Combining his passion for aviation with his willingness to take on the risk of bringing his skills outside the cockpit, Randall is now leading a team of unmatched experts in private aviation. As a result of his commitment to providing clients with a superior aviation experience, his company has positioned itself as a leader in the private aviation industry.   His advice to anyone who wants to start a business   Find something that you're passionate about, take the risk, and you gotta do it.   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, our guest, Randall Mize will discuss how taking your skills outside your comfort zone can lead to more opportunities and progress. He will also talk about his journey to creating Leviate Air Group and share great tips on finding the right business.   Randall Mize is the President and Co-Founder of Leviate Air Group. With years of experience as a flight instructor, corporate pilot, and aircraft sales and management, Randall brings a wealth of aviation expertise to the Leviate team. He facilitates the acquisition, refurbishment, and sale of business aircraft on the global market.   Leviate Air Group is a trusted private aviation company which provides all air charter needs, offers guidance through aircraft sale and purchase transactions, and even manages high-flying assets. Due to its ability to provide an expert level of operations, management, and maintenance services, Leviate has become the standard bearer in service and client satisfaction.   Enjoy!   This episode is brought to you by Vouris –  We’re Vouris – we’ve developed a powerful framework that allows early-stage startup companies to build stronger sales teams and hit their revenue targets.  We call it the 5 Components of Sales Effectiveness: People Process Message Technology & Leadership  Let us tell you exactly what to focus on to dramatically improve your results. We help early-stage startups hit their revenue goals and you are only one click away from more revenue. https://hubs.ly/H0NK23j0   In This Episode 1:32 - About Leviate Air Group   4:01 - How Randall's passion for aviation led him to become a pilot   8:38 - Why he prefers being a corporate pilot   12:01 - How Randall learned the ropes of aircraft management   19:04 - The evolution of Leviate Air Group   26:12 - Why being over-prepared for a presentation is an advantage   28:54 - How Randall handled the backstage operations of his company   33:50 - His advice to anyone who wants to start a business   35:30 - What drives them to keep going despite heavy losses   Favorite Quotes "There've been times that we thought we were going to fail. And we were literally sitting at lunch, maybe a year and a half ago figuring out how we were going to unwind the company, it was gonna go bankrupt. And when I think back over the last five years, there's so many ups and downs. And you know, when you're down, you got to figure out what is it going to take to get through this." - Randall Mize   "As a corporate pilot, you're an aircraft manager. So I think going the corporate route actually trained me a lot for what I'm doing today." - Randall Mize   "I find a lot of our clients are buying airplanes because they need them. But also a lot of them are buying because they want the tax write-off."- Randall Mize   "When you're starting a business, you have to be better than your competitors. In the private jet world, if you're not confident, you're not getting the deal." - Randall Mize   "If you know what you're doing and you're passionate about it, as long as you can extend your runway long enough, you're going to figure out how to make it work." - Randall Mize   "If you are thinking about starting your own company and you maybe want to take that risk, you should do it. Because if you don't, there's going to be multiple times later in life where you're going to say, “Man, I wish I had done that.” - Randall Mize   Engage with Randall Mize Leviate Air Group Website     Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast      

