Welcome to the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast. I interview blue-collar business owners who are building their leadership house. On this podcast as they share their insights into their lives and businesses. These 30-45 minute conversations are packed with fun stories, helpful insights, and more. I ask every guest to share one insight (or more, of course!) with my listeners that, when applied over time, the listener will experience massive change for their future! Tune in every Tuesday to learn powerful communication, leadership, and business insights. If you’re not careful, you might just become a SAGE Leader!
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Today’s guest on the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast is Jerry Macnamara. For 25 years, Jerry’s fearlessly positive approach to business led to massive success. He’s led five companies in five different industries in B2B and B2C and in both products and services. Jerry has been selected as Business Journal’s Ultimate CEO and Business Journal’s 40 under 40. He runs Proven Chaos, a company driven to help CEO’s create compelling companies that outperform…and still make it home for dinner. His mission is to positively impact 5MM people in the next five years through better business.
On today’s podcast, Jerry Macnamara and Kyle discuss the importance of good communication in leadership, of listening well, and of looking at your employees as whole people. Jerry tells stories from his own experiences and encourages business owners to lead with intention, to set clear and realistic goals, and to invest in themselves as leaders.
Notable Quotes:
“The most important thing that I can do as a leader is send my people home on the weekends with clear minds and whole hearts to go be with their families.”
“If we recognize our people as whole people, if you're good at work, you have the potential to be great at home and if you were good at home, you have the potential to be great at work.”
“You have to live your life on your terms. That's the most important thing that you can do as a human being.”
“Patience comes from having a plan and then you have to take action.”
“Failure is simply feedback of what is working and what's not working.”
“There's no better investment than in yourself, because it allows you to invest in all of the people around you.”
“Treasure collaboration over conflict.”
00:00-01:15- Welcome to the podcast and brief description of the purpose of the podcast
01:16-02:12- Introduction of guest and summary of Jerry’s accomplishments and achievements
03:03-05:13-Jerry tells a story about regularly working 100hr weeks until he ended up in the hospital thinking he was having a heart attack at 26 yrs old, and he shares a revelation he had while laying there.
05:42-06:29-Learn from other people. You don’t have to learn all of life’s lessons yourself.
06:30-07:46- Jerry talks about doing what he’s doing because people should enjoy their work.
07:47-10:45 Jerry talks about how the people who are good at ‘doing’ often get promoted to positions of leadership but they aren’t always good leaders and what can be done to help them.
10:46-12:33 Jerry provides an example from his life about a time when he did not lead well, and how poor communication and poor leadership led to a vacation in Paris where he still had to report to work every day.
12:34-15:00 Jerry talks about the importance of communication in businesses and gives real-life examples of how this can be done.
15:01-16:29 Jerry makes the point that we are whole people, and being great at work can make you great at home and if you are great at home, you have the potential to be great at work.
18:37-21:04 Jerry and Kyle discuss how business owners can easily spiral out of control and the importance of conscious intention in leadership.
21:05-24:30 Jerry and Kyle discuss how to be patient in growing your business and how setting goals plays into business growth.
24:31-26:10 Jerry talks about failure as being feedback on what is working and what’s not working.
26:10-29:12 Jerry reminds listeners about the importance of listening to understand, as opposed to listening to respond.
29:12-31:09 Jerry talks about why he does what he does and what his primary goal is for his work.
31:10-33:00 Jerry reminds us that it is possible for our business to outgrow our skills and encourages business leaders to build a community around them to help them grow in their leadership.
Connect with Jerry at provenchaos.com or on Facebook and LinkedIn.
#leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptips #leadershipmatters #leadershipgoals #growthmindset #management #professionaldevelopment #realisticgoals #listenwell #buildcommunity #businessgrowth #consciousintention #entrepreneur
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
In today’s podcast, Kyle Gillette interviews Bill Prater, renowned for providing commendable services to business owners and emerging entrepreneurs that help them break free of inertia and accelerate their journey to accomplishing all their goals and ambitions. He is also the owner of Scaleology and the Business Mastery System, which both equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge needed to grow their business models. Let's hear his inspiring story!
Things ARE going to go wrong, but...
Key takeaways
#1 Seeking inspiration and coming up with a USP
When you start a new business, it's always best to seek inspiration from those at the very top in your niche, but once you reach that level, you don't settle there. Now you need to figure out your USP by putting innovative ideas to work so that you can differentiate yourself from the competitors and increase the market share of your business.
