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Who is Lesley? Lesley Pyle is the founder of HireMyMom, a company dedicated to helping small business owners—especially those running hybrid or remote teams—grow and succeed. After seeing countless business owners struggle to find skilled, trustworthy candidates and juggle the demands of recruiting, Lesley made it her mission to simplify hiring. Through HireMyMom, she connects digital marketing agencies, coaches, consultants, and e-commerce businesses with talented remote professionals, eliminating the hassle of massive job boards. Lesley also offers a unique concierge service, allowing an experienced HR professional to handle the entire hiring process, so business owners can focus on what they do best—growing their businesses. Key Takeaways Here’s what’s brewing in this episode: 🎯 Hiring Help for Small Businesses Lesley breaks down the biggest hiring challenges for small and micro-business owners. If you’ve ever rushed a hire just to fill a gap, you’ll relate! She reveals how a bad hire can impact team morale, productivity, and even customer satisfaction. But don’t worry—Lesley also shares how her platforms connect entrepreneurs to the right remote candidates (and even offer a concierge hiring service to take the pressure off). 🙅‍♀️ Common Mistakes and Smart Fixes From skipping steps to hiring out of desperation, Lesley outlines what NOT to do—and how a step-by-step system can save time, money, and headaches. She highlights the importance of hiring for culture and soft skills, not just resumes! 📚 Free Resource: Smart Hiring Guide Don’t miss Lesley’s offer: a free Smart Hiring Guide packed with checklists, job post templates, freelancer pricing guides, and a comparison of platforms. Grab yours at www.systemise.me/free-stuff 🌟 An Entrepreneurial Origin Story Lesley opens up about her unexpected path from PR professional to entrepreneurial trailblazer, inspired by her own struggle to balance motherhood and career. Her journey from a single-parent household to earning a master’s degree in Scotland and founding two impactful businesses is both relatable and uplifting. 💡 What’s New: Hire Thy Neighbor Get an exclusive peek at her latest venture, helping people connect with local service providers—and even search by faith connection or church affiliation. (It’s in early launch—look for updates soon!) ✨ Most Inspiring Takeaway Finally, Lesley leaves us with a reminder: no matter your background or obstacles, with determination, faith, and resilience, you can reach dreams you never imagined. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Lesley, subscribe to the Systemise.Me newsletter here. You only need your first name and email—easy as (coffee) pie! Thanks for sharing a cup with us this week. Here’s to strong coffee, smart hiring, and believing in the dreams you’re just starting to imagine. And don’t forget: keep an eye out for next guest. To submit your own questions, subscribe to our newsletter and join the conversation! P.S. Loved this episode? Hit reply and let us know what resonated most _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale? We help established business owners with small but growing teams: go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises, to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family - with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn’t work, we refund what you paid. This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business. ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS small business hiring, remote work, hybrid companies, digital marketing agencies, coaches and consultants, e-commerce businesses, hiring process, HR departments, bad hire costs, hiring mistakes, onboarding, job candidate selection, concierge hiring service, affordable recruiting, job post templates, freelancer pricing guides, virtual assistants, customer service hiring, company culture fit, soft skills, work from home, moms working remotely, freelancing, home-based businesses, job boards, local business networking, HireMyMom platform, Hire Thy Neighbor, faith-based business, church directory, entrepreneurial journey SPEAKER Lesley Pyle, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: SA hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I have my cup of a mug of coffee with me here, and I’m here with Leslie Pyle. Leslie is the founder of Hire My mom and Hire Thy Neighbor. So we’re gonna have some interesting, exciting discussions, I think, about how she is helping business owners to, as I say, move from the path of least assistance to something better where they can actually free up their time for more strategic decisions. So, Lesley, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Thanks very much for being here. Lesley Pyle [00:01:05]: Yeah, thank you, Stuart. It’s my pleasure and my honor to be with you. Stuart Webb [00:01:09]: Terrific. So let’s start with the who is the business owner, the business person or person you’re trying to serve? What is, what are the sort of characteristics of that person? Lesley Pyle [00:01:19]: Yeah. So our ideal client is a small business owner, typically running a hybrid or remote company. Anything from digital marketing agencies to coaches, consultants, and e commerce businesses. The biggest challenge they face is finding and hiring the right candidates to help their business grow and thrive. Many times these business owners try to quickly hire to alleviate the growth pains or issues their businesses are facing. They either don’t have the skills to hire well or they don’t have the time. So at HireMyMom, we solve that problem by connecting them with skilled, talented, remote talent without the headaches and stress of the mega job boards. In addition, we offer a concierge service where our HR professional can take the burden off the business owner and perform the entire hiring process for them. Lesley Pyle [00:02:09]: And at the end of the project, we present them with the top two or three candidates for the business owner to then review hire their top choice. And we do this at an affordable price, unlike many of the traditional recruiters. Stuart Webb [00:02:22]: So. Lesley Pyle [00:02:22]: So it makes it very attractive for the small and micro business owner. Stuart Webb [00:02:26]: Terrific. I mean, you’ve just described an ideal situation there, but what have you come across as sort of routes and things that some of the business owners you’ve worked with have tried to do to alleviate these problems? Because as you say, getting the right person in the right job to really help your business grow can be a really critical thing. And as you said, a lot of people don’t really understand the steps, don’t understand how to best choose, and often make mistakes. Lesley Pyle [00:02:52]: That’s right. And most small businesses, they don’t have HR departments, so they are typically the hiring manager. So the most common mistake we see is hiring too quickly, not taking the time. So hiring the wrong person, it doesn’t just waste money, but it can disrupt Your entire business. On average, people don’t realize this, but on average, a bad hire cost up to 30% of what you’re paying that person. And in addition, there’s these four negative impacts. Number one, you lose time training someone who doesn’t work out. Number two, your productivity is lost as you have to restart the entire process. Lesley Pyle [00:03:31]: Number three, your team morale and your personal morale is shot. Your customer experience is probably affected. And then number four, your burnout because you’re having to juggle your job and theirs for that time. So most small businesses spend 45 hours trying to hire onboard train a new member, and 82% of them report negative impacts from hiring the wrong person. So that’s really where we try to come in and help. And if someone doesn’t want to use us as a concierge service, they can do the hiring themselves, obviously, with our platform, but we just try to educate them as best we can on the proper steps, you know, writing a good job post, what types of interview questions, and all of those things to really help them be successful. Stuart Webb [00:04:20]: Yeah, you’re right. I’ve often seen it in businesses I’ve been working with where the wrong person coming in can do more harm than good. You know, they often leave not just cost and wasted productivity, but poor, poor attitude. With people dissatisfied that somebody else has been hired, that has left a bad taste. And that can be quite damaging for the, you know, the small business that’s got maybe a small team that’s just started to gel and the wrong person comes in can cause a lot of disruption, can’t it? Lesley Pyle [00:04:51]: Yes, it really can. So that’s why we tell people not to rush the process, to really take their time, make sure they’re hiring the right person, the rig

Who is RJ? RJ Horner’s journey began from a place of deep frustration and anger—twelve years ago, he was unhappy with his life and felt nothing was going right. His anger affected every aspect of his world, pushing people away. Yet, amid this struggle, RJ discovered a turning point when he clung to one idea: there had to be a better way. With the support of those few who stayed by his side, especially insightful mentors, RJ started to see life differently. Their guidance reminded him of his capabilities, recognizing his education and potential even when he could not. Through this transformation, RJ found peace and purpose, building a fulfilling life grounded in resilience, learning, and the unwavering belief that things could get better. Key Takeaways We were thrilled to welcome RJ Horner, Life Empowerment Coach and founder of the Beacon of Life and Leadership, onto the show. RJ’s journey from frustration and feeling stuck to building a fulfilling life is both inspiring and practical—perfect fuel for your next growth spurt. Here’s a taste of what we covered: Recognizing When You’re Ready for Change RJ speaks directly to those of us who feel there must be more to life—but just aren’t sure where to start. Maybe you feel like you’re drifting, struggling at work, or just not finding the joy you know is possible. RJ’s story about shifting from anger and uncertainty to action is a reminder that no one is alone in feeling this way. Small Steps, Big Shifts A mentor’s advice led RJ to John Maxwell’s “Make Today Count,” which started his transformation. He reminds us: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Taking action, even a small one, is how you steer the car in a new direction. Tools and Support on the Journey RJ has launched the Beacon School of Leadership—a FREE community full of practical leadership and growth resources. He’s all about genuine service: “By giving value, you now get buy-in from people… They can trust you, because they know you’re in it for them.” Join the community for workshops, masterminds, and support from others walking the same path. Books That Change Mindsets RJ recommends: * “Make Today Count” by John Maxwell * “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie Both shaped his attitude toward leadership, service, and personal happiness. Where Do You Start? RJ introduces his 3S System for Success—State, Sightline, Strategy: * State: Where are you right now? * Sightline: Where do you want to go? * Strategy: What steps will take you there? Key Takeaway:Don’t be afraid to take the first step—even if it feels like the wrong one. You can always adjust your path as you go. Every attempt, even a failure, is a lesson learned. Ready to take your first step?👉 Join RJ’s Beacon School of Leadership community—free resources await. And don’t forget: keep an eye out for next guest. To submit your own questions, subscribe to our newsletter and join the conversation! P.S. Loved this episode? Hit reply and let us know what resonated most—or share how you’re taking your next step! _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale? We help established business owners with small but growing teams: go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises, to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family - with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn’t work, we refund what you paid. This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business. ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS life empowerment coach, Beacon of Life and Leadership, personal growth, self-improvement, career dissatisfaction, change mindset, leadership training, cognitive behavioral therapy, building better habits, finding purpose, contentment, overcoming anger, community support, self-discovery, personal legacy, leadership community, free leadership resources, self-awareness, serving others, mindset shift, taking the first step, overcoming fear, career transition, personal development books, John Maxwell, Make Today Count, Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, achieving success, 3S system (state, sightline, strategy) SPEAKER RJ Horner, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:33]: Hi, and welcome back to Five Questions Over Coffee. I have my coffee, which I very nearly spilled as I lift it up, so I better, I better not do any more of that. I’m delighted to be joined Today with by R.J. horner. R.J. is a, he’s a life empowerment coach. He’s going to talk to us about that. He’s running something called the Beacon of Life and Leadership. Stuart Webb [00:00:55]: I’m really interested in talking through what he’s doing with that and talking about the way in which he wants to talk about change, in the fact that if you want to change the way you see, you see the world, you have to change the way that you actually interact with it. So, rj, welcome to the podcast. Welcome to five Questions Over Coffee. Really looking forward to this conversation. RJ Horner [00:01:16]: Yeah, I like the, the concept you’ve got here. It’s just, you know, an informal chat with people. I’ve got my coffee. I’m all excited about where this conversation will go. And again, it’s all about helping to change people’s lives, helping people to put them on the path to betterment. So glad to have this conversation with you this morning. Stuart Webb [00:01:35]: That’s brilliant, rj. Look, let’s just start with that. You’re trying to help people to understand how they can change themselves, to see the world in a different way, the way they can better interact with the world. Talk to us a little bit about the sort of people who you’re working with helping at this time. RJ Horner [00:01:53]: Yeah, look, I believe we all have the opportunity for a better life. Some of us just don’t look for, for it. We don’t step into it. We struggle. We, you know, we, look, we have to pay the bills, so we have jobs. So, you know, and then some of us, many of us are living paycheck to paycheck. We’re unable to find that opportunity to just live life. And that’s where this all came from. RJ Horner [00:02:17]: See, 12 years ago, I was pissed off and angry at the world because I hated my life. And where I was at the time, nothing was going right. I was angry. And that anger came out in everything I did. And when I found my piece, it’s because I, I, I built it on one concept. There has to be a better way. And, you know, thankfully I had people in my life still, because I was chasing people away from me, right? And thankfully, I still had people in my life who were willing to help me, who were willing to help me see through, see things through. And see the of my mentors at the time said, look, he says, you’re one of the most educated people I know. RJ Horner [00:03:03]: You’ve always got your head in a book. If you’re looking for answers, why not turn to those books? And within a week, I found a book called Make Today Count from John Maxwell. And it really was about doing the little things to find the peace in your life. So that’s who I’m looking to serve. I’m looking to help those people who, you know, they. They know they’re meant for more. They know could live a better life. They just don’t know how. RJ Horner [00:03:33]: And that’s one of the things I used to tell my wife at the time. She said, why can’t you be any better? Why can’t you, you know, just be happier? I said, I don’t know how. Well, now I’m here to help people, show. Help, show people how to find that better life, how to find the peace and joy in their life. Stuart Webb [00:03:49]: Brilliant. Brilliant. Let’s. Let’s talk a little bit about the people that you’ve just sort of talked about. How might they recognize themselves? What. What are the things that they’re doing at the moment to try and find that. That path, that contentment, which perhaps, you know, that and they’re missing? You know, how would they recognize themselves in, you know, in actions that they’re taking at the moment? RJ Horner [00:04:12]: Yeah, look, you know, first of all, you’re questioning yourself, right? You know, you are meant for more. You know, there’s more you could be doing. You just don’t. Maybe don’t know what that is, don’t know where that joy and peace and happiness is. With me, at the time, it was. I was angry with the life I was living. I hated my job because I hated my life because there wasn’t enough money. So if you’re constantly angry and upset about these things, it means you’re looking for something else. RJ Horner [00:04:43]: And to find that thing, you have to find. At the time, I had to find joy in the work I was doing. So finding those little things, you know, and. And maybe that’s taking some time to go to the park, connect with nature, connect better with family and friends. Right. Take notice of the thoughts and the feelings that you’re having. That wa

