The Authority Builder Podcast

Scaling a consulting business is one of the hardest things you can do… But my guest today is giving away all the secrets for those who want to scale a consulting business in 2024… Mandi Ellefson is back on the podcast to discuss her new book, The Hands Off CEO, that gives readers a path to freedom and profit as the owner of a consulting agency. In this episode, she’ll share insights from the book, break down the stages of growing a consulting business, and cover the importance of the right type of client.

AI can save your business millions of hours. It can take over the mundane tasks you hate doing… Freeing you to do exciting, creative work… And you might not realize that you’ve already been using it. AI isn’t just for people with a computer science degree… In this episode, Evan Ryan, founder of Teammate AI, will show you some simple AI programs you can implement today. And save 4+ hours this week. Ryan has helped hundreds of business owners scale using AI automation—and he’s here to tell you how to leverage AI so you can spend more time growing your business.

Growing a business takes a consistent, sustainable approach… In this episode, as part of our series for marketing agency owners, we’ll unpack the Build Win Scale System™ with the inventor herself—Jody Sutter, founder of The Sutter Company. This system is a step-by-step process designed to help leaders of small marketing agencies identify and activate their natural talents for sales and marketing. Jody will share how agency owners (and anyone interested in business-building strategies) can use this system to grow a business over the long term. She’ll cover:

Ok…two weeks ago, we covered the main reasons why you might not be getting all the referrals you should. Last week, we covered how to leverage your best ideas to 10-x your referrals right away. Today, you’re going to see how to exponentially grow your referral network, and the number of referrals you receive each month. Now, you might be thinking…”Exponential, I’d be happy with 10 more referrals a month if they were consistent.” And that’s great. But the single biggest barrier to raising your prices, to bigger profits, and to sleeping soundly at night is a lack of lead flow/opportunity. The process you’ll get in today’s episode will show you how to create a continually expanding network of enthusiastic referral partners, so that you always have more referrals than you need. Part 3 is live now…

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series of building your “by-referral-only” client flow this year. If you missed Part 1 you can find it here. Last week, we looked at why the old model of referrals doesn’t work consistently. Today, we’re diving into the mechanics of the new, easier model. In this episode, you’ll discover how to use your best ideas to multiply your referrals… How to create a “mission” bigger than you that your clients can buy into (and why it’s essential to growing referrals)... Why you need to move down the buyer-readiness pyramid if you want to smooth out the feast-or-famine cycle of business development. Part 2 is now live…

It's time to get refocused on the basics…block and tackling. In business development, that means referrals. Why? Referral prospects are 400 times more likely to do business with you than prospects from cold media or cold outreach. FOUR. HUNDRED. TIMES. MORE. When surveyed, 64% of business owners say they get the majority of their business from referral. Yet, 80% say they have no system or process for generating referrals. So… Starting this week on the podcast, I’m doing a 3-part series to help you build your “by-referral-only” pipeline of new clients. Part 1 is live now…

The failure rate for small businesses is high—but it doesn’t have to be. My guest Geoffrey Kent believes the formula for success is out there…and in this episode, we’ll explore the 5 pillars of successful entrepreneurship. Geoffrey is a wealth of wisdom: a serial entrepreneur who has launched, scaled, and exited 20+ businesses in the last five decades. Now, he mentors entrepreneurs through the same process. In this episode, he’ll share the key lessons he’s learned over the years about running a business. He’ll also share why he believes entrepreneurship can solve the world’s problems and how entrepreneurs can create much-needed opportunities in struggling communities.

Every week, two or three business owners tell me they want to speak to get clients. They want to know how to unlock bigger and better stages…TED Talks or high-profile paid keynote opportunities. With thousands of people competing for the same speaking opportunities, what’s the key to getting in the door? A book. The National Speakers Association Hall of Fame has inducted 54 speakers since 2012…all but one has written a book. When you’ve written a book, stages, podcasts, even high-paid speaking opportunities open up for you. In this episode, I’ll unpack why writing a book attracts speaking opportunities and share the 3 major benefits of having a book as a speaker.

