In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be digging a little deeper into the specifics of what it takes to become Freedom Focused in order to actually have greater freedom as a small business owner.He'll start first by sharing the story of how he came to find greater freedom for himself with his own business.This background will provide the context for telling you what he believes are the essential “best practices” that every small business must implement if you want a fighting chance at the kind of freedom that comes from less struggle, frustration, and feelings of burnout.Freedom to do just the work that you enjoy, delegate the work you don't, and shared responsibility for running your business.Perhaps most importunately, freedom to spend time away from your business to rejuvenate and recharge your batteries.After sharing with you each of the “best practices” that he implemented to create his own Freedom Focused business, he will tell you how you can do the same for your own business.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about how to make rejuvenation time that includes travel, something you stop dreaming about, and instead, turn into something you actually start doing.It's true that not everyone likes or wants to travel, although most people do.In this episode,Daran is going to share two strategies that he's used very successfully, for many years, to make traveling with his daughters around the world a reality, not just a dream.For those of you who prefer to stay close to home, one of the strategies will apply directly to you too, so don’t miss listening. Who knows, you might even discover a more adventurous side that you didn’t know existed.Daran's podcast episodes on rejuvenation are always the ones he most looks forward to sharing with listeners, primarily because he believes rejuvenation time is the essence of what true freedom is all about.At the end of this week’s show, Daran has two free gifts to share with you, but you’ll need to listen to learn what they are.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about a concept that was made popular in 2009 by a TEDx presentation in Seattle, Washington.That presentation was titled, “How great leaders inspire action," and it was given by a 36-year-old former advertising agent from New York City.This wasn’t just any TED Talk. It’s one of the most popular ever given, with almost 62 million views to date, and still climbing.Daran's going to share with you exactly who the speaker was, and explain why the message he shared continues to be of such profound interest to so many people.He's also going to share with you how the lessons from this TED Talk explain one of the great secrets to the success of Apple Computer, and how you can take advantage of this same “secret” to make your own small business wildly successful.Enjoy the show and don't forget to... Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about the year ahead, and what every small business owner should be doing to ensure that it will not only be a very successful year, but also a year that ends with much greater freedom for you, the owner, and also the rest of your team.What small business owners need to be doing is setting goals.But not just setting them, Daran is going to be sharing with you a very simple process for how to actively use your goals to keep everyone on track, reduce overwhelm, and also create excitement, buy-in, and a huge sense of accomplishment for your team.He's very much looking forward to sharing this information with you, especially as we bring the current year to a close, and start making plans to take maximum advantage of all the positive opportunities available to us in the new year.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by special guest, Mark Matteson.Mark is a bestselling author, a highly successful sales person, an entertaining teacher, and a sought-after public speakeer.As a compliment to Daran's latest article for the Thanksgiving holiday focused on gratitude, he and Mark are going to be discussing Mark's outlook on this very important topic, how it’s impacted his life, and the ways that he practices gratitude on a regular basis.This episode is one you won’t want to miss, and chances are good you might even listen to it more than once to catch all that’s being shared.Best of all, those that listen will learn how to receive a free gift of one of Mark’s bestselling books.Enjoy the show and don't forget to... Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined again by Dirk Haupt as Guest Host to discuss Part 2 of Daran's article, “Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules for the Good Life.”They're going to pick-up where they left off in the last episode where they covered some background on Jefferson’s rules, then discussed the meaning of rules one through five.Starting this week with rule number six and proceeding through to number ten, they'll provide an interpretation for each of the rules, but won’t stop there.They’re going to also cover two additional rules that even those familiar with Jefferson’s original 10 rules have almost certainly never heard before.As they did for Part 1, they will be including in the discussion an interpretation of how each rule applies to businesses, as well as the benefits to small business owners, and their employees, when they follow these rules.If you listened to Part 1, you definitely don’t want to miss listening to Part 2 of “Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules for the Good Life.”Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by his good friend Dirk Haupt, who is returning to the podcast as a “Guest Host.”They'll be discussing Daran's latest article titled, “Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules for the Good Life.”You’ll be fascinated to learn where the rules came from and why they’ve remained popular 200 years after Jefferson started sharing them with friends and family.Dirk and Daran will look closely at the first five of the ten rules in this week’s show, discussing the importance and meaning of each rule.They're also going point out how each rule applies to businesses, as well as the benefits to small business owners and employees when they follow each of the rules.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by a long-time friend, Howard Bashford.For those of you who read Daran's article, “Hope Is Not a Business Strategy,” you’ll recall that Howard was the person who shared this phrase with him many years ago, when they were in the middle of some deep trouble with a business they owned together.While “hope is not a business strategy” couldn’t save they're business, it was a philosophy that made all the difference in the world in helping Daran to save his company, D.R. Wastchak, LLC, from going under during the Great Recession.To learn how, and why, be sure to tune into this week’s episode. You’ll also learn what the most important role “hope” can, and should play in the successful operation of every business.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by a special guest, and good friend, Gary Wilbers, owner of Ascend Business Strategies.Over the course of Gary’s 30 plus years as an entrepreneur, he’s learned a lot about how to run a business successfully.He shares all that he’s learned with individuals and business owners in several books that he's written, public speaking, in his own podcast, and in regular articles posted on his blog.In this show, we’re going to ask Gary to specifically talk about one of his most recent articles, titled “8 Tips to Manage Entrepreneurial Stress and Avoid Burnout.”Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by a special guest, Tara Jackson, who is President of The Arizona Town Hall.Tara recently shared a report with Daran that she described as a real eye opener when it comes to explaining the labor challenges we’ve been faced with in the past several years.In fact, the report, with the ominous title, “The Demographic Drought”, explains why these challenges are not going away any time soon and, in fact, are going to get much, much worse.Tara is going to help Daran share the insights from the report, and on a positive note, include recommendations for how the United States, in general, and you as a small business owner, in particular, can manage through the drought and minimize it’s impacts on the success of your business.It's going to be a great show, so be sure to listen and, as always, don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about a 4-day work week.He'll start with an historical context, considering how the hours worked by employees have changed over time in the United States.Next, Daran will talk about the reality of how most people spend their time during the two days they currently have for a weekend, which, unfortunately, includes very little time for rest and rejuvenation.Lastly, he'll be reviewing what the research says about whether or not a 4-day work week is beneficial to not only employees, but also employers, then make recommendations for how you can move your organization from a 5-day to a 4-day work week.Lots of great information to share in this week’s episode, so be sure not miss it.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by special guest Lisa Riley of Delta Business Advisors.Daran talks often about the highest level of freedom for small business owner’s in terms of “freedom to exit”.In a recent article, "Achieving Your Freedom to Exit", he explained that there are two primary options for “exiting” your business, either close the doors and walk away, or sell the business.In this episode,Daran is going to explore more closely the option of selling, and include the input and thoughts of a real expert on the process of selling a business.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about Strategic Planning and Business Planning.More specifically, why both types of planning are most likely not an activity that most small business owners engage in.And there’s a good reason why, which he’ll explore.More importantly, he's going to be talking about two key elements, which are part of both business plans and strategic plans, that every small business owner should have, even if they don’t do formal business or strategic planning.Join Daran for this week’s episode and he’ll tell you what these two key elements are, and why they’re so important to the success of your business.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about a struggle that’s been going on for mankind for thousands of years, and is as strong today as it’s ever been.The struggle he's referring to is with time.The time we devote to work, and the time we devote to leisure, when we’re not working.Daran's going to take a philosophical look at work and leisure, how the struggle between the two is actually a relatively new phenomenon in our evolutionary history as a species, and how, while this struggle may seem inevitable, and something that most everyone has simply resigned themselves to, it doesn’t have to be that way for everyone.In particular, it doesn’t have to be that way for small business owners.Join Daran for this week’s episode and he’ll explain exactly why and how.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about the biggest challenges identified by small business owners in today’s economy, with particular focus on the number one challenge that rises to the top of most business owner’s list.Research shows that “cashflow” and a “lack of capital” were the number one issue for the past decade or so, but current events and significant swings in the economy caused by the traumatic disruptions of the global pandemic have caused a new champion to rise to the top.Join Daran for this week’s episode to learn what this challenge is, how business owners have been responding, and what you can do, contrary to what other business owners are doing, to overcome this and other critical challenges to the success of your business.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about the primary reasons why people, by the hundreds of thousands every year, give up the safety of their job to start a business.More specifically,Daran will be sharing with you what business owners have consistently said, in multiple studies, their number one motivation is for starting their business.Here's a hint: it’s not money!Listen to the show to learn what it is, and also how to make it a reality, not just a dream, for you and your business.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be joined by a special guest, Ben Weiss.Ben took a very special nine-week long road trip with his family, beginning exactly one year ago today in April, to see the United States.His daughters were still in school, and Ben continued to work and meet with clients…. but he made this trip a reality anyway.Learn a little about why he took the trip, how he made it possible, and how it impacted his life and business in a profound and positive way.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about a troublesome employment issue that was brought to light by a management professor at Texas A&M University in the Spring of 2021.Prior to this, most employers knew that something very strange was going on in the labor markets, but now, thanks to this professor, they had a name for it.We all know it now as, “The Great Resignation”.Daran's going to talk about what the Great Resignation is and the primary drivers of this major shift in employee behavior.More importantly, he's going to talk about how you, as a small business owner, can overcome the challenges that are a direct result of the Great Resignation.In particular, how to win the intense battle with all other businesses, large and small, for recruiting and retaining the best employees.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about a simple but essential ingredient to Freedom Focused.That ingredient is “rejuvenation.”It’s both necessary to achieve Freedom Focused as a small business owner, and at the same time a product of being Freedom Focused.He'll begin by sharing a story from a small business owner that he recently met who by all measures has been very successful, but after 25 years is tired, burned out, and full of regrets.As a bit of a counter point, he'll then share with you the positive steps he's taken, over his 20 plus years as a small business owner, to minimize burnout, overwhelm, and most importantly, regrets.Lastly, he'll share how you can do the very same thing when you build a Freedom Focused business that creates greater freedom and allows for critically important rejuvenation time.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes

In this episode, host Daran Wastchak will be talking about a simple business management tool, that’s been around for a long time, but many small business owners don’t take advantage of.He's talking about an organizational chart.You might be thinking to yourself, “org charts are a waste of time because I only have a handful of employees, and we all know what each of us do.”As you might expect, Daran will clarify that org charts are for ALL organizations, large and small, public, private and nonprofit.They aren’t sexy, but org charts are a key element in creating a Freedom Focused organization, with a team that is more enthusiastic, engaged, and bought-in to the work they do every day.In this episode,Daran will tell you exactly how… and why, so you don’t miss the opportunity to create greater personal and professional freedom not only for yourself, the owner, but also for the rest of your team.Enjoy the show and don't forget to...Stay focused on your freedom!Show Notes