Rooted In Revenue

Susan Finch sits down with Laura Patterson, President and Co-Founder at VisionEdge Marketing. They explore why businesses chase shiny new tools instead of maximizing what already works, the real cost of remote work on mentorship and professional development, and how strategic restraint might be the most powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. Laura brings decades of experience helping companies achieve measurable business outcomes through marketing, while Susan brings her perspective from working with business-focused podcasts and small- to mid-size companies. Together, they challenge the assumption that more tools, more content, and more technology automatically equals better results. The conversation moves from the "random acts of marketing" that plague so many businesses to the critical importance of in-person mentorship for young professionals. Laura shares insights from her 20-year intern program, while both hosts discuss how the shift to remote work has created a mentorship crisis that's hurting the next generation's ability to navigate difficult conversations and workplace dynamics. Whether you're drowning in marketing tools, struggling to find clarity in your strategy, or wondering how to bring up the next generation of professionals, this episode offers a refreshing dose of reality and actionable wisdom. Laura Patterson is President and co-founder of VisionEdge Marketing, a growth strategy firm she launched in 1999. A globally recognized expert in customer-centric growth and Marketing Performance Management, Laura has worked with over 300 companies to replace disconnected acts with deliberate, measurable strategies rooted in creating business and customer value. Her career began at Motorola and grew through leadership roles in marketing operations, product and strategic marketing, and customer marketing and loyalty. She is the author of multiple books, including the award-winning Fast-Track Your Business: A Customer-Centric Approach to Accelerate Market Growth, and holds a patent for Accelance®, a SaaS platform that connects activities directly to business outcomes. Laura hosts the "What's Your Edge" podcast and has mentored over 50 marketing interns over 20 years. A LinkedIn Influencer and frequent keynote speaker, she has won over a dozen thought leadership awards. Connect with Laura at visionedgemarketing.com.

After getting flooded with AI-generated guest pitch emails, Susan and Lany decided to remind everyone what Rooted in Revenue is really about. It's not just about making money. Everything you do impacts your revenue: your sleep patterns, your workspace, your team, even that specific spot on your couch where you always fall asleep. The podcast is about how to keep money from draining out of your business through inefficiency, procrastination, and all those hidden time thieves you don't even notice. Neither Susan nor Lany went to college. They learned to run businesses by working in businesses, making mistakes, and course-correcting. The education system doesn't teach you who to hire first, when to buy the domain, or that you probably don't need a 40-page business plan. Real business transformation takes 9-12 months, not 30 days, because you need space to think, innovate, and rediscover the joy you'd forgotten about. Time is your real currency, and everything is rooted in revenue. TIMESTAMPS The Love-Hate-Delegate framework Cheryl Walsh's Laguna's underwater mermaid photographyLany's six-week Chaos Cleanse Facebook group

Technology promises to solve every business problem, but what if the tools themselves are creating the chaos? Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan explain some reasons why organizations continue to struggle despite investing in the latest software, platforms, and systems. The pattern is predictable: Someone attends a conference, hears about a game-changing tool, signs up immediately, and brings it back to the team without considering compatibility, redundancy, or whether anyone will actually use it. Or worse, a new executive arrives and forces their favorite tools on everyone without understanding existing workflows. Before reaching for another software solution, companies need to answer fundamental questions about mission alignment, internal communication, and who will own the implementation. The disconnect between leadership vision and team reality creates friction that no amount of technology can fix. They break down the patterns they see repeatedly: reactive purchasing, shiny object syndrome, and tools piled on top of unresolved problems. They offer a framework for slowing down, asking better questions, and ensuring your team is aligned before spending another dollar on software that might just become expensive shelfware.

Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan dig into something nobody wants to talk about but everybody needs to hear. A client's new bookkeeper asked a simple question about canceling a former employee's card. The owner said they already had the card. Turns out the physical card was in a desk drawer, but the numbers were saved in the employee's personal Amazon account. For 18 months. Lany brings her banking background to this conversation - branch operations, mortgage processing, risk management, the whole deal. She's seen what happens when businesses don't have proper controls in place. She's also seen the theft, the fraud, and the embezzlement that follows. They walk through why your bookkeeper just paying the bill isn't oversight. Why the "put it on your personal card and expense it" model doesn't work anymore. Why most employees probably don't need company cards at all. And what to do instead - purchasing processes, approval limits, the works. If you've got company cards floating around and you're not 100% sure where they're saved or what they're being used for, this episode is for you. 00:00 - Introduction and WinCo shopping conversation 00:45 - The company credit card discovery story 02:00 - How easy it is to add cards to personal accounts 03:15 - Why checks and balances are critical 04:15 - Understanding financial leakages and OPM 05:15 - Risk tolerance and compliance boundaries 06:00 - The bookkeeper's role in reconciliation 06:30 - Small business vulnerabilities 07:00 - The American Express expense report model 08:00 - Individual card numbers and identification 09:00 - Generational differences in floating expenses 09:30 - Two-factor authentication and dual signers 10:00 - The four-step purchasing process 11:00 - Setting spending limits and approval levels 12:30 - Trusted contractors and liability 14:00 - Ethical contractor practices 15:00 - Who really needs a company card 16:00 - Onboarding and credit card policy documentation 17:00 - Honest mistakes vs. intentional fraud 18:30 - Simple prevention: stickers on business cards 19:00 - The debt obligation reality 20:00 - Rethinking your approach 21:00 - Executive branch only recommendation 22:00 - Streamlined purchasing processes 23:00 - Questions for your bookkeeper 24:00 - Real theft, fraud, and embezzlement experiences

We're drowning in content glut. Empty posts churned out to keep up with everyone else. There's no joy, no depth, no controversy. You can FEEL the difference between obligated content versus real engagement. What are we losing? The skill of conversation. The skill of listening. Those spontaneous "hey, come look at this" moments. Pulling each other into offices to analyze something together. These aren't scheduled Q&A sessions. These are the messy, real exchanges where magic happens. Here's what's fascinating: I was editing Deborah Fell's episode when she mentioned a CEO who told her he NEVER takes meetings, that his schedule is impossible, and that she shouldn't even try. But when she said, "Would you like to be on my podcast?" His response? "Oh, I'm glad to do that." Professionals at all levels don't want more meetings, sales pitches, or brain-picking sessions. They want real conversations with pushback. They want to share their stories. The best ones are willing to go eyeball to eyeball on important topics. Stop trying to feed the algorithm with volume. Stop the sycophant responses and empty praise. Stop formatting everything with bullets just because you think you're supposed to. Start having conversations worth recording. Start capturing spontaneity. Start admitting when we don't have the answer and need to think together. Start going back to people and saying, "Remember when we talked about this? What happened?" Consider getting the "monument" update - the current state of a conversation or event of the past. That's what this conversation with Deborah is about. Getting back to real conversations.

Stop drowning in business chaos - your SOPs are the life raft you need. In this game-changing episode, Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan expose why your team's knowledge hoarding is sabotaging growth and share their proven system for creating procedures that actually get used. They reveal why writing at a 5th-grade level isn't dumbing down - it's smartening up your business operations. From horror stories of employees creating secret binders to success stories of businesses transformed through proper documentation, this episode delivers the blueprint for organizing years of scattered procedures into one powerful system. Learn the exact folder structure, naming conventions, and review processes that turn procedural chaos into operational clarity. Whether you're a solopreneur ready to scale or managing a team that's reinventing the wheel daily, this episode provides the roadmap to document, delegate, and finally find joy in your work again. As always, we try to give you an action list you can do on your own: Immediate Actions (This Week): Short-Term Actions (Next 2-4 Weeks): Medium-Term Actions (Next 1-3 Months): Long-Term Actions (Ongoing):

You earned that certification. Now what? If you're like most professionals, you invested time and money into leveling up your expertise... only to let that shiny new credential sit quietly in your inbox, in your bank statement, rather than on your LinkedIn profile. Sound familiar? In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, I'm sharing the exact 14-day launch plan I use with clients to transform professional certifications into credibility, conversations, and clients. What you'll learn: Whether you just completed training, earned a designation, or achieved any professional milestone, this episode gives you the roadmap to maximize your ROI. Episode highlights: Stop letting your credentials collect dust. It's time to make them work as hard as you did to earn them.

