In 2008, Brett Vowles and Shelley Hedley became business partners with franchised retail stores in Sydney. They were shopping for roller skates and noticed a minimal number of stores that carried roller derby equipment, roller skates and inline skates in general. Always searching for new opportunities, the couple easily saw a hole in the market for roller skates. They took the leap, moved away from a franchise model and started their own brand that became a huge hit in the market. 

Learn more about their inspiring story of the Barrels & Business show — The Business of Skating and Connection with Shelley Hedley and Brett Vowles.

Key points

[00:02:49] Lean in and discover Shelley and Brett's origin story delving into the business that started when they saw the 'problem' of limited stores that had a good range of roller skates and provided expert opinions.

[00:10:39] Why understanding your customer and how you can increase the lifetime value is the secret sauce to success. "They come in to buy the kid's scooter, and later on, the whole family comes in to buy again from that one purchase."

[00:15:53]  How do you start? Find that niche market and communicate with them. Finding the niche needs to have a balance that it's not too small but also not too large. The brand needs to have a specific direction. The more specific you are, the clearer your brand becomes.   

[00:22:08] Understand the benefits and pitfalls of going with a franchise versus your own brand. Buying a franchise is easier, yet there are pros and cons on those fronts.

[00:37:30] Changes in technology and what you're able to do without having this physical presence in like 100 different shopping centres, you know, so that's where we had to learn to like, pivot and change quickly. 

[00:39:50] When COVID hit, they focused on the best performing shops. As leases ran out, it was a necessity to let shops close. "We put the focus on the website, and since, the website has grown at a crazy amount, and it's now one of our best performing shops."

[00:43:21] Creating the trend for rollerskating. Everyone was in lockdown, and as it is an individual sport, parents who used to do that 20 or 30 years ago got skates again, and their kids too, all of a sudden, you've got a big resurgence and roller skating. 

[00:57:38] For business partners that are also married couples, it is imperative to segment your time and put in a schedule so that you do have that one-on-one time with family and that time where you can spend on to the business. 

[01:05:00] Sell products that your people also love. "Going out on a skateboard, going for a ride or a scooter, these items make people feel happy. So it does definitely help to have products that people love. Most of our staff own most of the things that we sell, which definitely helps."

[01:11:03] Harness the brainpower, ideas and creativity of your team. Jade believes that this is something severely underutilized in a lot of small to medium businesses

About the Guests 

Shelley Hedley is a Canadian born entrepreneur and co-founder of Skate Connection and Coast Skateboards. With 12 years of experience owning retail spaces with a background in design and marketing, she moved to Australia after graduating with a Bachelor's of Human Ecology focusing on textile science and later completed a post-graduate in design. A mother of 2 sons + 1 stepson, Shelley is an ex-roller derby player and loves the balance between roller skating and yoga. 

Brett Vowles is a New Zealand born entrepreneur who moved to Australia in 2002. The co-founder of Skate Connection and Coast Skateboards, Brett has 16 years of experience owning retail spaces with a study background in accounting. He is a proud father of 3 and always chasing the kids on skateboards and scooters. 

Skate Connection was founded in 2013. Skate connection is a scooter/skateboard/roller skate store that provides friendly advice from industry experts. Their showrooms have provided fun wheel products from families to athletes who enjoy the surf/skate lifestyle. 

IG: @ skateconnection.com.au 
FB: https://www.facebook.com/skateconnectionau/

Tripadeal CEO Richard Johnston On Overcoming Pandemic Challenges

Two years of lockdowns and bans have turned the travel and tourism industry into one of the enormous casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, Tripadeal, co-founder Richard Johnston and I sit down for an insightful session sharing the success story of a company born out of an idea in Bali in 2010. His company captured the market of holiday-loving baby boomers. When a global emergency happens, Richard shares how wisdom and integrity are needed to ride out the continuing crisis management to choose to take care of their people and customers.

Key points covered in this episode: 

Key points

[00:02:41] The need to shift. Like everybody else, Richard shares how TRIPADEAL is now an outbound package holiday business that sells bucket list dreams at affordable prices. 

[00:04:32] How COVID's effect on travel was very much a supply crisis. This exceptional moment no one's ever seen before that literally stopped the world.

[00:11:36]  Richard describes the mental fortitude needed to handle the crisis when people were feeling responsible, freaked out, stressed out and didn't know what they had to do. 

[00:22:12] On strategies and tested measures. If you have one product that resonates with a certain number of people, be open to investing and doing a bit more as you test it out. Try again if you hit a dead-end. 

[00:22:58] Taking risks is a superpower. Richard shares this as the greatest element of his partnership with co-founder Norm. "We're both in for the risk. He was never trying to stop me, and I'm never trying to stop him. So we were encouraging each other to take more risks, and I think that was the superpower that we had that most people don't have.

[00:23:49] Risk appetite comes from the background of being a surfer. "You get excited by risk, the adventure and the unknown, not knowing what's ahead. So we've been almost designed, brought up growing up in Byron Bay with that mindset. I always want to go surfing and travel so that there's an element of risk just built into it, and you never know where your next meal was coming from. You're never really safe. So you don't sort of fear risk."

