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Send us Fan Mail I used to work 12-hour days at the family bowling alley for a $20 note. Some days we only had three customers. Now we have $15,000 days. This is my story, and for the first time I'm not telling it alone. Alyce Swarts takes the host's chair to take me back through two decades in my family's businesses, from arcade machines to $800,000 of debt to rodeos and a new bowling alley, plus everything I've built on my own: a booked-out beauty salon, a course, business coaching, watch clients and this podcast. It's the highs, the lows and the lessons I'd want any founder to hear before they bet on themselves. We also talk about something I'm building now: the DELUSIONAL Founders Dinner Series. I know what it's like to have big ambitions and not always have people around you who understand them. These dinners are about bringing ambitious founders and business owners together for real conversations, new connections and a room full of people who are building something of their own. Want to be considered for an upcoming founders dinner? Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfC8Hb6yLQKYzrp5CTbs-pf7kBfY3GkSIEOIrC7aTcc6Pryhw/viewform We get into: → How our first two rodeos lost $80K and $60K, and how the later ones helped fund a new bowling alley → Why our venue now makes in one to two months what the old one made in a year → How Bruce the bull went viral after eight years of daily posting → The copywriting shift that had me booked out at 18 → Getting paid $1,000 instead of $150 for the exact same skill → What my watch clients taught me about who really has money → Why I master one missing skill every year, and how I made over $100K in my first year of business coaching at 18 → Why I'm creating the DELUSIONAL Founders Dinner Series and bringing ambitious business owners into the same room If you've ever played down your achievements, or felt like the only one in the room who's betting on yourself, this one's for you. And if you're looking for more people who understand what you're building, I'd love for you to apply to be considered for one of our founders dinners. Chapters: 00:00:00 Welcome, and why Alyce is hosting 00:03:00 Eight family businesses and $800K of debt 00:15:00 The visionary, the executor and the strategist 00:19:00 Bruce the bull: eight years before going viral 00:24:00 500K in 14 weeks at the new bowling alley 00:27:00 Burnout, and coming back to bowling 00:31:00 Booked out at 18 00:37:00 A cancelled degree and a course launch 00:41:00 Same skill, 10 times the price 00:50:00 Who really has money 01:02:00 Mastering one missing skill every year 01:10:00 DELUSIONAL Founders Dinner Series 01:17:00 My most delusional move 01:23:00 Give yourself a decade 01:29:00 Why Delusional, and why now Apply for the DELUSIONAL Founders Dinner Series: We're bringing ambitious founders and business owners together around the dinner table. If you'd like to be considered for an upcoming dinner, submit your application below. → https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfC8Hb6yLQKYzrp5CTbs-pf7kBfY3GkSIEOIrC7aTcc6Pryhw/viewform If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail Your mind only cares about keeping you safe. It doesn't care whether you're rich. So if you want a big life, you're going to have to work against your own wiring. Alyce Swarts is an entrepreneur, speaker and mentor who works with ambitious women and female founders on the internal side of business, the subconscious, nervous system, beliefs and identity behind the person executing the strategy.  She studied interior design architecture, landed her dream job at a prestige Perth building company, and quit a month later to start her own female wellness events brand. This conversation is about why strategy alone isn't enough, why you procrastinate, and what it actually takes to become the version of you who already has the business you want. WE GET INTO: → Why Alyce believes procrastination and self-sabotage are really you going against your identity → Her "two lists" method for big goals, so your brain sees proof it's working → Why your current reality is the result of who you were three months ago → The hourly alarm exercise that shows you what your mind is really thinking → How Sammy asked "how would a multi-seven-figure owner show up?" when relaunching the bowling alley → Why Alyce's first retreat sold out when she was told it was too risky → Emotional discipline: feel it, then come back to the business → Why she calls social media "service media" If you've done all the strategy and still feel stuck, this one is for you. Alyce is blunt, and that's exactly why it lands. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Cold open and welcome 00:01:00 Who Alyce is and the work she does 00:03:00 Quitting her dream job after a month 00:04:00 Starting Aligned Wellness 00:07:00 Why procrastination is an identity problem 00:10:00 Getting specific about the life you want 00:16:00 Give more than you take 00:19:00 Pay yourself and stack your wins 00:29:00 Two lists for big goals 00:31:00 The crumble before the quantum leap 00:34:00 Acting as the person who's already there 00:36:00 The hourly identity check 00:41:00 Emotional discipline in business 00:44:00 Slow mornings and gratitude 00:55:00 Your reality is your identity from three months ago 00:56:00 Selling out the first retreat 01:21:00 Assume it will land with the right people 01:23:00 Social media is service media Alyce Swarts: https://www.instagram.com/iamalyceswarts/ If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail Brand strategists slid into Cass Emmerson’s DMs to tell her it was impossible to build six brands in one room, in one day. She's now done it around eight times. Cass left a high-powered corporate career in her 40s to build a brand consultancy - and refused to wait three years to start travelling. I've known her for about six years and watched her build her business her own way, often against the advice of the coaches around her. This conversation is about what brand actually is (hint: it isn't your logo), why it should come before your offers, and how getting clear on what you value makes every business decision easier. WE GET INTO: → How Cass signed contracts before resigning so she started with 10K months already locked in → Her year-by-year plan: brand management, then consultancy, then one-to-many → Why she capped her business at 30 people — and how that gets her to 50K months → Her four pillars of brand: purpose, positioning, personality and picture → The client who discovered her $6,000 offer meant she only needed four clients a month — and closed everything else → Why your offers will change, but your brand shouldn't → The real difference between a refresh and a rebrand → Why she paid $1,200 for a venue when she was told to book a $500 one If you've ever felt like your business looks like everyone else's, or you're chasing a number that doesn't match the life you want, this one will make you rethink both. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Cold open 00:02:00 Welcome Cass, and building the parachute on the way down 00:04:00 Locking in 10K months before leaving corporate 00:07:00 The five-year plan: management, consultancy, one-to-many 00:08:00 Six brands in one day 00:12:00 Saying no to advice that doesn't fit your life 00:15:00 How much do you actually need to earn? 00:19:00 30 clients and 50K months 00:22:00 What most founders miss about brand 00:24:00 The four pillars of brand 00:27:00 Finding your point of difference 00:39:00 Start with your why 00:42:00 Brand or product first? 01:03:00 Refresh vs rebrand 01:06:00 Build for where you're going 01:15:00 Community and the offline trend 01:17:00 Permission to do it your way Cass Emmerson: https://emmersyn.com.au/about/ https://www.instagram.com/emmersyn_brandstrategy/ If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail What would make you sell your house and put the money into a business you weren’t even sure would work?  For Craig Joel, part of the answer was being naive enough not to fully understand how hard it was going to be.   Craig is the founder and CEO of Now Book It, but his story started long before software.  He bought his first restaurant at 24, learned some brutal lessons about tax, numbers and running a business, then spent years inside hospitality before spotting a problem restaurant owners kept complaining about. We talk about what happened when he put everything behind Now Book It, the moment COVID shut down virtually his entire customer base just as the company had finally become profitable, and how they went from signing roughly 150–160 restaurants a month pre-COVID to as many as 400–500 in some months afterwards.  Then we get into the part most founders barely think about until it’s happening: selling the business. We get into: → Why Craig believes hospitality, financial and marketing acumen are the three skills that can make or break a hospitality business → How listening to restaurant owners complaining about booking fees and losing control of their customer data became the opportunity behind Now Book It → The roughly $600,000 initial software build, why Craig sold his house to protect his equity, and why he says knowing what he knows now might have stopped him doing it → Going from finally reaching profitability to watching COVID shut down the restaurant industry, then building a takeaway solution in four days → How Now Book It jumped from around 150–160 new restaurants a month pre-COVID to 400–500 in some of its biggest months → Why AI makes software dramatically easier to build, but relationships, integrations, distribution and customer understanding create the real moat → What Craig learned selling Now Book It, including EBITDA, revenue multiples, earnouts and why you need to know your numbers before talking to a buyer → Why the highest offer isn’t necessarily the right exit when your team, your role and what happens to the business afterwards actually matter You can spend years obsessing over how to start and grow a business without ever thinking seriously about how you’ll eventually leave it. Craig has lived both sides, including what happens when the founder sells but isn’t actually ready to walk away. Chapters: 0:00 Meet Craig Joel, founder of Now Book It 1:00 Selling the house and going all in 3:00 Starting in hospitality at 16 6:00 Buying a restaurant at 24 10:00 The three types of acumen business owners need 14:00 Finding the problem that became Now Book It 17:00 Finally profitable… then COVID hit 22:00 Why human customer service still matters 23:00 The $600,000 build and bootstrapping Now Book It 28:00 AI has changed the cost of building software 33:00 The booking fee problem Craig wanted to fix 38:00 Pricing Now Book It and investing in AI 45:00 What breaks when a business scales 49:00 Selling the business without planning to sell 57:00 Valuations, EBITDA, multiples and preparing to exit 1:00:00 Why Craig stayed after selling 1:16:00 Craig’s advice for founders considering an exit If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail The difference between debt that grows your business and debt that quietly destroys it often comes down to one thing: whether you actually understand the numbers before you sign.  