Small Business Big Challenge

30- Automating and Outsourcing with Michelle Thompson

MICHELLE STARTED HER PROMISING CAREER WITH AN MBA IN FINANCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP FROM ASHFORD UNIVERSITY. ONLY A FEW YEARS LATER, SHE SUFFERED A LIFE-ALTERING STROKE AT ONLY 36 YEARS OLD AND HAD TO RELEARN EVERYTHING AND START HER LIFE OVER AGAIN. Far from giving up, she rebuilt her life and is now on a mission to help others find freedom from all the unnecessary tasks, using the strategies and systems she’s successfully created for herself. FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS, SHE IS RUNNING “AWESOME OUTSOURCING, LLC “, COMBINING HER STRATEGIES WITH HER TALENTS OF UNTANGLING PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS AND CREATING ACTIONABLE AND EASY-TO-FOLLOW PLANS FOR THEM TO HAND THINGS OFF. Michelle lives in Pendleton, Oregon,  with her cat and dog and loves going hiking and biking http://awesomeoutsourcing.com [http://awesomeoutsourcing.com/] https://www.facebook.com/diakonos23 [https://www.facebook.com/diakonos23] https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleethompson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleethompson/] book: running on autopilot [https://www.amazon.com/Running-Autopilot-Remotely-Virtual-Assistant/dp/B0915BLD5H/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JF8KIZSO6QAS&keywords=running+on+autopilot&qid=1653050775&sprefix=running+on+autopilot+%2Caps%2C303&sr=8-1] (amazon)

29- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with Brandon Leibowitz

MY GUEST TODAY IS BRANDON LEIBOWITZ Brandon, got his start in digital marketing after graduating from college with a degree in Business Marketing and his first job was to handle the marketing aspects of an e-commerce website, including search engine optimization. Later on, Brandon started his own company called “SEO Optimizers” and he had a friend of his, build a website for his company in exchange for doing SEO for his friend’s insurance website. His friend’s website got ranked above government websites for all of his major keywords and that’s how he started to freelance until he was able to recently quit his day job to concentrate on his company full time. Today, Brandon helps small and medium-sized companies get ranked at the top of Google searches by using search engine optimization tactics and bringing in traffic via social media and paid ads. Brandon lives in Los Angeles, CA, and when he is not doing Search Engine Optimization, he enjoys skating and snowboarding. Free Webinar on SEO: https://seooptimizers.com/gift [https://seooptimizers.com/gift] https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonleibowitz/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonleibowitz/] https://www.instagram.com/leibowitzbrandon/ [https://www.instagram.com/leibowitzbrandon/] https://www.facebook.com/BrandonLeibs [https://www.facebook.com/BrandonLeibs] https://www.youtube.com/c/BrandonLeibowitz/videos [https://www.youtube.com/c/BrandonLeibowitz/videos] https://twitter.com/brandonleibs [https://twitter.com/brandonleibs] https://losangeles.score.org/author/brandon-leibowitz [https://losangeles.score.org/author/brandon-leibowitz] https://seooptimizers.com/seo/podcast/ [https://seooptimizers.com/seo/podcast/]

28- Cannabis Marketing with Johnathan McFarlane

My guest today is, Johnathan McFarlane.   Johnathan started in the fitness world, working with big brands and superstar athletes like NFL star Rob Gronkowski and UFC legend George St. Pierre. He is now, director of Strategy at Hybrid Marketing Co, the world’s largest cannabis-focused marketing agency where he builds creative marketing and advertising solutions that circumvent the tight restrictions placed on the rapidly growing cannabis industry. Johnathan lives in Denver Co, with his wife and a 4-year-old. In his free time, he is Hiking and fundraising for Ukraine. Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathanmcfarlane/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathanmcfarlane/] https://hybridmarketingco.com/ [https://hybridmarketingco.com/] johnathan@hybridmarketingco.com [johnathan@hybridmarketingco.com] Intro: Unlike most states, which have legalized Cannabis via ballot referendum, New York doesn’t have much of a tradition or infrastructure around statewide voter initiatives. Therefore, it is up to the State Legislature to propose and vote on new legislation, that will be signed or vetoed by the Governor. The debate generally gains steam every spring during budget negotiations, when the Governor introduces a budget proposal for the following fiscal year. In New York, cannabis for medical use started to be legal in 2014. In 2018, New York state started a comprehensive study to gauge the likely impacts of legalizing recreational sales which concluded that “The positive effects of a regulated cannabis market in NYS outweigh the potential negative impacts.” There were many debates on whether or not municipalities would be able to ‘opt-out’ and on the push to ensure a large portion of new tax revenues would be invested in communities of color which have been most affected by what most now see as historically racist and damaging enforcement of cannabis laws. As of today, New Yorkers are now allowed to possess small amounts of cannabis and smoke, ingest, or consume cannabis products. However, the timeline for dispensaries to open and sales to kick off remains distant. The law doesn’t provide a specific timeline, but the first sales aren’t expected until the end of this year or later and it will take another 18 months for New Yorkers to be allowed to cultivate a small number of plants at home for recreational purposes. While many small businesses are awaiting the state to issue licenses for farming, dispensing, and delivering cannabis products, there are many unanswered questions, and these businesses wonder how they will pivot their business to cannabis and position their product in the market.

27- Tax Deductions with Wendy Barlin

My guest today is Wendy Barlin,   Wendy is an immigrant from South Africa who came to this country with nothing but a bag of dirty clothes and a CPA license. Today she is the owner of About Profit (her website is: Wendybarlin.com [https://wendybarlin.com]). She is the author of 2 books: “That’s Deductible! [https://www.amazon.com/Thats-Deductible-Simple-Business-Deductions-ebook/dp/B07XZMBTVK?asin=B07XZMBTVK&revisionId=e3608ac8&format=1&depth=1]” and “Never Budget Again”. She has been an educator for small businesses for over 25 years and has made multiple TV appearances. Wendy lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband, 2 kids, and a big fluffy dog. Book: That’s Deductible! [https://www.amazon.com/Thats-Deductible-Simple-Business-Deductions-ebook/dp/B07XZMBTVK?asin=B07XZMBTVK&revisionId=e3608ac8&format=1&depth=1] Wendybarlin.com [https://wendybarlin.com]

26- Early Startup with John Cameron

MY GUEST TODAY IS JOHN CAMERON,    JOHN WANTED TO FOLLOW IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS SO HE STARTED A HOME-BUSINESS SERVICE COMPANY AND LATER AND COFOUNDED THE “STUDENT BUSINESS LAUNCH PROGRAM” WHERE HE HELPS STUDENTS GET HANDS-ON MARKETING, SALES, AND MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE BY STARTING THEIR FIRST BUSINESS WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN UNIVERSITY AND GET THE COVETED 2 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BY THE TIME THEY GRADUATE. DISCOVER MORE ABOUT JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncameroniv/ https://www.tiktok.com/@itsjohnnyc https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC89u9GoBt2podhvK0X2zz_A https://www.instagram.com/johnnycameron_/