00:00:00 Sana: Let us start with an uncomfortable question, listeners. Now, if you disappeared for two weeks, no laptop, no slack, no emails, no quick calls, would your business keep moving or would it quietly fall apart? Because a lot of people call it freedom. When what they really mean is I am exhausted and I can't keep being the engine. And here's the truth, listeners. Building a business that runs without you isn't just a systems problem. It is an identity problem. It's a letting go of being needed. It's trusting other people to do it, not your way. And still let it count.

00:00:59 Sana: Welcome back, listeners to another interesting episode on the podcast. And today we are talking about what it actually takes to build a business that can operate, deliver, and grow. Even when you are not in the room. And joining me is Antoine Pearson, a retired US Army senior officer proven leader across the Department of defense and the corporate world. He's also founder of Skillful Brands, where he focuses on eliminating the complexity of building and running a successful business. So stay tuned with us listeners. Let's get into the conversation. And Antoine, welcome here. And I'm really, really honored to have you here with us.

00:01:46 Antwon Person: Yes, thank you for having me on your platform. I know, you know hosting a podcast is not easy. I mean, also, you know, providing valuable content. So again, thank you for having me today.

00:01:58 Sana: Thank you so much, Antoine. Those words really mean a lot. And, uh, I think that's a, that's a very, very, uh, great way to begin this conversation. So, um, before we dive deeper, I mean, if you can give us the quick version here at about, um, skillful brands, what it does, I mean, who you are and what kind of mess you usually walk into when someone says, my business can't run without me. What do I do?

00:02:28 Antwon Person: Okay, so yeah, so you know, my my name is Antoine Pearson. I own a company called Skilful Brands. And my journey into entrepreneurship started before I became an entrepreneur. I spent twenty two years in the military, you know, leading diverse, uh, in different type of organizations. And when I transitioned out of the uniform, I bought a lot of the principles that I learned in the military to shape and build the businesses, um, that I run through skillful brands. My focus is to eliminate the complexity of starting and operating a business, because I kind of know what that feels like. I don't understand what it feels like to be stuck to wear multiple hats to, you know, just trying different techniques to, to see if it works. Um, so, you know, the shift for me, um, is when I realized that just being busy in your business does not mean that you're building a business. You're hustling. But you don't have the structure to be able to run your business and maybe step away for, you know, vacation or something like that. So, you know, I've been through it and I'm here to share, you know, any valuable information or tips that I can.

00:03:43 Sana: Absolutely. And I think this is such a, it's kind of, uh, many a times, um, unintentionally or intentionally ignored because especially for early stage founders and entrepreneurs, because, um, especially in this digital age, it's, it's all about, you know, whether you are building the business around you like it is it, uh, you are running the business or it is running you both of, I mean, any, any one of these. And, and I think the more is that you are being run by the business because you may be having the fear of letting things go out of control if you're not there. Or maybe you feel that, um, the way I do it or the way I look at it or I approach it. Maybe my team won't be able to do it the same way. There's a kind of fear. There's kind of, fear of letting go of that control. And then of course, if you're building a business specifically around your own personal branding, I think sometimes it does become difficult specifically for the exit stage. So I think that's a very, very essential topic that you're bringing for all of us.

00:04:51 Antwon Person: Yes, yes. I will say, um, just like many other business owners, um, for me, uh, when I started my business, I had a full time job. I had the responsibilities of being a husband and a parent. And then I was trying to run this part time business. Um, but I quickly realized that, uh, the level of involvement for my business had full time requirements. Um, so it wasn't it wasn't a part time thing. It was really a full time, uh, you know, requirement. And so, uh, what I realized is, is that entrepreneurs are not, um, that don't fail because their ideas are wrong. They usually fail because their business, um, doesn't have a proper structure that they need to be able to step away. Um, and, you know, I think one of some of the things that you have to, to, to realize is you have to have the proper structure and systems in place to be able to step away from your business. Um, but I, so I have a question and I just want to get your thoughts because I feel like people use the terms interchangeable and what I've, what I've thought about it. I try to teach my, my students, um, is there a difference between a business and a company in your perspective? Do you think that they're the same or because people use the terms interchangeable? So I have a business and a company. Do you do you feel that there's a change, a difference in those two?

