In the second half of last week’s conversation about leadership, Lou and Elizabeth talk about the hallmarks of bad leadership and the struggles some people experience stepping into leadership roles. Lou regales listeners with some wild stories about tough decisions and, frankly, crazy management moments and, most importantly, Lou and Elizabeth look at alternative choices that would have made things work smoothly. Should bosses be friends with their employees? Is it possible to not internalize your management choices? Do women experience leadership roles differently than men do and, really, how much impact does a leader have on the team’s results? How do generational differences inform what works? It’s all here …and, of course, Elizabeth goes to bat for the Clifton Strengths Assessment [with which she has no professional affiliation]. Questions? Find them online @elizabethonline and @louimbriano.

In the first half of a two-part episode, Elizabeth and Lou talk about what makes good leadership. Leadership is a way of behaving that governs everything you do, but it boils down to a few key attributes. Today, the focus is on the kernels of good leadership: discipline, decision-making, and building credibility, all of which are especially important when you have an excellent team full of great ideas. Being a good leader not only affects your team, but also your customer service. Time off, maternity leave, and HR come up; Lou deftly illustrates why we need to think better and more flexibly about family leave. Questions? Find us on Twitter @elizabethonline and @louimbriano.

Lou and Elizabeth are back to talk about starting out with KPIs: what Key Performance Indicators are worth measuring and what KPIs are not as useful or, worse, distracting? KPIs for coaches, tutors, and consultants are on the docket today, which extends to KPIs for people in service businesses. You can identify KPIs to help you grow your revenue and referral mechanisms, too, which means engineering growth no matter your industry. It drives Lou nuts when people don’t have the right mechanics and KPIs in place, and you’ll hear that in this episode. Buckle up! Questions? We’re all ears at [email protected] or on Twitter @elizabethonline and @louimbriano.

Lou and Elizabeth are talking negotiation this week. If sales is "listening and giving people what they want," then negotiation is "listening and getting what you want." Lou has some crazy stories this week. From big money sports negotiations to more personal negotiations like buying a home or a car, this episode has the good, bad, and ugly. Know what you need to know about leverage, your list of Nevers, and the inalienable ability to walk away on this week’s episode. If you have questions, find the hosts on Twitter at @elizabethonline or @LouImbriano.

Lou and Elizabeth have a lively conversation using real-life stories and personal examples about things to think about in the financial realm when you’re first starting a business. It’s so easy to want to spend money once “you can expense it” (new computer, anyone?), but this conversation highlights what’s worth spending on and what might be worth holding off on. Given Lou and Elizabeth’s totally different backgrounds and personality types, what they feel strongly about can vary in this conversation, but you’ll no doubt learn a lot as they each divulge a little bit about “how the other half lives.” Should you go in for the branded water bottles? What about company-branded polo shirts? Do customers want things with your brand on them at all? Is getting an accountant really worth it? How do you spend your time and money on strategic gifts that truly help grow your business? How do you keep track of your expenses and your financial basics, anyway? This conversation is peppered with tidbits that would never make it into their own show but definitely need to be on your radar. Lou and Elizabeth are loving your listener questions. If you have one you’d like to ask, find us on Twitter @elizabethonline and @louimbriano, or email them at [email protected].

Ever wondered what it would take to buy a business? Today we get into the basics of figuring out if you should buy a business and how to get started if you’re thinking about it. It’s common to wonder what it would be like to buy an existing business rather than starting up from scratch—or maybe you want to buy a competitor’s business as a shortcut to growing your own. Today, Lou walks Elizabeth through early considerations about due diligence, funding, and even a little warning about the nepotism or specialists that might be embedded in a small business you’re looking at buying that affect its value. The show gets into jargon again but makes it as painless as possible. Questions? Find us on twitter @Elizabethonline or @louimbriano or write [email protected].

This week the pendulum swings the other direction: Lou and Elizabeth talk about going into business as an artist, writer, musician, or other generally creative type of person. Not everything can be so pragmatic, and Lou and Elizabeth get into the fears and unknowns endemic to making your living in the arts and the usefulness of bringing a partner into the equation. It gets personal and funny this week as we mull over small business for artists. Questions or comments? Find Lou and Elizabeth on Twitter at @elizabethonline and @louimbriano or email [email protected].

Throwing spaghetti against the wall as a marketing tactic is a great way to lose money—but when you think you’re doing something strategic that’s actually throwing spaghetti against the wall and you don’t even know it? That’s the worst! Today we talk about KPIs, Key Performance Indicators, to uncover ways people are accidentally losing time and money, especially when they sweat the small stuff thinking they’re looking at the big picture. KPIs are different than ROI, and even if you’re the type of person (like Elizabeth!) who bristles at corporate jargon, we’re going to get you through it in this conversation and help you start to think creatively about the efforts you’re making to build ongoing relationships that can sustain your small business efforts—or even your work relationships if you’re functioning inside a larger corporate structure.

What if your employer says you’re welcome to work on your own provided you don’t compete directly with your employer? Today we talk about non-competes, intellectual property, protecting yourself against what we see as virtually inevitable problems when you work more than one job in the same field, and how to think about competition and loyalty when you’re the one just getting started or doing the hiring (rather than being hired yourself). We’re thinking things through today to help you ward off issues down the line, including another listener question.

This week’s show is an after-hours production: we kept talking after our last episode wrapped and we’re sharing the conversation with you. Totally unplanned, in this episode we take a listener question about the business and customer research Lou recommends for small business owners—advice that’s good for anyone working on building business relationships. Then we get into it: Lou holds Elizabeth’s feet to the fire about her phrase “marketers marketing marketing” and the flood gates open up about social media marketing “gurus” and “experts”—some of whom might be voted most likely to confuse and misguide, especially people new to the worlds of independent work and small business. Customer research, marketing plans, and people who are full of it: we have it all on this episode. Find us at @elizabethonline and @louimbriano.