The How of Business - How to start, run, grow and exit a small business.

How to find the right business by evaluating whether to buy, build, or franchise while aligning with your finances, goals, and mindset.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/605-finding-the-right-small-business/
Choosing the right business is one of the most critical decisions an entrepreneur will ever make, and getting it wrong can cost years of time, money, and energy. In this roundtable discussion, Henry Lopez is joined by Giuseppe Grammatico, Rocky Lalvani, and David Barnett to break down how to approach finding the right business opportunity.
The conversation explores the key paths available to aspiring business owners - starting from scratch, buying an existing business, or investing in a franchise - and the pros and cons of each approach. The group emphasizes that before evaluating any opportunity, entrepreneurs must first shift their mindset and understand what it truly means to become a business owner.
Financial readiness is a major theme throughout this roundtable discussion. From understanding cash flow realities to avoiding unrealistic expectations about early profits, the panel highlights why having the right financial foundation is essential. They also dive into common mistakes buyers make during due diligence, including misinterpreting financial statements, overlooking hidden risks, and failing to validate assumptions.
A key takeaway from this conversation is the importance of aligning the business with your personal goals, lifestyle expectations, and tolerance for risk.
As Henry shares: "Be careful not to fall in love with the business before you finish the due diligence."
This episode sets the foundation for the rest of the series by helping you think critically about how to choose the right business and avoid costly mistakes early in the process.
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

The three root causes of business partnership failure - loss of trust, respect, and alignment - and how to prevent them.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/604-why-partnerships-fail/
Business partnerships can accelerate success or destroy a business faster than almost anything else.
In this episode, Henry Lopez breaks down the three primary reasons partnerships fail: loss of trust, loss of respect, and loss of alignment. Drawing from his own experiences and years of coaching small business owners, he explains why most partnerships don't fail because of the business itself but because of the breakdown in the relationship between partners.
Henry explores how issues like lack of financial transparency, unequal contribution, poor communication, and misaligned long-term goals quietly erode partnerships over time. He also highlights the role money plays in amplifying tensions, whether the business is thriving or struggling.
"Partnerships fail gradually. First trust breaks, then respect erodes, and eventually alignment disappears."
You'll also learn practical ways to prevent these issues, including defining roles clearly, maintaining full financial visibility, documenting agreements, and committing to regular communication. Henry emphasizes that communication is the foundation that holds everything together, and without it, even strong partnerships will fail.
This episode is essential listening for anyone considering a small business partnership or currently navigating one.
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

A framework for creating a business or product name using a proven five-step process that removes guesswork and drives better branding decisions, with Brad Flowers.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/r306-5-steps-to-naming/
Naming your business (or product or service) doesn't have to be a frustrating or purely creative guessing game. It can be a structured, repeatable process that leads to better outcomes.
In this episode, Henry Lopez chats with Brad Flowers, co-founder of Bullhorn and author of The Naming Book, about how small business owners can move from a blank page to a strong, effective business or product name.
Brad shares the five-step framework he developed after realizing that most naming advice either tells stories or opinions but doesn't actually help you generate names. Henry and Brad explore how to establish clear criteria, generate a large volume of ideas, and evaluate those ideas without getting stuck.
A key takeaway is that creativity isn't about waiting for inspiration, it's about having a process.
As Brad explains, "the only way to continuously produce high results in a creative field is to have a rigorous process."
They also discuss common mistakes, including overthinking too early, relying too much on outside opinions, and limiting ideas before fully exploring them. If you're launching a business, product, or service - or even considering a rebrand - this episode will give you a practical path forward.
The 5 steps to creating brand and product names that sell:
1) Establishing Criteria
2) Brainstorming
3) Compiling Names
4) Expanding Your Knowledge
5) Deciding on the Final Name
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Practical email writing techniques that help small business owners communicate more clearly, get faster responses, and reduce costly misunderstandings.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/603-5-tips-for-better-emails/
Email is still the primary communication tool in most small businesses, yet it's one of the most overlooked skills.
In this episode, Henry shares five simple but powerful tips to help you write better emails that get faster responses, reduce misunderstandings, and improve your professional credibility.
You'll learn how to:
Communicate your message clearly and quickly
Structure emails so they are easy to scan
Avoid common mistakes that lead to delays
Write with professionalism and clarity
Make it easy for others to take action
Better emails lead to better business outcomes. This is a simple skill with a high return on investment.
Key takeaway: clarity and focus beat completeness every time.
5 Tips for Better Emails:
Don't Bury the Headline
Make It Scannable
Less Is More (One Objective)
Don't Write Emails Like Text Messages
Clear Subject Line + Clear Ask
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

How profitability and scalability constraints in your business model keep you stuck and how to diagnose and remove them to finally grow.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/602-why-your-business-is-stuck/
If your business feels stuck - you are working hard but not breaking through - you may be dealing with hidden constraints in your business model.
In this episode, Henry Lopez explains why most small businesses don't fail outright but instead get trapped in a perpetual startup stage. The root cause is often not effort or resources, but structural limitations in profitability or scalability or both.
Henry breaks down the two pillars of a healthy business model and shows you how to diagnose what's really holding your business back. He also introduces a simple tool to help you identify these constraints and begin addressing them – The Business Model Evaluation Tool – available on the show notes page for this episode.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The difference between a business idea and a business model
Why working harder won't fix a broken business model
The top reasons small businesses struggle with profitability
The most common scalability constraints
How to identify whether your business model can be fixed or you need to pivot
How to begin removing the constraints keeping you stuck
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com