Bizer Academy

Bite-sized lessons on money, marketing, your team and selling. Each one is a few minutes long and ends with something to do today.

Money

Playlists

Cash is Tight This Week: Collect what's owed and raise your floor — two moves that buy you breathing room fast.
Money Basics: New to the money side? Start here — separate your accounts, see what's really happening, and price so you actually get paid.
Take Control of Your Money: Got the basics handled? Go further — know your numbers cold, build a cushion, and keep more of every dollar.
Fund Your Business: Need money to start or grow? Figure out how much, learn your real options, build business credit, and find the right lender.
Get Funding-Ready: Turn a nervous ask into an approval: know what lenders check, understand SBA loans and grants, and steer clear of the money that sinks businesses.
Taxes, Demystified: The thing everyone dreads, in plain English. What you owe, when it's due, and how to keep it from biting you.
Scale Up Your Business: Ready to grow bigger? Know when you're truly ready, fund it without sinking, add capacity without breaking, protect your profit, and build systems so it doesn't all rest on you.
Buy or Sell a Business: Grow by buying instead of building, weigh a franchise, or plan the exit that pays you back. Vet a deal, value and fund it, and get your own business ready to sell.
Protect & Recover From Disaster: A flood, hurricane, fire, or storm closes more small businesses than any recession. Prepare before, insure against the real gaps, move fast after, tap SBA disaster loans, and reopen stronger.

