Better Business for Small Business Leaders

Chrissy Myers
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Business
  • Updated Semimonthly

Better Business for Small Business is the go-to podcast for entrepreneurs looking to get 1% better in their business every day. Hosted by Chrissy Myers, CEO of AUI and Clarity HR, each episode dives into real-world stories and expert insights from resilient small business owners who blend passion, purpose, and philanthropy to drive success. 

  1. 5d ago

    Alice Rhodes Explains What Small Businesses Need to Know About Renewals

    Send us Fan Mail That health insurance renewal packet can feel like a judgment on your business: a percentage increase, a thick stack of paperwork, and a deadline that forces decisions impacting your budget and your people. We’ve been there, and we want you to have a calmer, smarter way through renewal season, especially when you’re trying to hire, retain, and keep payroll predictable. I’m joined by Alice Rhodes, VP of Benefits at AUI, who helps small business owners translate renewals into real choices. We talk through what a health insurance renewal actually is (and why it changes every year), what to review inside the renewal packet, and the biggest mistakes we see when employers wait too long or focus only on the premium. Alice breaks down what to compare beyond the monthly cost: deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, copays, and the provider network details that can quietly disrupt care for employees and their families. We also dig into the behind the scenes drivers that hit small groups hard, like employee age band shifts, dependents aging off coverage at 26, and major local network changes that can come down to the wire. If your group is large enough, we cover funding options worth asking about, including level funded plans and captive arrangements, plus when it may not make sense to change plans due to ongoing treatment or deductible progress. If renewal season is coming, start early and demand clarity. Subscribe for more practical small business benefits guidance, share this with a fellow owner, and leave a review so more leaders can find it. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Alice Rhodes Explains What Small Businesses Need to Know About Renewals

  2. Sep 15

    Julia Delin Explains How Cash Flow Timing Fuels Business Growth

    Send us Fan Mail Feeling “profitable” while your bank account tells a different story is one of the most frustrating small business experiences. We sit down with Julia Delin, CEO and co-founder of Check, to unpack why cash flow timing creates that squeeze, especially for service businesses that deliver work first and wait on invoice payment later. If net 30 turns into net 60, you’re not just waiting, you’re quietly financing your clients. We dig into why cash flow is more than bookkeeping. It’s leadership. When money comes in late, it hits payroll, contractors, and your ability to hire or take on bigger projects. We also talk about the human side of getting paid: why payment conversations feel uncomfortable, how bigger clients create a maze between your contact and accounts payable, and how businesses accidentally train clients to pay late by not enforcing late fees or waiting too long to follow up. Julia explains practical tools that help you get paid faster, including early payment discounts and how Check supports faster payouts without relying on traditional loans or invoice factoring tactics that can strain relationships. We close with a simple place to start: build a realistic cash flow view based on how clients actually pay, then have one curious, calm conversation with late payers to find the real bottleneck. Subscribe for more practical small business cash flow and growth strategies, share this with a fellow owner who’s juggling invoices, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Julia Delin Explains How Cash Flow Timing Fuels Business Growth

  3. Sep 1

    Don Fischbach Shares How to Build Clarity Without More Complexity

    Send us Fan Mail Your business can be profitable, respected, and growing and still feel like you are carrying a backpack full of bricks. When everything is urgent and every decision funnels back to the owner, the company is not scaling, it is stalling. We sit down with Don Fischbach, founder of Sterling Traction Partners and a certified EOS Implementer, to talk about the real reason so many entrepreneurial teams feel stuck: they are trying to execute without enough clarity.  We dig into what it means to “get what you want from your business,” why so few owners ever define that destination, and how misalignment shows up as frustration, missed expectations, and constant firefighting. Don shares the warning signs that the business is running you, the practical path to a shared vision, and why three to seven clear 90-day priorities can create traction fast. If you have ever asked your leaders for the top priorities and heard different answers, this conversation will hit home.  We also get tactical about leadership team health and execution. Don explains how trust and vulnerability make honest conversations possible, why constructive conflict is a feature not a bug, and how meetings become useful when they focus on solving problems instead of reporting updates. If you want a simple operating rhythm, stronger accountability, and less chaos, you will leave with clear next steps you can apply this week. Subscribe, share this with a fellow business owner, and leave a review with the one priority you are clarifying next. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Don Fischbach Shares How to Build Clarity Without More Complexity

