Jeff Erickson

A reoccurring theme this week with the biz owners I meet has been progress vs perfection. Whether you are a scrappy startup founder or you're running a $50 million growing business, the questions are the same: 👉 - Did you send the proposal? 👉 - Did you get a "yes" to a new client? 👉 - Did you improve a system, hire the person, or learn from a mistake? 👉 - Did you take a day "off" (also a win). Small --> consistent --> focused actions day over day compound. But, what if you don't know where to start? Get crystal clear on your strategy and break it down into 3-5 key initiatives with a focused, task-based 30-60-90 day plan... Then, stay focused on that... chasing squirrels will kill the plan and progress. Keep building, community...

17

2 Comments

I'm throwing a rooftop SMB owner & ETA meetup this Thursday. Join other business owners, operators, and investors for great conversation & connection. Ever wanted a peer group or just someone to bounce an idea off of before executing… well here you go. 👉 Comment below and I will DM you details

23

5 Comments

🔄 Pride Comes Before the Fall: The Power of Pivoting in Business One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is letting pride get in the way. They keep pushing a strategy that’s not working because they’re afraid of what people will think if they pivot. But here’s the reality: humble entrepreneurs succeed. When you’re willing to admit something isn’t working and make a change, you open the door to new opportunities. Don’t be afraid to shift gears—pivoting is a sign of strength, not weakness. Is it time for a change in your business? #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #PivotAndThrive #Humility #BusinessSuccess #pivoting

4

2 Comments

For me, startup seasons are predictable → Every day starts out the same way → No matter the season → No matter the growth stage → Every day has the same beginning Every morning starts with a reset I reset my GPS I map out have far I've come And how far I need to go — for today → CanaGlobal Network LLC is a family business → God's my business partner (the boss) → I co-create with Him → Every day starts out getting my instructions I get up super early (every single day) With my bible and journal I read it and talk to Him I write down what He tells me to do → He reminds me of where I'm at → What I must go through → What I won't have to go through → And the trouble I can avoid For me, this has made navigating life enjoyable. Even through the obstacles The tests The valleys and mountain tops → 𝗡𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁. 𝗡𝗼 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗡𝗼 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆. → Just walking by faith → Trusting God → 𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 I can't imagine doing it any other way Want in Just start talking to Him Or you can talk to me 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵 — 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵 Need help, reach out. Like this? Follow Gerald Duran for daily Startup and VC advice, and sometimes — a kick in the nuts. #startups #founders #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

40

22 Comments

Explainer Videos help companies in the Cannabis Industry succeed. Check out the blog in the comments to learn how!

18

2 Comments

How I Sent Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Referrals in My First Year of Business One big reason for our growth has been that we refer alot of work to others. Here's how we've been able to send others lots of business: 1. Niching Down: I focused on my specialty, honing in on what I do best: 401k audits and construction assurance services By niching down, we deliver exceptional service and expertise in our area, ensuring clients receive top-notch service 2. Working Hard: I dedicated myself to doing my part exceptionally well. Hard work, diligence, and a commitment to excellence became the foundation of my business practice. 3. Connecting and Caring: Building strong, genuine connections was crucial. I truly wanted anyone involved with me to receive the best service and perform their best work. This ethos of mutual success fostered a network of trust and reliability. 4. Optimizing the Machine: I envision myself as a cog in a larger machine, aiming to be the best-working cog possible. I also wanted any cog that touched mine to work optimally. This mindset ensures that collaborations are smooth and efficient, benefiting everyone involved. 5. Seeking Greatness: When I find someone who is doing amazing work, I ask them who they think is doing the best work in the world. At other particular aspects I might need references for Greatness recognizes greatness, and this approach helps me connect with top-tier professionals, further enhancing the quality of my network. By focusing on these principles, I created a robust referral network where everyone flourishes. Through this practice, we're building a community of excellence and trust. How do you build and nurture your referral networks? Share your insights—I’d love to learn from your experiences! #BusinessGrowth #Networking #Referrals #Entrepreneurship #Excellence