Lessons

How to handle an overdue invoice without losing the customer: Most overdue invoices aren't a refusal to pay — they're a forgotten email. A short, soft check-in collects 80% of them without damaging the…
5 questions every small business should answer before raising prices: A 10% price increase to existing customers is almost always net-positive — but only if you know your margins, your repeat rate, and how to…
Why service businesses lose 30% of repeat revenue (and how to fix it): Most service shops focus on new customer acquisition while quietly bleeding existing ones. The leak almost always lives in the 60 days…
What is the VALO Framework?: The VALO Framework is the board: four pillars — Viability, Acquisition, Leadership, Operations — crossed with the four phases every…
The four phases: Start, Build, Grow, Exit: The phases are the stages every business moves through, in order. Start is the foundation every business needs first; Build puts real…
The four pillars: Viability, Acquisition, Leadership, Operations: The pillars are the four jobs every business has to do well, no matter its size or industry: Viability (cash, pricing, and profit),…
Your focus area: how Bizer picks what's next: Sixteen quadrants is a lot, but you never have to guess where to start — Bizer picks one focus area for you. It looks at your VALO Score…
Open a business bank account: A business bank account is the first real line between you and your company. It makes your books clean, your taxes simple, and your…
Separate personal and business finances: Mixing personal and business money is the #1 reason small-business books become a nightmare. Keeping them separate isn't bureaucracy — it's…
Start tracking all income and expenses: If you don't track income and expenses, you're flying blind — guessing at profit and scrambling at tax time. Tracking every dollar in and…
Set up a bookkeeping system or spreadsheet: A bookkeeping system is just a reliable place where every dollar is recorded the same way every time. It doesn't have to be fancy — it has…
Calculate basic monthly profit: Profit is simply money in minus money out. Knowing your basic monthly profit — even a rough number — tells you whether the business is…
Complete a monthly finance review (books reviewed and closed each month): Reviewing your finances once a month is how problems get caught while they're small. Fifteen minutes a month keeps you in control instead…
Establish basic pricing for products or services: Pricing set by gut feel usually leaves money on the table or wins jobs that lose money. Basic pricing means you know what it costs you to…
Use formal accounting software: A spreadsheet gets you started, but as the work grows it starts to crack — numbers get missed, reports take hours. Formal accounting…
Generate monthly profit and loss statements: A profit and loss statement (P&L) is the single report that tells you if the business made money this month. Generating it monthly turns…
Reconcile bank accounts regularly: Reconciling means matching your books to your actual bank statement so they agree to the penny. Doing it regularly catches errors, missing…
Calculate gross profit margins: Gross profit margin is the percentage of each sale you keep after the cost of delivering it. It's the clearest measure of whether your…
Track revenue by product or service: Total revenue hides the truth: some products or services make you money and some quietly drain it. Tracking revenue by line tells you what…
Establish a basic operating budget: A budget is just a plan for your money before you spend it. A basic operating budget sets expected revenue and expenses so you can spot…
Keep a rolling cash-flow record (3+ months of tracked inflows and outflows): Profit is on paper; cash is what's actually in the bank. Watching your cash flow patterns — when money comes in vs. goes out — keeps you…
Work with an accountant or tax professional: An accountant isn't just for tax season — they save you money, keep you compliant, and catch problems you can't see. Building that…
Maintain a financial KPI dashboard (revenue, margin, and cash on hand, monthly): At the Grow stage, gut feel isn't enough — you steer by numbers. Tracking a few key financial metrics on a dashboard tells you, at a…
Record your revenue growth rate each month (month-over-month or year-over-year): Revenue growth rate tells you how fast the business is actually expanding — not just whether you're busy. Watching it month over month…
Track gross and net profit margins: Gross margin shows if your pricing works; net margin shows if the whole business works. Tracking both tells you whether the money you make…
Forecast revenue and expenses: Forecasting is just making an educated guess about next quarter's money so it doesn't surprise you. A simple revenue and expense forecast…
Develop a 12 month cash flow forecast: Profit can look fine while cash runs dry — especially when growing. A 12-month cash flow forecast maps when money actually enters and…
Analyze profitability by product or service: Total profit hides which products or services actually carry the business. Analyzing profitability by line shows where to put your energy —…
Document a reinvestment or expansion plan (where profit is deployed, with targets): Profit that just sits there doesn't build a bigger business. A financial strategy for reinvestment decides — on purpose — how much profit…
Maintain clean financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow): When you sell, a buyer's first question is 'show me the numbers.' Clean, complete financial statements — profit & loss, balance sheet, and…
Maintain at least three years of financial records: Buyers don't pay top dollar for one good year — they pay for a proven track record. Maintaining at least three years of clean financial…
Normalize financial statements for owner adjustments: Owner-run businesses mix in personal perks and one-off costs that hide the real earnings. Normalizing (or 'recasting') the financials adds…
Stay profitable for 12 or more consecutive months: A buyer is buying future profits, so consistent profitability is the single biggest driver of value. Steady, reliable earnings year after…
Prepare financial documentation for due diligence: Due diligence is where deals are won or lost — a buyer's team digs into everything. Preparing your financial documentation in advance keeps…
Obtain a business valuation (broker or CPA valuation, or a documented SDE/EBITDA multiple): You can't plan an exit without knowing what drives value. Understanding business valuation — how buyers price a business and what makes…
Stop mixing business and personal money: The first real money move isn't fancy — it's a separate bank account. When business and personal money share one account, you can't tell if…
Know what's coming in and going out: You can't manage what you can't see. You don't need accounting software on day one — you need a simple, honest record of money in and money…
Set money aside for taxes before it bites you: The most common gut-punch for a new owner is a tax bill for money they've already spent. Nobody withholds taxes for you now — that's your…
Busy isn't the same as making money: Plenty of owners are slammed with work and still broke. The reason is the gap between three different things: revenue (what comes in),…
Price so you actually make money: The most expensive mistake a new owner makes is pricing by copying a competitor or guessing what feels fair. Your price has to cover your…
Know the number that keeps the lights on: Your break-even is the amount you must bring in each month just to cover your costs — the line between losing money and making it. Most…
Smooth out feast-or-famine: Service income is lumpy — a huge month, then a dead one. The owners who sleep at night aren't the ones with the biggest months; they're the…
Know which work actually makes you money: Not all jobs are equal — some make you great money, some quietly lose it, and most owners can't tell which is which. Margin is simply…
Income tax: you're taxed on profit, not everything you take in: Start with the relief: as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, your business doesn't pay income tax on its own — the profit 'passes…
Self-employment tax: the one that surprises everyone: This is the one nobody warns you about. At a job, your employer quietly paid half of your Social Security and Medicare. Now you're both the…
Estimated taxes: pay as you go, four times a year: Because no employer withholds tax for you anymore, the IRS wants its share throughout the year instead of one giant bill in April. If you…
Employment taxes: the moment you hire someone: The day you bring on your first employee, a new layer shows up — payroll taxes. You withhold income and Social Security/Medicare from their…
State and local taxes: know your own backyard: Federal is only half the story. Depending on where you operate, you may owe state income tax, sales tax, city or county taxes, and maybe a…
Record keeping: the boring habit that saves you: Nearly every tax headache traces back to messy records. Good records mean you claim every deduction you've earned, you can prove it if the…
Accounting basics, without the jargon: You don't need to become an accountant — you need just enough to make good calls and talk to one. Two ideas cover most of it: whether you…
Where to get real answers (free): When you have a specific tax question, you want the source — not a random forum thread. The good news: the IRS and the SBA/FDIC publish…
Figure out how much money you actually need: Before you look for a dime, know your number. Ask for too little and you stall out; ask for too much and you're paying interest on money…
Know your funding options: There's more than one way to fund a business, and they're not equal. Most small businesses run on savings plus a loan — investors and…
Build business credit (before you need it): Business credit is your company's own reputation with lenders — separate from your personal credit. Build it early and quietly, and when…
Where the money actually comes from: The big bank isn't your only door — and often not the best one for a small or young business. Between community lenders, SBA-backed loans,…
Get loan-ready: what lenders actually look at: A loan approval isn't luck — lenders check the same handful of things every time. Know what they look at, shore up the weak spots first,…
SBA loans, in plain English: "SBA loan" doesn't mean the government hands you money — it means the SBA guarantees part of a loan a regular lender makes, so the lender…
The truth about grants: Grants are real, but the fantasy of "free government money to start any business" is not — and that fantasy is bait for scams. Real grants…
Avoid the money that kills small businesses: Not all funding helps — some of it is a trap dressed up as a lifeline. Merchant cash advances and daily-payment 'quick funding' can carry…
Know when you're actually ready to grow: Growing too soon is how healthy businesses go broke — you take on cost and complexity before the demand is real, and it swallows you.…
Fund your growth without sinking the ship: Growth costs money before it makes money — the new truck, the extra crew, the bigger space all hit your bank account first. Fund it the…
Add capacity without breaking what works: The thing that makes customers love you — the quality, the responsiveness, the personal touch — is the first thing that cracks when you…
Grow your revenue without losing your profit: "We doubled our sales and made less money" is one of the most common — and most painful — stories in small business. Bigger revenue with…
Build the systems so growth doesn't depend on you: A business that only works when you're there can't really grow — you become the ceiling. The way past it is to get the business out of your…
Buying a business vs. starting one: Starting from scratch isn't the only way in. Buying an existing business means paying for something that already has customers, revenue,…
Find and vet a business worth buying: The best deals are the ones where you know exactly what you're buying — and the worst are the ones where you find out after you sign.…
Value it and fund the purchase: Two questions decide whether a deal is smart: what's the business really worth, and how will you pay for it? Small businesses usually sell…
Is a franchise right for you?: A franchise is a middle path — you run your own business, but with a proven brand, a playbook, and support behind you, in exchange for fees…
Sell your business (or plan your exit): Someday you'll leave your business — by selling it, handing it down, or closing it — and the owners who plan that exit years ahead walk…
Prepare your business before disaster strikes: A flood, fire, storm, or extended power outage closes far more small businesses for good than a bad economy ever does — and the ones that…
Insure against the disasters that can end you: The gap that sinks businesses after a disaster is almost always the coverage they thought they had but didn't. Standard property insurance…
Recover after a disaster: your first moves: The hours and days right after a disaster are chaotic, and what you do in them shapes how well you recover. Safety comes first, always —…
Get an SBA disaster loan: When a disaster is federally declared, the SBA offers low-interest disaster loans directly to businesses — to repair the physical damage…
Reopen and come back stronger: Getting the doors open again is a win — but reopening well is what wins your customers back and keeps you from being caught flat-footed…
Decide if you're ready to start a business: Starting a business is exciting, but it works best when you go in clear-eyed. Before anything else, get honest about your idea, your…
Choose your legal structure and register the business: Your legal structure affects your taxes, your paperwork, and whether your personal assets are protected. Picking the right one and…
Define your product or service and set your prices: You need to nail exactly what you're selling, to whom, and for how much. Clear offerings and prices built on real costs are what make the…
Figure out your startup funding: Most businesses need some money to start — for equipment, inventory, or to cover the first lean months. Knowing how much you need and where…
Build simple financial projections: Financial projections are your best estimate of revenue, costs, and profit for the first year or two. They prove the business can make…
Get your federal and state tax IDs: Before you can hire, open a business bank account, or file taxes, you need the right ID numbers. The big one — a federal EIN — is free and…
Open your business bank account: Open a business bank account on day one, before the money starts moving. It keeps business and personal finances separate — which makes…
Get the right business insurance: The right insurance protects everything you're building from a single bad day. Some coverage is legally required (like workers' comp once…
Register your Louisiana business with the state: In Louisiana, you make your business official through the Secretary of State — most of it online via geauxBIZ. Registering correctly is the…
Get your Louisiana and federal tax IDs: Once you're registered, you need two tax IDs: a federal EIN from the IRS and a Louisiana tax account with the Department of Revenue. These…
Louisiana sales tax: collecting and filing across parishes: This is the one that trips up every Louisiana business. You don't just collect state sales tax — each parish (and some cities) levies its…
Business insurance for Louisiana businesses: The right insurance protects everything you're building. Some coverage is legally required in Louisiana (like workers' comp once you have…

