Developing the Power of Connection by Communicating Effectively - Meet Andrew Frazier, MBA, CFA
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi, I’m Andrew Frazier Masterpreneur and Founder of Small Business Pro University. As you may know, my Passion is helping Small Business Owners experience growth faster and easier. I have developed a proven proprietary method to accomplish this. Here’s a little about me…
My entrepreneurial journey started in 4th grade with a paper route that my brother and I managed 7 days a week for 5 years in Pittsburgh, PA. Since we knew everyone, we also started a snow shoveling business and hired our friends.
You could say entrepreneurship is in my blood since my grandfather started a dry cleaning business that is in its 3rd generation after more than 90 years.
My parents were both teachers, so I had to do well in school which provided me an opportunity to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, on a Navy ROTC Scholarship. During college, my brother and I had a creative media business selling custom and pre-designed apparel.
After graduating from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering I served as a Navy Supply Corps Officer onboard the USS Clark FFG-11. I ran business functions for the ship which included the disbursing, retail, and food service. I was awarded the Navy Achievement Award for outstanding leadership
Following my Naval service, I worked as an operations manager for a private distribution company and went on to earn an MBA in Finance from NYU-Stern.
After B-School, I worked in financial management and Investments for New York Life Insurance Company, earned the CFA designation during that time I also started several real estate-related businesses. I left to become COO of the Executive Leadership Council. From there, I went back to my entrepreneurial roots to have an opportunity to make a greater impact in the community.
Over the past 15 years I coached, consulted, and trained small business owners helping them to sell more, maximize profit, and finance growth faster and easier.
Having worked 1-on-1 with 1,000+ business owners and teaching tens of thousands of people about business, I noticed a series of common challenges faced by small business owners which drove me to create resources to address their needs.
It began with a series of live events, published articles, and books. From there I started a podcast/livestream and hosted webinars. It culminated in the establishment of Small Business Pro University as a vehicle to achieve our mission of helping 1,000,008 business owners sell more, maximize profit, and finance growth faster and easier.
Small Business Pro University empowers entrepreneurs like you to run their businesses more professionally and create sustainable enterprises. We employ my proven, proprietary Masterpreneur Playbook Framework to guide your journey along the Masterpreneur path and facilitate your masterpreneur evolution to Work ON Your Business and Scale Faster and Easier.
Small Business Pro University provides access to valuable resources, partnerships, and relationships that will help you to sell more, maximize profit, and finance growth.
Our Masterpreneur initiatives include…
• The Small Business Pro Network – our private member community for entrepreneurs seeking growth
• 100+ Expert-Led. Multimedia Courses & Training Programs with more than 2,500+ lessons
• Masterclasses on business planning, strategy, financing, sales, and digital marketing
• Intensive Training Workshops like the profit maximization series, Masterpreneur growth accelerator, and SBPro Certification program
• Spanish Language Training and Learning Resources
• Leadership LIVE @ 8:05! – Talking Small Business – Our Weekly Livestream & Podcast
• The POWER BREAKFAST Series – in-person events where business owners learn best practices, enjoy great networking, and gain useful knowledge. Attendees have benefited from tens of millions of dollars in revenue and financing.
• Advisory Services such as strategy sessions, assessments, coaching, and consulting.
We Meet You Where You Are and Help You to Get You Where You Want To Be – Faster and Easier” Our comprehensive suite of flexible solutions provides the support you need to overcome challenges and take advantage of new opportunities whether it’s…
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My Self-Confidence Combined with constantly improving Communication and Problem-Solving skills helped me to start and grow my business successfully. Self-confidence comes from trying things outside of your comfort zone. Toastmasters and Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” will help improve communication skills. Taking on leadership roles is a great way to develop your problem-solving skills.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Yes and No depending on your situation. It is most important to focus on the skills needed for your most important job. For entrepreneurs, it is sales & marketing because they drive the success of your business more than anything else. Your communication skills and relationship-building skills are critical to continually develop. Although you can always partner with others, as a business owner, your business will suffer if your sales and marketing skills/knowledge are not up to par. However, if you are seeking a job or role, you should focus on finding something that leans toward your strengths rather than your weaknesses and focus on developing the appropriate strengths.
Although my education and training were in engineering and finance, I had to develop my sales and marketing skills significantly to create a successful business. I needed to communicate more effectively and build my network, which were not my strengths at the time. On the flip side, my brother’s strengths are communication and relationship building. He focused on developing these strengths which allowed him to become a senior communications executive at a Fortune 500 company.
Contact Info:
