In this week's episode of the Inspiring Business Podcast, Simon Bedard from the Exit Advisory Group and I start with a discussion about the current economic environment and how business owners could look for opportunities in the aftermath of Covid 19 and the financial tsunami that is approaching us. We expectedly navigate our way toward Emotional I…

I had an epiphany while listening to this episode. There is no villain in Karl’s story. He hasn’t had to overcome any massive tragedy, or Phoenix rising from the ashes. In fact it’s an unremarkable success. But a great story nevertheless. Karl’s story is about his progress from taking over the family business; creating a business that reflected his…

Francois Lupien is a dynamic coach, mentor and speaker whose experience includes successfully working with Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) and as a consultant with Bob Proctor (Movie: The Secret 2006). Achieving excellence in everything he puts his mind to, Francois has been a Tae Kwon Do Canadian champion, a Top R…

Andrew Fox has a long list of academic achievements that he is proud of however he doesn’t display them on his wall. He says he feels that it is the person, not the credentials that are really at the core of cultural clarity. There are so many beautiful nuggets of common sense on how to behave in a genuinely caring way. Respecting a person’s views …

As you can tell Damian has a very positive attitude towards business and life There are a few lessons that I think we could take away from this conversation. The first is that going back to basics is a mistake. What worked years ago may not work today. Although we didn’t discuss this a lot of what Damian spoke of was first principles. You can be ex…

It’s interesting that regardless of the times and the business environment, regardless of the financial, political or societal position, people are a constant. In today’s world we talk about Psychological Safety, in the 80’s and 90’s it was Emotional Intelligence and before that it was Management Theory. So as business evolves so does the developme…

Every asset is eventually sold (or transferred in an Estate) and your business is typically a major part of your asset portfolio. So it therefore makes sense to have a mindset to treat your business just like any other asset. What’s its purpose and why are you doing what you do? That’s not an uncommon approach from Management Consultants but it’s a…

After leaving School with multiple degrees and a Masters, Madelyn Dunlap soon realized, even with all that business knowledge, that she was ill-equipped to help the business develop. This led her on a journey that coincided with her joining Matthew Pohl in his business. Matthew was on his own journey to grow his business and realized after trial an…

The problem with change is it’s not often wanted or valued. The mistake most business owners make is they either rush in and spend money on systems to fix the problem or get stuck in the details and never move ahead This episode of the Lazy Entrepreneur Series winds up the 8 weeks with the final steps of the implementation process and the Integrati…

You could stumble before you start on your business improvement strategy unless you take the time to be very clear on your strategy. Mistakes at this early stage become a huge expense later on. As the leader of your team, they are relying upon you to be very clear on the direction. The biggest mistake that business owners make is thinking they have…

All the planning and data collection is done. It's now time to get ready for the Implementation. The Business Planning Pathway is a 3 step guide to ensure your Business Improvement Strategies are successful. In this episode, Steve Sandor walks you through Step 1 Clarify and Confirm. This is where you take the information collected from Weeks 1 to 6…

As we face yet another series of business challenges in the shape of inflation, interest rises, staff shortages and the potential for wage increases, it is more important than ever to have to be in control of your business. At the core of this control is your financial viability and the tool that helps you with this analysis is your Financial State…

In this episode, we will take a deep dive into how to build a capacity and capability plan for your business. Business Improvement is at the core of this process and it covers business management and communication training programs for employees. There is a simple 30-day plan to improve your capacity using the Pareto 80/20 model and matching that w…

In this episode of the Lazy Entrepreneur, we walk through a very different approach to managing people and reclaiming human resource management to its rightful place. The Manager of people. HR Compliance, Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Occupational Health and Safety, Personnel Management, and other HR services all fit inside the HR Department. T…

The challenge for business owners is dealing with the daily bombardment of information. Many business owners say they just don't have enough time. I would say that if you had the right information, experience, and knowledge, it will significantly improve your efficiency, and therefore your time management. In this episode of the Lazy Entrepreneur s…

In Episode 2, I walk you through the process of taking the information in the Deep Dive Analysis and how to break down these into more bite-sized Goals and Objectives. The biggest challenge I see with Business Owners is that they turn up on Monday morning ready to do stuff, but it's not always the right stuff. This episode takes you through a proce…

I am so excited to be able to bring you the first of eight episodes of the Lazy Entrepreneur. Every Monday, as usual, the Podcast will be available on all the usual platforms and there are also links available on our website. Over the eight weeks, I'll be sharing not just the 'How to" in each step of a straightforward and practical application of t…

There are lots of people who are in the Sales Coaching space and it’s a very competitive market. There’s a difference between being a good Sales Person and being a good Sales Coach or Manager. It’s rare you find someone who has transitioned successfully so I was I really pleased when Adam agreed to come on the show. Adam Bude and I have known each …

The world of employment just keeps getting more technical and complex, especially as we migrate into a post-Covid world. There are emerging issues that will be impacted by rising salaries, interest rate pressure and what’s known as the great resignation. So to keep in front of the curve and the competition, a business owner needs to make sure there…

My guest today is Sharon Knighton who is based in Brisbane, Australia. Sharon is the Founder and Managing Director of PeopleMode who partner with CEO’s Boards and heads of Human Resource divisions and Sharon supports organisations with Transition, Talent and Leadership with a specific focus on neuroscience and psychological safety in the workplace.…

Kylie Spyrides is building a growing photography business in Perth and also giving back through the Decide your Destiny Movement. We discussed many different subjects from growing up in Sydney with his Grandparents and the impact that has had on his life and life choices; how a comment from Kyle’s Grandfather when Kyle was an 18 year old inspired t…

How many business owners started a business because of a purpose? I know I didn’t and I would suggest not many have it as a central part of their offering. It’s a bit like Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs. Money is important but it’s impossible to be a sustainable driver. Over time it’s replaced with something else. It could be Ego and Power, or it coul…

Business owners seek advice from experts because they have a specific problem. But sometimes the problem may not be the key issue for the business and the owner is looking for advice. Many times the business owner doesn’t know what question to ask and if the adviser has one tool in their tool bag then the owners is getting one solution. There are o…

As a business owner, have you found yourself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling unable to sleep? Your mind is racing with the things you have to do, anxiety rising because it's not being done right, you reach for your phone start scrolling, another hour of sleep lost. If this describes you, then this episode of the Inspiring Business Podcast is f…

Mangala Martinus provides an insight into what it takes to build a successful business over time. Mangala took his experience as an employee and applied it to his goal of being a Consultant, and has built a business that is based on collaboration amongst a group of peers to provide a specific solution to a specific problem within a specific niche. …

Considering whether to include Environment, Social and Governance in your Brand awareness strategy may not be obvious, but Owen Hughes gives you some compelling arguments why you should start to consider it. It definitely ruffled Elon Musk’s feathers. Owen and I recorded this conversation in May 2022 and about the same time there was controversy ov…

The thing about running a business, especially ones without a senior management team, is you’re typically making decisions in isolation and these are based on your knowledge and experience to date. Simone’s strategy has been to develop relationships with people who have the same values, similar drive and positivity and perhaps have experienced the …

Human design is a truly fascinating subject and I think one that if ignored will be at your peril. As I mentioned during the chat with Lynda, it feels like the early days of Emotional Intelligence or even the personality profiling or communication systems. But like Lynda I’m not an expert in these areas and although I’ve found them to be useful to …

The story behind the story and something that resonated for me was that over Gavin’s career there was a common theme of continually looking for a purpose and a way to then have a positive impact on the environment around him. That’s certainly something that has driven me for the past 30 years. Many business owners start with the purpose of creating…

Colin Lee from Inspire Realty is attempting to be a catalyst for structural change in the property advising industry through his bespoke approach to creating individual investment portfolios. Colin’s management approach as he scales his business has been formed from years of experience and as he says ‘I’m still figuring this out”. As we all are. I …

I’m sure many of you can relate to Chris’ situation in which you started your business. It doesn’t always come from being disillusioned but it often comes from a desire to do things better that serves your passion and purpose. You may not express it exactly that way but I’ve never met a business owner who didn’t think they could do it better. Chris…

I’ve had multiple conversations with Angela and Cristina and every time I get a sense of their enjoyment at what they do and the impact they want to have not just with their clients but with their individual passion. During the interview I had to stop several times because I had so much information to process and I wanted to make sure we were able …

Another wonderful conversation with so many thoughtful insights into how to become a better business owner, leader and human being. There were too many nuggets of gold to list them all here, but the two that stood out for me were the principle to hire quality staff, elevate them and celebrate their success and the second was the lesson that letting…

Will Samson is, in my opinion one of those individuals who is paving the way with innovative concepts on how to reclaim the lost art of human interdependence. The concepts that have been generated by the ‘self help’ industry that you can do this on your own with the 6 simple steps is obviously not working and a new narrative is emerging. I think we…

