Simon Batchelar

This episode of the podcast is another window into our community where you get to know our members and what they do.Today I’m talking to Simon Batchelar, cofounder of Pallant Digital and the Marketing Success Club. He shares his journey from running a digital marketing agency for large clients to now offering courses and coaching to founder run businesses that he believes can make a difference.Simon has a need for adventure and impact and believes that change happens from the bottom up. He wants to help amplify the voices of small business doing good things so they can all make a big impact.During our conversation he shares some of his ideas about what it means to do marketing well and how to build a trusting relationship with your customers.He’s fighting the get rich quick marketeers out there by helping more people market themselves more authentically and sustainably.You can find out more about Simon's agency work here - https://pallant.digital/.You can also learn about the Marketing Success Club and take their free courses here - https://marketingsuccess.club/Check out his YouTube channel with fellow marketeer Adam Bastock - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCusIq1ZLn8kqgGZx4iN71GQ

This episode of the podcast is another window into our community where you get to know our members and what they do. Today I’m talking to Simon Batchelar, cofounder of Pallant Digital and the Marketing Success Club. He shares his journey from running a digital marketing agency for large clients to now offering courses and coaching to founder run businesses that he believes can make a difference. Simon has a need for adventure and impact and believes that change happens from the bottom up. He wants to help amplify the voices of small business doing good things so they can all make a big impact. During our conversation he shares some of his ideas about what it means to do marketing well and how to build a trusting relationship with your customers. He’s fighting the get rich quick marketeers out there by helping more people market themselves more authentically and sustainably. You can find out more about Simon's agency work here - https://pallant.digital/. You can also learn about the Marketing Success Club and take their free courses here - https://marketingsuccess.club/ Check out his YouTube channel with fellow marketeer Adam Bastock - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCusIq1ZLn8kqgGZx4iN71GQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCusIq1ZLn8kqgGZx4iN71GQ</a>

Happy Startup Member Spotlight - Simon Batchelar, cofounder of the Marketing Success Club

Will and Joel are friends from university who went into business together. They put all their enthusiasm and energy into it and it grew. They worked hard and they got their rewards.However, at some point it stopped working so well.It went from simple to complex.It went from being exciting and rewarding to just feeling like a job.The spark had gone and they weren’t sure why. They’d focused their attention on trying to make the business work well again but had forgotten to also focus on their friendship.In this episode of the podcast we hear about how improving the communication between founders is more important than trying to improve the business. Particularly if before they were founders they were friends.Will and Joel honestly share the story of their business and their relationship as cofounders. They valued their friendship more than anything else but in creating a false harmony they were doing more harm than good.They’ve both been on a journey of learning not only about business but also about themselves and each other. By discovering what each of them really wanted they were more able to decide where the business needed to go and how it needed to grow.This isn’t just a story of business growth but also founder growth.Will and Joel, because of their friendship, found the courage to be truly vulnerable with each other and through that become stronger together.They reignited their passion for the business by discovering what they needed personally and then exploring how the business could meet those needs.

Will and Joel are friends from university who went into business together. They put all their enthusiasm and energy into it and it grew. They worked hard and they got their rewards. However, at some point it stopped working so well. It went from simple to complex. It went from being exciting and rewarding to just feeling like a job. The spark had gone and they weren’t sure why. They’d focused their attention on trying to make the business work well again but had forgotten to also focus on their friendship. In this episode of the podcast we hear about how improving the communication between founders is more important than trying to improve the business. Particularly if before they were founders they were friends. Will and Joel honestly share the story of their business and their relationship as cofounders. They valued their friendship more than anything else but in creating a false harmony they were doing more harm than good. They’ve both been on a journey of learning not only about business but also about themselves and each other. By discovering what each of them really wanted they were more able to decide where the business needed to go and how it needed to grow. This isn’t just a story of business growth but also founder growth. Will and Joel, because of their friendship, found the courage to be truly vulnerable with each other and through that become stronger together. They reignited their passion for the business by discovering what they needed personally and then exploring how the business could meet those needs.

How false harmony can damage your business and your friendship with Will and Joel

This episode of the podcast is another recording from our weekly Friday Fireside show. It was recorded on October 2nd and features our good friend Kees Klomp, whom we lovingly think of as the buddhist businessman.Kees is now Professor of Applied Science at Rotterdam University and founding partner of Thrive Institute a think tank looking to reinvent business and society.According to him the business of business is to serve life. That’s its purpose because without life there is no business.During this conversation he shares some challenging ideas about where the current economic system is taking us and what he believes needs to change in order for business to be truly purposeful.We talk about how pain and purpose are intrinsically linked and we also discuss the difference between meaning and purpose.We live in an age where the majority of people feel disengaged from their work and where the businesses they work for are having an adverse affect on our climate and environment. Kees says these are symptoms of a broken system; that system being capitalism.However, he says that it’s impossible to change this system unless we tackle the stories and beliefs that hold it up.And so its up to all of us to reeducate ourselves into a new way of living that’s based on interconnectedness rather than individualism - my wellbeing is your wellbeing and is the planet’s wellbeing.I recommend you get yourself and nice hot drink and find a comfortable place to sit in order to listen to this episode because if you’re like me your mind will be blown.

