Emajin Golf: Beyond the 19th

Welcome back to the Emajin Golf Podcast: Beyond the 19th. In this episode, we have the pleasure of featuring Benji Kushwaha, the Managing Director of White Spot Group. Benji, a valued platinum member of our Emajin Golf community, shares his remarkable and inspiring journey of building a thriving cleaning empire after moving to Australia from Nepal.

Benji's story begins in Nepal, where he harboured dreams of becoming a pilot, aligning with his engineering. However, his father's entrepreneurial spirit ignited a passion for business and accounting. This led him to Australia as a student, where he pursued his education and concurrently worked various jobs, including in the cleaning industry.

These early experiences in cleaning unveiled inefficiencies and a lack of systemization within the sector, sparking an idea for Benji to revolutionize it. Starting with basic cleaning tasks alongside his wife, armed with limited resources and a strong work ethic, they laid the foundation for what would become White Spot Group.

Today, White Spot Group stands as a testament to Benji's vision and relentless drive, boasting over 600 clients and a team of 300-plus staff. Benji shares the secrets behind this impressive growth, emphasizing their client-centric approach, a "yes-mentality" to challenges, and a commitment to providing solutions. He highlights the importance of listening to client needs, implementing robust systems for reporting and quality control, and navigating the complexities of the commercial cleaning industry.

Beyond business success, Benji speaks passionately about his foundation, Wisdom Tree International Foundation, inspired by his community-oriented upbringing. The foundation focuses on supporting disadvantaged individuals, particularly in education and well-being, both in Australia and internationally.

Finally, Benji shares his connection with Emajin Golf and his enjoyment of golf, highlighting how it serves as a valuable platform for building relationships beyond the traditional business setting.

Welcome back to the Emajin Golf Podcast: Beyond the 19th. This episode we have the pleasure of being joined by Erika Wager and Simon Konks from DigiDonate, an innovative blockchain-based donations platform. Both Erika and Simon are valued members of our Emajin community, and share insights into fund raising and distribution, how to incorporate AI into your business and donations using cryptocurrency.

Erika born and raised in Switzerland, moving to Australia at the age of 7. When she turned 16, she went back to Switzerland to become a waitressing apprentice, until she started her own automotive business back in Australia. Similar to Erika, Simon came to Australia from Estonia in 2011, bringing his expertise and love of technology to DigiDonate!

DigiDonate is a game changer in today's cryptocurrency world, using a transparent blockchain technology to capture and compartmentalised data, ensuring a seamless donating process to keep your personal information safe. Through the blockchain, all transactions can be verified with confirmation from chosen charities on what and how your donation has been spent.

With DigiDonate, all of your donation information is in one platform, with 85% of that donation going into the charitable cause. They praise themselves on minimised admin expenses, whereas other organisations can take up to 60% of that donation. Erika and Simon speak about how important it is to take advantage of technology when donating to charities, or when upscaling your business.

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf Podcast: Beyond the 19th, we're joined by Ting Wang, Co-founder and CEO of Coinstash. Ting is an integral part of our Emajin community, and is a dynamic leader in the cryptocurrency space.

Ting's journey with Coinstash is emphasised by a deep understanding of technology and finance, with a keen eye for innovation. He is an experienced investor with a demonstrated history of working in financial services, financial analysis and taxation.

Ting has a professional background in Law and Finance, and shares his challenges and triumphs of working in cryptocurrency in the digital age. He speaks about visibility and exposure when wanting to grow your business, and how important goal-setting is for this growth. Ting highlights the power of intuition in navigating uncertain markets, the necessity of clear intention in every strategic move, and the unwavering intensity required to achieve ambitious goals. It's clear that these principles have been instrumental in the impressive success story of Coinstash.

Key Takeaways:

• The Crypto Market in Australia is approaching a Billion-dollar market with room to grow
• Run your business with the three I's:
  • Intuition: Experience as much as you can and learn from them
  • Intention: Be deliberate with everything you do
  • Intensity: Stay fired up and keep the momentum

This week on the Emajin Golf Podcast: Beyond the 19th we're joined by Tim Borham and Vincent Berry from Sajen Legal—longstanding members of the Emajin community and now Platinum members. With Sajen operating for over 30 years, and Tim and Vincent bringing 17 and 7 years of experience respectively, they offer powerful insights into protecting and enhancing your business in today's evolving legal landscape.

Vincent, who specialises in commercial litigation, and Tim, who focuses on the business side, share their expert strategies on safeguarding client relationships, conducting due diligence, and ensuring your business is built on solid legal foundations. From understanding contract terms to protecting assets, this episode is packed with real-world advice every business owner should hear.

