Out of the Hourglass Nolan Consulting Group

We're changing things up today on Out of the Hourglass! We're sharing an excerpt from our Keynote presentation at the Grand Summit Conference last month  in Savannah. The conference theme was "Build Your Inner Citadel." A citadel is a fortress or castle - built for war, bulletproof. Now consider your organization the same way - how can you make it bulletproof, ready to face and win battles against the problem we face when owning a business? Brian Nolan and Colin Nolan shared seven fortifications at the conference. Today, you'll hear about four of those fortifications. If you're interested in the others, reach out. In the meantime, consider how you can build your own inner Citadel as you listen.

We are joined today by Brittany Murphy, the Marketing Manager at Bloom Consulting and a Marketing Strategist who has years of experience working in not only the Trades space but also other small businesses. One of Brittany’s missions is to help Small Businesses use their marketing dollars most effectively, especially in the digital space of SEO and SEM. While these are  two acronyms that we often throw around like we know exactly what they mean  and what they do, I wanted to really break down the difference and pull these pillars of digital marketing apart.  We continue to learn that Marketing is a game of layering everything and no matter your revenue size or industry, we want to optimize your online visibility to be getting in front og the right audience. 
Need a second opinion on your marketing plan? Book a time with Brittany to brainstorm your next strategy and implement! https://brittany.bloomconsultingfirm.com/ 

Today we are talking about Family Business dynamics and to do that we've brought on Brian Nolan our Managing Partner here at NCG and Senior Business Coach  This is an important topic, and while most people know that here at Nolan Consulting, we are a family business, but we also work with a lot of companies that employ family members  - whether it's a husband and wife team, adult children or extended family joining the business - it's important to think about how that impacts the dynamics,  not only within your family but also within the organization itself.  

This episode aims to hit at areas in need of clarity, whether it's the pathway to share-holdership, employment agreements or family values, there is a framework needed to create boundaries and ensure healthy relationships, both in and outside the workplace. Remember, the business should SERVE the family… and not the other way around. 

“In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profit. People come first. Unless you have a good team, you cannot do much with the other two.” - Lee Iacocca

This quote sums up the reason behind today’s episode! NCG Business Coach Jim Bradley joins us on the podcast to talk about a chapter in the Management Training Series, a program that he and Andrew Amrhein have been piloting,  that focused on developing leaders and creating access to tools for managerial success. This particular conversation today focuses on the characteristics of what it means to BE a team and a high performing one at that. There is statistical data showing that collaborative, high performing teams are most successful compared to those who operate in dysfunction- from better profitability, employee retention, and employee wellbeing. We talk about characteristics of an effective team, the role of leadership in fostering trust and psychological safety, and the significance of high-performance team characteristics such as sharing best practices, holding accountability, and vulnerability.

This week we are talking about Advanced Financials,  also the topic of an upcoming virtual Workshop that we're hosting in April!  We asked Andrew Amrhein, Sr. Business Coach, Director of Finance here at NCG and the Primary Facilitator of this Workshop to join us to learn about the content of the program, who it's intended for and why it's so important to understand the impact of the balance sheet. From getting an understanding of the cost of growth, advanced KPIs, Job Costing and Benchmarking, we aim to dive into your Financial Workbook and go to the next level. 

April’s Advanced Financial Management Workshop, facilitated by Andrew Amrhein will be held on April 24th, 26th and May 1st & 3rd. 

Any questions about the workshop, or if your team is the right fit please do not hesitate to reach out!

Today on Out of the Hourglass we are talking about Big Rock Charters and WHY they matter!  NCG Business Coach,  Jay Rogers, is our guest for this conversation and it’s his very first appearance on the podcast! 

We often talk about Big Rocks on our channel but we want to hit on the Charter itself - a tool that works you through the big rock plan, identifying how exactly you aim to carry out the idea, including an evaluation of the strategic decisions. Jay gives us an inside look as to how he has used this charter himself and how he works through clients with the big rock plan.  If you're looking for the Charter exercise,  please reach out, we are happy to share.