Who is Brian? Brian Parana is no stranger to the turning points that come in midlife. At 42, he’s the dedicated husband of his high school sweetheart and the proud father of four—juggling the joys and challenges that come with two high schoolers and two middle schoolers, ages 10 to 15. With 15 years as a self-employed professional and over 23 years in the health industry, Brian has seen firsthand what so many entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders experience: the demands of life and responsibility often sneak up, and self-care takes a back seat. His journey reflects the universal realization that reaching 40, 45, or 50 doesn’t always look or feel as expected—prompting him to help others redefine what thriving in midlife can truly mean. Key Takeaways 00:00 Avoiding Midlife Crisis: Enhance Life 05:05 Finding Balance Amid Life’s Chaos 08:04 “Rice 72: Three-Day Fat Loss” 11:50 “Developing Habits for Growth” 13:30 “1% Improvements for Massive Success” 17:32 “Health Choices Over Consequences” 20:40 Appreciative Farewell Message _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale? We help established business owners with small but growing teams: go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises, to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family - with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn’t work, we refund what you paid. This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business. ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS health and wellbeing, business leaders, productivity, midlife crisis, entrepreneurs, self-employed, diet industry, weight loss, lifestyle balance, flexibility, moderation, accountability, fat loss protocol, nutrition, mindset, radical accountability, busy professionals, sustainable habits, atomic habits, James Clear, Tony Robbins, personal development, business performance, routines, incremental change, ROI of health, confidence, energy levels, work-life balance, men’s health SPEAKERS Brian Parana, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: SA hi and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I have my coffee monkey here. My guest Brian, Coach Brian Piranha is here with me. He has his coffee with espresso, with. Brian Parana [00:00:49]: Some seltzer water and some oat milk. Stuart Webb [00:00:52]: Coach BRIAN that’s a brilliant, brilliant recipe. Thank you for that. So Brian is a, is a, is a health and well being expert, an athlete, now a coach who helps business leaders, people who are trying to run their businesses and forget that they need to remain healthy to run their business, do better with both. So Coach Ryan, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. Looking forward to this conversation and really looking forward to hearing how you can help us. Brian Parana [00:01:27]: I’m excited to be here. I’m looking forward to our five questions and the insights that I can bring, the value and some ideal takeaways for our guests that are listening in. Stuart Webb [00:01:37]: That’s what we want to hear. So let’s start with that first question. I like to always start with just give us a little bit of an oversight of the sort of person you’re trying to help. What are the problems that they have in their life that might help them identify that you’re currently talking to them, right. Brian Parana [00:01:55]: What happens when we reach our mid-40s? There’s that term of a midlife crisis, right. I’m 42, I’ve married my high school sweetheart, we’re 19 years in. We have four kids, two high schoolers, two middle schools, three boys and girls, 15 to 10. And I’ve been self employed for 15 years and been in the health industry for 23 or something. I’ve seen it time and again. Is that people, business owners, entrepreneurs, leaders, everyone ends up running into this at some point where the responsibilities of their life caught up to them. In a sense, they realize they’re not taking care of themselves and their body. And 40, 45, 50 isn’t what was expected when they got there, right. Brian Parana [00:02:44]: They’re on their way to retirement or they got money in the bank or the house or whatever this stuff, but when they see themselves in the mirror, they just their waistlines expanding. They don’t have the confidence in their, their workloads that they once had. There’s fatigue, the lack of productivity. They feel half a step behind or maybe in one or two instead. And that’s the type of person that I’m coming to the marketplace to meet is to get that priority. Let’s not have a midlife crisis where we potentially disrupt some things in life. Let’s actually Enhance what life has and be even more productive by taking care of yourself first to then have the energy, the resources, the capacity to keep pace with all the responsibilities that you are now in charge of. Stuart Webb [00:03:35]: So let’s talk a little bit about maybe there’s somebody out there at the moment thinking, hey, this guy, this guy’s talking to me. What do you think they’d be able to recognize in terms of the things they tried? You know, the health kicks that go on, the act, the diet, which constantly never seems to work. I mean, they may even be finding the soul at the moment, sitting there looking at yet another diet book or even some other ways of trying to enhance this. And I think what you’re trying to say is that’s not always all of the solution, is it? Brian Parana [00:04:06]: No, no, definitely not. Oftentimes we’ve been taught through marketing, through just literal time for, or the, the, the diet industry really started in the 1980s or so and 90s and, and continued on if you, I, I grew up in that and has infiltrated every single person that I am in association with and what I, who I’ve worked with for years, restriction. There’s these hard protocols that they have to follow. It often lines up with more of a leader type personality where they have to feel that the grind, the hustle. They have things that have to be hard. Those are, they have to cut out, restrict all that. And I’ve been in a five pound weight range for decades. Obviously it’s what I do by profession and I should look and be the part to lead those people. Brian Parana [00:05:05]: But with four kids, with self employment, with all these, these obstacles that just show up in everyday life, there is a way to find some balance. To have some ice cream after a kid’s soccer game or after a school event, or have a small sliver of cake at a birthday party because I mean, what weekend do people not have birthdays, especially if they have four kids or something, right? There’s just always those opportunities to potentially fall off track and then next, you know, we’ll start again on Monday. Well, Stuart, today’s Wednesday or Tuesday. It’s Tuesday that we’re recording this. There’s a lot of sloppiness that can, that can be created there and cause you to be setting yourself back a significant amount. We need to find a level of balance of, with some flexibility, some moderation in a way that creates a lifestyle that they can actually live. What we do in two weeks, we do in two months, we do in two years. And finding that balance is so important. Brian Parana [00:06:04]: And that that’s where I meet people every single day. Stuart Webb [00:06:09]: And I think you’ve got a very valid point then Brian, because you know, it’s if, if you are having to force yourself into something, if you’re telling yourself that you can only achieve this by constant denial, you can only do this by having to go to the gym when you don’t really feel, feel like it because you’ve got other concerns, you’ve got the family to worry about things like that. It becomes more and more difficult to actually stick with something like this, doesn’t it? I mean if the only time you ever get any pleasure is when you get that little bit of ice cream or that small amount of cake at a birthday party and suddenly you deny that, it just becomes impossible to stick to anything that you really, really want to do. You have to link it to something that’s more than that, right? Brian Parana [00:06:50]: It’s just same thing with business. If you have to grind to grow a business, it’s going to fail at some point because whether the motivation, the willpower, the lack of consistently putting out or say a high marketing budget, if you one, one or five months go by and you haven’t produced the outcomes to pay for that, now you’re in the red and things aren’t going well for the business because it’s at such a high demand of say accuracy or focus or the ROI needs to be right on point there. Stuart Webb [00:07:26]: So I’ve got a really. You’ve got a special offer that I think that the audience is going to be really interested in. This I will be putting into our vault. So if you go to www.systemize.me free stock you, you’ll get the details of exactly how Brian c

Who is Kyle? Kyle Beltle is a sought-after advisor for professional coaches and consultants whose businesses are flourishing in the high six figures. Having worked extensively with clients eager to reclaim their time, Kyle specializes in navigating the twin challenges his clients so often face: “tax FOMO” (the fear of missing out on tax deductions) and analysis paralysis. He knows all too well how the constant swirl of social media tips and advice from well-meaning friends can leave entrepreneurs unsure of where to start and anxious they might be missing out. Through patient guidance and hands-on support—including welcoming endless client questions at kickoff meetings—Kyle helps business owners cut through the noise, find clarity, and confidently optimize their financial strategies. Key Takeaways 00:00 Coaching Clients’ Tax Woes Solved 04:39 Experience Over Price 09:06 Focusing Intentionally in Business 12:55 Maximize 401(k) with Profit Sharing 15:58 “Subscribe for Podcast Updates” _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale? We help established business owners with small but growing teams: go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises, to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family - with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn’t work, we refund what you paid. This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business. ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS tax strategy, tax planning, proactive CPA, tax deductions, analysis paralysis, tax FOMO, professional coaches, consultants, high six figure business, time management, business finances, business owner, real estate investment, rental property, multi state tax return, online tax software, premium guidance, tax mistakes, tax savings, 401k, retirement planning, profit sharing, S corp, employee benefits, pension contributions, business tax, cash flow management, VAT bill, financial planning, tax professional, small business tax SPEAKER Kyle Beltle, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:03]: Okay, we’ve gone live without the stream coming in, which is really interesting. So welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I’m here with Kyle Bentley Beltly. Sorry, I’m gonna, I’m gonna get that wrong. Kyle. Apologies. Kyle Beltley. Stuart Webb [00:00:22]: Kyle is the owner of ProActive CPA. Kyle is going to talk to us about some really interesting things about how we manage our finances, manage tax, etc. Carl, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I hope you’ve got your coffee in front of you today. Kyle Beltle [00:00:38]: Ready to go. Stuart Webb [00:00:39]: Terrific mug, terrific mug. Let’s, let’s talk briefly about how you’re, who is, who is the person you’re trying to help? What’s the problem they’ve got? So that we can sort of, as we were listening to you describe this, we begin to get a sense of is this me that Kyle is talking about? Kyle Beltle [00:01:00]: Sure, sure. So my clients are professional coaches and consultants running businesses that are generating high six figures of sales and they’re people who are looking to buy back their time. I would say that the primary issue that people come to me with and I help them solve, it’s kind of a twofold. It’s first off, it’s what I like to call tax fomo, fear of missing out, and it’s analysis paralysis. So with the tax fomo, we are inundated with social media posts on tax tips, our neighbors giving us tax tips, our crazy uncle at the family dinner is giving us. And there’s this fear that I’m missing out on these deductions that everybody else knows about. But where do I even, where do I even get started? You know, this, this analysis paralysis. And a great example of this is I just started working with a client there and as we were getting ready for our kickoff meeting, he said, I hope you don’t mind, I just jotted down a few thoughts. Kyle Beltle [00:02:10]: Well, so Stewart, this guy had composed this entire Google Doc of just all the things that he’d been coming across. And you know, does this apply to me? Where do I start? And so what I do with my clients is distill all that into a crystal clear tax strategy plan for them where they know, a, this applies to me, B, this is how to take advantage of it, and C, here’s the savings I’m going to get from it. Stuart Webb [00:02:38]: So let’s just, let’s try and explore a little bit then on