Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Warren Thompson, founder of Ollometrics, shares his journey of building a performance marketing agency from two founders to 25 team members and $1.4 million in annual revenue. He discusses scaling 10X through Google Ads, SEO, AEO and data-driven marketing strategies. Warren reveals the challenges of hiring and retaining great people, building effective systems, and developing a strong remote team culture. He also shares valuable lessons on perseverance, leadership, business coaching and maintaining work-life balance while growing a business. Discover practical insights on creating sustainable growth, improving business performance and building an agency that delivers measurable results. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into Amanda Rosazza startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Warren Thompson shares that the hardest part of growing a small business is losing great people and finding the perseverance to keep moving forward. He explains that losing key team members can create significant challenges, disrupt client relationships and put pressure on the remaining team. Business owners must learn to navigate these difficult situations, rebuild their teams, provide support and maintain the determination to keep going despite setbacks. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Warren Thompson shares that one of the most influential business books he has read is Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell. He also highlights The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as a particularly valuable book from his early business journey. He explains that both books have contributed to his personal and professional development, helping him improve his approach to business, productivity and leadership. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Warren Thompson recommends Two Bobs, a podcast hosted by David C. Baker and Blair Enns. He explains that it offers valuable insights into growing an agency, setting the right prices, managing business relationships and understanding the challenges of running a professional services firm. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Warren Thompson recommends ClickUp as a tool to help grow a small business. He explains that it is particularly useful for organising tasks, documenting processes and building systems that keep a team aligned. He also mentions Monday.com and Asana as alternatives, especially for managing remote teams and improving business operations. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Warren Thompson shares that he would tell his day-one self: "This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done for a lot longer than you think, but it's still going to be worth it." He emphasises the importance of perseverance, staying committed through difficult times and understanding that building a successful business takes longer and requires more effort than you might initially expect. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done for a lot longer than you think, but it's still going to be worth it — Warren Thompson Losing great people is one of the hardest challenges in growing a business, but perseverance is what keeps you moving forward — Warren Thompson Building a successful business takes time, consistency and the determination to keep going through the difficult moments — Warren Thompson    

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Amanda Rosazza, founder of Imagine8 Consulting, about how small businesses can break through growth bottlenecks by extracting tribal knowledge and building a searchable "business search engine". Amanda shares her journey from working four side jobs to scaling her Brisbane-based firm and doubling revenue by helping founders systemize scattered documentation so their companies can run without them. She highlights the critical reality that only 20% of businesses on the market actually sell, emphasizing the need to document intangibles to protect equity and boost valuation. The conversation dives into leveraging AI responsibly, implementing Profit First accounting, and learning from hard-fought hiring and financing lessons. Ultimately, Amanda offers practical wisdom on leadership discipline, culture, and building a business designed for true scalability and exit readiness. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into Amanda Rosazza startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Amanda Rosazza shares that the hardest thing in growing a small business is sticking to it when it feels like it isn't working. She explains that business always takes longer than you expect - often by years or even decades - and when progress feels slow, the temptation to retreat to the safety of a regular job kicks in. However, once you learn both the art and science of business, you realize that pushing through those long, challenging stretches is what it truly takes to succeed. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Amanda Rosazza shares that The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss is the business book that has helped her the most. She highlights that reading it - around the same time she went through Tony Robbins' programs - was a major turning point that proved owning a business was actually possible for her. For Amanda, it wasn't about literally working only four hours a week, but rather learning the fundamental concepts of outsourcing, systemising, and setting up a business so that it doesn't take over your life. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Amanda Rosazza shares that her favorite podcast to listen to recently is Acquired, particularly praising their deep-dive episodes on business histories like Disney, LVMH, Berkshire Hathaway, and Trader Joe's. She also highlights how studying iconic business models early on fueled her fascination with how companies build systems and scale operations. Beyond podcasts, she strongly recommends investing in formal coaching and personal development programs, such as Tony Robbins' programs, which were pivotal in shifting her mindset to realise that owning a successful business was achievable for her. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Amanda Rosazza recommends having a solid CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and project management tool as the bare minimum foundation for growing a small business. Specifically, she utilizes Zoho One as the primary operating system for her business, which integrates CRM, project management, and email marketing into unified custom dashboards. Beyond specific software, she emphasizes that the most critical element is building the daily discipline and consistency to show up, update, and maintain whatever system you put in place, whether it's Zoho, HubSpot, or even a simple whiteboard. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Amanda Rosazza shares that her core piece of advice to herself on day one would simply be to "keep going". She emphasizes that the lessons in business must be learned by actually doing the work, and that building a business always takes much longer and is harder than you initially expect. Ultimately, pushing through those long, challenging stretches is essential to achieving long-term success.  Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.   Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: We take the tribal knowledge stuck in your head and turn it into a searchable resource – Amanda Rosazza If you are not prepared to do something for 90 days, don't bother starting – Amanda Rosazza    If you do not adhere to hire slow, fire fast, you will get yourself into trouble – Amanda Rosazza       

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Stony Grunow founder of Breadwinner, shares his journey of building a bootstrapped technology business that connects Salesforce with accounting systems. He reveals how Breadwinner grew to nearly 500 customers, generated millions in revenue, and built a team of around 20 people across the UK, US, and India. Stony discusses the importance of steady growth, smart pricing, SEO, and surviving the challenging early years of business. He also explores how AI is accelerating software development and shares his experience launching three accounting technology ventures. This episode offers valuable lessons on sustainable growth, innovation, and building a successful business without outside funding. Measure Customer Loyalty with Net Promoter Score (NPS) Want to find out how much your customers love your business? Learn how to use the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a simple and free way to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty in just 21 minutes. Read more here: https://www.growasmallbusiness.com/an-easy-way-to-measure-if-your-customers-love-you-in-21-minutes--use-the-net-promoter-score-nps-and-its-free Knowing Me, Knowing You: An Introduction to DiSC® Understanding yourself and how others communicate can help you build stronger relationships, improve teamwork, and become a more effective leader. Explore this introduction to DiSC® to learn more about different behavioural styles and how they can help you work better with others. Read more here: https://www.growasmallbusiness.com/knowing-me-knowing-you-an-introduction-to-disc Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into Stony Grunow startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Stony Grunow shares that the hardest thing in growing a small business is surviving the first few years and reaching a point where the business can sustain itself. He explains that rapid growth can sometimes be more destructive than steady, gradual growth, making it essential to build a strong foundation. Stony emphasizes perseverance, managing cash flow, and staying resilient through difficult periods. He also recommends maintaining another source of income while building an unfunded business, helping entrepreneurs survive until their business becomes financially sustainable. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Stony Grunow shares that two of his favourite books are The History of Gunpowder and The Prize: Oil, Money, and Power. He appreciates how both books explore resources that transformed the world and shaped history, with gunpowder and oil playing pivotal roles in changing societies and influencing conflicts. He finds their historical perspectives valuable for understanding how important resources can drive major changes in the world. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Stony Grunow shares that he recommends learning continuously through podcasts, social media, and online resources. He explains that he used to buy and read books recommended by others, but has increasingly turned to podcasts and posts on X, following links to explore original sources and learn more. He also highlights the value of structured learning, sharing his positive experience with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Stony Grunow shares that the most essential tool for small business growth is caffeine to maintain high energy levels, paired with targeted SEO that helps customers find you directly when searching for their specific pain points. He also highlights relying on high-quality business books and long-form podcasts as vital, cost-effective resources for continuous learning and strategic execution. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Stony Grunow shares that he would tell himself that he is going to live, even if he will not think so at every step of the journey. He emphasizes that surviving the initial, turbulent years to reach profitability makes everything easier, requiring small business owners to maintain the intestinal fortitude needed to endure immense uncertainty, pain, and fear.  Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: Put your time towards that which gives you energy rather than suck the energy out of you. — Stony Grunow You're gonna live, but you won't think so at every step of the journey. — Stony Grunow Rapid growth is far more destructive than slow and steady progress. — Stony Grunow       