[00:28:17] Learning from business ideas that failed. "I think we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we'd been a few years earlier, we probably would have gotten the traction, and it did get a bit of momentum. But I think we can say that we missed the mark slightly."

[00:31:39] Simplify your approach to business. Many entrepreneurs need to learn from this rule. The more you simplify your offering, like how you should be able to see in Amazon in 10 seconds exactly what the offer is and make a compelling case for why you've got an excellent service or product that people want. If you can't do that, you've got a particular business that it's not going to work.

[00:34:01] When choosing print ads trumped advertising on Facebook. "Everybody thought print was dying. So we put ourselves in our customers' shoes, and as it turns out, the Baby Boomers who still read the papers are the most likely to want to buy a package holiday out beyond these bucket list destinations that we are sending them to. They had the most amount of time and money on their hands, and they could travel out of season."

[00:45:14] Sponsoring different football teams is a way to give back to the community and build credibility. "Remember being the kid and how much you appreciated the local businesses sponsoring a footy club."

[00:46:48] Accept that you lack understanding in many aspects of running your business. Richard shares, "Rather than pretend, admit completely that you can't do it all. If you have that awareness, you can mitigate that by hiring good people who can fill in those gaps."

[00:53:37] Valuing people. Richard shares how they fought to keep their people and managed to keep on full salary when not a great deal of travel was going on in the world.

[01:01:00] Preserve your brand. Cherish it and keep it optimum, polish it all day long and make sure everyone loves your brand. 

How your Mindset can Sabotage your Hiring 

If you are in Marvel Comics, how do you assemble your team of superheroes who you can trust with your life and will have your back? They will be running through a wall for you and will take on a common enemy, banding together and going to war with you? So you want to think about if you're going to create a team of heroes that have your back in your business, what can you do to bring them together and find them in the first place?

Key points covered in this episode: 
 

Key points

[00:02:07] Get to know Jade Green. Her expertise takes root from 13 years in headhunting and recruitment - from your mom and pop store to Google and every industry you could possibly imagine along the way. She shares what it takes to select the right people and what it takes to win them, and most importantly, what you need to do to set them up for success so that they can be a hero in your team. 

[00:03:53]Jade believes that "happiness is the greatest hack to productivity and profitability". So what we do is look at how we make our staff happy so that they are ultimately the most productive and profitable for us? Looking at employees as just people you pay to do work is really outdated thinking.  

[00:06:13] Understand the strategies for satisfying the 7 human needs of employees. If we meet the human needs of our people, then they are happy. And when they are happy, they work the best for us. 

[00:09:44] Use icebreaker cards to start team meetings. You can get everyone on the team, whether freelancers or full time, to get to know each other and learn how to work together with a little bit of variety and fun.

[00:11:48] Treat your team like humans, not like an application. If there is no connection, especially working with remote groups in other countries, they're not going to have any buy-in to who you are and what you do. It's easy to say no to messages on a screen. 

[00:14:42] Once you get someone great, you need to keep them. Recognize that every team member keeps your business running, regardless if it's a small or big role. (Even if their pay scale is low or they're in a developing country, give them the recognition and significance they deserve.) Don't hierarchy, then don't make one person within your business more important than the rest. 

[00:20:46] Hire people better than you and then get the fuck out of their way. Find someone and delegate essential tasks that you cannot do and focus on your genius mode. Then think about how you can grow them, what can you do for them and what you can add to them.

[00:23:01] The number one salespeople aren't just doing it for hitting the dollars and for the commissions.  Money can be a motivator in the short term. After that, it's got to come from intrinsic motivation, like they feel like they're contributing to something else that other human needs are being satisfied. And this is where people go above and beyond.

[00:28:31] Create a team of heroes that have your back, bring them together starting with belief systems and communicate having a common why.  

[00:34:16] How do you stand out? How do you make quality people even want to come and apply for you? 

[00:41:13] Create the avatar for your ideal candidate. What type of person will want to do the job, and where could they come from? What are the skills that you do need? What's going to excite them, and where do they hang out? Where can you ask for referrals and make an advertising funnel? 

[00:46:36] Think about the WHY behind your business. What is it beyond just making money that you and your business do? This is how you build a kick-ass culture. Culture is what your people do when you're not watching. 

[00:55:37] Make your ad that goes out on a job board exciting and ensure they're enrolled in the process. 

[01:02:38] What can you do to be a better leader? Refer to the amazing book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, a retired navy seal commander who led seal team 3; it's about understanding where you're at and how you're always at cause in some respects. 

Tobias Young is the founder of the TYF Online Fitness Coaching programs that allow clients to do gym workouts whenever it fits into your schedule. 
For more information, visit https://tobiasyoungfitness.com/

Finding The Best Candidate For Your Business with Julian Van der Waal

If your people haven't really bought into the "why?" -- it's maybe because you don't have it. Businesses lack their overall purpose, centering on the WHAT instead of focusing on WHY. In recruitment, this vision and sense of direction are what your potential perfect candidates are also looking into. 