Another thought provoking conversation on the challenge that business owners and managers face when it comes to adopting new technology. The challenge is always knowing whether an idea is a distracting shiny object or a strategic initiative to advance the businesses position. Christopher Fox is a thought leader in the world of finance and has a uni…

After 18 years of marriage my wife Debbie and I divorced. Like most divorces it was difficult and uncomfortable but the outcome was a beautiful relationship where we knew we still loved each other, but we were not IN Love. Once the decision was made the advice was to make every decision with the children in mind. The fact that over the 18 years we …

In this week's Episode I share some of the key elements that I think a Business Owner needs to consider as they create a life for themselves. 1. Being a good Technician doesn't make you a good business person 2. Know you don't know everything 3. Really take time to create a strategy that fits into your purpose 4. Get good at delegating 5. Accept th…

Having spent years as a Financial Planner and working with individuals to create wealth, Ivan came to the realisation that money does not make you happy, it provides you with options. He realised that the conversations he was having with his clients were more about the emotional outcomes and goals than the money. He now focuses on helping Executive…

I don’t know what I don’t know is a frequently used term especially when starting something new. As you have more experiences sometimes they don’t work out and now there’s pain or doubt associated with that decision. I don’t think your age helps or hinders, I believe it’s a function of the experience. Now knowing what you know and not having had a …

Sandra D’Soza is the Founder and CEO of Ellect whose focus is helping businesses to achieve their Environmental Social and Governance Goals in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Ellect offers two products being the Ellect Stars in Gender Equality and the Supplier Diversity Marketplace. Sandra and I spoke after the interview about our conversation and…

Brett Martin is the President of Zenatta Consulting. In this episode Brett gives us some nuggets of gold amongst his engaging stories and passion for business and life. This is definitely one of those conversations where the more you listen to it, the more you can appreciate that it's the small but intentional decisions that you make in life that i…

Nigel Harris is the Managing Director of Nigel Harris and Associates. Nigel’s career spans nearly 40 years in the Not For Profit sector, 25 years with the Mater Foundation and Nigel was appointed the Chief Executive Officer in 1997 In 2020 Nigel established Nigel Harris and Associates to support both sides of the philanthropic model. Helping charit…

Ruchi Motial-Suri is the founder of Success Culture, based in Sydney Australia and has over 25 years’ corporate leadership experience with blue chip organisations in Asia, Australia & the UK. Ruchi is passionate about creating high performing working environments, empowering business leaders to bring the best out of them and their teams. Ruchi like…

Caroline McDonald who is the Chairwoman of Progressive Investment Management Group that houses BBX, Bconnect, Zipett, Deposit Solutions and Your Agent Real Estate. The Group is a global organisation that offers multiple digital platforms and solutions which allows its B2B, B2c, P2P members to better manage cash flow, connect with new suppliers, gai…

In this Episode I drill down into how ed Johnson, the founder and Director of Exdia Bookkeeping Services has over a relatively short period of time has carved out a reputation for providing quality services to Faith based entities and Small Business. Once of the keys to Ed's approach is being comfortable with not being the centre of the business, a…

I this Episode you'll hear from two leading business owners in the Australia construction industry, Theo Vairaktaris MD of the Usher Group and Simon Boyes MD of Benchmark Scaffolding. Their view is that Post COVID will bring with it a different set of challenges with the practical issues of finding good quality people to manage the volume of work t…

This is a special podcast with Melissa Donnelly, Hasan Sharif and Graeme Barkus. They have all appeared in previous Podcasts and were insightful in their own right but having them in the same space really accelerated the conversation that allowed a deep analysis of where we have been over the past 2 years and what the future holds for us. The one t…

In this Episode Tony Hillary sold his UK based business after 30 years and when Tony said “That by the time I sold the business I wasn’t needed”. And isn’t that how it should be? There were a few things that struck me about this conversation with Tony Hillary. First was Tony’s approach to solving problems. Not overthinking things and using his comm…

Over the past three decades the conversation around Emotional Intelligence has gone from rarely discussed and only in small circles of Management thought leaders, to today being a common agenda item amongst Leaders and increasingly in Boardroom meeting agenda. At the core of the subject is feelings and Angela Heise brings a simple and practical app…

Steve Finn is the Head of the Finn Group and was established in 2004 with a simple and clear mission to help business owners to successfully buy or sell their business. Steve had a number of iterations of his business from being a self employed person with a few staff, to changing the model to having 20 plus employees, and finally settling on a Lic…