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Running a business is an education. You learn something new every day. Over time those lessons help you get better and better at managing and growing your business and at leading your team. It’s useful to stop once in a while to reflect on what they are and how you’ve changed.
In this podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Ted Bainbridge, president and CEO of BUILD Magazine. Ted and his team founded BUILD in 2016 to fill a need in the home and construction media. Published annually, the magazine was created to serve those who are looking to build or renovate their custom dream home by showcasing a curated collection of a particular region’s most talented and inspired craftsmen in the building industry.
During their wide-ranging conversation, Gail, Erin and Ted covered a variety of topics and shared some of the best practices, lessons learned and insights they have gleaned over the years from running their businesses.
Ted related that in deciding to make BUILD exclusive to featuring “A-list” craftsmen, it meant having to reject other types of advertising or support, including saying no to some long-time associates. “It’s important to know who you are and who your customers are,” he said. “But more importantly, it’s to know who you’re not. Because not everybody is your customer.”
They shared some insights on how to lead your team, touching on best practices for delegating and giving feedback. Ted said that a friend who operates a successful brewery told him he came to realize that owners can’t control every aspect of their business. They need to empower the people around them to do their jobs and make decisions.
In regards to giving feedback, they all agreed that it was important to create a safe space, to focus not on the person but on what the person did, and to emphasize that the feedback is not intended to reprimand them but to help them get better in their position. You should be firm but reasonable and provide constructive guidance aimed at improving future behavior.
Asked if there were any final insights he’d like to share with listeners, Ted offered the rules he has come to live by:
- Happiness is a choice.
- Don’t be in a relationship you don’t want to be in.
- Make quick decisions.
- Stress is a choice.
- Be the best you can be.
- If you have no expectations, you’re never disappointed.
For other insights on the value of using coaches and hiring experts, learning from your failures, and how to get the most out of each work day and of life in general, listen to the entire podcast.
If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, read the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s6e4-shownotes
Mentioned in This Podcast
To learn more about Ted, BUILD Magazine, current and forthcoming issues, and to read the blog or listen to the Friends of BUILD podcast, visit the magazine’s website at www.buildmagazine.com.
Ted also mentioned his friend Mark Moses and his best-selling book, Make Big Happen: How to Live, Work and Give Big. You can find more information about Mark and the book at makebighappen.com. Mark also is one of the members of CEO Coaching International.
Gail named the titles of two books she recommends: Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott (more information at www.radicalcandor.com/the-book/ and Eat That Frog: How to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy (more information at www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/the-truth-about-frogs/)