Business Growth Lab

Your parents could be running your business. And until you deal with that, no strategy in the world is going to get you to the next level.

Samantha sits down with Jodie Rodenbaugh, a master relationship healer and quantum energy practitioner, and a former teacher of 16 years. What Jodie works with every day are the patterns that nobody else is talking about. The ones that live in your cells, in your ancestral lineage, in the nervous system imprints of a seven-year-old child who learned that love had to be earned through performance.

And those patterns? They don't stay in your childhood. They follow you straight into your business.

This episode gets into why high achieving women hit a wall that feels like brain damage but is actually a terror barrier. Why men tend to blow up their relationships before they'll ever blow up their business. Why you can get to a certain income level consistently but something always seems to pull you back before you can hold it.

And what it actually looks and feels like when your body is the one making your business decisions without your permission.

This will make you look at every plateau, every moment of self-sabotage, and every income ceiling completely differently. And once you hear it, you'll understand why no amount of strategy was ever going to fix what was actually going on.

Jodie also shares a simple daily habit that starts to prove the old story wrong, where you catch the evidence that you’re far more capable than your nervous system is telling you. No new tactic required.

If you’ve ever stopped just short of the finish line and had no idea why, press play. This might make every plateau you’ve ever hit make sense.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:27 - Why trying to fix one thing at a time is why you keep hitting the same walls
• 04:15 - Why your parents are running your business right now, and the science behind how that's happening
• 08:32 - Why growth can trigger self-sabotage
• 14:31 - Why your body genuinely believes that growth might kill you
• 18:01 - How to step out of the victim, perpetrator and hero cycle and start creating from your own power
• 25:32 - Why something that used to feel easy now feels impossible
• 29:38 - How to “clock” the evidence that proves the old story wrong

Jodie is a Master Certified Transformational Coach and Intuitive Energy Shifter known as The Love Liberator specializing in family relationship patterns. She’s spent the last 14 years identifying the exact moment love went rogue in the nervous system before you had a choice. She helps high-achieving women build & scale an unshakable life from the ground up and inside out.

• Website: https://www.jodierodenbaugh.com/offers
• Facebook: @jodierodenbaugh
• Instagram: @Jodieloveliberator

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

Your ads are attracting leads, but are those leads turning into sales?

Samantha and Leon get into why so many business owners switch their marketing on, vanish into delivery, then wonder why next month is a ghost town. The fix usually isn’t more budget. It’s sitting in the leads you’ve already paid for, quietly walking out the door.

They also talk about a smarter way to niche that doesn’t mean turning clients away, plus Sam runs the maths on the same $100 ad spend across three businesses. The gap between them will have you opening your CRM before the episode ends.

Press play because you might be sitting on more dollars than you realise.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 02:24 – How to turn your marketing down without losing your lead flow
• 05:15 – Why shutting off your ads when the economy gets tough is the most expensive thing you can do
• 07:45 – One thing you can do to do lower your ad spend, and also make it more effective
• 13:46 – How to help prospects to take the next step with you
• 19:44 – How to find the leads you’ve already paid for that are slipping through the cracks
• 24:12 – Same ad spend, three differing results (your numbers know why)
• 29:43 – What to fix first so you stop throwing money down the drain

Resource

Book a free Marketing Audit with a strategic advisor - https://tally.so/r/44QPgd

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

You know you’re good at what you do, and your clients agree. Yet you’re still watching prospects check you out, nod politely, and book a call with someone else.

Buyers are cautious, they’ve got more options than ever, AI means anyone can fake anything, and every business out there is calling itself “experienced, trusted and personalised.” So when nobody believes the pitch, what actually earns the yes?

Samantha sits down with Nas Vou of Do It Digital, who booked 72 meetings in six months for a single client, and he doesn’t go easy on the usual excuses.

The economy? Not his problem to solve.

“LinkedIn doesn’t work”? How many times did you really try?

He also shares how to build confidence and prove your approach works, and why a slow patch is the perfect time to refine your business.

If your sales have stalled and the economy’s been getting the blame, this one might change where you look next.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:00 – What buyers need to see before they trust you with their money
• 02:59 – The “It used to work” habit costing you clients
• 06:08 – What to do in an economic downturn to come out ahead
• 14:40 – How to stand out when every business is saying the same thing
• 22:23 – How to test a message at volume (and the outreach that booked 72 meetings in six months)
• 26:17 – The difference between “It doesn’t work” and “I didn’t do it enough”
• 31:13 – The proof-building exercise that boosts your confidence and your sales, and what buyers check before they book a call
• 39:56 – Want more clients in 90 days? Know these numbers before you spend a cent
• 47:38 – How to connect content, outreach and your email list into one ecosystem so buyers can come in at any point

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasvou/
• Website: https://www.doitdigital.agency/

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

Let's face it. Nobody is walking into the next 12 months with certainty. The economy's wobbly, AI is rewriting the rules, and the strategies that got you here aren't necessarily the ones that will take you further.

In this episode, Samantha sits down with Scott Stirrett, author of The Uncertainty Advantage, to talk about what you do when you can't see around the corner. Scott walked away from Goldman Sachs at 22 to build something of his own, and he's got plenty to say about why the comfortable option is rarely the safe one.