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Hristo Arakliev, co-founder of full-scale Amazon marketing agency Hyperzone, discusses how he built and scaled his e-commerce business. Starting with five founders and two employees, Hyperzone scaled rapidly by helping brands doing at least $300,000 per month off Amazon match and double those revenues on the platform. By 2025, the agency reached $3 million in annual revenue while leveraging AI tools to streamline operations and optimize team size. Arakliev shares core growth strategies, including maintaining strict financial discipline and prioritizing client communication to boost retention. Demonstrating major business success, he recently finalized the acquisition of Hyperzone at an impressive 5.4x EBITDA valuation multiple. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into Hristo Arakliev startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:  What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Hristo Arakliev shares that the hardest thing in growing a small business is having the right partners. He explains that finding the right people to build a business with can be difficult, but he personally prefers working with partners over being a sole founder, as navigating the entrepreneurial journey alone can get lonely. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Hristo Arakliev shares that his favorite business book that has helped him the most is Principles by Ray Dalio. He considers it an absolute bible for business and decision-making. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Hristo Arakliev shares that he grew up listening to The Tim Ferriss Show and the Lex Fridman Podcast, recommending them for their deep, long-form conversations on business and life. When it comes to ongoing development, Hristo shares that listening to audiobooks in the car or at the gym is the best way to absorb top business insights efficiently. He emphasizes picking key takeaways from these books and implementing them directly into your business rather than just consuming information. Furthermore, Hristo shares that returning to core books at different stages of growth ensures you capture the right lessons when they resonate most. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Hristo Arakliev shares that the number one tool to grow a small business today is to leverage AI as much as possible to streamline operations and figure out business processes efficiently. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Hristo Arakliev shares that the advice he would give himself on day one of starting out in business is to not give up, as things will eventually get better, and to focus on being your best self every single day.  Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: Never pour money from one business to the other; this is like the worst decision anyone could make – Hristo Arakliev    Focus on your strengths, and don't struggle to do the things you're really not good at – Hristo Arakliev    You'd rather pick motivated people and inspire them than pick experienced people and try to motivate them – Hristo Arakliev         

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Dr. Stacey Krauss, owner of Transitions Counseling Consulting, shares how she transformed her mental health business after transitioning from a 10-year career as a military psychologist. Since acquiring the business in 2021, she has achieved an impressive 70% annual growth, expanded from 26 to 120 team members, and grown from 2 to 15 locations. Dr. Stacey reveals valuable lessons on leadership, hiring, marketing, building a strong company culture, and managing the challenges of rapid growth. She explains why emotional maturity, coachability, and tracking marketing performance are essential for sustainable success. Discover how she is expanding access to quality mental health care while building a business designed to thrive for decades. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into Dr. Stacey Krauss's journey of growing Transitions Counseling Consulting, exploring the challenges of rapid growth, understanding business numbers, hiring and developing the right people, building a strong company culture, and creating a business that no longer depends entirely on its owner. They also explore Stacey's approach to marketing, leadership, emotional maturity, work-life balance, and expanding access to quality mental health care while building a sustainable business that makes a meaningful difference in the community. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:  What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Dr. Stacey Krauss shares that the hardest thing in growing a small business is being willing to constantly change and evolve. As a business grows, leaders must adapt to new responsibilities, accept feedback, and let go of old ways of working. She explains that growth requires emotional maturity, flexibility, and the willingness to step outside your comfort zone. As she puts it, you can have everything your way, or you can grow, but you cannot have both. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Dr. Stacey Krauss shares that her favorite business book is Bringing Out the Best in People by Dr. Aubrey Daniels. She highlights it as a phenomenal blend of science and HR that focuses on using positive reinforcement to structure company culture.   Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Dr. Stacey Krauss shares that she acts like a magpie with learning by focusing deeply on specific business challenges, recommending the Harvard Business Review to stay ahead of future trends and up-and-coming business strategies even when they go beyond daily operations. Rather than consuming broad content, she suggests diving deeply into targeted resources for whatever specific area you are currently solving, allowing you to quickly bridge the gap between the problem and its solution and apply what you learn right away. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Dr. Stacey Krauss shares that creating a company scorecard is essential for growing a small business. Tracking key, repeatable numeric metrics weekly in a simple format like Excel or Word provides a clear, unified view of the business's health, eliminating guesswork and keeping the entire team aligned on performance. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business Dr. Stacey Krauss shares two key pieces of advice: on an emotional level, spend less time worrying and agonizing over whether you can figure things out, because you inevitably will; tactically, set up a professional and scalable accounting structure from day one, rather than lumping everything into one general category, to avoid the painful process of undoing it later as the business grows.  Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.   Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: One of the best things you can do leading a small team is you have got to be a grown up – Dr Stacey Krauss  You are going to spend a lot of time worrying about everything to do with this business and you are going to figure it out – Dr Stacey Krauss  You can have everything your way or you can grow but you cannot have both – Dr Stacey Krauss