Sarah joins us on the XL Podcast today from her beautiful farm in Australia. She sold her financial services a few years back when she realized she needed to make some serious lifestyle choices when starting a family. 2 kids and a farm later, she’s helping skilled Mums in making these choices. We’re talking skilled professionals from the worlds of accountancy, legal and medicine who have a lot to give but cannot see themselves returning to corporate life to realize that purpose.
Through her podcast and business community, Sarah has identified 2 key limitations that hold would-be Mumpreneurs back. First is the guilt associated with starting a business while being a Mum. “Most have only 2 hours a day not the 10-12 hours that mainstream ‘hustle’ culture requires”. So, business success for this community has to start with the lifestyle goal and design the business around this outcome. The second is knowledge or confidence. Many lack the framework or tools to work through the process of launching a business. In this episode, Sarah shares her how her 10 week launch programme works and how it provides a track for would be entrepreneurs to run on.
For more information on Sarah, check out these links:
Launch Your Biz Now podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/launchyourbiznow
Free New Biz Tool Kit: https://businessbrains.co/toolkit
Instagram (Business brains): https://instagram.com/businessbrains.au
Instagram (Oakley Farm): https://instagram.com/oakleyfarm_
We’re joined today by Author of “The Entrpreneurial ScaleUp System” and Podcast Host of “ScaleUp Radio” Kevin Brent to discuss business systems and rhythm. Did you know only 4% of businesses grow beyond 10 employees? While some happily stay small, many experience common symptoms faced by business owners who don’t have the right systems or rhythm in place to help them grow beyond a small business that may be living month to month. Those symptoms include the “plate spinning” of dealing with urgent client requests, growing revenues not manifesting as cash in the bank or even people issues. In this conversation we discuss what kind of checks and systems a business owner needs to put in place on a weekly, monthly and 90 day timeline, as well as the playbooks they need for each stage of growth.
For more information on Kevin’s book, podcast and work, check out these links:
The Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System
https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-ScaleUp-System-challenges-achieving-ebook/dp/B09Y91V4P2
Scale Up Radio
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/scaleup-radio/id1446574864
Biz Smart
esusgroup.co.uk
I’m joined on today’s XL Podcast by Atul Temurnikar, Chairman of the Global Schools Foundations. In a previous life, Atul was country leader for IBM in Singapore. After leaving corporate he set up a private school, originally for Indian expat families in the region. With demand and word of mouth growing, one school became two, eventually becoming 35 schools managed in the GSF family globally.
School and education is changing. Not only has the pandemic challenged educators to rethink how and why they deliver schooling, but the whole education system requires transformation. As a business leader, Atul is able to bring new skill sets and ways of thinkings to the challenges of education. Not only applying concepts like quality management and data analytics to schooling but also in understanding the drivers that compel a family or an entrepreneur themselves to set up and run a school.
In this conversation we look at how GSF schools didn’t just survive but thrive in the pandemic, how they are leading digital transformation and also how they work with family owned schools globally that may be facing transition or legacy challenges.
When it comes to selling to new customers or existing ones, the data is firmly on the side of the customers you have already. Research by Bain & Company found that a 5% increase in retention rate can lead to a rise in profit between 25% to 95%. Similarly, Invesp found that investing in new customers is between 5 and 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones.
Key to success is a world class post-sale customer experience. According to HubSpot Research, 55% of growing companies think it’s “very important” to invest in customer service programs. My next guest on the XL Podcast, Ed Frame from Exemplify, wants to help companies unlock the value of their existing customers. The challenge, Ed shares, is that companies may be stuck in the comfort zone of acquiring new customers, in paid advertising for example, and lack the processes and workflows to create a seamless experience once the sales gets the deal over the line.
And there’s good reason to invest in the post-sale experience. “Buyer’s Remorse” is real. We’ve all experienced doubt after a purchase, especially with higher ticket price services or products. Did I buy this on impulse? Did I make the wrong decision? When buyers experience this emotion, the experience can degrade rapidly, leading to higher servicing, recall and attrition costs. The good news is that small touches can have a big impact - a welcome onboarding call or video for example can allay initial buyer fears and set you up for a long term, profitable relationship with your customers. That means customers who buy again, and refer you to their friends.