This episode of the podcast is another recording from our weekly Friday Fireside show. It was recorded on October 2nd and features our good friend Kees Klomp, whom we lovingly think of as the buddhist businessman. Kees is now Professor of Applied Science at Rotterdam University and founding partner of Thrive Institute a think tank looking to reinvent business and society. According to him the business of business is to serve life. That’s its purpose because without life there is no business. During this conversation he shares some challenging ideas about where the current economic system is taking us and what he believes needs to change in order for business to be truly purposeful. We talk about how pain and purpose are intrinsically linked and we also discuss the difference between meaning and purpose. We live in an age where the majority of people feel disengaged from their work and where the businesses they work for are having an adverse affect on our climate and environment. Kees says these are symptoms of a broken system; that system being capitalism. However, he says that it’s impossible to change this system unless we tackle the stories and beliefs that hold it up. And so its up to all of us to reeducate ourselves into a new way of living that’s based on interconnectedness rather than individualism - my wellbeing is your wellbeing and is the planet’s wellbeing. I recommend you get yourself and nice hot drink and find a comfortable place to sit in order to listen to this episode because if you’re like me your mind will be blown.

Stop doing business start being human with Kees Klomp

Remeny Armitage

In this episode of the podcast we shine a light on one of our members, share their work and find out what it’s been like to be part of the Happy Startup School. If you’re launching a business for the first time and are looking for support and guidance during those initial uncertain months then check out our community at http://happystartups.co. We provide mentorship, masterclasses, training and networking to help you build your confidence and your business. Remeny Armitage’s superpower is making friends. She’s turned that superpower into a business and now helps other businesses grow by turning their existing clients into happy and loyal advocates. She knows that if you serve your clients better your profits increase. She started her journey of entrepreneurship over three years ago and during this conversation she shares how she’s grown in confidence and got more clarity about the value she offers. Through the community she’s become more focused and has been “building a fortress around her of really good people”. That’s enabled her to be more bold about her business. She does her work because it makes her happy and others happy. We’re thankful and proud to have her part of our tribe! Are you scared to talk to your clients? Get Remeny to do it. It may be the best thing you ever do.

In this episode of the podcast we shine a light on one of our members, share their work and find out what it’s been like to be part of the Happy Startup School. If you’re launching a business for the first time and are looking for support and guidance during those initial uncertain months then check out our community at <a href="http://happystartups.co" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://happystartups.co</a>. We provide mentorship, masterclasses, training and networking to help you build your confidence and your business. Remeny Armitage’s superpower is making friends. She’s turned that superpower into a business and now helps other businesses grow by turning their existing clients into happy and loyal advocates. She knows that if you serve your clients better your profits increase. She started her journey of entrepreneurship over three years ago and during this conversation she shares how she’s grown in confidence and got more clarity about the value she offers. Through the community she’s become more focused and has been “building a fortress around her of really good people”. That’s enabled her to be more bold about her business. She does her work because it makes her happy and others happy. We’re thankful and proud to have her part of our tribe! Are you scared to talk to your clients? Get Remeny to do it. It may be the best thing you ever do.

Happy Startup Member Spotlight - Remeny Armitage, cofounder of Brilliant and Human

Haje Kamps

If you ever find yourself pitching to a VC or for any kind of funding it’s important to know how to tell a compelling story.When it comes to pitching VC’s Haje Kamps, pitch coach, author of Pitch Perfect and CEO of Konf (a virtual conferencing platform), says the three elements you need to remember are: define the problem; say why you’ve got the perfect team; and demonstrate how you’ve got some traction in the market.In this recording of our Friday Fireside Haje shares some of his views on storytelling, startup life (particularly when it comes with dealing with venture capital) and why he believes it’s important in business to not only tell compelling stories but also authentic ones.Other things we touch on are the importance of building strong brands; being intrinsically motivated and the general irrational behaviour of people.

If you ever find yourself pitching to a VC or for any kind of funding it’s important to know how to tell a compelling story. When it comes to pitching VC’s Haje Kamps, pitch coach, author of Pitch Perfect and CEO of Konf (a virtual conferencing platform), says the three elements you need to remember are: define the problem; say why you’ve got the perfect team; and demonstrate how you’ve got some traction in the market. In this recording of our Friday Fireside Haje shares some of his views on storytelling, startup life (particularly when it comes with dealing with venture capital) and why he believes it’s important in business to not only tell compelling stories but also authentic ones. Other things we touch on are the importance of building strong brands; being intrinsically motivated and the general irrational behaviour of people.

Storytelling to supercharge your startup pitch with Haje Kamps

This episode of the podcast is another recording from our live Friday Fireside webinar. On this week’s show, we were joined by Eleanor Tweddell.Eleanor is the founder of Another Door, a community that supports people through redundancy, and author of the book “Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you”.During our conversation, we hear about Eleanor’s journey from a corporate employee to entrepreneur and the hurdles she’s had to overcome along the way.She shares her thoughts on the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, playing with ideas and surrounding yourself with inspiring down-to-earth people.

This episode of the podcast is another recording from our live Friday Fireside webinar. On this week’s show, we were joined by Eleanor Tweddell. Eleanor is the founder of Another Door, a community that supports people through redundancy, and author of the book “Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you”. During our conversation, we hear about Eleanor’s journey from a corporate employee to entrepreneur and the hurdles she’s had to overcome along the way. She shares her thoughts on the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, playing with ideas and surrounding yourself with inspiring down-to-earth people.

Reimagining and reinventing yourself with Eleanor Tweddell

Will Lyth

Working for yourself for the first time can seem like a scary step. You go from the safety of a regular pay check to the uncertainty of not knowing where the next job might come from.But some us aren’t built for the 9 to 5 and we crave the autonomy and freedom of being our own boss and so we accept the uncertainty and take control of how we work.In this conversation with freelance copywriter William Lyth I hear about his journey from employee to self-employed. He shares that while switching profession and learning a whole new skillset was a risk it was a bigger risk to stay where he was.Originally a developer Will changed direction and found work that gave him flow. He followed the path of becoming a copywriter and along the journey has learned as much about himself as he has about how his new profession.Some of the things he’s learned he put into blog post called “10 pitfalls to avoid as a first time freelancer”. That’s when I reached out to him and asked if he’d join me on the podcast so that we could share his 10 bits of wisdom with you.