Access Points Podcast

From the CEO's Desk: Passion and Risk

In frustration over the inefficiencies of most insurance companies, Michael decided to set up his own firm to provide better service to everyday people. Using his legal knowledge and experience, he has committed himself to helping people in need and getting them the justice they deserve. What sets him apart from other attorneys - genuine care and passion to help people!   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, our guest, Michael Uvalle will tell the story about his journey to starting his own law firm. He will also discuss the importance of branding and marketing in business and what sets him apart from other lawyers.   Michael Uvalle is the Founder of Uvalle Law Firm, a personal injury law firm whose mission is to settle cases with maximum value as fast as possible. Driven by his desire to make things happen, he is also highly regarded for his marketing skills and branding expertise.   How to find the best place to put your money, time, and effort: Track all the data you can get   Enjoy!   This episode is brought to you by Vouris –  We’re Vouris – we’ve developed a powerful framework that allows early-stage startup companies to build stronger sales teams and hit their revenue targets.  We call it the 5 Components of Sales Effectiveness: People Process Message Technology & Leadership  Let us tell you exactly what to focus on to dramatically improve your results. We help early-stage startups hit their revenue goals and you are only one click away from more revenue. https://hubs.ly/H0NK23j0   In This Episode 1:18 - Backstory of Michael Uvalde   2:39 - What motivated him to start his own law firm   4:28 - The struggles that he faced at the beginning of his business   7:51 - What sets Michael apart from other lawyers   11:55 - How he began marketing and branding his business   14:58 - The importance of having a web page and a phone number for businesses   20:23 - How he addressed the challenges brought about by COVID 19   22:41 - How Michael developed his mindset of making things happen   26:42 - The future of Law Boss   31:01 - His most enjoyable business aspect   32:25 -His process for hiring the right team members   37:00 - Michael's advice for his younger self   Favorite Quotes "And so in those moments when you're in the most dire of needs, like it's time to figure stuff out and get in there yourself and do it. And so I also think it's important as a leader to show your team like, you know, when times are rough, I'll go in the trenches and be right there by your side, whatever it is. Cause that's what it has to be done." - Michael Uvalle   "We wanted to position ourselves as the anti-lawyer basically. We're lawyers, we're providing legal services, but we're not just like lawyers that nobody can get along with or wants to get along with at the beginning. So positioning ourselves in a more powerful place and more approachable place, we thought that was critical for what we wanted to do. "- Michael Uvalle   "The brand awareness thing is critical because we can advertise one day, but there's only so many people that will have a need on that given day for us. So we've got to make sure that we're top of mind every day. So when that need does arise, we're the first phone call that they're making." - Michael Uvalle   "There's a graphic online, I think it says that everyone thinks the road to success is a straight line up. In reality, it's a squiggly line that goes backwards, forwards, and all over the place. And eventually, you're making progress." - Michael Uvalle     Engage with Michael Uvalle LAW BOSS Website     Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast        

From the CEO's Desk: Data Tracking

If your life and the lives of your men depend on a loadmaster and a pilot, the best things that you can do - TRUST and COORDINATE!   Flight operations are no different from running a business. It takes a level of trust, communication, and coordination between the support team and the operations team to see the revenue and continue keeping a lasting customer experience. That’s the beautiful symphony of business.   This bonus episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast features a conversation between a pilot and a jumpmaster, Nate Cavender and Davin Marceau. They will discuss the complexities of airborne jump operations and the beautiful symphony inside the aircraft as they relate to the business world.   Enjoy!   This episode is brought to you by Vouris –   We’re Vouris – we’ve developed a powerful framework that allows early-stage startup companies to build stronger sales teams and hit their revenue targets.   We call it the 5 Components of Sales Effectiveness: People Process Message Technology & Leadership   Let us tell you exactly what to focus on to dramatically improve your results. We help early-stage startups hit their revenue goals and you are only one click away from more revenue. https://hubs.ly/H0NK23j0     In this Episode 5:20 - The interaction between the pilot and the jumpmaster   6:59 - How trust and coordination are key to a successful flight operation   9:10 - How running a business is similar to running an airborne jump operation.   Favorite Quotes "You know, I think whether you're flying an airplane or jumping out of an airplane or running a business, if you get to the point where you're cavalier about it, that's when that level of irresponsibility reality sets in." - Davin Marceau   "The trust in the coordination that you have to have with your counterparts, whether it's the front of the aircraft carrier load master or the load master to the army guy who's going to be jumping out of the back, there's really a beautiful kind of symphony that has to happen there." - Davin Marceau   "It actually makes me happy that you were a little bit nervous about it because for us, it's a life and death situation." - Davin Marceau   "Whether you're the sales guy, you've worked your butt off to get to the point of closing the deal. You have to trust and stay involved in it, but still give that level of trust and communication and coordination with the operations team, with the support team that they're going to take that sale. See it from revenue to a person and continue to keep that customer happy to perpetuity." - Davin Marceau   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast    