Marketing

Playlists

Marketing From Scratch: Never done marketing before? Start here — figure out who you're for, what to say, and how to get customers with no budget.
Build a Brand That Sticks: Branding isn't just a logo. Make a clear promise, stand for one thing, and look and sound the same everywhere — so customers remember and trust you.
Get Found & Get Chosen: Got the basics? Build a marketing engine — reviews, referrals, showing your work, and knowing what actually brings customers.
Make Your Marketing Pay: Spending on ads and campaigns but not sure they're working? Know what a customer's worth, track every campaign to what it costs, and run it all from one calendar.
The Phone's Not Ringing: Slow week? Cheap, fast ways to drum up work — using the customers and channels you already have.
Get 10 New Commercial Leads This Month: Three concrete moves that pile up commercial inquiries by the end of the month.
Sell Beyond Your Borders: 95% of customers live outside the U.S., and most exporters are small businesses. See if exporting fits, get ready, find overseas buyers, get paid safely, and tap the free help and money built to get you there.

Lessons

How to show up on Google Maps when someone searches “HVAC near me”: Your Google Business Profile is doing more of the selling than your website. Three fixes in 15 minutes will move you up the local pack and…
Setting up a simple “leave us a review” text automation: The single highest-ROI marketing move for a service business is asking every paid customer for a review within 24 hours of the job.…
How to pitch local property managers via LinkedIn: Commercial property managers are the single biggest source of repeat work for service trades. A short, specific LinkedIn pitch lands more…
Let Miles write your website content and SEO: A website only wins customers if it keeps producing content that ranks. Connect your site and Miles becomes your writer — on-brand blog…
Connect your WordPress site to Bizer with AI Engine: Before Miles can write and manage your website, your site needs to let him in. The free AI Engine plugin turns your WordPress site into…
The 2-text rule for following up with quotes: Most quotes go cold because no one follows up. Two short, specific text messages — one at 48 hours, one at 7 days — double the conversion…
Document an ideal-customer profile: When you try to sell to everyone, you connect with no one. Defining your ideal customer — who they are and why they buy — makes your…
Write a one-line value proposition: If a stranger can't understand what you offer in one sentence, you'll lose them. A clear, plain explanation of your product or service is…
Identify competitors and the alternatives customers use: Your customers always have alternatives — a competitor, a DIY option, or doing nothing. Knowing what you're up against tells you how to…
Create a basic online presence (website or Google listing): If you can't be found online, you don't exist to most new customers. A basic online presence — a simple website or a Google Business…
Launch at least one marketing channel (active profile, listing, or campaign): Marketing at the Start stage isn't about big budgets — it's about consistent, simple effort: showing up on social media, telling your…
Begin collecting customer contact information: Every customer's contact info is an asset you can sell to again. Start collecting names, emails, and phone numbers now — it's far cheaper…
Gather customer feedback and reviews: Reviews and feedback are how new customers decide to trust you — and how you find out what to fix. Asking for them, simply and…
Document two or more specific customer segments: Not all customers are the same — they buy different things for different reasons. Defining specific segments lets you tailor your message…
Identify reliable marketing channels: Throwing marketing at every channel burns time and money. Identifying the few channels that reliably bring customers lets you stop guessing…
Implement a lead capture system: Leads slip through the cracks when there's no system to catch them. A lead capture system makes sure every inquiry — call, form, DM — lands…
Track leads and customer inquiries: Once leads are captured, you need to see where each one stands. Tracking leads and inquiries through stages shows you who needs a follow-up…
Document a sales follow-up process (defined steps and cadence): Most sales are lost to silence, not rejection — the lead just never heard back. A simple follow-up process means every prospect gets…
Track conversion from lead to customer: Your conversion rate — how many leads become customers — tells you whether your problem is getting leads or closing them. Tracking it turns…
Maintain a review profile and respond to reviews: Your online reputation is forming whether you watch it or not. Monitoring reviews lets you thank happy customers, fix unhappy ones fast,…
Set up a referral method (referral offer, link, or logged referrals): A referral is the cheapest, highest-trust customer you'll ever get. Encouraging referrals on purpose — not just hoping for them — turns…
Track customer acquisition metrics: To grow predictably, you need to know how customers are won, not just that they show up. Tracking acquisition metrics turns marketing from…
Calculate customer acquisition cost: Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is what you spend to win one customer. Knowing it tells you which channels are worth it and how much you…
Calculate customer lifetime value: Customer lifetime value (LTV) is the total profit a customer brings over the whole relationship — not just one sale. It changes everything…
Implement a retention mechanism (recurring plan, renewal, or win-back campaign): Winning a new customer costs far more than keeping one. Retention strategies — staying in touch, rewarding loyalty, delivering consistently…
Implement a customer-experience system (onboarding flow, support process, or CSAT survey): A great customer experience is your cheapest marketing — it drives reviews, referrals, and repeat business. Building systems for it means…
Analyze marketing channel performance: Some marketing channels quietly carry your growth while others drain budget. Analyzing channel performance tells you exactly where to put…
Document a brand identity (logo, positioning, and messaging guidelines): As you grow, a strong brand is what makes customers choose you over cheaper options. Strengthening your identity and differentiation gives…
