Profile

Professional summary

Steve is an experienced business and executive coach, advisor and mentor to business professionals who want to excel in the areas of leadership, management and marketing.

Considered as the catalyst for change when it comes to helping his clients become outstanding business leaders, Steve's mission is to aggressively coach business owners and executives, helping them become confident, decisive world class success stories.

Steve shares his business building techniques with professional audiences which he bases on the insights he has gained from his industry experience and the 300+ companies he has helped worldwide. He co-hosts a weekly internet radio/video simulcast, ‘The Bottled Business Sense Show’ and is an accomplished writer for

Engagement overview

I engage clients in two ways;  coaching to help them develop more professionally and my advisory service if they need more on-demand consulting help.  My specialties focus on help business professionals gain control of growing and running their companies through improved management practices, marketing strategies and mindset upgrades.

Coaching engagements must be a minimum of 6 months.  Advisory commitments are packaged by numbers of hours starting at 3.  All services are priced to reflect commitment length.

We offer:  Business Fundamentals Coaching; Advanced Business Coaching; Executive Leadership Coaching; and Business Advisory Services.

Clients

Law Firms:
• Goyette & Associates- Sacramento, CA
• Stockstill & Associates- Lafayette, LA
• Adams, Ferarra, & Ferarra- West Los Anageles, CA
• WFB Legal Consulting- Laguna Hills, CA
• Griffiths & Goyette- Burlingame, CA
• Smith, Hall & Strongin, LLP- San Juan Capistrano, CA

Logistics & Shipping:
• Logistix Worldwide- Murfreesboro, TN
• BGI Worldwide- Long Beach, CA
• Complete Marine Freight- Palma de Miorca, Spain

Manufacturing & Distribution:
• Glacier Chain Supply- Anchorage, AK
• The Gem Bank- London, England
• Asiaplast Industries- Jakarta, Indonesia
• Solid Solution Products- Lake Forest, CA
• Posh Mommy Jewelry- Sacramento, CA
• India Dan Spices- Denmark
• Anutone- Bangalore

Professional Services:
• Mission Coast Insurance- Mission Viejo, CA
• William Pyott -New York Life, Lake Forest, CA
• TransAmerica Financial- Santa Ana, CA
• Elaine LaVine Insurance- Dana Point, CA
• Jackie Borden Group- Laguna Niguel, CA

Healthcare Services:
• Downtown Dental Associates- Toronto, CN
• Create Total Wellness- Foothill Ranch, CA
• Foothill Smiles- Foothill Ranch, CA
• Jake Smith Chiropractic- Palma de Miorca, Spain
• Comfort Keepers- Sarasota, FL
• The Natural Health Center- Laguna Niguel, CA
• Terry Dingbaum Dentistry- San Diego, CA
• Thermo Med- Escondido, CA

General Contracting/ Home Repair:
• MAC Flooring- Aliso Viejo, CA
• Shaffer Plumbing- Dana Point, CA
• Zimmerman Paint Co. - Fremont, OH
• Coast Plumbing- Costa Mesa, CA
• Pentagon Safety Services- Ranch Santa Margarita, CA
• Builders Trade Network- Santa Ana, CA

Retail Services:
• In Your Office, In Your Home- Laguna Hills, CA
• The Print Raven- Flagstaff, AZ
• Chuck Jones Galleries- Coast Mesa, CA
• Cartridge Express- Philadelphia, PA
• Harrison Auto- Laguna Hills, CA
• Uniform Breeze- Murfreesboro, TN
• Sonny Alexander Florist- Los Angeles, CA
• Marble Treasures- Ontario, CN
• Kanvas Interior Art- Nedlands, Australia

Business to Business:
• Vetpharm, Inc.- Rochester, NY
• Momentum Media Marketing- Vancouver, CN
• Rosalind Marshall Consulting- Istanbul, Turkey
• Austin Consulting Group- Colorado Springs, CO
• OnTask Ergonomics- Prince Albert, CN
• Unique Business Optimization- Galway, Ireland
• B8Zipr- Sacramento, CA
• Syner.Co International- Ontario, CN
• The HomeMag- Irvine, CA
• Glen Edmunds Performance Driving School- Nairobi, Kenya
• Virtualization Optimization- Centennial, CO
• OWLS, Inc.- Bozeman, MT

Technical Services:
• TH2 Technologies- Lake Forest, CA
• Adeptek Consulting- Irvine, CA
• Turnbull Web & Graphic Design- Kippa Ring QLD, Australia
• IZA Consulting- Lake Forest, CA
• High Road Data- Mission Viejo, CA
• Chickbooq- New York, NY

Personal Services:
• In the Details Home Design- Orange, CA
• Jeremy Coleman Photography- London,, England
• Amavasyaa- Aberdeen, England
• DS Fitness- Toronto, CN
• Diane Cardano Real Estate Broker- Abington, PA
• LookBetterOnLine.com- Solana Beach, CA
• Jacklyn Flowers Presents- Laguna Niguel, CA
• Prosperity Trading- Santa Monica, CA
• Readi Homes- Salt Lake City, UT
• Reynolds Golf Plantation- Bishop, GA
• Arivaca Boys Ranch- Arivaca, AZ

  • linkedin logo
  • youtube logo
Areas of expertise
Insights

Question: Looking for leadership experts/coaches: How to delegate?

