Podcast interview with Steve Graves on business leadership, entrepreneurship, and work-life integration. He's offered our audience a free copy of his new book Flourishing! Key Takeaways - Steve Graves is a multi-faceted leader: author, CEO coach, business owner, and ministry supporter - Emphasizes the importance of objective business evaluation, understanding business lifecycle stages, and creating a "composite scorecard" for life - Advocates for compressed learning through relationships, reading, and application to accelerate growth - Stresses the value of developing a strong organizational culture as a key business asset Topics Steve Graves' Background and Current Roles - Author with a weekly blog on faith, leadership, and strategy - Coaches CEOs, business owners, and entrepreneurs across industries for 3-4 decades - Owns multiple companies acquired over the years - Maintains involvement with global ministry nonprofits annually - Family man: married with 3 adult children and 5 (soon 6) grandchildren Business Evaluation and Investment Criteria - Looks for natural "tailwinds" in the business (e.g., customers, offering, finances, people, product/service) - Emphasizes the importance of a viable financial model and economic formula - Considers the leader's suitability for the business's current and next stage - Objectifies investment decisions beyond personal relationships Business Lifecycle Stages 1. Zero to One: Idea to launch, testing business theory 2. One to Five: Initial growth, organizational development, market validation 3. Five to Five Hundred: Scaling, competing effectively, significant market presence Work-Life Integration - Rejects "work-life balance" in favor of a "composite scorecard of life" - Stresses the importance of performing well across all life roles (e.g., spouse, parent, professional) - Advocates for identifying God-given assignments vs. mere opportunities - Emphasizes the need to say "no," "not now," or "not yet" to maintain focus Learning and Growth - Recommends compressing learning through relationships, reading, and podcasts - Suggests putting new knowledge into immediate application - Emphasizes deep personal formation work alongside skill acquisition Organizational Culture - Views strong culture as a critical business asset (e.g., Chick-fil-A) - Stresses the importance of defining and living out organizational values - Encourages leaders to regularly evaluate if the company truly operates by its stated values Next Steps - Listeners to check out CornerstoneCo.com for more information on Steve's work and Cornerstone Plus offering

Franklin Scott (affectionately known as Slim) faithfully served college students for many decades, with nearly 3 decades as the Senior Campus Minister at UGA's BCM. Franklin has been Matthew's mentor since his time at UGA. Franklin and Matthew talk about: How did his faith journey begin. How his faith influences his decisions. His advice on building good habits and what he would encourage them to do to strengthen their faith. How mentor's have shaped his life. His advice for someone who is struggling with their faith. How to discern God's call on your life. How to share your faith. What advice would he would have in passing on faith from one generation to another. And finally, the advice that he would give to his younger self.

Steve Beecham is an author, speaker, and business owner. He owns ⁠Home Town Mortgage⁠. He discusses his business experience, referral marketing strategies, and speaking career to provide insights for entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaways

- Referral-based businesses thrive on deep relationships; join multiple organizations to expand your network

- Provide value and "wow" experiences to generate reciprocity and increase referrals

- Speaking careers require consistent effort in marketing and building an audience

- Diversifying business interests can lead to new opportunities and growth

Topics

Steve Beecham's Business Background

- 30+ years in the mortgage industry

- Owns boutique mortgage company with son and small team

- Survived the 2008 financial crisis by pivoting to writing and speaking

- Published 4 books on becoming a community's "go-to" person

Referral Marketing Strategies

- Focus on making people aware of your business existence

- Paint vivid pictures of what you're looking for when asking for referrals

- Join multiple organizations (e.g., Rotary, Chamber of Commerce) to build deep relationships

- Aim for one new deal per month from each organization joined

- Leverage social media: "kidnap" friends on Facebook to expand network

Creating "Wow" Experiences

- Go beyond good service to create memorable experiences

- Explore clients' personal interests/needs beyond your service

- "Wow" experiences double referral rates from 10% to 20-25%

- Example: Helping a client's son find a job in an unrelated field

Speaking Career Development

- Wrote his first book during the 2008 financial crisis, leading to speaking opportunities

- Started with free 20-minute speeches at local Rotary clubs

- Expanded to paid speaking engagements through connections (e.g., Edward Jones)

- Treat speaking as a business: market yourself, build an audience

- Leverage social media and existing network for speaking opportunities

Business Diversification

- Invested in painting and HVAC businesses using marketing expertise

- Exploring hard money loans for house flippers

- Advice: Buy and hold properties for long-term wealth-building