Expand into new customer segments or markets: Growth eventually means reaching beyond your original customers — new segments, areas, or services. Expanding deliberately, one bet at a…
Maintain a strong customer database: Your customer database is one of the most valuable assets you'll hand over. A strong, organized list of customers and their history proves…
Maintain reliable customer acquisition systems: A buyer wants proof that new customers will keep coming after you leave. Reliable, documented acquisition systems show that growth is built…
Maintain multiple marketing channels: Relying on one marketing channel is a risk a buyer will discount you for. Maintaining multiple channels means lead flow survives if any one…
Hold a review rating at or above target, with a review in the last 90 days: Your online reputation is public proof of the business's quality — and buyers check it. A strong, steady stream of positive reviews…
Build repeat or recurring customer relationships: Repeat and recurring revenue is the gold standard for value — it's predictable income a buyer can bank on. Building relationships that…
Put brand assets and accounts in the business's name (domain, socials, reviews): If customers buy because of you personally, the business can't be sold — it walks out the door with you. Making the brand independent of…
Could your business sell overseas?: Exporting sounds like something only big corporations do — but most U.S. exporters are small businesses, and 95% of the world's customers…
Get export-ready: Selling abroad adds a layer most owners have never dealt with — rules about what you can ship, how it's labeled and classified, and how a…
Find buyers in other countries: You don't have to fly around the world to find overseas buyers — the U.S. government runs a whole service whose job is to connect American…
Get paid safely across borders: The scariest part of exporting isn't shipping — it's wondering whether a customer thousands of miles away will actually pay you. The good…
Free help and money to start exporting: Exporting is one of the few areas where the government genuinely hands small businesses money and expert help to grow — because exports are…
Marketing is just getting known for the right thing: "Marketing" sounds like something big companies do with big budgets and a whole department. For you it's simpler and cheaper than that:…
Get specific about who you're for: The most common marketing mistake is trying to be for everyone — which lands with no one. When you get specific about exactly who your best…
Say what you do in one clear line: If you can't say what you do in one sentence a stranger instantly gets, your marketing won't work no matter where you put it. The fix is a…
Market with more time than money: You don't need an ad budget to get customers — most of your first ones come from marketing that costs time, not money. A free Google…
Before you spend a dollar on ads: Most owners waste their first ad money because they run ads before they're ready — no clear target, no clear message, no way to tell if it…
Turn happy customers into your best marketing: Your happiest customers are your most powerful — and cheapest — marketing. A steady stream of reviews and referrals builds trust with…
Show your work: content a busy owner can actually make: You don't need to become a content creator — you need to show the work you're already doing. A before-and-after photo, a quick clip of a…
A marketing routine you'll actually keep: The reason marketing feels like it "doesn't work" for most owners is that they only do it in a panic when work dries up, then stop the…
Know which marketing actually works: Most owners have no idea which of their marketing actually brings customers, so they either keep spending on the wrong things or quit the…
Know what a customer is worth — so you know what an ad is worth: You can't tell whether an ad is "too expensive" until you know what a customer is actually worth to you. And a customer isn't one job —…
When you're spending, know what's actually working: Once you're paying for ads and campaigns, the danger flips: not "how do I start" but "which of these is quietly wasting my money?" Most…
Run your marketing from one calendar: When you're doing marketing in-house, it turns into a pile of half-remembered to-dos — a post here, an ad there, a promotion you meant to…
Your brand is a promise, not a logo: Most owners think "branding" means a logo and some colors. That's the smallest part. Your brand is really the promise you make and the…
Find the one thing that makes you different: If a customer can't tell why they'd pick you over the shop down the street, you're left competing on price — a race you don't want to win.…
Look the part without spending a fortune: You don't need an expensive designer to look professional — you need a simple, consistent look that shows up the same everywhere. A clean…
Say it the same way, everywhere: Branding isn't just how you look — it's how you sound. When your Google listing, your texts, your posts, and your voicemail all sound like…
See how you show up on Google (it's free): Google will tell you — for free — exactly which searches bring people to your website and where you rank for each one. It's called Google…
Validate your idea before you spend a dime: The biggest startup mistake is building something nobody will pay for. Validation means proving real people want your product or service —…
Write your company description and mission: Your company description is the heart of your business plan — it says who you are, what you do, and why you exist. A clear mission gives…
Do your market research: Market research is how you prove there's a real, reachable market — and that you understand it. Knowing your customers, competitors, and…
Plan your marketing and sales strategy: A great product nobody hears about doesn't sell. Your marketing and sales plan is how you'll reach customers, get their attention, and turn…
Write your executive summary: The executive summary is the first thing anyone reads and often the only thing — so it has to sell the whole business in a page. Write it…
Choose (and clear) your business name: Your business name is the first thing customers meet — and picking one that's actually available saves painful, expensive do-overs later.…