what are the things. I mean, that guy obviously had ideas about what he wanted to do, the problems that he knew had. He Tried anything. What were the things he tried to do to overcome this problem before turning to Kyle and say, carl, can you help me? Kyle Beltle [00:02:57]: So fortunately he hadn’t tried anything and sadly that’s not always the case. I had a client, I’ll call Ian, who just started working with me the beginning of this year and he had heard, real estate’s a great investment. I’m going to get into real estate. And he ended up purchasing a rental house that was out of state. So now he’s preparing a multi state return and he has to set up a rental property. He was using an over the counter online tax product there. And you know the saying, garbage in, garbage out. Well, the data that he was putting into the software was not correct. Kyle Beltle [00:03:47]: He ended up missing out on a lot of deductions around that rental property. And so when we first started working together this year, I went back, took a look under the hood of the return last year and was able to help him get that rental property set up properly. And the savings, the actual tax savings that he experienced as a result of that were twice what I was charging him there. And so, you know, I have a colleague, Rajo Jose, who likes to say premium guidance cost a lot less than premium mistakes. And so certainly don’t, don’t try to DIY things when you’re working with a complex tax situation. Stuart Webb [00:04:39]: I’m going to have to agree with you, Carla. I know one of the early lessons I was taught when I was a very young business owner was people forget the price long after they’ve forgotten the lack of quality, so long after they’ve remembered the lack of quality. So you know, the, the problem that we all try and think of is this may or may not take me a lot of time, but you’re not dealing with, you’re not dealing with something which, which is, you know, so much time based, are you? Although they are paying for your time, they’re paying for the years of experience which you bought into the, you’ve used as your education and your experience in order to come back and go, this is how much it’s valid, the value is to you. This is not about me taking 15 minutes over this. This is 15 years of my life that’s taught me how to do this for you. Kyle Beltle [00:05:25]: 100%. 100%. And that’s not even mentioning the time that they would need to take away from their core business. Stuart Webb [00:05:33]: Absolutely. Kyle Beltle [00:05:34]: To try to learn this or to even, even to execute it. Stuart Webb [00:05:38]: Absolutely. So I think, Carl, you’ve been very kind to the audience. You have Got a giveaway. And this will be something which is in the vault that we have, which is the systemized me free stuff. So describe what this is, a PDF, I think, which is going to be a great asset to a lot of people. Tell us what’s in this PDF and how it benefit them. Kyle Beltle [00:06:04]: So, as I said at the top, one of the issues that so many of my prospects and so many of my clients come to me with is just saying, where do I even begin? So I put together a handout here of my six favorite tax strategies that most people can take advantage of. And so I would download that there and take it with you next time you’re meeting with your tax professional to see which one of these can we put into play to maximize my savings. Stuart Webb [00:06:34]: And I would, I’d hate to, to prejudice this, but if somebody comes along and finds they’re only using five of the six, they may need to have a word with you anyway. Kyle Beltle [00:06:43]: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Stuart Webb [00:06:46]: Okay, terrific. That’s a brilliant. And I, I’ll just repeat, if you go to systemize me free hyphen stuff, you will find that immediately. You can go and download that now and go get that from, from that vault and, and you will be able to get hold of Kyle’s top six strategies. Have a feeling he may have more than six in his bank. But that’s, that’s the top. Kyle Beltle [00:07:09]: There may be a bonus. There may be a bonus one. Stuart Webb [00:07:12]: I love it. I love it. I love it. Kyle, tell us a little bit. You know, how did you become the, the expert that you are on tax? This doesn’t happen overnight. It certainly doesn’t happen unless you, you set out intentionally to understand these things. Kyle Beltle [00:07:28]: Yeah. Stuart Webb [00:07:28]: Is there a book, a course or

Who is Andrea? Andrea Stenberg is a social media whiz who really knows her stuff when it comes to video marketing. She loves helping business owners figure out how to use video to get noticed online and turn viewers into customers. Andrea’s all about sharing simple, practical tips that actually work, no jargon or tech headaches. As a guest on “It’s Not Rocket Science: Five Questions Over Coffee,” Andrea brings her friendly vibe and tons of helpful advice for anyone looking to grow their business with video. Key Takeaways 00:00 “Aligning Video with Brand Strategy” 04:45 Building Trust Through Videos 07:39 Authentic Video Marketing with AI 11:25 Authentic Video Outperforms Polished Content 17:21 “Start Marketing with Video” 21:23 Instagram & LinkedIn Content Strategies 22:29 Challenges of Creating Short Videos 25:53 Improving Videos Through Feedback _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale? We help established business owners with small but growing teams: go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises, to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family - with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn’t work, we refund what you paid. This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business. ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS video marketing, social media video, lead generation, customer conversions, coaches, course creators, healers, expertise marketing, personal branding, seat of your pants marketing, marketing strategy, brand consistency, going viral, target audience, client journey, personalized videos, AI in video, video editing tools, video content repurposing, audience trust, showing up on camera, authentic video, video length, LinkedIn Live, Instagram Reels, closed captions, video accessibility, video engagement, video production quality, content funnel, repurposing content SPEAKERS Andrea Stenberg, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. The important thing here is the coffee. And I want to really welcome Andrea, Andrea Stenberg, who’s going to talk to us about the importance of doing a video in your social media and helping us to increase our lead generation and help us to increase our customer conversions by using effective video in, in lead generation. So, Andrea, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. And I hope you’re ready to give us some pearls of wisdom. Andrea Stenberg [00:01:08]: Oh, thank you, Stuart. Thanks for having me. Stuart Webb [00:01:11]: So let’s start by trying to understand exactly who, who, who the who, who the people are that you help with understanding how to use video better. And how do you, how, how you understand what their needs are? Stuart Webb [00:01:25]: Well, I, I work with coaches, course creators, healers, anyone who’s selling sort of what’s up here, their expertise and their knowledge. And they’re usually people who are really good at what they do and they’re really passionate about helping people. In fact, they’re almost more passionate about helping people than they are about growing their business. But they’re also serious about growing their business. And one of the things that that happens is, you know, they’ve learned along the way that video is becoming really important and they understand that video is important. So they’ve started using video, but they don’t really know what they’re doing. So what happens is like, so they’ve got over here, their website, their social media, their emails, all their marketing is kind of professional and branded. And then they put their video and it’s over here and it almost looks like they’re not even coming from the same business because they’ve just kind of added it on. Stuart Webb [00:02:22]: And they’re doing what I call seat of your pants marketing, where they’re just, when they, you know, on the rare occasions they have a few spare minutes, they do a video because, and they model it on somebody else’s. But they don’t really figure, haven’t really figured out where it fits in their marketing and really is, I want your marketing and your video to like work together seamlessly like this so that they all support each other, they all work together, they all look like they’re from the same business and they’re all sharing a similar message. And so that’s, you know, that’s, that’s who I work with. And that’s my, my end goal for everybody is to have their video and their, the rest of their marketing all working seamlessly together. Stuart Webb [00:03:05]: You’ve kind of already Excuse me, you’ve already sort of answered the second part of my question which is, you know, we, you’re right, we’re all, we’re all very aware of the fact that video is really important in, in marketing nowadays because it starts to help to sort of demonstrate who you are as a person. And you know, we have to remember at the end of the day even big businesses buy people. So, so what is it you’ve seen people do that perhaps doesn’t quite gel? You’ve sort of talked about the website not looking the same as the video or the video somehow not looking as if it’s coming from. What are some of those things that people have done that you’ve sort of spotted potential problems for them? Stuart Webb [00:03:42]: Well, I mean some of the problems is like, so everybody gets focused on the idea of going viral and I want to go viral and get discovered. And yes, part of video is getting discovered. But for most coaches, course creators, consultants, healers, going viral is actually not good for your business. For example, I had a video that went viral like it didn’t get millions of people but it was like easily 10 times my normal viewership of videos. And the interesting thing was the vast majority of this new audience were 18 to 24 year old boys. And they’re not my target audience, they’re not going to be a customer of mine. Like I don’t know why they liked this video but you know, like it was not really of any business value to me that these 18 year old boys were liking this video. So, so going viral, like yes, it’s nice to be discovered but it’s if you’re being discovered by the wrong people, that doesn’t help you. Stuart Webb [00:04:45]: The other thing about that is when people come into your world like they don’t just hear of you today and become a customer today. I mean sometimes that happens but usually there’s a process and there’s a journey where people have to get to know like and trust you and, and that’s where video becomes really powerful because not just from being discovered, but as people are getting closer and closer to making that decision, to becoming your client, you can build that trust. You can let them see that you have some expertise. They can, you can get them to experience what it might be like to work with you in a completely non threatening way. So if you’re posting a video on LinkedIn or YouTube, somebody doesn’t even have to give you their email address to watch your video. So it’s a very low risk on their part to get a taste of what it’s like to work with you. And then, of course, you know, once people get closer to becoming a client. For example, one of my favorite strategies is you can do personalized videos that you create one video for one person and you can say, hey, Stuart, I really enjoyed talking with you. Stuart Webb [00:05:52]: I just wanted to remind you about A, B and C and send a video to them and that, you know, really creates that. Wow, that’s. This person really heard me. This person is really interested in me. And look, they sent me a video just for me. So there’s lots of different places where you can use video, not just at the top of the funnel of just getting discovered by new people. And I think that’s. That’s the biggest change that people can make is start incorporating it into all the stages of your marketing, not just at the beginning. Stuart Webb [00:06:27]: I think that’s a very, very, very, very interesting way of doing things because I’ve. I’ve seen and done similar things where. And that personalization, even if that video that you create for that one person is, you know, it’s just their name and everything else is exactly the same to something you sent to somebody else, they feel it’s theirs, don’t they? Because you can’t create a video easily without putting some effort in and making it very personal to them. We ought to just sort of COVID off the AI thing because is that something that you think AI generated videos are helping or hindering in these respects? Stuart Webb [00:07:08]: Well, I mean, for people who I work with. So, like, for example, if you’re a coach or a healer, like, say you’re a healer and you’re going to help me make my child healthier or do better at school or whatever that you do. I need to trust you a lot, Especially if it’s abou

