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Who is Janine? Janine Bolon is a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in analytical biochemistry, having worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 15 years. A dynamic figure who combines her scientific acumen with a drive to teach, Janine has blended her interests in technology, business, and personal development to support others in achieving a balanced and successful life. She is the author of 20 books, a creator of 112 online courses, and hosts four podcast programs along with a radio show, all of which focus on helping people balance work, family, and creativity without succumbing to burnout. Episode Summary: In this enlightening episode of “Five Questions Over Coffee,” host Stuart Webb is joined by the multifaceted Janine Bolon. An entrepreneur, scientist, and educator, Janine shares her journey from the pharmaceutical industry to becoming a homeschooling advocate and business owner. Having authored numerous books and created multiple online courses, Janine reveals her secrets to maintaining a well-lived life without burning out. This episode dives deep into how established professionals can transition smoothly through major life changes using structured systems and creative insight. Janine Bolon, struck by lightning as a child and driven by a lifelong passion for understanding systems, discusses her methodologies aimed at helping people navigate the rapid advancements of technology and personal career transitions. Throughout the discussion, she highlights the importance of building systems that allow for creativity and freedom, noting that systems create the space for creativity to thrive. Additionally, Janine offers expert advice on how to leverage existing contacts, avoid common entrepreneurial pitfalls, and maintain clarity amid major life changes. Her strategies offer listeners the opportunity to explore unconventional yet highly effective paths to personal and professional success. Key Takeaways: * Systemize for Success: Janine stresses the importance of creating systems to enable both business scalability and freedom for creativity. * Clarity Over Chaos: Instead of seeking more clients, focus on clarity and effective systems to improve revenue streams and workflow. * Avoiding Activity Traps: Busy doesn’t always mean productive; it’s crucial to differentiate between meaningful progress and mere activity. * Perfection vs. Progress: Waiting for perfection can delay revenue generation—embrace progress instead. * Build Authentic Relationships: Genuine and helpful interactions can often lead to significant business opportunities over time. Notable Quotes: * “I help you with clarity because you’ve already accomplished a lot, but now you’re trying to move forward with this knowledge.” * “Systems create the freedom for your creativity. What kind of lifestyle are you wanting with this business?” * “Waiting for everything to be perfect is what’s delaying your ability to bring in revenue.” * “Every morning I wake up and I go, hot damn, I get another day.” * “If you don’t have your polestar in alignment, you will never make where you want to go.” Resources: * Five Questions Over Coffee Podcast * Janine’s Article: Available soon at free stuff link. * Master Contact Sheet training: Exact URL pending, available through Janine’s blog. * Contact Janine Bolon: Website For those seeking inspiration or insights into managing transitions and cultivating creativity, this episode with Janine Bolon is a must-listen. Stay connected for more engaging and informative content from “Five Questions Over Coffee.” 👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave your comments and questions below—for Gwen or for future guests! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SPEAKERS Janine Bolon, Stuart Webb 0:00:00 - (Janine Bolon): Foreign. 0:00:23 - (Stuart Webb): Hi and welcome back to five Questions over Coffee. I’m delighted. Today I’m joined by Janine Bolon. Janine, now this is a fascinating, a fascinating introduction and I’m going to just, I’m just going to have to sort of say if we get time to dive into this, I’d really love to. When Janine Boland was young, she was struck by lightning. Now that is a really interesting way to start anybody’s introduction, but she’s always loved figuring out how things work. 0:00:50 - (Stuart Webb): She was a scientist. She’s a scientist to a core. And she has dug into the mysteries of life and tried to understand why things are the way. I understand absolutely where she’s coming from with that. But after working in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years, she’s dropped out, homeschooled her four children and. But she’s always had a side business in her life and she shares with others how to manage a well lived life of children, family, friends and clients while not suffering from burnout. 0:01:20 - (Stuart Webb): She’s now written 20 books, 112 online courses, four podcast programs and a radio show which all express her desire to share her systems and routines with others. And we’re going to get much more into Janine’s life as we talk about this. Janine, thank you for coming and spending a few minutes with us with so much going on. I appreciate how busy you are and therefore this must be a big stretch for you. So thank you so much for doing it. 0:01:44 - (Janine Bolon): You are so welcome. And I absolutely love being able to help other business owners not make my mistakes. I’m always like, I’ve made the mistakes, let me teach you my mistakes. And then you go make new ones. Don’t make the ones I made. 0:01:57 - (Stuart Webb): Yeah, I know that feeling so much. Let’s just dive in a little bit too some of that stuff. Now then, then you must have an ideal client, somebody you’re trying to sort of really reach out and help describe what the sort of problem it is they’ve got, what is it that they’re doing as a mistake that you look at, I can help you from, from getting the third degree burn that you’re about to get to turn that into just a bonus gold. 0:02:21 - (Janine Bolon): Right? Right. We’re going to try to keep you from getting burnt at all. Okay. We’re going to try to keep that flesh nice and nice and calm. Right? Very calm. I think the biggest one with people that I work with, they’re already very accomplished. Like my people, they aren’t beginners in the sense of they’re starting fresh. Like, never written a book or never started a business. They’ve actually started a business, and they’re in a massive transition. 0:02:48 - (Janine Bolon): You know, they’ve either built the business, they’ve written the book, they’ve raised their family, all right, They’ve already accomplished, like, a career, they’ve started a nonprofit. I mean, these are the type of people who come to me and they get stuck because what they accomplished in the past is not helping them move forward with the way tech is happening so fast and so quickly. They’re getting all kinds of information. 0:03:10 - (Janine Bolon): So the thing is, is they don’t need a new course. They don’t need another book. They don’t, they don’t need these things. They need somebody who can help them tweeze out. Okay, this is what I’ve got. How do I move forward? So I like to share with people. I help you with clarity because you’ve already accomplished a lot, but now you’re trying to take this stuff that you have, this knowledge that you know, and then you’re trying to build some sort of a revenue system or a revenue stream with it, and there’s so much conflicting information. 0:03:40 - (Janine Bolon): I say, look, okay, all I’ve got that I can offer you is that I’ve been running businesses since I was 10 years of age. I’ve written, I’ve had 18 different businesses. I’ve had these type of careers. Do you want some help from that perspective? And they’re like, absolutely. And so those are my people that I’m. That I’m working with. 0:04:00 - (Stuart Webb): You’ve got such a wide range of helping them. What, I mean, we could get into sort of some of the ways in which you help, because I know you’ve got a scientist career, you’ve got, you’ve got alternative therapist career. But, but what are some of the mistakes you’ve seen them do? What are the things you watch them do and think, oh, not like that. 0:04:19 - (Janine Bolon): Right. Well, I really took tha

Who is Allen? Allen Kopelman is the seasoned founder of a forward-thinking payments company, with an impressive professional career spanning over 25 years in the payments industry. Previously involved in the hospitality sector as a restaurant owner and chef, Allen transitioned to the payments industry with a resolve to help business owners optimize their transaction processes. His deep understanding of both sides of the payment equation empowers him to create client-centric solutions that enhance business growth and efficiency. Allen is a problem solver at heart and a respected voice in the industry, also contributing as a writer for the Green Sheet magazine. Episode Summary: Welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science: Five Questions Over Coffee, where Stuart Webb engages with Allen Kopelman, the innovative founder of a successful payments company. In this enlightening episode, Allen delves into the intricacies of payment solutions, outlining how tailored payment software can significantly reduce costs for business owners. Through sharing his rich experience, Allen illustrates the transformation from traditional payment setups to today’s software-centric approaches. The conversation touches upon key elements that businesses need to consider when scaling their payment operations, with insights into common challenges faced by startups and how his company provides resolute solutions. The discussion highlights practical advice on leveraging payment technologies to maintain cash flow, avoiding the pitfall of becoming a financial buffer for clients. Allen underscores the importance of invoice automation and understanding interchange in order to enhance business operations. His valuable insights and real-world anecdotes underscore the critical role of payment strategies in ensuring business viability. Business owners and payment professionals alike will find this conversation both informative and inspirational, offering actionable strategies for optimizing payment processes and fortifying cash flow. Key Takeaways: * Understanding your payment system is crucial to effective business operations, especially when considering scalability and customer service. * Automated billing systems can significantly improve cash flow and free up resources for core business functions. * Business owners should avoid negotiating long-term payment terms, thereby mitigating cash flow issues by effectively utilizing credit options for customers. * The importance of understanding interchange rates in optimizing payment transactions, particularly as businesses expand. * Transitioning from traditional business approaches to embracing software solutions can improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Notable Quotes: * “Payments is all about software...using the proper technology based on whatever business it is that you have.” * “Your customer already has a bank. You shouldn’t really be doing that as a business owner.” * “Cash flow is king...you shouldn’t really be doing that as a business owner.” * “You have to make decisions, you can’t just wallow around.” * “Don’t be the bank. Your customer already has a bank.” Resources: * Allen Kopelman: LinkedIn Profile [Not explicitly mentioned but relevant] * The Green Sheet: Industry magazine where Allen contributes. * Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, a recommended book. * The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins, another highly recommended book. * Visit It’s Not Rocket Science: Five Questions Over Coffee for free resources and more insights from the episode. Dive into the full episode to grasp the depth of Allen’s expertise and stay tuned for more discussions that demystify complex topics with simplicity and p 👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave your comments and questions below—for Gwen or for future guests! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SPEAKERS Allen Kopelman, Stuart Webb 0:00:00 - (Stuart Webb): Foreign. Hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I am here with my, my lizard mug, which is where I get my coffee for these things. And there’s Alan. I can see Alan has got his drink in front of him. So welcome to you, Alan. Alan Koppelman is our guest today. Alan is the founder of a payments company. So I guess we’re going to get in some really interesting discussions about how payments can help business owner grow their business with reduced costs. So welcome to five questions over coffee, Alan. 0:00:59 - (Allen Kopelman): Well, thank you for having me today, Stuart. 0:01:02 - (Stuart Webb): Absolutely no problem. So, Alan, let’s start with sort of trying to understand from, from the sort of business owners that you speak to, who is it that you’re trying to help with the solution that you’ve got? 0:01:15 - (Allen Kopelman): Well, we always talk to the business owner. I mean, in a larger company, we might be talking to the CFO or talking to someone in their IT department because, you know, today, you know, payments used to be, you know, a bunch of little machines around. And you know, now today, today payments, you know, been doing this for 25 years. Payments is all about software. So we always have to make sure, you know, how are we doing these payments, how are we connecting everything? 0:01:46 - (Allen Kopelman): How is that all put together? And you know, so, you know, doing payments is not just a commodity. It’s all about, you know, using the proper technology based on whatever business it is that you have. 0:02:02 - (Stuart Webb): And, and tell me, what solutions have business owners tried before they come across somebody like you? What, what is it they’re trying to do? What is it they’re trying to do without perhaps sort of seeking help from the sort of solutions that you’ve got? 0:02:18 - (Allen Kopelman): Well, a lot of times people are starting a business and they run to Stripe, but you know, sometimes they run into problems over there scaling because Stripe doesn’t really do underwriting of the merchant. They kind of underwrite the transactions and it’s kind of a little bit different of a setup. And then they could run into issues based on their business type and things like that. A lot of people today, you know, I probably come across one person a week that’s starting a business that virtually there aren’t, they’re either the first one or there’s maybe only a few of those around. 0:03:05 - (Allen Kopelman): And a lot of times they don’t understand, like, oh, well, I’m going to the, like, we had a guy recently had a cost recovery company and I was like, well, what is that? Explain it to me. So he explained, he goes, oh, it’s for Medical, Medical billing, recovery. Let’s say you’re a doctor and you did an operation and the bills, you know, you sent the bill to the insurance company for 10,000 and they agreed to pay 10,000. 0:03:33 - (Allen Kopelman): But in the end they re reviewed it and they only sent the doctor 6000. So what it doctor do they get with this medical recovery company? And they, they go after the other $4,000 and they get a percentage of it. And you know, so is that really a collections company? No, it’s cost recovery. They’re not recover. They’re not collecting money from a consumer or a business in essence, right? They’re, they’re recovering, they’re collecting money from an insurance company. 0:04:09 - (Allen Kopelman): So it’s not really, they’re not really a collections company. So we had to explain it to a few banks. Finally one of them got it and they were like, oh, okay, this isn’t really a collections company. It’s closer to medical billing than collections. So, you know, this is the things that like, we can help people with. You know, there’s so many companies out there today that are fintech companies or SaaS companies or AI companies. 0:04:37 - (Allen Kopelman): And then these companies have no phone numbers. You can only email them or do some kind of online chat with them. And you know, if you’re a business owner and you need to have that, you know, I don’t say we need to hold your hand the whole time, but you want to be, you want to have that assurance that when you have an issue in your business, you’re able to call somebody and get your issue taken care of. 0:05:02 - (Allen Kopelman): You know, then you should work with a company like mine. 0:05:06 - (Stuart