Cameron Tilley has been our finance broker for almost two decades, which means he’s had a front-row seat to some of the Kennedy family’s more delusional business decisions. He’s also seen businesses across countless industries borrow, expand, refinance, struggle and grow. We get into the side of business finance most owners only learn once it hurts: why profit doesn’t necessarily mean you have cash, how banks actually assess your business, when debt makes sense, what being overleveraged really looks like and why getting the right advice before you need money can completely change your options. We get into: → Why Cameron believes even a 10% profit margin can be cutting it skinny when things go wrong → How a business can report a $400,000 net profit and still end up bankrupt because of cash flow → The numbers behind our bowling alley, from almost running out of money during the fit-out to getting finance moving after just nine months of trading → Good debt vs bad debt, and why an income-producing asset is very different from buying something because you want it → How leverage changes across houses, commercial property, business assets and specialised assets like a bowling alley → Why going straight to your bank can limit your options, and Cameron’s explanation of what a finance broker actually does → The cash flow system we’re building around weekly breakevens, separate bank accounts, tax, buffers and seasonal revenue → Interest rates, refinancing, fixed vs variable debt and why flexibility can matter just as much as getting the lowest rate If you’re building something ambitious and debt is part of the plan, this conversation will make you think much harder about what you borrow, what you buy and whether your cash flow can actually carry it. Chapters: 0:00 Meet Cameron Tilley  3:00 The most “delusional” businesses Cameron has financed  5:00 Credit card surcharges and hidden business costs  8:00 How much financial buffer does a business need?  11:00 Building the right professional team around your business  15:00 Profit margins across different industries  20:00 What a finance broker actually does  23:00 When should a business refinance its debt?  26:00 Why profit and cash flow are not the same thing  32:00 Arcade or hospitality venue? Our real expansion dilemma  34:00 How to know when you’re overleveraged  36:00 Good debt vs bad debt  41:00 How banks assess business owners and ABN history  44:00 Finance broker vs going straight to the bank  47:00 Building a better cash flow system  53:00 Using seasonality to plan your marketing and revenue  56:00 What interest rate rises mean for small businesses  59:00 Fixed vs variable debt when you’re still growing  1:01:00 Restructuring, tax changes and protecting your exit  1:08:00 Submarines, planes and Cameron’s strangest finance requests Got a question about your own business right now? Drop it in the comments, I read every single one. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail What actually keeps a business alive when customers are more cautious, cash flow is tighter, and “average” no longer cuts it? The answer isn’t simply more sales.  Five years ago, getting people to spend was easier. In 2026, customers are researching more, comparing harder and asking whether what you sell is genuinely worth their money. In part two of this series, I’m breaking down what I believe business owners need to focus on now: protecting profit, building cash reserves, fixing unprofitable pricing, improving team productivity, controlling debt, sharpening your positioning and making it ridiculously easy for customers to buy. We get into: → Why knowing your weekly breakeven number changes the way you manage cash flow → The $10,000 cash buffer I struggled to build, and why automating savings finally made it happen → Why more sales can actually create more problems when your pricing isn’t profitable → What 50–60% staff capacity is telling you before you even think about hiring again → The danger of overleveraging, including $150,000 purchases that don’t have a clear path to ROI → Why lowering your prices when customers say “that’s expensive” can make the problem worse → How constant discounts train customers to wait instead of buy → Why “average” marketing, service and customer experience are becoming the danger zone in 2026 This is about building a business that can handle pressure without forcing you into reactive decisions, and becoming the business customers deliberately choose when they’re thinking harder about every dollar they spend. Chapters: 0:00 Why selling is harder in 2026: Part 2  1:45 Why profit has to come first  3:28 Work out your weekly breakeven  6:22 Building cash reserves before you feel ready  8:05 My $10,000 cash buffer  12:13 Reassessing pricing and operating costs  13:50 Fix productivity before hiring more staff  15:16 Turning fixed costs