In this episode, I share these insights with Business Consultant and Master Sales Coach Julian Van der Waal and discuss the crucial things entrepreneurs and business leaders need to communicate firsthand to get the perfect candidates on board.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:01:24] Learn 5 Dimensional Coaching. Most entrepreneurs are one-dimensional; they focus purely on their business to the detriment of their relationships. Often, they achieve the wisdom to configure living a more fulfilling life when their health is already suffering.

[00:02:27] Life isn't just for grinding; it is for living too. Build your habits around your concept of spirituality. It's time to awaken and remember we are all connected souls with a higher purpose.

[00:05:22] Why femininity in business is important. Julian shares that going deep into his masculine energy is bad for business. "We're driven decision-makers. At times it can be bad energy. So, tapping into that femininity is not a sign of weakness but a super-strong strength. Most would think it's girly. It's got nothing to do with it."

[00:07:13] Your energy has a massive impact on the people around you. Are you giving life or sucking it out of others? Be careful because this can be a major cause for your people or your staff to "abandon ship".

[00:08:34] Like a phone, you need to stay charged to work in ultimate performance. It's super important to sit down and do an exercise to ask what lights you up and recharges you. If you do, you'll show up energized and become unstoppable.

[00:10:42] When you go on a holiday, please do it for yourself, not for social media. Julian recommends using less phones and laptops and focusing on resting and enjoying the time you take off to recharge.

[00:15:54] A good candidate goes searching to connect with your "why." If you get them on board with your why and your vision, they're going to stay with you even through the tough times.

[00:20:37] Too many times, entrepreneurs default to hiring people like them, which is the exact opposite of what they need.  Remember, you don't need more of you but those who will compensate, support, and fill in on the things you cannot do or tasks that are not in your genius zone. 

[00:28:01] The only way to succeed in scale is to have your people doing one thing and do that one thing really well. Break down tasks and give them to someone in that genius zone and the rest, decide to get them outsourced or get a contractor. And it's going to be a far better use of your money and your time than trying to pay someone trying to do too many different things & do it poorly. 

[00:30:24] If you have to do everything, you don't have a business but a job. -As many business owners and entrepreneurs are still stuck trying to do everything themselves because they "do it better." If this is you -- you'll be in startup mode for the rest of your career if you fail to see the value of delegation. Ego is also the enemy when you fail to realize that you don't need to do EVERYTHING. 

[00:39:59] How many times have you recruited for the same job in your business over the last one to three years? -Julian reminds businesses how getting the wrong people costs you more resources, energy, and time.

[00:42:25] Get people on board with the WHY and the vision. If you do, they're going to stay with you through the tough times. Make sure you hire in line and that you're showing up in that as well. Because people don't usually leave companies, they leave managers.

Julian Van der Waal is quickly becoming one of Australia's most sought-after Sales Coaches and Business Consultants. Julian consults globally for business and strategic advice. 

For more information, visit https://www.julianvanderwaal.com/

Make 'Em Beg To Work For You with Dr. Angela Lauria

As a leader and a business owner, it is our responsibility to create a safe space for our people. In this episode, Founder and CEO Dr Angela Lauria of The Author Incubator, named to multiple lists of Top 500 Small Businesses in America, shares this valuable reminder that she emphasizes in her book Make 'Em Beg To Work For You. 

Tune in to learn more on building your business with people as your best asset and ensuring how to find, hire, manage and reward your dream team!

Key points covered:

[00:00]: Welcome to Barrels and Business!

[00:14:26]: To reach the next level of evolution, bring the divine feminine in and learn to receive. Angela recognizes how men have led the way in business for so long, yet she believes that we cannot bring old and male-centric practices into the future.

[00:20:05]: Serve the seven human needs of an employee if you truly want to make them productive and profitable. Businesses often forget that people's happiness is the greatest factor for success. 

[00:45:09] Stop treating your virtual or remote teams like an app.  Jade Greene reminds owners & managers that you can't just press the button, and your people will spit out quality work. 

[00:48:01] The number one customer in your business is your team. Do you keep telling them to sell but have they even tried your products and services themselves? They cannot think, feel and do things based on other people's experiences. 

[00:51:00] There are hot employers out there in every industry of every size. And if you want someone to beg to work for you, you have to at least a little bit want to be awesome. Become so valuable by focusing on your growth as a professional.

[01:21:07] As a company, you have to make a stand for a cause... even if it creates controversy. Angela emphasizes the importance of being open for what you fight for, and the right people will stand beside you or against you.

[01:37:06] Love your employees as much as you love your clients. Since you devote time and resources to knowing your clients, it is crucial for your employees. Make sure you understand your people because they are partners in taking your business to the next level.

[01:48:53] Have a hiring process, not an unconscious bias. Do you find a weird coincidence in your experience that every single person you've hired may have looked like you? Having a job to fill requires getting intentional and clear on what the role needs and expects. Be careful of the biases during the hiring process and define the system that will spell success in finding the perfect candidate. 

[01:51:36] Identify the win-win and make sure the compensation is aligned to meet the goals. Remember that as your employees are trading time for money, they can get that money elsewhere. So think about WHY the best people should come and work for you? What will make you worth their blood, sweat, tears and time? 

[01:58:31] Yield with love. With your employees, it's not the master-slave dialectic. We don't have to jump to firing people. Be open to the fact that there is a creative solution out there.