Who is Katie? Katie Hahn is no stranger to the entrepreneurial hustle. Early in her journey, Katie was the one burning the midnight oil—she was everywhere, trying every strategy in the book. From updating her CRM to jumping onto the latest social media trend, Katie left no stone unturned. But beneath the surface, she was pulled in countless directions, chasing quick fixes and scrambling for solutions to meet her coaching clients’ needs. Over time, Katie realized that true success came not from the frantic chase, but from focus and clarity. Now, she empowers other women to step off the hamster wheel and build purposeful, sustainable businesses. Key Takeaways 00:00 Brilliant Women Lacking Growth Systems 05:19 Lack of Business System Integration 08:00 Empowering Women Coaches' Growth 12:44 Sales as Helping, Not Forcing 15:39 Guidance and Accountability in Business 17:01 Weekly Advice _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download check out https://systemise.me It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way. ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS women coaches, coaching business, business systems, overwhelm, time freedom, financial freedom, CLIMB Framework, scalability, sales checklist, business growth, online business, client onboarding, lead generation, business processes, virtual assistants, high ticket sales, business optimization, chaos to stability, female entrepreneurs, productivity, systemization, strategy call, Facebook group, sales strategies, business model, business mentoring, accountability, client experience, business automation, business support SPEAKERS Katie Hahn, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: hi and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I'm here with Katie Hahn. Katie is the founder of the Climb Framework. The Climb Framework, and I'm sure we're going to get into this is a way that helps particularly women coaches, consultants get out of the overwhelm of a non systemized business and helps them too elevate themselves to growth by using a framework which introduces systems processes to help their business grow. So, Katie, thank you very much for spending a few minutes with us. I'm really looking forward to this conversation. And welcome to It's Not Rocket Science. Stuart Webb [00:01:11]: Five questions over coffee. Thank you. Katie Hahn [00:01:14]: I'm very excited to be here. Stuart Webb [00:01:16]: Thank you, Kate. So, Katie, let's start by trying to understand those people that I just sort of talked about, those people that you're trying to help. What, what are, who are these people? What's the business they've got? What's the problem that they really find themselves in? Katie Hahn [00:01:32]: I'll give you an example. And we've seen a lot of these people and this men and women, but I just specialize in women. But we see those people who hustle, you know, the ones who are working all hours, they're doing everything, you know, they're really putting this stuff in place. They're saying, oh, I got a new CRM, I'm on social media, I'm doing these things. But really when you talk to them and you dig down, they're all over the place. They're, they're after every shiny object. They are really just trying to solve that problem that they have today. And it may be trying to find people to, you know, for their coaching clients. Katie Hahn [00:02:09]: And so they're like, okay, what am I going to do today I'm going to go after this and tomorrow it's like, oh, I need a CRM. Now I have this. Well, now I have a client, what do I do next? And it's just constant chaos. And really what they face is this their bit. They don't have a business, they have chaos. And really what that means is they don't have a system to support their businesses. And what I found coming from the traditional business setting, brick and mortar professional services, is when you set up a business, you generally set up with very specific systems in place. However, in this new world of having everything online, you know, anybody can get started with anything. Katie Hahn [00:02:53]: And these women that I work with are brilliant, absolutely brilliant and passionate. Problem comes in is they got the hustle, but they don't have the know how that gives Them those systems in place to actually predictably grow and, and feel that they're meeting what they want to do, which is generally, you know, support the people they want to and whatever that coaching is, or in their business aspect, but also provide themselves that time and financial freedom that they got into this for. You know, most of them are moms and had a life crisis of change because now I can go back to work, I'm going to do my thing I love. And now with that, they got hustle, but they don't have time or financial freedom at all. Stuart Webb [00:03:38]: Yeah, I know the sort of thing you're talking about. This is the sort of person that goes from feast to famine. Suddenly they've got too much work, they've got no time to deliver properly. And then the next week they're looking around going, what, where's the next meal check coming from? I have no idea where everything is. And, and it's that need to have that continuous flow of leads that, that conversion of the, of the lead to the customer in order to sort of just give them the space and the time to actually develop a real business, isn't it? Yeah. Katie Hahn [00:04:08]: And they, they make these, you know, rash decisions because they need something today to solve a problem and they don't have the systems in place that's going to help them long term. Stuart Webb [00:04:20]: So let's, let's talk a little bit and sort of, you know, if there's somebody out there sort of immediately saying, hey, this might be me, and they might recognize themselves, but give us some specifics about the sort of things that they found themselves doing. You know, you come across somebody and you go, you know, I know what you're trying to do. These are the sort of people that have tried all sorts of things. Give us an example of the sort of things they've tried before. They seek advice on how to put the sort of systems you're talking in about Katie. Katie Hahn [00:04:47]: So it's really how they. Women generally, it's a feeling. They are just sick of the feeling of being out of control. When they were a mom or in the traditional business setting, their life was pretty easy. And now they're starting to feel chaotic and they're feeling overwhelmed. And what they start doing is the shiny object. You know, they may be on Instagram and they see, you know, some somebody puts out there. You're gonna get a million, you know, views if you do this. Katie Hahn [00:05:19]: And so they start going down rabbit holes. But it's really never a system in place that's going to get them to the Actual end goal. And so, you know, they're not figuring out that everything in a business has a relationship to each other. You know, so they may go down, oh, I got a CRM. But they don't use it, which means they don't now have the data, the information, the cohesion that's going to take the processes from sales to onboarding to client experience, to have those, you know, clients that are really going to be the evangelist for them. And because of the experience wasn't there. And it means that they are acting in a way where everything in their business is a bottleneck because it relies on that. There's no growth strategy because they've put everything on themselves and not using the right system so that they can say, okay, I need to work on my business, not in my business. Katie Hahn [00:06:19]: And then they can start delegating, bringing on a va. Because ultimately, what you typically see are they'll bring people on, they'll bring salespeople. Vas problem is everything goes through them and it ends. I work with tons of them like that. Stuart Webb [00:06:33]: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've all seen those poor people that turn around. You know, I've got 15 people working for me, and absolutely none of them make a decision. And the question you always ask is, have you ever asked them to make a decision without talking to you first? And they look at you as if to say, why would we do that? That would be a very silly thing to do. So we know what you're talking about, Katie. I know you've got some really valuable, free. And I'm going to just point people now towards our. Our vault. Stuart Webb [00:06:59]: Katie has given me three brilliant, brilliant pieces of valuable content that I think you're going to just describe it to us, Katie, because, I mean, I'm going to really encourage people. There are some really, really interesting pieces of really valuable advice that you've got that you've given to us to give away this evening. Katie Hahn [00:07:20]: So the first one is my coaches weekly sales checklist. It just starts small. You got to start somewhere and realizing that at the front end, you need to have some pr

Who is Stever? Stever Robbins is a strategic advisor dedicated to empowering individuals at pivotal moments in their professional journey. With a focus on reputation building, he guides business leaders and entrepreneurs who aspire to become recognized authorities in their fields. Stever's expertise lies in helping clients establish themselves as the go-to person around their key constituents, whether it's within their industry or among high-value employees. His approach is tailored to those eager to cultivate a magnetic reputation that naturally attracts attention and opportunities, positioning them as influential figures in their respective domains. Key Takeaways 00:00 Understanding Business Relationships 05:54 "Public Speaking Overcomes Age Bias" 09:41 Networking Maintenance System 14:06 "The Myth of Hard Work" 14:45 Rethinking "Work Hard" Advice 18:16 "Maximizing Productivity and Networking" 22:45 Effectuation in Startup Success 24:28 "Networking: Meeting the Right People" 29:32 Reflecting on AI's Impact 31:12 AI's Impact on Critical Thinking 34:31 Networking for Personal Fulfillment _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : https://systemise.me It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS executive coaching, personal branding, business networking, building relationships, reputation management, career advancement, professional development, strategic outreach, public speaking, podcasting, productivity tips, maintaining connections, follow-up systems, industry recognition, business leadership, career success myths, high impact coaching, business startups, entrepreneurship, effectuation, business ecosystems, corporate politics, introverts in business, systematic networking, reconnecting contacts, business strategy, work-life balance, leadership skills, personal productivity, AI and productivity SPEAKERS Stever Robbins, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science five questions over coffee. I have my coffee here in front of me. I think Steve is ready to go as well. So I have my coffee. Up. We are caffeine up and ready to go. Looks, I'm really, really grateful that Steve has meant, spent some time with us. He's gonna spend a bit of time with us today. Stuart Webb [00:00:50]: Steve is well, he's, one of the most interesting and thought provoking and, innovative, speakers I've come across. So, Steba, I'm really grateful you're gonna come here and spend a few minutes talking to us about, well, five ideas we're gonna have over coffee. Stever Robbins [00:01:08]: Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Stuart Webb [00:01:11]: So, Steven, let's start with, I know you're you're sort of talking today a little bit about some of the some of the work you've been doing, and we're gonna get into it. So so tell us, who is it you're trying to help? What what what's the what's the the the ideal candidate for the sort of work you're trying to do with them at the moment? Stever Robbins [00:01:26]: Sure. I help people who are at an inflection point. People who need to get more widely known and who wanna become the go to person around their key constituents. At some point, I'll probably get a little bit more focused than that. But for example, a business person who wants to get known in their industry, a business person who wants to get known around the, high value employees. So So they wanna have a reputation as a, as a hire as a hire as an employer. Basically, anyone who wants to have a reputation that draws people to them and they want to establish a high profile as go to person. Stuart Webb [00:02:02]: And so this isn't just, just business owners. This could be anybody from a business owner to somebody who's already in in an employment and and just wants to get better known around their industry or bet better known around around the company. Stever Robbins [00:02:15]: Yeah. What I've discovered is Stuart Webb [00:02:16]: that this actually has been one Stever Robbins [00:02:17]: of the keys to many of the coaching engagements that I've done. I've I've spent the last twenty years as an executive coach. And I finally realized, wait a minute. Helping this person with their marketing was just like helping this person who, I I work with a lot of high potential leaders, so people who are being groomed for the c suite. And part of being groomed for the c suite is you have to establish connections. You have to be known within the company. You need to be able to to, you know, go to the right places, know the right people, call in the right favors, and get people working together. And I realized this is actually the exact same skill set. Stever Robbins [00:02:49]: What it takes to become known in your industry is the same thing that it takes to come to become known within your company, you know, with a few minor tweaks. Instead of speaking at a conference, for example, you might be speaking at a brown bag lunch, but, you know, largely the same Stuart Webb [00:03:02]: thing. Absolutely right. A lot of these people will have spent time trying to do this just just by, you know, maybe making making mistakes or maybe sort of trying to sort of get out there and do things, but but I haven't got anyway so far. So what are the what are the frustrations? What are the some of the things you've seen people do? I wouldn't say wrong, but are not necessarily focused in the right way in order to really get that that high impact that you're talking about. Stever Robbins [00:03:29]: Sure. Well, you know, one of the big ones is that people treat their business like a business. So if I were to ask people, do you do you know where you make money? Most people would say yes. They might be wrong, but but but at least the point is they have some idea. Like, they're they're paying attention. But when I ask people, do you know do you know who you're connecting with and why you're connecting with them and what their major motivational drivers are and how you can deepen a relationship with them and connect with them, they just kind of look at me and go, well, yeah. I mean, I called someone up to have a lunch date. And I'm like, so you're preparing a proposal and you spend six weeks doing research and write a 25 page proposal. Stever Robbins [00:04:17]: But when you're thinking about who do you need to know, who needs to know you, and how are you gonna create that connection, you give that no thought. You just sort of treat it the way that you did back in kindergarten, which by the way, don't knock kindergarten. Really good time, recess, awesome idea. I love the thing where you play with the blocks. But as adults, we get more sophisticated about things. I would say one of the biggest, problems that people have is they're not systematic about it. They don't decide who they're gonna contact. They don't actually have a system for making contact and then a system for maintaining relationships, which, you know, people think, oh my gosh. Stever Robbins [00:04:59]: This is gonna take me a hundred hours a day. It is gonna take time. Building and maintaining relationships takes time. However, it doesn't take as much time as one might think if you're systematic about it. And even in the best of worlds, you're only gonna have a small inner circle, and a lot of what you do is gonna be about getting yourself out there more widely. Stuart Webb [00:05:20]: Are you suggesting that some people don't think deeply enough about their networking and they just wander into a networking meeting with a bunch of business cards and hope for the best? Stever Robbins [00:05:28]: Oh god. Yes. Yes. So okay. I know that it doesn't come across in this in this format. I am a high introvert. You put me in a networking event, and I will find the cheese table, and I will nibble 200 of those little cheese cubes while desperately trying not to make eye contact with anyone. And I realized this about myself. Stever Robbins [00:05:54]: And what I found what and and the other thing too is I look, this is actually getting less true. I started getting gray hair, like, all of a sudden last week. I'm like, where did these come from? But prior to getting some gray hairs, I looked much younger than I actually am. And I would go to business networking events, and people would just look right past me. They would just assume, oh, who's this high school kid? He has nothing to offer. And what I discovered was that if I did public speaking and if I was on stage, people would pay attention long enough to me just by virtue of my being on stage that I could say something intelligent. And then they would go, hey, that guy on stage said something intelligent and then they would approach me. So I never had to leave the cheese table. Stever Robbins [00:06:37]: I got to be lauded as like, oh, this great public speaker.