#2 Formulate a growth strategy
Growth is an essential part of any successful business, so make sure to formulate a growth strategy for your venture. Do the needed research, spend resources to the best of your ability, and keep moving forward. Remember it is a competitive advantage that can keep you going even during economic downfall and instability.
#3 Perfection is not the end goal
For many perfectionists, this must be a hard pill to swallow, but without it your life as an entrepreneur can become quite challenging. The thing about the business world is that it is dynamic and rapidly changing. Every day something new is coming up, whether it be in terms of technology or the launch of a competitor's business. To keep yourself in the market, therefore, you will need to experiment with different things, let it be altering your goals, strategies, plans, or whatever it takes to keep your business up to date! So, with all of this, perfection is next to impossible, and if you keep striving for that 100%, chances are your business will remain stagnant and experience very little growth. Therefore, be realistic, focus on giving your best, and watch how it improves your business!
Time Stamps
2:03-5:19
Bill takes us through his journey as an entrepreneur, right from when he began, sharing the process behind converting a business worth $0 to one worth quite a lot today.
5:37-12:07
Here Bill talks about an industry conference he attended and how it changed his views on entrepreneurship and developing a USP for his business. Further, he goes on to express the importance of learning from market leaders and introducing things they offer in their products and services in your business. He explains the characteristics of a super successful business with a vision strategy. He also presents this flipside and how emulation works only when done correctly.
12:36-13:29
Bill discusses the importance of focusing on growth in your business and on a personal level and how it can help give you a sense of direction and keep you better organized!
13:48-15:38
Have a business growth strategy that just isn't working out? This part of the podcast gives valuable advice on dealing with such problems. The two also discuss how to deal with economic uncertainties and dealing with the rapidly changing business environment.
15:59-18:49
Here Bill talks about the significance of planning things for your business and how it makes you better prepared to deal with upcoming situations and organize your resources efficiently. He also caters to the side of the company, which some would call ugly, and others would call exciting, the number of uncertainties you have to go through, and how to overcome challenges.
18:52-25:30
Establishing proper systems is incredibly important for managing businesses. Bill talks about this in detail and how this is one element many businesses often tend to compromise on. Further, he debunks some myths business owners have about the ‘ideal employee’.
26:03-34:14
Here we discuss the importance of having employees with a strong sense of accountability and how it keeps the business together and consistent with its decisions.
34:15-38:00
Bill wraps up the podcast with a wholesome story of his college experience, how he dropped out, got back again, and graduated with straight As.
"You don't get it right every time, but that doesn't matter because you can adjust and re-strategize as you notice that it is not working out. " - Bill Prater
“All the leaders of every nation have a growth strategy.” - Bill Prater
“Planning is making decisions about the future NOW.” - Bill Prater
About Guest Speaker
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
In today's episode of the SAGE Mindset Podcast, we dive in with Janet Granger on overcoming your leadership fears, setting your culture as you want it to be, and building business systems. Janet Granger speaks about the generational divide in the workplace and team building.
With over 25 years of marketing and strategy experience, she published Digital Influence for Baby Boomers: Why you should care, and yes, you can do this! (2016) and Ok Boomer! Revelations of a Baby Boomer Working with Millennials (2020).
Janet launched Marketing Career Mentor based on her experiences working with marketing teams and agencies. Marketing Career Mentor provides online mentoring and coaching for early-career marketers and features interviews with senior marketing executives, online networking, and an online community of marketers talking “shop.”
Janet lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has an MBA in Marketing and Management from Columbia University; for more information, go to www.janetgranger.com
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Dr. Liz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Relationship Coach with over 35+ years and 75,000+ hours of expertise working with women and couples to reignite relationships so they can prevent divorce, infidelity & lifelong dissatisfaction and navigate huge life transitions! When it comes to each one of us, our relationships or marriage…no two situations are alike.
We are each unique, special, and deserving of focused, individualized ‘concierge’ level coaching to meet us where we are, uncover the blocks…quickly identify our strengths, step into the empowerment of knowing ourselves, loving and accepting all of us, now…building a plan to move forward.
Dr. Liz created the Smart Single Ladies Soul-Mate Solutions, Re-ignite: Get the Passion and Connection Back VIP Bootcamp, Couple's Smart Restart 6 Week Sprint, Couples Connection Weekend Bootcamp and Affair-Proof Marriage Program, both online self-paced coaching programs, to do just that.