[02:00:47]  Hire fast and fire slow. Don't believe those who tell you otherwise. "Hire slow and fire fast" has been a business viewpoint we've long considered, in which Angela begs to disagree. "It's not that that's not right; I see the philosophy where that comes from. But I think once you find someone, you don't know how they're going to work until you get them in the job, you really don't. So I think you should hire fast but with reasonable expectations."

[02:05:07] There's no external exercise that you can do that will make up for the internal work that your employees will feel every day. Integrity is instantly lost when you're not living the beautifully written words on a wall that sounds great for marketing. 

Dr. Angela E. Lauria is the Founder of The Author Incubator and creator of the Difference ProcessTM for writing a book that matters. The Author Incubator was ranked # 275 on the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies and # 60 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur 360. Dr. Angela won the Stevie Awards Coach/Mentor of the Year Award, and her program, The Author's Way, was named Coaching Program of the Year and was named, by Entrepreneur Magazine, as one of the top 10 most inspiring entrepreneurs to watch – one of only 2 women on the list.
  
Grab a copy of Make 'Em Beg To Work For You
Visit her website:  https://angelalauria.com/
Know more about The Author Incubator: https://theauthorincubator.com/

How often do you take DOWNTIME?

Most people end up FEELING GUILTY just thinking about “not being productive” and taking some time to relax and decompress.

Well, GUESS WHAT! Taking time off can actually FILL YOUR CUP with energy and creativity!

This is something that applies to everyone in the business, from the leader to the newest employee. Taking a break is NECESSARY to be able to give your best! And this doesn’t only apply to work.

Creating a third space where you can take a breath and have some TIME FOR YOURSELF helps you bring the RIGHT INTENT wherever you go. Taking this time can help you leave work behind and be TRULY PRESENT when you get home.

Kyle and Jade provide you with great tools during this beer o’clock Tuesday! There are many different things you can do while you are switching from one role in your life to another. Be it meditation, listening to a podcast that has NOTHING TO DO with work, or reading a book.

The very FIRST STEP is identifying what is that thing that brings you joy? You can look back to before you became SO BUSY and realize that there’s something you loved to do that you simply don’t do anymore!

Next step? Write it down, plan for it and MAKE SURE you actually DO IT! Kyle has some excellent TOOLS that will help you in this process. Remember, sometimes you need to SLOW DOWN to go faster!

If you’re a business leader, create the space for your employees to take downtime too. An amazing strategy? DESIGNATE A TIME towards the end of the day in which they can unload and ensure they get out of the work mindset.

The LAST THING anyone wants is for them to be worried about work when they are spending time with their families or enjoying their alone space.

Filling your cup by taking a break can look like many things! Taking a walk at the end of the day with your partner, surfing, going camping. BEING OUTDOORS is one of the best ways to connect with nature and break away from your busy days.

Jade also remarks on the importance of GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION to enjoy your downtime. Get rid of that GUILT that has been programmed into you and allow yourself to ENJOY. You won’t regret it!

Feel free to share with us those things you do when you take some downtime! Kyle and Jade go surfing and share some family time. Plus, CONNECTING WITH NATURE is at the core of what they enjoy.

What is YOUR downtime?

Do you want to learn ALL THE TOOLS to take some guilt-free downtime? Watch RIGHT NOW!

Key points

(00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!

(02:54): The concept of third space.

(05:53): Thinking about your intent in every role you have in your life and understanding what you want to bring to the table is key to make the most of it.

(08:59): Tools that you can use to find that third space.

(12:45): Thinking about what makes you “you”.

(18:06): The importance of finding what your energy drainers are and programming some downtime to recover.

(23:01): Encouraging employees to have their downtime is also a productivity tool that allows them to come back refreshed and more creative.

(26:53): You can encourage your team to do a download at the end of the day, giving everyone the space to clear their heads and stop bringing work concerns home.

(34:59): Tools such as meditation are not about silence but about taking the time to increase your awareness of the world.

(40:08): How to take a break effectively.

(46:27): After identifying what you like to do and planning for it, the next step is to just do the thing without overthinking it.

(49:27): How trying too hard when you are surfing sends the wrong energy and makes it almost impossible to catch any waves.

(57:17): Kyle and Jade’s way of finding their downtime.

Connect with Kyle Probert

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

Mentioned resources

What I Know for Sure

Green Lights

The Other Side of Fear

The First Glide

Do you know what YOUR ENERGY TYPE is?

If you don’t, you are MISSING OUT on one of the most important resources you have to achieve peak productivity and maximizing your life.

Knowing your energy types as proposed by the genius model developed by Roger James Hamilton is INSTRUMENTAL to making the most of every aspect of your life! In this episode, Charlotte Lane  interviews Jade for her Take Control course, and Jade dishes all about the different energy types.

Are you a Dynamo? A Blaze? Or maybe your genius is in the Steel or the Tempo area? Jade explains the characteristics of each of these energy types and you are bound to feel identified with AT LEAST one of them. 

But how can you use this in your favour?

