This Is Small Business Amazon

Aside from a regular paycheck, what more can you do for your employees? And can going the extra mile for them really help your business' bottom line? Listen in to hear from brothers and founders of Mr. Tortilla, Ron and Anthony Alcazar. Their approach to business was formed at an early age, while watching their parents work hard with no buy-in. And then we’ll speak with Ludmila Praslova, PhD. Professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology, and author of The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work. 

"Imagine having to walk in shoes that are extremely big or way too small, way too wide, way too narrow" said Ludmila. "That's painful, that's not comfortable, …flexibility just makes sense."

In this episode you’ll hear:

(00:43) Why Mr. Tortilla wanted to take care of their employees

(03:26) How it’s good for business to prioritize a healthy workplace

(04:58) The bare minimum an employer could do for its employee

(06:40) The importance of flexibility and how to implement it into your company

(12:18) How to start a conversation with your employee about their needs

Dealing with audits doesn’t have to be scary as long as you’re prepared for it. Just ask Erick O. Bell, an accounting professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, who used to work at KPMG LLP in the Audit Risk Advisory Services. Erick simplifies everything you need to know about audits – even the IRS audit – so it doesn’t feel as daunting. “Most audits that are happening. They're not audits that are at odds with each other,” Erick says. “A typical audit generally is just, you've made an assertion. Can we verify that that assertion is accurate?”

Learn about typical audits, how to navigate them, and when you might need them.

In this episode you’ll hear:

(01:00) When should you get an audit

(03:45) About IRS audits

(07:36) How to navigate a typical audit

Getting a Patent can be a complicated and expensive process, but it can protect your idea as you work on bringing it to market. Just ask Becca Davison, the CEO of UnbuckleMe, who got a patent early on in her small business journey. Becca explains how she came up with UnbuckleMe, why she decided to patent her idea early on, and what that process looked like for someone who was new to entrepreneurship. You’ll also hear from Colleen Chien, a professor at Berkeley Law School and the founder of the Paper Prisons and Diversity Pilots Initiatives. Colleen digs deeper into how a patent can protect your idea and breaks down everything you need to know before and during your patent application. 

Learn whether you should even get a patent, how you can protect your idea from copycats, and what the patenting process looks like.

In this episode you’ll hear:

(00:38) What is a patent?

(02:29) How Becca came up with UnbuckleMe

(05:28) The different types of Patents

(06:45) The process of filing a patent

(11:46) Why copycats can still show up even after you get a patent

(13:28) How to protect your idea from copycats

(14:41) The difference between copycats and competitors

Accidents happen, we make missteps, sometimes our brands are tarnished. So how do we prepare for the inevitable and mitigate impact? Indya ‘Icy’ Wright, the Founder and CEO of Artiste House, a PR firm that prioritizes diversity, inclusivity, and representation, has some answers.
 
According to Wright, “all we can do is try to minimize the results of what happened, rectify it, and if things go well, move forward.”

In this episode you’ll hear:

(02:35) How do you figure out what your story is?
(05:22) How do you determine which issues to take a stance on publicly?
(07:52) You never know when a crisis will strike, how do you prepare?
(08:27) After a crisis, how do you deal with the potential loss of business?

If there's one thing we’ve learned over the many episodes of this show, it’s that owning and operating your own business is hard. You have to overcome challenges you didn’t even know existed.

Thinking of becoming an entrepreneur or you’re wondering if you should stick it out? We have Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, scholar, speaker and consultant, who studies the science of maximizing human potential, to guide us through. “I do think for every market need, for every human desire, there is an entrepreneur who is inspired and equipped to meet that need and to help for people to connect with that desire”

And Pamela Wirth, of Hello Health, will share what she’s learned on her path to entrepreneurship. Learn from an expert and those who have been there!
 
In this episode you’ll hear:

(03:49) Why connecting with others is one of the most important traits of an entrepreneur

(05:23) What qualities you need to be an entrepreneur 

(08:17) If you can't go all in on your business because you need the financial security of a 9 to 5, how else can you start your business journey?

(10:24) How do you start a business if you have too much on your plate?

(12:56) An entrepreneur is also a leader, so what qualities do you need to be a great leader?

(15:38) What are some hurdles that entrepreneurs might have to overcome when they're thinking about starting a business?

(18:45) What are some of the qualities you need to help you get through the tough times?

Money is such an integral part of your business. So when the time comes and you need to secure more, where do you start? Who do you turn to? We’ve got Iman Cotton, a loans officer with CDC Small Business Finance to guide us through it. Iman says that a good place to start is by thinking, “something that sounds too good to be true, probably is.”

Learn how to best prepare you and your business for a loan.

In this episode you’ll hear:

(01:39) How do you find a good lender?

(03:29) What documents do you need to apply to a small business loan?

(04:31) Mistakes small business owners make when they want to apply for a loan.

(07:34) Now that you have the loan, what happens if you’re struggling to pay it back?