into variable costs  17:38 Debt, overleveraging and $150,000 purchases  20:03 Your brand needs a real point of difference  22:25 How consumer spending has changed since 2021  24:30 Why lowering your prices can backfire  26:12 Discounts can train customers not to buy  28:14 Why average is becoming the danger zone  29:21 Remove friction from the buying process  31:47 Give people something worth talking about If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail Business has never been easier to start. So why does it feel so much harder to actually sell? In part one of this two part series, I'm breaking down what's actually changed in the Australian economy over the past five years, and why so many businesses are getting caught out. I also get personal about my own family's history with debt, because I've lived through exactly the kind of over-leveraging I'm warning you about, twice. We get into:  → How the COVID savings boom created a false sense of security for businesses  → What happened to the household savings rate, and why it matters for you  → Australia's debt problem, and what it actually means for small business owners  → The real case study of Stax, and how a $30 million business ended up $23.7 million in debt  → My own family's story, from a $800,000 failed business to $3 million in debt today  → Why Betts closed 20 stores after 134 years in business  → How consumer behaviour has fundamentally shifted, and what that means for your marketing If you've felt like the rules changed and nobody told you, this episode is that explanation. Chapters: 0:00 Cold open 1:07 Why business feels harder than five years ago 3:19 What I'm covering in this episode 4:12 The COVID savings boom explained 6:03 How the household savings rate collapsed 8:00 Australia's $1 trillion debt problem 10:07 What Commonwealth Bank's spending data shows 12:00 Why people are craving real connection again 13:38 How buyer psychology has changed 14:42 ANZ's new property price forecast 15:15 A real decision we made about our own debt 18:38 The Stax case study begins 20:34 No one cares about your struggle 21:25 My dad's $800K mistake 25:41 We could never afford school shoes 27:44 Why I'm telling you all this 28:00 The Betts collapse 33:00 A second family business, same mistake 36:17 What NAB's survey says about buyers now 40:00 What's coming in part two Got a question about your own business right now? Drop it in the comments, I read every single one. Sources: → ABS, Household Saving Ratio: abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-national-income-expenditure-and-product/latest-release → ABC News, Australia's $1 Trillion Debt: abc.net.au/news/2026-08-21/analysis-national-debt-hits-one-trillion-but-its-nothing/107058026 → CommBank, Household Spending Insights: commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom → ANZ Research, Property Price Forecast: smartpropertyinvestment.com.au/investor-strategy/28035-capital-city-house-prices-tipped-to-fall-10-as-downturn-deepens → Stax Liquidator's Report: news.com.au/finance/business/retail/collapsed-aussie-activewear-brand-stax-owing-17m-to-nearly-13000-shoppers-as-documents-reveal-full-scale-of-debt/news-story/46fe4723596cb0948c213974adbac481 → Betts Voluntary Administration: smartcompany.com.au/retail/shoe-retailer-betts-close-20-stores-voluntary-administration → NAB, Consumer Sentiment Survey Q1 2026: nab.com.au/news/economy-markets/nab-consumer-sentiment-survey-q1-2026-cost-pressures-peak-as-consumers-switch If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail 90% of podcasts fail by the third episode. Before you buy a single piece of equipment, watch this. In this solo episode, I'm breaking down everything I've learned after two plus years of podcasting, what it actually costs, what the real ROI timeline looks like, and the mistakes I made that you don't have to. We get into:  → Why most podcasts don't even make it past episode three  → How to actually structure your show before you record a single word  → The real ROI timeline, and why podcasting is more like investing than marketing  → DIY versus hiring a premium agency, and how to know which one is right for you  → What my $30,000 studio fit out actually taught me  → Why the show is called Delusional, and what that means for founders  → How a podcast quietly turns into high-ticket clients and rooms you couldn't buy your way into If you're even a little bit considering starting a podcast for your business, watch this before you spend a single dollar. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to Delusional 1:07 Why 90% of podcasts fail by episode three 2:45 How to research and structure your own show 4:12 Who is actually listening, and when 8:38 Why the show is called Delusional 9:40 Building a community, not just an audience 15:15 The ROI timeline nobody tells you about 16:03 DIY vs hiring a premium agency 16:48 Why I didn't believe in myself starting out 21:39 The real cost of a full studio fit out 22:37 How a podcast turns into high-ticket clients 26:17 Industry association: the thing you can't buy 27:44 Final thoughts before you hit record Got a question about starting your own podcast?  Drop it in the comments, I read every single one. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail I came into this episode a bit sceptical about influencers, and I walked out completely rethinking how I see them. This week I'm sitting down with Bree Connor, founder of Now Socials Co, model turned PR and influencer marketing powerhouse, to talk about how brands actually earn their place as industry leaders. Bree sold her car to go on a modelling trip she couldn't really afford, and within 24 hours of getting home she had three clients and the beginning of an agency. We also get into the parts of her story that never make the highlight reel, including what it was like wearing a wig through high school and how that experience quietly shaped the way she shows up now. → Why your social media is your business resume, whether you like it or not → The real reason influencers matter (hint: it's not about who buys from them) → How to pick the right influencer so it doesn't blow up in your face → What it actually costs to run a PR event that gets results → How one event pulled in $21,000 in a single day for one of my own clients → Why personal brand, UGC and influencer marketing all feed into each other → Handling public criticism as your business grows → Building a business and a family without losing yourself in either CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold Open 1:04 Welcome & Meet Bree Connor 4:45 She Sold Her Car for a Trip That Changed Her Life 10:00 The Wig, the Bullying and Building Self-Worth 14:00 Handling Online Negativity as You Grow 18:00 Leaving Her Job to Go All In 26:00 Redefining Success, Marriage and the Family Question 42:00 How Brands Actually Become Industry Leaders 45:00 Choosing Influencers Who Actually Move the Needle 55:00 Planning a PR Event That Actually Converts 1:09:00 Bree's Advice and Where to Find Her If you found value in this episode, drop a comment and let me know what stood out to you most, I read every single one. CONNECT WITH BREE CONNOR → Website: nowsocialsco.com → Instagram: @breeanneconnor → Instagram: Now Socials Co FOLLOW DELUSIONAL → Instagram: @sammykennedyofficial Chapter timestamps are estimated from the raw transcript's minute markers, worth checking against the locked edit before publishing. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered why a $1,500 a month agency can end up costing you more than a $5,000 one? In this episode I sit down with Nina Youé, founder of social media agency Flicker, to pull apart everything nobody tells you about hiring for your marketing. → Why chasing ads before you've nailed your brand is setting your money on fire  → The real difference between a $1,500 retainer and a $5,000+ one (and why the cheapest agency "doesn't have staff")  → How one Instagram follower turned into $1,200 in revenue  → Top, middle and bottom of funnel content, explained simply  → Why Nina rebranded Flicker twice, and what finally made it stick  → The mindset shift from posting for likes to building a personal brand people actually trust Nina started with zero experience in the space and built Flicker from the ground up, and this conversation is proof that the messiest starting point can still lead somewhere incredible, if you're obsessed enough with getting it right. If you found value in this one, take a screenshot, share it to your stories and tag us both with your biggest takeaway. I'd love to know what landed for you. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail I met a woman who was born on a dirt floor in Peru and couldn't read until she was seven. Now she's a business coach, keynote speaker, author, and the person some of the most successful women I know call when their life looks perfect from the outside and feels completely empty on the inside. Marcia Colosi and I talk about the relationship stuff nobody wants to say out loud. Why busy is not a flex. Why over mothering your husband is a problem. Why the wrong partner can bankrupt you long before your bank account shows it. And why chasing a goal doesn't always feel the way you think it will once you get there. → Why "busy" is actually just time scarcity in disguise → What it really means to date yourself first → Why over mothering your husband is quietly wrecking your marriage → We don't attract what we want, we attract what we are → The subtle signs someone in your life is toxic for you → Why a man is not a financial plan (and neither is a woman) → The "time mates" concept, and why some people are only meant for a season → Why nobody is actually self made This one made me want to call my partner the second we stopped recording. Follow Marcia: @marciacolosi Podcast: The Marcia Colosi Show If this episode gave you something to think about, leave us a rating or a review, it genuinely helps more people find the show. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail He didn't pay himself for two years. He sold a house he didn't want to sell. His girlfriend covered rent, groceries, everything, while he worked night shifts in construction to keep his limoncello brand alive. Today, Solbevi is on Qantas flights, at the F1, and in over a thousand stores across Australia. Stefan Di Benedetto joins me to talk about what it actually took to get there, the years nobody saw, the near-collapse over a batch of 20,000 cans, and the one thing his girlfriend said that changed everything. This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.  → The two years he went without paying himself, and what it actually cost him and his girlfriend Amy  → The moment he got emotional talking about it on camera for the first time  → How a batch of 20,000 cans nearly sank the business before it even launched  → The story behind landing Solbevi on Qantas first class, and later at the Australian F1 Grand Prix  → Why he turned down early interest from a US sports team, and what he did instead  → His honest take on cash flow, retail contracts, and why alcohol might be the hardest industry to build in  → What's next for Solbevi, and the one buyer he's hoping eventually comes knocking  If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail I just ended the Beauty Industry Leaders Podcast. Not because I'm stopping. Because I finally stopped procrastinating on the rebrand I've been sitting on for months. In this episode I'm telling you exactly why I made the call, what niching down actually cost me even while it looked like it was working, and who this podcast is built for going forward: founders in the messy middle, past the launch, not yet at the level where every problem is a hundred million dollar problem. → Why the words "Beauty Industry Leaders" were closing doors instead of opening them  → What niching down cost me personally, and why I built resentment towards my own brand  → Why most business podcasts only feature founders who have already made it, and the gap that leaves for everyone else  → Who Delusional is actually for: founders scaling from half a million to their first two, five or ten million  → My own non-traditional path through beauty, hospitality, events, pageants, coaching and now podcasting  → Why obsession and sacrifice are part of the deal if you actually want to build something  → The moment that changed how I think about legacy, impact and what actually matters  → Why building without systems means everything breaks the second you try to scale  → Why isolating yourself is the most common mistake founders make as the pressure increases If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail You blame the economy. You blame your competition. You blame your coaches, your clients, your suppliers, your staff. When you look at the one consistent factor across all of it, it's always the business owner. In this episode I walk you through the exact 10 problem framework I use to diagnose what's actually going wrong in a beauty business, the same process I use with my own clients, so you can stop guessing and start focusing on the one thing that will actually move the needle. → Why an inconsistent brand is quietly killing the trust you need before anyone will buy from you  → The free strategy for getting your content in front of people who don't already follow you  → Why volume in your marketing means nothing if it's not creating connection  → The gap between engagement and actual enquiries, and what it means if you're stuck there  → Why "it's too expensive" is almost never really about the money  → The two reasons clients don't rebook, and which one is costing you more  → How to be fully booked, six days a week, and still have nothing left over  → Why cash flow and pricing are two separate problems that get blamed on each other  → Why overwhelm in your business usually means a systems problem, not a hours problem  → The one question I watched every seven figure business owner in the room answer the same way If you've been blaming everyone and everything except yourself, this is the episode that changes that. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial

Send us Fan Mail You can be fully booked. Working six days a week. Getting new clients every week from your marketing. And still have nothing left in your bank account. That is not a revenue problem. That is a pricing problem. In this episode I am walking you through the exact step-by-step process inside the Profitable Pricing Calculator, the same tool I have used with over 400 business owners to help them stop running a business that looks successful on the outside while quietly falling apart behind the scenes. With the national minimum wage up 4.75%, Payday Super now live, and EFTPOS surcharge fees no longer passable to consumers from October 2026, your profit is already shrinking if your prices have not moved. → Why most beauty business owners are charging prices they have no idea are profitable or sustainable → The three ways to increase profit and why two of them will not work if pricing is broken from the start → How to calculate your exact breakeven cost per hour, per minute, and per service → The 80% capacity rule and why basing prices on full bookings sets you up to undercharge → How to work out real product costs service by service rather than relying on BDM estimates → What the calculator shows you that your accountant and bookkeeper will not walk you through → How to factor in GST, EFTPOS surcharge fees, and your tax bracket to see what you actually keep → Why 30% profit should be your floor and what to do if your services are nowhere close → The client who added over $100,000 in revenue in one year → The client who four X'd revenue and went from 5% profit to 32% → Why the businesses that do not fix their pricing now probably will not be here in twelve months If you have been avoiding your numbers out of fear or shame, this is the episode that changes that. If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: → https://www.instagram.com/delusionalwithsammykennedy/ → https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial