Business Over Beer Episode #89 with Tara Tinsley, Part 2
This week on Business Over Beer, Country Musician, Tara Tinsley, returns for part 2 of her interview.
In this episode, Tara talks about the evolution of her writing, how writing songs merely about pain and struggle no longer inspire her. Rather, she is writing about finding answers to the struggles and finding inspiration in the things that really matter in life. As a result, she is writing more Christian Music as a way to show gratitude for her life and to create music with messages of hope for her audience.
Business Over Beer Episode #88 with Tara Tinsley, Part 1
This week on Business Over Beer, we welcome Country Music Star, Tara Tinsley to the program. Tara was shy girl who decided at a young age that she wanted to be a singer. She got her start by signing the National Anthem at a local motocross race, and turned that into a nearly 20 year music career.
In this episode, we talk about the business of being a musician and the challenges of staying relevant in a rapidly changing industry. We were fortunate enough to have Tara play us a few songs, first up, an acoustic version of one of her newest singles, Faith.
Business Over Beer Episode #87. with Lou Alexander, Part 2
Returning for Part 2 of his interview on the Business Over Beer Podcast is Lou Alexander, Motivational Speaker and Founder of Big A88 Jogger apparel.
In this episode, we learn how Lou used his football experience to approach his Sales process. Also, we learn what launched him into the world of professional speaking, and more about his mission of helping people reach their full potential.
Lou truly is working to make the world a better place by bringing his community together, through social media, through his Big A88 Jogger run club and, by spreading a message of how to find happiness no matter your circumstances.
Business Over Beer Episode #86 with Lou Alexander, Part 1
The Business Over Beer podcast welcomes Motivational Speaker, Lou Alexander of Authentic Impact, and Founder of the Big A88 Jogger apparel line.
Despite the hardships that came from growing up in the inner city, Lou had an amazing family foundation laid by his mother. He found football at the age of 15, was highly recruited to play division 1 college football and accepted a scholarship to play for Syracuse University. Lou was the first in his family to graduate college, and went on to play in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted Free Agent.
Now with a lifetime of experience to draw on, Lou is sharing what he has learned from his journey, and is focused on helping people become their biggest selves at whatever they do.
Prost!
Motivation vs. Cultivation: Which one will springboard your small business to the next level?
We all face challenges in our lives, we all have ups and downs, and as small business owners, those highs and lows can come in rapid succession. Also, we all know that personal development and growth can come out of hardship. We often learn more from our failures than from our successes, and we can use that failure as motivation to achieve success.
But when Lou Alexander joined us recently on The Business Over Beer podcast, he shared a very unique perspective on how to take your small business, your leadership skills and your growth mindset to another level.
Motivation or Cultivation?
Small business owners and entrepreneurs are naturally highly motivated and have a deep-seated passion for solving problems. As a motivated leader, you work on improving the skill sets you already have, and to be better in your current environment.
But is that motivation enough, or is there another level that can help you achieve even greater success?
Yes. It’s cultivation. To be cultivated means that you want to acquire new skills, new qualities and new habits and is about growing something bigger outside of your motivation. Cultivation is motivation plus curiosity and an openness to ask for help in order to learn new ways of doing things.
Unfortunately, our motivation can get in the way. We are motivated by how others view us, motivated not to appear weak, lost or not in control of every aspect of our business and lives. As a result, our egos can restrict cultivation.
The Springboard
Small business owners rely on their motivation to keep at the daily grind of building a business. We are constantly looking for the spot where our product or service fits in the marketplace, and what are all the right elements that will launch our business forward. We’re looking for a springboard and it’s your motivation that gets you to the springboard.
For many of us, that’s enough. Once we find the springboard, we are content, we have a feeling that we made it, that we have nothing else to learn, and it’s enough to feed our motivation. Most definitely you can be a strong leader and build a successful business by merely tapping into your motivation.
But what Lou talked about with us is next level leadership, next level entrepreneurship for those who are ready to take it on, and be willing to admit that they don’t have all the answers.
Are you ready to be cultivated?
Sticking with the springboard analogy: if the springboard is motivation, understanding the mechanics of how the springboard works is cultivation.
For example, as a kid from the inner city, who lost his father at an early age, Lou had plenty of motivation to improve his circumstances. So when he had the opportunity to attend Syracuse University on a football scholarship, he knew that could be the springboard to a better life. When he arrived on campus, he felt like he had made it. He was the first in his family to make it to college, he broke the cycle, and for Lou at that time, it was good enough.
But what Lou understands now, that he didn’t know then, and that many of us do not consider when we are launching our small business forward is, if you don’t know how the springboard works, and you just blindly jump, you may get launched in the wrong direction and end up hurting yourself.
“I didn’t take the mechanics of getting to the next level seriously. I didn’t understand what was under the spring board to make me launch, all I knew was it was a launch pad,” Lou said. “I didn’t take the time know how it actually worked, and I got hit in the mouth.”
Are you willing to Dig Deep?
So what does this motivation vs. cultivation mean for small business owners?
Dig deep and stay motivated enough to find the springboard that can launch your business to the next level.
Dig deeper to understand how this springboard works so you know where you’re headed.
Dig deepest by always looking for ways learn and acquire new skills; do not rest on your laurels and simply be content with who you are today; take the finite details personal.
Small business ownership is not race with a start and finish line. You may think you’ve made it, but you haven’t, there’s always another level if you’re willing to cultivate it.
“Inspired by the rich tradition of Agua Frescas, Jamaica reimagines this familiar taste from a dry cider perspective. Jamaica is a naturally pink cider made with tropical hibiscus flowers, which create fragrant aromas that lead to fresh berry flavors and a tart, round finish.”
In this episode we delve into the great work Katie is doing with organizations to create and implement diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) plans, focusing on companies that truly care about these issues.
At Social Construct Consulting, her effort is not in convincing people that DE&I is important. She is not breaking down the doors of white CEOs demanding they give up their seat. Her work focuses on companies that want to do better in these areas, who recognize they will be better for it because it helps their employees do better at work, enjoy their work, and will create a safer and more comfortable place for more people at work.
She aims to make things better for everybody, but it will take everybody.
Business Over Beer Episode #84. with Katie Zink, Part 1
On this episode of the Business Over Beer Podcast, we have Katie Zink, Founder of Social Construct Consulting. Katie focuses her work at the intersection of employee activism and culture, where she helps organizations create an initial Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) plan and works closely with them on how they’re going to make culture change happen.
In the episode, Katie gives us her definition of corporate culture, the different components that make up culture, and how perks impact culture. Also, we discuss navigating proper cultural language, privilege of dominant culture, and creating pathways to success for all.
CLICK HERE to read more about about why it’s important for us to define our own version success versus comparing ourselves to others or to a standard metric.
