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Business Infrastructure - Curing Back Office Blues

Business & Economics Podcasts

Growth is not a bad thing. But too much growth, too fast presents a set of challenges often overlooked when discussing small businesses. The emphasis tends to center on the marketing and promotion necessary to grow your business, and not on the operations and business infrastructure needed to scale your business in a sustainable manner. These back office operations can make or break your business. The Business Infrastructure show provides solutions and real life stories to owners and operators of fast growing small businesses seeking practical tips for dealing with growth spurts.

Growth is not a bad thing. But too much growth, too fast presents a set of challenges often overlooked when discussing small businesses. The emphasis tends to center on the marketing and promotion necessary to grow your business, and not on the operations and business infrastructure needed to scale your business in a sustainable manner. These back office operations can make or break your business. The Business Infrastructure show provides solutions and real life stories to owners and operators of fast growing small businesses seeking practical tips for dealing with growth spurts.

Location:

United States

Description:

Growth is not a bad thing. But too much growth, too fast presents a set of challenges often overlooked when discussing small businesses. The emphasis tends to center on the marketing and promotion necessary to grow your business, and not on the operations and business infrastructure needed to scale your business in a sustainable manner. These back office operations can make or break your business. The Business Infrastructure show provides solutions and real life stories to owners and operators of fast growing small businesses seeking practical tips for dealing with growth spurts.

Language:

English

Episodes

203: The Top 12 | Business Infrastructure Lessons I Learned in Cuba with Alicia Butler Pierre

5/22/2022
Hi! I'm Alicia, host and producer of the Business Infrastructure podcast, and I have a confession to make. * When I analyzed the show’s most downloaded episodes, I was shocked to learn that a monologue I recorded back in 2018 about my experiences in Cuba made the list. * I was shocked because this was a recording I did while I was still very new to the podcasting industry and honestly didn’t know what I was doing. But one thing I did know was my passion for business infrastructure and...

Duration:00:18:06

202: The Top 12 How to Create an Operational Excellence Culture in a Tech Startup with Hassan Dantata

5/15/2022
Hassan Dantata is a promising young entrepreneur who made a lasting impression on us here at the Business Infrastructure podcast. Considering his tenacious spirit, high energy, and warm personality, it’s no surprise that his original interview also made it to our list of the top 12 most downloaded. * Ten years ago, Hassan found himself alone in a hospital room. He’d just had a bone marrow transplant that required isolation for two months with a 50/50 chance of survival. With nothing but...

Duration:00:51:57

201: The Top 12 | How to Scale Your Personal Brand & Become a Recognized Expert - Tips from Dorie Clark

5/8/2022
As the world becomes noisier, gaining recognition as being at the top of your game is no small feat. Yet some people figure out the formula for showcasing their talents despite the noise. That’s why it’s no surprise that our original episode featuring Dorie Clark, a master of self-reinvention, made it to our list of the top 12 most downloaded. * As a consultant or service-based professional, scaling your unique skills and subject matter expertise may seem impossible. However, Dorie is...

Duration:00:46:45

200th Episode! Meet the Business Infrastructure Podcast Team + Special Guest, Jared Easley

5/1/2022
For the past four years, this show has consistently aired every week, not missing a beat. This consistency is only a part of our success formula. Other factors include amazing guests, subscribers and listeners like you, and an all-star team! * The Business Infrastructure podcast started as a scrappy idea of host and producer, Alicia Butler Pierre. What she originally thought would simply be another means of sharing operational resources with small businesses has now evolved into a global...

Duration:00:34:12

199: The Top 12 | Mohammad Ali Ajlouni Shares Everything You Need to Know About COOs

4/24/2022
Mohammad Ali Ajlouni may not float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, like the famous boxer by the same name, but he is a champion – a champion of operations. And it might very well be the reason why his original episode made it to our list of the top 12 most downloaded. * With over 37 years of combined experience as a high-ranking military official, chemical and industrial engineer, COO, and board member, he recognizes problem-solving as the cornerstone for continuous improvement. In...

Duration:01:07:53

198: The Top 12 | My Business is Small...Why Does It Need Business Infrastructure? Alicia Butler Pierre Explains.

4/17/2022
This was the second episode to ever air on the Business Infrastructure podcast in 2018! It’s one of our Top 12 most downloaded episodes to date… * Being insane isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to managing fast growth in your small business. Find out why in this episode as Alicia Butler Pierre makes the case for insanity in your business operations and why business infrastructure is vital to not just talking about taking your business to the next level, but actually...

Duration:00:19:47

197: The Top 12 | What is Six Sigma Operational Excellence Dr. Frank Barsi

4/10/2022
It’s no surprise that Dr. Frank Barsi’s interview made our list of the Top 12 most downloaded episodes. The covid-19 pandemic and the associated supply chain disruptions offered a wellspring of interest in Lean and Six Sigma quality frameworks. Discussions around operations, once confined to the back office, have now earned their rightful place in the forefront of critical decisions made by technicians, front-line managers, and executives alike. * Back in the early 1970s, Dr. Barsi escaped...

Duration:01:09:38

196: The Top 12 | What is a COO? Maria Jones Explains

4/3/2022
It’s a brand new season on the Business Infrastructure podcast – Season 16! In nearly four years, there’s so much to celebrate especially as we approach our 200 episode. That’s why this season we’re reflecting on our success factors starting with you, our loyal listeners and subscribers, as well as our top-notch guests. In that spirit, we’ve compiled a list of the top 12 most downloaded episodes to date and will re-air them this season (in no particular order). * First up is the episode...