They break down the importance of Running a Business Health Check—particularly for those looking to sell within the next 3–5 years—and highlight a real-life case where a sale fell through simply because a company didn't know what assets it actually owned.

The conversation also dives into:

· The power of trademarks

· The impact of AI in the legal world—its benefits, and where it still falls short

· The increasing importance of human connection and solid shareholder agreements

· Why we're likely to see a rise in insolvencies, and how to protect yourself from unfair preference payments

Key Takeaways:

1. Know and regularly update your contract terms to protect your business.

2. Don't overlook trademarks—they can be one of your most valuable assets.

3. AI is a helpful tool, but nothing replaces strong relationships and clear legal frameworks.

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf Podcast: Beyond the 19th, we talk with Steve Mitchell, founder and CEO of Nexus Advisory. Steve is one of the founding members of Emajin Golf and has been an integral part of our community from the early days.

Steve shares his journey from the fitness industry to the world of finance and how golf has played a key role in growing his business and expanding his network.

Steve started his career studying economics and quickly developed a passion for sales, co-founding Enjoy Health and Fitness Gym in 2012. Through his time in the gym, he learned valuable lessons that would guide his next steps. While managing the gym, Steve launched several startups, eventually leading him to the finance industry. He shares the tough lessons he learned, including running out of money, which forced him to pivot into the car industry. There, he honed his skills in brokerage and learned the importance of scaling a business.

In 2017, Steve discovered golf, which has been instrumental in expanding his network and growing Nexus Advisory. Now in its 7th year, Nexus continues to thrive, with plans to explore opportunities in private lending and credit markets.

Steve's dream is to play the top 100 golf courses in Australia. He shares his four-ball wish and discusses how golf is not just a sport but a valuable way to connect with others.

Key takeaway: Understanding your industry is crucial. For Steve, it's about putting clients in better positions through knowledge. It's vital to understand how your business and industry work and to tailor your solutions accordingly. Knowledge is power—reach out and have a chat!

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf podcast Beyond the 19th, we talk with David Salim, CEO of Hetherington Legal. He shares his story about family, the law journey, and his passion for giving back.

David studied law and commerce and worked in local suburban practices and parliament before starting as a law graduate at Hetherington Legal. A national law firm, Hetherington has been operating for over 40 years, supporting businesses within the resources field in Australia and internationally, including ASX-listed firms, and providing compliance management and regulatory roles.

Starting over 15 years ago, David, who progressed through Hetherington to the current role of CEO, speaks passionately about the great people in the sector and how he has been adapting the business from its early focus on tenement, the right to mine, to providing the legal and environmental support through policy transition towards the growth of critical mineral mines that include solar, wind, and hydro, which push us towards zero omissions and sustainability goals.

We discover that David and his wife, Vivian Salim non-Executive Director, have created a fourth pillar at Hetherington dedicated to social impact and focused on making a difference within the community. Proactively, the team has done a lot in raising awareness for key causes, including Autism Australia and Sydney Children's Hospital, and finding ways to ensure more schools have the capacity to provide spaces for special needs.

This was a very engaging listen. We learn David has made it to his bucket golf course at King Island, but you will enjoy learning about his 4 Ball dream team and his favorite drink on the 19th; maybe you can shout him at the next Emajin event.

David's tip for the community: Golf is about sharing. When you are playing golf with someone for over four hours, you do not talk about work; you share what is going on in your life, building the relationship and trust that will enable the business to follow.

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf podcast Beyond the 19th, we chat with Dan Corbett, Founder and Owner and Principal advisor of Superannuation Caddie, who shares insights on cycling, golf, family, and more.

As a devoted family man, he believes, "The only people you want stronger than you are your children". His modest upbringing shaped his career choices and his approach to financial stability.

Exploring career considerations, Dan initially studied nursing and moved into sports science, but his love of numbers led him to a career in finance.

Dan entered the finance sector in the late nineties when the bond crash affected many retirees' superannuation. This influenced Dan to ensure he would be committed to devising the best ways to safeguard balances. After successfully working in some challenging environments, Dan started Superannuation Caddie a decade ago to provide finance advice.

The concept of the caddie is to understand the landscape and to know your abilities - this is Dan's philosophy in the caring execution of his client management, and he shared the following key learnings:

1. Everyone must be prepared for volatilities within the market, but knowing a client's tolerance will shape the portfolio that best suits
2. Superannuation investments are diverse - the key is to review the current state and shop around for the products that clients can understand and align with, requiring the need to put some products back on the shelf and choosing others that, over time, will enable the retirement goals to be achieved
3. Pay attention to US politics is essential, as the president's policies can significantly influence the markets

It is a very interesting listen as we learned Dan, a writer for the Australian Golf Digest, is also a passionate sportsman, having competed in triathlons and taking cycling to an extreme level.

Dan's parting advice: " If you need permission to play a round of golf, explain that you plan to discuss your retirement fund, and you will have ample support."

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf Podcast, Beyond the 19th, we catch up with Millie Swan, Managing Director of Compliance ESG, on how important it is to embed compliance in your business and the power of the Third Way philosophy.

ESG, Environmental, Social, and Governance is a framework used to evaluate a company's operations and performance in the three areas. Millie, a sociologist, has over 30 years of experience working locally and globally in corporate compliance and environment social government processes and shares the ESG vast challenges and opportunities of competitive advantage. Millie's key headlines for businesses:

• ESG commitments and considerations must be integrated into the business strategy to effect change and achieve long-term commitment
• It is critical to keep up to date with the regulatory complexity, data collection, and reporting - audits are conducted by a 3rd party to ensure authentic ESG compliance
• ESG compliance enhances reputation risk mitigation, attracts investment, and enables operational efficiency

Millie's organisation. ESG Compliance is a team of leading qualified professionals and experts in ESG. Recently, the team produced a book, "Compliance is not a Dirty Word," designed to assist businesses in navigating the ESG complexities with practical advice and content.

We learn that Millie is drawn to the Third Way philosophy, particularly the collaborative process of achieving better outcomes for the workplace, environment, and community.

Full of energy and enthusiasm, Millie shares her journey from Esso Oil and Gastro Pubs to major-impacting social housing reporting. Of course, in balance, she shares her four-ball dream team and the much-needed cold boutique beer that awaits her at the 19th hole.

Enjoy and hear how quickly the power of influence and negotiation started.

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf Podcast, Beyond the 19th, we meet with John Hill, Managing Director Ucidity. John specialises in providing CRM solutions using HubSpot and, in our discussion, offers valuable insights into how your CRM can drive growth, scale, and efficiencies within your business.

A mathematical brain with a love of creating, John initially fell into web development. However, it was a part-time gig punching data into a system that led to his curiosity about the power of data and its impact on marketing, sales, and tracking performance. For every role that required building a website, John attached a CRM to best enable the information gathered through the website to be more effective.

Ucidity aids businesses in achieving operational clarity by transitioning them from using a variety of tools to a centralised CRM solution. John's tip for any business wanting to maximise that journey is to focus on:

1. Stabilising to clearly understand the information you need when seeking insights for your business. It's about team collaboration to align everyone within the company and mapping current workplace processes to identify opportunities for simplification, streamlining, and automation through your CRM solution.
2. Optimising to create and implement innovative CRM tools that enable the team to enhance how you connect with prospective and existing customers. Centralising processes such as communication, the sales journey, marketing, and ongoing needs management is essential.
3. Scaling the business by effectively deploying CRM tools, including integrating all marketing channels with your business, generating reports to evaluate sales and marketing effectiveness, monitoring performance, and facilitating critical and strategic decision-making to ensure the business not only meets but also surpasses its objectives.

We learn a lot from John, including his pivot point of following a passion for personal development that led to becoming a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach and his golf goals for the next year. What are your golf goals?

In this week's episode of the Emajin Golf Podcast, beyond the 19th, we chat with Emajin member Evonne Englezos, Founder of Golf and Talk, who assists us in identifying the red flags in your day-to-day life that could impact your mental well-being and tips for resolving them.

Golf and Talk was formed by infusing executive coaching and psychotherapy services for business owners, executives, and professional athletes. Deeper conversations emerge on the course, and golf provides the platform to train the body and mind to overcome those hidden issues that might be hindering high performers from achieving their best.

Evonne shares that your mental well-being is simple information that you need to develop other habitual skills to face life and challenges - that information or red flags can include:

• Your sleep is disrupted
• Arguments are increasing as patience is limited
• Vices have increased, from working long hours, alcohol, drugs
• Not being able to switch off
• Extreme or risky behavior as an alternative way to succeeding
• As leaders, the flags might include staff turnover, lack of alignment on the priorities

Listen as Evonne encourages us not to ignore our mental well-being but to treat it like a KPI, learning to incorporate the interventions and support we need to approach life differently into our daily routine.

With a smile and giggle, of course, we also learn Evonne's favorite club is the Driver, the 19th hole drink is a Cider, and the 4 Ball dream team is Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Steph Curry.