Small Business Pivots

Stuck in your business and not sure what's next? Small Business Pivots delivers honest, real-world conversations with entrepreneurs and business owners who've made bold moves to grow, adapt, and build something that lasts. Hosted by nationally recognized business coach and keynote speaker Michael D. Morrison, each episode goes beyond the highlight reel. Guests share the real turning points, hard lessons, and strategies that actually moved the needle, whether they were chasing six figures or scaling past seven. With 140+ episodes and ranked in the top 10% of podcasts globally, Small Business Pivots drops every Wednesday, giving small business owners a trusted weekly resource to help them grow. Each week you'll hear real conversations about: Small business marketing, branding, and social media Sales strategies, referral networks, and building partnerships Leadership, hiring, team culture, and systems<

Small Business Pivots is a business podcast hosted by Michael D. Morrison, with 156 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Michael D. Morrison hosts Small Business Pivots, a business show with 156 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #157

  How Systems Help Small Businesses Scale | Brittany Bradley

  Aug 12, 202642 min

  What separates businesses that stay small from businesses that continue to grow? For Brittany Bradley, owner of The Brow Slayer Studio in Oklahoma City, it wasn't working harder—it was building better systems. In this episode of Small Business Pivots , Michael D. Morrison sits down with Brittany to discuss how she transformed a growing service business by creating documented systems, improving leadership, understanding her numbers, developing a consistent client experience, and building a company that doesn't rely on her for everything. Brittany shares how she opened her business with only $6,000, learned from costly mistakes, used social media to build a loyal client base, created custom playbooks instead of relying on generic templates, and nearly doubled her monthly revenue through intentional leadership and continuous improvement. Whether you own a salon, a service business, or any small business, this conversation offers practical strategies for creating scalable systems, hiring better employees, improving profitability, and building a business that can continue growing without burning you out. In this episode you'll learn: • Why systems are the foundation of business growth • The biggest mistakes new business owners make • How to create a consistent customer experience • Why custom playbooks outperform generic templates • How to improve hiring and leadership • Understanding pricing and profitability • Working ON your business instead of IN it • Using social media to attract loyal customers • Why coaching and accountability accelerate growth Support the show 1. Want professional business coaching with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com 2. Want to set up a FREE business consultation with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com/consultation Connect and follow the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison to learn how to grow a successful business : - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDMorrisonOKC - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc Email the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison: Michael@MichaelDMorrison.com

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  Episode #156

  How to Scale Your Small Business Without Breaking Payroll | Eric Tabone

  Aug 5, 202635 min

  Growing your business sounds exciting—until it's time to hire. For many small business owners, payroll becomes the biggest obstacle to growth. Do you hire now and risk cash flow, or wait too long and become the bottleneck in your own business? In this episode of Small Business Pivots , host Michael D. Morrison sits down with entrepreneur Eric Tabone to discuss how growing businesses can build stronger teams, make smarter hiring decisions, and scale without letting payroll become the reason growth stalls. Drawing from his experience building multiple companies across the United States and Latin America, Eric shares practical lessons about hiring, leadership, AI, role design, compensation, company culture, and why successful business owners hire to solve problems—not simply to fill positions. You'll discover why defining the purpose of every role matters, how to avoid costly hiring mistakes, when it's time to add employees, how AI should support—not replace—your team, and why leaders should build around their weaknesses instead of trying to do everything themselves. Whether you're preparing to hire your first employee or trying to build a team that can help your business scale, this episode offers practical advice every business owner can apply immediately. In This Episode ✔ Why payroll is often the biggest obstacle to business growth ✔ How to know when it's time to hire ✔ The biggest hiring mistakes business owners make ✔ Why every position should be built around solving a specific problem ✔ How AI improves teams without replacing people ✔ Why leadership is earned—not assigned ✔ Lessons learned from building three companies ✔ How remote and nearshore employees can reduce payroll costs while expanding your team Support the show 1. Want professional business coaching with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com 2. Want to set up a FREE business consultation with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com/consultation Connect and follow the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison to learn how to grow a successful business : - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDMorrisonOKC - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc Email the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison: Michael@MichaelDMorrison.com

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  Episode #155

  Why Great Leaders Develop People, Not Just Businesses | Greg Harrod

  Jul 29, 202643 min

  In this episode of Small Business Pivots , Michael D. Morrison sits down with leadership coach and manufacturing executive Greg Harrod to discuss one of the biggest challenges facing business owners today: building leaders instead of creating dependence. After more than 30 years in manufacturing leadership, Greg now helps business owners and executives develop stronger teams, improve communication, increase accountability, and create businesses where success no longer depends entirely on the owner. Greg explains why leadership always begins with self-awareness before it extends to the team. He shares practical insights on recognizing early signs of employee disengagement, improving communication, delegating effectively, and creating clarity around expectations so employees can thrive. The conversation also explores Working Genius, humility in leadership, trust, accountability, employee retention, role clarity, and why leaders should spend more time developing people instead of constantly solving problems themselves. Whether you lead a manufacturing company, construction business, service company, family business, or growing small business, this episode offers practical leadership principles that apply across every industry. In this episode you'll learn: • Why leadership starts with self-awareness • The six areas Greg evaluates when diagnosing leadership problems • Early warning signs before employees quit • Why communication is one of the biggest leadership challenges • How to stop becoming the bottleneck • Building trust through humility and vulnerability • Why role clarity improves accountability • The Six Types of Working Genius framework • How to delegate without creating fear • Practical ways to improve employee engagement and retention About Greg Harrod Greg Harrod is a leadership coach with more than three decades of manufacturing leadership experience. He helps business owners build healthier teams through leadership development, communication, accountability, and his Leadership Clarity Scorecard. About Small Business Pivots Hosted by Michael D. Morrison, Small Business Pivots features entrepreneurs, business owners, authors, and industry experts sharing practical strategies that help business owners get unstuck and grow. Ranked among the Top 10% of podcasts globally by Listen Notes. Support the show 1. Want professional business coaching with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com 2. Want to set up a FREE business consultation with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com/consultation Connect and follow the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison to learn how to grow a successful business : - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDMorrisonOKC - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc Email the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison: Michael@MichaelDMorrison.com

