How to Lead a Team and Scale Your Business with Than Merrill

As you probably know, I am very competitive.

I love winning, especially in sports.

So when I met today’s guest on The School of Greatness several years ago, we hit it off immediately.

Because Than Merrill is very competitive as well.

He played football for the NFL and then went on to create the powerhouse real estate business FortuneBuilders.

But what I love about Than is that he and I can meet up at his house and have a great conversation, as if the most important part of the day is who wins our next ping pong game (to be determined – we’re currently tied).

Than has taught me so much over the years about how to build a successful business and I’ve watched him scale his from 30 employees to over 300 in just a few years.

I wanted to bring him on the podcast because I know scaling your business can be one of the most challenging obstacles entrepreneurs face.

However, when I asked Than for his best advice on this, we ended up talking about how to hire the right team and empower them to make decisions for you.

This whole conversation is a gold mine for anyone in business.

Welcome to the brilliant mind and heart of my good friend Than Merrill in Episode 161.

“The moment you think you know it all is the moment your business starts to decline.”

Some questions I ask:

• What are some of the big lessons that translated from sports to what you’re doing now?
• What are some of the biggest mistakes you see entrepreneurs make when trying to scale?
• How do you set up a good environment for your employees if you, as the boss, are working from home?
• How do you manage decision fatigue as an entrepreneur?
• How do you find the best people to hire at your company?
• How important is health for you and your employees and how do you maintain top health?

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• How the NFL is like the military (follow orders or get cut) and how that preps you for business
• The importance of founding your business around more than just you

“Build a systems-dependent business.”

• How to replace yourself in doing small tasks to free up your time
• Why the leader of a company needs the clearest vision of where the business is going
• How to empower your employees to make decisions like an entrepreneur (so you don’t have to make them all)
• The importance of prioritizing your tasks at the start of the day

“Done is better than perfect.”

• Why you need coaches all throughout your career
• Plus much more…

Interested in learning how to build a life and business around doing what you love? So am I. Let's connect.

This post was originally posted as blog post Lewis Howes.com. View original post here.

Image credit Vita Vilcina 

Lewis Howes is an online marketing expert, sought-after business coach, hugely popular speaker, podcast and webinar host, and lifestyle entrepreneur. A former Pro Football player, Collegiate football record holder, two-sport All-American, and current National Champion in Team Handball, he is the host of The School of Greatness podcast, which has been downloaded by over 5 million people since it first went online in January of 2013 (and receives 750,000 downloads per month). He was recognized in a 2013 White House ceremony by President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. He is an author, angel investor and advisor to start up companies. He has built a multi-million dollar online businesses and named by Details Magazine as one of "5 Internet Gurus Who Can Make You Rich.”