Bonus Bite: Trust and Coordination

Organizations devote significant resources to training people - time, money and effort. While it is truly painful to see people leave after investing so much of themselves into it, having the right mindset and rethinking what your organization wants to be rather than finding replacement is the best way to move forward.   How to respond when people leave your organization: Don't panic. Always train the talent pool that you have. Look at where you're hiring.   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, Mike Kelley joins Davin and Tim to talk about how to reevaluate your organization after letting somebody go. They will also share the strategies and mindset ACCESS EFM takes to move forward when people find opportunities outside their organization.   Mike Kelley is the VP of SALES at ACCESS Enterprise Forms Management. Mike is a master at communication, understanding people's problems, and aligning customers with the proper solutions. Most importantly, he has established a reputation of integrity and showing up for his customers.   Enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Vouris - We’re Vouris – we’ve developed a powerful framework that allows early-stage startup companies to build stronger sales teams and hit their revenue targets.   We call it the 5 Components of Sales Effectiveness: People Process Message Technology & Leadership   Let us tell you exactly what to focus on to dramatically improve your results. We help early-stage startups hit their revenue goals and you are only one click away from more revenue. https://hubs.ly/H0NK23j0   In This Episode 2:05 - How it feels when somebody leaves your organization   3:28 - How the leadership team at ACCESS reacts when someone in their organization finds another opportunity   6:26 - Management's most common reaction when people leave the organization   11:05 - How to move forward after letting somebody go   16:38 - How today's workforce can adapt to the technology-driven era   17:41 - Tim's advice to leadership team and business owners   Favorite Quotes   "The beautiful thing is, when those things happen, you have to decide at that point in time, what's next? What do we do now? And really no matter what it is in life that you get a curveball, it's not a matter of what you do at the moment, it’s what you decide to do moving forward." - Tim Elliot   "I think it's probably the one thing that is consistent is that all things are always changing." - Mike Kelley   “Three years ago, there was a significant culture-based overhaul that needed to happen across the company. We did that and it was difficult and it was hard. There were some dark days and there were some days where it was awfully difficult to say, good! But we kept saying good. And we kept trying to evolve as an organization." - Davin Marceau   "If you don't mentor and train your people to be able to get to the next level of opportunity, then you're not doing a very good job as a leader." - Davin Marceau   "In healthcare, our sales cycles are so long. We invest so much money and time and effort into people. And as much as we've invested in that person into that area emotionally, physically, mentally, and monetary, seeing them leave is really painful. It’s gut wrenching because we've put so much of ourselves into it." - Tim Elliot   "In sales, if there's something that's just a little bit off and if it gives us any kind of indication that this type of thing is coming our way, that's the type of stuff where I think we're so much better at listening and open to some of those data points that are coming back to us all the time." - Mike Kelley   "As soon as this type of thing happens, the person leaves your organization, don't immediately jump to the idea of ''I've got to replace.” Take a breath, look at objectively, and dream about what would be perfect if we could make this exactly what makes sense for us now." - Mike Kelley   "You have to understand that today's workforce, especially in a technology based environment, is a transient workforce.  If you expect people to stay around for 10 years, you're going to find yourself having to scramble to make up for that a little bit." - Davin Marceau   "Start training leadership with the people that aren't in leadership yet, but have the skills that are doing a great job where they are." - Tim Elliot   "If you're in leadership or the owner of the business, get involved in clubs and organizations where you can find out about people, especially executives, that you can start building relationships with people outside your organization." - Tim Elliot   "When somebody leaves, the first thing is, don't panic.  We have an opportunity to really think through what we want, not who we want, but what we want this to be." - Tim Elliot     Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast        