Identifying your energy type allows you to UNDERSTAND why you feel the way you do when you perform certain activities. PLUS, you can create lists and examine the type of energy you bring to different tasks. This is a super important tool, as you then can group the tasks and ENSURE you are in the right mindset when you are about to tackle them.

This can make you SIGNIFICANTLY more productive and it will allow you to set everything up for YOUR SUCCESS. 

One trick to get into flow even if it’s a task you don’t really enjoy doing? 

Prepare the setting! Make sure you have a set atmosphere for each type of task once you’ve grouped them. This is a great way to TRAIN YOUR BRAIN and make things easier for yourself!

By understanding their energy types you will be able to relate more and get a better sense of WHY they do things the way they do. You will also stop EXPECTING them to do things your way.

And if this wasn’t enough, identifying your energy type can also help in your PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS! This episode can make a considerable impact on SO MANY different areas of your life!

As always, Jade provides THE VERY BEST examples and actionable insights. The goal? For you to learn more about yourself and how you can bring YOUR GENIUS out to play.

You better be ready for more! TUNE IN and let’s GET STARTED!

Key points

(00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!

(02:02): How trying to conform to how society works can impair your natural genius and block your state of flow.

(05:43): The genius model by Roger James Hamilton and the four core energy types that stem from it.

(12:24): Determining your energy type and understanding the work skills that you are can excel at more easily.

(15:27): The concept of extroversion and introversion seen as how a person solves a problem in regards to enlisting other people’s help.

(17:32): The spirit element and the why of what we do is how we reconnect with ourselves and recharge our energy fuel.

(18:15): Jade’s writing exercise to organize your activities according to the type of task, how you do it, and how it makes you feel.

(23:37): Energy batching is a strategy to get into flow and feel pumped and filled with energy while you are doing your tasks.

(28:58): Setting up the right environment to get your tasks done.

(31:58): Easy ways to change your environment to focus on different types of tasks and help yourself get into flow.

(34:05): Changing your state of mind to make yourself energized and get the vibe you need to get going.

(36:17): How the types of energies generally align with different types of jobs and positions at work.

(45:00): How understanding the profile of energy types of the people around you helps in communication at all levels, from work to your personal life.

Key Takeaways and Quotes

• Everybody is different, and expecting everyone to work the same way is a recipe for disaster and discontent.
• Dynamo types are all about ideas and creativity, and their thoughts take easy leaps to connect the dots. Dynamos are all about the what.
• Blaze types are all about human connection and helping other people. The blaze genius is all about the who.
• The Tempo geniuses have a certain pace that allows them to work sequences easily. They are excellent project managers and with customer service tasks. Tempos are all about the when.
• The Steel genius is all about the how. They want to know all the details and they easily go into problem-solving mode.
  Grouping all your daily activities according to the energy state in which you find yourself doing them can help you achieve your goals.
• “The best way to change state is to cultivate the environment that you are in.”

Connect with Charlotte Lane

Facebook

LinkedIn

Mentioned resources

Flow Planner

How good are you at SIMPLIFYING AND PRIORITIZING?

This is something John Blake has had to do in many areas of his life and something he URGES his clients to do. John is a Sales Growth Strategist with over 30 years of experience in the market. He has developed his own system to help huge brands, such as Oakley, sell BIG TIME.

During this episode, he shares the seven holes that are DRAINING your lead generation strategy and how these are inflection points you can use to CONVERT those leads.

Want to get started right now? One of the most important things to do is FOLLOW UP! Did you know that 80% of sales are done AFTER the FIFTH follow-up? And there you are, too shy to contact a client more than twice!

Another big piece of advice John provides is to BRING INNOVATION. Many business owners find themselves copying what the competition is doing, instead of bringing their authenticity and CREATING THEIR OWN LANE. 

Don’t be scared of applying things you might have learned in another industry to the one you are in right now. THAT’S HOW YOU INNOVATE! 

You need to be DIFFERENT from the rest and make your audience understand what makes you special. Why are YOU different? 

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE is key as well! And it’s not just about knowing what product they are looking for. It’s also about identifying THE PROBLEMS the product is going to bring to them.

What does this mean?

If you are selling TVs, then they are going to need someone to install the TV. Why are you not offering that service RIGHT NOW? Bundling and establishing strategic partners with other providers is KEY to engage with customers and be able to provide as many solutions for them as possible. This should be a PRIORITY.

Key points

(00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!

(04:29): Applying something from one industry or job to a completely different context successfully.

(10:23): The importance of controlling the message and setting a definite difference when it comes to standing out from competitors. 

(16:26): The seven holes or mistakes that lead to the failure of a lead generation strategy.

(23:26): Follow-up is one of the most important parts of the sales process.

(30:48): Re-engaging people is an important leverage point that can be used to increase revenue and keep clients. 

(35:44):  Finding the right pricing is all about testing different offers and being willing to change and adjust an offer accordingly.

(41:02): Understanding the problem the client has is key to be able to identify the audience that will bring significant revenue to a business. 

(50:12): The problem with hiring people who are just like you or people you like.

(01:01:04): Using a recruiting tool to analyze the characteristics that make your employees excel and turn them into benchmarks for any new hires.

(01:08:46): The enormous challenges John went through raising his kids and being a business owner after his wife passed away.