51

27 Comments

Ready to unleash explosive growth with radical strategies? Join us at the Business Rebels & Renegades Scaling *Online* Bootcamp on Tuesday, July 9th at 2:00 PM. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your business to the next level! Link in bio for more details and to get tickets. #BusinessRebels #Renegades #ScalingBootcamp #ExplosiveGrowth #RadicalStrategies

1

💡The difference between a good team and a great one? Emotional investment In business, numbers matter, but so do people. Financial investments are easy to measure—targets, KPIs, and metrics. But emotional investment? That’s where the magic happens. It’s not about ROI; it’s about commitment, passion, and purpose. When people are financially invested, they’re driven by outcomes. But when they’re emotionally invested, they show up with creativity, ownership, and a desire to contribute to something bigger than themselves. They go the extra mile, share ideas, and become champions for your vision. Want to build a thriving team? Invest in their hearts as much as their skills. Foster a culture where people are connected to the purpose of the business. Ignite their passion, and watch the results follow. 💥💪✨ #Leadership #EmotionalInvestment #TeamCulture #PurposeDriven #PeopleFirst #GrowthMindset Simon Sinek

7

There are tons of startup ecosystems and communities for venture backed companies to bridge investors with entrepreneurs with vendors and partners and markets and such. This ecosystem churns and moves on. There aren’t enough ecosystems for profitable, free cash flowing small businesses to bridge debt capital with vendors with potential customers with buyers and more. This ecosystem would not churn but sustain and root deeper every business cycle. There is Tugboat Institute but that’s for some pretty serious scale, esp. considering CPG metrics with the highest I know there at $50B. There needs to be a way. A place! We need to support each other. Grace Cheng you know anyone else in CPG actually doing this? Kyle Koehler do you? Maybe it’s just us 3? Mollie Cha do you? #kujucoffee #sustainablegrowth

6

2 Comments

Angel Invest Coaching #14 - Founder Fights and how to not have them. Build a solid foundation for your company.

62

11 Comments

We have a few spots open for our Founder’s breakfast tomorrow. If you are looking to sell a business or buy a business this a great event for you. Joshua Lindsey Utah has sold more than $300 million in small businesses will be covering these topics: ➡️ Common misconceptions when selling a business. ➡️ What increases value in a business. ➡️ What makes a business lendable. Come ready to network, share experiences, and gain insights from fellow founders. Link in comments to RSVP. #networking #founders #entreprenuers

64

12 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Business Acquisition for Small Business Ownership

1

Day 1 - 21 Days to Kill Your Company: Enabling a Toxic Culture Unfortunately, I've got first-hand experience with this one. Never overlook culture. You have to be intentional about buildiing the culture that is right for your company, from hiring to managing to how you work with all of your stakeholders. Sacrificing culture for speed, revenue, or any other quick wins is a quick way to kill a startup on the rise. #21waystokillyourcompany

31

1 Comment

I’ve talked to thousands of people who’ve made millions via their business. One big learning: SO MANY people who make money, also suck at investing + preserving their money. Personal finances for the founder, it’s the most popular topic within Hampton. So we took all the learnings within Hampton and turned it into a thing… “THE 3 PART EVERYTHING-YOU-NEED resource for personal finance”. (Epic, to the point name. Genius.) My buddy Ankur Nagpal helped make it (he sold his last co for hundreds of millions and runs a personal finance company Carry) It includes things like: -When to start optimizing your finances -How to set up a business share structure (and why you need to document it properly) -How QSBS works (literally the most generous tax break in US today) -How to not accidentally mess up your QSBS status Ankur is doing a special event for Hampton members only, but we decided to make the guide available to everyone. Link if you want it: https://lnkd.in/gE6c6CRT

84

35 Comments

It’s day 3 of RedBalloon’s ATS launch week! I want to talk about something most employers are missing. You remember Google’s George Washington, right? And Facebook’s free speech failures? We all know Big Tech leans so far left, it’s almost horizontal. Big Tech has a big bias. Unfortunately, few people realize Big Tech hiring platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed are following the exact same playbook.  From diversity nudges, to skin color algorithms, to letting AI make your hiring decisions for you. Let that sink in. When we made our new ATS, we made a commitment to go “Algorithm-Free.”  RedBalloon is bringing human back. Our hiring system is totally transparent. We won’t hide candidates unless you tell us they’re not qualified. And if you're hiring Software Developers, we’ll let every Software Developers in our database know, no matter what their gender or skin color is. I know what your next question might be: “But what if I’m swamped with candidates? Don’t I need an algorithm?” We thought about that too. I’ll tell you more tomorrow. 💯 P.S. Seriously – consider booking a demo with me at the link down below if you’d like to talk through the new ATS in person. I’d love to walk you through what we’ve built. Link to my calendar 👉 https://lnkd.in/g8aRUk9B Repost this if you know someone who could use an algorithm-free network! ♻️

92

13 Comments

Running low on content and struggling to maintain a consistent posting schedule on social media? It's time to let others chip in, combining guest contributions with your content. Invite others to guest post on your website or social media platforms. Continuously creating content can be exhausting, so why not share the load? Announce on your website and social media that you're seeking industry writers for guest posts. This approach eases your content burden and brings in the guest writer's followers to your platform, expanding your reach to more potential customers in your target audience. Remember, guest posting comes with its etiquette. It's good practice to offer a reciprocal guest post on the contributor's site as well.

9

Building companies is HARD. Nothing ever goes according to plan. It's always two steps forward and one step back... but over time, you can build something huge and beautiful. I loved this insight from my interview with PayJoy CEO/Co-founder, Doug Ricket. It took them 5 years to get to $10 million in annual revenue, and 4 years to get to $300 million in annual revenue. Where will they be in a few years?? This example shows the absolute amazing power of compounding. "When we were starting, we built financial models that showed everything up into the right. I'm sure every startup does that in year one. None of them came true the way we modeled them. But somehow, year by year, two steps forward, one step back; 10 steps forward, two steps back up. It's not a smooth curve, but we got so much farther than we had any right to believe that we could get to." Links to full Fintech Leaders episode ⤵⤵⤵ Substack: https://bit.ly/3yaVdWp   Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QyrdKi Apple: https://apple.co/3JRliMI Youtube: https://lnkd.in/dUg_dFHb

72

1 Comment

🚀 Securing funding is crucial for scaling your tech startup in Seattle. Explore funding options such as angel investors, venture capital, crowdfunding, and grants. INTERNATIONAL VA's virtual assistants can assist with investor research, pitch deck preparation, and communications, ensuring you're well-prepared to secure the investment you need. Let's accelerate your startup's growth together! 💼💡 #TechStartup #Funding #VentureCapital #AngelInvestors #VirtualAssistant Check out my blog post https://wix.to/mMG22wH #newblogpost

3

1 Comment

Thought of the day from the DC Founder’s hike: Your mental health as an entrepreneur is a multiplier on everything you do. — Imagine your business as an equation: Inputs * Effort = Results It feels simple…but…it’s not the whole picture. It’s actually: Inputs * Effort * Mental Health Multipler = Results. — The thing is, the multipler can have a lot of different values. It could be 1.5 or 2 or 3…you’re in a great place and you’re making strong decisions with a big sense of purpose. Everything gets easier. Or it could be 0.8 or 0.5 or 0.2…you’re in a bad spot and making bad choices because you can’t think or can’t see the whole picture. And the entire machine of business suffers as a result. — What’s the point? Prioritize your health. Your relationships. Your mental well being. And no, this doesn’t mean you don’t work hard. For most founders I know, it might mean working 70 hours a week instead of 80 (just being real). But that little bit of time you put into yourself and your loved ones can improve your effectiveness in your company, too. Anyhow, that’s it. Go get outside for a minute today. Take a call on your phone outside. Have dinner with your spouse. Whatever your thing is…do it for a little while. Cause all your business problems will still be waiting for you when you get back. But you might have a whole new frame on how to solve them. ✌️ MV H/t Shahab Kaviani Brian Wojcik

44

15 Comments