  4. Aug 19

    Courtney Kalfas Shares The Secret To Scaling Through Culture

    Send us Fan Mail Construction is a masterclass in high-stakes leadership: tight timelines, nonstop decisions, and zero room for sloppy communication. We talk with Courtney Kalfas, president of RA Kalfas Construction, about what it takes to build a business that stays steady when projects get messy and plans change. From her early years around the trades to leading a design-build remodeling company in Northeast Ohio, Courtney explains how she learned to lead with operational discipline without losing the human side of the work.  A big part of her growth comes from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, where she discovers two surprising truths: small business owners across industries share the same core problems, and many of us underinvest in marketing until we hit a ceiling. We dig into what promotion looks like when you’re used to “going with the flow,” and why perspective and community can be as valuable as any tactic.  Then we get real about delegation, the uncomfortable transition from doing everything yourself to trusting a capable team. Courtney shares what it felt like to hand off critical responsibilities, why “working on the business vs in the business” is not just a slogan, and how the right people make trust possible. We also unpack how she builds company culture through weekly office and field meetings, an open-door policy, clear expectations, and a steady belief that most problems are fixable.  If you want practical small business leadership insights on culture, communication, mentorship, and delivering a better client experience through design-build construction, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a business owner who needs it, and leave a review with the one takeaway you’re putting into action. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Courtney Kalfas Shares The Secret To Scaling Through Culture

  5. Aug 4

    Leah Hadley on How Leaders Can Reduce Financial Stress

    Send us Fan Mail You can hit revenue goals, look polished online, and still feel a tight knot in your stomach every time you open your bank account. That disconnect is exactly where this conversation goes. We sit down with Leah Hadley, founder of Intentional Wealth Partners and Intentional Divorce Solutions, to talk about financial wellness as a real-world leadership practice, not a spreadsheet exercise. We keep coming back to one question that exposes the problem fast: are we building our businesses intentionally, or just reacting to whatever is loudest today? Leah shares how her own life transitions reshaped the way she leads, hires, and serves clients, especially in emotionally charged seasons like divorce and major business pivots. We unpack how to build empathy into your client experience without losing boundaries, why mediation training can make you a stronger manager and negotiator, and what leaders do accidentally that escalates conflict. If you’ve ever felt stuck in survival mode, the tools here are simple, practical, and grounded in real client work. We also get tactical about small business finances: spotting expense leaks, reviewing resource spend monthly or quarterly, and being more strategic with subscription tools and new AI platforms that quietly drain cash flow. Leah explains why understanding the drivers of your business puts you back in the driver’s seat, and how delegation and team structure protect you from burnout when you’re running multiple brands. If you take one idea and act on it, you’ll feel the difference. Subscribe for more conversations on intentional leadership and financial planning, share this with a business owner who needs it, and leave a review so more leaders can find the show. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Leah Hadley on How Leaders Can Reduce Financial Stress

  6. Jul 21

    Leia Love Shares Why Purpose Matters More Than Profit

    Send us Fan Mail What if the business you built could help someone recognize themselves again? That question sits at the heart of my conversation with Dr. Leia Love, a restorative tattoo specialist, educator, speaker, and founder of the Leia Love Spark Beauty Fund. Her work lives in a rare space where beauty, health care, and healing overlap, and it shows what “purpose-driven business” looks like when the stakes are deeply human.  We talk about restorative areola tattooing after mastectomy, cancer treatment, surgery, and trauma, and why this craft often begins where medicine leaves off. Leia shares how she identified the gap, pursued mastery through continuous training, and built an operation that treats trust as something you design on purpose. We dig into trauma-informed care in the beauty industry, including the small, practical systems that protect emotional well-being: paying attention to unspoken cues during consultations, creating a calmer environment, and setting standards that help clients feel safe and seen.  You’ll also hear the leadership lessons behind the mission. Leia explains why she started the Spark Beauty Fund to remove financial barriers, how she stays involved in community impact without chasing “balance,” and what COVID taught her about preparedness, emergency funds, and filling operational gaps before crisis hits. We close with her advice for getting 1% better as a business owner: stay unique, avoid complacency, and sit in every seat at your table so your systems actually serve real people.  If you found this conversation helpful, subscribe, share it with a business owner who needs it, and leave a review so more leaders can find purpose-driven, practical stories like this. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Leia Love Shares Why Purpose Matters More Than Profit

