Escape the Beautiful Prison: Mastering Business Ownership with Robert Poole

Today, we have the incredible Robert Poole joining us. If you're a business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is a must-listen. Robert is here to guide us on breaking free from the beautiful prison we often build for ourselves as business owners. In this conversation, Robert shares his journey from being an Army officer to venturing into various sales roles and eventually co-founding a successful B2B appointment setting and lead generation firm. However, the turning point came when unexpected circumstances left him as the sole operator of the business, leading to a realization: he needed to find a way to regain his freedom.

Robert walks us through the crucial steps he took to transform from an operator to an owner, emphasizing the mindset shift, building the right internal team, implementing effective systems, and ensuring that sales and marketing strategies permeate the entire company. Listen as we dive into the challenges of letting go of control, the importance of creating a team that feels ownership, and how integrating sales and marketing throughout the company can foster a unified message.

Whether you're on the journey of entrepreneurship or looking to optimize your existing business, Robert's insights provide valuable strategies to help you escape the confines of your business and rediscover the freedom you initially sought. Get ready to transform your approach and embark on the path to true business ownership!

About the Guest:

Robert Poole is a co-founder and CEO of Total Business Results, a marketing company that helps small businesses who sell to other businesses (B2B) grow their sales and revenue consistently. He has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business consulting, marketing, and he leverages his skills and knowledge to create effective and customized marketing strategies for his clients.

Robert is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a BS in Economics. He served as an officer in the US Army and worked in various industries, such as commercial real estate, technology, and financial services, before launching his own marketing company. He is passionate about helping small business owners achieve their goals and reduce their stress, and he hosts a podcast where he shares his insights and advice on B2B marketing and entrepreneurship.

Fast Five Questions

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first?"Go over my contact list, my rolodex so to speak, and reaching out to those people and letting them know the situation, what I'm doing, what my plans are, and starting those relationships"
2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? "Letting my business partner and I, we had sort of key man insurance policies, and hurts on each other as those of one passes away the other one can buy out the share, and we let our policies lag about a year before he passed away"
3. What is a book that you would recommend? "The Road Less Stupid by Keith J. Cunningham"
4. What is a tool that you use everyday that you would recommend?"KeePass"
5. What is your definition of freedom?"Having the options to me, whether that's financial options or life choice options"

About Jeff:

Jeff spent the early part of his career working for others. Jeff had started 5 businesses that failed before he had his first success. Since that time he has learned the principles of a successful business and has been able to build and grow multiple seven-figure businesses. Jeff lives in the Austin area and is actively working in his community and supporting the growth of small...