(01:13:26): The two big beliefs that helped John cope during the most difficult times of his life.

(01:19:08): When you look for the positives even during the worst times, you slowly start finding them everywhere. 

(01:25:35): The importance of looking for someone to talk to and seeing a mental health specialist when necessary.

(01:30:12): Being prepared and knowing what to expect when going to a new surfing spot.

(01:32:36): Pushing out of the comfort zone to progress and continue growing. 

Key Takeaways and Quotes

• Choosing which clients NOT to work with is as important as finding the right clients for you.
• “80% of sales are done after the fifth follow-up”
• “An offer is a product, plus bonuses, plus terms”
• Understanding the problems that come with a purchase is key to be able to offer additional products or services
• Hiring people that you like does not mean they are going to succeed or be a good fit for the position
• “You need to hire for one core competency”
• “You don’t get sent a challenge that you can’t solve.”
• “We tend to say no to ourselves before anyone else does”

Connect with John Blake

Facebook
Website

LinkedIn
Instagram

Podcast

John's Story

Mentioned resources

Top Trading

The Alliance

Your Erroneous Zones 

How to Talk to a Widower

Solving the follow-up process

Does what you DO align with who you ARE?

Or are you just doing what you think you SHOULD be doing?

Cyprien Clerc from the FutureSeeds podcast interviews Jade in an episode FILLED with so many practical insights you might want to take notes to keep up.

Jade talks about the importance of taking the first step to find alignment, which is BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF. You might have convinced yourself that you are thriving in life when, in reality, you are doing the things you think you should be doing, not what you truly want.

Plus, she provides tools to identify what your VALUES are and how to be consonant with them. This will mean cutting bridges with the people, jobs, and businesses that are not aligned with who you are, AND THAT’S OK.

Remember, every little thing you say yes to means saying no to something else. That’s why it’s SO IMPORTANT that you take a hard look at your purpose and what you want to achieve and make your choices accordingly.

Finding YOUR PATH sounds as ambiguous as it gets. Jade gives practical tools, such as taking the first step and reverse-engineering this process by identifying what your goals are AND THEN working from there to identify the steps you need to take to get there.

Starting with WHAT YOU LOVE and asking yourself how you want to serve others is KEY to be successful in this process.

Staying in alignment is not easy but knowing your values and keeping them in mind is what will allow you to determine what is acceptable and what isn’t. You can’t impose your values on someone else but you can establish the VIRTUES you want to see in your business and choose employees and clients that align with this.

No one does this perfectly all the time and Jade is very candid about it. She talks about the times in which she stepped away from her values and found herself reaching burnout because she wasn’t being TRUE TO HERSELF.

This conversation is insightful, practical, as honest as it gets, and a wealth of knowledge all in one. What on Earth are you waiting for? Tune in RIGHT NOW!

Key points

(00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!

(01:34): Trying to have all the nice things despite being immersed in debt or doing something that is not really fulfilling and calling it thriving when it’s barely surviving.

(06:14): Identifying what truly makes you happy and reverse-engineering your path to get there.

(09:13): Cultural programming can become a self-sabotage tool that doesn’t allow for growth and achievement.

(11:26): Learning what aligns with your personality and using your current skills and acquiring the new ones you might need to work towards that goal.

(18:37): The cost of not being coherent with your values. 

(24:32): Not loving your job leads to burnout and a ripple effect that affects others in your company.

(30:18): Only a small fraction of people truly have a calling. A purpose can be simply coming into this world to have a specific experience.

(38:07): Not everyone has to be an entrepreneur. Finding a structure that aligns with your values and joining it can be equally satisfying. 

(44:23): Resilience is instrumental for an entrepreneur. Being able to bounce back and learn from failures is always necessary.

(51:33): The steps towards monetizing your idea involve discipline, planning, and identifying the paths that can help you get to your goal. 

(57:50): Doing the necessary market research to understand the potential of your idea. 

(01:00:19): Jade’s realization of what was holding her back and how she had to shatter her own identity to be able to reinvent herself.

(01:08:55): Branding is a lot about what is the image and the feeling you want to elicit in others when you enter the room.

(01:13:33): Jade’s programs for business owners and entrepreneurs setting the foundations for their brand and building kickass teams and company culture.

(01:16:8): Jade’s drive and desire to impact other people and help others build better businesses and change the world through intent and actions. 

Connect with Cyprien Clerc

Facebook
Website

LinkedIn
Instagram

Podcast

Mentioned resources

Ikigai Training

What I Know for Sure

The Code of the Extraordinary Mind

What You Do Is Who You Are

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Extreme Ownership

Are you RESPONSE-ABLE?

Being able to respond requires you to be in the right mindset, managing your stressors instead of letting them accumulate, build up, and lead you to an explosion that can have terrible consequences for you and your team.

When you or anyone in your team explodes because of a trigger, this means the person is REACTING INSTEAD OF RESPONDING. 

But what’s the problem with reacting?

Kyle & Jade are together once again to talk about the importance of being response-able, the stressors that can make the workplace feel like a minefield, and the tools you can implement RIGHT NOW to make a drastic change in this.