Your team

Playlists

Your First Hire: Ready for help but scared to hire? Know when it's time, define the role, find the right person, and get them productive fast.
Lead Your Team: Be the boss people want to work for: delegate, set expectations, keep your best people, build systems, and handle the hard conversations.
Emergency: A Key Employee Just Quit: Lock down your accounts, find a replacement fast, and keep the team from spiraling.
Become a Google Workspace Power User: Connect Google once and let Miles run your inbox, calendar, files, and contacts — you tap to approve everything that goes out.

Lessons

Lock down your company software and passwords in 10 minutes: Before you announce a departure, secure the digital perimeter. Rotate the shared logins, kill the active sessions, and you remove the…
The emergency job-posting template that gets applicants in 24 hours: Most job posts read like a wishlist. A great emergency post sells the job in the first line, names the pay range, and tells the candidate…
How to delegate their shifts to the remaining team without causing a mutiny: The team is already nervous after a departure. How you reassign the work in the first 48 hours sets the tone — name it, share the load, and…
Connect Google Workspace: one login that puts Miles to work: Most owners use Miles at 10% because he can't see their inbox, calendar, or files. One secure connection changes that — and nothing ever…
Inbox zero in ten minutes a day — Miles runs the triage: You don't need to process forty emails — you need the four that matter and a drafted reply for each. Miles sweeps your unread mail, buckets…
Own your week: book, move, and find free time by asking: Scheduling by hand means eyeballing the calendar, guessing, and emailing back and forth. Miles reads your actual free/busy time, offers…
Your files on demand: Drive, Docs, and Sheets without opening a tab: The quote you wrote in March, the price list in a spreadsheet, the contract PDF — it's all in Drive, and Miles can find it, read it, and…
Turn Google Contacts into a working customer list: Your Google Contacts are a phone book; Bizer's People is a memory. Miles can look anyone up mid-task — "email the plumber about Thursday"…
Your sales calls already come with free video: Most owners think video calls mean paying for Zoom and pasting links around. Google Meet is free with the account you already have, the…
Stop taking notes on your own sales calls: On paid Google Workspace plans (Business Standard and up), Meet can transcribe and record your calls — and Miles can read them. The recap…
Teach Miles the spreadsheets that run your business: Your price list, your job tracker, your inventory count — the real database of your business is probably a spreadsheet. Say "learn my…
The list that collects what everyone owes you: Half of running a business is waiting on other people — the quote answer, the signed contract, the payment. GTD calls it the Waiting For…
An inbox that actually gets cleaned: Until now Miles could read and reply, but the tidying was on you. One reconnect changes that: he can archive the noise, mark the FYIs read,…
Emails that sound like you, written while you work: Everyone can tell when an email wasn't written by the person who signed it. Say "learn my voice" and Miles studies your own sent mail —…
Never open your inbox scared again: The worst part of email is the not-knowing — opening the inbox blind, bracing for what's in there. Now Miles reads it first: every morning…
Five power moves that combine Gmail, Calendar, and Drive: The real magic isn't one tool — it's Miles chaining them. Meeting prep pulled from your own email and files, invoice chasing that finds the…
Write a definition of what you deliver (scope statement): Before you can deliver consistently, you have to be crystal clear on what you're actually delivering. A defined product or service sets…
Identify the basic steps required to deliver the work: Every job you do has steps — even if they only live in your head. Writing down the basic steps to deliver your work is the first move…
Acquire necessary tools or equipment: You can't deliver reliably without the right tools and equipment. Knowing exactly what you need — and keeping it in working order —…
Identify suppliers or materials needed: Reliable suppliers and materials keep your work flowing. Knowing who you buy from and what you need — before you're out — protects you from…
Record the typical delivery time per job: If you don't know how long your work actually takes, you'll underprice it and overpromise. Tracking your real timing is the foundation of…
Document your capacity (jobs or units per week): Knowing how much work you can handle in a day or week stops you from overbooking and burning out — or underbooking and leaving money on the…
Write basic quality standards (a checklist or acceptance criteria): Quality expectations you can name are quality you can deliver every time. Setting a basic standard — what 'good' looks like — keeps your…
Create standard processes for delivering work: When every job is done from memory, quality swings and you can't ever hand it off. Standard processes — a written way you deliver each job…
Define the workflow for completing jobs or products: A workflow is the path a job travels from request to done. Defining it removes the 'what's next?' guesswork, prevents dropped steps, and…
Apply a quality checklist to each job: Consistent quality is what turns one-time buyers into regulars and referrals. Setting clear standards — and checking against them every…
Track work orders or job progress: When jobs live in your head or scattered texts, things get missed and customers chase you. Tracking work orders and job progress in one…
Implement scheduling or task-management systems: Without a scheduling system, you double-book, forget jobs, and waste hours driving. A simple scheduling or task-management system keeps…
Track inventory or supplies if needed: Running out of supplies stops jobs and frustrates customers; overstocking ties up cash. Tracking inventory means you always have what you…
Calculate the cost to deliver products or services: If you don't know what it truly costs to deliver, you can't price for profit. Calculating your cost to deliver — materials, labor, and…
Document detailed standard operating procedures: Basic processes get you consistency; detailed SOPs let the business run without you. Documenting standard operating procedures step-by-step…
Create training material (a documented onboarding or training resource): Hiring people is easy; getting them productive and consistent is the hard part. A training system — built on your SOPs — turns new hires…
Add a quality-control step to the workflow (documented inspection or sign-off): As volume grows, quality slips unless you guard it. Quality control processes — checks built into the workflow — catch problems before the…
Track operational metrics (throughput, on-time rate, defect rate): You can't improve what you don't measure. Monitoring operational metrics — jobs completed, on-time rate, rework — shows where the work is…
Record a measured efficiency gain (before/after on a process metric): Efficiency is profit you already earned but lost to waste. Improving productivity — cutting wasted steps, time, and motion — lets you do…
Implement operational software or automation: Manual work and sticky notes break down at scale. Operational software and automation handle the repetitive parts — scheduling, invoicing,…
Document a capacity plan (staffing and throughput targets for growth): Growth dies when you can't deliver the work you've won. Planning operational capacity — people, tools, and time — ahead of demand means you…
Document all operational procedures: If the know-how lives in people's heads, it leaves when they do — and a buyer can't trust it. Documenting every operational procedure turns…
Maintain a complete SOP library: A complete SOP library is one of the most attractive things a buyer can see — it proves the business can run without its current people.…
Show jobs delivered by staff without the owner (logged): A business where only the owner can deliver isn't sellable. Ensuring employees can deliver the work independently — to your standard,…