  7. Jul 7

    Peter Geise Explains Why Revenue Is Up But Profit Is Missing

    Send us Fan Mail Your revenue can look “fine” and still leave you wondering why the business is not throwing off the profit it should. That frustration is usually a signal that something deeper is happening underneath the numbers. We sit down with Peter Geis, Akron Area President of Focus CFO, a fractional CFO leader and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who has helped everyone from Fortune-scale teams to Main Street operators find the real drivers behind their results. We get practical about what “root cause” actually means for small business finance. Peter explains why most owners do not have only a sales problem or only a finance problem, and why working in the business makes it hard to step back and see patterns. We also draw a clear line between accounting as history and CFO-level leadership as decision support: forecasting, cash planning, and translating data into next steps. If you have ever tried to Google your way through financial leadership, this conversation offers a better path. From there, we connect Lean thinking to everyday operations. We talk process mapping, asking “why do we do it this way?”, and how small improvements stack up into real capacity over a year. Then we zoom out to the long game: cash flow management as the most common business leak, the risk of growth without working capital, and how repeatable systems raise transferable enterprise value so the company can scale beyond the owner. If you want to get 1% better today, start by documenting your processes and naming ownership, then watch what becomes visible. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a business owner who needs clarity, and leave a review so more leaders can find it. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Peter Geise Explains Why Revenue Is Up But Profit Is Missing

  8. Jun 23

    Heather Terry on Why You Should Start With Your KPIs Before Buying Another AI Tool

    Send us Fan Mail Your team doesn’t need another shiny AI subscription, they need clarity. We sit down with Heather Terry, CEO and chief content architect of Curious AI, to unpack why so many small businesses feel overwhelmed after buying “all the tools” and still can’t point to real results. The heart of the problem is simple: when you start with platforms instead of priorities, you create noise, tool fatigue, and a culture of random experimentation that never turns into repeatable operations. We get concrete about what to do instead. Heather walks us through a KPI-first AI adoption strategy: identify the business KPIs that matter, map the projects and tasks that drive them, and then choose the right AI tool for that specific job. We also talk about the people side of AI change management, because the “boots on the ground” know the work best and they’re the ones who will make AI stick. Skip that collaboration and you invite shadow AI, inconsistent processes, and “time savings” that mysteriously evaporate. If you’re worried AI will make your brand sound generic, we address that head-on with two common mistakes and a better workflow that includes voice training, human editing, and even voice-to-text to keep your writing natural. Heather also shares her “AI is a magnifying glass” framework, why human-in-the-loop matters, and how leaders can reduce fear by communicating a clear vision for co-working with AI. You’ll leave with practical starter use cases, a strong reason to start with one tool, and a simple habit for using AI as a devil’s advocate to sharpen your thinking. Subscribe for more practical small business AI strategy, share this with a friend who feels behind, and leave a review with the first process you want to improve using AI. 🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers  and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world: 🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses. 📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business. 🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most. 💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

    Heather Terry on Why You Should Start With Your KPIs Before Buying Another AI Tool
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About

Better Business for Small Business is the go-to podcast for entrepreneurs looking to get 1% better in their business every day. Hosted by Chrissy Myers, CEO of AUI and Clarity HR, each episode dives into real-world stories and expert insights from resilient small business owners who blend passion, purpose, and philanthropy to drive success. 

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