69 - Growing with Intention w/ Joe Sanok

Welcome back to the Scale Your Small Business Podcast with your host, Jillian Flodstrom. Today's guest is Joe Sanok, a keynote TEDx speaker, business consultant, and podcaster. He has the number one podcast for counselors, The Practice of the Practice Podcast, and has interviewed people like Pat Flynn, John Lee Dumas, and Lewis Howes. He's also written five books and is a writer for Psych Central, has been featured on the Huffington Post, Forbes, Good Magazine, Reader's Digest, Entrepreneur on Fire, and Yahoo News.    Joe got started helping others grow their practices and businesses after he realized he was making more in his side counseling gig than he was at his primary job. But, it didn’t just happen. He was putting in the work reading, listening to podcasts, and sharing what he learned outside of grad school, like building coaching packages, mastermind groups, a membership community, and hiring other consultants.  Mindset is, of course, a crucial part of building, growing, and scaling a business. Joe points to three things top performers have internally and naturally. The first is curiosity. It didn’t kill the cat, but it is a trait that high-performing individuals have. The second is the ability to see things from an outsider’s perspective. Being able to shift the way a problem is approached is a superpower. The third is not being paralyzed by perfection. There is a spectrum, Joe says, from speed to accuracy. In some cases, it makes sense to opt for accuracy over speed, but in many businesses scenarios, speed is the way to go.    When you’re looking for a mastermind group or partner, there are a few key things to remember. Joe breaks down the steps: before you even have a mastermind group, look at what you're doing now and make sure you have the space for it. Then, make sure you’re clear on how the partner thinks and what they’ve done--you want to make sure you align. Finally, make sure you’re part of a community. Meeting people on the way up is the way to go.    When you’re scaling a business, it can be difficult to pinpoint what you should be doing and what you should put a halt on. Joe is the mind behind the Thursday is the new Friday model--one whose philosophy is based on when you give yourself less time to do things, you naturally will drop the ball -- and it’s good to drop the ball. When you have fewer days to work, the most important things float to the top of your priority list, and the things that sink to the bottom you probably should be outsourcing or delegating. Beyond that, do it for your staff. Joe asks his staff three important questions: What do you love about your current position, what do you hate, and where do you want to grow. These simple inquiries result is happier team members who stay longer and build a position best suited for them.  Give your staff permission to be creative and innovate on their own terms. Empower them to move forward without you, and offer feedback.    Joe’s book, Thursday is the New Friday, is a menu of tools that can help you grow, think, experiment, and adjust. It goes beyond typical prescriptive narratives and focuses on how we slow down. It’s about being intentional and optimizing how you operate.    Key Takeaways   Be curious. Shift your perspective. Opt for speed over perfection.  Make sure you align with a mastermind partner, coach, or group.  Allow the things you love to do to float to the top. Delegate or outsource the rest.   LINKS   Joesanok.com   Purchase five or more copies and gain access to mastermind groups and other free digital bonuses that go beyond the book. You can submit your receipt at thursdayisthenewfriday.com