Who is Ryan? Ryan Ware is a thought leader who helps individuals and organizations navigate the challenging period of change. He identifies a common tendency among people to undervalue the transitional phase between the current state and a desired future. Ryan emphasizes the importance of embracing this uncertain and confusing middle area, recognizing it as a critical time for growth and transformation. Through his insights, Ryan empowers others to appreciate the significance of this phase, ultimately guiding them toward achieving their envisioned future. Key Takeaways 00:00 "Navigating Change in Business" 06:11 "Embrace the Journey of Growth" 07:04 "Embracing Change is Uncomfortable" 12:27 Embracing Change Through Curiosity 16:17 Adapting to Change in Learning 18:47 "Embracing Curiosity in Coaching" 20:16 Embracing Curiosity in Problem-Solving 24:05 Reframe Change Mindset Strategies 28:34 Join Our Expert Mailing List _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : https://systemise.me It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS change management, construction industry, architectural design, business transformation, team coaching, mindset shift, curiosity in business, growth mindset, human side of change, habit formation, leadership empathy, organizational development, business strategy, process improvement, learning culture, resistance to change, business coaching, fractional COO, project management, behavioral change, employee engagement, adaptability, consulting, coaching vs consulting, discovery call, strategy session, willingness to change, Amy Edmondson, Carol Dweck, failure as learning SPEAKERS Ryan Ware, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi there, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. I'm delighted, well, one, to have my, coffee in front of me, which is the most important part of all of this. There's not very much left in there at the moment, so I'm gonna need to refill that soon. But, I'm also delighted to to to welcome Ryan who tells me he has decaf coffee in front of him. So, don't, don't don't fall asleep on us, Ryan. You gotta be you gotta be entertaining us for the next twenty minutes or so. Ryan is a, keynote speaker, a coach, a fractional chief operating officer, and he really helps teams within the construction, architectural design space to navigate change, to think about the way in which they have to approach the changes that are, that are that they're approaching in their business. But it's a it's a it's a common problem that all business owners have to, think about, which is how do you navigate the changes in the business landscape around you. Stuart Webb [00:01:28]: So, Ryan, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. Thoroughly looking forward to this. So, please, take your time to tell us a little bit more about how you help these teams to navigate change. Ryan Ware [00:01:41]: Yeah. Well, thank you for having me, Stuart. I appreciate the opportunity. I'm looking forward, to the questions and the conversation, even though it's decaf, try to run off natural energy. Stuart Webb [00:01:52]: That seems entirely reasonable. So let's start with the first question, which is Right. Let you I've already said that you work with sort of teams in the sort of architectural construction space. But, you know, the the common problem, who what are the sort of the the sort of give me the the the sort of common, ideal client, the person that sort of really is seeking sort of help from somebody like you at the moment. Ryan Ware [00:02:12]: Yeah. I I think there's a couple categories, but, generally, they they find themselves pretty much all in an area where they're recognizing that current state isn't exactly what they want. And they can envision this future state that they wanna get to. But they all, in some way, form, undervalue that middle that middle area. And that middle area is where things are uncertain, things are confusing, things, are unknown, and we've never seen them. We don't recognize them. It's what we call change. They undervalue that that time. Ryan Ware [00:02:52]: And by undervaluing it, they each have one group will overvalue current state and stay in it, and the other group will tend to rush through, that center area and and lack, the connection of human complexity into the change that's occurring whether in their individual life within a team or an organization. Stuart Webb [00:03:17]: And and tell me, Brian, I mean, you you you've been doing this for a while. You you you have some experience in it. What what are the sort of things that you've seen these business owners, these people within these sort of situations try before they reach you? I know when I've come across people that are doing this, they've they've they've normally done a bunch of things that try to help, but but rarely sort of, you know, seek out an expert such as yourself, and and I don't always succeed. Ryan Ware [00:03:44]: Yeah. It's you know, they say 70% of all change management and companies fail to meet the objective. And so a lot of times, what I mentioned in this middle area and undervaluing it, it's they'll they'll make an attempt on a new strategy, a new process, try a new solution within a project per se. And it doesn't go exactly as planned because they've never seen it before, and then they halt. And a lot of people will give up on that that center, change, area, which which is it takes a lot of time for us to learn something new, to develop, you know, new skills. We we already have habits. If we think about just a daily routine habit of getting up in the morning when who hasn't said, like, oh, I'm sorry. I'm sort of all out of sorts. Ryan Ware [00:04:34]: I got out of my routine in the morning. Stuart Webb [00:04:36]: Yeah. Yeah. Ryan Ware [00:04:38]: Yeah. When you get into that center area, what I see a lot of companies doing is, again, disconnecting the human side of change. And it's the objectives there. We wanna get this software put into place or there's a merger and acquisition done or or whatever. You know, it could be large or small sort of change that's occurring, but they don't go go to the humans and have the real conversation. So they'll they'll only bring up results and sort of go there. They won't drill any deeper, into the conversation to find out the root cause. They'll, they'll overvalue that current state as being something like, hey. Ryan Ware [00:05:21]: I've already been doing this a long time. I know how to do it, versus sort of a beginner's mindset of how do I test this? You know? How how do I work through through this change in order to learn? And I think you come from the world of science, and I try to tell everybody's like, we treated every project sort of as a laboratory or a change internally as this free testing zone to to regain knowledge on something that we've never seen before, it doesn't mean that we aren't taking what we've already known and just eliminating it. We're actually able to sort of stack on and and and grow. And I just find people rush through this. They see the goal, and they wanna rush through it. It's like, hey. You know, as simple as, hey. I wanna lose some weight. Ryan Ware [00:06:11]: Well, you can't just rush through that process, but you can start to recognize each day the little wins, and, you know, you don't rush through university. You know, the beauty of that the beauty of university is you go in and you're developing your learning. And even though you wanna be on the other side of it, even though you know at the end of the clarity is to graduate, you don't know what's happening on a daily basis. You can see the courses, but you don't know for sure. But where you're really in growth is that that middle confusion, you know, unknown territory that allows you to develop, and to begin to build a stronger relationship with change because you're now recognizing it as as an opportunity and a positive, not as a disruption or a cost or or a burden, to yourself. Stuart Webb [00:07:04]: Yeah. And I think you've mentioned two things. And and and and, what comes across to me most resonantly is change is tough, change is hard, people's habits. I mean I often remember the sort of the exercise I was taught when I was doing some of this which is you know this is the way you like, naturally lock your fingers. But if you do it the other way, it feels wrong, and it feels unnatural, and you desperately want to get back to the way it feels right. And just that action of sort of holding it there can make you feel uncomfortable, can make you feel very, very exposed if you like. And and just having to do that behavior change or or introduce something new takes people time to sort of understand that things won't be as threatening as perhaps they

Who is Robyn? Robyn Harris is the visionary founder of Wild Well-being, a transformative initiative born from her personal journey towards holistic health and self-discovery. Recognizing the profound impact of perspective on one's life, Robyn created Wild Well-being as a philosophy rather than a prescriptive set of steps. Her approach emphasizes the transformative power of changing thoughts, beliefs, and filters to ultimately enhance well-being. Central to her philosophy is the concept of "rewilding," which highlights humanity's intrinsic connection to nature. Through Wild Well-being, Robyn encourages others to reconnect with nature and rediscover their inner harmony, fostering a deeper sense of health and balance. Key Takeaways 00:00 Embrace Nature's Rhythms 05:39 Rediscovering Childlike Wonder 09:41 "Embrace Stillness Amidst Noise" 10:26 "Adjusting to Pandemic Lockdown" 14:52 "Book a Free Chat with Robin" 17:55 YouTube Link and Health Insights _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS nature connection, well-being, rewilding, Wild Well-being, perspective shift, health and wellness, NHS, self-care, empowerment, intuition, childlike wonder, holistic health, stress reduction, mind-body connection, diabetes reversal, lifestyle change, seasonal cycles, intuition, loving yourself, personal growth, resilience, adaptability, stillness, mindfulness, burnout, self-compassion, mental health, symptoms as information, breathing exercises, emotional safety, grounding exercises SPEAKERS Robyn Harris, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi there, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. I'm delighted today to be joined by, Robin Robin Wilde who is, going to be giving us some fascinating insights, I hope today. If she doesn't, then I'll have to kick her out and find somebody else. But, Robin, is, is going to well, Robin, do you wanna introduce yourself and and talk about, your business Wild Well-being? Robyn Harris [00:01:01]: Thank you Stuart. Yes my name is Robin and my business is Wild Well-being and as you might be able to see on the screen there that is an acronym and it came from my own journey. And it's basically not as much a set of steps, but how we can shift our perspective because everything is about our perspective. Thoughts, we change our beliefs, we change our filters, we change our experience, we change our well-being, we change everything. It's transformative. And that's for I for me, my journey was all around nature. So Wilds fitted in with that and how we are a part of nature. And it's about getting back to that rewilding ourselves. Robyn Harris [00:01:47]: We hear a lot about rewilding now, and I recently watched the documentary on NEP, the NEP estate where they have allowed it to go back to nature and how that is so healing for the land and for the animals that live on that land for all of the plant life. And we can do the same for ourselves. And so wild fitted in with that as well, but it is an acronym, and that is Well supporting ourselves and changing that perspective. Stuart Webb [00:02:12]: Let's get into that. So let's let's talk about the sort of, the the the people who you're appealing to at the moment, the the ones that need to, go on that journey, towards well-being. So that I'm sure we're getting to wild, but let's talk about who those people are before we leap into the to the wild acronym. Robyn Harris [00:02:31]: I think most of us could do with a little bit more wild in our lives because generally speaking, certainly in The UK, we don't live as close to nature as we used to. But physically and genetically, we are the same as our hunter gatherer ancestors. We evolved alongside the cycles of nature day and night. The ebb and flow of the tides, the monthly cycles of the moon, those affect us because we are such a high percentage of water. You can see in a glass of water. You can measure tides in glass of water. It it the pull of the moon is that strong, and we are such a high percentage water that the moon impacts on us as well and obviously there's the seasons so we go through those alongside of nature so if people are feeling tired and sluggish in January and February we've started a new year we get all of this messaging of it's new year you know get to the gym and do all of those things. And you might be thinking, but we're still wintering. Robyn Harris [00:03:32]: Our body is still wintering. So that's perfectly natural and perfectly normal. Stuart Webb [00:03:37]: So tell me the you you you we've we've sort of touched a little bit on this. There are people who are suffering, and and need to go on that journey. What what do you see that they've done themselves before they start that process, before they start to discover an expert like yourself to help guide them? Robyn Harris [00:03:57]: Sadly, I think in The UK certainly and probably in many other parts of the world as well, our messaging that we receive is if you feel sick, go to see the doctor. And that's our first port of call. Without realizing that there's so much we can do to support our well-being well before we need to go to the doctor, and we see the results, don't we, in the NHS. It's crumbling. It's really struggling. They're under resourced, understaffed, etcetera. So if we could take back a lot of our own well-being empowerment, then we would take off a lot of that pressure on the NHS. And we could potentially keep ourselves well, not need the doctor. Robyn Harris [00:04:38]: So it's small things like coughs, colds, etcetera we could deal with and recover from, and we could maybe prevent some of those other, bigger illnesses. I'm currently doing a podcast with a colleague of mine, Steven Leggett, who is the diabetes destroyer because he was diagnosed with type two diabetes and he reversed it. So things like that that we can do for ourselves when we understand what our symptoms are showing us. Because symptoms are just information. Our body isn't going wrong. It's making a mistake. It's adapting. And when we understand why it's adapting, and we can then know how to not need that adaptation anymore, get back to balance and to well-being. Stuart Webb [00:05:21]: So the the let let's let's get into the acronym, the WILD. What what does it stand for? And then what is it that you're you you think you can offer as advice for people and listening to at the moment thinking, I know that I need to be a diabetes destroyer myself? Robyn Harris [00:05:39]: Well, I don't particularly work just with diabetes. It's one of the things that I cover. That's my colleague, Steven Leggett. But wild is the fact that quite often as we grow up we start off having that child life way of looking at the world and everything is new and everything is exciting and we're like little sponges and we just wanna know we're curious and we're eager to learn. But we get older and we get a bit cynical and a bit jaded and a bit disillusioned sometimes with life. So the w is to get back those childlike eyes of wonder. And some circles talk glimmers because so often when we're older we focus on all of the heavy burdensome stuff that we have to do. You know, the the general day to day life that can just get to be a bit mundane and we just feel like it's a struggle. Robyn Harris [00:06:27]: Whereas we're here to thrive and we can thrive when we look at the world through eyes of wonder, looking for all the joy, all of the excitement, being curious, being compassionate, being loving towards ourselves. So w for wonder, I for intuition, knowing that our bodies are wise. Biological, design. Biologic we are biological beings. Our body isn't going wrong. It's not making a mistake. It's making an adaptation. And when we can understand that and work with it rather than as I was doing right at the beginning of my journey, I was working against it. Robyn Harris [00:07:07]: I hated my body. I hated everything about it. It was letting me down. It was going wrong. Everything was crumbling and falling apart. Only it wasn't. That was just how I saw it. And then I came to understand its wisdom and understand things like my liver is doing over 500 functions for me every single day. Robyn Harris [00:07:29]: I had eczema. I thought my skin was fighting against me. It wasn't. It was doing a job for me. Yes. It it was uncomfortable. And, yes, it wasn't what I wanted, but it was actually trying to serve me. And when I came to understand that, and then I could see what it was telling me about myself and the way I was living my life and how I could change that. Robyn Harris [00:07:51]: So it's it's it's our wise and our compass. The l of Wilde is loving ourselves. How often become our own biggest critic. We're not there cheering ourselves on by and