All this requires good process, of course, and good process requires planning. In this podcast, Ed discusses what you need to map out a customer journey and the processes you need to create a world class post-sale customer experience.
We record this episode of The XL Podcast 95 years ago to the day that US based Bell Labs revealed a system for transmitting television pictures. And while this took place almost a century ago, this image of innovation, one of “labs”, “reveals” and, let’s face it, men, driving the process is still persistent today.
Natalie Turner, co-founder of The Entheo Network, author of “Yes You Can Innovate”, joins us on the podcast today to help draw a map of modern innovation for enterprise. While disruptive technologies like a new form of television may be a form of innovation, it’s just one. There are not only many different forms of innovation (such as product, service or society) but also different types of innovators. In this conversation, Natalie discusses the different types of innovation mindsets and personalities. The “Igniters” (the first i of the 6) are the best known and most celebrated in media, but there are many other types of innovators who are both critical to making innovation a success and often overlooked leadership. Innovation is a lot more complex and diverse than those simpler days of Bell Labs.
Leaders today need to unlock innovation at all levels of the organization, and that starts with creating a framework for innovation. Igniters may be the spark to create change, but how leaders empower and support the “Identifiers”, “Investors” and the other innovation personalities is key to long term success. For the modern team, more inclusive conversations about innovation are fundamental to success. A recent Boston Consulting report noted that diverse teams are 2.2x more likely to be “innovation leaders” rather than laggards. These outcomes lie in smart process and smart cultures, rather than simply relying on smart people.
If innovation’s in your job title, you’re curious about what kind of innovator you are, or you’re leading transformation in your organization, this episode with Natalie Turner is a must listen.
The world of work is changing. We all know how the pandemic has radically changed how we work and how we hire talent. But, more importantly, the bigger changes lies with those being hired, us.
In this episode of The XL Podcast I’m joined by Hong Kong based headhunter Larraine Chang to get a top level view of what is working (and what isn’t working) in the ever evolving world of careers. One of the big changes in the talent market is how and why people are choosing to move. While salary and company brand are still important, other factors now come into play. As Larraine shares, candidates are more likely to go check out the backstory of an organization, learn about their DEI, ESG and work culture in assessing the overall appeal of a next move.
Candidates are also increasingly aware of the developmental opportunities in an organization. In a recent survey on Linkedin, the number 1 skill listed by Headhunters and Hirers as the skill they most wanted to acquire or focus on was “personal development” (44% of responses). Headhunters are no longer in the business of placing candidates, they are increasingly advising and coaching people on how to make the right career choices. A good Headhunter not only needs to know the organization’s needs, but also the intrinsic motivations of their candidates too.
Larraine advises leaders on the importance of “career by design” as opposed to “by default”. No matter how strong your CV resume, you need to make a conscious decision of how to manage perceptions about your career move. “By design” means planning your career move to make change on your terms rather than by accident, tips which Larraine shares in this podcast episode.
You might remember the 2004 Movie “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks. It’s about a traveler trapped in an airport and unbelievably based on the true story of Mehran Nasseri who was stuck at Paris Charles De Gaule airport for 18 years (yes, not a typo).
Living at airports gives you an interesting perspective on life, and the humans of travel. My next guest on The XL Podcast spent 73 days living at an airport hotel (out of choice) to observer how we travel and how we interact with airlines.
Mark Ross-Smith is the founder of Status Match, a service that helps premium travelers transfer their hard earned points and benefits across from one airline loyalty program to another. For most travelers, this is a new world: airlines don’t openly promote transfers and many don’t have systems in place to efficiently deal with them.
Strange that, because as Mark reveals in this conversation, the economics of loyalty are stacked against inactivity. 20% of customers account for 80% of airline profitability. And it affects the bottom line too. American Airlines is valued at $21 billion. Their loyalty program is worth, according to some experts, $37 billion. Many airlines survived the covid crisis by raising capital on the forward cashflows of these programs alone.