Working for yourself for the first time can seem like a scary step. You go from the safety of a regular pay check to the uncertainty of not knowing where the next job might come from. But some us aren’t built for the 9 to 5 and we crave the autonomy and freedom of being our own boss and so we accept the uncertainty and take control of how we work. In this conversation with freelance copywriter William Lyth I hear about his journey from employee to self-employed. He shares that while switching profession and learning a whole new skillset was a risk it was a bigger risk to stay where he was. Originally a developer Will changed direction and found work that gave him flow. He followed the path of becoming a copywriter and along the journey has learned as much about himself as he has about how his new profession. Some of the things he’s learned he put into blog post called “10 pitfalls to avoid as a first time freelancer”. That’s when I reached out to him and asked if he’d join me on the podcast so that we could share his 10 bits of wisdom with you.

10 pitfalls to avoid as a first-time freelancer with Will Lyth

Veronica Fossa

When setting out on the journey of building a totally new business it’s important to focus on making progress rather than seeking perfection. You’re a pioneer doing something that hasn’t been done before and so there’s no set template for success. You’re on a voyage of discovery that can take you down many dead ends.Luckily we have tools to help us explore what works such as design thinking, customer development and the Lean Startup. These tools help us discover the problems worth solving and iterate towards the best solutions.However, while it’s important to find problem/solution fit and then product/market fit we also need to keep an eye on product/founder fit. As our business ideas evolve we, as founders, also evolve along the way. As we discover what the market wants we also discover what we want (and don’t want) which is also foundational to the success and sustainability of the businesses we create.If we don’t be build a business that aligns with our own personal needs we can end up following a path based on other people’s definitions of success. We then run risk of building a successful business that makes us feel tired, trapped and tense. The opposite of being a Happy Entrepreneur.In this episode of the podcast I talk to Veronica Fossa, founder of WeFactory. She shares the story of her 6 year journey of building her business and why closing it this year made perfect sense for her.If you’re a business owner struggling with meeting the expectations of what a successful business should be then I hope this story will give you the courage and inspiration to rethink the direction you’re going in.

When setting out on the journey of building a totally new business it’s important to focus on making progress rather than seeking perfection. You’re a pioneer doing something that hasn’t been done before and so there’s no set template for success. You’re on a voyage of discovery that can take you down many dead ends. Luckily we have tools to help us explore what works such as design thinking, customer development and the Lean Startup. These tools help us discover the problems worth solving and iterate towards the best solutions. However, while it’s important to find problem/solution fit and then product/market fit we also need to keep an eye on product/founder fit. As our business ideas evolve we, as founders, also evolve along the way. As we discover what the market wants we also discover what we want (and don’t want) which is also foundational to the success and sustainability of the businesses we create. If we don’t be build a business that aligns with our own personal needs we can end up following a path based on other people’s definitions of success. We then run risk of building a successful business that makes us feel tired, trapped and tense. The opposite of being a Happy Entrepreneur. In this episode of the podcast I talk to Veronica Fossa, founder of WeFactory. She shares the story of her 6 year journey of building her business and why closing it this year made perfect sense for her. If you’re a business owner struggling with meeting the expectations of what a successful business should be then I hope this story will give you the courage and inspiration to rethink the direction you’re going in.

Progress not perfection with Veronica Fossa

Lumina Spark

Beccie D'Cunha

Recently I caught up with Beccie d’Cunha, founder of Courage Lab, a consultancy that helps founders and organisations build more resilient and higher performing teams. She shared with me a tool that she uses a lot in her work called Lumina Spark. It’s a psychometric profiling tool that measures the level to which we exhibit different personality traits.I’m always curious about new tools that help us unpick the spaghetti of thoughts and emotions that make up who we are. Knowing more about ourselves can help us design the right businesses for us. It’s hard to define what success means for you if you don’t know who you are.Building a Happy Startup isn’t just about making money while creating a positive impact in the world. It’s also about going on a journey of self-discovery. Discovering our limiting beliefs and being aware of our unconscious biases can help us become more intentional and powerful in business. It allows us to act despite our fears and make big decisions even though we don’t have all the information.During this episode Beccie tells me more about Lumina Spark and how it works. We also discuss our own individual Lumina Portraits (these are the psychometric reports created by the tool) and what we learned from them.If you’d like to learn a little bit more about Lumina and how it could help you then listen on.To find out more about Beccie's work and how she could help you develop your own Lumina Portrait check out here website - https://www.couragelab.co/

Recently I caught up with Beccie d’Cunha, founder of Courage Lab, a consultancy that helps founders and organisations build more resilient and higher performing teams. She shared with me a tool that she uses a lot in her work called Lumina Spark. It’s a psychometric profiling tool that measures the level to which we exhibit different personality traits. I’m always curious about new tools that help us unpick the spaghetti of thoughts and emotions that make up who we are. Knowing more about ourselves can help us design the right businesses for us. It’s hard to define what success means for you if you don’t know who you are. Building a Happy Startup isn’t just about making money while creating a positive impact in the world. It’s also about going on a journey of self-discovery. Discovering our limiting beliefs and being aware of our unconscious biases can help us become more intentional and powerful in business. It allows us to act despite our fears and make big decisions even though we don’t have all the information. During this episode Beccie tells me more about Lumina Spark and how it works. We also discuss our own individual Lumina Portraits (these are the psychometric reports created by the tool) and what we learned from them. If you’d like to learn a little bit more about Lumina and how it could help you then listen on. To find out more about Beccie's work and how she could help you develop your own Lumina Portrait check out here website - <a href="https://www.couragelab.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.couragelab.co/</a>