One thing he shares gives Samantha a filter she's still turning over. It's a simple way to tell whether you're being strategic or just sitting on your hands because you're scared. If you've been telling yourself you'll make the call once things feel safer, press play. It might sting a little, but in the best way.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:06 – The fear that's quietly running your business, and the muscle that shuts it up
• 07:24 – How to tell when "comfortable" has become the riskiest place to sit
• 12:12 – Making the call even when you don’t have enough information
• 14:36 – What separates a smart risk from a reckless one
• 19:03 – Why some leaders thrive in chaos while everyone else just white-knuckles it
• 24:27 – Why "just waiting it out" might be costing you more than a bad decision
• 26:57 – The goal-setting habit that's quietly sabotaging your growth
• 28:47 – The two relationships that decide how fast your business grows

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

We keep hearing that email is dead. But the businesses making the most consistent sales right now would disagree.

The ones still repeating that line are usually the same business owners wondering why their launches flop, their sales pipeline keeps drying up, and they're stuck relying on social media algorithms they can't control.

In this episode, Samantha sits down with conscious launch strategist Sage Polaris to unpack why email is still one of the highest-converting marketing assets you can own and why the businesses making the most sales aren't the ones with the biggest lists. They're the ones building the strongest relationships.

You'll discover why a list of just 150 engaged subscribers can outperform thousands of passive followers, how simple email conversations can replace complicated funnels, and why most business owners are asking their audience the wrong questions. Sage also shares her brilliant four buyer archetypes, inspired by The Simpsons, and explains how understanding the way people make decisions can transform your subject lines, launches, and conversions.

The businesses building the strongest relationships and the most consistent sales aren't chasing every new platform. They're showing up where they already have people's attention.

Stop chasing attention and start building relationships where your audience is already listening.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 03:24 - Why email is still your most valuable marketing asset even in a world obsessed with social media
• 05:29 - Why a small engaged email list can outperform a massive audience
• 06:15 - How to turn conversations into sales without complicated funnels
• 10:41 - How to write emails people actually open
• 12:48 - The four buyer types that instantly make your emails, launches, and marketing more effective
• 25:57 - How to choose a lead magnet people actually want instead of one you hope they'll download
• 31:26 - What to ask your email list that can uncover your next sale
• 33:04 - How to bring a neglected email list back to life
• 35:30 - Is email really dead or are most businesses simply using it the wrong way?
• 37:22 - Why AI can't replace genuine connection

Sage Polaris has written high converting copy for more than 615+ projects earning them millions of dollars. She helps personal brands and service providers sell more of their service or offer with the words on their website.

She has worked with Teachable, Adrienne Dorison, and Lynne Twist. Basically, she makes money for the “internet famous” people we all look up to.

• Website: http://www.sagepolaris.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeCustomWriting/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagepolaris/

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

There’s no shortage of people telling you how to run paid ads. But how do you know what’s actually working right now?

In this episode, Samantha and Leon share three paid ad funnels they’re loving right now, what’s working, what’s not, and why the same funnel can fly for one business and completely flake out for another.

We're talking clients coming in for cents on the dollar, a campaign achieving a 19.6 ROAS, and another that looked like it was working perfectly… until it wasn't.

Just switching on ads isn't enough. There are a whole lot of pieces that need to be working together for the funnel to actually convert.

Every business has different strengths, different constraints and different goals, so knowing which funnel to use, and when, really matters.

Samantha and Leon break down the three they’re loving right now, what’s happening behind the scenes, and what you need to think about before putting another dollar into ads.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 04:58 – Why relying on organic alone could be slowing your growth
• 08:09 – The first paid funnel we're loving right now
• 11:24 – The funnel we've been using in different ways for almost 10 years
• 13:44 – How we filled a room with ideal clients… and the campaign still bombed
• 17:20 – The funnel everyone wants to run, but isn't right for every business
• 21:31 – Why switching on the ads is only a tiny part of making this work
• 23:14 – The numbers that tell you when to turn your ads up, change something or switch them off

Resource

Thinking about running paid ads, or tried them before and decided they “don't work”?

DM Leon the word AD on Instagram.

We'll share some of the data we're seeing behind these campaigns and help you figure out which funnel could make sense for your business right now.

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

387,000 Australian businesses shut their doors last year. It's tempting to think the whole economy's falling apart, but that’s not the entire story. There are businesses right now who are doing huge growth.

Samantha and Leon break down what's actually separating the businesses who are quietly having their best year yet, and it's got nothing to do with luck.

They get into why chasing a "safe" job is often the riskier move, why trying to be everything to everyone is what's actually killing sales right now, and why the businesses doing well aren't cutting their marketing spend when things get tight, they're actually increasing it.

Then there's the stuff nobody talks about until it's a crisis - the basic systems most businesses still haven't bothered to set up, when a lean team stops being lean, and why waiting a full year to check your numbers means finding out you missed the mark long after you could've fixed it.