Loyalty, whether it’s travel or financial services, has both an art and a science. The science being the data and the workflows needed to ensure a seamless ride. The art is where customer empathy and those airport insights pay off. When was the last time an airline employee handed you a box of chocolates and thanked you for being a loyal customer? Not often, not ever I bet. But, in this conversation we’ll look inside a world that touches us all, but few of us really understand what’s at stack - the world of loyalty and the battle for our wallet.
In a recent survey of 3,000 executives Alix found that 72% of executives are actually worried about losing their jobs due to “disruption,” - up from 51% in 2021. And 94% believe they will have to change their business models within the next three years to remain competitive. The pressure of leaders to find answers is intense. On top of this we have the challenge of leading our teams remotely: 89% of team members surveyed by RMIT said their employers wanted them back at the office but only 41% wanted to return.Indeed. we live in a time of great change. Leaders need to step up and speak out. From climate change to diversity, C-Suite leaders are themselves looking for leadership. Where do you turn to? How do you speak up without speaking out of tune? And how do you navigate this ever changing world of work? To help us answer that question I’m joined on the XL Podcast by Harvard MBA & Personal Branding Expert Brenda Bence. She’s recognized by Thinkers50 as a Leading Global Coach, her publications include “The Forgotten Choice” which was quoted by NYT Bestseller Ron Kaufman as being “…more than just a useful reminder. It’s an encouraging guide to thoughtful action—and to action in your thoughts. Brilliant!” Let’s learn about “Thoughtful Action” with Brenda from the inside out.
My next guest on the XL Podcast is on a spiritual and professional mission to solve one of the biggest challenges of our time - dementia. But getting there has been quite a journey. Even before we go into the burden degenerative diseases like dementia place on society and families, there are the sheer volume of cases. The WHO estimates 55 million people are living with dementia in the world today, numbers that will double within the next 20 years. And while dementia is the moniker of a successful society where people are healthier and living longer, it also places an extreme emotional and economic burden on the families and caregivers involved. John DenBoer is a former clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in early stage preventative medicine - including cognitive, physical exercise and nutrition - that can manage and slow down the natural decline in patients with dementia. At peak, his practise served 10,000 patients in the US supported by over 100 employees. But, just as John’s personal mission seemed set to reach the next level, personal disaster and failure struck. A series of bad business decisions led the company to the brink. Only now 4 years on John is coming to terms with the wild ride and almost coming full circle. He is finding strength in family, his mission and the human connections in clinical medicine that underpinned why he became a medical professional in the beginning. It’s an inspiring story, one which will give strength to those who find themselves facing adversity in their own journey.
Google recently announced that any web copy written by AI algorithms would be considered “spam”. That’s big news for an entire community of founders. As my next guest on The XL Podcast, Katrina Mckinnon founder of Copysmiths says, tech platforms like Google can be powerful allies in driving content to your site, but they can also change the rules overnight. The answer lies not in digging deeper into the world of gaming Google SEO algorithms, but doing the opposite - adding the human touch. Human written content is a long term game, but it’s far more engaging than copy spun by a bot. Human written content is also key to building your brand. For many ecommerce stores who built their businesses on Amazon, the control the platform exerts over customer relationships and lead generation means that Founders are increasingly seeking out ways to derisk their business. Writing content with a human voice, with the aim of building organic traffic to your own website takes work, but it’s the work necessary to build an asset that you as a business owner can own and control yourself.
Marketing has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Gone are the days where one viral video, one conference presentation or thought leadership blog post could guarantee you leads. Now, marketing exists in the “messy middle”. That’s what my next guest Alisha Conlin-Hurd of Persuasion Experience calls the reality of an attention stretched world. Marketers are happy to spend $1000s acquiring traffic to their site but fail to nurture that traffic post-click. A well planned Funnel can turn that post-click experience is a gold mine of leads for small to medium businesses. But, the key here is “well planned”. Most marketers and business owners buy traffic and create content without a cohesive funnel in place. Many more are unaware they even have a funnel. In this podcast, Alisha shares advice to business owners on how to generate more leads that are higher quality, more aligned and more sustainable by planning a better Funnel.