Understanding who we are using Lumina Spark with Beccie D'Cunha

Lyndsay Lucero

This episode of the podcast is another window into the worlds of the people who join our Happy Startup tribe. This time I'm in conversation with Lyndsay Lucero, founder of Baxley Goods. She tells the story of how she started her business and why. Unlike other startup stories Baxley didn't begin because Lyndsay wanted to make money but because she wanted to make something for herself and her children.Baxley Goods currently creates beautifully designed and hard wearing bags that have little environmental impact and provide workers a living wage. Through the business Lyndsay is satisfying her need for creativity while also trying to preserve the planet for her children. At the moment she's designing bags but has ambitions to make other products too.During our conversation we touch on the power vulnerability, authentic storytelling for business and why it's so important to be able to admit that you don't know and ask for help.Lyndsay ends with some questions for anyone who's looking to work on something more meaningful:What's your vision? What lights you up? What are you NOT good at? What assets are available to you? How does all this align? What's the bigger picture?

This episode of the podcast is another window into the worlds of the people who join our Happy Startup tribe. This time I'm in conversation with Lyndsay Lucero, founder of Baxley Goods. She tells the story of how she started her business and why. Unlike other startup stories Baxley didn't begin because Lyndsay wanted to make money but because she wanted to make something for herself and her children. Baxley Goods currently creates beautifully designed and hard wearing bags that have little environmental impact and provide workers a living wage. Through the business Lyndsay is satisfying her need for creativity while also trying to preserve the planet for her children. At the moment she's designing bags but has ambitions to make other products too. During our conversation we touch on the power vulnerability, authentic storytelling for business and why it's so important to be able to admit that you don't know and ask for help. Lyndsay ends with some questions for anyone who's looking to work on something more meaningful: What's your vision? What lights you up? What are you NOT good at? What assets are available to you? How does all this align? What's the bigger picture?

The power of admitting you don't know with Lyndsay Lucero

We’re helping a new breed of entrepreneur to realise their dreams. Startups that put people first and measure success in happiness, as well as profits. Expect conversations around purposeful entrepreneurship, the future of work and interviews with thought leaders.

The  Happy Startup School

Laurence and Carlos host this weekly webinar to help those following the Purpose + Profit program. They answer any questions about the challenges and explain how they link to each other to help participants build a picture of the business they want to create.

Purpose + Profit - Week 2 Webinar

With our Summercamp event rapidly approaching I thought it would be fitting to kick off the relaunch of our podcast with an interview with these two amazing people, Nathan and Ada, founders of Northern Flicker. Laurence and I met them both in Costa Rica when we were giving a talk at the Echo event. In this episode they talk about launching Northern Flicker and how stepping out of their comfort zones to pursue a more meaningful path has taken on a journey of discovering the world and themselves.

Serendipity and the healing power of music

What You’ve Missed This Week On The Community - 25th May 2018 by The  Happy Startup School

What You’ve Missed This Week On The Community - 25th May 2018

Every fortnight we host a group coaching call for members of our community. During this call we help each other tackle challenges in our business so that we can shortcut our learning and accelerate our progress.On this call we talk through one community member's value proposition statement and how it can be improved and refocused. We also discuss the website of another member and which imagery best communicates what her business does.If you're having trouble trying to communicate and sell the unique value of your business then you should listen to the call.

Every fortnight we host a group coaching call for members of our community. During this call we help each other tackle challenges in our business so that we can shortcut our learning and accelerate our progress. On this call we talk through one community member's value proposition statement and how it can be improved and refocused. We also discuss the website of another member and which imagery best communicates what her business does. If you're having trouble trying to communicate and sell the unique value of your business then you should listen to the call.

Group Coaching Call - 29th May 2018

Insider

Community member and one of Laurences coaching clients Hayli Chwang, co-founder of Dodo Labs in Berlin, will be crowdfunding for a pilot TV show for kids later this year (see trailer below) and has lots of questions on her mind. Chances are if you've considered crowdfunding yourself, you'll be in a similar boat.

The Insider's Guide to Crowdfunding

Every 2 weeks we host a call for our members so that they can connect, learn and get inspired. This is a space for sharing challenges, questions and plans and to get the feedback you need to find the answers you want.

Community Coaching Call - 10th July 2018

So this week I'm in Egypt and so apologies for the sound quality on the video. Deserts can get windy. I'm at Vested Summit, the world's first conscious tech summit and it's been a great experience. I've met some fascinating people from around the world working in the fields AI, peaceful tech, games design, blockchain and transformational entrepreneurship. While there is a lot of tech talk many of the conversations come back to thinking about people and how they're affected. I recorded this video 1 hour before my talk and so I was a little nervous about how the audience would recieve "Stop doing business and start being human".

What you've missed this week - 12th May 2018

Every week I share some of the highlights of what's been happening in the Happy Startup community to help members find the stories that are being told and the knowledge that's being shared.

In case you missed it, your community catchup - 29th June 2018

During this time when we're going to feel more apart this video call is our way of pulling us together.Laurence and I are committing to doing a live video call every Friday at midday UK time.We'll talk about what's been going on for us and invite community members to jump on the call and share their stories.We're working it out as we go along and so we need all the help and support we can get.

During this time when we're going to feel more apart this video call is our way of pulling us together. Laurence and I are committing to doing a live video call every Friday at midday UK time. We'll talk about what's been going on for us and invite community members to jump on the call and share their stories. We're working it out as we go along and so we need all the help and support we can get.

