Are you *really* listening to your team? Why every voice matters

As business owners and Entrepreneurs, we are constantly navigating through obstacles and setbacks. Whether it’s looking for unique ways to set ourselves apart from the competition, finding and retaining new team members, or keeping up with the daily grind…

These happen to be the challenges we can see and know we must conquer. But what about the obstacles we can't see?

The hidden issues that could be quietly derailing our progress—Those are the ones we often don't even know exist.

It's a classic case of "You don't know what you don't know," and it can be just as important, (if not more so), than the hurdles we're already tackling.

Take, for instance, the story of Balaam’s Donkey… 👇

In Numbers 22-24, we read about the sorcerer and prophet Balaam, on his way to curse the Israelites as requested by the Moabite King Balak. However, an obstacle appears that only his donkey can see: An angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword.

Each time the donkey tries to avoid the danger, Balaam, unable to see the angel, becomes frustrated and reacts by punishing the donkey.

It wasn’t until G-d gave the donkey the ability to speak that Balaam realized the critical feedback she was desperately trying to communicate…There was a deadly obstacle right in front of him that he was BLIND to. This story teaches us a very valuable lesson… Be open to receiving feedback from every level of your organization (or even unusual sources).

In every organization, ensuring every voice is heard—(NOT just those in the boardroom)—Can uncover critical insights that might otherwise be overlooked. A company that implements this strategy beautifully is Toyota. They created a unique approach to employee feedback called the Andon Cord. 👇

This system empowers ANY employee on the production line to pull a cord that stops all production if they notice a problem or a defect.

Doesn’t matter if they’re a seasoned manager who has been at Toyota for 20+ years, or the newest assembly line worker who just joined last week.

Every voice is heard.

Once all production is halted, a team leader would immediately go ask why the rope was pulled. Then, together, the leader and the team could work to solve the problem and restart production.

This immediate feedback mechanism ensures that issues are addressed as soon as they arise, rather than being ~swept~ under the rug.

At Business Nitrogen, we embrace a similar philosophy. We believe that great ideas and crucial feedback can come from ANYONE, regardless of their position or how long they’ve been working here.

So, how can we apply this to your business?

Create an environment where every team member feels not only empowered, but obligated to speak up. This can transform the way you operate and help you scale faster, easier, and smarter.

Now, here are 3 things I want you to think about this week:

• What can you do to make it easier for everyone at your company to share their ideas, questions, and concerns without fear of retribution?
• How will you make sure you really listen and then respond to what your team tells you?

• How will you ensure these changes are helping your team and your business do better?

As we move forward, let's keep in mind the lesson from Balaam’s Donkey: Sometimes those who seem least likely to see the whole picture are the ones who notice what others cannot. Let’s make sure we’re listening to all voices, as everyone has something valuable to contribute.

To your success,

David

Funnel Marketing Expert

What is YOUR time worth??

As entrepreneurs, how do we truly value our time? Time is our most precious commodity, yet many of us fall into the trap of micromanaging. I used to be guilty of this myself. Imagine hiring a house cleaner and then following them around, checking their work—what a waste of both your time and theirs!

I’ve done a complete 180. It took time to find and trust the right people to get the job done. Now, I can focus on high-value tasks like working with select clients, developing strategies, and adding value as a passion (like this video here).

The more our businesses grow, the more crucial it becomes to ensure we’re using our time wisely. Micromanaging not only drains your energy but also hinders growth. Trusting your team and focusing on tasks that truly matter can make a significant difference.

Let’s all focus on what’s important—ensuring everything we do is the highest and best use of our time. Watch the full video to learn how optimizing your time can help you grow your business more effectively and send this to someone who could use this reminder!

Digital Marketing Expert

Why 1 team member is better than 3: Small Team? No Problem. Accomplish More.

If you’re like me, we can agree that quality is almost always infinitely better than quantity in all aspects of life. I’d much rather have:

• One loyal friend who's there for you in times of need, than a hundred acquaintances who disappear when sh*t hits the fan.
• One highly engaged employee who believes in our mission, vision, and values, than a team of ten who clock in and out without passion and alignment towards our values.