Duration:00:35:37

195: Backstage | How We Made the Business Infrastructure Audio Masterclass

4/1/2022
Producing the world’s first-ever audio masterclass on business infrastructure was no small feat! In this bonus episode, we pull back the curtain and go backstage so you can hear a firsthand account of what it took to produce each masterclass episode. * Jarvis Gray is our special guest host. Tune in as he guides a conversation with Alicia Butler Pierre, Cornelius Dowdell, and Clarence Levy on what it took to go from an idea jotted on paper into a full-scale audio masterclass complete with...

Duration:00:57:51

194: How to Create a Business Process Manual

3/27/2022
We’ve come to the final episode in our 13-part audio masterclass on business infrastructure! At this point, you’ve heard six stories of entrepreneurs and leaders in small businesses trying their best to keep their cool amid chaotic fast growth. If you’ve missed any of those episodes, be sure to go back and listen to them so that you can follow along with the info contained in this episode. * Behind the impressive façade of the businesses featured in this masterclass, lies operational...

Duration:00:46:35

193: How to Create a Work Space Logistics Plan for Flourishing Small Businesses

3/24/2022
In the last story of our Business Infrastructure audio masterclass, you met Clenard Smith. He’s determined to take his flourishing food distribution company public. But there’s one problem. He needs more physical space! Or at least that’s what he’s convinced himself. His consultant manages to convince him otherwise while also getting him to contend with the root cause of his company’s space constraints. * A Work Space Logistics plan organizes, consolidates, and segments your space into...

Duration:00:30:57

A Quick Update from Alicia

3/20/2022
We're well underway with Season 15 - Business Infrastructure Masterclass. Here's a quick update from the host, Alicia Butler Pierre, on what to expect for the final masterclass episodes. Great things are brewing!

Duration:00:01:27

192: Organized Chaos - The Story of Clenard Smith & the Flourishing Food Distribution Company

3/13/2022
Prior to the pandemic, people were already spending a lot of time in their offices likely sitting behind a computer. Now, that time has doubled if not tripled for many as companies begin to adopt work-from-home policies. In fact, there are scientific studies that show a direct correlation between the actual layout of a workspace and productivity, job satisfaction, and profitability. * A Work Space Logistics plan considers the best placement and arrangement of your team, furniture, and...

Duration:00:51:42

191: How to Create a Service Delivery Blueprint for Small Businesses on the Rise

3/6/2022
Vandana Thiagarajan was the subject of the last story you heard in our Business Infrastructure audio masterclass. She’s desperately trying to make sure she and her co-founders can once again fulfill their promises to their customers. Their consultant introduces them to the Service Delivery Blueprint as a solution for quickly pinpointing the source of missing target deadlines. * A Service Delivery Blueprint is a visual control tool that documents the people, process, tools, and metrics...

Duration:00:32:40

190: Red Pill or Blue Pill? The Story of Vandana Thiagarajan and a Mortgage Company's Meteoric Rise

2/27/2022
As small businesses grow, so does the need for consistency. Your ability to provide value and meet promised deadlines is only as good as the people, tools, and processes you have in place to deliver your goods and/or services. * A Service Delivery Blueprint describes how you provide goods and services to your customers. Once defined, it enables consistency in your customer order-to-delivery process without compromising quality. It also affects how customers and vendors experience your...

Duration:00:41:23

189: How to Create a Paper Records Management System for Expanding Small Businesses

2/20/2022
In the last episode of our Business Infrastructure audio masterclass, you heard the story of twin co-founders, Karen and Sharen Benoit. They’ve been given a second chance to pass an audit of their mental health clinic’s records. Their consultant friend comes to the rescue by teaching them how to design a compliant Paper Records Management system that consolidates, organizes, stores, and protects their physical files. * You might be wondering, “Why are we talking about organizing paperwork...

Duration:00:30:04

188: Troubled Waters – The Story of the Benoit Sisters & the Expanding Medical Office

2/13/2022
As appealing as paperless offices are, there are still some industries that require meticulous physical recordkeeping. These types of records must comply with regulatory guidelines to legally operate. This is where a Paper Records Management system can be useful. * A Paper Records Management system links the processes, tools, and people needed to create, name, categorize, store, and purge physical data in an easily accessible, color-coded, and organized manner. It also represents one of...

Duration:00:58:12

187: How to Create an Electronic (Digital) Records Management System for Small Businesses in High Demand

2/6/2022
We’re continuing our first time ever masterclass edition of the Business Infrastructure podcast. In the last episode, you heard the story of Sarah and Steve Reuben - siblings whose rivalry and siloed leadership enabled a virus attack on their family-owned business’s network. A consultant taught them how to design an Electronic Records Management system to organize, store, and secure their digital files while also protecting their operations from future digital disasters. * Electronic...

Duration:00:31:15

186: The Princess vs. The Politician - The Story of the Reubens & the Furniture Store in High Demand

1/30/2022
A paperless office comes with many perks. It frees up physical space, removes geographic work restrictions, and makes information accessible from anywhere. But there’s a catch. * Without careful organization, adequate security, and an ironclad data backup and recovery plan, there’s always the risk of losing electronic records due to manmade or natural disasters. * An Electronic Records Management system specifically links the processes, digital technologies, and people needed to...

Duration:00:57:19

185: How to Create a Business Design Blueprint for Emerging Small Businesses

1/23/2022
Welcome back to this masterclass edition of the Business Infrastructure podcast! In the last episode, you heard the story of Albert Andoh, the optimistic child entrepreneur of an emerging tech startup. He met a consultant who introduced him to the Business Design Blueprint as a way of proving organizational capability, capacity, and scalability to investors. Now you can learn how they did it. * The Business Design Blueprint is the second element in building business infrastructure. It takes...

Duration:00:27:01

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