The Happy Entrepreneur Live - Ep 1 (the launch)

Every fortnight we host a live webinar for members of our community where we can connect, share challenges and help each other move our ideas forward. The intention is to create a safe space to talk about the real issues we're facing and learn from the experiences of our peers. This week we had a very intimate group where we talked about limiting beliefs, consciousness in entrepreneurship and working with a cofounder. Enjoy!

Group Coaching Call - 26th June 2018

Georgee Low is a sales and marketing coach from Vancouver and she helps purpose driven entrepreneurs build their businesses and make them profitable. She works with people who really want to make a difference in the world but struggle with marketing and sales.During this podcast we talk about what it takes to be authentic when selling as well as what it means to be an entrepreneur.Most people think that to sell well you need to be an extrovert and if you’re an introvert you’re going to suck at it. But Georgee believes that it doesn’t matter what your natural personality is. What’s important is whether you can listen and whether you care. Those are the qualities of great sales people.Be curious, ask questions and don’t take offence if they don’t want to work with you. It’s fine, it just means there’s someone else out there who’ll be a better fit for them and a better fit for you.I also talk to Georgee about her own entrepreneurial journey and what it means to her. According to her, making money is all well and good but if that’s all you’re here to do then you’re just taking up space.She became an entrepreneur because it was the only way she could get what she needed: to always be there for her children; to put a roof over their heads; and to make a difference in the world.She also says that being an entrepreneur is the best personal development program you could ever follow.

Georgee Low is a sales and marketing coach from Vancouver and she helps purpose driven entrepreneurs build their businesses and make them profitable. She works with people who really want to make a difference in the world but struggle with marketing and sales. During this podcast we talk about what it takes to be authentic when selling as well as what it means to be an entrepreneur. Most people think that to sell well you need to be an extrovert and if you’re an introvert you’re going to suck at it. But Georgee believes that it doesn’t matter what your natural personality is. What’s important is whether you can listen and whether you care. Those are the qualities of great sales people. Be curious, ask questions and don’t take offence if they don’t want to work with you. It’s fine, it just means there’s someone else out there who’ll be a better fit for them and a better fit for you. I also talk to Georgee about her own entrepreneurial journey and what it means to her. According to her, making money is all well and good but if that’s all you’re here to do then you’re just taking up space. She became an entrepreneur because it was the only way she could get what she needed: to always be there for her children; to put a roof over their heads; and to make a difference in the world. She also says that being an entrepreneur is the best personal development program you could ever follow.

Entrepreneurship is the best personal development journey with Georgee Low

This episode is the audio recording of the live webinar that Laurence and I have committed to broadcasting every Friday during the lockdown period in the UK.We were joined this time by one of the funniest and kindest people we know. His name is Shamash Alidina and is the author of Mindfulness for Dummies as well a being an ACT trainer and a keynote speaker on wellbeing and resilience.ACT, also known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or Training, was around before mindfulness became a thing. It’s a highly flexible evidence-based model that can be used by everyone from coaches and consultants to school teachers to therapists and doctors.At it’s core ACT is about feeling the feelings rather than pushing them away. As Shamash says during the webinar the more we try to push unpleasant feelings away the more they’ll grow. If we’re able to accept these feelings and give them space the less likely they’ll hijack our actions.Understanding how this works is essential for first time entrepreneurs. When you’re launching a business fear and self-criticism are your worst enemies. By applying some of the principles in ACT we believe you’ll be better equipped to deal with the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.I hope you enjoy this episode, particularly the little meditation Shamash shares towards the end.

This episode is the audio recording of the live webinar that Laurence and I have committed to broadcasting every Friday during the lockdown period in the UK. We were joined this time by one of the funniest and kindest people we know. His name is Shamash Alidina and is the author of Mindfulness for Dummies as well a being an ACT trainer and a keynote speaker on wellbeing and resilience. ACT, also known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or Training, was around before mindfulness became a thing. It’s a highly flexible evidence-based model that can be used by everyone from coaches and consultants to school teachers to therapists and doctors. At it’s core ACT is about feeling the feelings rather than pushing them away. As Shamash says during the webinar the more we try to push unpleasant feelings away the more they’ll grow. If we’re able to accept these feelings and give them space the less likely they’ll hijack our actions. Understanding how this works is essential for first time entrepreneurs. When you’re launching a business fear and self-criticism are your worst enemies. By applying some of the principles in ACT we believe you’ll be better equipped to deal with the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. I hope you enjoy this episode, particularly the little meditation Shamash shares towards the end.

Feel the fear and act with Shamash Alidina

Charles Davies

Every Friday Laurence and I have been hosting live discussions about what's been going on this week for us and our community.It’s our opportunity to process what's going on in the world right now and tackle some crunchy topics around life and business, and the overlap of the two.Each week we have a different theme and for this episode we were joined by the amazing Charles Davies, one of our teachers &amp; guides and also the founder of How to Be Clear. Charles has devoted most of his working life to trying to understand what clarity is and how it works.He joins us to talk about money and what it means to us. Not in terms of the mechanics of value exchange but about how our relationship and attitudes to it gives us insight into our inner world.During these uncertain times, our relationship to money is going to manifest itself more strongly in the way behave and the decisions we make. Learning more about how that works will help you make better decisions.

Every Friday Laurence and I have been hosting live discussions about what's been going on this week for us and our community. It’s our opportunity to process what's going on in the world right now and tackle some crunchy topics around life and business, and the overlap of the two. Each week we have a different theme and for this episode we were joined by the amazing Charles Davies, one of our teachers &amp; guides and also the founder of How to Be Clear. Charles has devoted most of his working life to trying to understand what clarity is and how it works. He joins us to talk about money and what it means to us. Not in terms of the mechanics of value exchange but about how our relationship and attitudes to it gives us insight into our inner world. During these uncertain times, our relationship to money is going to manifest itself more strongly in the way behave and the decisions we make. Learning more about how that works will help you make better decisions.