One of the things you need to keep in mind is that YOUR ACTIONS as a leader trickle down the ladder of your employees. Therefore, you should always ask yourself what is the RESPONSE YOU WANT from your team?

If you are snapping and being erratic all the time, that’s exactly how your team is going to behave. Think of the BEST LEADER you’ve worked with, the one who made you want to be better and give more at work.

That’s EXACTLY what you should be thinking about when you lead. One commonality across leaders worldwide is that they TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. People often think that leaders should sleep 2 hours a day, barely eat, and exist solely for their jobs to be successful.

This is an absolute LIE! The best leaders make sure they take time for themselves, usually using it to stay active be it by practicing a sport or any other activity that engages their mind and allows them to connect WITH THEMSELVES.

Do you do the same?

This is the only way in which you can truly take care of your employees. To promote responses instead of reactions you need to UNDERSTAND where your employees are coming from, their buttons, and their triggers. Otherwise, your workplace will be in constant chaos.

The key here is to CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL. This allows you to manage the things you can’t control more successfully. 

Jade and Kyle provide great real-life examples and tools to help you implement these strategies. It’s all TAKING THE TIME to invest in how you manage your team and being willing to let go when it’s necessary

Key points

(00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!

(04:50): The importance of avoiding a breaking point or threshold that leads you to react instead of responding.

(07:16): There are usually many stressors that might lead you to accumulate pressure until you explode and react in an unproductive way.

(09:40): Nutrition can have an important impact on the ability of leaders to lead and communicate with their team as well as the energy they transmit to others.

(13:57): The dangers of making a decision when you are overly energized from things like excessive caffeine intake or crashing from a high intake of carbs.

(16:20): As a leader, it’s important to understand how others work and what their triggers and buttons for reacting instead of responding are.

(22:30): Leaders need to be “the meat in the sandwich” and manage the pressure they are putting on the rest of the team in the best way. 

(25:37): The most inspiring leaders take care of themselves, practice a sport, or are physically active, which allows them to take care of others.

(29:24): Tools to help employees to be more active during work and helping them activate their mind in the process. 
(37:06): As a leader, you can help a team that has become negatively competitive by encouraging them to play for outcomes instead of goals.

 
(41:58): Sports can be a good example of how to improve the strength of a work team. 

(43:58): Sometimes, as the business changes, one of the team members can’t change with the business. It’s important to identify when it’s time to help them find the right role for them somewhere else. 

Key Takeaways & Quotes

• It’s important to process stressors as they come to avoid accumulating them until the point of exploding and reacting instead of responding.
• Controlling the things you can allows you to better manage the things you can’t control.
• As a leader, it’s important to act keeping in mind the type of response you want from your team.
• Men need to connect with nature, which can be applied in the workplace.
• Leaders need to be able to respond and interact with employees by understanding what they need to thrive.

Connect with Kyle Probert

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

Mentioned resources

Wealth Dynamics Test

Love Language Test

Legacy

We all have an expiration date. 

Are you making sure you are doing ALL THE THINGS you want to do before your time comes? Or are you leaving them for later?
 
Brian Swan (@unstoppablesurfer) is the co-founder of the Unstoppable Branding Agency & founder of Unstoppable Beard. He went from being a robotics engineer to becoming a semi-pro surfer & online entrepreneur. 

His Unstoppable Family became the 1st digital nomadic family & has created multiple successful businesses online from E-commerce, consulting, marketing. branding & PR. 

This has allowed him to become an expert in BRANDING and MARKETING and he taught ME more than a few things during this episode! 

After reaching corporate success and at the very peak of their corporate careers, Brian and his wife Rhonda (@rhondaswan) realized they wanted to live life to the fullest. After a HUGE financial setback, they decided to grab their suitcases and travel around the world… it’s been 12 YEARS and they’re still at it!

Brian is a big proponent of bringing happiness to your life RIGHT NOW, and in this episode, he provides strategies that you can IMPLEMENT TODAY to start creating the life you really want. 

Brian shares his ONE EXERCISE to create the perfect day every day! Plus, he explains the S.U.R.F. method that has allowed him to reach balance in his life. It allows him to GET ORGANIZED and have time for himself, his work, and his family. 

In S.U.R.F., S stands for Set up your day for success; U for uncover, discover, declare; R for revenue-generating activities, and F for family and friends. He goes in-depth into each of these aspects of his day and it is SO EASY to implement this method in your life. You won’t regret it!

Brian also talks about how he and his wife have built six-figure businesses, and how they have empowered their 13-YEAR-OLD daughter to do the same! 

Key points

(00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!

(01:35): Jade’s and Brian’s experiences surfing in Bali.

(05:15): The experiences that made Brian and his wife Rhonda change their lives and start traveling around the world.

(13:14): How his father’s illness shaped Brian’s perspective of life and his understanding of the world. 

(17:38): The “perfect day” exercise as a tool to visualize the future. 

(25:41): Old and new techniques useful to become a successful salesperson.  

(28:38): Adapting to times of crisis and turning them into opportunities for business growth.

(39:22): The importance of paying attention to that gut feeling that warns about the danger ahead. 

