SPEAKER_00 0:00

And there's this whole like middle layer of businesses who I think are actually the job creators and the economic drivers of the country, right? That they really get missed.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

What's up everybody? Welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter, where we share the stories of Northern Colorado's best networkers and the secrets that they have that have led to their success. Today I have a special guest, Austin Odal from Odal Consulting on the show. Austin, so glad to have you in the studio. Great to be here. Thanks for having me. Awesome. Well, the way that you've shown up in my community has been super impressive. But for those who haven't met you, either around the chambers or network in action, share a little bit about what you do.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Yeah. So I own Odal Consulting. I help business owners own their own business instead of the business owning them. Right. I like to help solve the big problems that keep business owners up at night that they have tried a bunch of things to solve and can't quite figure out what it is. So I'm talking things like uh making a ton of money, don't know where it's going, or I've been generating a ton of revenue and it's none of it's hitting my pocket, right? Uh working 80 hours a week, kids never see me, can't figure out how to stop, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

How how five alarm fire does it get before they realize that they might need to bring in some outside help? It's always a five alarm fire. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What what sign should they look for versus when they actually do reach out?

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Um they should be looking for if they keep trying something to solve that problem and it's not solving the problem, right? Like problems can be solved. Right. And if they keep trying something, you're probably trying to solve the wrong problem.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

What uh what consistent blind spots or people putting effort and maybe not optimal solutions do you see consistently?

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Aaron Powell I would say the number one thing that I see people trying to solve that isn't necessarily the right problem is uh leads. Almost every business owner complains about their leads, either volume, quality, things like that. Uh and and every once in a while that's that's what's actually wrong. Uh but most of the time it's something downstream of that that's causing the real problems that are keeping them up. Give me an example. Yeah. So I I worked with a company and he kept complaining about lead volume. Um not necessarily volume, but quality. Like leads or garbage, leads or garbage. He was dumping 15 grand a month into leads for his company. Uh and I went in and said, Hey man, do you and he had a sales team, right? So he he wasn't tracking it as well as he probably should have been. But he said, I said, Do you know how many leads you had last month? Like, I don't know. They kept complaining, maybe 40. Said, well, you had 75 leads last month, right? And I said, Do you know how many proposals you sent out? No. 30. You sent out 30 proposals. So out of those 30, do you have any idea how many of them went out within two business days of the appointment? Uh it was 10. Right. So you don't have a lead problem, you have a sales process problem. Um But he was spending all the money on the lead volume and none of it on the sales process.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Do you see that a lot? Like the follow-up, people's follow-up is less than optimal. Oh, yeah. And um what do you think it takes in 2026 to grab attention or uh to make sure that your follow-up is working for you?

SPEAKER_00 3:39

So I think you have to be authentic and you have to show up. You have to do what you say you're gonna do. I don't think it's changed, right? I think that that's been the secret for a long time. Um, and it's really easy to say and it's hard to do, especially when you got a million other things going on. Um but yeah, you just do what you say you're gonna do and actually care about the client.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

So if your business is in five alarm fire mode, uh crisis, something's happening, or you know, maybe money's super tight, my runway's super short, obviously stressful. What are maybe one of the first couple of things you can do to start to write the ship?

SPEAKER_00 4:20

I the the first thing, I mean, business runs on on money, right? And so the first thing you got to know where it's coming from, you got to know where it's going. Uh, the amount of times I go talk to a business owner, um, and they are you know, they're ringing the alarm bell, uh say, okay, well, what's your runway? I don't know. How do you not know? Right. And then once so let's figure that out. That needs to be the first thing we do. Um, you need to know your numbers. You need to have some, you don't need to have you know gap accounting done for your business. You don't need to have super detailed stuff, but you need to know the books. You have to have a PL statement. Like, um, so that's the first one. Do you even know where your money's going? Uh, because if you don't, how are you gonna stop it?

SPEAKER_01 5:03

So do you love the business, like figuring it out, the problem solving? What about your job do you love? I love the problem solving.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

Yeah, it I get to s I get to solve comp um problems that really interest me, and I get to help people sleep, right? Um, so that's that's really what gravitated me to consulting and doing this uh was I get to solve cool problems. Um they're they're fun, they're generally unique. I mean, you know, they might be uh uh similar, but they're unique. Every situation's different. Um and I I get to help people like that that moment of like aha or relief, or you know, when it clicks, that that's everything. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Well, I imagine it's a certain skill set to identify what's the root uh of the problem, and then a whole nother skill set to like how do you actually implement behavioral change or habit change to or willingness to change uh to do that? Like um, and so how do you how do you get it to where somebody like is becoming self-aware of what's really going on, the root thing, and then guiding them into potentially different behavior systems, optimization that way?

