Most business owners don't lack skill — they lack confidence.
And the truth nobody talks about? Even the most successful entrepreneurs are still figuring it out as they go.

In this episode of SoTellUs Time, Trevor Howard breaks down what real confidence looks like in business — and why waiting to "feel ready" is the fastest way to stay stuck.

This isn't about fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence.
This is about earned confidence — the kind that's built through action, decisions, and leadership under pressure.

👇 If you're a business owner who feels the weight of leadership, this episode is for you.

0:00–2:00 | The Confidence Myth
Most owners believe confidence means having all the answers — it doesn't.
Confidence is the willingness to make decisions without perfect information.
"If confidence came first, nobody would ever start a business."

2:00–5:00 | Why Confidence Is Harder for Business Owners
• Your team is watching
• Customers expect certainty
• Your family depends on outcomes
Common confidence killers:

• Comparing yourself to other business owners

• Confusing uncertainty with incompetence

• Taking setbacks personally
  🔥 Key truth: Uncertainty doesn't mean you're failing — it means you're leading.

5:00–8:00 | Where Real Confidence Actually Comes From
What doesn't build confidence:

• Motivation

• Validation

• Revenue spikes

What does:

• Keeping promises to yourself

• Small consistent wins

• Repetition in decision-making

Confidence grows when you stop waiting to feel ready and start acting.

8:00–11:00 | Confidence-Building Habits for Everyday Leadership
• Decide faster (perfect is the enemy of progress)
• Document lessons instead of dwelling on mistakes
• Separate results from identity
👉 A bad outcome ≠ a bad leader

Ask yourself: What's one decision you've been avoiding?

11:00–13:30 | Leading with Confidence While Still Learning
You don't need to pretend — you need clarity:

• "Here's what we know."

• "Here's what we're testing."

• "Here's how we'll adjust."

People don't need perfection.
They need steady leadership.

13:30–15:00 | Confidence Is Built, Not Found
Confidence isn't something you discover — it's something you earn.
Through:

• Action

• Reflection

• Resilience

Final challenge:
Do one uncomfortable but necessary thing this week.

🧠 Confidence doesn't show up before the work — it shows up because of it.

If you're:

• A business owner feeling pressure

• An entrepreneur questioning yourself

• A leader trying to grow without burning out

This episode will help you reframe confidence, take decisive action, and lead with calm certainty — even when you're still learning.

👉 https://www.youtube.com/@sotellus

👉 https://www.sotellus.com

SoTellUs Time is where real business owners talk about real growth, real leadership, and real results.

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💬 Comment below: What's the one decision you know you need to make — but haven't yet?

Are you constantly "busy" but not seeing the growth, freedom, or revenue you expected?
This episode of SoTellUs Time is a must-watch for business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders who feel overwhelmed, overworked, and stuck in reaction mode.

Being busy has become a badge of honor—but what if it's actually a warning sign that something is broken in your business?

In this powerful, real-world breakdown, Trevor Howard reframes productivity and shows why impact matters more than activity, and how staying busy often hides deeper issues like poor systems, lack of delegation, and avoidance of strategic leadership.

👇 In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why "crazy busy" doesn't mean successful—and often means the opposite

• The hidden reasons business owners stay busy (and why it feels safer than strategy)

• How being the "only one who can do it" caps your growth

• The difference between activity vs. impact (and how to audit your time)

• Why constant firefighting is a symptom of an under-built business

• How to shift from operator to owner without losing control

• Simple questions that instantly reveal which tasks are wasting your time

• How reducing "busy work" can actually increase revenue and clarity

⏱ Episode Breakdown:
0:00–2:00 – The "Busy" Trap & Why Exhaustion ≠ Success
2:00–5:00 – Why Owners Wear Busy Like a Badge of Honor
5:00–8:00 – Busy as a Warning Sign (Firefighter Mode Explained)
8:00–11:00 – Activity vs. Impact (The Shift That Changes Everything)
11:00–13:30 – Escaping the Busy Cycle (From Operator to Owner)
13:30–15:00 – Redefining What Winning Really Looks Like

💡 Key Quote from the Episode:

"If busy meant successful, every exhausted business owner would be wildly wealthy."

