Poised for Exit
Welcome to the Poised for Exit podcast! Poised for Exit is an under 30-minute strategic planning guidance podcast for busy small business owners. Each week you’ll hear certified exit planning advisor, Julie Keyes, talk with a range of entrepreneurs and professionals about preparing your business for a future transition. Guests at every stage of company ownership will share their personal stories and lessons learned about topics such as the anatomy of the exit planning process, developing a growth strategy, how to sell on your terms, exit planning for women small business owners, handling business diversity, and how to sell a family business. Whether you’re planning an exit in the near future or not, this show will provide you with the same action-oriented content that Julie utilizes while consulting with Keyestrategies clients. Building an exit strategy can be overwhelming, especially with all the decisions and details you have to consider. “Poised for Exit” will simplify the process and help you unwrap the unknowns, giving you more confidence in your planning process. Previous episodes are available for download, so if you are new to our show, you can listen to them in any order that suits you. Join us each week for timely, relevant content that will surely impact your business exit outcome! Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive your weekly episode link and stay updated on new strategic planning content. Find “Poised for Exit” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and others. Thank you to our Sponsors: Sunbelt Business Advisers and JAK CPA's. A special note of thanks to Tyler Keyes who produced the music for the “Poised for Exit” show.
Poised for Exit
Building our "All Star Network" with Cathy Paper
Building our "All Star Network" with Cathy Paper
Cathy Paper has been teaching best practices in meaningful connections for many years and we were happy to have her on the show again today, because we know that Business Development and building a network that fosters it can be very challenging; regardless of the industry!
If you have sales people or other professionals whose job it is to be the face of the business, but who don't like to leave the office, this episode is for you. Let's face it, some people are "people people" and some are "project people", yet there are folks in both groups who are many times in charge of building a book of business.
"Paper" as everyone calls her, delivered some simple, valuable techniques for how to build a strong network, and she said "it doesn't have to be just for business referrals". Having other professionals in your network that you can connect to your inner circle are just as valuable. She also noted that a diverse network is also recommended; people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, and generations bring a wealth of unexpected perspective, expertise and knowledge. To her point about networking with 20 somethings, they know people and have technology prowess far beyond the older generations who may have more street smarts or industry expertise. In other words, if you want to know how to effectively use TikTok, ask a 20 something! We all have our strengths.
Some primary tips from Paper include:
Be on time
Introduce yourself well
Do one new thing weekly to build your network
Understand how to use LinkedIn to your benefit and start with your Profile!
Take a few risks; if you normally would not be the first to initiate a conversation, try it
Be genuine, whether online or in person
Her new book "A Scaredy Cat's Guide to Networking: Bloopers, Blueprints and Best Practices" is in its pre-order stage and can be found below on her website!
Listen to the episode here
Contact Cathy Paper here
Connect with Julie Keyes, Keyestrategies LLC
Founder, Consultant, Author, Pod-caster and Instructor