Episode Transcript
Glenn Harper: 00:00:00
Hi, I’m Glenn Harper, CPA and owner of Harper Company, CPAS plus and partner in Sula Consulting. In each episode, my co host, Julie Smith, Harper and Company’s practice manager and partner in SULA Consulting.
And I will interview a different guest about their entrepreneurial journey.
The podcast features interviews with business owners, AKA entrepreneurs, who bring intriguing and entertaining clarity to the entire entrepreneurial journey, giving others confidence to build their business. Our goal is to provide actual value to you, the entrepreneur, to help you do business or build a business.
Every entrepreneur deserves to enjoy the journey. Learning from others offers valuable insight and inspiration.
We want to provide insight on the why, the how, the shortcuts and the value add that many entrepreneurs wish they would have had identified at the onset of their journey. Sit back and enjoy the journey. Hello everyone. Welcome to another edition of Living Fast Forward. I’m Glenn Harper.
Julie Smith: 00:00:51
Julie Smith.
Glenn Harper: 00:00:52
What’s going on? Julie Smith: 00:00:53
Well, you know, I’m really hoping you don’t throw me for a loop on the topic that you suggested before we started.
Glenn Harper: 00:00:58
Oh, it’s tbd TBD Terma, the most excellent thing to talk about. And I thought, and I guess we talked about this a little bit, but the major question for entrepreneurs, is it bigger better or is just better better?
Which way should you go?
And that’s a great discussion to have about clients because if you’re an entrepreneur, to get bigger sometimes if you think you’re going to do it all yourself, well, something has to give. You’re going to take away time from something else to put the time to your business.
Julie Smith: 00:01:25
What do you mean? I’m just going to apply for more time in a day?
Glenn Harper: 00:01:28
Oh yeah, there is a provision on that.
Julie Smith: 00:01:30
Fill out the form. I filled it out a lot of times.
Glenn Harper: 00:01:33
Or you try to get smarter and you try to leverage that to try to get bigger. But with bigger becomes more headaches, more houses and more things. But America didn’t grow great because we wanted to just stop.
We just wanted to keep getting bigger and bigger and better.
So I think the hefty balance of what is being better and bigger, making that work in a way that you can control that growth where you don’t lose yourself in it?
Julie Smith: 00:01:57
Well, I think we talk a lot about opportunity cost, right?
So is better better in regards to keeping your cards close and being able to control everything and do everything yourself and being able to make those choices? Or is bigger better where, like you said, you’re able to leverage certain resources in order to scale your business?
And as we all know, we’ve all been There, that comes with a lot of headaches.
Glenn Harper: 00:02:21
It’s terrifying. Giving up control and responsibility to others. You never know how they’re going to handle that.
They can do it, and you find out a little bit too late sometimes. Well, they didn’t do it quite right. But that’s part of the nature of rowanibilities.
Julie Smith: 00:02:31
But then I think, you know, what happens is it’s time. And although I claim to have some provision to give you more time in a day, I certainly don’t.
It’s just, where does that time come from and what is the sacrifice you’re willing to make? You know, it’s all about that opportunity cost.
So, you know, oftentimes, is it time with your family that you’re willing to kind of give up in order to grow a business? Is it short term? Is it long term? What does that look like?
I know we just talked about intentions on a, on an episode prior, but, like, if you’re going to grow and scale your business, you better be able to carve out that time that, you know, whether you enjoy golfing, you enjoy having time with your family, whatever it is, you’re going to have to be able to carve that out. But what if you have to give that up?
Glenn Harper: 00:03:12
Well, but I think that comes back to the whole point is you have to decide if you want to be bigger, to be bigger, or if you want to be better to be better. And that gets reversed. A little bit more to moving with intent of what do you want it to do?
And you map out both and see which one is appropriate for you and say, yeah, I like option A or option B, but if you don’t map it out, you don’t think it through, you’re just going to meander through the desert like everybody else always does.
Julie Smith: 00:03:36
Well, I think for entrepreneurs, it’s really hard concept to grasp because you’re in the trenches, head down, right? It’s like, next tasks, next task, whatever that is.
And sometimes you get to a certain point without even realizing it, and it’s, you know, that awareness and intentions. But, you know, Glenn, what would be your advice to entrepreneurs?
Because as we know, it’s really easy to get in a headspace where you don’t think about those things. Then all of a sudden you’ve given up time in relationships and you’ve done these things and you end up someplace. How do you.
What is your advice for entrepreneurs?
Glenn Harper: 00:04:11
The easy is at some point you’re down with your head down, grinding. You just gotta step away.
Julie Smith: 00:04:16
But how do you know when that time is.
Glenn Harper: 00:04:20
Something is gonna come to a head to push you to that. And sometimes that’s what it takes to get you to move with intention somewhere else or to reevaluate. But sometimes it’s just good to make that.
Part of your yearly monthly quarterly ritual is just say, I’m going to step away from doing this business and think clearly outside of what I’m trying to do. And, and you can’t do it when you got a foot, one finger on the keyboard and you’re still in there connected.
You got to literally shut it off and go somewhere else and think it through.
Julie Smith: 00:04:46
For our entrepreneur listeners out there, now’s a really good time to evaluate. Do you want to be bigger and better? Do you want to be better, better?
How do you want to spend your time and really create your intentions around your business?
Glenn Harper: 00:04:59
I couldn’t agree more.
And again, there’s nothing like a little New Year’s resolution or a end of the year pause and reflect and then setting the table to move with intention. Starting off the new year, people, for whatever reason, like the New year as a good cutoff date.
I don’t know why, but that’s just the way we roll in America. So make the choices. And again, if you do nothing, you just continue on the way you’re going. And that’s okay too, if that’s what you like.
If you think something’s out of whack, try to move with more intention. Another fabulous edition of the Fast and famous. I’m
Glenn Harper. Announcer: 00:05:28
And I’m Julie Smith at Harper Co. CPA plus, we just don’t care about the numbers. We care about helping you tap into the greatness of your entrepreneurial journey.
You deserve a partner who has helped hundreds of businesses go from paying the bills to building the business and lifestyle of their dreams. Go to our website and download our free guide entitled Entrepreneurial Success. How to avoid managing your business from your bank account.
The link is in this episode’s show Notes.