00:06:29 Sana: Um, I think, uh, business is kind of the functional, uh, way of terming all the activities that is happening. The transactions, the communications, the interactions, and, you know, all the profit and losses and the numbers and everything company is kind of a structure that we give it to the business. You know, there are processes, there are SOPs, there are legal, financial, um, aspects attached to it. There are people at human resource. So it's kind of a structure, structural way to look at a business.

00:07:06 Antwon Person: Okay. So yes, that is great. So what I try to articulate is that I feel that most individual small businesses, when they're starting or small entities when they're starting their businesses, but you should be striving to get to a company structure because a company structure will allow you to step away from your business. It would allow your organization to be passed down through generations. Um, and it doesn't die with you, right? When you step away or you pass away, your company will continue to exist and continue to run past your lifetime. Um, so one of the things that we, uh, try to make sure people understand is they're getting started, uh, from the beginning to have the proper structure in place to be able to move towards becoming a solid company and not remaining in the business age because business, we look at it as more actionable from the owner doing things versus a company where it's structured to, to run on its own.

00:08:44 Sana: I think that was, a very, kind of, I was, I was actually thinking on the similar lines, but maybe, uh, couldn't articulate very well, but I think that's exactly how it should be. And, um, I mean, processes and structure and SOPs. I mean, there has to be a definite way of working. And I think, um, that's what exactly happens like as a, as a founder when you begin with something which is passionate, which is your dream, it may be your, maybe you identify your purpose with that dream or that idea that you want to bring up, maybe solve a pain point for all the people out there. Sometimes I think that passion kind of becomes, you know, a kind of a road block for you in maybe identifying that, okay, my processes are not well defined. Maybe there are not exact values on which I want to build this business and make it into a company and then all that, you know, mess and that chaos happens.

00:09:46 Antwon Person: Yes, definitely. So, you know, over the years, I've mentored, you know, hundreds, thousands of Entrepreneurs. And one thing that consistent people often start their business based on a passion, but then they quickly realize that that passion alone can't organize their calendar, it can't flow, it can't onboard clients and it can't, you know, deliver consistent results. Um, they're usually too many tools they're using. Yeah, offers and they have no real structure, uh, for their business that creates burnout, confusion. Um, your business kind of fall apart. Um, so for us, we focus heavily on telling entrepreneurs to understand the importance of creating a framework. Um, and I use this term, you know, the three S's, they want to create structure systems and strategies. So when we look at structure, we look at the mindset of the individual, One of the mindsets is the hardest thing to change in an entrepreneur. To actually be able to to scale and grow. We want to see what type of systems they have in their organization. I consider systems as an acronym and it means save yourself time, energy, and money. And then strategy. Um, you know, what strategy do you have in your business? Are you working on the right, um, part of your business at the right time? Uh, because you know, all of these gurus and things online, you'll see like this course and that course, but it may not be the right time for your business to be focused on that. So, you know, in our business, we focus on mindset and motivation upfront and then formation and systems. Um, they're the main things that we focus on to get people in the proper, uh, alignment of where they need to go as they're building out their framework for their company.

00:11:56 Sana: Yep. The structure, systems and strategy. I like that. I like that. And, um, you mentioned about tools in there. Uh, and I think, um, that's a very important part of, uh, especially any, any, um, companies or businesses of today's age because, um, like internet has become such a crucial and the biggest, you know, way of wealth creation. Many people are having, you know, their entire businesses digitally online, in their virtual businesses and in, in these, this particular kind of, you know, way of working and running a business. I think tools, they become so much important to think about and discuss about and understand whether all of them, especially when any tools that come with AI, then you know, either I should jump on to all of them, or I should strategize and look whether I need this tool or not.

00:12:58 Antwon Person: Yes, I totally agree with you. Um, but one thing that I will share with you is I think having a mentor upfront is probably more important than having the right tool. Um, and the reason I say that is, is because when you're first starting or even when you've been in business for a while, you want to connect with someone that has already done what you're trying to do. So they need guidance. They can tell you what tools that they're using. They can tell you what will work and what won't work. Um, based on their experience and then having that mentor or be able to that you can call at any time and say, hey, let me pass this by you. Like, what are your thoughts on this is valuable for me. When I, when I started my business, just to have someone that held my hand through a first few transactions or first view. Um, first few business interactions was very valuable because it gave me the confidence to know that what I was doing was working. And, and that's one of the biggest things that entrepreneurs have is taking action. A lot of people want to take action, but then they're scared. So a lot of businesses fail, um, because the person doesn't take the proper action to even get going.

00:14:22 Sana: Yeah, I one hundred percent agree with you on this end. One hundred percent modern tools. It's, it's about, you know, mentored by someone who has been there, done that. So that is absolutely crucial. And another kind of, you know, um, question that comes to my mind is, um, a lot of founders say that they're overwhelmed, burned out, but they are also controlling, not not because they're bad people, but then because, you know, once again, if we circle back to where we started, because they are scared. So kind of a direct question here, Antoine, how do you know if you are the bottleneck by habit or on purpose?

00:15:09 Antwon Person: Um, so I think with any business to properly scale and grow your business, you have to step away from out of the day to day operations. So for us, what we, what we did, like I said, I was wearing multiple hats and I realized that I probably needed to hire a VA to actually help me out or multiple VA's to help me out. Um, so I hired a VA and one of the things that I did, I tell, I share this story with everyone. Um, I hired one VA initially, um, and I hired that VA to do like five or six different things. But I quickly realized that I should have hired multiple Vas. They had a zone of excellence for a certain niche, right? Or a certain skill set. Sure, I should have hired an MBA. I should have hired a video editor, because they will be their zone of excellence versus versus a generalist. Um, and then that when I hired these Vas, that allowed me to focus more on networking, being out telling people about my businesses. And I think one of the things is, and I was sharing this earlier today, once you feel comfortable with your team, because everyone you hire may not be the right person, you have to find the right, uh, Vas or the right employees. Um, when you step away and you have the right person in place, the, the, the, the information that they submit to you matches what you want, right? It may not be exactly what you you would do, but it's so close. Um, you don't care about releasing it because it's freeing you up to be able to, to, you know, promote your business. A lot of times what people are doing the day to day things, they're not able to scale their business because they're not able to get out in the community, be able to be on a podcast like this because they're so down in the weeds. So having someone that can step in to take your place will definitely free you up. Um, you know, that's really one of the only ways that you can really, truly scale your business is you have to be confident that the people that you hire can assume the tasks. But how do you do that? Um, what we've done, um, because initially we were hiring VA's, we did not have a system in place. So what we've done to integrate anyone that we hire, we have we now have developed the onboarding process where everyone goes through. They learn the culture of our business. Our ideal clients. Our SOPs, systems and procedures. And we make sure that everyone has ownership of what they're supposed to be doing. And just integrating people into that system kind of helped us be able to, um, you know, step away when we need to be able to communicate. Be on podcasts again. Things like that. So you have to actually set up a system to be able to do that.

00:18:22 Sana: Absolutely. That's no doubt, no doubt. And one, uh, particularly the one that you mentioned where, you know, every person, a new, uh, member of the team, uh, like the RAM, the ramping up, the training, the kind of onboarding and induction, all the processes are streamlined step by step. There's a definite, you know, time period within which, expectedly, the ramping up and onboarding will happen. So that gives both the team member and the team or the company or the business time to, you know, align values with each other. Like, okay, this is something that I, who are my ideal clients or whom should I pitch? What should I do if such cases arise? You know, all those mentoring also happens inside, you know, by the by the team members. So I think that is something, um, which personally I completely abide by that is so, so necessary because if the foundation is not rock solid, then it's, it's kind of becomes very difficult to, you know, sustain sustainably move on.

00:19:33 Antwon Person: Yes, definitely. That is definitely correct. Because, you know, um, I think one of the challenges, especially when I was speaking about, you know, I hired a VA, what I realized is the VA. The VA to help me. But I couldn't realize that I was spending more time training the VA. I was spending more time correcting the VA work. And all of this was because I didn't have the proper system in place from the beginning to be able to educate and train that VA on what we needed as a company. Um, so it became a, a additional task for me versus freeing up, um, you know, me to be able to do more strategic vision thinking, uh, things.

00:20:19 Speaker 3: Yeah, of course, of course.

00:20:22 Sana: And, um, let's, let's, uh, you know, because if you're coaching someone, um, who wants to step back, what, what actually gets systemized first? You know, is it like hiring or sales or, um, delivery, customer support, you know, because founders, they love building systems for the wrong thing first.

00:20:48 Antwon Person: Right? I mean, so it's, you know, we have a framework. So our framework, we have a six pillar framework. Um, first we discuss mindset and motivation. So you gotta have the mind, the right mindset and motivation to, you know, run your business because running a business is not easy. Then we focus on foundation and systems. So the systems that we're talking about is maybe not digital, it may be the systems. What system do we need to have in place to be able to run a weekly meeting? The weekly meeting doesn't have to have any other employees. You run that same meeting with yourself every week to make sure that you're getting on track and you're not missing anything. Then we focus on process and automation, because our first lever that we have is just mindset and Information, uh, get into process and automation. Your mindset and your system should be already in place. Now we're talking about the mindset. We're talking about the process. We're talking about establishing business credit. So that's level two. Level three. We're getting into marketing and branding. So we're getting our name out there. We're doing more marketing now. We're starting to focus on leadership and team building. So we can just repeat the first five steps again. Automatically through our team and our leadership. So it's all of our pillars build on each other till we get to the leadership and team building. Then we're just rinse and repeat. We're just continuously doing the same process over and over to continue to scale.

00:22:33 Speaker 3: HMM.

00:22:35 Sana: That's interesting. And it makes sense, you know, because, um, All of the systems and all of the processes, they are interconnected with each other. Like there is a cascading effect in there. If any one of the system goes wrong in there. Um, and I'm going to challenge here the, the premise a little, because, you know, let's, let's make the conversation a bit nuanced. sometimes I quote unquote, I want it to run without me is a healthy goal. But then sometimes it can be avoidance, you know, like I'm tired or I feel trapped and I want out. So could the desire to remove yourself from the business be a sign of burnout, not strategy?

00:23:27 Antwon Person: Uh, yes, definitely. Uh, I will say that I, I did, I had a business, um, one time where I had a partner and it was a new business. Um, and my partner got burned out. Um, and they wanted to, to move on, but they, they got, they wanted to move on because they got burned out. We didn't have a lot of the proper systems in place. Um, so we were running, you know, having full time jobs and then also trying to run a business that required a lot of us. So, um, you just had to, um, just make sure that you understand the roles that you've got to focus on and then the roles that you're going to, um, outsource or give it to a partner. So you should establish that up front. Hey, I'm not a good marketer, so I already know it's no need for me to get training. There's no need for me to, to try to figure it out, outsource that, that marketing or, you know, website building. I'm not a good website builder, so let me outsource that. Um, because a lot of times a lot of people go through additional trainings. They try to learn how to do something when they could easily, uh, outsource it. And it's a lot, lot less headache.

00:24:49 Sana: Mhm. Makes sense. Absolutely. Makes sense. And, um, when you were explaining about the six pillars, you know, one thing that, you know, I've kind of, uh, realized through all of these discussions and conversations is even if you have a very small team of, um, ten, fifteen people or maybe fifty hundred or one thousand, um, you know, how however big it is, it, it kind of starts from you as a, as a, as a person, as an individual, when you are a leader in there, like it trickles down to the bottom. Most people who are there as your employees or your team members, right? You know, because they definitely look up to you maybe as an inspiration, maybe be asked to learn, um, maybe as to just, you know, work with you or under you. But then I think, uh, that's something that I have realized and that's something that you hit the nail in there. Um, and another thing here, the word culture, and I've, I've seen a lot of observed a lot of cases, you know, where, um, the original founder has stepped away from maybe the CEO role or the C-suite role. And there is a visible change in the culture. Like, you know, uh, and that's where my second contradiction come here. Like a lot of founders, they are the culture, they are the standard. They are the relationships. So if they step away, things can get bland or rigid or purely transactional, even. I've, I've experienced myself and one happening within teams in a, in a huge organization. So does building a business that runs without you risk stepping out. Stripping away what made it special.