This conversation is especially important if you're:
✔ Working nights and weekends
✔ Constantly answering questions your team should handle
✔ Stuck reacting instead of building
✔ Feeling productive but not profitable
✔ Missing family time despite "doing everything right"

At SoTellUs Time, we talk about real business growth—systems, leadership, clarity, and leverage—not hustle culture nonsense.

🔗 Watch more episodes & subscribe:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@sotellus
🌐 https://www.youtube.com/sotellus

📣 Your Challenge After Watching:
1️⃣ Identify ONE "busy" task to eliminate or delegate this week
2️⃣ Identify ONE high-impact activity that actually moves the business forward

Because at the end of the day…
Busy isn't a badge of honor—it's a warning sign. And smart owners pay attention to warnings.

#BusyIsNotProductive #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #ProductivityForEntrepreneurs #StopTheHustle #BusinessSystems #WorkSmarterNotHarder #SoTellUsTime #TrevorHoward #ScalingABusiness #OwnerVsOperator #TimeManagementForBusinessOwners

Welcome back to another episode of SoTellUs Time! Today, Trevor reveals one of the most overlooked growth strategies in business: The December Advantage — your secret weapon for launching the new year with clarity, momentum, and massive profit potential.

Most entrepreneurs treat December like a slowdown. Business gets quiet, customers get busy with friends and family, and owners mentally check out. But the truth is this:

In this episode, Trevor breaks down a powerful year-end review process that separates thriving businesses from stagnant ones. You'll learn how to analyze what worked, what didn't, and what absolutely needs to go — whether that's a system, a process, or even a person.

Using this simple three-column method, you'll discover how to:
✅ Identify your most profitable systems, strategies, and partnerships
✅ Eliminate the hidden "profit killers" draining your business
✅ Spot outdated tools or processes that need to be cut or optimized
✅ Evaluate your team with clarity, compassion, and honesty
✅ Strengthen your foundation with loyal, hardworking people
✅ Implement automation and AI the right way (not by replacing people!)
✅ Start January as a completely transformed business

Trevor also shares real consulting experiences where decades-old companies used this December process and walked into January looking like entirely new organizations.

Whether your year was strong or challenging, December gives you the advantage:
📝 Time to review
🧹 Space to remove and refine
🚀 Opportunity to rebuild stronger

If you take this month seriously, you won't enter the new year hoping for better results — you'll create them.

• Why business slows down in December — and how that benefits YOU

• The exact 3-column breakdown: What worked, what kind of worked, and what failed

• The truth about people problems vs. process problems

• The power of loyalty and why it has fueled SoTellUs for 27 years

• Why AI should support your team, not replace it

• How outdated systems silently drain your revenue

• Why 2026 is shaping up to be a major opportunity year

• How to prepare your company NOW to capitalize on increased consumer spending

Start by transforming December.
Write down your three columns from this episode and do the honest review every successful entrepreneur must do.

This episode was built from the full transcription here:

Want to automate communication, get more reviews, handle web chats, improve follow-up, and build a stronger foundation for your business?
👉 Visit us at https://www.youtube.com/sotellus

👍 Like
💬 Comment your biggest December takeaway
🔔 Subscribe for weekly business growth strategies

Let's make 2026 your most profitable year ever.

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Your story is your most powerful marketing tool — and in this episode of SoTellUs Time, Trevor and Troy Howard reveal how to use authentic storytelling to build trust, attract customers, and drive massive business growth. If you've ever wondered why some brands instantly connect while others struggle… this episode breaks down the secret.

People buy from people they feel connected to.
Your story is the bridge.
Your authenticity is the magnet.
Your journey is the one thing no competitor can duplicate.