If you've caught yourself waiting for things to "go back to normal," this one's for you. There is no back to normal. There's just the businesses adapting to what's happening now, vs the ones still running things like it's 2022.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:19 – Why business closures don't mean the economy's broken
• 03:38 – Why chasing a "safe" job is often the riskier move
• 08:35 – Why trying to appeal to everyone kills sales
• 12:51 – The basic systems over half of businesses are still missing
• 15:53 – Why cutting the marketing budget when times get tough backfires
• 19:43 – How to know when a lean team needs restructuring
• 23:38 – Why a rigid annual forecast sets a business up to fail
• 26:57 – What decades of economic cycles reveal about which businesses come out stronger

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

You don't have to choose between success and a good life. But what if the strategies that built your success are now the very things keeping you stuck?

In this episode, I sit down with Florence Shaffer to challenge one of the biggest assumptions I see successful people carry, that you have to sacrifice your health, relationships, purpose or personal life to keep performing at a high level.

We dive into the question of why the old "optimise everything and deal with the rest later" approach is breaking down in a world that's moving faster than ever. And the answer isn't to squeeze more into an already-full life.

We talk about why gratitude and wanting something different can coexist, how to spot the warning signs before they become a crisis, and why saying no can actually help you see the opportunities worth saying yes to.

You'll also hear a shift I loved, moving from trying to "swim faster" to learning how to "surf" the environment you're actually in.

You don't need to throw away everything you've built. You just need to stop carrying strategies that belonged to an earlier chapter that no longer serve you.

So stop accepting the false choices you've been handed and start designing your own rules. Sometimes the next level is about finally doing things differently.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:35 - The quiet drift that happens before everything feels wrong
• 06:14 - Why gratitude doesn't mean you can't change direction
• 10:59 - Why optimisation is losing its edge in an unpredictable world
• 17:33 - How to create more space without saying no to everything
• 21:51 - The tiny changes that can give you your capacity back
• 22:55 - Why you must stop “swimming faster” and learn to “surf” instead
• 28:44 - The warning signs you're probably ignoring
• 34:26 - Finding the constraint instead of adding more to your life
• 39:10 - Why you don't need to be the expert to build the solution
• 42:36 - Giving yourself permission to change the rules

Florence Shaffer spent two decades as a global executive at Estée Lauder, Burberry, BMW, Lucasfilm, and YC W12 Matterport. Named on Top 20 lists for both Business Disruption and Luxury, she now leads Becoming, a human flourishing company built on one question most high-performers never ask: how to succeed and live well at the same time.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florenceshaffer/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/startbecoming/

• Website: https://www.startbecoming.co/

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

Getting leads but not enough sales? Before you change up your marketing, it’s worth taking a look at your offer.

In this episode, Samantha and Leon unpack why some offers sell while others disappear into the noise. If your offer is trying to speak to everyone, it probably isn’t speaking strongly enough to anyone. The real shift comes when you understand what is keeping your ideal awake at 2am, then build your offer and marketing around that.

They also tackle a mistake that can quietly cost you thousands: using the wrong pricing model.

If your marketing is getting attention but your offer isn't converting, this conversation will give you some suggestions with where to look. Before you spend another dollar fixing your marketing, make sure you've got something people actually want to buy.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:44 - What makes an offer genuinely worth buying
• 02:44 - Why selling to everyone makes your offer invisible
• 05:11 - What’s the problem that has your ideal client staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night?
• 07:05 - Why understanding what your clients actually want changes everything
• 12:01 - The dangerous gap between your offer and your ideal client
• 14:45 - How a clear system builds trust before the sale
• 16:02 - How to price your offer
• 20:44 - Why charging by the hour can shrink your value
• 21:28 - The five-question test for a hot offer

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here

Working harder isn't going to fix your business. In fact, it’s most probably the very thing that’s keeping you stuck.

In this episode, Samantha and Leon unpack the real reasons business owners get trapped in hustle mode.

They deconstruct the trap of being the person who does everything, and why real growth often starts when you stop trying to be indispensable. They also reveal why CEO time is such an important part of your job, how systems create breathing room, and why the right pricing can give you the capacity to invest in the business instead of constantly working in it.

The goal isn’t to work harder. It’s to build a business that can move without you.

And it all starts with stopping the sprint.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• 01:46 - Why hustle isn't the problem you think it is
• 03:16 - How boundaries protect your energy, focus, and relationships
• 12:42 - Why doing everything yourself is killing your growth
• 16:19 - The real reason you're afraid to hire before you can afford it
• 18:49 - How the wrong mindset can trap you in 80-hour weeks
• 22:23 - Why your business can't scale when everything lives in your head
• 27:38 - How documenting one process can immediately lighten your mental load
• 33:40 - Why CEO time isn't optional if you want to steer the business
• 35:35 - How pricing creates the room to scale
• 38:59 - The hidden cost of $5 tasks
• 40:43 - The first move to make when you're staring down an 80-hour week
• 46:00 - How to halve your hours and get twice the result

Got questions or want more business growth content? Follow us over at @thesamriley and @leonflitton

Ready to build a business that funds your life and doesn't run your life? Apply to join Scale With Soul here