Who is Oli? Oli Cohen is a documentarian dedicated to transforming ordinary lives into compelling narratives. Driven by the belief that everyone has an interesting story to share, Oli focuses not on fame, but on the intrinsic value of personal experiences. Recognizing the digital age's potential to democratize storytelling through accessible video technology, Oli bridges the gap between people's everyday stories and the wider audience they deserve. By capturing the essence of individual lives, Oli underscores the importance of personal history and its significance to loved ones everywhere. Key Takeaways 00:00 "Live Storytelling vs. Written Legacy" 06:28 Life Stories Spotlight Feature 09:49 Bridging Generations Through Vulnerability 12:12 The Philosophy Behind Life Stories 14:32 Personalized Emails for Groundbreaking Ideas _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribe Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS life stories, personal documentaries, legacy, video storytelling, capturing memories, documentary film, family history, emotional storytelling, nonverbal communication, archival footage, two-camera interview, photography, cinematography, preserving memories, storytelling philosophy, intergenerational connection, empathy, relationships, self-reflection, unsung heroes, audio-visual legacy, life story spotlight, nomination process, everyday heroes, pandemic impact, digital age, documenting lives, life story website, preserving family stories, legacy preservation SPEAKERS Oli Cohen, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:30]: Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science five questions over coffee. I have my coffee here with me. I've probably had too much of that so far this morning, so I'm likely to be hot. Very well hopped up. And I'm delighted to be joined today by Ollie Cohen. Ollie is a cinematographer and photographer, but more importantly today he's here to talk to us about the his founding of a company called Life Stories or a product called Life Stories. Life Stories is a way that people can tell their story and capture it. And I think this is a fascinating idea. Stuart Webb [00:01:07]: I think it's something that more people should know about. Hence, Ollie is here with us today. So, Ollie, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. Oli Cohen [00:01:17]: Thank you so much for having me. Great to be here. Stuart Webb [00:01:21]: So, I mean, you've had a a fascinating story, your yourself, but what is it what is it you're trying to do? How is it you're trying to reach out and and help people with this idea of life stories, and the the content that that comes with that? Oli Cohen [00:01:38]: So, well, life story is about turning people's lives into documentaries. There's the the basic thinking that everyone's got a an interesting story to tell. It isn't fame that makes somebody have, you know, worthy of documentary. People all have, valuable stories that are significant to their loved ones. Yeah. There seems to be a disconnect or certainly there's a lack of, opportunity for people to have their lives turn into documentaries. And, you know, we live in this digital age, and so video, is a very accessible medium. Stuart Webb [00:02:17]: Okay. Oli Cohen [00:02:17]: So the idea is we turn people's lives into documentaries, which is a two camera interview, intercut with photographs, archive footage, and and music. Stuart Webb [00:02:29]: I think it's a I think it's a truly brilliant idea. I mean, a lot of people have sort of done this for themselves, but, I mean, I guess the problem that that we would all say is, you know, one, it's very difficult to interview yourself, but, also, none of us are particularly good at the editing something to make it look right. Have you seen people do this? And, frankly, it doesn't quite tell the story in the way that you go, I just know I could do a better job. Oli Cohen [00:02:58]: I don't know if people try to do it themselves. What, I am aware of are people getting their lives turned into books, and there's quite a few, operators in that in the sort of legacy space. And, you know, that's great. But my thinking was that so much of the emotional nuance gets lost when words get put on into, onto the script. And, you know, when you hear somebody's somebody speaking, there's a lot more powerful. There's so much more emotional information there that's that affects you as a as a listener. And, you know, but we're not just recording we're not just doing podcasts at Live Stories. We we're creating films, and so much communication is nonverbal. Oli Cohen [00:03:48]: It's in the body language. It's in the face of expressions. It's in the little twinkle in people's eyes. And I think that, through film, there's a lot more potential to capture the essence of somebody compared to just turning their life into a book. And I kind of I thought there's not when I was when I set the the the company up, there there didn't seem to be many people doing it. And it was something that I wish that I had done myself, not for me, but for for my sister. Yeah. That's the the origin story of why I set it up. Oli Cohen [00:04:21]: My sister, unfortunately, passed away not that long ago. And at the time, I was living in LA. And I, you know, I rushed. I got, you know, immediately within twenty four hours when I heard the news. I I got some documentary film equipment together and got on a plane back to The UK to try to capture her life on film, thinking mainly that this would benefit my, nephew, her son, who was only seven years old at the time. Because I thought he's never gonna be able to see his mother from an adult perspective. So I thought this is this is something that I can do to add value to this awful situation. That is sort of be a wonderful thing to be able to to get my my sister's life, on on film documented. Oli Cohen [00:05:05]: But I wasn't able to do it because of the pandemic. I wasn't able to visit her in hospital, and, it was a missed opportunity. And it was, you know, really, really sad. And, I just thought this is this is something that I'd like to be able to offer to other people. You know, that's that was the the, the beginnings of the idea. Stuart Webb [00:05:27]: I'm sorry to hear about that story, but I mean, it's a wonderful illustration of the fact that you don't leave these things until it's too late, do you? You do it now because none of us can really count on tomorrow or next week. We have matters outside of our control. Oli Cohen [00:05:45]: Exactly. Yeah. There's, there's that idea of, like, that concept of you you don't know you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Yes. Yes. And, you know, it's easy to sort of think well, well, I it's easy to not to not want to think about it at all or to put it off. Yeah. But Well I you know? Stuart Webb [00:06:11]: Great that there are people like you, on the at the moment trying to address this problem. Do you have a a a valuable, a piece of advice or or or offer that you have that you can you can bring to the audience at the moment? Oli Cohen [00:06:28]: Well, on on the life stories website, which is, lifestories.media, On the homepage, if you scroll down, there's this thing we're doing, called life stories spotlight. And with that, we you know, with this with that spotlight feature, we'll be we're encouraging everybody to think about who is it in who who in your life do you feel has, a story that, or just, you know, a life story that you would like to to document. And, and and then, you know, this could be a loved one, but it could be anybody you know. Somebody who who you have some respect for, because of something they're doing. It might be extraordinary, but it might just be not just it might be an an everyday an everyday hero, you know, and someone an unsung, hero, if you like. So what we what we're encouraging people to do is have a think who this person could be, get in touch with us, and and then we will select a particular story that we think is worthwhile documenting, and we will cover all of the the costs and the production ourselves. So it's something we encourage people to think about, who would you like to nominate? Stuart Webb [00:07:45]: If you didn't catch that, website, the the the the link will be in our vault where we put all of the content of these these, these podcasts. So if you go to www.systemise, s y s t e m I s e, Me forward / free - stuff, you will see a link to Ollie's website and details of that, in that in that vault, and you will be able to access that from there. Ollie, you've got a fascinating history. You've been a city photographer and photographer, as we've said, with some really impressive stuff being shown across the world. You've told us the story of how you sort of got here. Are there other stories that yo

Who is Kimberly? Kimberly Gawne is a dedicated professional in the field of alternative education, known for her insightful critiques of the traditional public school system. With a focus on Canada and the United States, Kimberley frequently addresses a common concern shared by parents, educators, and observers: the outdated nature of public school curricula, many of which have remained unchanged since the 1990s. Her work highlights the urgent need for educational reform and innovation, as she humorously notes that some educational materials are older than she is. Through her advocacy, Kimberly aims to inspire a modernized, dynamic approach to education that better serves current and future generations. Key Takeaways 00:00 Public School Curriculum Criticisms 05:11 Parental Involvement in Education Crucial 06:59 Thoughtful Outsourcing Responsibilities 10:44 Discover Kimberly's Journey & Resources 14:17 "Unasked Killer Question" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at https://systemise.me/newsletter Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : systemise.me It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS Alternative education, public schooling system, homeschooling, outdated curriculum, classroom sizes, private school, parent involvement, educational complaints, teacher frustration, educational outsourcing, parental responsibility, school PTA, student learning styles, burnout in homeschooling, educational support, star students, tutoring services, socialization in homeschooling, educational accountability, flexible learning, educational resources, school system reform, individualized education, factory-style education, John D. Rockefeller education, educational history, digital education, parent educator communication, modern curriculum, real-world preparation SPEAKERS Kimberly Gawne, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:32]: Hi there, and welcome back to five questions over coffee. I have my coffee here in front of me. I need it at the moment because a man has just stopped it started chopping down a tree outside. So if there's a noise, that's what it is. I'm delighted, however, to be here with Kimberly Gorn. Kimberly, is gonna be talking to us about providing alternative education solutions for parents who are dissatisfied with the public schooling system. So, Kimberly, I love I love the attitude you brought with you as well. You've promised me you won't have skate stage fright. Stuart Webb [00:01:06]: You're just gonna do it. So I love the attitude. Let's do it together. How are you doing? Kimberly Gawne [00:01:12]: I'm doing well. It's really nice to be able to chat with you. Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. Stuart Webb [00:01:17]: No problem at all. So, look, Kimberly, let's start with the the obvious first question. For anybody who is, who is at the moment sort of maybe themselves, struggling with the public schooling system, what are the sort of sort of thoughts that they have? Who who are they? Who is it you're trying to reach, and what is it you're trying to tell them? Kimberly Gawne [00:01:38]: I would say that the I mean, that's a good question. I get that I get asked that a lot is what are the complaints. Right? Because, I work in the alternative education space, and so a lot of people say that, well, you know, what what complaints are there with the public school system? They asked me to specify. And I kind of make a joke of it, and I say, well, a shorter list is what's not wrong with the public school system. The most common ones that I hear from people in terms of complaints, whether they're parents, whether they're educators, or whether they're just kind of on the sidelines of looking at how public education works is the curriculum. The fact that the curriculum itself is so outdated, so outdated, especially in I I can't speak for European education as much, but in Canada and The US, public school education, some of those curriculums have not been updated since nineteen nineties. Like, they're older than me. Not to you know, like, people aging is a different thing. Kimberly Gawne [00:02:36]: Curriculums aging is quite another. I think it's really important to make sure that we have accurate and updated information that we're teaching to children, let alone, you know, with the framework that we're teaching as well, or that from which we're teaching. Mhmm. So curriculum is definitely the biggest one. That's the biggest complaint that I hear. The other complaint is, the classroom sizes. And there's no getting around that no matter how you look at it. Public school or private school, you are typically in a class of anywhere from 15 to 30 plus children. Kimberly Gawne [00:03:10]: And and that's not that you're not able to really talk to the kids. You're not able to really teach them, in the way that they learn best. Right? That's one of the biggest frustrations I see from parents. I also see that from educators, but on the different side of the perspective because they're expected to teach all 30 children to the best of those kids' understanding, and they just can't. It's not possible. Stuart Webb [00:03:33]: Great. So, you know, I think we we can all we can all identify with with people who have you know, if you're you're a business owner, you don't wanna be trying to sort of reach out to 30 customers at a time. So, you know, parents are in the same situation. So tell me, what are these people I often say this about sort of, you know, when somebody sort of sees a a business person that's tried to solve a problem, parents are trying to solve this problem as well. What what are the sort of things you've seen that they've tried to do and maybe made mistakes trying to solve as part of their, desire to get their children better educated as part of their frustrations with with watching this situation at their school? Kimberly Gawne [00:04:20]: I see I see some commonalities when it comes to parents, trying their best. And this is not to say that, you know, parents don't have good, good intentions. Of course, they do. We all have good intentions when it comes to our children, especially when it comes to their education. One of the common mistakes that I see parents making when it comes to their child's education is outsourcing it without any sense of responsibility, without any sense of responsibility. One of my favorite things to say is that the public school system is glorified babysitting. I get a lot of hate for that, but it's true if you think about it. What else are are parents doing other than sending their children to a public school that's going to just babysit their kids all day while the parents are at work. Kimberly Gawne [00:05:11]: If the parent themselves does not have any responsibility, any communication, any sort of, initiative to go and talk to the teachers, to go and get involved with the school activities, to go you know, if there's a PTA, go get involved with the PTA. If there's no responsibility on the part of the parent in terms of getting involved with their kids' education, the children are the ones that suffer because those are the kids that will fall through the cracks. Because the teachers, quite simply, don't have the brain space and or the time, to be quite honest with you, to give all 30 children the the best of what they are able to give them because they have Of course. They have, what, forty five minutes or fifty minutes or, you know, maybe seventy five if you're talking about high school. If you have a child whose parents are not involved and whose parents are not, as active in their school life, that child is going to suffer because nobody's looking out for that kid's best interest in terms of educationally speaking. Right? In in my in that specific context for me, no no one's looking out for their educational interests. So that's a really common mistake that I see parents making is outsourcing without any sense of responsibility. There's nothing wrong with outsourcing, but you still have to be involved because you're you as the parent are your child's first, you're you're the child's first barrier to or the first first guardian to, getting that good education, to be able to to speak for your child if they're, you know, in elementary school, they're in grades one through eight. Kimberly Gawne [00:06:43]: They're not really able to speak for themselves in terms of what's best for their best educational interest. You as the parent, that's your job. And if you're not saying anything because you're not involved, there that no one else is going to do that for you. Stuart Webb [00:06:59]: And I think that's a really good message that you've given with the fact that too much outsourcing is done without thought of the responsibilities you own as the sort of parent or, the the the, you know, if we we think of, you know, too many times people outsource things without really t

