, even when you’re not.    [0:06:06] Diving Into Managing Relationships Well   Communication Mistakes We often go in NOT assuming the best.  Whether you’re sick, maybe you slept poorly, etc.  We’ve found that very-very rarely does anyone actually have any ill intent going into their interactions.  Assume the best! With the advent of social media dominance, the world at large right now needs to come together...

Managing Yourself

Show Notes   [0:01:05] Episode Summary | Intro   Give Us Your Thoughts on the Show! Find us on Twitter @Ciircles    [0:03:16] Managing Yourself   Applicable to Everyone, Even if You’re Not Actively in a Leadership Position If you don’t have a culture of people who can/will self manage...you’ll notice it quickly.  In distributed work you have to focus on objectives over time tracking.  Activity can be disguised as progress, but oftentimes it’s anything but.    [0:07:12] Things we do to Manage Ourselves   Incrementally enhancing the mundane has a positive ripple effect. ...

Accomplish Anything by Doing Nothing

Show Notes   [0:01:00] Episode Summary | Intro   Most “Excitingest” Episode Ever? The Work Between the Work, Vacations, Etc.  The Most Neglected Topic in Business Margins Lots of managers and leaders don’t like to talk about pausing.  We believe in margins so much that we’ve dedicated a third of our schedule to margins.  Without an emphasis on Margin, Burnout is a very real danger.    [0:05:10] It Doesn’t Always Take Active Work to Make Progress   Margin can facilitate progress. We think of progress as linear, but that’s just not realistic.  Progress has fits and starts.   ...

Progress vs Productivity

Show Notes [0:00:49] Episode Summary | Intro The Topic That Keeps us Moving & Out of Bed in the Morning Being Motivated by Progress!   [0:03:27] Progress is Essential, but...   We sometimes forget that being busy or active doesn't always go hand-in-hand with moving the needle forward.  It’s easy to not plan your productive time well.  It takes a lot of planning to do ‘deep work’ well.    [0:05:15] The Secret SuperPowers of a Good Manager   Facilitating & Tracking Real Progress Real progress has nothing to do with looking busy. Being aware of putting your big rocks in first.  Rewiring How Y...

Establishing a Work Cadence

Show Notes   [0:00:55] Episode Summary | Intro   Why Every Podcast NEEDS Intro Music Last Episode Communication Recap   [0:03:13] Kicking off a New Topic   Making Progress Helping our teams make progress. Establishing a work cadence.  Promoting progress and not business.  The Necessity of Work Cadence We’ve lost seasonality. The modern world lacks cadence and sets your team up for failure and unfair expectations. Black Friday in recent years is a perfect example of this.  We don’t recognize how people’s creativity and work output is seasonal. You can’t be “at an 11” all the time.  Don’t let...

Communication Tips for Teams

Show Notes   [0:00:55] Episode Summary | Intro   Last Episode’s Recap  Communication Pros & Cons Being Thoughtful with Your Chosen Communication Style   [0:03:22] The Right Time for Synchronous Communication   Don’t let “synchronous communication is bad” be a takeaway here.    [0:04:37] Ways to Build Connection Asynchronously   A remote team spread across different time zones is your biggest obstacle toward connection. Tips on Established Async Connection: Have asynchronous communication around things that are not work related.  Consider an internal company podcast to heighten clarity and connection.  When shared, provide a way for team members to discuss the pod...

Real-time vs Asynchronous Communication

Show Notes   [0:01:01] Episode Summary & Intro    Machoman, Koolaid Man, or Wolfman Jack?   [0:02:04] Communication Round 2   Brief Recap of the Last Episode Real Time Communication vs Asynchronous  We started collocated, in-office and transitioned to remote work. Benefits of Synchronous Communication While is it so alluring to maintain? Let’s be honest, real time communication is easier.  But is it better? There’s an Idea That Moving Fast is Superior to Being Methodical & Intentional That idea is wrong, and here’s why. Fast often equals “move quickly...and break things”. Communicating Asynchronously is Something You Have to Learn A skil...

Modern Challenges with Communication

Show Notes:   [0:00:50] Episode Summary | Intro   THE Jeremy Moore? 2nd Vaccine Preparation & Anxieties Last Episode Recap Building and Developing Your Team   [0:04:35] Getting Philosophical About Communication   Why Communication Isn’t ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Dangers of Treating Distributed Communication Like You’re Collocated How this is applicable to all areas of your life.  “It started with pagers.” Always On, “As Soon as Possible” Culture is a Problem Activity is not to be confused with progress.  If you’re always available, when can you ever hope to do ‘deep work’? Anxiety induced by not being available, or forgetting your phone.   ...