✔ Why storytelling is more persuasive than facts or features
✔ The biggest storytelling mistakes entrepreneurs make
✔ The 4-Part Story Framework that always sells:
• Spark – What started it all
• Struggle – The challenges that shaped you
• Shift – The breakthrough that changed everything
• Success – The transformation your customers can experience
✔ How to tell your story without oversharing
✔ How to integrate storytelling into your daily marketing
✔ Real-world examples of stories that converted better than ads

Humans make decisions emotionally and justify them with logic. That means your personal journey — your purpose, your struggles, your wins — is what pulls people in. In a noisy digital world, authenticity is your competitive edge.

• Website About Page
• Sales presentations
• Email welcome sequences
• Social media posts
• Podcast appearances
• Speaking engagements
• Intro videos
• Ads and retargeting
• Team onboarding (build culture fast)

When you use storytelling consistently, people feel like they know you — and trust you before you ever sell them anything.

Write your Spark → Struggle → Shift → Success story and share it in a simple post or video. Watch how your audience reacts differently. Connection creates customers.

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/sotellus
More episodes on business growth, reviews, automation, and scaling your company every week.

• Learn more about SoTellUs: https://www.sotellus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sotellus

What if the key to explosive growth, happier employees, and loyal clients wasn't another marketing tactic — but something much simpler? In this episode of SoTellUs Time, hosts Trevor and Troy Howard uncover one of the most underrated business superpowers of all time: listening.

You'll discover how the world's most successful companies — from Microsoft to Starbucks, LEGO, Toyota, and Zappos — transformed their culture, customer loyalty, and profits by learning to truly hear what people were saying.

This episode breaks down exactly how to apply those same listening strategies inside your business — to increase team morale, drive innovation, and attract lifelong customers. Whether you're a small business owner, team leader, or entrepreneur, these lessons will change how you communicate forever.

⏱️ Episode Breakdown:
00:00 - Intro: The most profitable skill you're overlooking
01:00 - Why listening is a business superpower
03:00 - How listening transformed Microsoft's culture
05:00 - The hidden goldmine: listening to your employees
09:00 - How Ritz-Carlton, Toyota & Southwest turned feedback into millions
13:00 - Listening to clients: the key to retention and referrals
17:00 - What Starbucks, Netflix & small businesses do differently
21:00 - Listening to data & reviews like LEGO and Spotify
23:00 - Turning what you hear into powerful action steps
25:00 - The challenge: practice deep listening this week

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Listening isn't passive — it's strategic awareness.

• Employees are your greatest innovation source when you actually hear them.

• Customers will tell you how to grow if you ask the right questions.

• Data is your silent advisor — it's speaking volumes about what matters most.

• True leaders turn what they hear into measurable action.

🚀 Featured Business Stories:

• Microsoft's "Learn-It-All" transformation under Satya Nadella

• Ritz-Carlton's $2,000 empowerment rule

• Toyota's "Kaizen" idea system

• Starbucks' crowd-sourced innovation platform

• LEGO's revival through fan feedback

• Zappos' customer-first culture

🎯 Who This Episode Is For:

• Business owners & entrepreneurs

• Managers & team leaders

• Customer service professionals

• Anyone who wants to build stronger teams, happier clients, and a smarter company

📢 Your Challenge:
This week, listen deeply to one employee, one client, and one piece of feedback — then take action. The smartest leaders don't just talk… they listen.