Who is Howard? Howard Polansky is a pragmatic individual who navigates life's financial intricacies with a focus on strategic decision-making. Recognizing common defaults in financial practices, he often critiques the conventional 30-year mortgage system prevalent in the United States. Polansky understands that while many opt to pay extra on their monthly mortgage to reduce the term, the fixed nature of the monthly payment remains unchanged, a topic he frequently discusses. His insights reflect a deep understanding of financial commitments, emphasizing the impact of additional payments and highlighting the etymology of "mortgage" as a lasting "death pledge." Through his observations, Polansky shares his wisdom on making informed financial choices. Key Takeaways 00:00 "Cash Flow Chat with Howard" 06:03 Pay Yourself First, Always 08:01 "Ebook Insights on Home Equity" 12:40 "Prepare Financially During Success" 16:21 "Key Unasked Question" 19:32 "Motivating Business Financial Freedom" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at https://systemise.me/newsletter Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : systemise.me It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS Cash flow, cash flow coach, financially led, debt management, high debt professions, medical debt, student loan debt, mortgage payments, fixed debt payments, paying off debt, interest reduction, offset mortgage, home equity line of credit, business owners, business cash flow, paying yourself first, tax payments, IRS, emergency fund, financial planning, risk management, business continuity, business loans, personal finance education, burnout, work-life balance, entrepreneur finances, insurance planning, financial ebook, income preservation SPEAKERS Howard Polansky, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:33]: Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. I haven't actually got a coffee in front of you at the moment. This is actually fruit tea, because if I drink too much coffee, after lunchtime, I start to go to sleep. And I don't wanna go to sleep right at the moment because I'm really interested in speaking with Howard Polanski. Howard is a he's a cash flow coach, who doesn't need to speak to one of those nowadays. Howard is the cash flow coach at Financially Led, and we're we're gonna get into what that means at the moment. But who doesn't wanna spend some time thinking about cash flow and how to preserve it in these days? So, Howard, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee, and I trust you're ready to take us through cash flow and financially led. Howard Polansky [00:01:26]: Thank you, Stuart. Thank you for the opportunity. Stuart Webb [00:01:30]: It's It's terrific. So let's start with, let's just start. You're you're you're a former dentist, so we'll get into how you ended up in this situation. But who is it you're trying to help with your advice on on cash flow and and financial matters overall? Howard Polansky [00:01:47]: Those that don't like being in debt. And if we're talking about people let me just use The US since that's where I'm based. Those professions that are high debt type of professions, medical doctors, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, lawyers, where they just have these massive fixed payments that they're trying to navigate around. And sometimes it feels like all I'm doing is going to work to literally pay off these debts. When do I get to enjoy my life? Stuart Webb [00:02:25]: Yeah. Howard Polansky [00:02:25]: And and I'm not saying that there's not other industries that face that challenge, but those are the obvious ones that if there is a way for us to minimize the impact of those fixed debt payments, get them out of our lives sooner, pay less interest. Now all of a sudden, you have more money freed up at the end of each month. Stuart Webb [00:02:47]: And and and, Howard, I'm I'm sure you can you can sort of, you can help us to understand this, but was that a situation that you were in as a dentist? Did you find yourself wondering every day, why am I doing this? There must be an easier way to make a loss, and that's what you led you to where you are? Howard Polansky [00:03:05]: Well, I didn't know if that was gonna be the question now or it was gonna be question number five in terms of how I got into this. If you wanna wait until then, we can, or you want me to go through the story now, I will. Stuart Webb [00:03:16]: Yeah. I'll put it I'll put it to you as question five. Let's just talk a little bit more about how you, what you the the sort of things that the the people you've helped have got into the sort of trouble they have, and what are they trying to do to get out of it? What is it what is it you see when you sort of they they eventually engage an expert like you and you start dealing with them? So they they recognize eventually they they have a problem and they need to do something about it. Howard Polansky [00:03:42]: Yeah. So, I mean, one of the I hate to call it a mistake, but one of the ways that people are doing it just because it's either it's by default or by design. And so by default, they're like, I've got this mortgage. Let's just say that. And in The US it's a thirty, traditionally a thirty year mortgage. Well, I don't wanna pay on this for thirty years, so let me throw a little bit of additional money against this. So if I've got a $2,000 mortgage, let me put 2,200 and I know that's going to save me some time. The problem is, what's your payment the next month? It's still the $2,000 It does not change when you put extra money against the mortgage because the more mortgage is two French words put together, which literally means death pledge. Howard Polansky [00:04:39]: So the system is set up for you to make payments until the day you die or you're gonna die trying. This allows you and, again, you're we're over on different sides of the pond, so I'm not gonna keep this a secret. Over in The UK and Australia, they're known as offset mortgages. So the open ended mortgages where all of the money can go in to lower the overall balance of the debt. When you lower the overall balance of the debt, you're lowering the amount of interest you pay on a daily basis. And then when the expenses come due, you just take that much out, but you've got the excess now attacking the entirety of the debt versus the way that it's set up in The US. They have a one way street known as your house in front of you. You only make the minimum payment because you're like, if I put more money in, I can't get the money back out. Howard Polansky [00:05:42]: And when we don't have access to money, that's when people don't sleep very well. So that's the common mistake is how I'm just putting more money into this loan, but then if something happens, I get disabled, I get fired, I still have this fixed payment in front of me, and now I have no wiggle room. Stuart Webb [00:06:03]: Yeah. I I'm always very aware that a lot of business owners, disobey, for want of a better word, one of the golden rules which which I think is is something I hope you'll you'll agree with, which is they forget that they need to pay themselves first out of the income into their business. They're putting it against all sorts of other things, and then eventually they realize that there isn't anything left for them. And they they're left in a situation like you've just said where suddenly they are unable to pay the bills that have come in for their family, and they then have to get back on the treadmill and work even harder because they've now forgotten that they've got a life. And and I just think it's it's it's often this the the the the the golden rules of, you know, thinking about your cash flow and how you allocate it are so difficult for many business owners for for reasons because often we are not taught. We are not given the instruction early enough in our lives about how to manage money. Howard Polansky [00:07:04]: What's even worse than not paying yourself first is not only do you pay yourself, you take the money from the IRS that you have to pay them and use that on your expenses too. I've seen that situation happen also. That's never a good situation that I wanna be involved in. Stuart Webb [00:07:23]: Now if there's one thing you should definitely be very aware of is the tax man will find you and will hunt you down if you are if you are diligent in, not diligent in playing that that money off. Howard, look. The the the these must be times at the moment. People are are listening to you and thinking, I think I hear myself in this. This might be me. What valuable piece of advice or or or free free offer can you sort of help people with? And, and how would you sort of, you know, give them that that allow them to sort of access you? Howard Polansky [00:08:01]: Yeah. The probably the easiest way to understand a little bit

Who is Helle? Helle Brodie is an insightful entrepreneur who intimately understands the challenges faced by business owners in today's fast-paced world. Acknowledging the widespread issue of burnout among entrepreneurs—characterized by stress, overwhelm, and sleepless nights—Helle champions the cause of work-life balance and mental well-being. She recognizes how the pressures of entrepreneurship can spill into personal life, affecting friendships, family, and even self-care routines. Driven by the need to transform chaos into mastery, Helle is committed to helping fellow entrepreneurs navigate these hurdles, ensuring they remain at the top of their game without sacrificing their well-being. Key Takeaways 00:00 Entrepreneurial Burnout: A Common Struggle 06:08 Beyond Step-by-Step: Entrepreneur Growth 08:06 "No Magic Button in AI" 10:00 "Overcoming Fear for Better Decisions" 13:56 "Entrepreneur Resource Access Steps" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at https://TCA.fyi/newsletter Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS Business success coach, Entrepreneurs, Freedom in business, Livelihood, Business transformation, Chaos to freedom, Time freedom, Financial freedom, Internal freedom, Entrepreneurial burnout, Stress, Overwhelm, Sleepless nights, Pressure, Self-doubt, Loss of confidence, Creativity, Business mastery, Safe zones, Working harder, Chasing opportunities, Unconscious blocks, Success mindset, Growth mindset, Conscious mind, Unconscious mind, Entrepreneurs Freedom Formula, Autopilot business, Self-discovery, Alignment SPEAKERS Helle Brodie, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: So yes. Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science five, questions over coffee. I've had some technical difficulties today, although, to be honest with you, it's probably not the coffee that's causing it. I'm delighted, however, to be here with Hela Brody. Hela is a business success coach. She really specializes in working with entrepreneurs, to create freedom in their business and their livelihood. It sounds absolutely fantastic. She's been an entrepreneur herself for thirty seven years in two vastly different industries. Stuart Webb [00:01:00]: I'm sure we're gonna get into that. And she's really got an intimate understanding of the complexity and, I believe, the simplicity business. So she's gonna help us to understand exactly how we can transform our businesses from a state of chaos to a vehicle for freedom. That's time freedom and financial freedom and the internal freedom to savor the life. So, Hela, welcome to the podcast. I really am looking forward to this, and, I'm looking forward to having a conversation about how you're gonna help us to transform these, these complex piece into something simple we can all enjoy. Helle Brodie [00:01:36]: Absolutely. It's wonderful to be here, Stuart. Stuart Webb [00:01:39]: Terrific. So, Helen, let's start with the the first question I would start with, and that's just try and describe to us, if you can, the the the person you're trying to help. I mean, you've mentioned there are things like freedom, and I think we all can all identify that sometimes as a business, we don't feel as if it's a freeing thing. So tell us about the sort of the sort of person you're trying to reach to help with these, with these problems. Helle Brodie [00:02:02]: Right. So so fifty percent of entrepreneurs admit to struggling with burnout. You know, it's the stress, the overwhelm, the sleepless nights. You know? And the the the pressure can feel exhausting and and all consuming. And, you know, it creeps into your friendships. It creeps into your family life, and it like, it even creeps into that gym membership that you promised that you'd start using next week. So as entrepreneurs, we know that we need to master our business. We know we need to be at the top of our game, and yet we've created a state of chaos in our business. Helle Brodie [00:02:40]: And after a while, it starts to starts to wear on, our our self belief, you know, and and and we we quietly start to doubt whether we can really do this, whether we're really cut out for this. Right? And so, you know, when that self doubt creeps in, we, we start to lose our confidence, We start to lose our clarity, our energy, our drive, and our creativity. And so I'm here to help people get all of that back. Stuart Webb [00:03:18]: Terrific. I'm I'm sure that you find there are, people who try to do things to help themselves in these situations. I know I come across people. I'm a I'm a big fan like yourself who sort of try and help people find ways in which to make their business something which runs on autopilot. And I know they've tried a hundred different things. They've tried the courses. They've tried the books. They've tried, a thousand and one things. Stuart Webb [00:03:41]: What what are you seeing that people, have tried before they sort of find somebody like you to help them to to produce that sort of that sort of, unblocking, in their in their business? Helle Brodie [00:03:53]: That's a great great question, Stuart. So typically what I find is that they go back to what feels safe. You know, they've looked at the courses, they've looked at, read books, they've, you know, gathered all kinds of knowledge. And so they go back to what feels safe because quite often they're feeling like they're sort of on the edge. Right? And so, you know, what feels safe? Well, working longer and harder feels safe. Stuart Webb [00:04:19]: Yeah. Helle Brodie [00:04:20]: Yeah. You know, chasing every opportunity out there feels safe, because this is what's got them to where they are now. Stuart Webb [00:04:28]: Yeah. Helle Brodie [00:04:28]: The challenge is that what's got them to where they are now isn't necessarily Stuart Webb [00:04:33]: It's taken to where they are. Helle Brodie [00:04:34]: To the next level. Stuart Webb [00:04:36]: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Helle Brodie [00:04:38]: Yeah. Stuart Webb [00:04:38]: Now I think I think you've got a really valuable free offer that you are gonna give to the and I'm just gonna let everybody know, know that, we're gonna put this in our vault. So you don't have to remember this. This will be in the vault, so you'll see it. But Helen's got a really valuable offer to help people with this. So, Helen, can you tell us about the the really interesting offer that you've got that you're gonna help with today? Helle Brodie [00:05:02]: Yeah. It's called the Entrepreneurs Freedom Formula. Wonderful. What it is, it is it, outlines 10 areas of your business that, I can say you should, you could look at. It would be advisable to look at to create freedom in your business. Time freedom, financial freedom, and the free the internal freedom to really savor your life. Because we know that working longer and harder and chasing absolutely every opportunity isn't necessarily what works. You know? And Mhmm. Helle Brodie [00:05:35]: You know, one of the things that that I can't give you the the 10 steps to is one of the keys is really aligning your conscious and your unconscious mind. Now I I can't I can't offer that as a free resource difficult thing to do on your own. Right? And that's one of the keys to how I'm able to help people, really get to the next level in their business, create that freedom, and, and move forward. Live life with new dreams. Stuart Webb [00:06:08]: So these so the 10 steps that you're you're hearing here, this is this is the outline that people can start to understand. But but, really, that's that's not the end of the journey, is it? What we're talking about here is something which you've gotta partly self discovery, but also that's something that you've got to sort of understand exactly how to apply these things. I often think that that's one of the failures that we have as as entrepreneurs. We see a formula, we see a set of steps, and we go, well, I'll just implement those as they as they are, and they'll just work. And that's not the whole story, is that? Helle Brodie [00:06:36]: Right. Right. Because because, I mean, the so when I talk about the the, unconscious blocks that that that are holding you back from your progress, You know? I mean, so we've heard all all heard about mindset. You have to have a success mindset and a growth mindset, and that's all very true. This goes one level deeper than that because our in our conscious mind, we we set our goals. Our unconscious mind is the part of our mind that acts actually helps us achieve our goals. Mhmm. And until we have those two things aligned, it's gonna be really hard to achieve your goals and do everything that you wanna do without working longer and harder and pushing and struggling. Helle Brodie [00:07:19]: So so it creates ease and flow in your business. Now you still have to have a work ethic because g

Who is Paige? Paige Arnof-Fenn is a seasoned marketing strategist who specializes in helping businesses enhance their visibility in today's competitive landscape. Her clientele ranges from mid to emerging market companies with revenues between $2 million and $200 million to early-stage venture-backed startups, and even large Fortune 500 corporations. With a keen understanding of the challenges organizations face in cutting through the noise, Paige has dedicated her career to crafting strategies that elevate her clients' profiles and expedite the sales of their products and services. Her expertise lies in navigating the complexities of modern business environments, ensuring that her clients stand out and succeed in an ever-changing market. Key Takeaways 00:00 Raising Visibility in Competitive Markets 03:12 "Every Business is a Brand" 07:06 Focus Marketing on Outcomes, Audience 11:56 "Show Humanity, Not AI" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at https://TCA.fyi/newsletter Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS * Marketing * Brand * Visibility * Profile * Products * Services * Business * Brands * Pandemic * Online presence * Customer expectation * Audience * Message * Trust * Social media * Outcomes * Commodities * Price * Real estate * Competitor * Features * Value * Experience * Connection * Humanity * Artificial intelligence * Growth mindset * Dale Carnegie * Storytelling * Brand promise SPEAKERS Paige Arnof-Fenn, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Start dancing. Hi and welcome to It's Not Rocket Science five questions over coffee. I have got my coffee with me here. It is, in a mug which I got when I recently returned from Lanzarote which is and Paige has got her coffee with her. So I'm delighted today to be speaking with Paige on our fen. Paige is a really brilliant marketing connector, she's into into connecting, captivating, and converting those customers. So we're gonna learn a lot about how she's done that and what she's been doing in her business. And, Paige, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. Stuart Webb [00:01:11]: Welcome to giving us your spin on the world. Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:01:14]: Thank you, Stuart. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me. Stuart Webb [00:01:18]: No problem. Now I know that, you are, you are you are interested in in these companies and and how they market. So can you tell me the sort of sort of business leaders, sort of business, work the business that you work with? What are the sort of problems that you see that they have that they are maybe maybe not quite converting at the moment? Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:01:40]: So the majority of our clients, I would describe as, mid to emerging market, kind of 2,000,000 to 200,000,000 in revenue, but we also work with companies who are early stage venture backed startups or even big Fortune 500 companies. And a lot of the common denominators, that affect all the organizations today is, you know, they're getting lost in the noise. There's just so much going on, and they want to raise their visibility and their profile so that they can sell more of their products and services faster. And they just feel like, you know, there's just a lot going on, and it's hard to get noticed today. Stuart Webb [00:02:25]: And and tell me, Paige, what are the problems that you've noticed that they have with that getting noticed? Because you're right. A lot of scale up businesses are are often struggling to break through the noise, and and sometimes sometimes it's simple steps they take. What are the sort of things that you find that that business owners you're working with, business leaders that you you speak to are struggling with and how and and what are the mistakes they're making? Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:02:50]: So you know, one, one universal problem, I think, is a lot of people feel like I'm really not a famous person. I don't run a big company that has global recognition. I'm not Taylor Swift or Serena Williams or Beyonce. You know? Stuart Webb [00:03:10]: Few of us are, Paige. Few of us are. Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:03:12]: But a lot of, you know, small business owners don't think of themselves as brands. They just think I'm running this small company. It's not that big of a deal. But the truth is everybody's a brand today. And I think if we learned anything during the pandemic, it's that if you don't exist online, you're really invisible today. And so, you know, the thing that I try encourage, people that, reach out is I really hope that I can convince you that it's important that you do brand yourself and brand your your product or service in a way that connects with your customers and clients on a on an emotional level. A brand is a promise of a consistent experience, and it you want to own real estate in your customer's brain so that every time they have a problem that your product or service that, can help them solve, that they think of you first. And if you own that real estate in their brain, you're a brand. Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:04:18]: And if you don't, you're a commodity. And commodities compete on price, and that's a really bad place to be. Because if you're competing on price and all you do is lower your price to win more business, that's not a sustainable option. Stuart Webb [00:04:33]: I think that's a brilliant message, Paige. And I must admit, one of the businesses that I was helping when it came to the pandemic, when they started the pandemic, they had unknown no online presence. They'd never thought of it. And by the end of the pandemic, they had more business coming in online than they had in their physical store. And, actually, that was one of the causes of the problems they then started to have in terms of that, as you said, that promise. Because, you know, what often you find with brands, with marketing, is that people promise one thing but can deliver something very different. And it's that experience of then failing to meet the customer expectation which actually causes so many problems. And that is a is a it becomes a business issue very quickly, doesn't it? Because people rarely understand that they have to have to live up to what they're talking about in their marketing. Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:05:22]: Absolutely. And you you really need to own a very specific, message. You can't stand for everything. You can stand for one or two things. And I think another big mistake people make is they try to be all things to all people. And they Stuart Webb [00:05:38]: All people. Yes. Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:05:40]: Million, benefits and features out there. People don't remember the features. What they wanna know is how you're gonna help them. How are you gonna help them solve their problem? So it's really important to hone in on your message, figure out what those really singular things are that really matter to your audience and reinforce those messages in everything that you do. And don't spread yourself too thin online either. If you try to be on every platform all the time with all the messages, again, it's just gonna dilute your brand. People aren't gonna, remember too much. And if you're not consistent in your message, if you try to be one thing on one platform and another thing on another platform, you're not building trust. Paige Arnof-Fenn [00:06:32]: And, you know, brands are you know, you you wanna have, unique, special, and different messages that build trust in what you're saying. And people buy brands they know, like, and trust. So make sure they can find you, that you're talking about yourself in a way that's relevant and compelling, and that it's constantly being reinforced in everything that you do. Those are the brands that succeed. And like you said, if they do it well, their business will explode. Stuart Webb [00:07:06]: I love the what you're saying, Paige. And I must admit I I I buy into it a lot of the time because so often I think business owners fail to recognize two things. One of which is, you know, they're reaching out onto 17 different social media platforms, and they've forgotten that on 16 of those social media platforms, their audience is not there, and they are just wasting their time and their effort and their money to reach out to somebody who just doesn't exist. And the other thing that I find so many small businesses do is they forget that they're trying. They should be selling outcomes. They should be selling the outcome of the because, you know, that once again, we go back to that promise. Somebody is not interested in the fact that I I often sort of talk to to people and say, when you buy a stapler, what is it you're looking for? You're not looking for metal. You're looking for us for for the fact that the paper will hold together. Stuart Webb [00:07:54]: So tell people about the paper being held together and how good it is

Who is Adam? Adam Warner is an accomplished technology professional who has navigated a successful career from hands-on software engineering to becoming a chief technology officer (CTO) at a prominent company. Starting from humble beginnings, Adam honed his technical skills and gradually rose through the ranks, moving from engineering roles to leadership positions such as VP of Engineering, and finally stepping into the CTO role. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated exceptional technical acumen across various industries. Nevertheless, like many technology leaders, Adam initially faced challenges adapting to the broader executive responsibilities of aligning technology with business objectives, cultivating strong leadership teams, and establishing influence among fellow executives and board members. Through perseverance and dedication, Adam has become a respected figure in bridging the gap between technology and business strategy. Key Takeaways 00:00 Navigating Executive Anxiety 03:48 CTO's Strategic Reflection Tools 10:22 Subscribe for Weekly Podcast Updates 11:05 "CTOs to Executive Coaches" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at https://TCA.fyi/newsletter Find out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguest Subscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcast Help us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt! Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level: If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page : It's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way ————————————————————————————————————————————- Transcript Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) SUMMARY KEYWORDS CTO coach, Stuart Webb, Adam Warner, executive thinking, technology leaders, technical expertise, business goals, leadership presence, strategic leadership, CTO chasm, delegation, strategic approach, vision oriented, frustration, burnout, stalled career growth, firefighting, strategic risks, engineering team, business alignment, weekly reflection session, introduction call, helping first, CTO Playbook podcast, Satago, Patrick Lencioni, five dysfunctions of a team, thinking like a business leader, Turn the Ship Around, David l Marquette, executive coaching. SPEAKERS Adam Warner, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science five questions over coffee. On this occasion, here is my coffee in my mug here. I'm joined by Adam Warner. Adam is a CTO coach helping, executive thinking within those people who are technical leaders. So, Adam, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science five questions over coffee. Adam Warner [00:00:54]: Thanks Thanks so much. Good to have me. Good to have you here. Thanks so much. Stuart Webb [00:00:57]: So so, Adam, let's start by, just exploring exactly it is who it is you help. What are the sort of people that are reaching out to you and asking for your help as a CTO coach? Adam Warner [00:01:07]: Yeah. Sure. So typically, it's the CTO, the chief technology officer, or the most senior technology leader in a company if they aren't called the CTO. They could be anywhere from startup, scale up, large enterprises, and they're typically someone who's transitioned, as you said, from being a hands on software engineer of some sort, VP engineering, into that senior leadership role. And it can be from almost, you know, any vertical. They're often incredibly skilled technically, but often feel unprepared for the broader executive responsibilities that they now find themselves with at at the CTO level. So often it's around, you know, aligning tech with business goals, building up their teams, and then they often face challenges in securing buy in from the other executives and then building that sort of leadership presence at the executive and board level. Stuart Webb [00:01:55]: So tell me, what are the sort of problems that these people have faced before they get in an an expert while you you involved, you know, in terms of both the business issues and also sometimes some of those, some of those more soft skills, the the the persuasion, the ability to influence? Adam Warner [00:02:15]: Yeah. That that's that's pretty much it. So I think there's there's a couple of things that people face. And and one of them is, the the the gap between the technical expertise and the strategic leadership. They're sort of trying to cross this, what I call the CTO chasm, really. And it's really about moving from being an individual contributor to being, working through delegation. It's going from the tactical approach to the strategic approach. And at the same time, migrating that view from the, sort of execution oriented perspective to the vision oriented perspective. Adam Warner [00:02:48]: And and the kind of feelings that people come to me with is sort of frustration, sometimes it's burnout, sometimes it's careers, stalled career growth. And sometimes I find them where they're sort of firefighting every day. They're struggling to get time to think strategically, sort of lurching from issue to issue, and often struggling to sort of step back and give themselves space and time to lead proactively because they're constantly in execution mode rather than thinking long term. And without the right guidance, people can make this transition. You know, it can take years of trial and error. But my role really is to help them cross that, well, you know, the CTO chasm as I call it, by accelerating that process of trying to figure out all of those things together and get them all to line up. A bit like getting all of the tumblers in a lock to line up at once so you can move to that next level and act strategically. Stuart Webb [00:03:36]: So, Adam, you must have one valuable piece of advice or one valuable, piece of, offering that you can you can give to people at the moment. What is that that offer that you get? Adam Warner [00:03:48]: I've got three, actually. One of the simplest and most powerful things a CTO can do, I think, is to implement a sort of a weekly strategical reflection session. So just setting aside thirty minutes every week to just analyze what are the biggest strategic risks I face, how well is my engineering team aligned with business goals, where am I spending my time. So just thirty minutes a week set aside for yourself to reflect and figure out where you're going. It's something that's completely free, completely straightforward, and and everybody can implement that straight away to to strong effect. I also offer a free thirty minute introduction call, with every CTO who'd like to have a chat with me, and I take the approach of helping first. So it's a good way to get some instant feedback on the current challenges and some of the other options that are available to you in terms of the different directions you could go in. And then lastly, I also host a podcast, as you mentioned in the beginning, called the CTO Playbook. Adam Warner [00:04:38]: That's aimed primarily at helping CTOs excel in their role. Taking a a playbook in each episode, often with a guest speaker who's an absolute expert in their area that they work in their topic. And you can find that podcast by searching for the TCO the CTO playbook, sorry, on your favorite podcast platform or by visiting my website, sunnova.tech/podcast. Stuart Webb [00:05:00]: So we're gonna we're gonna put a link to those things that Adam just mentioned in our, our free vault which is systemize.me/free-stuff. So if you go to systemize.me, if you didn't catch any of that, go to systemize.me-freestuff. I'll put that as well into the notes. You can you can you can catch all those, those valuable free offers that I've just offered you there. So, we'll we'll have those in our show notes. Adam, I'm I'm gonna sort of, try to sort of dive in a little bit to the sort of acumen behind the, behind the CTO coach here. That must have been a book, a program, a life experience, something which brought you to where you are today? What what what was it that sort of took you on the journey? What ended up sort of, you know, becoming Adam, the CTO coach, and what was it that inspired that? Adam Warner [00:05:54]: Yeah. So about twelve years ago, I became a founder of a startup, a cofounder, I should say. I started side, Stephen, who's the founder of Satago. And I sort of went through that role, figuring things out the hard way. Most of the time, I had some good mentors along the way with members of seed camps who had access to a a couple of great people, from there. But it was that kind of it was that sort of step of of, first of all, figuring out all the challenges I had in front of me and working out step by step, you know, sort of using the brute force approach to get through it. And I think, really, the thing that that brought it home was is this idea of stopping thinking like an engineer and beginning to think like a business leader. And there was really two, areas there. Adam Warner [00:06:33]: So one was this transition of trying to figure out a lot of things at once, which you already mentioned, Crossing the CTO Chasm. And the other one was really closely related to that, which is actually from the, Patrick Lencioni book on the five dysfunctions of a team, which is that you gotta you gotta