Why?

Because at the heart of any success—Be it personal, professional, or spiritual—Lies the essence of genuine commitment and excellence.

Quality, not quantity, symbolizes depth and value. It's about investing in relationships that enrich, work that fulfills, and actions that make a lasting impact.

Consider the biblical story of Gideon’s Army, for example. 👇

During the seven-year oppression of Israel by the Midianites, G-d chose Gideon to free the people. Initially, Gideon gathered a large force of 32,000 men to confront the Midianite army. However, G-d instructed Gideon to reduce his army significantly, first by sending home those who were afraid, and then by selecting men based on how they drank water. Of all the men, only a small handful drank the water by bringing it up to their mouths with their hands. He sent the rest home, leaving Gideon with only 300 men (~1% remaining).

With this small army, he set out to wage war against an army of 135,000!

This drastic reduction emphasized that strength is NOT based upon numbers…But in quality, unity of purpose, and true faith. This internal strength among Gideons’ chosen 300 ultimately led them to victory.

This same principle holds true for us Entrepreneurs.

It's not the size of the team that counts, but the passion, dedication, and alignment with the company's mission, vision, and values that truly make the difference. Add in a bit of faith and you are moving in the right direction.

Think about it…

Would you rather:

1. Hire three team members who each submit “meh” quality work, show minimal initiative, are not passionate about the company mission and values, and do just enough to get by?

OR…

2. Invest in one superstar who not only does a better job than all three of them combined, but does so because they're focused, determined, and passionately aligned with your company's mission, vision, and goals?

The choice seems clear, yes?

When Elon Musk took over Twitter—(Now X)—He decided to take a similar approach.

Musk recognized that for X to not just survive but thrive, it needed not just employees but contributors—Individuals actively engaged in and passionate about the company's future.

So when he stepped in as the new owner, he began evaluating how he could streamline operations and cut costs to maximize profits.

Then, he realized something…

It was discovered that a significant portion of the team contributed very little to the company's daily operations or long-term goals.

When Musk began asking employees, "What do you do all day?" many couldn't provide a clear, direct answer.

This led him to make one of the most controversial (yet profitable) moves in the company’s history: He laid off about 80% of X's staff.

This decision was not taken lightly, nor was it done without facing a wave of backlash and negative headlines from the media. Critics questioned the morality and long-term sustainability of such drastic cuts. In fact, many analysts believed that this decision would force X to eventually go out of business.

But—Yet again—Elon Musk somehow managed to prove his critics wrong. Fast forward to today, and X is operating the same with 1,500 employees as it did with 8,000 (if not BETTER!)

At Business Nitrogen, we operate on a similar belief. When people learn that we’re the only 7-time Two-Comma Club and 8-Figure Award-Winning ClickFunnels Certified Agency that is also a Marketer of the Year, they automatically assume we must have HUNDREDS of employees.

They're often surprised when I tell them, "Nope...There's under 30 of us!"

How are we able to accomplish so much with such a small team? Simple: We prioritize quality over quantity and focus on small levers that move big doors in every aspect of our operations.

Each member of our team is not a cog in a machine, but someone who is deeply committed to helping achieve one of our biggest, hairiest, most audacious goals:

Positively impacting 1 billion people worldwide through clients implementing our ethical marketing and sales strategic solutions by December 31, 2030.

So, this week I want you to think about how the principle of quality over quantity applies to your own life and business. Ask yourself:

• How can I apply the lesson of Gideon's Army to make my team or network stronger, even if it means being smaller?
• Who are the "300 soldiers" in my life or business—Those few who bring the most value, commitment, and alignment with my goals—And how can I better engage and support them?

To your success,

David

David Asarnow

5 Reasons Why Local Listings Matter

Local Listings are a vital component in anyone’s marketing strategy.

The fact is, it is one of the first things any entrepreneur should accomplish before moving forward in any online marketing strategy. Arguably, it may seem cheeky in today’s digital age to be part of a directory. However…

Local Listings bring a whole new dimension to anyone’s marketing strategy.