Who is Arba? Arba Cooper is a distinguished marketeer with a longstanding expertise in technology, dating back to the 80s. Specializing as a digital marketing trainer, Arba dedicates her efforts toward solopreneurs, particularly baby boomers, who are facing challenges with technological advancements. Her passion is fueled by personal experience and a strong desire to help others navigate the complexities of digital marketing, particularly video marketing. Arba is celebrated for her patience and ability to distill complex technological concepts into approachable, relatable lessons. Key Takeaways In this episode of “Five Questions Over Coffee,” hosted by Stuart Webb, we dive into a lively and informative discussion with Arba Cooper, an expert in digital marketing and technology. Arbor shares her longstanding experience in technology, having witnessed its evolution since the 80s, and her passion for helping solopreneurs, particularly those within the baby boomer demographic, accustom themselves to the digital age. This episode unveils Arba’s insights on the potency of video as an essential marketing tool, especially in the age of AI. Arba discusses her role in assisting solopreneurs who struggle with integrating new technologies into their business strategies. She describes how she supports clients by reducing their apprehension towards technology and introducing them to video marketing, a crucial aspect in today’s digital commerce landscape. With attention spans diminishing, she notes that video content can significantly elevate engagement and lead generation. This episode is packed with Arba’s personal anecdotes, expert advice, and effective methodologies in leveraging modern marketing tools. Key Takeaways: * Solopreneurs, especially baby boomers, often face challenges with technology that Arba Cooper helps them overcome with patience and expertise. * In the realm of digital marketing, video content particularly holds increasing value in engaging audiences and generating leads. * Arbor emphasizes that effectively using AI tools can aid those uncomfortable with appearing on camera to still create compelling video content. * Arba’s commitment is deeply personal, rooted in her own experiences of entrepreneurial struggles when she faced marketing challenges without adequate guidance. * Engaging with a community of learners can enhance one’s skills in video marketing, benefiting from both novice insights and professional expertise. Notable Quotes: * “The person I am exactly trying to talk to is the solopreneur who is struggling particularly with their marketing.” * “Attention span has become shorter... but you can use technology, what’s called faceless videos, or insert yourself in different parts of your video.” * “If a person’s afraid to be on camera, my job is not to make them comfortable, it’s to show them there are other ways.” * “We would miss out on a lot of the services and products of the solopreneurs.” * “If they have time, I’ll give my talent.” Resources: * Five Questions Over Coffee - Free Stuff Vault: fivequestionsovercoffee.com/freestuff Tune into this past episode to hear insightful discussions and practical advice on how 👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave your comments and questions below—for Gwen or for future guests! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SPEAKERS Arba Cooper, Stuart Webb 0:00:01 - (Stuart Webb): Fabulous. The countdown didn’t happen. I have no idea what’s going on today. It’s all going wrong here in the studio. It doesn’t happen. It doesn’t matter. Hi, I’m Stuart Webb and welcome back to Five Questions Over Coffee. I’m here today with the wonderful Arbor Cooper. Arbor is a well arbor. We’re going to introduce you in a moment. You are a marketeer, aren’t you? You are, you are. Now, we are just, we’re just talking about the fact that you are never going to be anybody other than Arma Cooper. So, Arbor, welcome to It’s Not Rockets. 0:00:29 - (Stuart Webb): That’s Five Questions over Coffee. I really appreciate you giving up a few minutes to be with us today. Thank you for being here. I look forward to the conversation. 0:00:39 - (Arbor Cooper): Thank you, Stuart. Thank you for having me. 0:00:42 - (Stuart Webb): Now, let’s start with the first question that I always, I always ask, who is the person that you’re trying to help? What is their problem? And please use this as a way to really sort of pinpoint exactly who it is you’re trying to talk to today. 0:01:03 - (Arbor Cooper): Yes, the person that I am exactly trying to talk to is the solopreneur who is struggling particularly with their marketing. And they need more, more guidance, more hand holding. And that’s what I do as a trainer. So you could be at any stage as a solopreneur and just getting started or maybe couple years into your business. 0:01:29 - (Stuart Webb): So, I mean, there are, there must be a lot of people out there that they’ve tried a lot of the traditional, I mean, how would you describe the problems they’ve had? What are the problems that they are that you’re trying to help them solve that they probably, they, they’ve seen podcasts, they’ve been to training courses, they probably read the book, they’ve probably written half the books. What is that? What is the specific problems you see with people like that that you, you help them to, to address? 0:01:58 - (Arbor Cooper): Well, Stuart, specifically narrowing down my niche even more is that I’ve been in technology all my life, ever since the 80s, 70s, so I’m not intimidated or overwhelmed with technology. But I’ve noticed that other baby boomers, so I’m giving a little hint as to my age. I don’t mind. My birthday, by the way, is tomorrow. 0:02:24 - (Stuart Webb): Anyway, happy birthday, Abba. Thank you for spending the eve of the birthday here. 0:02:29 - (Arbor Cooper): Yes. So particularly my niche is baby boomers and beyond who are very good in their jobs, you know, their nine to five jobs or their regular jobs, but they have either been misplaced or displaced from their jobs or have left their jobs to start their own business. And they’re behind in technology so they’re intimidated with it, they’re overwhelmed. And so yes, there’s a lot of videos you can watch, books you can read, all of that, but they really need someone like me who has the patience and will train them and bridge that gap for them with technology. 0:03:16 - (Stuart Webb): And we’ve already got, well, Perennial Life TV and we’ve also got, got another one of your friends here, Gladys, who is. Hi Gladys, we’re pleased to see you. So, so, so give us, give us a bit more of the sort of. They’re good at what they do. They’re the sort of people who are, who are, who are, who understand their market. What is it you’re actually focusing them to do? 0:03:45 - (Arbor Cooper): Well, there’s a lot of things I focus on when it comes to digital marketing, but particularly today’s talk, I’m focusing on videos and the fact that now with AI, there’s so much more you can do with videos and so much more than I can teach because it used to be that you would have to be degree, not so much degree trained in IT to be able to use the technology, but now with having someone like me who is patient and, and works with people and there’s a lot of low cost AI tools, then all you need to do is just have the time. 0:04:28 - (Arbor Cooper): And you know, I have free training classes that people can attend and then if they want a little more hand holding then they can come to book a private session with me. 0:04:40 - (Stuart Webb): So tell me, what are the impacts that you, you will. That a business owner will find by using video? Because video is, is, is becoming very important. It is highly ranked by Google. If you’ve got video on your website, it is something which is, I think, something that pretty much every business owner needs to understand. But what is the impact that you’ve seen in some of the clients you’ve helped? 0:05:01 - (Arbor Cooper): Well, what I’ve seen because I always, any, anything that I teach means that I’ve used it myself. So people’s attention span is, is becoming shorter and shorter and shorter. 0:05:15 - (Stuart Webb): I’m sorry, I’ve done what you said. 0:05:17 - (Arbor Cooper): What did you say exactly? That’s

Who is Gwen? Gwen Acton, PhD, has built her career helping “rocket scientists”—the brilliant scientists, engineers, and technical experts behind today’s most innovative companies—become extraordinary leaders. With a background spanning everything from biology to technology, Gwen was inspired by the crucial roles these experts play in industries like biotech, aerospace, AI, big pharma, and government research labs. She saw that while technical leaders are essential for organizational success, many find themselves suddenly tasked with leading teams, often without the tools or training to do so. Gwen made it her mission to bridge this gap, coaching and advising growth-stage companies and R&D groups so their top technical minds can excel both as experts and as leaders. Key Takeaways Summary Stuart Webb and Gwen Acton PhD discuss * Why technical expertise doesn’t equate to leadership proficiency * Common pitfalls technical leaders face (like micromanagement and letting go of control) * The mindset shift required to move from individual contributor to successful team leader * The most essential skills and behaviors for leadership in science and technology-driven organizations * Practical advice for influencing up, engaging teams, and leading transformation * Insights from Gwen’s career and highlights from her book, “Leadership for Scientists and Engineers” * Audience questions on changing leaders’ minds and the hallmarks of great leadership Whether you’re a new leader, a technical expert on the rise, or simply curious about the bridge between science and leadership, this episode delivers actionable tips and inspirational stories. Timestamps & Overview * 00:00 - Tech glitches and introductions:Stuart Webb kicks off, introducing Gwen Acton PhD, her background, and the episode setup. * 01:24 - Defining the technical leader’s challenge:Gwen explains who she helps and the need for leadership skills in technical organizations. * 04:10 - Why technical backgrounds don’t prepare you for leadership:Gwen highlights the crucial differences between technical problem-solving and managing people, and why logic alone isn’t enough for people problems. * 07:04 - The confusion and blind spots of technical leaders:Discussion about why what worked as a technical expert often fails in leadership, and the importance of learning new interpersonal skills. * 09:16 - Letting go and the pains of delegation:Gwen addresses micromanagement, the struggle to trust others, and methods for successful delegation in high-precision environments. * 11:29 - One piece of leadership advice:Why great leaders ask more (and better) questions instead of always trying to provide answers. * 13:24 - Audience Q&A – Changing minds and influencing up:Gwen shares tips for helping leaders change direction, including the power of genuine questions and one-on-one influence. * 17:05 - Gwen’s journey from scientist to leadership expert:Personal story about her path, why group dynamics and leadership in science are so important, and practical solutions for the technical world. * 20:20 - About the book “Leadership for Scientists and Engineers”:What readers will find inside and why it’s designed as a practical guide for technical leaders. * 21:34 - What makes a good leader or role model?:Key traits and behaviors ranging from strategic alignment to offering feedback and motivating teams. * 26:48 - The killer question: What separates great leaders from those who plateau?:Gwen’s reflections on lifelong learning, intentional skill development, and the humility to accept feedback. * 29:28 - Closing remarks and staying in touch:How to subscribe for future episodes, more about Gwen, and reaching out with questions. Resources and Links * 📘 Gwen’s Book: “Leadership for Scientists and Engineers” * 🆓 Free Leadership Resources:www.systemise.me/free-stuff — Grab templates, guides, and more to boost your leadership journey. * 💡 Stay Informed:To be first to know about upcoming guests (and ask your questions live!), visit www.systemise.me/subscribe. * 🔗 Connect with Gwen Acton PhD:Find Gwen on LinkedIn and follow for more expert tips (see show notes for the link). 👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave your comments and questions below—for Gwen or for future guests! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS technical leadership, rocket scientists, scientist to leader transition, leadership skills, delegation, micromanagement, influencing skills, team motivation, business leadership, technical expertise, problem solving, people management, organizational success, biotech leadership, tech company leadership, research labs, defense contractors, big pharma R&D, cross-functional teams, leadership blind spots, team ownership, decision making, senior leadership, growth stage companies, feedback in leadership, leadership mindset, communication skills, leadership for scientists, career development, leadership challenges, leadership book SPEAKER Gwen Acton, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:55]: Hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I’ve got my coffee mug in front of me. I hope Gwen, my guest today, has got her. I’m having a bit of a laugh because as, as soon as we tried to go live, there was a technical error. And the last thing I can remember saying as I was pushing this, which hopefully didn’t come through on the, on the live stream, was why do we work with technology? But here we are. Here we are, Gwen. Welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Stuart Webb [00:01:24]: Five questions over koio, I’m looking forward enormously to talking to you. Gwen is a really inspiring leader. She works with, well, she, she is a, she’s a former scientist. She’s got a, got a very impressive, very impressive PhD and she now works with leaders in scientific and organizations like that, helping them to take the knowledge that she’s got from transitioning from being a scientist to being a business leader and helping them do the same. So I’m really looking forward to the talk today, the discussion today. So Gwen, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. Gwen Acton PhD [00:02:03]: Thanks so much, Stuart. It’s great to be here today. Stuart Webb [00:02:05]: Look, I’ve just given you, I’ve just given you the build up, so perhaps you better clarify for us exactly who is the leader you’re trying to help. What is it that you bring to them and try and help them to understand that’s perhaps different to their other life when they’re trying to lead a business. Gwen Acton PhD [00:02:25]: Yeah. So my, I, I actually was really struck by the title of your podcast, which is it’s not rocket science because that I work with rocket scientists who have become or other brilliant scientists and engineers. Everything from PhD biologists to aerospace engineers, AI designers, you name it. Those, those folks who are highly trained as technical experts who then through no fault of their own end up as leaders either. They’re trying to accomplish things as leaders. They end up heading a group and those leaders lead to, you know, so my ideal client is our leaders or organizations that have these rocket scientists and those rocket scientists are key to the success of those organizations. So in practice, I work with growth stage biotechs and tech companies, government research labs, defense contractors, big pharma, R and D groups, any place where technical leaders are essential for success, any Place where you have these technical, these rocket scientists who are promoted into these leadership positions and need to now accomplish work through teams. Stuart Webb [00:03:44]: And what is it about being a scientist which somehow doesn’t quite prepare you? And I know the feeling myself as somebody that’s gone through this, it doesn’t quite prepare you for the business of leadership. What is it they’ve tried to do? What is the thing which they’ve been doing but somehow hasn’t worked for them before they seek some expertise in somebody like yourself. Gwen Acton PhD [00:04:10]: Yeah, I think the biggest, one of the biggest challenges when you are a technical expert is, is just not realizing how different leadership is. Right. So you. And that’s why I love the name of your podcast, it’s not Rocket Science. Both, you know, you oft

Who is Sharon? Sharon Kennedy is a business leader and consultant who specializes in helping high-achieving leadership teams reach their goals. With a systemic approach, Sharon works with successful and ambitious individuals who find themselves at a crossroads—where progress seems more difficult than it should be despite their capability and intelligence. By focusing on aligning organizational goals with effective strategies, Sharon guides her clients to greater clarity and collective achievement, emphasizing business-level solutions over individual fixes. Her work is driven by a commitment to turning challenges into opportunities for alignment and business growth. Key Takeaways In this insightful episode, Sharon Kennedy shares her expertise on how leaders and businesses can gain better alignment in their work, especially when navigating complexity and uncertainty. She explains why many high-achieving individuals and leadership teams feel like something is “missing,” even when they’re doing so much right—and how stepping back, gaining clarity, and focusing on systemic coherence transforms both people and organizations. Key topics include: * Identifying the Type of Client Helped: Sharon discusses the kinds of ambitious leaders and teams she works with, who often find their progress harder than it should be and benefit from a systemic, not just individual, approach. * What Clients Have Tried Before: Many have read books, taken courses, or followed common advice, but struggle to see the results because true change requires personal insight and a shift in perspective. * The Power of Lightbulb Moments: Sharon explains that breakthroughs aren’t about doing things “wrong,” but about discovering new ways of seeing challenges and embracing novel solutions. * Sharon’s Process at Engage and Prosper: From open, candid diagnostics to supporting genuine business-wide alignment, Sharon covers her approach to lasting organizational change. * Valuable Takeaways: The importance of identifying areas of repeated friction, why strategy often fails to translate into reality, and why real coherence beats great intentions every time. * Inspiration & Influence: Sharon shares her influences, including Rory Sutherland and Simon Sinek, and reflects on what human behavior teaches us about creativity, bravery, and leadership. * The Killer Question: How do you know when your organization lacks coherence—and what can you do about it? Timestamps Overview * [00:00:31–00:01:15] Introduction of Sharon Kennedy and her background in talent and neuro-inclusion * [00:01:27–00:03:22] The characteristics of Sharon’s ideal clients and her focus on business systems, not just individuals * [00:03:23–00:05:07] What clients have tried previously and why change requires personal insight and self-determination * [00:07:10–00:09:18] Sharon’s process at Engage and Prosper: diagnostics, clarity benchmarking, and identifying points of friction in the business * [00:11:10–00:11:46] Why company values and real behaviors don’t always align—and what to do about it * [00:12:45–00:16:27] Sharon’s personal journey, influences, and what really prompted her approach to leadership coaching and coherence * [00:17:12–00:19:22] The “killer question”: Signs your organization or team lacks coherence, and what key indicators (like repeated unresolved issues) to look for Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Maria subscribe to the newsletter here. You only need your first name and email—easy as (coffee) pie! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS neuroinclusion, talent development, innovation, education, high-growth sectors, leadership alignment, coaching, confidence building, skill development, business coherence, systemic approach, candidate-to-company pathway, fragmentation, fresh perspectives, clarity, diagnostic tools, Clarity benchmark, employee engagement, operational systems, team behavior, AI integration, onboarding challenges, early career hires, job fit, organizational congruence, company culture, values alignment, productivity, absenteeism, staff turnover, workplace coherence SPEAKER Sharon Kennedy, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Don’t mess me about now. Now is not the time to mess me about. Hi and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science, 5 questions over coffee. I’m here with— this is my coffee, by the way. I’m here with, uh, Sharon, and she has got coffee as well in front of her. Sharon Kennedy is a, um, a coach, uh, helping to develop future talent. Uh, she’s, uh, works with people who are looking to develop high potential individuals in innovation, talent development, education. She’s helping people build skills, confidence, and insight necessary to move in the fast-moving, high-growth sectors, particularly interested in people with neuro-inclusion in their development. Stuart Webb [00:01:16]: So Sharon, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science, 5 Questions Over Coffee, and thanks for being a guest. Sharon Kennedy [00:01:21]: Thanks for having me. Stuart Webb [00:01:24]: So tell me a little— Sharon Kennedy [00:01:25]: Perfect. Stuart Webb [00:01:27]: Let’s, let’s just explore a little bit. So if we’re looking at the sort of the, the person you’re trying to help, what is the, uh, what are the characteristics? What are the— what is it you, you are— you would say are the sort of, um, ideal client, ideal person you’re trying to help with this neuroinclusivity, building their confidence, uh, in this fast-paced environment of education and employment today? Sharon Kennedy [00:01:50]: Well, I suppose it’s— I suppose the first thing to say, and I understand why you’ve positioned it the way you have. But I— as much as I work on an individual level, I really come at it from a business level. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. And so, so the individual leader or individuals in this leadership team are, generally speaking, going to be quite successful and achieving lots of great things, lots of ambition, lots of intelligence, capability, and things like that. It’s more that they’re at a point where it seems harder than it should be. And they’re still pushing forward. And I think really, for me, what I try to do, and, and we as a business, is about helping them find alignment in what they’re trying to achieve and how they’re trying to achieve it. So it’s more of a systemic approach that we take to it. Sharon Kennedy [00:02:38]: So whilst all the things you described are exactly what we also do, you know, clarity, confidence, talent, uh, you know, development, and the sort of candidate-to-company pathway and making that the optimum that it can be. Ultimately, we’re about trying to make sure that we’re helping leaderships and companies be more coherent in their approach so that the consistency is there and the inner alignment is there as well. So if you ask me about the type of people, they’re going to be very intelligent, capable people, but they’re just kind of— they know something’s missing, but they can’t really work out what that is. Um, and so for us, it’s normally sort of fragmentation in their thinking, really, and trying to help them sort of stand back sometimes and then look at things with fresh eyes. Stuart Webb [00:03:23]: So, so that’s interesting. So, so tell me, um, what they’ve tried before. What is it they’ve been attempting to do before they come across somebody like you can help them with that alignment? Have they, have they done books, courses, all of the above? Sharon Kennedy [00:03:36]: All of that. I, I’ve— well, and just lived on the planet, you know, and, and gained experience and done lots of things brilliantly right. And done lots of other things that they, they don’t quite know why it’s not worked. And I think, I suppose it’s sometimes it’s like, you know, we grow up hearing the adages of, like, can’t see the wood for the trees, or, you know, you’re in the trenches rather than— and working in the business than on the business, all those great phrases. But I suppose actually sometimes it’s, it’s about helping people sometimes to think differently when they don’t know how to think differently. Because it, you know, they’ll— yeah, we’ve— again, I know I’m using the clichés, but the Defini

Who is Maria? Maria Dolores: A Life Guided by Seven Principles Maria Dolores’s journey is deeply anchored in her belief in seven guiding principles. From an early age, she embraced the right to her body, her emotions, and her thoughts, cherishing both the freedom and the responsibility that come with caring for her physical and mental well-being. As she matured, Maria expanded her focus to the importance of personal power, communication, and the essence of life itself. She believes every person deserves the right to express themselves—whether through speech or creativity—while maintaining accountability for their actions and words. Maria’s story is one of balancing self-awareness with compassion for others, always striving to act with dignity and listen with an open heart, embodying the fundamental human needs of both the individual and the collective. Key Takeaways * Maria Dolores shares the Human Constitution—7 principles for rights and responsibilities—drawing from global values and encouraging maturity, dignity, and collaboration in every aspect of life and work. * Leaders, business owners, and individuals: caring for physical and mental health isn’t just personal, it’s foundational for thriving teams. Maria reminds us, maturity starts with self-awareness and responsibility. * Our experiences, from grief to joy, shape how we connect and broaden perspectives. Maria believes embracing discomfort and lessons is key to growing as individuals and humanity as a whole. * The Human Constitution isn’t top-down or political—it’s an invitation to reflect on our rights and responsibilities. Change begins within, and our ideas can change the world. * Dignity means wearing your crown and honoring others’ crowns, too. Maria’s life and work remind us: we all have birthrights, but true maturity comes when we care for ourselves and each other with integrity. 00:00 “Maria Dolores: Five Questions Chat” 04:18 Human Constitution: Rights and Responsibilities 09:28 “Striving for Human Maturity” 11:25 “Human Evolution and Technology’s Role” 15:07 Lessons in Discomfort and Growth 20:31 “Rights, Responsibilities, and Life’s Journey” 24:38 “Living and Serving with Dignity” 27:52 “Maria’s Insights & Subscription Info” 29:27 Grateful Acknowledgment Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Maria subscribe to the newsletter here. You only need your first name and email—easy as (coffee) pie! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS Human Contract Foundation, Human Constitution, Universal Human Rights, birthrights, rights and responsibilities, dignity, maturity, global goals, civil courage, moral courage, collective rights, collective responsibilities, physical health, mental health, leadership, human resources, burnout, emotional health, personal power, communication, freedom of speech, freedom of creativity, empathy, self-worth, integrity, cultural diversity, global village, technology, collaboration, community change, slavery statistics SPEAKER Maria Dolores, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:33]: Hi and welcome back to 5 Questions Over Coffee. I have in front of me my coffee mug. I know Maria, our guest today, has her coffee in front of her as well. So welcome to Maria Dolores. Maria is a global speaker, uh, she is a— the founder of the Human Contract Foundation, and we’re going to get into what the Human Contract Foundation is She’s the author of The Human Constitution, which I think is a really interesting and great document, and there will be links to that in the show notes so that you can access that and read it. And she was Ambassador for World Peace— that was, she was honored with that in 2023. And also only last year was given an honorary doctorate in humane letters, which I think is a brilliant achievement. So Maria, thank you for spending a few minutes with us and making some time in what I think must be a very, very busy life for you to come and spend a few minutes talking to us here at Five Questions Over Coffee. Maria Dolores [00:01:33]: Thank you, thank you, Stuart. I’m so happy to be here with you in the audience and to share about the Human Contract, the Human Constitution, and our rights and responsibilities. Thank you, thank you. Stuart Webb [00:01:47]: And we’re really looking forward to hearing it. So, so tell me a little bit about— and we’ll get into a little bit about the, the history behind it, but Who is it that you think— I mean, we’re all human beings, we all have rights, but who is it you’re trying to reach most at the moment with this contract, with the foundation that you’re working with? Maria Dolores [00:02:08]: Yeah, so I help leaders to remember people’s rights and responsibilities and to lessen hate, disrespect, and to increase Dignity and maturity. And I do this with the Human Constitution. The Human Constitution is 7 principles regarding our— to take a stand for our right, our birthrights, and that we all need to mature with these birthrights. Stuart Webb [00:02:41]: And, and tell us a little bit about those 7, if you like, to really get us into understanding how they fit. Maria Dolores [00:02:48]: Yes. Okay. So the 7 principles is based and derived from United Nations Declaration of the Universal Human Rights, but with rights, we should have responsibilities. Don’t you think, Stuart? Stuart Webb [00:03:04]: Yeah, absolutely. Maria Dolores [00:03:06]: So these 7 principles, the first 3 is personal: body, emotion, and thought, that you are born with a right to your body. You’re born with a right to the range of all your emotions and your thoughts. But we also have a responsibility to care for our body, our physical and mental health. So the first 3 principles is addressing our fundamental human needs as a, as a species and individually. And then the coming 3 is about power, communication, and life. That you have the right to your power, your personal power, and we also have a responsibility in how we act and interact with each other. And the fifth principle is about our communication, our freedom of speech and freedom of creativity, but also responsibility in what we say and what we create and to express and trying to express with dignity and trying to listen to each other. And so that’s the fifth principle. Maria Dolores [00:04:18]: And the sixth out of the seven is our life, that you have the right to your life and you have a responsibility to respect others’ way of life and other life forms, but never at the cost of any other. So, and I think we have a lot to do and a lot to mature here. Respecting— and so it also ties not only to United Nations Declaration of the Universal Human Rights, but it’s also the 17 Global Goals. And then the last principle, the, the 7th principle, is about our collective rights and responsibilities. In Swedish, we call this civil courage, which is moral courage, and to to increase civil participation and to increase how we need— and we, yeah, we really need to collaborate more as a species. So that’s the human constitution. Stuart Webb [00:05:22]: So can I just— I know the first 3, I can see how we get to sort of 6 and 7, how business owners, business leaders will see exactly they apply to their business. But the first 3, how do you help business owners, business leaders, people who are in charge of large organizations to understand the first 3? Because within a workspace, often we forget we have a responsibility. We forget ourselves. We work for a corporation. How do we manage that situation? How do you think we should? Maria Dolores [00:05:59]: Yeah. So Stuart, my, my background is with human resources and leadership. So I worked with 25 years and more with human resources and leadership. So I worked with everything from, you know, attracting strategies and recruiting and developing individual group organization and offboarding roles, offboarding groups and organization. And it’s really addressing our physical mental health. It’s when we get recruited and onboarded and to care for the individual and, and both the individual and the team and to develop our physical health understanding. So I was working in the Swedish steel industry and forest industry where we have people working in different schedules., you know, different times. I— for what, what do you call that

Who is Ally? Ally Machete has built her career working closely with a dynamic range of authors, but she has found her true passion in helping confident business owners become first-time authors. She specializes in guiding experienced entrepreneurs who know their industries inside out but feel unsure when it comes to writing a book. Understanding that her clients have no time, energy, or money to waste, Ally works deliberately and strategically to ensure their book aligns with their greater business goals. She is the expert these leaders turn to when the stakes are high, and there’s no room for mistakes—helping them transform their hard-won expertise into powerful, purposeful books. Key Takeaways * Writing a book isn’t just for the famous—it’s a powerful tool to build credibility and open doors for any expert. As Ally Machete shares, the real impact comes from writing the right book, with the right strategy behind it. * Don’t write a book for “everyone.” As Ally Machete explains, clarity about your target audience and their needs makes your book not only marketable but transformative for your business or career. * A well-crafted book is more than “decoration for your Zoom background,” says Ally Machete. It’s a tool—something to leverage intentionally, not just a vanity project. * Not every business needs a book. Ally Machete recommends crafting your strategy first—sometimes timing or focus on other projects delivers more growth than rushing into publishing. * Feeling the “magic” of book writing doesn’t mean ditching strategy. Ally Machete urges authors: don’t just write what you want, write what solves a real need for your ideal reader. That’s how culture shifts—one book at a time. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Ally, subscribe to the newsletter here. You only need your first name and email—easy as (coffee) pie! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS writing a book, lead generation, business owners, book marketing, strategic writing, target audience, book publishing, book as a tool, writing process, marketable book, author credibility, authority, business growth, writing strategy, book promotion, niche audience, sales conversion, email list building, free resources, blog articles, podcast interviews, digital printing, ebooks, networking, credibility signal, partnership promotion, course creation, return on investment (ROI), book launch, marketing strategy SPEAKER Ally Machate, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Live, please go live. Yeah. Hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I am here today with Ali Machati, the writer’s ally. I’ve got those two right, haven’t I, Ali, Please tell me. Okay, thank you. So I was going to get something wrong. Stuart Webb [00:00:47]: I’ve managed to get through without actually making a huge mistake yet. So welcome, Ali. Thank you so much for making a few minutes today. Ali is, well, she’s somebody who helps people write books. So I can tell you somebody who has tried to do that and successfully succeeded, but by golly, it was hard. You need an ally in your corner. So I’m really pleased Ali has made some time today to come talk to us a little bit about this. You know, writing a book is probably the greatest lead generator you can do because it really sets you apart from the competition. Stuart Webb [00:01:18]: Ali is going to tell us all about that. So, Ali, thank you so much for being the writer’s ally. And welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. Ally Machete [00:01:26]: Thank you so much for having me, Stuart. I’m really excited to be here. Stuart Webb [00:01:30]: Well, I hope. I hope we’re going to have a really interesting conversation. So let’s start by talking a little bit about, well, the sort of people you try to help as the. As the writer’s ally. Ally Machete [00:01:43]: Yeah. So we work with lots of kinds of authors, but our real sweet spot, our ideal client, are generally business owners, people who have been in business for a little while and are really confident in their expertise. But now they’re thinking about writing a book and they’re not confident about that. You know, they don’t have time, money, energy to waste. All of that has to go very deliberately into their plans and their strategies in business. But they want to have that book. They know enough to know that there’s things they don’t know, and they know that they really need to get it right. That book has really important goals attached to it. Ally Machete [00:02:24]: It’s a tool that’s going to be really valuable to them and is a part of their growth strategy. And so they need it to be done at the highest level. And that’s where we come in. Stuart Webb [00:02:33]: That’s brilliant. So tell me. I mean, you’ve obviously, you’ve obviously helped a lot of people do this. Ally Machete [00:02:38]: What. Stuart Webb [00:02:38]: What are the sort of things they tried to do? I mean, you know, everybody has sat with that sort of completely blank piece of paper or blank screen or whatever nowadays and thought, where do I start? What are the things that you’ve seen them try which have failed to get them anywhere. Ally Machete [00:02:54]: Well, one of the things that I think a lot of people who are new to writing a book get stuck on is there’s this sort of kind of like romantic, kind of magical, I think thinking around what a, what a writing process looks like. You know, you’re going to get struck by the muse and you’re going to sit down and it’s all going to flow out of you in a number of hours and you’re going to end up with this masterpiece that, you know, just needs a spell check and then you’re done. Right. And they don’t understand how much harder it actually is. You know, even if you are fortunate enough to be able to create a rough draft very easily, and some people certainly can, some people do have that experience, but that is rarely the finished product. Right. There is so much that goes into crafting a book strategically. Not just writing a good book, but writing a marketable book. Ally Machete [00:03:44]: Writing a book that’s going to get you certain results in your business is a lot more than just writing something that’s, you know, basically well written and, or even interesting to read. So I think that’s, that’s the biggest piece where people tend to get tripped up is they think, well, I wrote it, it’s good, right. It’s objectively good. And they miss that strategic tie in piece and they end up with a book that on the surface is really nice and looks professional and is well done, but doesn’t move the dial in their business. Stuart Webb [00:04:14]: So we may be straying into the sort of the third question here, which is about what, what free advice, what valuable advice you can give, but sort of talk a little bit about that. Sort of, what do you mean by a marketable book? Sort of explain the whole, you know, what that does to a little bit about what that does to somebody’s business, somebody’s career, but also a little bit about what needs to go into a marketable book for it to be something that people actually want to pick up and look at. Ally Machete [00:04:41]: Yeah. So one element of that is when you write a book that is the wrong book. Right. So first let’s just assume you’ve written a book, it’s a good book, it’s objectively well written. Right. It’s been, you’ve put energy into it, you’ve made an effort, it looks nice, you paid for a nice cover, maybe even, and it all looks good. What might make that book not marketable are a few different things. First of all, if you were never clear on exactly who your Target audience for that book is a lot of people write a book thinking that anybody can benefit from this, this book will help everyone. Ally Machete [00:05:15]: And even though that may be true, you can never market to everyone. Right. Like, I like to say that if you’re trying to talk to everybody, then you’re going to be connecting with nobody. So this idea that it’s just, I’m putting this out there, it’s going to help all of these people without really getting clear about who exactly the book is for, that can make a book not marketable. If you don’t know who to put the book

Who is Julia? Julia Felton is a business consultant who has built a reputation for identifying the real issues behind her clients’ challenges. While companies often approach her with concerns about team dysfunction, lack of trust, and poor collaboration, Julia quickly uncovers that these surface symptoms stem from deeper underlying causes. With her insightful approach, she helps organizations move beyond treating just the symptoms—enabling teams to break free from silos, improve communication, and achieve the results they desire. Julia’s clients rely on her expertise to foster genuine trust and collaboration within their teams. Key Takeaways * Is your team chasing results but feeling disconnected? Julia Felton says it’s all about energy alignment, not just process. Slow down, reset, and watch collaboration grow. * Most trust issues in teams don’t come from lack of tools, but from not investing enough in relationships. Build social capital, even if it feels “frivolous”—it’s critical for flow. * True leadership isn’t about controlling everything. Julia Felton reminds us: empower your team, step back, and let the natural talents shine for real productivity. * Vision isn’t a one-time message. Keep communicating your purpose so everyone knows where you’re heading. As Julia Felton notes, clarity builds trust and connection. * Take inspiration from nature: humans, like herds, thrive when leadership is shared. Health, harmony, unity—let these guide your team to higher trust and adaptability. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Julia, subscribe to the newsletter here. You only need your first name and email—easy as (coffee) pie! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS trust issues, team building, rewilding leadership, misaligned energy, team dynamics, collaboration, silos in business, business productivity, meeting fatigue, leadership styles, performance paradox, shared leadership, empowerment, micromanagement, business culture, teamship, employee engagement, organizational trust, social capital, remote work challenges, communication in teams, business vision, talent management, role alignment, leveraging strengths, sustainable leadership, natural leadership, flow in teams, founder-led business, relationship building SPEAKER Julia Felton, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:01]: Hopefully. Hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I’m delighted. Today I’ve been joined by Julia Felton. Julia is an expert in, well, helping to fix trust issues within teams using rewilding leadership. She’s really going to help us to understand exactly how we can rebuild those trust issues which so often dog startups, even rapidly scaling a growing company. So, Julia, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Stuart Webb [00:01:01]: Five questions over coffee. I hope you’ve got your coffee in front of you. I’ve actually got a fruit tea at the moment, but that’s because it’s after Christmas. I try to be careful with my body. Julia Felton [00:01:12]: Well, me too, Stuart. I’m, I’ve got ginger and lemon here. Stuart Webb [00:01:15]: So I’ve been off your only way to live. Let’s start by understanding, you know, the sort of person you’re trying to help. You obviously, you’re obviously trying to help somebody that’s got a problem. But how do, how would you recognize them? What would they, what would they be saying? What would they be doing in order to sort of, you know, for you to be able to say, well, that’s exactly the sort of person I’m trying to help. Julia Felton [00:01:42]: Yeah, that’s such a great question. Because I think what typically happens is what people come to me with and what actually the problem is, are very different. And I think often what we find in business, isn’t it, we, we, we, we of treating the symptom rather than the cause. So sort of people come to me and they go, oh, my team’s not functioning properly, Julia. You know, and people don’t trust each other. There’s a lot of bickering going on, we’re not getting the results we want. You know, there’s people are working in silos, nobody collaborates together. Those are the sorts of things that my clients are saying. Julia Felton [00:02:19]: And my clients range from, you know, smaller SMEs up to larger corporates, you know, and this, these kinds of problems exist throughout many types of organizations. So anywhere where you’ve got people involved, really. Because at the end of the day, trust drives everything in business. Right. Stuart Webb [00:02:41]: So what would some of those, I mean, you just talked about sort of smaller SMEs, large corporates. I mean, they’ve tried everything before, haven’t they? They’ve done the courses, they’ve sent people off on the training courses, they’ve, they’ve done that, they’ve done the online stuff, they’ve done everything they can and it’s still not fixing it. So what are the sort of things that they are trying that you break through and you find that even having done this stuff, they’ve still got these issues. Julia Felton [00:03:08]: Sure. So I think if we distill it back down and we go to, well, what’s really the cause of what’s going on in the business? Rather the biggest challenge, if I was to sum it up like that, is it’s, it’s not this lack of skill or ambition or desire, but it’s actually all to do with misaligned energy. So we’ve got brilliant purpose driven leaders out there. They built often fast growing businesses, but somewhere along the way this momentum turns into mayhem, right? And the team’s busy, but it’s not productive. People, you know, having loads and loads of meetings. We know this meeting fatigue, right? The progress stalls, everyone’s working harder, but people aren’t working collectively together, they’re not pulling in the same direction. So I call that the performance paradox. Because what we’re seeing is companies chasing these results so hard, but they’ve become really disconnected from the very people and the energy that creates them. Julia Felton [00:04:08]: So what happens is these businesses start running on logic and process rather when what we really need is this connection and trust and flow, Flow. And so I think what I really see leaders craving is a much more natural, sustainable way of leading where we get everyone pulling in the same direction and we stop forcing the results and we start getting the results flowing naturally because everyone’s working in their right energy. And as you know, Stuart, you know, I’m very passionate about nature. I reference everything back to the natural world. And, and you know, when we look at the natural world, the natural world understands the ebb and flow of energy and how it goes inside cycles. And that’s what we’re not really seeing in business right now is leaders really understanding that. And it’s interesting, we’re recording this right after Christmas, right, where people have actually had an opportunity to kind of rest and re reset themselves for this year. But we tend to wait till Christmas, right. Julia Felton [00:05:10]: And we take a week or two weeks off, try and rest and reset and then we don’t. Then we try and go for another whole year and, and that’s not feasible for people. Stuart Webb [00:05:21]: So what are some of the things that you then introduce into the business in order for them to, to understand that it’s that, you know, to develop that ebb and flow. What is it you do to help them essentially reset on a more regular basis? Julia Felton [00:05:36]: Yeah, well, obviously as we, as we just talked about there, you know, reset the rhythm and flow and recovery. So for me, that’s actually about leaders taking time out to rest and relax and, and it’s that psychology of slowing down to speed up that, you know, instinctively we know that, but everything’s saying to us, oh, you know, if I, if I take the afternoon off, I’m not going to get everything done. But I don’t know about you, Stuart, but I know when I step away from my desk, if I’m really struggling with something, all of a sudden when I’m away from, from my work and what I’m doing, I get all these insights. So it’s about understanding that in order to get into flow, we actually have to go through a per

Who is Patrick? Patrick Van der Burght’s journey began over 25 years ago, when he first discovered the transformative power of understanding human behaviour and research. Awed by how empowering and effective these insights were—without the need to lie or cheat—he quickly became passionate about sharing them. Today, as a sought-after keynote speaker, Patrick relishes witnessing audiences experience their own “aha” moments, just as he did decades ago. His mission is to help others unlock their potential by waking up to the profound impact of his teaching, sparking realization, growth, and change wherever he speaks. Key Takeaways The Secret Science Behind Getting a YES—Without Being Manipulative 1/ Ever felt “icky” trying to get someone to say yes? Turns out, ethical persuasion isn’t about tricking—it’s about understanding human behavior. Patrick Van der Burght dropped some serious knowledge on this in his chat with Stuart Webb on “It’s Not Rocket Science.” 👀☕️ 2/ Persuasion isn’t just for salespeople. It’s for anyone who wants their ideas accepted—bosses, parents, partners, even project managers. If you want to move people (literally and figuratively), these insights are gold.💡 3/ Fun fact: The World Economic Forum ranked leadership & social influence as TOP business skills for the next 5 years. And persuasion came in at #3 on hiring wishlists. Why? Because it’s POWERFUL.✨ 4/ But here’s where most people mess up: They use random “strategies” or lengthy logical pitches, thinking more info = more yeses. Uh…no. Patrick Van der Burght: “You might accidentally talk people OUT of saying yes!” 😅 5/ Why? Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman says our brains make 90–95% of decisions FAST and unconsciously (System 1)—not by analyzing facts, but relying on shortcuts.Your audience has an attention span SHORTER THAN A GOLDFISH. They won’t analyze your 2-minute pitch! 🐠 6/ The trick? Use the 7 Universal Principles of Persuasion (from Dr. Cialdini): * Reciprocity: Give first—genuinely. Free PDF, no strings attached? Magic. * Liking: Compliment, connect, be authentic. * Unity: Create community bonds—“we’re in this together.” * Social Proof: Show reviews, testimonials (the detailed ones count!) * Authority: Let OTHERS introduce your expertise. It’s more credible. * Consistency: Get small commitments first. People stick to what they start. * Scarcity: Highlight what they’ll LOSE by not acting. We value what’s rare. 7/ Pro tip: Five-star reviews everywhere can actually REDUCE credibility. Aim for an average of 4.2–4.7. Realness wins trust! ⭐️ 8/ If you’re endlessly pumping time & money in, hoping for incremental “yes” rates, STOP! Persuasion science can 10X your results—without hurting your integrity or reputation. 9/ Want to dive deeper into ethical persuasion and grab some of Patrick Van der Burght’s free stuff? Visit EthicalPersuasion.com or check out his podcast, “Ethical Persuasion Unlocked.” 10/ Last word from Patrick Van der Burght: “If you want those yeses that were always yours to have, learn the science.” Ready to persuade with integrity?👇#EthicalPersuasion #SalesTips #Leadership #DrCialdini #BehavioralScience #Marketing #SmallBusiness —Drop a comment: Which principle are you going to test out first? Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Patrick, subscribe to the newsletter here. You only need your first name and email—easy as (coffee) pie! 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS ethical persuasion, persuasion techniques, sales strategies, Cialdini principles, reciprocity, social proof, authority, scarcity, consistency, liking principle, unity principle, behavioral science, Daniel Kahneman, decision making, system one thinking, system two thinking, attention span, sales psychology, B2B persuasion, ethical sales, lead generation, business coaching, influence tactics, customer testimonials, compliance, negotiation skills, persuasive communication, loss aversion, marketing psychology, consumer behavior SPEAKER Patrick Van Der Burght, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:32]: Hi there, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I have in front of me my coffee. This is, this is going to keep me going as I’m chatting today to Patrick Vanderburg. Patrick is. Well, Patrick’s an expert in how you get to go, to get somebody to say yes ethically. Now, if you’ve ever been in sales, if you’ve ever been trying to help anybody understand the need to say yes, and you only feel dirty and somehow manipulative when you try and do it, this is getting somebody to do that by ethically helping them to understand how they are going to be benefited from, from your product, your service, from working with you. So, Patrick, I’m really delighted to welcome you here to talk about the. Stuart Webb [00:01:20]: This Cini method. And I’m doing delighted you managed to make a few minutes available to us in order to talk to us. So welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. Patrick Van der Burght [00:01:32]: Thank you for inviting me, Stuart. I’m excited to be here. And I remember quite clearly when I first was introduced to this and I was learning the insights and human behavior, the research, how amazing that was and how empowering that was. And I couldn’t believe how, you know, how potent, how powerful it is, and you didn’t have to lie or cheat to make it to work either. And I love seeing that in, you know, when I do a keynote and, you know, people are starting to wake up to the fact of what I’m actually teaching them, you see, the eyes go bigger and I know they’re having that same realization that I had, goodness, 25, 26 years ago. So while we can’t see our audience, of course I’m hoping those eyes are getting a little bigger in the, in the time that we’ve got together. Stuart Webb [00:02:24]: I absolutely agree with you, Patrick. And, and people, if you’re watching at the moment, look, please, if you have questions whilst we’re talking, or indeed after we finish, if you come to the recording of this and you’re interested in getting some more information and you wanted to understand, we’ll talk about how you can get some free stuff from PA Patrick. But also if you want to drop questions or comments into the chat below, we will answer them for you. So you get sort of free consultancy immediately from an expert like Patrick. So, but Patrick, let’s start by trying to sort of set the scene. Let’s understand what we’re talking about. You have been working in this field for a while, so what is it? Who is it you’re trying to reach. I, I mentioned salespeople, but it’s not just sales, is it? It could be anybody trying to sort of help understand a person problem and help sort of work with somebody who needs to better understand what they’re trying to do themselves. Patrick Van der Burght [00:03:19]: Yeah, ethical persuasion really is a soft skill that we all need. And as a matter of fact, the World Economic Forum did a study that they published last January looking at thousands of companies in terms of what businesses need moving forward in the next five years. And leadership and social influence was just another word of it. For, for ethical persuasion had been increased in priority from position number four, which was in the previous report, to position number three. And also another study done by CashNet, which was published by Forbes that looked at 17 million job listings in terms of what businesses are asking for in their new employees. And persuasion was also ranked there, number three. And it is a skill that helps us professionally, but also privately and simply put, whenever we’re trying to get an idea accepted or get somebody to buy into what we’re suggesting or asking for, and that can be sale, it doesn’t have to be whenever we’re trying to make that request and there’s someone in the middle that needs to agree with that. And you’re relying on your ability to be persuasive in terms of how quickly you will move to your goals or move to your boss’s goals. Patrick Van der Burght [00:04:40]: But that also applies privately. If you try to get your kids to clean up their room, you’ll need to be persuasive. And if y