Corporate Financial Leader with financial roles including Advisor to the CEO at Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, CFO at Commercial Bank International and Program Director at ANZ.
Passionate about Outdoor Sports (Ski, Mountain Biking and Climbing) and bringing the professional structure and expertise of the corporate world to sports brands. Served as Strategic Advisor to Burton Snowboards.
More than 12 years of financial leadership experience across emerging markets taking on varied and increasingly senior roles during which time I had the opportunity to nurture teams across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, as well as experience and see most facets of an organisations operations. Equipped with C-level leadership expertise and a commercially astute focus to solve business growth and development challenges for organisations across multiple industries.
“You’re on Mute!” - these immortal words sum up how we as teams and organizations have been communicating in recent years. But being Unmuted goes beyond your Zoom settings. Leadership needs to encourage their people to speak up and share conversations that matter. Conversations about diversity, inclusion and the future of work will define who we are and how we belong. For these conversations to flourish, TEDX speaker and author Heather Hansen believes the answer lies in Connection not Perfection. We need to take the fear out of corporate communication to encourage people to speak up and speak out.
My next guest on the XL Podcast, Kapil Kane, has spent his life dedicated to the pursuit of good design. He worked at Apple under Steve Jobs as part of the product design team that innovated the iPad and iPhone. He later took his love of design to Intel to set up an internal corporate accelerator in Shanghai China, supporting local engineers to turn their product ideas into feasible realities. Interestingly, at no point during his time at Cupertino did he or his Apple colleagues mention that word, “innovation”, they just did it. It’s a conversation that explodes some of the myths about innovation and what makes for good design. We talk about Steve Jobs, Jonny Ive, Red Bull, IKEA, Intel, The Lean Startup, corporate innovation, iPhone design aesthetics, China, Zen Buddhism and Hinduism.
When you invest in healthtech, how do you choose what to invest in? You can invest in any potentially life changing treatment from a cure to Alzheimers to Cancer diagnostics. In this episode of the XL Podcast, I’m joined by Early Stage VC Fund founder Joseph Mocanu on his journey as a healthtech investor and what the big challenges in global healthcare are today.
We discuss the Bill Gates Foundation, Medical Devices, Big Pharma, AIDS, Cancer Diagnostics, Chemotheraphy, Gene Theraphy, the Microbiome, epidemiology, fasting, ethics and commercialization of healthtech.
91% of Singaporeans report feeling stressed. But it’s not just an Asian phenomenon. Globally, we are beginning to have the conversation about mental health and how we’re all affected in some way. The UK appointed its first suicide minister in 2018. And, in Australia, the biggest cause of death for males aged 15-44 is suicide. Cleary something is wrong, and we need to talk.
In today’s XL Podcast, we turn our attention away from leadership to the leaders themselves. Quite often those who society upholds as the paragon of success - leaders, athletes, actors - are the ones who suffer the most. Sure, we all face our own daily problems, but perhaps for those who achieve success, we are quick to denounce their vulnerability as complaining. That’s why many executives feel trapped - on the one hand they experience the pressures of maintaining their jobs and personal lives, on the other they feel unable to talk about these issues to others for fear of being seen as weak.
In this conversation, Nick doesn’t shy away from the issue. We talk suicide, alcoholism and relationships. We learn how taking life to the edge of the precipice and staring down at the void gave Nick the energy to turn this dark chapter in his journey into something more meaningful - how could he help others? how could he give prominence to the unheard conversation?
80% of execs report feeling they are unable to talk about mental health issues, loneliness and depression. Let’s change that.
Lee Hackett is CEO of BluprintX. Like any young boy growing up in Liverpool, Lee dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. He realised his dream at 16, signing for Wigan Athletic before later deciding to pursue a career path outside of sport. Many professional sportspeople struggle with life after sport. According to one survey, 40% of footballers go bankrupt in 5 years. Lee, however, thrived, even though he had no formal education.