It takes determination to scale a business… This episode’s guest, John Vagueiro, knows this too well—and he’s here to share his inspiring story. John started his business at 17 to help his struggling family. After 3 months of going door to door selling digital marketing services, he got his first “yes.” Now, his business, Adapting Social, serves clients in over 20 countries including Bentley, Ferrari, Columbia University, Compass and RE/MAX. In this episode, John will cover what he’s learned, including:

What’s the future of the law firm model? With the transition to hybrid work and the rise of AI, like most industries, the law industry is being forced to adapt… In this episode, my guest Gary Mitchell will cover how attorneys building their practice can be nimble to overcome challenges. Gary is a top business coach for lawyers and law firms in North America, and he recently launched the Law Practice Builder App. He’ll share how lawyers can beat perfectionism, develop soft skills, and master their strengths to grow a successful practice.

Is financial freedom a trap? My guest Ali Katz believes we need to reframe it as “financial liberation…” And create an entirely new paradigm for legal, insurance, financial, and other professionals to find fulfillment in their careers. In this episode, she’ll share why the old business model is broken and how professionals can shift to a new model. Ali will cover:

How do you incentivize your team to create more profit in the business? (And the answer is not “with a Christmas bonus…”) Alex Freytag is the author of “Profit Works” and an EOS implementer who helps entrepreneurs and leadership teams simplify and clarify their incentive plans. Alex believes in getting employees to think like an owner… When an owner is transparent and a team is financially literate, everyone is motivated to perform at a high level. In this episode, Alex will share his wisdom on incentive plans—and why fun drives financial performance.

What tools do lawyers (and other professionals) need to stop feeling stressed and overwhelmed and start enjoying the success and fulfillment they’ve always wanted? My guest Gary Miles has been practicing law for four decades, and now he works with lawyers to help them align their career with their values. Gary believes the billable hour is a flawed model—and he’s here to share how attorneys can shift to value-based pricing. Gary will also cover how imposter syndrome affects the legal industry and what you can do to move from self-doubt to self-confidence.

What is the art of the $100,000 signature talk? If you’ve ever considered speaking as a way to land clients, today’s guest has some wisdom for you… Steve Lowell is on a mission to train people to craft their signature talk, scale their influence, and create more business through speaking. In this episode, he’ll share how you can get started with speaking, including:

If you’ve ever wondered if there’s a better way to build your service practice, this episode is for you… My guest Anton Anderson believes the referral model is inefficient… He’s devised a model to grow your business by building relationships with allied professionals. Instead of viewing these professionals as competitors, Anton wants professionals to view each other as allies who can collaborate and exchange expertise to create more value for their shared client. In this episode, Anton will break down why this strategy leads to massive wins for both clients and professionals—and how you can start implementing this game changing approach.

One of the statements I hear the most from professionals is, “I love to practice my vocation, but I was never taught how to run a business…” Whether you’re an attorney, an engineer, or another professional who owns a business, you may be struggling to make the transition from owner-producer to owner-leader. But how can you free yourself up to do the things no one else in the organization can do? Steve Smith is an expert at helping businesses and professional firms go beyond their current performance levels to reach their true potential. In this episode, he’ll share the tools he uses to unlock growth, including:

Have you been trying to grow your business, but now you’ve hit a wall? To get past it, you need a strategic plan. In this episode, Carl Cox covers the 7 key principles for developing a strategic plan that actually gets achieved. If you want to multiply your revenue, free yourself up, and build a self-sufficient team, tune in… He’ll share:

Many people approach investing with fear and worry—and it costs them money. My guest John Jennings is here to change the way you think about investing. In his new book, The Uncertainty Solution, he outlines mental models to help investors make better decisions in times of uncertainty. These models will help you approach investing without fear (and have more money in 20 years). John will also discuss the advantages of his unconventional business structure and the power of learning from failure.

I just read this book and I think it’s the most important book for entrepreneurs in the last decade… 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More By Doing Less by Dan Sullivan, with Dr. Benjamin Hardy This week on the podcast I share my key insights from the book and explain why I think you should read it. You’ll discover… And a lot more… Plus, I’ve put together two full pages of my insights from the book, taken from the pages of my personal journal. You can listen to the episode and download the insights here on the website: https://authoritybuilderpodcast.com/10xeasierbook Here’s to your next 10x leap!

Last month, I took an 11-day vacation without thinking about work once… Meanwhile, the business had a record number of sales. This is possible for you, too—if you follow a strategic process to free up your time through hiring. My guest Brett Trembly is the CEO and co-founder of Get Staffed Up, the largest virtual staffing company in the US. He’s here to talk about his new book, 24 Months to Freedom, which breaks down how you can hire a team to free up your time, increase your income, and make your work life happier, even if you think you can’t afford to. Brett will also share his insights about what to look for in prospective employees and myth-bust common reservations about international hiring.