Join Susan Finch in this solo episode of Rooted in Revenue as she shares actionable strategies for maximizing your conference investment through smart pre-event marketing. Instead of relying on generic conference-provided graphics, Susan explains how to create your own branded announcements that showcase your attendance and build anticipation. Learn how to develop a comprehensive branding package, prepare custom graphics, update your digital presence, and create specialized landing pages that convert conference connections into lasting business relationships. From perfecting your business cards to optimizing your Google Business Profile, this episode covers everything you need to stand out at your next conference. Plus, get Susan's recommended tools for accessibility checking, scheduling, and analytics to ensure your marketing efforts deliver real ROI. Episode Highlights: Connect with Susan at susan@susanfinch.com or find her on LinkedIn.

Are you losing your best people and don't know why? In this final episode of our four-part series with Frederic Lucas-Conwell, founder of GRI.co, we tackle the most expensive problem in business: top talent walking out the door. Most companies think they understand why high performers leave. They're wrong. From boardroom battles to manager missteps, Frederic reveals the behavioral mismatches that drive your best people away—and the surprisingly simple changes that can keep them engaged. We discuss why CEOs and boards clash despite shared goals, what "engagement" really means (hint: it's not what most tools measure), and the one overlooked factor that matters more than perks, ping pong tables, or pizza Fridays. If you're tired of expensive turnover, bland exit interviews, and watching talent walk to your competitors, this episode delivers actionable insights you can use this week. No fluff, no corporate speak—just honest conversation about what actually works. All episodes from this series are here.

Moving your business email from one system to another sounds straightforward until it isn't. Susan learned this the hard way during a weekend-long migration that revealed every hidden complexity you never think to ask about upfront. In this episode, she breaks down the five critical questions every business owner must answer before switching email systems - questions that could save you from your own technical nightmare and budget explosion. The 5 Questions That Prevent Email Migration Disasters Subscribe to Susan's blog for a series on this topic. Blog series on the topic of tech stacks and email migration.

Today's episode could save you 20% or more on overhead costs while boosting employee retention by up to 45%. My guest is Alane Boyd, Co-CEO of BiggestGoal.ai and workflow automation expert with nearly two decades in tech. But here's what sets her apart: instead of forcing you into complicated project management tools you'll hate, she works with what you already use and love. Alane's built her philosophy around "retention not replacement" - using automation to free your team for strategic work, not eliminate their jobs. She's a serial entrepreneur, three-time published author, and her tools were voted Best for Remote Work in 2022. In this conversation, we dive into real client examples, including a 70% time reduction in podcast production workflows, why most automation fails, and the one simple automation you can implement this week. Plus, Alane gets refreshingly honest about why being the "hero consultant" doesn't work. Links from this episode: Alane Boyd on LinkedIn BiggestGoal.ai Susan Finch on LinkedIn Binky Patrol SusanFinch.com