In this episode, Graham and Lee discuss his first major business success, selling the enterprise he scaled with his brother and the love of challenge. They also discuss how many entrepreneurs, like themselves, get a start in sales, the importance of sales as a training ground for entrepreneurship and the role of good mentors in guiding their journey.
Our lives are noisy. We live in a world of distraction. These factors make it difficult to get work done in the office. It’s no wonder people are turning to practices like meditation to calm their minds in this busy world. But, can you actually design environments that enable mindfulness and focus? To help understand this challenge and how this will play out in the ever evolving landscape of work and mental health, I’m glad to be joined by my guest on the XL Podcast - Nitin Govila. Not only does he head up APAC for materials manufacturer SergeFerrari but he has 20+ years of experience as a meditation practitioner. Take the average office, for example. Many are designed on industrial model principles with industrial era materials that encourage barriers. Cubicles and corner offices disconnected workers from each other and from their natural environment. But if you look at the trend in office and home design, people are increasingly demanding a seamless flow within spaces and between the building and the natural environment itself. In this podcast we discuss the parallels between meditation and deep work - that state of “flow” you can achieve when your mind is open, awake and without distraction. To what extent can we design spaces in our lives that encourage this mind state? And, given the choice people can exercise in where to work these days, will we ever achieve a stage where the average worker wants to go to the office to be less distracted than they would at home?
I’m really pleased to host my next guest on the XL Podcast - someone who I’ve known about and wanted to interview for some time. She’s the kind of person you’ll meet at a networking event who rarely talks about her achievements or accolades. Understated. Yet, on paper they speak volumes. As you’ll hear in the podcast, Margaret has achieved and been awarded a lot in her career - from receiving an OBE from the Queen to growing her business from zero to in excess of $10m in sales.
For Margaret, it has never been about the accolades, but the challenge and the camaraderie of like minded changemakers who band together on this merry adventure. That could be the 100+ team she built at her digital agency or the communities she actively nurtures both online and offline in business and games (she’s a passionate online gamer). That last part you won’t know about until you dig deeper in to her story, like so many avenues and riffs of her life - studied Artificial Intelligence in the 1980s, served as Chair for the UK Asean business council, triathlete, runner, swimmer… the list goes on.
If there are lessons we can learn from Margaret’s story it’s that success really is a story you can write yourself. To be a “successful woman entrepreneur” you don’t need to be building the next billion dollar Unicorn. You just have to make sure that it’s you who’s holding the pen to that story. And for all of us, her story is one of never giving up, never yielding to the expectations of others and enjoying the adventure that defines both entrepreneurship and life.
You may know Rachit Dayal already, he’s the cofounder of our previous podcast guest Prantik Mazumdar. Together they grew their digital agency to over $10m in sales and later acquisition by Dentsu. In this successful team, Rachit was the original founder, the one who didn’t take the corporate salaryman route of safe, comfortable career with all its trappings and bragging rites for distant family. Instead, Rachit tells the story of survival mode and eating Maggi Noodles for the first 3 years of his business life. Not easy when your University peers are getting ahead with impressive hires in management consultancies and safe blue chip companies.
But then, to be a successful entrepreneur you not only have to think different, but be different. You have to be the kind of person who both is annealed to the expectations of others and also confident that somehow things are going to work out okay in the future. This baseline of operations allows you to ignore the voices and grow your business on your terms. In this podcast, Rachit shares how his focus on daily metrics and the constant evolution (“Kaizen”) of those numbers rather than the big picture goals helped him keep the business on track.
Rachit’s story is, to me, the lesser heard story of entrepreneurship. It’s less about raising large amounts of capital early in the game and growing at breakneck speeds. And it’s not so much about the end goal of the exit to measure the worth of our efforts. Instead, it’s the constant evolution, growth and belief in a path that leads forward. It’s about enjoying the game while we’re playing it and the joy of proving a few of our doubters wrong along the way.