👉 Watch more episodes of SoTellUs Time for powerful strategies that grow your business, improve your team, and skyrocket customer loyalty:
🎥 youtube.com/sotellus

#BusinessGrowth #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #TeamBuilding #SoTellUsTime #CustomerExperience #EmployeeEngagement #ListeningSkills #SatyaNadella #MicrosoftCulture #Starbucks #LEGO #Toyota #Zappos #Netflix #Spotify #CustomerFeedback #BusinessPodcast #TrevorHoward #TroyHoward #SoTellUs #SmallBusinessTips #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessLeadership #InnovationCulture #ClientRetention #CommunicationSkills #CompanyCulture #CustomerLoyalty #SoTellUsReviews

How many brilliant ideas have you started but never finished? A new website, marketing campaign, or system that got 80% done — then lost steam? You're not alone. In this episode of SoTellUs Time, hosts Trevor and Troy Howard reveal the exact Follow-Through Formula successful entrepreneurs use to finish what they start, turn ideas into action, and get real business results.

🔥 You'll discover:
✅ Why most projects stall before the finish line
✅ The 5-step "Follow-Through Formula" to complete ANY project
✅ How to regain momentum when motivation fades
✅ The secret power of clarity, accountability, and celebration
✅ Real-world success stories of teams that went from stuck to scaling fast

If you've ever felt like you're always "working on" something but rarely finishing — this episode will change that. You'll walk away with a repeatable system to turn your big ideas into completed, revenue-driving wins for your business.

💡 TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Introduction: Why so many great ideas go unfinished
02:00 – The #1 reason projects stall (and how to fix it fast)
05:00 – The Follow-Through Formula: 5 steps to finish strong
12:00 – Real-world success story: from stalled to scaling
14:00 – Wrap-up: Your challenge for the week

💬 QUOTE WORTH SHARING:
"Motivation starts a project. Systems finish it." — Trevor Howard

🎥 WATCH NEXT:
👉 How to Spot Hidden Revenue Streams in Your Business
👉 The Business Owner's Guide to Managing Stress Like a Pro
👉 Why Every Business Needs an Emergency Plan (and How to Build One)

📲 FOLLOW & CONNECT:
✅ Subscribe for more business growth strategies: youtube.com/sotellus
✅ Learn how SoTellUs helps businesses get more reviews, referrals, and revenue: https://www.sotellus.com
✅ Follow us on Instagram & Facebook @SoTellUs

#SoTellUsTime #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Motivation #Productivity #FollowThrough #GoalSetting #Accountability #SuccessHabits #Mindset #Leadership #SmallBusiness #FinishStrong #Procrastination #BusinessTips #EntrepreneurLife #TrevorHoward #TroyHoward #SoTellUsPodcast #SelfImprovement #SystemsThatScale

Running a business is tough — but burning out doesn't have to be part of the journey. In this powerful episode of SoTellUs Time, hosts Trevor and Troy Howard reveal how to manage stress like a pro — the same way top-performing entrepreneurs, CEOs, and elite leaders handle pressure without losing their sanity.

💥 You'll discover:
✅ Why business owners are more prone to chronic stress than most people
✅ The early warning signs of burnout that you can't afford to ignore
✅ 3 proven strategies to manage stress effectively (used by elite business owners!)
✅ How to stay calm and make clear decisions even when everything feels chaotic
✅ The mindset shift that separates overwhelmed entrepreneurs from unstoppable leaders

From real-world examples like "Sarah's Bakery" to practical tools you can use immediately — this episode gives you the roadmap to protect your energy, focus, and peace of mind.

Whether you're hustling to grow your startup, managing a busy service business, or leading a large team, these techniques will help you:
💪 Reclaim your time
💪 Improve your mental clarity
💪 Boost your business performance
💪 And enjoy the entrepreneurial journey again!

🎯 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction: Why You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup
02:00 – Why Business Owners Are Especially Prone to Stress
05:00 – Recognizing the Warning Signs of Burnout
07:00 – Strategy #1: Control What You Can, Let Go of What You Can't
10:00 – Strategy #2: Build Recovery Into Your Schedule
13:00 – Strategy #3: Delegate & Automate for Freedom and Focus
17:00 – Final Takeaways & Challenge

🚀 WANT TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS FASTER?
Visit 👉 https://www.sotellus.com
and discover how SoTellUs helps you get more reviews, automate your marketing, and generate more sales — stress-free.

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