She’s currently featured as a relationship expert in Dave Ramsey’s Online Dating Facebook Group and was recently interviewed in Voyage Austin magazine!
Her true passion and superpower are guiding couples and single women to identify their unique path to relationship success. Connect with Dr. Liz by visiting
https://drlizjenkins.com/
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
The most important lesson Andrew Shelton learned is that the service of others is the only thing that can lend true meaning to one’s life. He learned this in his twenties, standing on the street, asking folks to donate money to aid children in dire poverty.
Providing those kids with necessities and receiving warm thanks and hugs from people who donated changed Andrew profoundly positively and instilled a deep-abiding passion for serving others.
Andrew carries this forward to his real estate business in Bellingham, Washington. In today's episode, he shares his journey of how he got here, some key moments, and some key insights from 10,000+ hours of sales conversations on the streets.
To connect with Andrew after the show, visit https://andrewshelton.findbellinghamhomes.com/
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Too many men find themselves hitting the proverbial wall or flatlining in life. Alain Dumonceaux experienced this himself and knew many other men were too. So he decided to found The Awakened Man, where he works with men looking to live a more purposeful life.
In today's episode, Alain shares how men often get siloed in life and have no place to be vulnerable. In his program, Alain provides a place for men to get real, build powerful accountability, and challenge each other to take courageous actions.
A few insights from the show include finding one man you can reach out to and share some stuff that's going on, practicing vulnerability by being vulnerable in small stuff at first, and offering to be the guy that is the listening ear to someone else.
These insights and many more make this episode worth your time. You can learn more about The Awakened Man by clicking the link https://bit.ly/3UGf32s
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
This episode will make you question your perspective on accountability and communication among several other leadership challenges and pillars.
Jeff Cohen is my guest today and he is a founder of six businesses, has worked with 300 business leaders to develop and test his Count-On-Able method of leadership.
Jeff shares what effective communication really looks like, how saying what you are NOT count-on-able to is key to helping you thrive, and the importance of taking action on the lessons you learn.
To connect with Jeff and learn more about his method, visit www.countonable.com
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
In this fun episode, Breanna Gunn shares with us several useful and practical insights about business funnels, messaging, and finding your voice. As an expert copywriter and funnel specialist, Brea brings great perspectives to her clients and to today's episode.
You will learn the importance of data and how to gather it. She urges us to look at our data and create opportunities to use the data to better our sales and interactions with prospects. Speaking of prospects, I asked Brea about how to know who is a great fit for your business.
She made some suggestions you can immediately apply. Figure out who your best customers are and replicate them. Talk to them and find out what makes them tick then get your message out to fit this ideal customer.
Number two, ask powerful questions such as "What else is difficult about this challenge?" and "If I could wave a magic wand to solve this problem, how would it make you feel?" Through it all, Brea challenges us to know our own voices and share our stories.
To be real with our customers is one of the best ways to serve them. To learn more about Breanna Gunn and her services, visit www.breannagunn.com/magazine.
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
In this episode, LinkedIn expert Daniel Alfon shares helpful insights and tips on what LinkedIn is really for. You'll be surprised by what he shares.
A few of the key insights that you can immediately apply include LinkedIn serves as a funnel to get people to go to your website and interact there, it's not about the metrics of LinkedIn but how LinkedIn is impacting your business metrics, and your profile is not about YOU it's about THEM (your prospects and what they want). Daniel is the author of "Build a LinkedIn Profile for Business Success."
Daniel joined LinkedIn in early 2004 and publishes articles, interviews, and exclusive content about advanced LinkedIn strategies to clients and subscribers to his website, www.danielalfon.com
Visit his website to experience a powerful 1:1 call to help you make the most of your LinkedIn profile.
You can also download Daniel's powerful quadrant PDF to help you design a next level profile by clicking the Bitly link below.
https://bit.ly/3MPhxq3
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
The author of Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact. Eddie is a speechwriter and public speaking coach with 10 years of experience in the field. He loves creating strong narrative-driven speeches that focus on balancing emotional and thought-leadership content. He has worked with executives, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, and everyone in between.
In today's episode, Eddie shares with us some powerful tips on how to prepare for and give great speeches. One tip he shared is to write your key message in one sentence and center your speech around this message. Eddie suggests as you prepare for your speech and you deliver, imagine the audience is asking you great questions and you are responding to these in your speech.
Finally, find some stories in your life and take the mess from those stories and turn them into messages that will help your audience.