In between the Check-Ups

Show Notes   [0:00:48] Episode Summary | Intro   Standing Energy What Happens In Between F.I.T.ness Check-ups?   [0:02:10] Recap of Last Episode’s Quarterly F.I.T.ness Check-in   If you’re only having conversations every three months, or annually, something is wrong.    [0:03:46] People Want Regular Feedback   Team Members Want Clarity & Shared Understanding Even if they’re low maintenance, and keep their head down, working hard...they still want and need the feedback.  Why Weekly vs Less Frequently Generally, the more frequently you meet, the shorter your meetings will be overall.  If y...

Regular Check-Ups on Team F.I.T.ness

Show Notes [0:00:42] Episode Summary | Intro  Music to Get You Going Brief F.I.T.ness Recap [0:04:00] Measuring F.I.T.ness Organizations Change, Businesses Change, People Change You Have to Evaluate That Recommendation: Quarterly F.I.T.ness Check-ins Catch Issues or Tensions Before They Fester Check-ins Directly Combat Ambiguity “With my team, one thing I always say is: if anything in this meeting is surprising to you, then I (the manager) haven’t done a good job.” - Jeremy Your Check-ups are a Confirmation of Alignment or Misalignment They should not be where you identify proper or improper alignment for the...

What makes a great team or team member (F.I.T.)

Show Notes [0:00:47] Episode Summary | Intro F.I.T.ness Overview Faculty Initiative Temperament  A Place for Alliteration  [0:04:45] Understanding Why Team Members May Be Unhappy in Their Role  They may be in the wrong place, doing the wrong work, or have the wrong temperament for the type of work they’re doing.  You have to be flexible as an organization, hopefully without differing straight to letting the employee go. Though it’s important to acknowledge not every individual will be a fit for your culture and organization. [0:08:00] Does X Person Have the F. I. and T. to be on Your Team? Analyzin...

The 3 Cornerstones of Motivation

Show Notes [0:00:43] Episode Summary | Intro Regional Seasonal Allergy Woes Last Episode Recap Takeaways on Motivational Drivers [0:03:25] What Are the Cornerstones of Motivation? Deep Diving on The 3 ‘C’s: Connection Clarity Collaboration How they all work off of and benefit from one another.  Collaboration as an accountability tool.  Whatever you’re trying to accomplish, identifying the cornerstones you’re lacking will allow you to intentionally focus on and develop them.  [0:13:27] Practical Breakdown of How the 3 ‘C’s Actually Interact with Each Other Each overlapped ‘C’ (on the venn diagram of fulfillment) creates a ‘P’ (Passion, Purpose, Progress) Clarity + Collaboration = Progress Collaboration...

The 3 Motivational Drivers of Teams

Show Notes   [0:00:56] Episode Summary | Intro   Previous Episode Recap Difference Between Engagement & Fulfillment   [0:03:00] Drivers of Fulfillment:   Unpacking the 3 ‘P’s Passion: ‘I love the work that I do.’ Purpose: ‘The work that I do matters.’ Progress: ‘I’m having an impact on the work that matters.’   Progress is NOT to be Confused with Productivity   Which ‘P’ Means the Most to You? How to Assist Employees (and Anyone) with Passion, Purpose, and Progress   [0:12:18] Ways in Which We Help Our Team See Progress Now   Coming to terms with your business or manageme...

Finding Fulfillment

Show Notes [0:00:57] Episode Summary | Intro Jeremy’s Banjo Aspirations Last Episode Recap Fulfillment Theory Quickstart Guide [0:03:42] The Ultimate Goal Helping Our Teams Find Fulfillment Employee Engagement It Changes With the Season “You can have engagement without fulfillment, but you can only have fulfillment through being engaged.” When Time Tracking Breaks Down Time tracking is what most businesses monitor toward engagement, but it’s the opposite of what employees want and need to feel engaged.  Engagement is More Than the Work You Can See Why Common Attempts at Engagement Fall Flat Burnout Awareness Engagement Gimmicks & Initiatives  Sustainability Getting Engagement Wrong Ear...

The Rebirth of AIB, now a Ciircles production

Show Notes [0:01:03] Episode Summary | Intro “We’re back! ...All things considered.” The Pandemic Pivot  From In-office to Running the Business Remotely Thanking (and coincidently) we chose this for ourselves pre-pandemic. Acquiring and Consolidating a WordPress Plugin [0:05:51] Why We Took a Year and a Half Off  Missing Podcast Voice ‘Where’s Rob?’ Adventures in Businessing’s (AIB) new direction and new purpose: Leadership, team building, and the Ciircles fulfillment theory.  [0:12:21] Breaking Down the Transition From In-office to Fully Distributed From operating out of one town, to having employees around the world.  In defense of colocated worki...

45 | Business updates, media reach, petition to get Kevin on Man Up America

44 | Navigating personal travel and business

43 | Team, talent, and the technical needs of a company

42 | Spending money and staying on budget

41 | Charity Gala Balls and an unfocused discussion on focus

40 | Commemorating milestones & misc culture touch points

39 | The power of affirmations and finding the life you want to live