Keep documented supplier and vendor agreements (terms on file): Stable supplier and vendor relationships are part of what a buyer is purchasing. Reliable, documented vendor relationships — not handshake…
Maintain operational performance reporting: Operational reporting proves the business performs consistently — and keeps doing so without you watching. Maintaining performance reports…
Document an operations continuity plan: The ultimate test of a sellable business: does it keep delivering when the owner steps away? Operational continuity without you is what…
Write a one-paragraph vision statement: A basic vision is your answer to 'where is this going?' It doesn't need to be grand — it needs to be clear enough to guide your decisions…
Document your core offering (primary products or services): Trying to sell everything to everyone scatters your energy. Clarifying what you focus on selling — your core offer — is how a small…
Begin organizing tasks and priorities: When everything lives in your head, important things slip. Organizing your tasks and priorities — getting them out of your memory and into…
Set a primary business goal you own (written, with a target date): At the Start stage, you are the one steering. Owning that responsibility — deciding direction, making the calls, and following through — is…
Track key tasks and responsibilities: Key tasks and responsibilities you track are key tasks that get done. A simple system for what needs doing — and who owns it — keeps…
Set basic short-term goals: Goals turn 'I hope it goes well' into 'here's what we're aiming for.' Setting basic short-term goals gives you something concrete to steer…
Register with SAM.gov so you can apply for federal grants: Federal grants are real money for small businesses — but you can't apply for a single one without being registered in SAM.gov. It's free,…
Set clear annual and quarterly business goals: Vague hopes don't drive a business; clear goals do. Setting annual and quarterly goals gives you and your team a target to aim at and a way…
Define roles and responsibilities for team members: When everyone assumes someone else has it covered, things fall through. Defining roles and responsibilities makes it clear who owns what —…
Establish a basic organizational structure: Even a small team needs structure so people know who reports to whom and who decides what. A basic organizational structure prevents…
Implement weekly planning and review sessions: Businesses drift when no one stops to plan and review. A weekly planning and review session — even 30 minutes — keeps priorities clear and…
Organize work into projects or initiatives: Loose tasks scatter your attention; organized projects move the business forward. Grouping work into projects or initiatives gives bigger…
Begin hiring or managing team members: You can't grow past your own two hands without help. Starting to hire and manage team members — even part-time — is how you buy back your…
Document team communication norms (channels, cadence, response times): Most team problems are really communication problems. Setting clear expectations — how and when people share updates, ask questions, and…
Conduct strategic planning for the business: At the Grow stage you need a plan bigger than this quarter. Strategic planning sets your direction for the next 1-3 years — where you're…
Implement weekly leadership meetings: As the team grows, decisions and problems can't all wait for you. A short weekly leadership meeting keeps the people running things…
Conduct monthly performance reviews: People do their best work when they get regular, honest feedback. Monthly performance reviews keep your team aligned, growing, and…
Implement quarterly planning sessions: Quarterly planning is the rhythm that keeps strategy from gathering dust. Every 90 days you score the last quarter and set the next —…
Implement an accountability system (assigned owners and tracked scorecards): Goals without accountability quietly slip. Accountability systems make ownership clear and visible — everyone knows what they're…
Delegate leadership responsibilities to managers: You can't lead everything as the business grows. Delegating leadership to managers — real authority, not just tasks — frees you to work on…
Document company values and expectations (a culture doc or handbook): Culture is what your team does when you're not watching — and it makes or breaks a growing business. Defining your values and expectations…
Maintain a clear leadership structure: A clear leadership structure shows a buyer who runs what — and that it isn't all you. A defined structure of roles and decision-makers…
Develop a leadership team responsible for major areas: A capable leadership team is what lets a business outlive its founder. Developing leaders responsible for the major areas means the company…
Maintain long-term strategic planning cycles: Long-term strategic planning cycles show a buyer the business has a future, not just a present. Maintaining regular planning — annual and…
Run structured performance management (scheduled reviews and documented KPIs): Structured performance management keeps a growing team aligned and accountable without the owner riding herd. It shows a buyer the people…
Document delegated decision authority (who decides what, in writing): If every real decision still runs through you, the business can't operate without you. Delegating genuine decision authority to your…
Pass an owner-absence test (documented: ran without the founder for a set period): This is the whole point of the Exit stage: a business that runs without its founder. When operations continue smoothly whether you're there…
Know when it's time to hire your first person: Most owners wait too long to hire — they're drowning, turning away work, and spending their day on $15 tasks when their time is worth far…
Decide exactly what to hire for: "I need help" isn't a job. Before you hire, get specific about the role — the tasks, the hours, and whether it's an employee or a…
Where to find good people: The best hires usually come from people you already trust, not a stack of online applications. Before you post a generic ad, tap your…
Onboard so they're useful in a week: The fastest way to lose a good new hire is to throw them in with no plan and hope they figure it out. A little structure in the first week…
Delegate without losing control: The hardest part of having help isn't hiring — it's letting go. Owners cling to every task because "it's faster if I just do it," then…
Set clear expectations and give feedback: Most "people problems" are really clarity problems. Your team can't hit a target they can't see. Say plainly what good looks like, then…
Keep your good people: Finding a great worker is hard; keeping one is far cheaper than replacing them. And it's rarely just about money — people stay when they…
Get it out of your head: simple systems: If your business only works when you're there because everything lives in your head, you don't have a team — you have helpers waiting on…
Let someone go the right way: Sometimes it isn't working, and keeping a bad fit hurts everyone — you, the team, and often the person themselves. Letting someone go is…
Get the licenses and permits you need: Most businesses need some license or permit to operate legally — and the rules vary by industry, state, and city. Sorting this out early…
Assemble your plan and get free expert help: Pull the pieces into one business plan — your roadmap to success. It doesn't have to be perfect; it's a living document you'll keep…
Pick where your business will operate: Where you operate shapes your costs, your rules, and how customers reach you. Whether it's your home, a truck, or a storefront, the move is…
Make it official: your launch checklist: This is the finish line — the short list that turns "I'm starting a business" into "I'm open." Work through it, lean on the free expert…
Get the licenses and permits you need in Louisiana: Louisiana doesn't have a single statewide business license — what you need depends on your trade and where you operate. Most businesses…
Free help for Louisiana businesses: You don't have to figure this out alone. Louisiana has a network of free advisors and mentors who help with everything from your business…