Google First, AI Second: The Smart Agent Strategy Your prospects aren't abandoning Google - they're using it PLUS asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude for deeper research. Here's the reality: Google still processes 373 times more searches than ChatGPT. But the 1% of prospects using AI answer engines? They're your highest-intent leads spending 23+ minutes researching before they ever call an agent. Most real estate professionals are asking the wrong question. Instead of "Should I optimize for AI or Google?" the question is "How do I dominate both?" Maurice White, SEO lead at Mod Op and former real estate professional, reveals why your SEO foundation determines your AI visibility. You'll discover why 80% of getting found by ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity depends on fundamental SEO - and what that crucial 20% difference is that separates agents who get cited from those who remain invisible. This isn't about replacing your Google strategy. It's about extending your reach to capture the early adopters who are doing deeper research and making more informed decisions before they contact agents. If you serve local clients - real estate, HVAC, restaurants, professional services - this matters now, not later. About Maurice White: Maurice White is a Senior SEO Strategist at Mod Op with a unique background that bridges real estate and digital marketing. After spending over 10 years in the real estate industry as a broker's assistant, agent, and licensed broker, Maurice transitioned to leading SEO strategy for one of the industry's top agencies. His hands-on real estate experience, combined with his technical expertise in data analysis and SEO strategy, gives him rare insight into how local businesses can leverage both traditional search optimization and emerging AI engine visibility. Maurice specializes in helping companies organize complex digital strategies, make data-driven decisions, and implement scalable SEO solutions. BONUS ACTION LIST: Here's the action list for this episode based on Maurice's insights: Immediate Actions (This Week) Test Your Current AI Visibility: Audit Your Current Content: Foundation Check: This Month Actions SEO Foundation Audit: Content Strategy Development: Local Authority Building: Ongoing Strategy Content Creation System: Measurement and Tracking: Provider Evaluation: If you're currently paying for automated content, ask these questions:

You've hired great people individually, but your team still isn't performing at its potential. Sound familiar? Most companies focus on individual talent while completely missing the multiplier effect of understanding how team members naturally function together. In Part 3 of our series with Frederic Lucas-Conwell, President of GRI (Growth Resources Institute), we dive into "The Team Performance Multiplier"—how behavioral dynamics can accelerate revenue growth through better collaboration and decision-making. Unlike generic team-building exercises, this approach focuses on understanding the specific behavioral requirements of different types of teams and how individual dynamics create group performance. Frederic reveals why it takes just one person to derail team performance and shares insights from working with diverse teams—from Silicon Valley startups to government agencies, accounting departments to sales teams. We explore the critical difference between adapting people to jobs versus adapting jobs to people, and why most companies wait too long to address team dysfunction. Susan shares real-world examples from her work with startup founders who each want to hire someone to handle "the stuff they don't like to do"—revealing how misaligned expectations create hiring disasters. This conversation moves beyond surface-level team building to practical strategies for creating team alignment, building trust, and leveraging each member's behavioral strengths for maximum revenue impact. Key Points

The Crisis Killing Service Organizations - And How to Save Them Rotary clubs, Lions International, Chambers of Commerce, and countless other service organizations are dying. Membership is aging out, younger generations aren't joining, and traditional models that worked for decades are failing spectacularly. In this eye-opening episode of Rooted in Revenue, host Susan Finch and guest Miguel de Jesus tackle this crisis head-on. Miguel, a seasoned executive who went from East Harlem public housing to building $2B in revenue at Paychex, brings decades of organizational leadership experience. Susan, running a nonprofit in Oregon while watching service organizations struggle, offers frontline perspective on what's not working. Together, they dissect why Monday noon meetings don't attract busy professionals anymore, how ego-driven leadership kills organizations just like it kills companies, and why value propositions matter more than tradition. But this isn't just about problems - it's about solutions. Discover how to reach students before they graduate, why "actionists beat activists" with younger generations, and how organizations can adapt their models without losing their mission. Whether you're leading a Rotary club, Chamber of Commerce, or any community organization, this conversation offers a roadmap for survival and growth. The future of community service depends on leaders willing to evolve. Are you ready to adapt? 6 Key Points Community Connection Missing - Modern mobility and lack of traditional community structures require intentional relationship-building approaches Miguel de Jesús: Miguel de Jesús transformed from growing up in East Harlem public housing to becoming a powerhouse business executive. His strong family foundation and early discipline through music and sports provided the launching pad for extraordinary career success. After attending Long Island University and Columbia's MBA program, Miguel joined Xerox and rapidly advanced through executive roles. At Paychex, he helped grow the company from $40 million to over $2 billion in revenue while leading 1,500+ team members. Today, Miguel is a sought-after business coach, keynote speaker, and trainer specializing in emotional intelligence and AI-influenced business practices. He serves military special operations personnel transitioning to civilian careers through the Honor Foundation and recently completed five years as Director of Business Development at Cal State University San Marcos. His core values—compassion, competence, achievement, and helping others—drive everything he does as he teaches leaders how to lead with both humility and results.

