Dr. Brian Smith has a PhD in organizational psychology, a master’s degree in management information systems, a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt Consultant. Brian has been helping business owners and managers since 1988. His company, IA Business Advisors has helped over eighteen thousand clients since 1996.
Mary Smith is an associate consultant with IA Business Advisors and is a Kolbe Certified Consultant. She has a bachelor’s in English literature and minored in psychology at the University of Redlands; she is currently working towards her master’s in organizational leadership.
Brian & Mary developed The I in Team Series to help leaders find, be, and build their positive influence. The newest title in the series is Individual Advantages: Be the “I” in Team.
What are IA Business Advisors and The I in Team Series all about?
IA Business Advisors is a business advisory firm that specializes in executive coaching, fractional c-suite management, mergers, acquisitions, succession support, and culture development. We consult businesses in the $2-to-$50-million-dollar gross revenue range. Within these practices, we provide both strategy and tactic support through our consultants that are either our employees or contractors.
The I in Team Series is IA’s leadership and culture development philosophies based on our work with clients. The I in Team Series was founded on two premises: 1) All individuals matter and 2) all individuals have influence which we believe is their greatest responsibility in life. We also have a refined definition of the word “individual” where we believe individual may identify a single person or a larger group of people working together.
We delineate the differences through the use of a lowercase “i” for a single person—individual—and an uppercase “I” for two or more singular individuals working together as one—Individual.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I began my professional career as an accountant doing litigation support work and did not enjoy it. I quit my first job with a big six accounting firm and took a job installing a computerized accounting system for a small manufacturing company; this first installation led to my first company Business Accounting Solutions (BAS).
In 1995, I sold BAS to Cornerstone Consulting Group, and after working for them for a short time was hired by a client, 3D Geophysical (TDGO), who is a NASDAQ-traded oil exploration company. I was hired to develop their worldwide IT and IT-based ERP system. During this time, 3D was buying other oil exploration companies around the world and I was charged with the integration of the new companies’ systems into the 3D infrastructure.
IA was born out of this work as I began to notice the challenges of successfully and positively integrating people, process, and technology. At the time, IA (or, Individual Advantages which is the legal name of IA Business Advisors) was just a think tank exploring the definition of “Individual” and how individuals had new advantages in this new technologically driven world.
IA was literally born out of asking the question: What advantages will Individuals have in this new world and how do we better integrate their people, process, and technology?
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
Patience – Objectivity – Positivity
To be successful as an entrepreneur, you will most certainly need patience. Patience with yourself and with the challenges that will make you question why you choose the path of an entrepreneur.
Second to patience is objectivity. You will be challenged to look at issues in a more diverse and open-minded way, so be ready to do so by being objective. Patience will aid in the ability to look at issues while removing or setting aside subjective emotions.
Finally, you will need positivity. Negativity destroys businesses. If you can add positivity to a patient and objective leader, there is not much they cannot accomplish. A patience, objective, and positive entrepreneur will inspire their teams, influence their clients, and successfully serve those in their lives.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
What separates IA from other advisory firms is our commitment to both the individual people and the Individual company, as well as their individual and combined influence. We bring a clearer vision of purpose for each individual and for the entire organization (Individual) by aligning their people, process, and technology.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Mary: To be honest, I think I’m still overcoming my biggest challenge, which is my own mind. If you don’t work to challenge your mind, what it tells you, how it talks to you, how it analyzes information and makes decisions, then your mind can create pitfalls in your life. The biggest challenge is overcoming the need to be a perfectionist, being comfortable in knowing that I am enough, and being comfortable enough to show the world the real me. Sometimes our minds trap us in false realities and it’s difficult to know when those realities are false or not. I’m still overcoming the traps of my own mind, but I do so by questioning myself, viewing information as if I were a third-party, and keeping a trusted support group around to help me with alternate viewpoints.
Brian: Being too individually emotional. I was initially too focused on the “I” and not on the “We.” This included internally with our teams and externally with our clients.
Being too proud to say, “I don’t know,” and seeking out help in answering those questions that could have saved a lot of mistakes.
Not recognizing the people who contributed to my individual success as well as our Individual success.
I believe what helped me overcome these the most was becoming more humble.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Mary: I’m currently working towards my master’s in organizational leadership and learning a lot about diversity, equity, and inclusion. There are thousands of blogs, articles, and studies done on why embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is beneficial for organizations, but for me, it boils down to one thing: giving people a safe space to be themselves. When people can bring their full and authentic selves to work, they can fully contribute their unique individual to positive team development. We can get further faster if we unlock human potential.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
I would slow down and listen to people who had done business longer than myself. I would have allowed for others to become more involved and not take on the weight of the company like it was my sole burden to carry.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Mary: The “Done” list. Usually, at the beginning of my week, I look at all my projects and tasks, prioritize them, and then start tackling them. It always feels good to cross something off of a list, but it also feels really good to look back at a “Done” list. When I finish something, I’ll move it to my “Done” list. I feel very accomplished when I see my “Done” list grow and it helps me feel motivated to keep being productive to grow my list.