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Yeah, um, that's a cool question. Getting people to change their behavior is very difficult. Um generally, though, by the time a business owner comes to me, they are at that stage five alarm and they are willing to make the change, right? Because it's either that or or drown. Um so the business owner, once they're working with me, aren't necessarily the problem with the behavior change. It's helping them get their staff to start making those behavior changes. And that can that really depends on what the behavior is and what the problem is. Um you know, I I do a lot of leadership coaching. And so if they have a team member, or even not leadership coaching, just coaching, right? That can be part of my offering of I'll take you, I'll take your key employees aside, right, work with them one-on-one, um, get them to buy into your system, um and really do everything I can to do that. Uh, you know, ultimately at the end of the day, they have to decide that they want to do that. And if they don't, then it might not be the great, the right fit. But um do everything we can to, if they're willing, that it can be taught.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

So well, Austin, you were very well educated, got MBA from DU. Uh, but when did you really realize that you had a knack uh for business and for this line of work?

SPEAKER_00 7:51

It was during my MBA that I I realized that this is what I love to do. Um I got my MBA more just because I it was available and I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I was 30 years old and still trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. 36 now, still trying to figure it out, but I think I'm getting closer. Um but so while I was doing my coursework, I I have a family of entrepreneurs. I have a dad who owns a law practice, um, two brothers own a coffee company. Um and so to make my education more beneficial to me, um that's how it started out. I I every project I could do for one of my family members, I did, right? And so, you know, if it's a marketing class, hey man, can I do your marketing plan? Um and they got a ton of value out of it. And I realized I really enjoyed it. Uh, and so graduated, um, wasn't quite professionally ready to do this full time on my own. And so have worked a few other jobs, but this has been the goal for for a while now.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Well, I imagine if you're good at your job, you work yourself out of a job, right? Like the the or maybe not, maybe you keep people on retainers, like your refresher stuff. But how how are you personally generating new clients and then um graduating them, so to say?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Yeah, it's a lot of um a lot of word of mouth, a lot of referrals. Uh I love it. You know, my my my bank account might not, but I love it when my clients can stop being my clients. Yeah. Um, that's the goal. My goal is never to have somebody on retainer for for 20 years. Um obviously revenue-wise, that's great. And if they need it, then great. But I I'm never gonna sell anybody anything they don't need. Um my goal is to help, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Um yeah, so well, and once they graduate and they have a transformation of some kind, it's probably a great way to get referrals and uh recommend uh people to you. Uh let's talk about networking because I see you networking. Uh we were uh at a Windsor Chamber event, we we were at an economic forum, I saw you there. Obviously, I see you within my community. Um but share kind of how you put your networking habits together and how they all work together.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Man, I am relatively new to the networking game. And so honestly, I'm trying to develop the networking habits right now. Um you've seen me at a bunch of things because it's it's been very much I've had the opportunity over the last few months to like cast a super wide net. I've had a lot of bandwidth, and so I've been a bunch of places trying to figure out the best ones for me. Um, your group's my favorite. I I've gotten a lot of value out of your group. Um but I think it's just showing up, uh, being there, and then and then really trying to not like obviously everybody's in it to give business, right? And to make money, but that's not my actual goal networking. My actual goal networking is to just meet good people, right? And to elevate the people that I interact with, um, because that's how we're all gonna win.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Well, and then but some of it you're you said I'm relatively new, but you're already taking like leadership positions and like the severance chamber and stuff like that. Um, but I love to like jump headfirst into it. If I'm gonna do something, I'm just gonna go all in. Yeah. Um rather than the dip your toe in strategy that I think a lot of people do in networking.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

I try to build a plane while we're flying, man. I don't there's nothing uh let's go. If we're gonna do it, let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Yeah, well, talk to me because uh with with what you're doing with the severance chamber, and I know that's like home for you. It's like uh and you could work with people everywhere, but uh it's cool to see you take such a like a stand for that business community. What do you love about severance and that chamber?

SPEAKER_00 11:54

So I love living in Severance. Um my wife and I moved there four years ago, little bitty town. Um honestly, we moved there because the houses were cheaper. Uh but turns out I really love the community. Um that one came about. I I took a board seat, just they they posted an ad that they needed board members, and I thought, oh shoot, man, like you know, money's a little tight. Like, if I could get a free membership, like let's try it. And I've really really really enjoyed um being a member of it. Um and it I love helping the people that kind of like get missed, right? And so when you're starting a business, you have a lot of resources, like the state has the SBDC, you have a lot of entering into business ownership help, right? And then when you're super big, uh there are a ton of consulting firms out there that will charge you plenty of money to do whatever you want, and there's this whole like middle layer of businesses who I think are actually the job creators and the economic drivers of the country, right? That they really get missed. Um, and so that's who I love. And so I joined the severance chamber um to help them because we're out in the middle of nowhere. Uh we're not, we're right there, but you know, it's a little bitty town, and the chamber is an all-volunteer chamber, and so everybody is swamped all the time and just needed help. And so I think it's a cool way to give back to the community that I live in. Um I've been really doing a lot in Denver, my professionally, and so I've been trying to, you know, move myself north. I've lived in northern Colorado for six years now. Um I was like, you know what, it's probably time to finally plug into the community where I where I sleep.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