How to worry less about money with Charles Davies

Lana Jelenjev

This is the third in the series of weekly episodes of our live podcast with myself and Laurence reflecting on the past week and what's going on in theres uncertain times. The core message of this episode is around how we navigate our internal world to better navigate the external one. This week we're joined by Lana Jelenjev, a learning experience designer and community alchemist. We discuss the idea of recalibrating in this time of chaos and Lana shares her thoughts and ideas on chaos and the opportunities it offers. She talks to two aspects of chaos. The chaos we are experiencing ourselves and the chaos experienced by our clients. During the conversation we offer thoughts and ideas on how to deal with the internal chaos and also how to help others who find themselves in chaos too. To find out more about Lana go to her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanajelenjev/

This is the third in the series of weekly episodes of our live podcast with myself and Laurence reflecting on the past week and what's going on in theres uncertain times. The core message of this episode is around how we navigate our internal world to better navigate the external one. This week we're joined by Lana Jelenjev, a learning experience designer and community alchemist. We discuss the idea of recalibrating in this time of chaos and Lana shares her thoughts and ideas on chaos and the opportunities it offers. She talks to two aspects of chaos. The chaos we are experiencing ourselves and the chaos experienced by our clients. During the conversation we offer thoughts and ideas on how to deal with the internal chaos and also how to help others who find themselves in chaos too. To find out more about Lana go to her LinkedIn profile - <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanajelenjev/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanajelenjev/</a>

Recalibrating while in chaos with Lana Jelenjev

Dirk Bischof

I’ve learned from talking to coaches and business owners, and also reflecting on my own experiences, that the biggest obstacle to growing a business is the founder.Our beliefs and values, without proper examination, can stop us from making the best decisions for our businesses.In this conversation with Dirk Bischof I learn about how his passion for stories and his drive to understand himself have helped him grow as an entrepreneur.In particular I found fascinating the tension between his need for freedom and his need to create more impact.In order to grow his impact he needed to grow his team, but in order to work as an effective team he needed to create structure.But Dirk hated structure. He’d always run away from it. Sticking with that belief would have limited his ability to create more impact. However he discovered that structure can also create freedom.Through self-reflection and questioning we discover the beliefs that are getting in the way. By learning to accept and reframe them we avoid creating inner conflict that stops us from making the impact we want.For many entrepreneurs the idea of looking inwards sounds self indulgent and a waste of time.However, when things get really tough and you need to make some big decisions knowing more about yourself will help you overcome those challenges more effortlessly.

I’ve learned from talking to coaches and business owners, and also reflecting on my own experiences, that the biggest obstacle to growing a business is the founder. Our beliefs and values, without proper examination, can stop us from making the best decisions for our businesses. In this conversation with Dirk Bischof I learn about how his passion for stories and his drive to understand himself have helped him grow as an entrepreneur. In particular I found fascinating the tension between his need for freedom and his need to create more impact. In order to grow his impact he needed to grow his team, but in order to work as an effective team he needed to create structure. But Dirk hated structure. He’d always run away from it. Sticking with that belief would have limited his ability to create more impact. However he discovered that structure can also create freedom. Through self-reflection and questioning we discover the beliefs that are getting in the way. By learning to accept and reframe them we avoid creating inner conflict that stops us from making the impact we want. For many entrepreneurs the idea of looking inwards sounds self indulgent and a waste of time. However, when things get really tough and you need to make some big decisions knowing more about yourself will help you overcome those challenges more effortlessly.

Structure can set you free with Dirk Bischof

Matt Matheson

Podcasting and vlogging are great low cost ways to get your message out to the world. If you’re a purpose-driven entrepreneur being able to share your story and activate people who want to join your mission is fundamentally important. I think of the work of Marshal Ganz and particularly his principle of story of self, story of us and story of now. Check out Seth Godin’s take on this idea and how it’s important for marketeers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he1Vji1n8z0.Even though telling your story and talking in public is so powerful many of us don’t believe we can do it. We say “no-one wants to listen to me”. However, according to Matt Matheson this is just a story you tell yourself and once you know that story you can change it.This is why I was eager to talk to Matt. His mission in life is to help people find their voice and he does this by coaching people who want to do public speaking. During this conversation we talk about how he was called to do this work and how he helps people overcome the fear. He shares some fundamental principles to move past the fear and also what makes for a compelling talk.Two simple questions to ask yourself when you’re thinking about speaking in public are:What’s the feeling you want to give people? What do you want them to take way with them?If you’re considering talking in public for the first time or you’re wanting to become a better speaker then this episode is for you.

Podcasting and vlogging are great low cost ways to get your message out to the world. If you’re a purpose-driven entrepreneur being able to share your story and activate people who want to join your mission is fundamentally important. I think of the work of Marshal Ganz and particularly his principle of story of self, story of us and story of now. Check out Seth Godin’s take on this idea and how it’s important for marketeers - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he1Vji1n8z0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he1Vji1n8z0</a>. Even though telling your story and talking in public is so powerful many of us don’t believe we can do it. We say “no-one wants to listen to me”. However, according to Matt Matheson this is just a story you tell yourself and once you know that story you can change it. This is why I was eager to talk to Matt. His mission in life is to help people find their voice and he does this by coaching people who want to do public speaking. During this conversation we talk about how he was called to do this work and how he helps people overcome the fear. He shares some fundamental principles to move past the fear and also what makes for a compelling talk. Two simple questions to ask yourself when you’re thinking about speaking in public are: What’s the feeling you want to give people? What do you want them to take way with them? If you’re considering talking in public for the first time or you’re wanting to become a better speaker then this episode is for you.

