“I can typically take what they call ‘their messes’, their life or business, and distill it down and help them see what opportunities are out there.”

This is Taylor Sparks of the Raleigh-Durham MO.com, where we feature small business owners and entrepreneurs to bring you, hints, tips, insights, and perspectives on what it takes to be successful. Joining us today is Shawn Brodof, founder of Clarity Coaching, and author of The Termite Effect – 25 Common Business Mistakes and Their Hidden Consequences and Adjunct Professor at Catawba College Ketner School of Business.   Clarity Coaching named Small Business of the Year 2011 by The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce. Shawn, Thank you for taking the time to speak with MO.com.

MO:
You became a business coach after working for more than 14 years in corporate America. Was this always part of your plan, to go out on your own or was it a particular set of events that made you take this leap?

Shawn:
I’ve always been a serial entrepreneur, even through those corporate years.  I went through a lay off in 2009 and that was what pushed me over the edge to take the plunge.  The businesses I started previously I called them my cubicle businesses and I did those part-time.  But I always played and I’m an entrepreneur at heart.  I just paid the bills via corporate America for many years.

 

MO:
What exactly does a business coach do for an individual or company that the coach is working with?

Shawn:  I provide clarity, thus the name of my business, structure and accountability.  A lot of it comes via helping people get organized.  It’s not a skill that many people are blessed with and I am. I can typically take what they call ‘their messes’, their life or business and distill it down and help them see what opportunities are out there.  I help them capture those.  More importantly what obstacles are standing in their way, what keeps them from taking their business to the next level and helping them to break those down into bite-size pieces.

MO:
You mentioned being a serial entrepreneur.  What other businesses did you launch?

Shawn:
The first business that I started back in the mid-late nineties was fantasy sports and it was just starting to become popular.  I was living in Charlotte and playing all of these fantasy sports and became really good and realized that there weren’t any real good fantasy racing games.  So I grabbed a couple of buddies and we threw a couple of thousand dollars in and started this fantasy racing game based on the Nascar series.  Instead of picking 1 or 2 drivers hoping that they won we took the statistics from each race and made it more interesting to watch the race.  We did that for a few years and tried to private label it to country music radio stations and they could use that as an advertising vehicle.  It was a good first step and it failed miserably but I learned a lot. A few years from there I started an internet marketing that was more web development at the time.  One of my corporate jobs was internet marketing and everyone that worked for me was doing freelance on the side.  So I said that sounds like fun, why don’t we work together. I had some designers that worked with me and I started dabbling in the small business community by going to Chamber of Commerce events.  When I look back, that’s where the coaching really started.  Because I found myself talking to owners about their websites but then it went much deeper than that.  I didn’t realize at the time but that was the precursor to my coaching business.  About 5 years ago I started a residential real estate business.

MO:
Was it getting involved with the small businesses that made you decide to finally settle on coaching and consulting?

Shawn:
Yes, I really enjoyed brainstorming with small business owners.  In about 2007-2008, I started going to the strategic coach program that really opened my eyes.  It’s a quarterly program where you spend a whole day working on your business.  He was group coaching and that helped me to formulate what I wanted to do next.  I wanted to be able to do similar work like he was doing.

 

MO:
You are also a published author. Why did you decide to write a book on business mistakes?

Shawn:
That came about because I do workshops every month at the Lake Norman Chamber and I did a workshop on business mistakes.  There was such an overwhelming response to it that I came back the next month and did part two.  I had all of this material and as I realized that I’m talking about all of these mistakes that we as business owners make and continue to make. I just felt like there was something there and it complemented my coaching business. Now I can say, you are going to read chapter 10 this is directly related to something you want to work on.  They can read chapter 10 and then we go from there.  Its something that I always wanted to do.  A lot people say they want to write a book someday and I was the same way.  I had all this material now I had no excuse not to do it.

MO:
Do you believe it is more or less challenging to become profitable in a service oriented business vs. a product based business?
Shawn:  Coming from the service side on basically everything that I’ve done, I think its easier on the service side if for no other reason, the lack of overhead.  In the product based you may have to go out and rent this fantastic office and you are paying a couple thousand bucks in rent each month and can be really hurting yourself.  On the service side you may have to some licensing or certifications but if you are smart about it you should be more profitable just for lack of inventory and overhead.

MO:
How long was it before you were profitable?

Shawn:
It probably took a good year and a half.

MO:
What size companies do you work with?

Shawn:
I’m straddled the fence between small to medium.  I’ve really drawn to the smaller businesses because they don’t have anybody to lean on.  You ask a typical small business owner who they get advice from it’s usually my spouse, my uncle, my dad or my mom.  But they are not experts and some of them don’t even have any small business experience. So I’m kind of drawn to those folks but I have gone into companies that have 35-40 employees. I’m not necessary working with the employees I’m working with the owner or CEO.  But it depends.  All the problems are the same, it doesn’t matter what size the company is.  You have little bit more Human Resource issues but the issues that I’m dealing with they are virtually all the same.

MO:
I read that your second book tentatively titled; The No Regrets Principle will be out soon.  What prompted this new book?

Shawn:
Well, that’s just something that’s been on my heart for a long time, whereas The Termite Effect just kind of fell out of the sky.  This is a concept that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. It’s about how to live a no regrets life.  I can’t even tell you where it started.  I’m writing the introduction of the book and the first time I remember understanding this concept was from the Harry Chapin son Cat’s In The Cradle where he sings about his dad.  That was back in the 70s. So that is the first time that I can remember thinking about that.  I’ve kept a folder with quotes and peoples expeirneces and now I need to put it all together in a cohesive manner.

The Final Five!  Five semi-random questions.

MO:
Proudest personal achievement?

Shawn:
I would have to say my family.  I’ve got three kids.  Professional stuff is great but definitely the family.  Hands down.

MO:
Title of last book read?

Shawn:
You probably want me to give you a good business book.  I typically read 3 or 4 books at a time. This summer I’ve gotten into, on the fiction side, Brad Thor.  I’m into my 8th book of his this summer.  On the business side was Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.

MO:
Biggest Pet Peeve?

Shawn:
I would have to say insincerity.  When people are talking to you but they are really not interested but are being polite.  I would prefer that they not be interested.

MO:
Athlete/Celebrity you would most like to work with?

Shawn:
That’s a tough one.  I like to be around people who are outside the box thinkers.  I like to bring that to the table to my clients. I think of people, like the guy who started the Strategic Coach program that I mentioned, Dan Sullivan.  Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Freedman or even Newt Gingrich.  Just people who think a little bit differently than the rest of us.  I’d like to hear what those people are thinking about.

MO:
If you weren’t in the business coaching business, what career would you have?

Shawn:
This may strike you as odd.  But I think I’d like to be a farmer.  I tell my kids that as soon as I can afford to I’m going to buy a beach condo so that my wife can enjoy that and then we are buying some land.  I don’t think I’d work the land, but I’d lease it out and let someone farm it, but I would want them to teach me how to do it.  That’s something that’s come up the last 2 or 3 years.  My family thinks I’m nuts, but I’m going to do it.