Effective delegation is a process. The more you practice, the more confident you will become at handing over projects, assignments or other routine duties to others. I've outlined a number of steps that will help a first time manager or seasoned executive become more effective with delegation.

Here's the link to the slide deck on slide share. http://www.slideshare.net/stevesmith56/are-you-pr... Read more

Topics:

Question: Is it possible to run a small business without managers?

While I recognize that some companies have pursued this type of organizational hierarchy, I'm not convinced that it works well for every business. The role of management is to set the course for where the business goes, how it gets there and who is responsible for various assignments along the way. While I greatly support the idea of teams collaborating to get the best outcome, I realize that mo... Read more

Topics:

Question: How to Select An Exceptional Leader

Hiring any exceptional people for leadership roles is a challenge. Why, becasue you have to know exactly what you are looking for. 'Exceptional' means different things to different people. What constitutes being exceptional in your company?

1. Determine exactly what the role is, what the individual must know and have demonstrated and what level of authority they will have.

2. Be willing... Read more

Topics:

Question: Helping Remote Workers to Manage Time Effectively

People who work from home face a particular set of focus challenges that don't tend to distract people in the workplace. Just being in your home is a distraction if you are prone to noise from children, barking dogs, activity in your neighborhood, etc.

Here are a few things you can do to help your remote working stay focused while working from home:

1. Have a discussion up front about yo... Read more

Topics:

Question: How to conduct meetings more effectively

From my experience, meetings are the most poorly used resource in business today. Overplayed by managers and shunned by employees alike, meetings could produce much greater benefits if their were focused on a single topic.

While most businesses need to have more extensive management meetings on a monthly or quarterly basis, a typical meeting with the team should be really focused on what is m... Read more

Topics:

Question: How to prioritize when everything is Top Priority

From my experience, the 'I need it all right now' culture you speak of is probably a deeply routed part of a rather disorganized, hectic way of doing things. Getting the powers to be to change all at once is not going to be very effective. Here's what I suggest:

1. Establish your own priority system.

2. Talk with the folks that have low priority tasks about why they feel they are high pr... Read more

Topics:

Question: Hiring a younger member in Senior Management team

What should govern your decision is whether of not this individual has the right combinations of skill and experience to effectively do the job. Regardless of their age, will they be viewed as someone who clearly brings knowledge, experience and expertise to the role. Your staff may be skeptical at first, but having the right qualities will usually earn their respect.

As to transition, this rests... Read more

Topics:

Question: What should you do when you and your boss don't get along?

Unless the employee feels targeted for some reason or a recent issue has been handled in an unprofessional manner, most relationship issues are a matter of differing perspectives. Personalities aside, the best way to address this problem is to have a conversation with your boss. Don't be confrontational, simply express a desire to be more effective and build a stronger working relationship. The... Read more

Topics:

Question: Should we resuscitate or kill a 360-degree feedback process?

The 360 degree feedback process is one of many tools for helping people improve their performance by being more aware of the relationships they have with others in the organization. As others have stated, the tool is not the problem. The problem is the way it was used. As opposed to other less exposing ways to help employees, 360s need quite a bit of ground work with everyone involved so all pa... Read more

Topics:

Question: Tips for Hiring a Virtual Employee

Locating and hiring a virtual employee includes many of the same approaches as an on-site employee.

Here are my best tips for hiring a virtual employee:

1. Have a very clear, accurate position description.
2. Have systems that can measure and monitor the employee's work.
3. Go to your existing staff, clients, network or professional contacts to solicit candidates.
4. Interview your candidates u... Read more

Topics:

Question: Problem of sarcasm in the workplace

Sarcasm is a tool that people use to make a point, hide a flaw or somehow manipulate those around them. Used too often and for the wrong reasons, sarcasm can negatively affect the flow of a productive, harmonious workplace.

How you handle it depends largely on your relationship with the individual and your confidence in your current position.

The fastest way to address this is to sit your ... Read more

Topics:

Question: What is involved in an executive coaching process?