Nowadays, the most popular trends in digital marketing are undeniably through the use of Content Marketing and Social Media. It is understandable since Google favors Content Marketing as it is a “white hat” SEO strategy. Moreover, marketing using Social Media takes advantage of the public’s ongoing utilization of seamless online connectivity and fast information gathering.

However, utilizing these current trends must not leave you forgetting the use of local listings. No, we are not talking about the old-printed Yellow Pages here. What we are talking about is its digital equivalent – Angie’s List, Google+, TripAdvisor, Yahoo Local, Yelp, YP.com, and the like.

Local Listings and SEO

SEO for most people simply means ranking high in search engines. Google has dominated other search engines, with 68% of the market in the United States. Moreover, Google’s dominance is even more evident in mobile search, where it owns 87.8% of the searches. Google is very popular among consumers of all types because of its ease of use. Almost 6 out of 10 people use Google to look up a particular establishment or local business.

Consequently, it makes perfect sense that an entrepreneur like yourself would want to rank in Google searches for your keywords. Unfortunately, what many entrepreneurs fail to realize is that getting citations from online directories can help with your local SEO efforts.

Local listings allow business owners to place links to their company website, which is good for the company’s SEO rankings. Local listings and online directories allow this so people can acquire detailed information about goods, products, and services they provide. Moreover, when a business accrues citations in various local listings, an increase in the number of digital traffic visiting the company website must be expected.

Local Listings and Online Directories are Extremely Popular.
TripAdvisor alone gets roughly about 390 million average monthly unique visitors. Meaning, when utilizing local listings, more people notice to your brand and your advertising. Also, when using local listings, it potentially means more sales for your business.
Moreover, since a huge portion of SEO rankings base on the number of websites feature a link to the company website, having citations in various local listings is a good thing. After all, several quality sites linking to yours is beneficial for SEO.

Local Listings Gets Businesses More Visibility

Business companies spend great amounts of effort and funding on TV, print, and billboard advertisements for a sole reason. Their goal is reaching as many people as possible to introduce their brand, to be seen by potential customers. Let me assure you; this is no small marketing strategy. That is over 70% of all Internet searches are for local businesses. Google gets approximately 12 billion searches a month; that means about 8.4 billion searches primarily for local businesses.
Having a website is like having a single chance to play on a roulette wheel. However, when the site is part of Local Listings, it is like having an extra chance on the roulette wheel. Local Listings improves the likelihood of being seen by your target audience.
So when a business is part of a hundred different local listings, potential customers have a hundred different ways to find it.

Local Listings Allow People to Learn about your Brand

Like the printed-old Yellow Pages directories, Local Listings allows businesses to promote their brand, and contact details in a profile that they display on their website. Giving companies part of Local Listing an advantage over competitors, especially if they are not part of any online directories.
Local Listings also offer more information and chances to interact with potential customers compared to heavy phone books.

Local Listings, Customer Feedback, and You

It is no secret that customer feedback and reviews can have a pivotal impact on your business. Word of mouth and public opinion has always been a huge influence on buying decisions. Customer feedback and reviews can make that decision easier. Almost 9 out of 10 people consider online reviews as trustworthy over recommendations from their friends.

Now that is some serious influence! One must also recognize the bearing and influence of one’s own responses to customer feedback and reviews. Thank positive reviewers and reinforce those positive sentiments between the business and that particular patron. This move creates brand loyalty and super fans of the brand and business.

Respond to negative reviews by providing a sincere apology, offering an explanation, or by emphasizing on rectifying their concern. Acknowledging negative reviews can minimize the harm they can cause. There is also instances where the reviewer reconsiders their negative feedback because they were acknowledged and given quick attention. Nearly a third of all negative customer feedback are renewed to positive reviews just because somebody noticed their issue.

Citations are a Good Thing- Go Grab Them

It is time to prioritize in being a part of Local Listings. Most online directories are free to use and can make a great difference in a multitude of ways. Getting your business a spot in most local listings does not take much time or effort. As an aspiring entrepreneur or season businessman, capitalizing on cost-effective resources to grow your business just makes good business sense.

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