Who is Anna? Anna is a psychologist who specializes in helping individuals and organizations navigate the often invisible, yet crucial, “unwritten rules” of work. Anna works particularly with neurodivergent individuals and has a deep background in exploring class culture clashes within the workplace—especially the challenges faced when employees transition from blue-collar roles into corporate environments. Her upcoming book tackles these unwritten rules head-on, offering practical advice for leaders, staff, and HR professionals on how to recognise and address the subtle dynamics that impact team engagement, employee retention, and overall organisational success. Get ready for a conversation packed with actionable insights and straight-talking advice from someone who’s dedicated her career to demystifying what really makes teams tick behind the scenes Key Takeaways * If your best performers hit a wall after their promotion, look out for unwritten rules holding them back. Culture clashes are real, and naming them is the first step to fixing your team. * Every workplace has unwritten rules—norms no one talks about that trip up even the best people. When these rules go unspoken, they can kill engagement and stall change. * Do you ever promote a top worker, only to see them struggle? The issue might not be skill, but hidden cultural expectations. It’s time to get clear on what success really looks like. * What does your “ideal employee” look like in your mind? Dig deep—sometimes our assumptions create noise, not results. Get intentional about measuring what actually matters. * Before jumping into AI or new strategies, solve the unseen people problems first. Automation just speeds up whatever’s broken—fix your foundation before you build. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Anna, 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 transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast. SUMMARY KEYWORDS unwritten rules of work, employee engagement, employee retention, promotion pipeline issues, blue collar workers, white collar workers, management training, cultural norms, organizational culture, class culture clash, communication skills, indirect communication, assertiveness, workplace professionalism, neurodivergence, unconscious bias, productivity issues, team performance, leadership recommendations, HR practices, workplace audits, work miscommunication, onboarding, context performance, task performance, workplace diversity, automation, AI in the workplace, organizational change, workplace compliance SPEAKER Anna Kallschmidt, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee I have with me. Well, it’s not coffee actually at the moment, this is a tea. But I’m here with Dr. Anna Kauchmid. Hello Anna. Hope you’re got a coffee or something with you to refresh you during this brilliant stuff. Anna is a psychologist. Stuart Webb [00:00:52]: She works particularly with people who know neurodivergent, etc, talking about the unwritten rules of work. And I know you’ve got a book coming out soon, Anna, which I hope we can get into. So welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. And I hope that you are going to be able to tell us about the very unwritten rules there are around work. Stuart Webb [00:01:14]: Thank you. Thank you for having me. And I love the title of the podcast because I do think that internally a lot, this isn’t rocket science. We don’t need to, we don’t need to make it more complicated than it is. Stuart Webb [00:01:25]: No, we don’t. No we don’t. And there is, there is too much already of people trying to make things sound complicated. And I do say often, you know, if, if it’s too, if it’s too complicated for me to understand, it’s already got too complicated and you don’t have to get too complicated for me to lose it. So let’s talk about you and your work. Let’s talk about the sort of the people that you’re trying to help. What’s the, what how would you characterize and what, what, how do they, what is it that they notice about themselves? Or are they business owners that need the help for their employees? Stuart Webb [00:02:00]: Yeah. So since I look at the unwritten rules of work, which are the cultural norms that are so ingrained in your organization that people don’t think they need to be transparent about what they are. So it’s really about. There’s a cultural problem which impacts so many things. So I’m going to tell you the signs that my clients notice when they come to me, but at the core of them is being not in denial. That’s my ideal client, someone who’s not in denial. Someone who’s recognized that there’s an issue and wants to move forward. Stuart Webb [00:02:32]: And for those of us who aren’t yet even aware of the problem, what’s the problem? What are the things they’re noticing so that, so maybe there are people out there that haven’t even yet got to. Stuart Webb [00:02:40]: That stage so it can be low. Employee engagement is always one very poor retention. You’re having Problems promoting have. You have like great employees. This is a big one. I see you have great employees from like entry level to like almost middle management. But once they get into like the higher corporate levels, it’s like they fall apart or they just don’t get it. So I see this a lot specifically in industries that have like a blue collar, white collar, two different subsets, so like retail or anything in manufacturing etc. Stuart Webb [00:03:17]: Of where you have like these excellent blue collar workers. You promote them up to the corporate side and they’re like, what is going on? Because he introduced me as neurodivergent, which is true, but originally my work is about class and there’s a class culture clash there. And so it’s when you have a really good performer who as they get higher they run into more problems. And when you see this, so you have promotion pipeline issues, you have retention issues, you might have productivity issues and you might have complaints about your management at the management level after you’ve promoted them. And you’re not sure why because they were always great performers and you know, they work really hard. Stuart Webb [00:03:54]: So tell me, you know the people that you’re talking about there, the managers, the business owners, the founders of those companies, what are the things they’ve done? They, presumably they’ve gone through the sort of, they’ve gone through the usual training, they’ve tried to sort of train their managers in better communication, all that sort of thing. What do they normally find that, that they haven’t done, that they haven’t understood what their problem is. Stuart Webb [00:04:16]: A lot of us, and this is normal human nature, a lot of us have a hard time conceptualizing that our normal isn’t. Everyone’s normal. And it’s one of those. That sounds simple, that’s not rocket science, but that’s so deeply ingrained that a lot of companies spend a lot of money trying to add more things to solve the problem, have this training, have that speaker come in, etc. But they don’t look at what the core issues are. And it’s just assumed that it’s very, it’s just professionalism. And that people get bristled when you say that because like, well, that’s just being respectful. That’s not all the professionalism is. Stuart Webb [00:04:59]: Right, it’s very easy to dismiss and be like, this is just how things are done. This is just white collar work, this is just professionalism. But it’s things like indirect communication. It’s things like they don’t know how to schmooze enough, they’re rubbing People wrong, they seem rough around the edges or that they either don’t know how to be assertive enough or they come across as aggressive. And it’s those little nuances that are more common in blue collar and pink collar work of being more direct in your communication, of talking more about task and less about interpersonal skills. And then it changes when it gets to the corpora

Who is Royce? Royce Blake is a seasoned professional in the radio industry, known for his deep expertise in audience engagement. Drawing on years of experience, Royce specializes in helping podcast hosts and guests connect meaningfully with listeners. Through his insights and practical advice, he teaches how to make each guest feel valued and every audience member feel special. On this appearance on “It’s Not Rocket Science: Five Questions Over Coffee,” he shares his proven strategies for keeping listeners captivated, making him a trusted figure for anyone looking to elevate their podcasting game. Key Takeaways * Ever felt awkward hearing your own recorded voice? Royce Blake explains: it’s normal! The key is getting comfortable with your true sound—crucial for building real connection, whether you’re on air or in the boardroom. * Struggling to keep your audience engaged? Royce Blake says: Be natural. Ditch the “radio voice” and just be yourself. Recording and reviewing yourself honestly will transform your confidence and presence. * Silence feels uncomfortable, but pausing can be powerful. Let moments land. Pauses give your audience space to process and make your next words even stronger, says Royce Blake. * Great podcasts start with research. Asking guests questions they’ve never heard lets them shine and keeps things authentic. Dig deep—don’t settle for surface-level! * Facing trolls? Royce Blake shares: No one more successful than you will ever put you down. Focus on being your authentic self and let the hate go. Keep showing up, every day. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Royce, 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 podcasting, podcast hosts, podcast guests, audience engagement, radio industry, public speaking, event hosts, speaker training, business leaders, microphone confidence, voice recording, self-assessment, filler words, affectation, natural speaking, pause technique, research, interview preparation, guest questions, press junket, celebrity interviews, social profiles, hobby discussion, body language, hand gestures, listener retention, overcoming nerves, handling trolls, negative comments, authentic communication, podcast improvement SPEAKER Royce Blake, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Hi, and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I’m really pleased that I’m here today with Royce Blake. Now, Royce has got a huge amount of experience in the radio industry, and I think he’s going to really help us to understand, as podcast host, potential podcast guests, exactly how you can engage your audience, make sure that you keep hold of them, and do the intelligent thing of making them feel like the special person on your show. So I’m hoping that Royce can do that for me. Royce, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I know we’re gonna have a great time, and I really appreciate you spending a few minutes with us, making time in your busy day. Royce Blake [00:01:13]: It’s my pleasure. Stuart. Got my coffee. I’m ready to go. So let’s do this. Stuart Webb [00:01:19]: Terrific. Okay, let’s start with. I mean, you’ve got an absolutely enormous amount of history. Who is your ideal audience at the moment? Who are you trying to help understand how to better engage their audience and keep them held? Royce Blake [00:01:35]: Right now, it’s mainly podcasters, but I also help event hosts, speakers, even business leaders that do a lot of speaking before even their employees. Anybody that needs to keep an audience, that’s who I help. Stuart Webb [00:01:53]: And tell me, Royce, I mean, you’re obviously doing this from a radio perspective, but it’s not just radio, is it? You. You. You help people who understand how to appear in front of an audience and. And in. And interact in that way. Royce Blake [00:02:04]: I like to call it mike shy to camera confident, because that’s. That’s what it is, really, because we’re all. It’s. It’s normal. Do you remember the first time you heard your. Your voice recorded? Stuart Webb [00:02:22]: Never heard it. Royce, don’t. Never, never, never. It’s never been possible. Royce Blake [00:02:26]: It’s human. We all. We all go through the same thing because we hear our voice through bone, and people and microphones are hearing our voice through air, and that’s the big difference. That’s why it sounds weird. Stuart Webb [00:02:44]: Yes, yes. And unfortunately, that weird makes us all very nervous. Makes us feel somehow as though things are wrong. And that is the. The root of all the problems you get, isn’t it? Royce Blake [00:02:58]: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, even, like when I was first on the air, on the radio, you know, you put headphones on, right? And so you’re hearing your voice as it appears to other people live in your ears. And that usually causes, in radio, what we call affectation, because you put those headphones on and you say, hey, there, and all of A sudden it sounds weird, right? It sounds. And you say, hey there. And wow, that sounds even better, you know, so pretty soon you’re talking like this, and eventually affectation leads to what we call in the radio world, puking. Because you get down to there, how are you? And it sounds like you’re really trying to vomit. So we try to avoid that. And luckily these days, especially in the podcast world, people. Royce Blake [00:03:52]: People are kind of swinging back to real, so they appreciate people that are just real. You don’t have to have a radio voice. It’s be natural. And that’s what I help people do. Stuart Webb [00:04:06]: So tell me, Royce, what people, what have people tried to do before they reach out to an expert such as yourself? You know, we’ve all recorded ourselves. We’ve all tried to avoid listening to it. Again, what are the things they’ve done and how have they made that affectation worse? Royce Blake [00:04:25]: Well, see, this is the biggest challenge for me because asking someone to admit they need help when it comes to talking is a big mountain to climb, ego wise, right? So you’re like, oh, man, I think I talk good. And, you know, you can get so much better. And if you like, I can jump right into one of the techniques that anybody can do at home. Stuart Webb [00:04:50]: Okay, yeah, why don’t we look into that? Because this is. This is the valuable free advice that you are. That you’re going to offer us, isn’t it? Royce Blake [00:04:58]: Absolutely. All you need is one of these. Use your cell phone, right, and record yourself a lot, and it’s going to be very uncomfortable at first. It doesn’t matter what you’re recording, but you need to record for five whole minutes, because we can all start off, you know, reiterating our elevator pitch or your sales presentation or whatever. And that goes great for a couple of minutes, but after that, you’re starting to stress out on what to say, and that’s when the magic happens. The real you starts coming out, and that’s what we’re looking for. So five minutes. It can be about your grocery list. Royce Blake [00:05:45]: One of my favorite topics to help people is talk about a hobby you love and why you got into it and why it’s so awesome, or why someone is your best friend, whatever it is. Talk for five minutes. And remember, you can always delete this stuff, right? You don’t have to keep it. No one else has to see it. But the key is how you watch it when you record yourself. First time you watch it, I want you to do it with the phone facing down. Don’t watch it. Just Listen to it, crank up the volume, and just listen to yourself. Royce Blake [00:06:24]: That’s when you’ll start to discover little things. In radio, we call them crutches. Things you say that you’re not even realizing. Realizing that you’re saying the ums, the likes, you know what I mean? Those are all filler words or phrases, and that’s when they start to stick out. Secondly, watch it back again, but this time with the sound off. So you’re just watching y