Selling

Playlists

Sales From Scratch: Never sold anything before? Start here — from finding your first customer to saying your price without sweating.
Win Your First 5 Customers: The whole sales process, in order — from a nervous first pitch to a customer who sends you the next five.
Sell With Confidence: Got the basics down? Sharpen up — diagnose real needs, hold your price, and keep your pipeline full on purpose.
A Deal Is About to Go Cold: A quote's gone quiet and you don't want to lose it. Two moves to warm it back up without being pushy.
Win Government Contracts: The government is the world's biggest buyer, and reserves a huge share for small businesses. Register in SAM.gov, get certified for set-asides, find the right opportunities, and win your first contract.
Certify & Win More Work: Woman-, veteran-, minority-, LGBTQ-, disability-owned, or in an underserved area? An official certification puts you in a shorter line for government and corporate contracts. Find your fit, get it free, and turn it into work.

Lessons

Selling to the government: is it for you?: The U.S. government is the largest buyer of goods and services on earth, and by law a big share is set aside for small businesses like…
Register to sell to the government (SAM.gov): Before the government can buy from you or even see you, you have to register in SAM.gov — the System for Award Management. It's the…
Get certified for set-aside contracts: The government reserves whole categories of contracts for specific kinds of small businesses — and getting officially certified moves you…
Find the right contracts to bid on: You don't win a federal contract by hunting for the giant, headline deals — you win by finding the right-sized opportunity where you…
Bid and win your first contract: A government bid isn't a sales pitch — it's a test of whether you can follow directions exactly. The businesses that win aren't always the…
Why certification is a small business's secret weapon: If you're a woman, a veteran, a minority, LGBTQ, a person with a disability, or based in an underserved area, there's a good chance you…
Which certification fits you: There are several certifications, each for a different owner, and you may qualify for more than one. The rule of thumb for most: you need…
Get certified the right way (free or cheap): Getting certified is mostly paperwork proving you own and run the business — not a test you can fail. The key is to go through the official…
Rural and place-based advantages you might be missing: Where your business sits can be an advantage all its own. If you operate in a rural area or an officially underserved zone, there are…
Turn your certification into actual contracts: A certification sitting in a drawer wins nothing — it's a key, not a paycheck. The businesses that cash it in register in the right…
Selling isn't pushing — it's helping someone say yes: Most owners hate 'selling' because they picture a pushy stranger talking people into things they don't need. Real selling is the opposite:…
Your pipeline is just a follow-up habit: Most sales aren't lost to a better competitor — they're lost to silence. The owner got busy, forgot to follow up, and the customer drifted.…
Qualify early so you stop chasing the wrong customers: You only have so many follow-up minutes in a day. Spending them on someone who was never going to buy is the most expensive mistake in…
Answer the four objections you'll actually hear: Almost every 'no' is really one of four things: no money, no hurry, no trust, or no need. None of them mean go away — they mean the…
Ask for the sale — most owners never actually do: Here's the quiet killer: the owner does everything right, then never asks. They hope the customer will bring it up. Asking for the sale…
Turn one happy customer into the next five: Your happiest customer is your cheapest lead. The moment you've done great work is the moment they most want to help you back — but only if…
What actually happens in a sale, start to finish: Selling feels scary when it looks like one big make-or-break moment. It isn't. Every sale is a short, predictable path: someone has a…
Where your first customers actually come from: Before you can sell anything, you need someone to sell to — and when you're just starting, they almost never come from ads. Your first…
The first conversation: talk less, ask more: New owners think selling means talking a lot — a big, convincing speech. The opposite is true. The person who asks good questions and…
Say your price out loud — without flinching: The most common mistake new owners make is mumbling their price, apologizing for it, or slashing it before anyone even pushes back. Your…
Follow up without feeling like a pest: Most sales aren't lost to a competitor — they're lost because the owner felt awkward following up and just didn't. Here's the truth that…
Be the doctor, not the salesman: A good doctor never prescribes before they examine. Great selling works the exact same way: you diagnose the real problem before you…
When they say 'I found someone cheaper': There will always be someone cheaper. If you compete on price alone you'll bleed money and attract the worst customers. Compete instead on…
Spot when someone's ready to buy: Customers tell you when they're ready — you just have to catch it. The moment they start asking about timing, price details, or how it'd…
Selling is a numbers game you can actually run: Selling feels like luck until you start counting. Once you know roughly how many conversations it takes to land one customer, the whole…
Turn 'not right now' into a future yes: Most 'no's are really 'not yet.' The timing's off, money's tight, or it just isn't urgent — today. If you stay in touch, helpfully and…
Make selling a habit, not a scramble: The reason so many solos ride a feast-or-famine rollercoaster isn't skill — it's that they only sell when work gets slow. By then it's…
Interview customers so they tell you the truth: People are polite about your idea and honest about their past. So don't ask what they'd do — ask what they already did, what it cost them,…

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