Your son just graduated college with excellent grades, but can't get past the "AI robot" screening resumes. Meanwhile, companies like Nike are using AI filters as their first hiring step, eliminating potentially brilliant candidates before any human ever sees them. What's going wrong with this approach? In Part 2 of our series with Frederic Lucas-Conwell, President of GRI (Growth Resources Institute), we dive beyond traditional resume screening into the world of AI-enhanced behavioral profiling. While most companies use AI to filter OUT candidates based on keywords and credentials, GRI uses AI to understand HOW people actually function in roles. Frederic reveals the fundamental flaw in asking for "perfect" candidates and shares how behavioral intelligence helps you spot the hidden characteristics that drive revenue performance—especially in candidates who might not have the perfect resume. We explore why recent college graduates with stellar academics are being eliminated by systems that can't see their potential, and how companies can identify candidates who are ready to quit their current jobs (and how to attract them). Susan shares a real-world example of interviewing two best friends using GRI's approach, demonstrating how behavioral insights create instant trust and reveal traits that would never appear on a resume. This isn't just about hiring—it's about seeing what your eyes cannot see. Connect with Frederic Lucas-Conwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flucasconwell/ https://gri.co https://x.com/griplatform https://www.linkedin.com/company/griplatform

Most hiring managers are drowning in resumes, conducting endless interviews, and still ending up with costly mis-hires that drain productivity and morale. What if the problem isn't finding good candidates—it's understanding what you actually need before you start looking? In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, host Susan Finch sits down with Frederic Lucas-Conwell, President of GRI (Growth Resources Institute), to explore how behavioral intelligence is revolutionizing the hiring process. Unlike traditional personality tests or gut-feeling interviews, GRI's approach uses objective, nuanced assessments to help organizations understand not just who people are, but how they actually function in specific roles. Frederic reveals why so many job descriptions ask for "Mr. or Mrs. Perfect" and how this backwards approach leads to expensive hiring mistakes. We dive into the true financial impact of poor hiring decisions—from wasted interview time to costly three-month turnovers—and how behavioral intelligence can help you identify mismatches in weeks instead of months. Whether you're a CEO struggling with team performance, an HR professional tired of hiring misses, or a manager trying to get the best out of your existing team, this conversation offers practical insights into building high-performing organizations through a better understanding of people. Connect with Frederic Lucas-Conwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flucasconwell/ https://gri.co https://x.com/griplatform https://www.linkedin.com/company/griplatform

When Frank Scavo sent me his latest article about consulting skills, I knew we had to dig deeper. After 20 years of working together—first as his client, then as colleagues—we've lived the collaborative consulting model he champions. In this conversation, we explore why seasoned executives often struggle to transition into consulting, the critical difference between having authority and wielding influence, and why the best consulting relationships blur traditional boundaries. Frank shares hard-won insights from his 50-year career, including the fascinating failure of his "retread model" and what it really takes to move from telling people what to do to helping them discover solutions together. Links from this episode: Frank Scavo on LinkedIn The Enterprise Spectator on Substack Arabella Penrose Books "Flawless Consulting" by Peter Block Previous episode we refer to. Growth Resources Institute Binky Patrol