Jim & Michael have already covered lots of coaching decision considerations, so I won't attempt to rehash any of that information. The big question I would consider is, "am I ready for coaching"? As the client, you will be doing 80+% of the work. You will need to understand your own degree of change comfort and what you want to change into.

My best clients tend to take over the process because... Read more

Topics:

Question: Overcoming hidden bias at workplace

When senior members of your staff are prone to making inappropriate comments, it only encouraged other to follow them. If left long enough, it suggests that management is condoning the behavior. Fixing this problem is not easy and trying to monitor progress can be elusive. The best way to handle it is with a small run table discussion.

Divide your roster into groups of 6. Schedule meetings... Read more

Topics:

Question: How do I respond to my subordinate who discredits me?

Anytime your authority is undermined, it is uncomfortable and potentially creates barriers to good working relationships. The best way to handle this is to understand a few things.

1. Does the employee understand the right protocol? If not, it may have seemed entirely reasonable to keep asking higher levels of management.

2. Does your employee realize that you have the authority to grant rais... Read more

Topics:

Question: Financing options for a small businesses

Currently, you are 45%, debt to revenue. What are you planning to use the next $150K for? If it's not revenue generating, I would think twice about taking on more infrastructure debt. With a 658 credit score, you are not going to get the best financing available either. Expansion is a great way to realize greater business opportunities but only if your existing operation is solid (good cash fl... Read more

Topics:

Question: Dealing with an insecure manager

So far, I'm in agreement with the comments made by everyone. Clearly, a situation like this has many parts that need to be fully understood and addressed.

I'd like to offer a different approach. This one is not a slam dunk for every insecure boss situation but it is one that I found myself in years ago. Essentially, I had been hired by a man who possessed all the insecure characteristics you d... Read more

Topics:
Publications

Why You Struggle with Accountability and How to Actually Change
growthsourcecoaching.com | Mar-16

One of the reasons many people fail to achieve their dreams or even things that are important to them is lack of accountability. They are si... Read more

Are You Playing the Game of Business Your Way?
growthsourcecoaching.com | Dec-15

In many respects, business is just a big complicated game. Like most games, you have an objective, a desired outcome, a plan, a strategy, te... Read more

Turn Employee Reviews into Highly Valued Performance Discussions
growthsourcecoaching.com | Nov-15

Employee reviews have earned negative ratings over the years. Feared by employees and bosses alike, they conjure up feelings of ugly convers... Read more

How to Make Your Business Relationships Your Greatest Asset?
growthsourcecoaching.com | Nov-15

How would you characterize your business relationships? Are they with people you have known for years, meet with regularly and trust implici... Read more

Why Business Coaching Works - Steve Smith on The Pulse - GrowthSource Coaching Orange County, CA
youtube.com | Nov-15

Steve Smith talks with Emmy nominated television broadcaster, Christina MaCaulay of The Pulse about his unique style of coaching business ow... Read more

5 Ways to Become Better at SALES
bit.ly | Sep-15

SALES is one of the only activities I know that will make a business more successful and yet is avoided by most business professionals. If y... Read more

The One Thing That Will Make You Perform Consistently Better
linkedin.com | Sep-15

The better you perform, the better your business or career will perform. If you work at improving long enough, you will start to see situati... Read more

Improve Your Professional Excellence
growthsourcecoaching.com | Sep-15

Playing in your zone is a wonderful place to be. It's those moments when everything is not only going right but it feels effortless. It's as... Read more

Why We Secretly Embrace Distractions
growthsourcecoaching.com | Sep-15

Being in business is a never ending journey to improve, achieve, innovate, redesign or in some other fashion continue to grow. Whether you a... Read more

When Everything is a Priority, Nothing is Important
growthsourcecoaching.com | Sep-15

Way too many business owners and career professionals succumb to 'list management' as a way to handle the endless stream of things coming at... Read more

Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Poor Leadership
linkedin.com | Aug-15

We have a leadership crisis in this country. Not only from a talent standpoint but from the hidden costs associated with poor performance in... Read more

Passion Fuels but Process Rules
linkedin.com | Dec-14

Every entrepreneurial book you read or expert you listen to talks about the need for passion. Passion is the fuel that ignites your idea and... Read more

Testimonials

Personal growth has been DRAMATIC, and I have learned to work "on" the business as well as "in" the business. By taking specific actions- have seen improved financial results with customer conversions and additional revenue and margin to the bottom line by attracting a better quality prospect and converting them to customers.

Robert Industrial Coatings

We are a successful 14 year old company that contacted Steve Smith to help clarify our vision of the future and our path forward. Steve has been a terrific resource for knowledge, guidance, and training. Some of the tools highlighted in our coaching sessions brought immediate clarity and results. Steve is consistent in his approach, always professional and a pleasure to work with

Bruce Shipping