When People Leave Your Organization

Having the desire to call something his own, Nate ventured into the world of entrepreneurship after his separation from active duty. Combining the mindset he learned from the military with his financial and business expertise, he has built a business that he is proud to call his own, The Driveway Company.   Among the lessons he learned as a sales executive and entrepreneur: Focus on what are you really good at and be the best at that Find a way to structure yourself around the things you aren't good at   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, our guest, Nate Cavender will talk about how his military experience helped him establish the mindset he needed to succeed in a civilian environment.  He will also discuss his journey as a sales executive and a business owner, as well as the lessons he learned from those experiences.   Nate Cavender is an Air Force Veteran and Pilot. He served eight years in the United States Air Force as an officer/pilot. His passion for helping others and his desire to build something to call his own, he founded The Driveway Company. It was also his passion for finance that inspired him to pursue a career in wealth management and join a wellness company that offers an integrated approach to overall well-being.   Enjoy!   This episode is brought to you by Vouris - Vouris.com Turn insights into action Your data tells a story –  We analyze your past data and understand what worked, what didn't, what to keep and what to improve. All based on data, specific to your business. Take your free sales assessment here: https://hubs.ly/H0N77qL0   In This Episode 2:59 - Backstory of Nate Cavender   4:39 - How Nate got his pilot's license   8:00 - What a C-17 aircraft is and why he enjoyed flying it   9:57 - Why Nate transitioned from the Air Force to building his own company   11:27 - The challenges of being back in the civilian sector   14:46 - His first job after the military and what he learned from it   16:38 - The lessons he learned during his tenure at Merrill Lynch   22:26 - What inspired him to become an entrepreneur   24:44 - How Nate balances his work as a sales executive, a business owner, a father, and a husband   34:47 -The marketing strategy that helped them boost their business   36:53 - How their business performed in its first six months of operation   39:56 - Tim Elliot's advice for all business owners   Favorite Quotes "One of the colonels, one of my mentors in the military, says something that stuck with me and I'll always remember, he said, 'Hey, one day the air force is going to be done with you. And so you better make sure that you take care of your family because they're going to be the ones that are there when the air force is done with you.' And I think that's the same for pretty much everything in life. Your family is going to be there, but one day, everything else is going to be done with you.” - Nate Cavender   "I think the comradery that you form with your fellow pilots or anybody, your subordinates, was pretty strong and it was special. You don't immediately get that as easily in the civilian sector." - Nate Cavender   "In the civilian sector, not everybody necessarily has the same mission in mind. You don't necessarily know where everybody's motivation lies." - Nate Cavender   "I think the coolest thing is seeing people when they have a plan for their children that comes true for their children. It's special." - Nate Cavender   "I really want to have something to call my own. And I felt like I could really be successful."  - Nate Cavender   "I didn't realize how hard it really is to start a business. I was really excited about building this and I cared about it so much that I started to feel that even though I didn't have time during the day to work on my company, I would at night do it. So even though that was super tiring, not to mention the family that you had to pay attention to as well, there's something that drove me to still do it. And it was mainly because I love doing it." - Nate Cavender   "I guess moving forward to now, it's kind of like what we were getting at. There are some really hard times and they're going to be some good times. But if you're working hard and you're paying attention to things, they'll get better. It's like those days when you're just really struggling with whatever it is, it always seems to figure itself out." - Nate Cavender   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast      

Air Force to Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned

Feeling stale is a common fate even among the most seasoned entrepreneurs. But as an individual, an entrepreneur, or a professional who aren’t designed to settle for stagnancy, perspective and mindset are integral to getting past the sense of staleness. Acknowledge that it is a feeling that may or may not ring true, learn how to manage it, and change the rules to be able to provide objective reality against an emotion.   How to transcend the emotional strain of staleness Reach out to somebody who has been in your shoes before Step away to get new perspective Talk to customers to find out what you can do better   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, Tim and Davin will talk about business staleness from the emotional perspective. They will share tips and tricks about how you can revitalize your mindset as an individual and as an entrepreneur so that you can jump back into business and be more effective.   In this Episode 2:19 - Understanding the theory why entrepreneurs feel their business is stale   5:53 - How to validate if the business is going stale   7:32 - Tim's thought on why entrepreneurs are among the loneliest in the world   9:40 – How to cope with the emotional strain of being stale   11:49 - Davin's take on transcending staleness   14:46 - How Tim rejuvenates his passion   Favorite Quotes "As an entrepreneur or business owner, there's not a deeper hole to be in than to feel like you're stale. And the reason why is, for those of you that aren't entrepreneurs and business owners, you have to understand that we're some of the loneliest people in the world. And the reason why is that we can't ever truly trust anybody. “ - Tim   "When you feel stale, what typically happens is you've reached a point where you as a business owner or an entrepreneur feel like you're not growing, you don't feel like you're getting smarter, and you don't feel like you're getting better." - Tim   "A lot of things that are in your head, they’re giving you problems and the reason you're stale is because the way you're thinking." - Tim   "There were several people in my life throughout the lifecycle of our organization that I've reached out that have really helped me and helped me put things in perspective." -Tim   "Most of the problems we have as humans are what's between our ears. And if you're a business owner, an entrepreneur, a lot of that staleness happens because you feel like things aren't exciting or you feel like things aren't going the way that you want them to." - Tim   "There's nothing that you can do to rejuvenate the passion and the love you have for what you do better than go talk to some customers and ask them what you can do better and how you can make your product, your solution better and tell them, thank you."   "Feeling of staleness is a feeling. Learn how to change it. And the way you do that is talk to someone who's been through it, go see some customers and think through where you really are." - Tim   "If you're the business owner, you're the entrepreneur, fighting fires is something you've learned to do really well, but it's not productive. Get someone that can help you do that and go out there to lead."   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast    

Why Does My Business Feel Stale?