Who is Donna? Donna Amos has been working with a law firm since 2010, helping them share their expertise with the world. When she first started, the firm had three attorneys and two financial planners specializing in elder care. Donna encouraged the team to create weekly videos answering frequently asked questions, making their knowledge accessible on every platform. However, when the first video shoot arrived, nerves got the better of the group—they greeted Donna with a case of beer, hoping to calm their anxiety about being on camera. Thanks to Donna’s encouragement, they pushed through their fears and successfully filmed their first video, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the firm’s outreach efforts. Key Takeaways * Action is what drives change, especially for solo and micro business owners. Donna Amos reminds us: just take that first step, even if it’s scary. Progress starts before confidence kicks in! * We often get stuck in our own heads, telling ourselves we’re not good enough. Donna’s advice: seek out someone who believes in you, encourages you, and helps you move forward. Sometimes that’s all we need. * Staying “busy” isn’t the same as making progress. Donna explored how focus and vision make the real difference—not just for ourselves, but for those we work with and serve. * Writing a book can be daunting, but Donna recommends starting with simple research and writing a little each day. In 3 months, you could have your biggest calling card and a new way to share your expertise. * The first challenge is finishing what you start. Donna shares: Only 3% of people finish their manuscript. Create discipline by writing 500 words a day—small steps lead to big results in your personal story. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Donna, 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 solo business owners, micro business owners, solopreneurs, marketing agency, self-publishing, book publishing, business inspiration, taking action, self-talk, productivity, time management, strategic vision, encouragement, coaching, marketing strategies, authority building, marketing tools, business growth, client engagement, discipline, writing a book, business storytelling, video marketing, social media promotion, networking, expert positioning, lead generation, case studies, business challenges, research techniques, Amazon research SPEAKER Donna Amos, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Hi there and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. My mug is in hand. Still got coffee in it, which is just as well. And I’m delighted to be welcoming Donna Amos to the podcast today. Donna is a marketer, she’s a publisher, but mostly she is someone who aims to try and inspire others to take action. I’m really excited to that we’re going to be having a discussion about how Donna is going to inspire us to be taking action today. So welcome to the podcast, Donna. Donna Amos [00:01:05]: Thanks, Stuart. I appreciate it. Stuart Webb [00:01:09]: Thank you. So let’s start by trying to understand those people who you are trying to inspire to take action. Who is it that you’re trying to help with that particular problem that I know we all have. Donna Amos [00:01:24]: So I focus on solo and micro business owners. So those are the people that I want to inspire to take action, to realize that whatever it is they want, if they just take the first step, they’ll see that it’s not impossible to make it happen. Stuart Webb [00:01:49]: Difficult sometimes to do when you’re a solopreneur or a small business owner buried under paperwork and mountains of things to do, isn’t it? Donna Amos [00:01:58]: Yes, it is. And our, our talk between our two ears, our self talk actually gets in our way a lot. Stuart Webb [00:02:08]: It does, it does. So let’s, let’s explore some of those sort of problems, some of those people. And I guess there’ll be people listening to this right at the moment there is. If you want to drop a question into the chat to get Donna to answer it or if you need to drop a question into the chat later, please do. Donna or I will pick up and answer those questions for you. But so what are the sort of problems that they might recognize? What are the, what are the things they might have tried to do to get themselves out of these situations, these that you can help them with? Donna Amos [00:02:42]: I think the. So for years, the biggest challenge that I see is that they spend time being busy because it makes them feel like they’re, you know, they’re accomplishing something, but they’re really just being busy and they’re not really focused on the end goal and, and taking the right actions towards that. And again, it’s because we get in our own heads and yes, tell ourselves that we shouldn’t be doing that we’re not good enough. Stuart Webb [00:03:22]: And that’s not good for self talk. But it’s also not good for businesses that have small numbers of employees, is it? People want to see that you have a vision that, you know, where you’re going. Donna Amos [00:03:33]: Absolutely. But for solo business owners, they also have to think about they may not have employees. Many of them will have subcontractors, though, that support them in what they’re doing. And their customers will also see if they have that vision or not. And that can either attract people to them or push people away. Stuart Webb [00:04:07]: And how, how do you help them? What is it you try to do to get them out of that situation? Donna Amos [00:04:15]: I think probably the most important thing is to encourage them that when people are encouraged by others, when they’re told that they really do have what it takes and that they. They deserve to. To accomplish whatever it is they’re looking for, then it helps them to again take that first step. So, encouragement. Stuart Webb [00:04:44]: Is this the sort of thing you spend your time doing at solopreneurs Solutions? Solopreneur Solutions. Donna Amos [00:04:50]: It is. So, you know, we’re a marketing agency, but. And we’re also a publisher, but oftentimes our clients just need somebody in their corner. Yeah, it’s telling them, yes, you can do that. We’re happy to help. We’ll hold your hand so that they will take action on the things they want to. Stuart Webb [00:05:13]: Yeah, yeah. And that’s a, that’s often the most valuable thing a marketing agents can do, isn’t it? It is, it is. Helped bring that clarity and it’s helped move those people forward. That one step. Donna Amos [00:05:25]: Exactly. Yep. Stuart Webb [00:05:28]: And so, Donna, have you got a valuable piece of advice or anything that you wish to sort of leave with people so that they can, they can understand how you could help them? Donna Amos [00:05:42]: I’ll share a quick story if that’s okay. Stuart Webb [00:05:45]: Please do. Donna Amos [00:05:46]: So I work with a law firm that has been with me since 2010. And they have. They had a staff of five attorneys. Well, staff of three attorneys and two financial planners that focus on elder care. So when we first started working together, I was encouraging them to do weekly videos, just quick, frequently asked questions that they were answering that we could then push out there to every platform. And the first day when I got there with my camera and ready to go, they had a case of beer sitting there because every one of them was scared to death to get in front of the video. They just, you know, they just didn’t think they could do it. So they got through that first video shoot. Donna Amos [00:06:47]: We did probably 15 videos that one shoot they made it through. They, when we left, they went to the bar to watch basketball because it was during Marsh Madness. But now we’re what, 15 years down the road and every week we still publish a video for them. And they get business from it constantly. Stuart Webb [00:07:15]: Brilliant. Donna Amos [00:07:17]: Yeah. So it was just encouraging them and telling them they could do it. And, you know, and that’s what I

Who is Mitchell? Mitchell Levy is a passionate advocate for purpose-driven business relationships. Through his work, Mitchell observed a common frustration among professionals on platforms like LinkedIn: many reach out without a clear purpose or differentiation, often leading with sales pitches rather than genuine value. Recognizing this disconnect, he champions the power of having a “North Star”—a clear vision and understanding of the problem you solve and the unique value you bring. Mitchell encourages business owners, regardless of their size, to approach networking with intention and a customer-centric mindset. His insights help professionals articulate their purpose and foster meaningful, effective connections in the digital age. Key Takeaways * Mitchell Levy reveals the power of clarity: leaders and business owners need a simple North Star—a CPOP—in under 10 words. When you know where you’re headed, decisions get easier and credibility follows. * Tired of random LinkedIn messages? Mitchell shares why real connection starts when you understand who you truly serve and their real pain or joy. Purposeful outreach beats cookie-cutter pitches every time. * Small business? Big CEO? Mitchell’s “executive abundance” works for all. Growth happens when you get clear on your purpose, your people, and the possibilities you can create. Alignment is everything. * Elevator pitches are overrated. What matters is knowing, in a few words, who you’re helping and why. That’s your true vibration—one you won’t need to memorize, just live. * Want credibility? Keep learning, stay coachable, and be willing to reset your focus. Mitchell’s path: clarity, purpose, connection. Change your story, and your impact grows—no matter your size. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Mitchell, 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 executive coaching, credibility, LinkedIn sales tactics, business owners, CEOs, executive abundance, fast-growing companies, Inc 5000, Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches, clarity, North Star, customer point of possibilities, CPOP, marketing cookie cutter, business scaling, founders, path to scale, leadership, business strategy, elevator pitch, business clarity, operating system of credibility, business growth, credibility expert, solopreneurs, company purpose, personal compass, decision-making, business differentiation, referral partners, customer focus SPEAKER Mitchell Levy, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi and welcome back to five Questions over Coffee. Here is my coffee. Now be careful spill that, it’s quite full at the moment. Mitchell. Yeah, well done. It’s a Guinness, so well done. Mitchell Levy here is a leading executive coach, a global credibility expert and I’m looking forward to him walking through his process today talking to us a little bit about how he helps get leaders real credibility. So Mitchell, thank you for making a few minutes available to come and speak to us here on It’s Not Rocket Science. Stuart Webb [00:01:06]: Five Questions over Coffee. Mitchell Levy [00:01:08]: My pleasure. Thanks for having me Stuart. Really nice to, really nice to engage with you. Stuart Webb [00:01:14]: Well that’s terrific. So let’s start by trying to understand the sort of person you’re reaching out to with helping them with their credibility. Mitchell Levy [00:01:25]: You know it’s interesting, I, I have two distinct audiences. So as an executive coach, so I’m part of The Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches, some of the top executive coaches on the planet. And for that audience it is fast growing CEOs leading the future with executive abundance. Now in if you were in the U.S. i say Inc 5000, which basically is the, the top five, 5,000 fastest growing companies in the U.S. but yeah, since this is Australian, I’ll just say fast growing company. So that is one group of one audience. And, and executive abundance is a new framework I’m introducing into the marketplace. Mitchell Levy [00:02:12]: It’s been my executive coaching for years. But one of the things you, you asked me in the green room, how you doing? Last week I advanced to candidacy on my PhD program and so I am actually doing a dissertation and then we’ll, we’ll write a book, do coursework and chatbots on executive abundance. Stuart Webb [00:02:33]: On your Congratulations. Thank you doctor. Not a, not a, not an easy thing to do as I recall. So tell me a little more about sort of the people that you’re helping that you’ve just sort of described. Give us an example of sort of things that they might have tried before and the ways in which you help them. Mitchell Levy [00:02:54]: Well so by the way, let me do the second audience and then you could tell me which one you want me to. Stuart Webb [00:02:59]: Oh, no problem. Mitchell Levy [00:03:00]: So the second audience is business owners escaping slimy LinkedIn sales tactics. Perfect. Perfect. That’s exactly what I want to get right. It’s, I’ve been on LinkedIn since before they were making money. Now a couple hundred thousand people could say that, but there’s one thing I could say that nobody else in the planet can say and that is I was in the room with two, with two of the five founders And I was commissioned to have written and published the first book on LinkedIn. I’ve looked at a couple hundred thousand LinkedIn profiles and I have a system and approach that helps people drive one to one business relationships with people on LinkedIn. And I can do it at scale. Mitchell Levy [00:03:43]: And so it’s the 5% on LinkedIn functionality that brings 80% of value. So that sort of answers that question for the business owner side. On the executive coaching side, the question is what sort of things, what have they tried before? You know, I think I’m going to generically say something and then you could, you could drill me in if we need to. Life is, and business is really, really simple. Stuart Webb [00:04:14]: It’s not easy, right? Mitchell Levy [00:04:17]: And what’s not easy about it is the fact that even if you know the answer in your heart, in your head, in your body, you know exactly what to do. There’s chaos out there and there’s these experts who have what I call marketing cookie cutter approaches. And so in, in your vernacular, there’s a wicked problem they have and they’re trying to solve it. They’re going to go out and talk to a ton of people and they get such a diverse range of answers and then they hit one they like, but they don’t hold on to it. And so for those that I work with on executive coaching, the first thing we need to do is establish the clarity, establish the playground they play and establish what I call their cpop, their customer point of possibilities. And that is in less than 10 words, where they’re executing on their purpose. That’s for the company or for the individual. And once you have that, then you can deploy an operating system of credibility. Mitchell Levy [00:05:23]: But until you have that, it’s really hard to make decisions because you need a compass, you need a personal compassion that you can actually live by. You need your own North Star. And, and so that’s, in terms of business, we need a North Star and that’s, that’s where we start. And after that, when I hang out with somebody who’s doing executive coaching, I’m just, I’m just helping them understand how they’re making decisions in their North Star, how they propagate it throughout the organization. It’s, it’s always fun to see and everyone’s different. Some are really fast, some take a little bit more time, some need to fall down a couple of times so they can get up. But generally speaking, what I do is extremely simple, but apparently it’s not so easy. Mitchell Levy [00:06:18]: Let me just try and link those two customer types together. In some way, I think something like LinkedIn requires somebody to have what you’ve just described in terms of the Northstar, what they’re doing and be very clear about what their problem solution is. I see

Who is Joe? Joe Abreu is the creator of the Profit Optimization Program, designed specifically for small to medium-sized business owners striving to bridge the gap between hard work and real profit. After years of working closely with business owners who frequently asked him how to translate increased revenue into greater profits, Joe began collecting and analyzing their recurring challenges. Drawing on these insights, he developed a results-driven program to help entrepreneurs break free from the cycle of endless work and unlock their businesses’ true financial potential. Through his work, Joe has empowered countless business owners to move beyond just doing more and instead focus on building businesses that reach their full profitability. Key Takeaways * Many business owners work harder, but profits still lag behind. Joe Abreu reminds us: true success comes from understanding your numbers, not just chasing more sales. Clarity leads to freedom. * Are you slashing expenses without strategy? Joe says test each change. Don’t cut blindly—learn what truly moves the needle for your business growth. * Delegation scares a lot of owners—what will I do once I delegate? According to Joe, it’s your chance to step back, innovate, and focus on what really matters. * The 80/20 Principle changed Joe’s business life: focus on the 20% of tasks that create 80% of results. Systemize, delegate, and start freeing up your time for what counts. * Your business shouldn’t be golden shackles. Profit optimization is about designing your business to give you freedom and the life you dreamed of when you started. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Joe, 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 profit optimization, small business owners, medium sized business, revenue, business profits, expense management, business growth, sales strategies, bookkeeping, financial literacy, accountant, business owner challenges, business expenses, business numbers, business coaching, process improvement, business systems, delegation, 80/20 principle, business mergers, business acquisitions, business sales, business optimization, podcast, business clarity, CRM, AI in business, business freedom, online course, certification course, workbook SPEAKER Joe Abreu, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:31]: Hi and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I’m here with my guest today, Joe Abro. Joe is the author of the profit optimization program which I’m really excited to learn about. And Joe, I just want to thank you for taking a few minutes out of what I’m sure is a very busy day to spend a few minutes with us talking about this new program and the book you’ve written. Stuart Webb [00:01:00]: Oh, thank you for having me, Stuart. It is a pleasure to be here today. Stuart Webb [00:01:04]: Terrific. Now listen, let’s start why. So who is it that this book is written for? Who is it, if you like the person you’re trying to help by giving them access to the profit optimization program? Stuart Webb [00:01:17]: A great question. The profit optimization program was set up to service the small to medium sized business owners. That’s pretty much everyone everywhere who’s working exceptionally hard, trying to do their best that they can. But the revenue and the profits are just not connecting. We’re just doing more work, but we’re just not seeing the bottom line. We’re not really seeing what we could, how best we can be. And so what I’ve done is over the years I collected all the information from different business owners that asked me questions over and over. How do I get the revenue to actually create more profit? Because sometimes we put in more business, we create more business, but we never get to the very end. Stuart Webb [00:02:06]: Right. The profit doesn’t translate just the same way. And that’s where the profit optimization program was born, which is the collection of all these business owners. Over the years. In my experience as a business owner, I’ve had the opportunity to purchase businesses, to merge them. I have also to sell, so, you know, have sold them. So that’s given me a lot of experience to share. Stuart Webb [00:02:28]: And, and Joe, I mean you’ve obviously been through this, this program yourself, but what have you found when you’ve been talking to these people? What have they been trying to do to, to help themselves from, you know, the situation where the, the profits are somehow not quite adding up. What, what do you see as some of the common things they try to do, which, which are not, which are not effectively helping them? Stuart Webb [00:02:49]: Oh yes. So we see a few common things happen over and over. The first one I would say is in most business owners, what they do is when they look at their profit, it’s not matching the revenue or it’s not translating to the profits. They’ll just say, well, let’s go ahead and just do more sales, let’s just increase the revenue side. Right. That’s the most common thing. I mean, it makes sense. I mean, that’s exactly what we would all do as business owners. Stuart Webb [00:03:14]: So let’s just go ahead and put more deals through the pipeline and to see if that translates into profit. The second thing that we often see common mistakes or things that are slowing them down that probably they can improve would be looking at their expenses and not slashing them all at once. Because what happens is they start going through the whole business, all of their expense list, and what they’ll do is start slashing everything without testing one thing or another and then impacting the business. The third thing that they do very often is just hand over the books to an accountant or a bookkeeper and not really learning their own numbers. And I’m guilty of that. As a business owner, I just want to do the sales. I want to get out there, I want to get involved, I want to grow, and I don’t want to see the numbers all the time. But if we don’t learn our own numbers, how do we know how to impact? How do we improve them, how to slash some of the expenses? So we have to learn those numbers. Stuart Webb [00:04:17]: And, you know, lastly, what they do is they try to do all of these things at one time versus trying one step at a time to see what works and what doesn’t work. Stuart Webb [00:04:29]: Absolutely, absolutely. I’ve just put on the screen, you know, if anybody has questions or comments on what you’ve just said, I. I’d love to see them in the chat, because I know you and I will respond to that. And I’m sure there are people that have got questions about, you know, how do I best get these numbers and what do I understand by them? And I know exactly what you’re saying. Too many of us actually don’t want to have to look at numbers. We see that as a dull, boring, administrative job. But actually, it’s when you start to see those and you understand them that these optimizations become obvious, isn’t it? It’s the time when you suddenly recognize the, hey, if I actually sort of develop the area that, you know. And we often find that customers are the best sources of these things. Stuart Webb [00:05:15]: If I develop this, that would be a much more profitable area than just chasing the new customer and things like that. That’s the sort of insight you get by looking properly at what your numbers, what your CRM, things like that tell you. Stuart Webb [00:05:27]: Oh, absolutely. It’s the clarity to see where you are. That’s why I say often that at Globis are our company. What we do is we take a look at every step of the business and we break it apart in a very positive way. And we’re sort of the lens for the business. We close in or just maybe zoom out a little bit just to show them exactly what they have. Because most business owners, they have the right elements, they have the right tools. It’s just that they don’t really have the clarity to see which direction they should go where they should actually invest most of their time or money. Stuart Web

Who is Arup? Arup Biswas is a dynamic entrepreneur at the forefront of AI-driven marketing solutions. Recognizing that true innovation lies in customer outcomes, Arup has dedicated his career to making powerful marketing accessible for all. He identified three key audiences—marketing agencies, recruitment firms, and SME owners—who often found traditional radio advertising out of reach due to high costs and lack of expertise. With a passion for breaking down barriers, Arup’s work centers on helping these businesses connect with audiences more effectively, using cutting-edge technology to solve longstanding challenges and drive real, measurable success. Key Takeaways * Arup Biswas, founder of Klaxon AI, shared how AI can make radio and podcast advertising accessible, affordable, and targeted—even for small businesses. Breaking down barriers is reshaping who gets to be heard. * Removing technical barriers in media isn’t just about cost. Klaxon AI lets anyone create professional audio ads in minutes, not days, changing who gets to participate in the advertising landscape. * Culture shifts when technology puts power in new hands. DIY audio ads, as Arup describes, give small business owners a voice where only big brands used to play. That shapes narratives—and who gets to tell them. * Targeted messaging is more than a marketing tactic. Klaxon AI shows that when we speak directly to our audience, we foster deeper connections and more inclusive cultural conversations. * Audio advertising isn’t just for radio. Arup encourages using your audio ad everywhere—on your site, social, emails. Culture today is cross-media, and your voice can travel further than ever before. Don’t forget: If you want to connect, ask questions, or get notified about upcoming guests like Arup, 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 Arup Biswas, Stuart Webb Stuart Webb [00:00:00]: Hi there and welcome back to It’s Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I have in front of me my coffee mug. I hope Arup has his drink with him, whether or not it’s coffee or something else. But I’d love to welcome Arup as well. Arup is the founder of something called Claxon AI which I’m hoping we will learn more about in the next 15, 20 minutes. But from initial introduction I’ll say that Klaxon AI is one of those game changing type AI systems that really should be shaking up the podcast advertising, media advertising landscape, enabling us all to produce those really game changing ads cheaper, faster and with more specificity. Stuart Webb [00:01:14]: So Arup, welcome to It’s Not Rocket Science five questions over coffee. Arup Biswas [00:01:19]: Thank you, Stuart. I’m delighted to be here. Stuart Webb [00:01:22]: Terrific. Well, you know, let’s start with who the who the who. The ideal audience for Klaxon AI is what’s the sort of characteristics that anybody who’s listening to us at the moment might be thinking? Well, I wonder if this is for me. Arup Biswas [00:01:38]: Yeah, well, there are three key audiences for what we do. And I should say that actually, yes, we are an AI business, of course, but actually it’s all about the outcome for the customer. And the outcome for the customer is reaching people effectively in a powerful way. So our core market is marketing agencies are already working with clients, but offering traditional marketing methods, recruitment agencies who may be looking to recruit volume numbers of staff and owners of SMEs. So those business owners who are struggling hard to, to make their business business a success. But I’ve always thought that radio advertising in particular has been out of their reach because of lack of knowledge or price cost. Those kind of traditional factors have always been the issue. So that’s our traditional market, that’s our marketplace that we focus on and our solution is all about helping them overcome those issues. Arup Biswas [00:02:31]: And we provided a, created a solution which we think does all that. Stuart Webb [00:02:36]: And let’s just sort of understand that. I mean you talked about the fact that it’s a solution. So what are the sort of problems that you noticed that you were trying to solve with this? Obviously cost is one, but there must a bunch of other things that you’re looking at this solution in AI that will actually help solve. Arup Biswas [00:02:55]: Absolutely. And the biggest, one of the biggest issues other than price, price is always an issue for small business owners is knowledge and technical expertise. Stuart Webb [00:03:03]: Yeah. Arup Biswas [00:03:03]: Particularly when it comes to broadcast advertising, whether it’s TV or radio, people think, and traditionally this has been the case. So this is completely justified why people think this way. You need to go to a recording studio, you need a sound engineer, you need a voiceover artist, you need to create a script. And traditionally the cost of creating an audio advert has been thousands and thousands of pounds. Typically a recording studio can be upwards of £300 an hour to just hire the recording studio. So the costs are really high. But also the technical expertise, you know, if you’re a business owner running whatever your business is, you know, how much do you actually know about creating a radio advert? You think you might have to outsource that, but it’s not typically something you think you can do yourself. So there were high barriers to entry to get into radio advertising and there traditionally always has been high barriers to entry. Arup Biswas [00:03:56]: So when we came up with the concept for doing this, and I should say myself and my co founder, we come from a media background, so we were very experienced in working with small business owners who were looking to promote their businesses in normal market ways, but struggled with things like broadcast advertising. So we came with it from a problem point of view of how do we make it easier for these business owners to get their message out via radio advertising and increasingly podcast advertising. So we know that we know the pain. We, you know, we see the pain every day. And historically the pain’s been there, been there. So what we’ve done is create a system which removes every, every barrier to entry. And I’ll, you know, we’ll talk a little bit more about what we offer, but essentially one of the services we offer is a self serve advert creation system where anybody can go in and create a professional audio advert with no technical expertise in less than five minutes. So that’s what we’ve tried to do, is remove barriers to entry. Stuart Webb [00:04:55]: So let’s, let’s just deal into that and I guess we’re going to get into some of the sort of the offerings and services that you’ve got. And I hope that there’s going to be a valuable offer, a piece of advice that you’d like to give to the audience. But let me just explore for a moment. I mean, how does this system work? What does the business owner do to, to solve the problem they’ve got? Having sort of looked at the cost of this and thought this is going to be too expensive for me to be able to sort of put a radio advert, a podcast advert, TV advert, whatever, out this might be a solution to it. What’s the steps that they take? What are the different services you Offer. Arup Biswas [00:05:33]: Yeah, well, the first thing to say is when we talk to business owners is to forget everything they know about creating ra