Finding your voice with Matt Matheson

This is the last episode of 2019 and a bit of a milestone for me. The podcast started in February as a bit of an experiment and I'm proud to have now recorded 50 episodes.Recording and producing each episode has taken a lot of time and effort but at the beginning of the year I had set myself a one word intention of learning and this podcast has felt so aligned with that.When I first started I didn't know what I was doing. The first few episodes were very raw but the podcast evolved after each recording and over time I discovered the style and format that felt right. Also, sharing these stories with listeners has allowed me to exercise my own practice of listening. I've learned as much about myself as I have about my guests.I'd like to thank everyone who gave up their time to join me on the podcast and also to everyone who's taken the time to listen.On this 50th episode I'm joined by one of our good friends and an alumnus of our first ever Alptitude retreat, Haje Kamps. He's had an eclectic career taking on the roles of journalist, entrepreneur, author, podcaster, VP of a VC and pitch coach. He's also one of the most well-read and knowledgable people I've ever met with ideas and thoughts on just about every subject you can throw at him.Through my work with the Happy Startup School one of the most common questions we're asked is about getting funding. In this episode we talk about venture capital and what it does to founders. In the startup world VC backing is seen as a badge of honour but I've come to understand that it isn't for everyone.I learned from Haje that being backed by VC funding can be brutal. They'll support you with their time and money but only if they can make a massive return on their investment. If you don't look like you're going to go big then you might as well go home.Building the unicorn businesses that VCs are looking for can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams and a household name, but at what cost? While many entrepreneurs appear to be after the money and the status, what's really motivating them?During our conversation we talk about intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and the importance of self knowledge for entrepreneurs. Haje shares some of his own journey of self knowledge and we talk about the value of deep conversations and vulnerability.

This is the last episode of 2019 and a bit of a milestone for me. The podcast started in February as a bit of an experiment and I'm proud to have now recorded 50 episodes. Recording and producing each episode has taken a lot of time and effort but at the beginning of the year I had set myself a one word intention of learning and this podcast has felt so aligned with that. When I first started I didn't know what I was doing. The first few episodes were very raw but the podcast evolved after each recording and over time I discovered the style and format that felt right. Also, sharing these stories with listeners has allowed me to exercise my own practice of listening. I've learned as much about myself as I have about my guests. I'd like to thank everyone who gave up their time to join me on the podcast and also to everyone who's taken the time to listen. On this 50th episode I'm joined by one of our good friends and an alumnus of our first ever Alptitude retreat, Haje Kamps. He's had an eclectic career taking on the roles of journalist, entrepreneur, author, podcaster, VP of a VC and pitch coach. He's also one of the most well-read and knowledgable people I've ever met with ideas and thoughts on just about every subject you can throw at him. Through my work with the Happy Startup School one of the most common questions we're asked is about getting funding. In this episode we talk about venture capital and what it does to founders. In the startup world VC backing is seen as a badge of honour but I've come to understand that it isn't for everyone. I learned from Haje that being backed by VC funding can be brutal. They'll support you with their time and money but only if they can make a massive return on their investment. If you don't look like you're going to go big then you might as well go home. Building the unicorn businesses that VCs are looking for can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams and a household name, but at what cost? While many entrepreneurs appear to be after the money and the status, what's really motivating them? During our conversation we talk about intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and the importance of self knowledge for entrepreneurs. Haje shares some of his own journey of self knowledge and we talk about the value of deep conversations and vulnerability.

Venture capital and vulnerability with Haje Kamps

Ray Richards

This episode is a meaty one in which the conversation covers 10 year plans, cottage renovations, business goals, life goals, selling companies, self-awareness and leadership.My talking partner on the podcast is Ray Richards, founder of Do Something Different. He's fascinated by behavioural flexibility and is on a mission to make the world a better place by helping people make better behaviours. He's also an experienced entrepreneur who's sold two businesses and is now in the process of growing his third.Along the journey he's learned many things not only about business but about himself. He says he's "inherently lazy" but what he really means is that he doesn't want to spend all hours of the day on work, as he's got other things he wants to do. So what does that mean when it comes to leading a business? What makes a leader?When we think of great leaders we associate them with traits such as drive, charisma, resilience, clarity and clear communication.However, I believe that we can all lead in our own way. To do so we need to ask ourselves some probing questions. What are my personal (emotional) needs and where do they come from? What does my organisation, business or work need to be to address these needs?With that deeper understanding of ourselves we can develop a style of leadership that feels authentic and purposeful. We may not become the next Steve Jobs, but we'll build a business that does the job of making us happy.And that's what Ray wants. To do work and build a life that makes him happy. Listen on to hear his thoughts about leadership and how he needs to lead now.

This episode is a meaty one in which the conversation covers 10 year plans, cottage renovations, business goals, life goals, selling companies, self-awareness and leadership. My talking partner on the podcast is Ray Richards, founder of Do Something Different. He's fascinated by behavioural flexibility and is on a mission to make the world a better place by helping people make better behaviours. He's also an experienced entrepreneur who's sold two businesses and is now in the process of growing his third. Along the journey he's learned many things not only about business but about himself. He says he's "inherently lazy" but what he really means is that he doesn't want to spend all hours of the day on work, as he's got other things he wants to do. So what does that mean when it comes to leading a business? What makes a leader? When we think of great leaders we associate them with traits such as drive, charisma, resilience, clarity and clear communication. However, I believe that we can all lead in our own way. To do so we need to ask ourselves some probing questions. What are my personal (emotional) needs and where do they come from? What does my organisation, business or work need to be to address these needs? With that deeper understanding of ourselves we can develop a style of leadership that feels authentic and purposeful. We may not become the next Steve Jobs, but we'll build a business that does the job of making us happy. And that's what Ray wants. To do work and build a life that makes him happy. Listen on to hear his thoughts about leadership and how he needs to lead now.

Build a business and sell it... that's bollocks with Ray Richards

Rob Day

In this episode I talk to Rob Day about the traps and pitfalls of founding an agency business.When Laurence and I started our digital agency back in 2004 we didn’t have a business plan or exit strategy. We just enjoyed doing the work and wanted to continue doing it and get paid. We grew organically taking people on when we couldn’t handle the workload.Over time we got more work and therefore needed more staff which meant finding more work to keep the staff happy (and paid).We then did less of the work we enjoyed (i.e. designing and coding) and doing more of the work we didn’t enjoy, and had never been trained to do (i.e. management and sales).Without a clear vision for the business (and for ourselves) we spent more time in the doing and less time in the being. We felt that we needed to become a well respected agency doing innovative work but we didn’t know what that meant for us individually and also what it meant for the future.Who wants to think about exit strategy when you’re doing work you love?Who CAN think of exit strategy when you’re too busy trying to feed the beast?And why even think of an exit? If there’s a need to exit why did we start the business in the first place?If this story sounds familiar to you then you’ll relate to this episode of the podcast with Rob Day, cofounder of Liquid Light, a digital agency based in Brighton. Amongst other things he now coaches agency founders by sharing his knowledge and awareness of the hidden traps and pitfalls of founding a service based business.If you’re early in your journey then you’ll learn what to look out for as you grow your business. If you’re a seasoned agency founder you’ll probably nod your head in agreement and maybe be inspired to look at your work differently.

In this episode I talk to Rob Day about the traps and pitfalls of founding an agency business. When Laurence and I started our digital agency back in 2004 we didn’t have a business plan or exit strategy. We just enjoyed doing the work and wanted to continue doing it and get paid. We grew organically taking people on when we couldn’t handle the workload. Over time we got more work and therefore needed more staff which meant finding more work to keep the staff happy (and paid). We then did less of the work we enjoyed (i.e. designing and coding) and doing more of the work we didn’t enjoy, and had never been trained to do (i.e. management and sales). Without a clear vision for the business (and for ourselves) we spent more time in the doing and less time in the being. We felt that we needed to become a well respected agency doing innovative work but we didn’t know what that meant for us individually and also what it meant for the future. Who wants to think about exit strategy when you’re doing work you love? Who CAN think of exit strategy when you’re too busy trying to feed the beast? And why even think of an exit? If there’s a need to exit why did we start the business in the first place? If this story sounds familiar to you then you’ll relate to this episode of the podcast with Rob Day, cofounder of Liquid Light, a digital agency based in Brighton. Amongst other things he now coaches agency founders by sharing his knowledge and awareness of the hidden traps and pitfalls of founding a service based business. If you’re early in your journey then you’ll learn what to look out for as you grow your business. If you’re a seasoned agency founder you’ll probably nod your head in agreement and maybe be inspired to look at your work differently.

The hidden traps and pitfalls of founding an agency with Rob Day

Brendan Kearns

Brendan Kearns is a designer and founder of Studio Rival. For many people his career path is already a mark of success having worked at Twitter, Invision and Google. But like most creative entrepreneurs he has his own definition of success that isn’t driven by money or status.In this episode we talk about his time working for tech giants, his view on the role of designers and what it means to him to be an entrepreneur.Brendan is definitely values driven and you’ll hear about how he puts those values into action when choosing clients. He’s also pragmatic and looks at the bigger picture of what he’s trying to achieve rather than being too strict with his values. For instance, even if there isn’t an exact values match with the client, if the money is good enough he’ll see it as an opportunity to create change in the organisation and also fund other projects that he believes in.Like myself and Laurence, Brendan took an unorthodox route into his profession, studying at a business school before becoming a designer. This has meant he’s been able to look at things differently and not be conditioned by orthodox training. Rather than being T-shaped he aspires to be comb-shaped. This means, instead of being a specialist in one area he’d rather have a good knowledge of a broad set of disciplines.If you’re a creative professional looking to make the leap or you’re an early stage entrepreneur wanting to be assured you’re on the right path then this episode is for you.

Brendan Kearns is a designer and founder of Studio Rival. For many people his career path is already a mark of success having worked at Twitter, Invision and Google. But like most creative entrepreneurs he has his own definition of success that isn’t driven by money or status. In this episode we talk about his time working for tech giants, his view on the role of designers and what it means to him to be an entrepreneur. Brendan is definitely values driven and you’ll hear about how he puts those values into action when choosing clients. He’s also pragmatic and looks at the bigger picture of what he’s trying to achieve rather than being too strict with his values. For instance, even if there isn’t an exact values match with the client, if the money is good enough he’ll see it as an opportunity to create change in the organisation and also fund other projects that he believes in. Like myself and Laurence, Brendan took an unorthodox route into his profession, studying at a business school before becoming a designer. This has meant he’s been able to look at things differently and not be conditioned by orthodox training. Rather than being T-shaped he aspires to be comb-shaped. This means, instead of being a specialist in one area he’d rather have a good knowledge of a broad set of disciplines. If you’re a creative professional looking to make the leap or you’re an early stage entrepreneur wanting to be assured you’re on the right path then this episode is for you.

The path of a creative entrepreneur with Brendan Kearns

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