Running a business presents a lot of challenges. Among which, the most expensive and inevitable, are legal conflicts. Although litigation is adversarial and truly a painful process, having the right mindset and the right people can help you navigate through the hard costs, the opportunity costs, and the emotional costs of litigation.   His advice when deciding to undergo litigation:   Find a trusted person who is objective that can help you think through this and not be emotional.   Understand that if you go legal, your relationship with that individual or that organization will probably end   Think about whether the cost of litigation is worth the end result   Find an attorney that specializes in whatever litigation that you're going to need   In today’s episode of the Access Points Podcast, Tim and Davin will talk about how to respond when confronted with legal issues. Having gone through the experience of litigation, they will discuss how they handle the proceedings, cope with the emotional strain, and offer great advice when deciding to litigate or when litigating against.   Enjoy!   In This Episode 6:51 - Why litigation is the last thing organizations want to deal with   8:21- Things to do first when deciding to litigate   9:20 - Why litigation is a painful process   12:01 - Tim's advice on finding the right litigation attorney   20:42 - Davin's interaction with legal counselors   23:21 - How to cope with the emotional strain of being sued   26:42 - His recommendations on dealing with lawyers when a lawsuit is served   Favorite Quotes "Anytime you go to litigate, you're hurt, you're upset, and you feel like you've been wronged for whatever reason. And there's a lot of emotions there. And I can tell you right now, as someone who's dealt with this, those emotions will cost you dearly every single time." - Tim   “No one ever really wins when someone litigates. There may be a result at the end, there may be closure at the end, but the reality is, no one really comes out the winner.” - Tim   "I think by and large, emotions drive lawsuits and litigation. Whether it's to a small extent or a large extent it's situationally dependent. But there's always just an incredible emotional charge to whether you're litigating or being litigated against." - Davin   "No one ever really wins when someone litigates. There may be a result at the end, there may be closure at the end, but the reality is, no one really comes out the winner." - Tim   "When you make decisions by your emotions, it doesn't always play well because with the law, there is no emotion. It's typically a yes or no." - Tim   "If you're considering the litigation aspect, strip away the emotion and sit on it for a little while and really be able to assess not just the hard cost, but the opportunity costs, how it's going to affect not just your life, but the lives of the ones that you love as you're going through this process." - Davin   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast        

Getting Sued

Salespeople understand that the grease that keeps them going in the sales process is confidence and the best way to win prospects is trust. But sales confidence doesn’t always come naturally. It is the product of having a level of understanding that comes from training programs and the competency that results from passionately learning and diving so deeply into the subject matter that you’re trying to become an expert on.   To be an effective salesperson: Focus on your strength Replace negative energy with positive influences Learn from other’s success.   In today’s episode of the Access Points Podcast, Cody and Mike will talk about how confidence plays a fundamental role in the success of every salesperson. With more than four decades of combined experience in sales and marketing, they will share their expertise on how they thrive, even in the most challenging times, and how they bring salespeople to their utmost potential.   In This Episode 2:23 - What defines a competent sales representative 6:26 - How confidence translates to competence 9:00 - The key to a salesperson's ultimate success 14:36 - How Cody thrives during situations like frozen budget and financial meltdown 19:30 - The two types of salespeople 26:02 - How Mike revitalizes a sales rep that lost confidence   Favorite Quotes "What do successful people in sales look like? And those are confident people. But it's not cheap confidence that it's arrogance or anything like that. It's earned through the competency that you do every day and in the delivery of how you send that message." - Mike   "Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident." - Mike   "The currency of sales is first and foremost, you have to understand that it's a relationship based engagement. So being that it is a relationship based engagement. The currency in that field is trust." - Cody   "Never get too high with the highs, never get too low with the lows. Get that competency level, earn the level to be able to transfer this confidence and produce consistently whether or not you're on the road or you're at home. You hit the same number of doubles. That defines whether or not you're going to be a hall of fame salesperson or not." - Mike   "One of the things that I communicated to my team was to focus on the strength areas. And focusing on the strength areas is really based upon how self-aware you are of what you're good at and what you're bad at." - Mike   "If you're a salesperson that takes a sales presentation, build upon it and make it you, now you're onto something. Check it out, learn it, become the SME, and then do your own thing."   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast      

The Impact of Confidence In Sales

In its role as the bridge between the customer's needs and the products or services the business offers, sales play a pivotal role in the success of any business.  However, predicting your sales is not a walk in the park. It is difficult to forecast the revenue that your business will generate over a given period of time due to the different elements and varying conversion rates throughout the sales funnel.   Even more so, the lack of accountability by sales people, sandbagging behavior in forecasting, and management failure to get involved are the barriers to effective sales forecasting.   The most important aspects to forecasting: Honestly Truth   In today's episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, Tim and Davin will talk about sales pipelines and how the leadership team at ACCESS EFM calculates the numbers in their pipeline. They will also dig deeper into why accountability, discipline, and trust are the building blocks of every organization's sales system.   In This Episode 1:32 - How ACCESS came up with the numbers in their pipeline   7:08 - Tim's perspective on the value of forecasts   9:46 - Why business leaders need to be involved in lead generation processes   17:33 - The flaw behind the quantity approach to sales   Favorite Quotes "The most important thing to forecasting is honesty and truth. There's nothing that can wipe out forecasting any faster or any worse than not being honest and not being truthful. You can only work with what you know is to be true." - Tim   "Nothing's changed in sales since the 1900's as far as the way things work. It's a big funnel and you've got to put a lot in the top to get a little out of the bottom. Not everything that you put into the top is going to come out in the bottom." - Tim   "Pipeline is incredibly important in closing business. Obviously, cash is king. We use the pipeline to get to that number. But there's so much more that goes into it, so much more that results from an accurate pipeline." - Davin   "Nothing's worse for me than an untrustworthy pipeline or forecast." - Tim   "We don't want to micromanage. But at the same time, it's really important for your sales group that you're completely involved in the process and you're involved in some way on every sale." - Tim   "As an entrepreneur, as an owner, as an operator, we just need the truth. And if I know the truth, I can work with the truth and we can't fix things if we don't know what the truth is." - Tim   "When you're in a business especially B2B and when things don't close overnight, you have to have continuity and you have to have consistency. And most importantly, you have to have clarity and actual numbers to that pipeline." - Davin   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast        

Forecasting Pipeline: Mirage or Real

Imagine getting a call in the middle of the night telling you that the hospital is going down because of your product, that’s a tough blow!    Although this type of scenario is the most terrifying for entrepreneurs, taking aggressive actions before any possible threat arises allows you to build the most robust and most trusted product the market has ever had.   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, Tim and Davin will talk about the default aggressive mindset that they had in 2020. Having the vision to see the potential of their product, they will discuss how their team at ACCESS has taken a proactive approach to identifying and resolving problems in 2020 - DEFAULT AGGRESSIVE.   Enjoy!   In This Episode   2:54 - How ACCESS EFM took advantage of the timeout in 2020   3:54 - A good analogy of effectively utilizing downtime   6:45 - Why looking back on the process of improving your operation is scary   9:57 - The mindset young entrepreneurs must have   14:44 - What makes Tim sleep better at night   17:13 - Why ACCESS’ cash flow has been performing well despite the unprecedented event such as the pandemic   19:04 - The difference between the income and the outgo it terms of budget   23:12 - Tim's advice to entrepreneurs on dealing with their operators     Favorite Quotes "To the entrepreneurs listening to me, it's important that you work so closely with your operators that they understand your vision, that you're in agreement of where you want to be a year, two years from now. If your operator does not understand the vision, clearly they can't do their job. And boy, from a financial standpoint, that can wreck you fast." - Tim   "It was a year and a half ago, we really ran some analysis on what the product needed. We did tons and tons of testing, load testing, and looked at bugs. We spent a lot of money, a lot of effort on trying to find out what that was. Then to be able to go through this last year and take this time of kind of downtime of really digging in and saying, “let's do some of the hard work and some of the heavy lifting now that we can take a breath and let's push a little bit." That's exactly what we did." - Tim   "As the operator for the company,  as the owner for the company, seeing that capital go out and not a whole lot of cash flow coming back in as we paid for these big endeavors with some of the partners that we were working with to assess stability, to assess bugs, to assess integration and security, it was scary." - Davin   "What's beautiful about it is when you finally get done, you're able to see things differently. When we talked specifically about the product, we now know that the base of this thing. The core of our product is probably the best it's ever been, the most stable and the most robust. It's got the building now to change so much in the future to be what we need to be." - Tim   "Being default aggressive, you can't rely on being scared. Once you decide to move forward, you can't be scared. You have to move forward and you have to do that with vigilance and you have to be smart about it. But at same time, sometimes you just have to go. And nine times out of 10, we've been successful doing that." - Tim   "Having the vision to know that all this work that our engineering team and our product manager were putting in all this work was going to pay off because we knew that there was demand for it. Our partner knew the demand for it. But to get the product where it needed to be both for our partner and for the customer, we knew that it was going to pay off. So as an entrepreneur, we’ve got a bunch of expenses coming out, but I know that there's a return coming.” - Tim   "The ability to pivot fast as a small organization is the lifeblood of who we are. The number one competitive edge we have, that is to see a market change, to see a need and a demand, and be able to pivot and meet that." -Tim   "My dad told me one time, Son cash flow first profitability second. They're not the same thing." - Tim   "Literally doing every single thing that we possibly can to be secure for ourselves and for our clients, makes me feel good about our company. It makes me feel good about myself. It makes me feel good about the product that we're putting out super important." - Tim   "Even in the best of economic conditions, understand your operating expenses, understand what cash do you need to come in in order to be able to meet that and what cash needs to come in to be able to hit your gross margin and understand that there are areas that you can trim, be it in technology, be it in platforms, be it maybe in people." - Davin   "There are a thousand different things that you can do to be able to get lean now. But budget heavy, put a lot of time and investment into understanding what your budget looks like for the year, understand what your expenses are going out, and understand the cash flow that you need to come in to break even and to meet that margin. Then just stay the path and operate to that." - Davin   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast      

Identifying and Resolving Problems: Default Aggressive

Security Cert Reputation Part 1

Recognizing his own limitations and accepting the reality that he cannot run the entirety of his business, Tim grew his company alongside with people who have the right mindset and the ability to execute his vision. Whereas most businesses measure their success with arbitrary numbers, Tim believes that growth comes from getting new clients that find value in what they are offering.   Today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast is the second part of the topic “disciplined entrepreneur”. Tim and Davin will talk about the third element where most entrepreneurs burnout - Growing. They will go in depth on how their team at ACCESS managed the growing phase of their organization and discuss the problems that come along from the addiction of growth and expansion.   Tim Elliot is the Chief Executive Officer of ACCESS. He started Access in 1999 with an eye towards helping businesses create more efficient forms processes. His ability to look at the upside potential of their product and successfully leading a team of great leaders, ACCESS has evolved into the global leader in healthcare electronic forms technologies   Enjoy!   Favorite Quote   "It's not about how much we grow, I just want to make sure that we are growing because when you stop growing, then I feel like something's wrong. And so, it's not about the number to me. It's about, are we still doing the right things? Are we still finding new clients that find value in what we're doing?"                                                                                                   - Tim Elliot   In This Episode 1:35 - Tim's advice to kids coming out of college   2:25 - His definition of growth   4:09 - How Tim handled the growing phase of his business   8:15 - The problems that come up from the addiction of growth   10:46 - The pitfall of setting arbitrary numbers to measure growth   16:50 - Great analogy in the growth process of a business   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast      