So I just imagine um if there was a leadership void or there's a call for leadership, and then you step into leadership, it's a great way to advertise just what you can do um because of the the the platform. Um would you advise other people who lead leaders um the way that you do to get involved with their chamber and more like that inner circle?

SPEAKER_00 14:16

I I absolutely would. Yeah, I mean, I think anything in life is you get out of it what you put into it. Um and and there's nothing wrong with not being in a leadership position in any organization, right? Leadership is not for everybody. Uh, but if you really care, if you really want to drive it, um, if you want to have a say in the way that it goes, then be willing to step up, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

What about your own business? So you're focusing on others and you're roading your own business. Um, do you have your own blind spots or is it I mean, how do you how do you keep your own business sharp uh as you're continuing to grow and expand? Yeah, everybody has blind spots.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Um I think keeping myself sharp is just never being comfortable with like half-assing anything. That's good. Like being I I need to be the best person I can be for every client all the time. Every client, it doesn't matter if you are you know just starting out, you're a solopreneur and you you're hiring me for coaching, or if you are making $50 million a year and you have 200 people on staff, they deserve the same Austin to show up and to be willing to help them because that's who they're contracting, that's who they're paying, right? Um and it really makes it fun. And I I learn a ton. It also curiosity. Um, like I I love learning these things and constantly evolving myself. And so that's that's the best way to do it is just be willing to show up and put the work in.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

Let me ask you about being a dad. Uh because you said, uh, hey, I grew up in an entrepreneurial family, I got entrepreneurial siblings, I got entrepreneurial parents, and now you get to be the dad role in your own family, and you get you got small kids at home. Um do you want them to be entrepreneurs? I want them to be happy.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. I I would love it. I I want them, if they're not entrepreneurs, I want them to have the entrepreneurial spirit of being willing to chase a dream and see something you want to do and go go try it. Right. Um and I so I I don't care if they're entrepreneurs or not, right? They they can do whatever they want. Um, but I want them to have that builder mindset and that the self-confidence to say, if they want to, man, just go, just go claim it. Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Well, I think, you know, if someone's a first generation entrepreneur, they're starting a business, but maybe they weren't brought up like that. What lessons did you learn from being an entrepreneur family that you feel like maybe without that you wouldn't have got?

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Yeah, uh, so it's actually super interesting. They're entrepreneurs now, um, but they were not. My family was not entrepreneurial growing up. So interesting. My dad uh was a pastor most of my life. He's now been a lawyer for 15 years, I think, had his own practice. So it's really been, I've gotten as an adult to watch them um to do that, right? My mom was a stay-at-home mom. 15 years ago, she didn't even have a college degree. She's in a PhD program right now. And so I saw that side of it, right? I saw the uh uh quote unquote safe route, and then I've seen the entrepreneur route and seen what they've managed to create since they've decided to branch out on their own. Um and I'm also the oldest brother, so you know I wasn't growing up watching my brothers own a coffee company. I was an adult. And uh yeah, I think that the the biggest lessons that I would say are like it's out there, right? And if you can dream it and you and you and you intelligently can can plan it, um, you can go do it. It doesn't have to be the path that you know everybody thinks it should be. You don't have to go work a corporate nine to five. And honestly, a corporate nine to five is never a nine to five. Uh it's always um I I think I heard something a couple years ago that that really stuck with me and kind of summarizes how I feel about this question is um you can fail at anything, right? You can fail at the safe path. You might as well fail at doing what you want.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

So well that's you know, well I'm gonna get this wrong, but uh it's like that Teddy Roosevelt quote is like, you know, at least even if he fails, at least he fails with Daring Greatly. Uh it is powerful. Um awesome man, I I just love the the passion. Um I'm curious, since a lot of your areas like identifying problems and providing solutions in a networking sense, it might be intimidating to be across from you. I'm like, is he analyzing my business? Like, you know, does he is he trying to fix me or anything like that? So how do you build rapport to the point where people either approach you for support or um feel comfortable or vulnerable enough where they can you can be the one that they ask for help?