If you'd like to connect with Eddie, you can email him at eddie@ricespeechwriting.com or visit any of the online book retailers to purchase Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact.
Like what you saw? You can engage with the SAGE Community on Facebook. Join the SAGE Community today, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/sagemindsetgroup
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
In today's episode, I talk about how to apply the Platinum Habit to your leadership. This simple communication rule is a secret communication tip of SAGE Leaders. You'll learn some key questions to ask yourself about your communication patterns compared to others, you'll learn the importance of staying curious, and how leading in the gap between your communication patterns and theirs is the key to a SAGE Leader's communication secret.
If you want to dive deeper on this subject and improve your communication patterns, visit sagemindset.com to set up a call with me. You can also join the SAGE Facebook group by visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/sagemindsetgroup
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Dr. Ty Belknap ("Bellnap") went from being a homeless teenager to a techy-nerd and successful business owner. Now, with a Doctorate in Leadership and Coaching, he helps other business owners break the limiting beliefs that stop them from being successful.
He embodies the idea that your success isn't about your worth but your mindset. Ty had a moment in his life when he realized change won't happen for him until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change. This realization opened his mind to realize you can be successful when you decide to be.
This mindset shift catapulted his life and career to be able to impact 1000s of lives. In today's episode, Dr. Belknap speaks of his work with homeless youth in Tacoma (where he was homeless in the 80s), his educational journey both practically and institutionally, plus he shares insights from his book.
To connect with Dr. Belknap, visit mycoach.life and look for his book Leadership for Introverts on Amazon.
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Terry Begue started his painting business fresh out of high school with no money, no experience, and no connections and failed miserably. Refusing to give up, he began perfecting his people skills and developed processes for both business and personal growth.
Leveraging his unique lessons has allowed his company to grow year after year, even though he hasn’t advertised since 2012!
Today, Terry is an international speaker, author of “Attract & Keep Customers for Life," and creator of the course, “Unnoticed to Unforgettable.” In today's episode, Terry shares insights from 40+ years of business on how to serve your customers.
We talk about writing down what you want your life to look like and putting a dollar amount you need to get there, needing customer interactions to be win-win, and not being afraid to lean into the punch. You'll have to listen to understand this amazing story and how it applies to your business.
Terry urges business owners to focus on 4 things with their customers. Likeability, Believability, Knowability, and Wowability. To connect with Terry or to enroll in his course, visit the4abilities.com
If you'd like to learn more about the SAGE Framework and join a community of amazing leaders, visit our Facebook page.
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
When was the last time you were in flow in business or in a conversation? Do you remember what that was like?
MaryKay shares her insights on how she uses checklists, silence, and many other techniques to provide the best for those she is interacting with. On this episode, she shares insights on how to look ahead and anticipate problems for customers to serve them at the highest level.
We talk about how to refuel yourself from all the effort it takes to give and serve at this level. Additionally, we discuss the power of speaking things into existence and what that has done for both of us. Plus so much more.
Bio:
After a 20+ year career in sales, mortgage lending, and bank management, my guest, MaryKay Robinson become an award-winning Realtor. The combination of her past experiences and entrepreneurial mindset has led to great results for her clients. The heart of it all for MaryKay is to help people achieve the American Dream.
If you'd like to find out more about MaryKay, please visit http://www.marykayrobinson.com She provides great content and insights on the state of the market in Whatcom county.
Like what you saw? You can engage with the SAGE Community on Facebook.
Check us out https://www.facebook.com/groups/sagemindsetgroup
I hope to see you there!
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Heather Saulsbury is the owner and co-founder of PNWBUSHCRAFT, a family business she started with her husband in 2014. They focus on creating amazing handcrafted outdoor gear that you can depend on. They want you to be able to pass it onto the next generation, so each product is made with care and an eye for detail.
It’s very important to them that they introduce a sustainable product that will help create years of wonderful experiences and not end up in a landfill after a couple of uses. The family lives on 11 acres in the beautiful foothills of Mount Baker in Washington State where their shop is just a short walk from the house and the forest is their backyard.
Heather has always been an adventurous spirit with a creative streak. She’s been creating as long as she can remember and is the illustrator and author of three children’s books, a mixed media artist, and a photographer. All of her self-taught skills have allowed her to develop and grow her current business.
Her latest adventure has been starring in her own show, PNWBUSHCRAFT ADVENTURES, which is streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and is available on Youtube.