00:26:43 Antwon Person: Um, so here's what I will share with you. Um, uh, so as you know, in my past, I was in the military. Um, I did, you know, twenty some years in every two to three years in an organization, there's different leadership. The organization continued on, but it had a different leader. Um, so I sometimes I think change could be for the better. Um, because someone could be stuck, um, someone could be, you know, holding the organization back. And now you have a new leader in the culture may change, um, because all leaders lead differently. Um, that does not mean that the company is going to fail. You just have new insight and new vision, uh, for the company now. You know, in, in, in some organizations, for example, if for myself, if I stepped away from my organization and I had a new CEO come in, I would still probably have some oversight on, um, you know, the company. Um, so I would still provide, uh, feedback and guidance to the new CEO. But I think, you know, at a certain point, all companies need new leadership and guidance to lead the company to a different direction or new heights that maybe I wasn't familiar with or, you know, someone else may have some a different vision.

00:28:14 Speaker 4: Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.

00:28:17 Sana: And, um, you know, if we look at the bigger picture here, I, I do agree with you that, you know, sometimes change is necessary. And that's why we say change is constant. Um, but then, uh, you know, it depends on company to company, business to business, how exactly that change should be initiated. And, um, I don't know if that word connects, but embodied because, you know, it can either be constructive or it can be destructive as well.

00:28:52 Antwon Person: Yes, that's that's correct. That's correct. Um, you know, as a leader though, I think you have to prepare your team. Um, so, you know, if, if you're transitioning at the end of the day, you really have hired all of your senior executives that are, that are going to be still there when you leave, you may have a new CEO, but a lot of the culture, a lot of the understanding, um, you're leaving there with, with the team that you really hire, um, and they're the ones that initially should guide that new leader, um, on, you know, integrate that new leader into the culture. Obviously they will have a different vision possibly. but you know, they shared the leaders that are currently there should. Um, help that CEO get on track, understand the culture, understand the mission, understand the operations and things like that.

00:29:48 Sana: Yeah. Of course. Great. Uh, so, um, Antoine, before we wrap this up, um, if our listeners, um, especially all the founders, entrepreneurs who are listening to our conversation today on this blend, if they would like to reach out to you, um, and explore more of the work that you're doing. Um, seek more wisdom on this specifically what would be the best way?

00:30:13 Antwon Person: Yes. To reach out to me personally. Um, I'm always on LinkedIn. Uh, so you can find me on LinkedIn. Uh, my name is Antoine person, so that's A n t w o n P e r s o n. I'm the only one you can reach out to me on LinkedIn. I would definitely respond if you want to hear more about my business accelerator program, you can go to Skillful Advisors dot com and you'll be able to find more information about my accelerator program there.

00:30:44 Sana: Of course, of course. So listeners, as you all know, I'll definitely have all the links mentioned in the show notes. So just hover over to them, find them attached along with this episode on whichever platform you are tuning into your business podcast today. And, um, I think this was definitely the kind of conversation founders need when they are secretly caring too much. So I'm really thankful that you brought up today this on this blend.

00:31:11 Antwon Person: Yes. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

00:31:14 Sana: So listeners, here's what I am taking, uh, from today. Um, a business that runs without you. It isn't about laziness. It is about sustainability. It is about building something that doesn't collapse the moment you take a breath. And if you are listening and thinking, okay, where do I even start? Then start small. Maybe you pick one repeatable problem. Uh, maybe you document the standard, assign ownership, measure the outcome, and do it again next week. A small step to begin with, but before you leave, follow this blend. Not because we want a vanity number, but because building a business is already loud and confusing. This show is where we slow it down. Tell the truth and talk through what actually works without any of the hashtags or the jargons or the hustle, worship or without pretending that it's easy. And if this episode helped you, send it to one found a friend who is doing too much alone. That share might be their exhale. So until next time. This is your host, Sana and you have been listening to this blend. I'll catch you in the next episode. Thank you and take care.