Local SEO just got a reality check. Darren Shaw, founder of Whitespark, joins Rooted in Revenue to debunk some widely held myths while sharing what actually drives results for small businesses trying to dominate local search. If you're a real estate agent sharing office space with ten competitors, a service provider working from home, or any brick-and-mortar business wondering why your Google rankings aren't improving despite "doing everything right," this conversation will change how you approach local SEO forever. Shaw breaks down the local filter that's silently crushing businesses sharing addresses, reveals why citation consistency isn't the ranking factor everyone thinks it is, and explains why your Google Business Profile needs constant attention, not a "set it and forget it" approach. Plus, he tackles the age-old question about Yelp's practices and shares the one ranking factor that trumps almost everything else. About Darren Shaw Darren founded Whitespark in 2005 as a web design and development company; however, his passion and curiosity for all things local search led to a shift in focus in 2010, and ultimately to what the company is today. These days, Whitespark specializes in local search software and services and is one of the most respected and cited in the industry. Darren has been working on the web for over 19 years and loves everything about local SEO. He leads research initiatives such as the Local Search Ranking Factors survey and the Local Search Ecosystem. He is a regular contributor to search marketing publications, and speaks at conferences around the globe. When Darren isn’t speaking at conferences, researching the latest in local search or designing the next best local SEO tool, he is spending time with his wife and daughter in their hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. In his spare time he’s traveling, sporting fancy socks, and drinking too much coffee. Social Links: https://whitespark.ca/https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenshawwhitespark/https://www.instagram.com/darrenshawseo/https://www.facebook.com/darrenshawseo

I heard Aaron Grando drop the term "pretotypes" on Leader Generation this morning and had to hit pause. Three minutes in, I realized I'd been vibe coding for months without knowing there was a name for it. But pretotypes? That's when I knew I had to get him on the show immediately. We're talking about taking your stream-of-consciousness ideas and building working drafts before you've even figured out what you want. For business owners doing $0.5 to 10 million a year, this isn't just another tech trend—it's the shift that stops you from waiting weeks for simple prototypes. Aaron's VP of Creative Innovation at Mod Op, and in this spontaneous follow-up to his Leader Generation episode, we dig into what vibe coding actually means for your bottom line and why small teams are suddenly punching way above their weight class. Action items to consider that tie to this episode: Immediate (This Week) Short-term (Next 30 Days) Medium-term (Next 90 Days) Strategic (Next 6-12 Months) Key Questions to Ask Yourself Before listening: After listening: Resources Mentioned Here is the episode on Leader Generation. About Guest Aaron Grando: Aaron Grando, VP, Creative Innovation on Mod Op's Innovation team, is a seasoned technologist with over 15 years of experience at creative agencies. With a background in strategy, design, engineering, and marketing, Aaron has worked extensively in industries like media, entertainment, gaming, food & beverage, fashion, and technology. At Mod Op, Aaron leads efforts to integrate AI into creative processes, creating tools that connect creatives and clients with insights, spark ideas, and enable new brand experiences. Projects include collaborations with companies like NBCUniversal, Bethesda Softworks, Under Armour, Planet Fitness, Dietz & Watson, and more, focusing on infusing creative strategies with innovative technology to create cutting-edge brand experiences.

Lany and Susan dive into the sometimes murky waters of consultant-client relationships. Drawing from years of experience sitting on every side of the boardroom table, they tackle the age-old question: "Who is responsible for doing the tasks at hand?" Let's face it—consultants don't come with magic wands, and CEOs don't get to toss the keys and walk away. Whether you've ever wondered "Why isn't this working?" or "I paid a consultant, so why isn't everything fixed?" this episode cuts through the confusion with practical advice on setting boundaries, managing expectations, and creating successful partnerships. Susan and Lany share real-world stories about scope creep, communication breakdowns, and the emotional rollercoaster that can derail even the best-intentioned business relationships. They also offer straightforward tips for both sides to keep things running smoothly, from clear contracts to honest conversations about decision-making authority. Tune in for a no-nonsense discussion about what makes consultant-CEO partnerships work, and what doesn't! Key Points from the Episode