In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Troy Trewin interviews Maria Nicholas Groves, founder of Talent Growth Partners, based in Milwaukee, USA. Starting in 2016, Maria built her talent advisory firm from $350K in year one to just under 2 million, growing 20% year over year. The business offers leadership development, coaching, fractional HR, and full-cycle recruiting with a team of 6 FTEs and 10 contractors. Maria shares how her team maintains an impressive Net Promoter Score of 88 by obsessing over client success. She also discusses the importance of culture, hiring for alignment, and consistently celebrating wins while scaling.

Other Resources:

• An easy way to measure if your customers love you in 21 minutes – use the Net Promoter Score (NPS). And it’s FREE.

Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let’s get into it by clicking here.

Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice.

And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:

1. What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business?
   
   According to Maria Nicholas Groves, the hardest thing is balancing the need to consistently celebrate wins while also pushing toward future goals and ensuring the team stays aligned with the evolving vision.
   
   

2. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most?
   
   Maria Nicholas Groves shared that her favorite business book is What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith, as it highlights the importance of staying agile and continually growing as a leader.
   
   

3. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business?
   
   Maria Nicholas Groves shared that she starts each day with the Optimal Living Daily podcast. It’s a short and diverse resource that helps set a positive mindset, drawing lessons from various authors and thought leaders.
   
   

4. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business?
   
   According to Maria Nicholas Groves, LinkedIn Learning is a great resource, along with leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot, or Gemini to increase efficiency. She also emphasizes understanding your personal learning style to maximize growth.
   
   

5. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business?
   
   Maria Nicholas Groves shared that if she could give herself advice on day one, it would be: "Don’t play small." She believes in going after big goals with confidence from the very beginning.
   
   

Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights!

Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.

Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest:

Building a kick-ass culture is just as important as having a healthy sales pipeline – Maria Nicholas Groves

The companies that win are the ones that never take their eye off both sales and delivery – Maria Nicholas Groves

Leadership is about aligning your team around vision while staying obsessed with client success – Maria Nicholas Groves

In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Troy Trewin interviews Jeremy Ames, co-founder of Guidant Financial, who turned a $3.5K startup into a $28 million powerhouse helping over 35,000 retirees use their retirement funds to start businesses. Jeremy shares his journey of building a 250-person team across five countries, the challenges of scaling, and the importance of customer insight and culture. With over two decades of experience, he reflects on key mindset shifts, lessons from failure, and how clarity, grit, and adaptability shaped his success in business.

Other Resources:

• An easy way to measure if your customers love you in 21 minutes – use the Net Promoter Score (NPS). And it’s FREE.

Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let’s get into it by clicking here.

Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice.

And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:

1. What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business?
   
   According to Jeremy Ames, the hardest part of growing a small business is managing the emotional rollercoaster while continuing to move forward. There are moments of doubt, tough decisions, and setbacks — but staying focused through it all is key.
   
   

2. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most?
   
   Jeremy Ames shared that The High-Velocity Edge is the business book that helped him the most. It transformed how he thinks about scaling, continuous improvement, and building systems that allow a business to grow sustainably.
   
   

3. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business?
   
   Jeremy Ames recommends resources like Audible, Blinkist, and listening to diverse podcasts. He credits his creativity to constantly consuming ideas from various sources and combining them in unique ways to solve business challenges.
   
   

4. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business?
   
   Jeremy emphasized the importance of building a solid financial projection model. He believes it’s the most powerful planning tool for any entrepreneur—it helps clarify assumptions, prepare for roadblocks, and guide decision-making.
   
   

5. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business?
   
   According to Jeremy Ames, if he could go back to day one, he would tell himself to talk to customers early and often. Deep customer understanding would’ve helped shape a better product, stronger marketing, and faster success.

Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights!

Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.

Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest:

If you can’t see the problem, you can’t solve it—visibility is where all growth begins — Jeremy Ames

Success isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters most with clarity and intention — Jeremy Ames

You don’t need more money to start a business—you need a problem worth solving — Jeremy Ames

QFF: Quick Fire Friday – Your 20-Minute Growth Powerhouse!

Welcome to Quick Fire Friday, the Grow A Small Business podcast series that is designed to deliver simple, focused and actionable insights and key takeaways in less than 20 minutes a week.

Every Friday, we bring you business owners and experts who share their top strategies for growing yourself, your team and your small business. Get ready for a dose of inspiration, one action you can implement and quotable quotes that will stick with you long after the episode ends!

To celebrate our epic 700th episode, we’re going behind the scenes with Troy Trewin, Founder of Grow A Small Business, shares his journey from burnout to balance, highlighting his leadership at Lark Distillery and the New Zealand Whisky Collection. He reveals how a life-changing moment in Bali inspired him to create the free Transform Your Performance course.

The course has already helped over 100 small business owners and their teams work smarter, reduce stress, and reclaim their time. Troy discusses practical productivity tips, mindset shifts, and the power of simplicity in business. This episode is packed with real stories, proven tools, and powerful insights for every small business owner.

Key Takeaways for Small Business Owners:

Ditch Morning Meetings – Protect Your Power Hours: Troy swears by keeping his mornings meeting-free to do two deep 90-minute focus sprints. Your brain is sharpest early—use it to tackle the big stuff, not check calendars!

Hustle Less, Achieve More: Forget the hustle culture hype. Productivity isn’t about grinding—it’s about building smart, lasting habits that let you work less and get better results.

Say No, or Not Yet – Prioritize Like a Pro: When everything is a priority, nothing is. Learning to say “no” or “not yet” helps you focus on what actually moves the needle in your business.

Our hero crafts outstanding reviews following the experience of listening to our special guests. Are you the one we've been waiting for?

Inbox Lockdown = Game Changer: Troy uses a tool to block email access during work blocks—because "just checking" often turns into hours lost. Control your inbox before it controls you.

Use the 'Success List' – Not a To-Do List: Forget endless to-do lists. Troy’s simple 2-page “Success List” system helps you plan your week with intention, reduce stress, and finish each day with purpose.

Burnout Isn’t a Badge – It’s a Warning Sign: Troy hit burnout four times before realizing something had to change. Your business won’t thrive if you’re running on empty—prioritize balance, or you’ll pay the price.

One action small business owners can take:

According to Troy Trewin, one action small business owners can take is to block out their mornings for deep, distraction-free work—no meetings, no emails—just 90-minute sprints focused on high-impact tasks that drive real results.

Do you have 2 minutes every Friday? Sign up to the Weekly Leadership Email. It's free and we can help you to maximize your time.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. 👇

Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest:

If everything’s a priority, nothing truly gets done – Troy Trewin

Productivity isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters most – Troy Trewin

Real growth happens when you stop saying yes to everything – Troy Trewin