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

Why work expands to fill the time available, and how small business owners can use deadlines, time blocking, and clear outcomes to get more done in less time.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/616-parkinsons-law-for-small-business/
Have you ever noticed that a task you expected to finish in a day somehow ends up taking all week? Parkinson's Law explains why and understanding it can help small business owners reclaim their most limited resource: their time.
Parkinson's Law is the principle that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Give yourself an entire day to complete an administrative task and it will often consume the entire day. Give your team two weeks to finish a project and much of the meaningful work tends to happen in the final two days. For small business owners, this helps explain why we feel constantly busy, why meetings and projects drag on, and why there never seems to be enough time for the high-value work that actually grows the business.
In this episode of The How of Business, Henry Lopez explores how understanding Parkinson's Law can help you and your team make faster progress and use your limited time more effectively without simply working longer hours.
The concept was introduced by British historian and author C. Northcote Parkinson in a 1955 essay in The Economist. His observation was simple: when more time is available, work tends to become more complicated and consume all the time available. It's a bit like a bigger house that we fill with more stuff. The more time we have, the more we tend to fill it. Give yourself an hour to write an email and you may spend the full hour refining it; give yourself fifteen minutes and you'll likely communicate the same message just as well.
Henry, a self-described perfectionist, is candid about how this applies to his own work, where the pursuit of perfection often produces diminishing returns. The first 80% of a result might take two hours, while chasing perfection can consume six more without making it materially more valuable to the customer.
When work continually expands, the consequences add up: higher labor costs, slower execution, delayed revenue, missed opportunities, decision fatigue, too much owner involvement, and less time for planning and growth. Henry also raises a hard question worth sitting with: does your business culture reward activity instead of results?
The heart of the episode is a set of eight practical tactics for putting reasonable constraints around your work, plus five questions you can ask to right-size any recurring task or project.
As Henry puts it, "Don't just ask how much time do we have. Instead, ask how much time should this result require?"
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

Technology expert explains how small business owners can leverage AI as a force multiplier while protecting their data, systems, and intellectual property from emerging cybersecurity risks.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/615-mordy-hackel-ai-cybersecurity /
Artificial intelligence is creating enormous opportunities for small businesses—but it is also introducing new cybersecurity, data, and operational risks.
In this episode of The How of Business, Henry Lopez is joined by technology entrepreneur and KJ Technology founder Mordy Hackel to explore how small business owners can embrace AI, use technology as a force multiplier, and protect their businesses as the technology landscape continues to change.
Mordy shares his entrepreneurial journey from studying economics and working in technology for organizations including the NBA, Sony Music, and Citibank to building KJ Technology, a Manhattan-based managed IT services firm he has been growing since 1998.
Henry Lopez and Mordy Hackel discuss why small businesses should not assume they are too small to be targets for cybercrime. AI is making phishing emails, voice impersonation, social engineering, and other attacks increasingly sophisticated. Small organizations may be particularly vulnerable when they lack established procedures for authorizing payments, sharing sensitive information, or granting access to systems.
They also explore another increasingly important issue: employees using AI tools independently. When employees use personal ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI accounts for company work, businesses may expose confidential information or lose valuable intellectual property and institutional knowledge when those employees leave.
But the message of this episode is not to be afraid of AI. Mordy believes the opportunities significantly outweigh the risks. The challenge is learning how to use the right technology for the right problem.
AI can help business owners think creatively, analyze problems, overcome writer's block, develop workflows, prototype applications, and identify opportunities to improve how their businesses operate.
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 he earned his way into leadership, developed a capable management team, and transformed a hands-on family equipment dealership into a scalable business that no longer depends on him for every decision.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/614-kaiden-routh-growing-family-business/
How do you step into a multigenerational family business, earn the respect of employees and customers, and then change how the company operates without damaging its legacy?
In this episode, Henry Lopez is joined by Kaiden Routh, CEO of Routh Sales and Rentals, a second-generation family-owned equipment dealership with locations in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Kaiden grew up around family businesses and initially considered pursuing a different career. When he eventually joined the family company, he was not immediately placed in charge. He worked at the parts counter, supported the service department, handled sales, and learned nearly every part of the operation.
That experience helped Kaiden understand the business and earn credibility with employees. However, stepping into leadership created a different challenge: longtime customers and team members were accustomed to bypassing him and going directly to his father.
Kaiden explains how he and his father navigated that challenging transition, established new boundaries, and accepted that the next generation would need to operate the business differently.
Henry and Kaiden also discuss Kaiden's evolution from being the person who solved every problem to becoming a CEO focused on growth, people, culture, customer experience, and the future growth of the company.
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

Do you possess the innate characteristics, the 6 essential traits, required to become a true entrepreneur?
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/r346-6-traits-of-entrepreneurs/
How to honestly assess whether you possess the 6 essential traits required to become a true entrepreneur.
Henry explains the critical difference between being self-employed or a small business owner and being a true entrepreneur, and why not everyone is wired to build an organization that grows beyond themselves.
He shares the six essential traits that, according to Gino Wickman, and based on Henry's own decades of entrepreneurial experience and coaching, are innate characteristics required for entrepreneurial success.
If you're considering starting a business, or wondering whether entrepreneurship is truly the right path for you, this episode will help you honestly assess yourself before making the leap.
The 6 Traits of Entrepreneurs:
Visionary
Passionate
Problem Solver
Driven
Risk Taker
Responsible (Blames No One)
Key Takeaways from this episode:
The difference between self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Why entrepreneurial success requires more than a great idea.
The six essential entrepreneurial traits of entrepreneurs.
Why these traits are considered innate and not learned.
How honest self-assessment can save years of frustration.
Why entrepreneurship isn't the right path for everyone, and that's okay!
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 understanding the neuroscience behind conflict can help small business owners become more effective leaders, build healthier teams, and transform workplace conflict into collaboration.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/613-jeremy-pollack-conflict-resolution/
Conflict is inevitable in every small business. But according to conflict resolution expert Jeremy Pollack, conflict itself isn't the problem. It's how our nervous systems respond to perceived threats that determines whether conflict becomes destructive or productive.
In this episode, Henry Lopez talks with social-organizational psychologist, mediator, and author Jeremy Pollack about the neuroscience behind workplace conflict and why better communication alone isn't enough. Jeremy explains that before teams can solve problems effectively, leaders must first learn how to regulate their own nervous systems and create an environment where others feel psychologically safe.
Drawing from his book Wired for Peace: Using Seven Neuroscience-Based Principles to Resolve Conflicts, Jeremy shares practical strategies that every small business owner can apply immediately to improve leadership, strengthen culture, and reduce unnecessary workplace tension.
Whether you're managing a growing team, navigating difficult employee conversations, or simply wanting to become a more effective leader, this episode offers practical, science-backed tools you can begin using immediately in your small business.
Jeremy Pollack, Ph.D., is a social-organizational psychologist, workplace conflict resolution expert, and author of Wired for Peace, helping leaders build healthier, more collaborative teams through neuroscience-based conflict resolution. He is the founder of Pollack Peacebuilding Systems.
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