(46:51): The S.U.R.F. method to create the perfect day, every day. 

(56:45): How Brian and Rhonda started their PR firm by leveraging marketing and SEO tools.

(01:01:56): The importance of showing up for people and incorporating this as a life value. 

(01:04:51): How Brian and Rhonda empowered their daughter Hanalei to start her entrepreneurial life at a young age.

(01:09:38): The impact of taking limitations away and giving voice to children as they grow up. 

(01:15:29): The power of starting something together with your kids and creating a project. 

(01:18:32): Five tips for creating a successful brand.

(01:28:43): Visualization exercise

Connect with Brian Swan

Main site
Unstoppable Beard
Unstoppable Branding Agency
Brian’s Instagram
Unstoppable Beard Instagram
Unstoppable Family Instagram
Brian’s Facebook
Unstoppable Beard Facebook
Unstoppable Family Facebook
Brian’s LinkedIn

Mentioned resources

Create Your Perfect Day
Zig Ziglar’s Automobile University
The Sandler Selling System
Jeremy Miner
Wealth Dynamics
The Alliance
Silva’s Ultramind System
The Celestine Prophecy
Wakeup Warrior
Russell Brunson’s Marketing Secrets
Billy Gene is Marketing
How to “be” and raise an unstoppable kid

Have you CONNECTED with your soul?

And what on Earth does that mean? Also, how can this impact your business? Danny Salfield interviews Glen Casey and me in this episode and let me tell you, Glen is one of THE MOST soulful people out there!

This conversation was SO GOOD we ended up doing a post-show after the episode “ended”. We just couldn’t stop talking!

After a transformative experience in his 20s in which he connected with his soul, Glen had an entirely new perspective on life. This allowed him to become a successful brand manager, and he was the one responsible for bringing Patagonia to surfing in Australia!

However, his life hasn’t been without setbacks and it was RECONNECTING with himself and his soul that allowed him to keep going! 

Glen is as vulnerable as it gets during this episode in which he provides excellent tips and strategies for business owners like you.

Glen talks about his “two Ps” involved in growing a brand. These are PEOPLE and POSITION. It’s all about connecting with others and offering things they truly want or need. He also talks about the importance of NOT OVERSELLING for the sake of making more money! 

The key to long-lasting relationships with clients is to give them what they need and then THEY’LL KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE.

Glen also talks about strategies such as changes in pricing and how to enter a new market. He has firsthand experience and has learned a thing or two about marketing to a NEW AUDIENCE, which can be a very scary endeavor.

We also go deep into the importance of leveraging the VIRTUES of a company to keep it true to the culture and goals you have set for it. Also, we talk about how YOUR LEADERSHIP has a ripple effect on the entire company and all employees AND clients.

Remember, WHAT YOU DO IS WHO YOU ARE and just talking about it is not going to get the job done. 

As Glen puts it, taking ACTION is what is truly going to make your business thrive. Plus, you can also apply this to your personal life.

There is SO MUCH to unpack here, from amazing business insights to the importance of connecting with your soul and truly bringing your ENTIRE EXISTENCE to a new level of balance.

Are you ready to connect? LISTEN NOW! 
 

Key points

0:00: Welcome to Barrels and Business!
3:26: Danny’s experience at Rip Curl and how it shaped the way in which he saw branding.   

7:18: The lifetime of brands and how they evolve once they start growing at a fast pace.
15:51: The importance of thinking about the true needs of the client before attempting to sell them every possible thing. 
22:21: How a change in pricing can create awareness about a new brand in a significant way.
26:09: Finding a connection between your current product and audience and that new audience and the product you want to offer.
33:27: How Patagonia branded its items to encourage people to buy its sustainable products even if they were more expensive.
41:26: The importance of the ripple effect of leading by example in different contexts, including waste management, sustainability, and planet plus strategies.
49:26: How Danny found himself and his brand after losing everything he had both in his personal and professional life.
57:06: Connecting with the soul and the incredible impact it can have in the growth of the business. 
1:03:23: How to build a digital vision board and why it leads you to achieve what you want. 
1:13:43: Danny’s life-threatening experience jet-skiing.
1:19:40: Men-father programs to increase connection and bring back intimacy into the relationship.
1:22:32: Letting go and learning from all experiences by connecting to the soul.

Key Takeaways & Quotes

• Thinking about the long term and being strategic is key to build durable relationships with clients.
• Penetrating a new market is all about marketing, branding, and presenting a unique value proposition.
• When branching out, you gotta help people put the dots together between your current product and your new product.
• “It’s our job as business-owner to be the ripple effect and helping lower anxiety and depression.”
• “What you do is who you are.”
• “People don’t buy what you are, they buy what you believe in.”
• Accepting and meeting the experiences that come your way is key for life.
• “The key to freedom is discipline.”
• Every individual has a feminine and masculine duality.

Connect with Glen Casey & Danny Salfield
 
Website: www.caseandcoproductions.com 
Instagram: @glen_casey and @sandpitdanny

Mentioned resources

Outdated Children: www.littlehouseproductions.com.au 
Arne Rubestein’s - The Rites of Passage Institute https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/a... 
The Untethered Soul: https://amzn.to/3yURM14