Disciplined Entrepreneur Pt 2

Seeing the upside of what his product could become, Tim moved mountains to transform his vision into reality. His discipline from the need to support his career for survival and the upside potential of his idea drives him to pursue his passion and grow ACCESS from the ground up.   Today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, Tim and Davin will talk about the cool topic about disciplined entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur in his core, Tim Elliot will talk about his thought process in building his software company without having personal knowledge in writing codes. They will also discuss in a deeper meaning the three elements of an entrepreneur. Thinking Doing Growing   ACCESS is the world’s leading electronic forms management, automation and workflow provider. They are committed to enabling change through innovative technology – creating paperless and paper-light processes with green technology, improving work environments by making people’s jobs easier and allowing organizations to communicate more effectively.   Enjoy!   Favorite Quote   "You feel that inside that you're not going to let go of this. You know that it can be a success even though everything around you is telling you that you should be normal and just quit and go back to the other job. To me, that perseverance is I'm not going to let this go."                                                                                                 - Tim Elliot   In This Episode 4:56 - Tim's thought process of the first element of an entrepreneur - Thinking   7:15 - How entrepreneurs differ in the thinking part   9:16 - Tim's business venture before conceptualizing his software product   11:22 - How Tim finds balance from his selling career to an aspiring entrepreneur   14:11 - The concept of disciplined entrepreneur   18:10 - The timeline for ACCESS when rubber meets the road   23:17 - How Tim developed the product of ACCESS   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast      

Disciplined Entrepreneur Pt 1

Micromanagement in the workplace is treating people like inmates and them acting like prisoners. Not only that it harms the team’s morale but also impacts the whole organization in terms of productivity and accountability.  Simple as it seems, taking responsibility and ownership of one’s actions and decisions involve a deeper factor in the organization- TRUST.   In today’s episode of the ACCESS Points Podcast, Davin and Tim will talk about the concept of accountability in the workplace. They will share their own history of how they evolve their management techniques that sit well in a contemporary operating environment. They will also dig deeper on why trust and accountability are directly linked with each other and how the leadership team at ACCESS practices what they preach.   Enjoy!   Favorite Quote   "It's that adversity that brings wisdom. And it's those mistakes that make you wise, that make you better. So lean into them. Know that you made it. Own it and be smarter and be wiser because of it. And that accountability to yourself is what's going to make you a better person."                                                                                                     - Tim Elliot   In This Episode 3:59 - Management techniques in the early nineties in dealing with productivity and accountability   5:59 - Justin's takeaway from his military ways of imposing accountability   8:25 - The negative side effect of the checklist mentality   10:23 - How Tim taps his inner self to hold the things he's accountable for   13:14 - The correlation between trust and accountability   22:57 -Why the leadership team at ACCESS allows their people to establish their own accountability metrics   26:44 - Tim's encouragement to anyone who's lacking for an accountability partner   Visit Access EFM: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast    

Trust & Accountability

Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable. Operators have their own core strengths and mindsets that lead to the distinction in the way they solve problems and handle things. Rather than tagging it as negative, conflicts are an excellent way to mirror the validity of an idea and test how the team understands it and come with the best process and solution. To build the foundation of a healthy professional conflict, it must be rooted from a relationship of trust and respect.   In this episode of the Access Points Podcast, Davin and Tim will discuss the topic that makes who they are and what they are, VISION and OPERATIONS. Tim being an entrepreneur and visionary to his core and Davin as the operations guy, they will go in-depth into the compare and contrast of these two mindsets and how they are so important to one another.   Their key takeaways:   If you're the visionary, make sure that the people you're sharing it with actually get it and understand it   If you are the operational mindset, do not leave a conversation with your boss or whoever the visionary is without making sure that you wouldn't a hundred percent understand what it is they're trying to accomplish   Enjoy!   Favorite Quote   "Professional conflict is a fantastic thing. I don't know that you can truly grow. I don't know that you can truly run a successful organization without it. If you don't have conflict especially in dealing with different mindsets, you're doing something wrong." - Tim Elliot   In This Episode 2:36 - The distinction between Davin and Tim in solving a problem   6:14 - How vision and operation should function in an organization   7:25 - How Tim practices his visionary leadership competency   10:44 - Why questioning your boss is not a bad thing   13:15 - The difference between pushback questions and over questioning   15:25 - How professional conflict is a positive indication of a productive executive team   20:48 - Role playing: How Tim and Davin handle ideas and conflicts   26:06 - Davin's response when it comes to product and UX projects   27:34 - The dichotomy between a visionary and an operation person   Visit Access Electronic Forms: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter   Click here to listen with Access Points Podcast

Vision vs Operations

Welcome to Access Points, the podcast where we discuss the tools, habits and ideas that can help you achieve and maintain the leadership mindset so you can reach peak performance.