Axiom Podcast - Axiom Strategic Consulting

Nonprofit organizations need a good strategic plan just as much as any for-profit business. But the absence of a majority shareholder, the presence of a non-owner board of directors, CEO’s dealing with succession, and volunteers passionate about their work make things much more challenging. In this episode, Joey and Devin discuss the issues facing CEO’s and board members when it comes to strategic planning and execution.

If you think of HR and HR Management as a cost center, you are missing a key strategic priority when it comes to long-term growth and competition. In this episode, we discuss administrative HR vs strategic HR, how to tell the difference, and what you might be missing when you fail to consider the HR bottleneck in your strategic plan.

In a time and a market with virtually zero unemployment, attracting and retaining top talent has become a big priority for small businesses wanting to grow. Tune in to find out how to run a continuous hiring process, creating a future org chart, recruiting toolbox, developing future workforce, creative help wanted ads, best interview practices, the best approach for getting the job you want, and what causes new talent to leave.

Sometimes you need to leverage other people's money to grow or accomplish strategic objectives. In this episode we cover the basics of business borrowing and the things you need to consider before you start looking for a business loan, whether that money is to… 1) buy property, 2) finance equipment, 3) obtain working capital, 4) or buy a business outright.

Common strategic planning pitfalls.

Pricing and selling value are common topics among white collar professionals like CPA's and attorneys. But do roofers and AC repair companies need any help in this area? A couple of recent conversations show blue collar service industries deal with exactly the same issues with pricing and selling value to customers. In this episode, Joey goes in depth to give real life examples of how things go wrong and what to do to fix them.

Professionals are those who take their work to the next level. It has little to do with the color of your collar and everything to do with how much you care about the value you deliver. In this episode, Joey talks about how you reward this innovative and pivotal group in your organization.

For most business owners, the starting gun goes off early every morning, and the finish tape is nowhere in sight. Asking (and answering!) these six questions will give priority and perspective to your day and week. 

Businesses spend lots of time working on strategies for operations, customer service, sales...you name it. But how often do they have explicit strategies for CASH? Without cash, your mission is put on hold. In this episode, Axiom founder Joey Brannon talks about the handful of cash strategies that can improve your overall business.

When it comes to time management, the boss sets the tone. Even the best time manager can become frustrated and unproductive under a boss that doesn't respect boundaries and can't understand the role he or she should be playing in the organization.

People-Process-Product is a mantra hitting prime time on CNBC's show The Profit. But how do the 3 P's fit into business strategy?

Vertical integration is most often associated with Fortune 500 companies than with small businesses. But there are cases where vertical integration is a viable part of a small business growth strategy. In this episode Joey outlines the situations that might green light a vertical integration strategy and provides some real life examples.

Understanding the difference between owner and operator roles and the necessity of switching hats is key to business growth.

The Axiom podcast is back after taking a few months off. In this episode, Joey talks about what has been happening in the time since our last episode, and what to expect over the next month. He also shares part of his note taking workflow and why it is so important to what he does every day.

Even bad decisions can be better than no decisions. A strategic plan provides the security that allows them to make more decisions, knowing that even a bad decision will be detected and corrected before it can do too much damage.

The six stages of leadership growth, and how a business owner's highest and best use changes at each stage.

No, not that kind of family business. This week, we continue the discussion on what it's like to work with family, but this time we examine the darker side. Both parents and their kids fall victim to several common mistakes and missteps when family and business intersect. If you want to avoid these mistakes or if you’re looking for a way to overcome some of the sins of the past, this episode is for you.

They can be the best and the worst places to work. This week, we focus on the 10 best things about family businesses. This list takes on the topic from both perspectives. You may be the founder bringing children into the business, or you might be thinking about accepting an offer from "Pop" to run the show. Either way, this episode covers the things you don't want to miss about running and being a part of the family biz.

Marketing is one of those words that conjures up images of Madison Avenue wizards capable of coming up with the perfect copy with a cigarette in one hand and a martini in the other. Marketing strategy is considered beyond the reach of the average small business owner. In this episode, we strip away all the BS and get to the nuts and bolts of effective marketing inside small companies.

Pruning is a necessary part of growth. It is true in life and it is true in business. But very few businesses build a pruning cycle into their growth plans. In this episode, we talk about what to prune and how to do it. It's not just customers, although that is a big part of the pruning process. Pruning needs to be applied to every part of the business for it to remain thriving and healthy.