Brian: Slow Down – I firmly believe that by slowing down you become more efficient at your overall task list. You make less mistakes, miss less key information, and have a clearer focus of your task and how they fit into your overall goals.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs?
- Book: The E Myth by Michael E. Gerber. I think The E Myth is the single best book for entrepreneurs as it clearly defines the most common struggles and mistakes made by all early entrepreneurs.
- Podcast: The Customer Experience Advantage with David Avrin. This is a relatively new podcast that focuses on customer experience and how to properly treat your customers. I believe that CSX (customer experience) will define the success of businesses going forward unlike it has in the past; we have many more challenges today with multiple delivery streams, easier recognition and review in public forums, and a lot more competition bombarding potential customers from more avenues.
- Online Course: LinkedIn Learning: Unconscious Bias with Stacey Gordon. We all have unconscious bias but talking about it can be difficult for people. This is an informative course that is less than half an hour. It teaches about unconscious bias, the types of unconscious bias, how unconscious bias affects the workplace, and more. By taking this course, individuals give themselves the foundation to have more comfortable discussions on unconscious bias with others and themselves.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Buy a website and make it clean, clear, and speak to what your business is.
Buy a communication suite like Microsoft365 or Google to provide you with concentrated tools to manage day-to-day needs, like your calendar and communication.
Buy an engagement suite for social media that will allow you to type once and post to many social pages, giving you expanded visibility and ability to engage and focus on your target audience; engagement is the key to successful social marketing and the best way to reach a target audience.
Finally, I would put the rest of the money away for industry specific needs; for me, that would be professional clothes, a good business card, and find a marketing referral group that is not represented by my industry, then I’d get to work.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Slow down, life is not a race that can be won in a day, week, month, or year, and if you are going too fast you will miss out on opportunities. When you slow down you can listen to learn. There is a lot to be learned from unsuccessful and successful people; if you listen, you will find the golden nuggets that will propel you forward. Finally, don’t try to do it all yourself. Join the Chamber or get involved with the SBA. Then, slow down and listen to learn some more.
What is your favorite quote?
Mary: Well, to be honest, I have a few. Although, if I had to choose my absolute favorite quote, it would be one by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson
Two things I personally value in life are awareness and compassion, and I believe that if we allow ourselves to learn and become more aware of the truth in the world, compassion will follow. A remarkably close second favorite quote is by Charles Dickens.
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
– Charles Dickens.
Brian: John Maxwell said, “Leadership is influence.”
Although, I believe influence is leadership. The quote, like most others, instills in me to think deeper and more broadly about the author’s inspiration to make the quote.
What is your definition of success?
Mary: At The I in Team Series, we use the term “prosperity” in place of “success.” We fully believe that success (or prosperity) is subjective and individual to each of us. For some, it may be money, but money isn’t the root of everyone’s success. I would define my personal success/prosperity by the unconditional love that surrounds me. My prosperity comes from finding the smallest glimmer of hope in a vast sea of darkness—knowing that I am known and seen by those who love me and whom I love.
Brian: For me, success is synonymous with prosperity. My definition is each time I help another human realize they are the influence that has enormous meaning. Every human has influence; it begins before birth, and if every human understood this, then I believe the world may be better.
How do you personally overcome fear?
Mary: Fear is really hard to overcome. One of the best things I have realized in life thus far is that fear and anxiety are traps of our own making. Fear is a shadow rooted in the mind, and it lives there because we allow it to live there. We need fear; fear keeps us safe. However, fear can also prohibit us from chasing opportunity, taking risks, and growing as human beings. I personally overcome fear by first asking myself if I have gathered all the information I need. Then, I review the information with a trusted third party and gain their perspective. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith, trust yourself/your instincts, and push fear to the side. Have gratitude for fear keeping you safe, but know when it’s time to ignore it, get a little uncomfortable, and take the leap. Start with small things that make you feel fearful, called exposure therapy. Even if you just push your boundaries a little bit today, tomorrow you will wake up with a bigger boundary. Stretch your boundary to make incremental progress and overcome fear.
Brian: I tend to be like a bull in a china shop. I approach things that instill fear with a determination to move through it until the fear abates or the thing that is causing fear is resolved.
How can readers get in touch with you?
Please find us on social media and our website iabusinessadvisors.com
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