In this episode of Failing to Success, host Chad Kaleky interviews Michael Hoard, founder of Michael Hoard Growth Advisors, to discuss his experience of bringing scale to businesses. Having worked in the industry for 18 years, Hoard describes the struggle his company faced during the economic downturn of 2008-2009. He explains that it took a lot of determination and focus on continued growth to stay afloat. He talks about the importance of staying true to core business values during tough times and being strategic about client acquisition.

Michael talks about how the current recession period creates opportunities for businesses, and how fractional positions can be beneficial for companies with larger budgets. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customers' real problems or underlying objectives and matching one's skill set and offerings to them. Michael also talks about the moment that changed his life and business, which was when he had a stroke at 34 years old. This made him realize that he needed to take better care of himself and change the overall framework and model of his business to provide better services to clients.

When asked about work-life balance, Michael emphasizes work-life integration. He believes in time-blocking and making time for what's important, whether it's gain tasks or pain tasks. By integrating work and personal life, Michael is able to fully enjoy time with his family and still have time for work.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:20 The Struggle

00:02:25 Cycle Shift

00:04:11 Mastering a Remote Operation

00:05:39 Work-Life Integration

00:10:08 Contact Michael