SPEAKER_00 19:43

That is an interesting thought that uh I've never considered. Um one, I I love people, I think I'm personable, um, and so that that's goes a long way. Um back to the intense curiosity. Like I want to know how that your business works, and because I want to know how it works, right? Uh I I think my favorite thing about this is meeting just the the most random businesses I had no idea existed and are crushing it um or not crushing it, right? But somebody is super passionate about something. Um so leaning into that, letting them do a lot more talking than I do, um, asking good questions. Um it might feel like I'm trying to diagnose your business. I haven't really considered that, but that's not what I'm doing. Um I do also like to like just my personality, I tend to throw out like, oh, have you ever thought about doing this, or have you ever thought about doing that? Um one of like an example of that, when the first event of yours I went to, I went to the Fort Collins group and I was talking to one of the members there. Um and he he has a big music exp music background and uh makes and I said, Well, have you ever thought about like tailoring uh like experiences for people around music? He's like, No, never thought about that before in my life. It's like well, I think you'd be good at it. But just doing that, right? Like, I just throw it out there. I I'm not gonna charge people for that. Like it's just a talking and curiosity, and um, I'll give it away all day until uh it makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

So well, it's it's funny though, people who plant seeds or ideas in into you, right? It could be just an offhanded conversation, totally changes your business and or your life. Um and you never forget, like, we're hey, I was at this event, and this person that said this to me, and it changed everything.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Um, how powerful that is. Yeah. Um, Austin, so obviously networking is a big part of how you're growing your business and getting the word out that. How would you advise your clients, your people that you support to put networking into their overall business development strategy?

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Yeah. Um I think first and foremost, you gotta figure out what your business strategy is, right? Networking is is great and it's great for most people, uh, but it might not necessarily be the best way for everybody to build their business. Uh so you gotta have those goals. But if you are gonna get into networking, which again, I recommend almost everybody do, um you you I would advise to do it a little differently than the way that I do it. Okay. Um maybe go a little slower, maybe bite off a little less. Um but you no, it's really you gotta you gotta put yourself out there, right? Um if if nobody knows who you are, then nobody's gonna buy from you or buy what you're selling. And so go out and meet people. Um yeah, it's it's networking is such a force multiplier in my mind. Um and just because that person is not gonna be your client or you're not gonna be that person's client doesn't mean that they're not gonna be the best referral partner you've ever had or somebody great in your back pocket, right? One of the one of the things I talk about people talk about with people that I meet at networking is uh I love the fast wins that I can give potential clients, right? So uh I I'm generally gonna be a big ticket item. I I'm not the cheapest. Um but if I can come in and say, hey, here's what I can do, um, but I also notice like, you know, whatever your your merchant services is overcharging you, or um, you know, just whatever little thing that is an easy quick win that I I know somebody that can do that. Here you go. And then they might may or may not use me, right? But they'll at least remember that I added value. And so when they do need me, they'll call.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

Well, speaking of adding value, I know you have a free tool that's super valuable for business owners. Um, if you want to plug a shout out to some business owners watching this and want to take advantage.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Yeah. So uh the one you're talking about is uh it's a business analysis tool. It's an eight-question um form. It's on my website, odalconsulting.com. Um it's a good one. Uh it's it's kind of become a little hobby of mine to build these tools. I actually have like 12 or 13 of them that I've built just because anytime anybody's like, man, I wonder about this or like that, I'm like, I could build that into a tool. So I have a bunch of them. Um they're all free. Um, but the the business is analysis is the biggest, uh, the top one, right? And it it'll give you uh an overview of where your business is, just super high level. Um and then at the end of it, it there's a contact me button. You can schedule a free 30-minute call or cup of coffee or something, and we can talk about what you what you learned about your business. Um so I really like that tool. It's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Well, very cool. So for business owners who want to do a one-to-one, get to know you, want to network with you, or uh potentially learn about all the tools, what's the best way for people to get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Best way to get a hold of me uh is my email, um austin at odalconsulting.com. Um, or my my phone number is nine seven zero five zero two thirteen eighteen. Um you can call me, text me, uh, shoot me an email, whatever you want to do. Um, but that's how to do it. There uh there is a contact form uh on the website as well if you want to do it that way. Um but perfect.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Yeah, we'll put all that in the description. But awesome, thanks so much for coming on, Connections That Matter, and we'll see you around Northern Colorado. Awesome. Looking forward to it. Hey all, thanks for watching. I love networking and building relationships with other Northern Colorado business leaders. So if you want to come meet some of these podcast guests, meet me or meet some other amazing entrepreneurs in Northern Colorado, I would love to have you attend one of our next events. Uh go in the podcast description. There's the ways so you can see our upcoming schedule. And maybe you could be a future podcast guest as well. Thanks.