Steve Ballantyne is the Founder of Brand IQ helping prominent national brands like Serko, Speedy Signs and Purex build their brand story in NZ. He shares how he clawed his way out of two big business disasters, one of them was $1.5M.
Steve is the brother of Mike Ballantyne, the founder of a travel firm that was sold for $85M.
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Timestamps:
Business Failures & Resilience
01:50 - Which business failure broke Steve the most? The clothing business disaster story
03:40 - Surviving $1.5 million debt: The Telecom Yellow Pages crisis
Emotional Control & Business Decisions
09:00 - Why emotional control matters in business (and when to let it go)
10:22 - The pitch meeting walkout: When Steve called out a CEO's behavior
12:33 - Standing up to clients: Preserving dignity and self-worth in business
Personal Challenges & Growth
14:02 - Dealing with grief: Losing four family members in 18 months
07:51 - Lessons from divorce and learning to pick your battles
Building a Lean Business Model
17:08 - Why lean business models win: Steve's transition from 23 staff to lean operations
17:38 - The future of business: One-person billion-dollar companies with AI
18:15 - How to start building a billion-dollar business from scratch
Market Size & Positioning
19:40 - Why New Zealand vs US market size matters for entrepreneurs
21:38 - Success is about positioning, not just hard work
AI in Business & Marketing, Custom GPTs & Workflows
28:05 - Getting started with AI automation: First steps for entrepreneurs
29:00 - AI is augmented intelligence, not artificial: The 10,000 hour principle still applies
31:30 - Steve's 30-minute AI product development workflow revealed
33:17 - AI workflows vs Custom GPTs: Understanding the difference
34:14 - How to get AI to help you brief the AI (the secret to better prompts)
43:50 - Making money with AI consulting: Opportunities in niche expertise
23:27 - Launching an AI art business: 120+ sales in 8 months
40:20 - Steve’s favourite AI platform and why
59:32 - Athena: Steve's AI business coach that sends daily mindset tips
48:00 - Democratisation production, AI disrupting the branding process
Brand Strategy & Being Different To Stand Out
49:24 - The most urgent thing businesses need for their brand right now
51:26 - How do you get attention?
52:00 - Being different is better than being better
53:00 - Category norms framework: How to disrupt any industry
Storytelling in Business
1:04:36 - Why storytelling is the most powerful form of business communication
1:05:22 - Stories are 20x more memorable than facts and data
1:06:35 - The Hero's Journey framework: Key ingredients of powerful stories
1:07:40 - Why conflict and tension drive great brand stories
Starting Over & Life Philosophy
56:29 - What Steve would do if he lost everything tomorrow
58:17 - Building from zero at 35: The simpler model approach
1:01:13 - What industry would Steve invest in right now?
1:02:41 - The story Steve's most proud of
Practical Business Advice
06:00 - When you're in a hole in business, there's always a way out
07:00 - Standing up to corporate bullies: Confidence and bravery matter
45:56 - Daily rituals for business success: Be a chameleon
Resources & Contact
1:08:36 - How to connect with Steve Ballantyne on LinkedIn and email
Episode Partner:Hibiscus Jet Ski Hire: https://hibiscusjetskihire.co.nz/Be in to WIN! To Enter: https://tinyurl.com/y64efe7a
Follow Steve
https://www.brandiq.co.nz/
Follow me:
www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso
Subscribe To My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast
Watch on YouTube
https://youtu.be/aho75bHK2-g
Listen on:
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Spotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX
