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Welcome to Episode 14 of the Roadmap to Business Success series — and the first episode of Quadrant 4: Lead with Impact!

Most people think business failure comes down to bad strategy, poor marketing or the wrong product. The research tells a different story. The biggest predictor of small business failure — especially in the early years — is not what you're selling or how you're selling it. It's the mindset of the person running the show.

In this episode Kate and Sam get honest about the emotional reality of building a business, the moments they both wanted to quit, and what Carol Dweck's growth mindset framework actually looks like when you're in the thick of it.

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It's deciding that what you're building matters more than what you're afraid of."

In this episode, you will learn:

• Fixed versus growth mindset — what they actually mean in practice: Why a fixed mindset says "I either have what it takes or I don't" — and why a growth mindset reframes every setback as information rather than evidence of failure
• The real statistics on small business survival: Why 92% of micro businesses are not at high risk of failure — and what the survival stats actually mean when you look at them honestly
• The emotional toll nobody warns you about: Why the hardest part of building a business in the early years is not the strategy or the systems — it's the unpredictability of revenue, the sleepless nights and the terror of not knowing whether you can pay your bills
• The Valley of Death — and how to get through it: Why the mobilisation phase of a business (years one to five) is where most people give up, why staying in the game is itself a form of success, and why the light at the end of the tunnel is real even when you cannot see it
• The garden analogy: Why growth is almost never visible while it is happening — and why the biggest mistake business owners make is pulling the seed out of the ground just before it was about to bloom
• The tortoise always wins: Why the obsession with moving fast is one of the most damaging things in business culture right now — and why slowing down, building properly and being patient is the actual path to longevity
• Payday super and what it means for small business: A candid conversation about the current financial pressures on small business owners, the gap in super legislation for sole traders, and why Profit First is the best defence against cash flow pressure
• Why your why matters more than your strategy: How Sam used the AI workbook to go deeper on her why than she ever had before — and why anchoring yourself in purpose is what keeps you going when everything else feels hard
• Growth mindset applied to leadership: How fixed mindset founders avoid feedback because it feels like an attack — and why growth mindset founders actively seek it out because they know that is where the gold is
• Zone of genius as a leadership practice: Why the best thing you can do for your team is help them discover and work in their zone of genius — and why a workforce working in their strengths is more loyal, more productive and more human than one just showing up for the dollar

Kate and Sam also share the moments they both jumped on Seek and looked at getting a job — and what happened to their anxiety levels the moment they did. They discuss what Sam learned from the Navy about encouraging growth in others. And they make a very important promise: everyone who makes it through the Valley of Death deserves a badge — and they are going to make that badge.

Coming Up Next: Episode 15 — Self-Awareness: the most underrated business skill. The foundation of emotional intelligence, and why everything in leadership flows from knowing yourself.

And save the date — Bali Business Retreat:
27 August – 1 September 2026. Open to men and women this year. If you want to tip your world upside down in all the right ways — this is the place to do it.

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Connect with Your Hosts:

Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: [email protected]

Sam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: [email protected]

Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/ 

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