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  Episode #154

  Stop Solving the Wrong Business Problem | Kevin Dias

  Jul 22, 202639 min

  Kevin Dias, founder of Ambiki and author of The Problem First Method , joins Small Business Pivots to explain why many businesses waste time, money, and energy solving the wrong problem. Kevin built Ambiki as a software platform for speech-language pathology private practices, helping teams with scheduling, billing, clinical documentation, and practice management. Through that journey, he discovered one of the biggest mistakes companies make: jumping straight to solutions before deeply understanding the actual customer problem. In this episode, Michael D. Morrison and Kevin discuss how business owners can slow down, ask better questions, define their ideal customer profile, and build solutions that actually solve meaningful problems. Kevin shares how Ambiki narrowed its focus from trying to serve every type of customer to focusing on pediatric speech therapy private practices with stronger growth potential. They also explore Kevin’s Problem First Method , including feature alignment documents, the “problem atlas,” customer feedback, niche focus, business pivots, and why competitor pressure can lead companies in the wrong direction. If you are a business owner, startup founder, SaaS founder, consultant, or entrepreneur trying to grow your business, improve your offer, better understand your customer, or stop wasting time on the wrong priorities, this episode will help you think more clearly. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why businesses jump to solutions too quickly • How to identify the real customer problem • Why customer requests are not always the real problem • How to define your ideal customer profile • Why niching down can accelerate growth • How Ambiki grew by focusing on speech-language pathology practices • What a feature alignment document is • How to use a problem atlas for strategic planning • Why AI should solve a real problem, not just be added as a trend • How better questions lead to better business decisions About Kevin Dias: Kevin Dias is the founder of Ambiki , a software company serving speech-language pathology private practices across the United States. He is also the author of The Problem First Method , a book about helping businesses understand customer problems before jumping to solutions. About Small Business Pivots: Hosted by Michael D. Morrison, Small Business Pivots features entrepreneurs, authors, business owners, and thought leaders sharing real-world strategies to help business owners get unstuck and grow. Ranked among the Top 10% of podcasts globally by Listen Notes. Support the show 1. Want professional business coaching with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com 2. Want to set up a FREE business consultation with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com/consultation Connect and follow the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison to learn how to grow a successful business : - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDMorrisonOKC - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc Email the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison: Michael@MichaelDMorrison.com

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  Episode #152

  How to Build Wealth Through Business Ownership & Real Estate | Steve Lawson

  Jul 8, 202628 min

  In this episode of Small Business Pivots , Michael D. Morrison sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and wealth strategist Steve Lawson to discuss one of the biggest misconceptions about building wealth—and why owning a business and investing in real estate continue to outperform traditional investing for long-term financial independence. Steve shares his journey from financial advisor to real estate investor, business owner, and founder of Unbroken Investing. Along the way, he explains why passive cash flow matters, how entrepreneurs can create true wealth instead of simply growing savings, and why leveraging other people's money, knowledge, and time accelerates financial freedom. Whether you're just starting a business, looking to diversify your investments, or wondering how to escape trading time for money, this conversation provides practical strategies that every entrepreneur should understand. In this episode you'll discover: ✔ Why businesses and real estate create wealth while traditional investing primarily grows existing wealth ✔ How passive cash flow leads to financial independence ✔ The Wealth Formula and how capital, knowledge, and time work together ✔ Why entrepreneurs should leverage other people's money (OPM), knowledge, and time ✔ How Amazon product businesses can create scalable income ✔ Why business ownership often produces faster cash flow than real estate ✔ The importance of defining your own version of financial freedom ✔ Budgeting strategies that actually work ✔ Why systems, delegation, and outsourcing accelerate growth ✔ How entrepreneurs can stop reinventing the wheel and build faster using proven models If you're serious about building wealth, increasing cash flow, creating financial freedom, and growing a scalable business, this episode is packed with practical insights you can begin implementing immediately. About Steve Lawson Steve Lawson is an entrepreneur, investor, author, and founder of Unbroken Investing. After spending years as a financial advisor and real estate investor, Steve now helps entrepreneurs build wealth through business ownership, alternative investments, passive cash flow strategies, and diversified income streams. About Small Business Pivots Hosted by Michael D. Morrison, Small Business Pivots features entrepreneurs, authors, investors, and business leaders from around the world sharing the pivots, systems, and lessons that help business owners grow. 🏆 Ranked among the Top 10% of podcasts globally by Listen Notes. Support the show 1. Want professional business coaching with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com 2. Want to set up a FREE business consultation with the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison? https://www.michaeldmorrison.com/consultation Connect and follow the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison to learn how to grow a successful business : - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDMorrisonOKC - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldmorrisonokc/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeldmorrisonokc Email the podcast host, Michael D. Morrison: Michael@MichaelDMorrison.com

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