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Having a great idea is easy. Turning it into something customers will actually pay for is where the real work begins.
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with B. Jeffrey Madoff, founder of Madoff Productions, professor at Parsons School of Design and author of Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas.
Jeffrey explains why ideas are plentiful but execution remains rare. The difference between the person who says, “I had that idea,” and the person who built a business from it is usually straightforward:
One of them actually did it.
The conversation explores how to move an idea out of your head, create a proof of concept, test it with real customers and discover whether it has commercial value.
You’ll discover:
For founders, there is an additional warning here.
Execution does not mean personally doing everything. A founder who becomes the only person capable of moving every idea forward has created another form of dependency.
Successful execution requires validation, capable people, clear ownership and a system that can turn ideas into results without every action returning to the founder.
RECORDING AND FACTUAL NOTE
This conversation was recorded in 2022, and its discussion of COVID-19 and the Great Resignation reflects that period.
The episode also contains a claim that 94% of US businesses fail within five years. Official US Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that approximately half of new business establishments survive for five years, with results varying by cohort.
The November 2021 figure discussed in the episode was approximately 4.5 million voluntary quits, rather than 4.8 million.
CONNECT WITH B. JEFFREY MADOFF
Website: https://madoffproductions.com
Creative Careers: https://www.acreativecareer.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-jeffrey-madoff-5baa8074
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
What if the story holding your team back is not something anyone is saying, but something everyone assumes is true?
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Jamie Dixon, leadership coach and author of The Story Habit: How Leaders Shape Stories That Drive Action.
Jamie argues that storytelling is not simply about entertaining an audience or recounting an experience. For leaders, its most valuable application is shaping the beliefs through which people interpret change, make decisions and take action.
Together, Peter and Jamie explore a practical three-part framework:
Relate. Challenge. Resolve.
Before challenging someone’s assumptions, a leader must understand the story that person already believes. Only then can the leader expose what is no longer working and offer a more useful story through which to see the situation.
You’ll discover:
For founders, this conversation contains an especially important lesson. If every instruction, explanation and decision must still come from you, the business remains dependent on you.
Strong leadership means giving people enough meaning, context and direction to make good decisions without constantly returning to the founder.
This episode was recorded in 2022. References to the pandemic, the Great Resignation and working conditions in Shanghai reflect that period.
CONNECT WITH JAMIE DIXON
Website: https://www.thestoryhabit.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamiedixon
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
Internships and remote work placements are subject to employment, minimum-wage, immigration, tax, data-protection and safeguarding rules in the relevant jurisdictions.
In the UK, calling somebody an “intern” does not automatically remove their entitlement to the National Minimum Wage. Employers should obtain appropriate employment and legal advice before establishing an unpaid, international or remote internship programme.
EPISODE SUMMARY
What if your next high-potential employee lives in another country and is still completing their education?
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Fredrik van Huynh, co-founder of Absolute Internship, about how structured remote internships can help smaller companies access early-career talent beyond their immediate location.
Fredrik explains how his own international experiences in China and Japan led to the creation of Absolute Internship. He also discusses why students should look beyond famous employers and focus on transferable skills, meaningful projects, mentorship and relationships.
You’ll discover:
For founders, the opportunity is not simply to obtain inexpensive help.
A successful internship programme should create a repeatable route through which people are selected, onboarded, mentored, assessed and—where appropriate developed into permanent team members.
Without that structure, an intern can create more supervision and dependency for an already overstretched founder.
CONNECT WITH FREDRIK VAN HUYNH
Absolute Internship: https://absoluteinternship.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrikvanhuynh/
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
Are you building an online presence to become famous or to generate business?
Those are not the same objective, and they require different strategies.
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Jay Jay, founder of Ace of Spades Agency, about why visibility without a commercial purpose can become an expensive distraction.
Jay explains how he spent years publishing hundreds of YouTube videos before gaining meaningful traction. He argues that founders need patience, consistency and clarity about what they actually want their content to achieve.
Do you want likes, recognition, leads, clients or cash flow?
Until that question is answered, producing more content will not necessarily solve the problem.
You’ll discover:
Some of the platform-specific examples in this 2022 conversation have dated, but the central principles remain valuable.
Consistency still matters. Clear positioning still matters. Trust still matters. Most importantly, attention is useful only when it supports a defined commercial objective.
For founders, there is also a strategic warning: a personal brand can generate opportunities, but the business becomes more founder-dependent if every customer trusts only the founder.
The long-term goal should be to transfer that trust into the company, its people, its intellectual property and its customer experience.
CONNECT WITH JAY JAY
Ace of Spades Agency: https://aceofspadesagency.com
Website: https://www.jayjaylive.com
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
ARCHIVE NOTE
This conversation was recorded in 2022 and reflects the guest’s personal views at that time. It includes discussion of individual shares, cryptocurrencies, LUNA, Bitcoin-backed borrowing and particular portfolio allocations.
Some of these assets subsequently experienced severe losses. This episode is provided as an archive conversation and does not constitute financial, investment, tax or treasury advice.
Cryptoassets are highly volatile, and borrowing against them can increase losses or lead to forced liquidation. Business owners should obtain appropriately regulated financial, accounting and tax advice before changing how company cash is held or invested.
EPISODE SUMMARY
How should a business owner prepare for inflation without sacrificing the liquidity needed to operate and grow?
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Simon Severino, founder of Strategy Sprints, about inflation, business cash flow and the distinction between operating cash and genuine excess capital.
Simon outlines three systems he believes business owners should consider: a revenue system, a saving system and an investment system.
Peter challenges him on several practical issues, including liquidity, taxation, government-backed borrowing and the danger of tying up money that the business may need later.
You’ll hear:
The most durable business lesson is not any individual asset recommendation. It is that founders need reliable revenue, clear cash requirements and a deliberate distinction between money required to operate the company and capital that is genuinely surplus.
CONNECT WITH SIMON SEVERINO
Website: https://www.strategysprints.com
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
How do you turn a creative passion into a valuable company without losing the qualities that made the business successful?
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Jason Kingsley CBE, co-founder, CEO and creative director of Rebellion.
Jason and his brother Chris founded Rebellion in 1992, when two people could still create an entire computer game. The company subsequently grew from undertaking work for other organisations to developing, publishing and investing in its own games and intellectual property.
Jason shares the early Atari negotiation that taught him the danger of negotiating from weakness, why he hires people whose judgement he respects and how Rebellion moved from selling its capabilities to owning the assets it creates.
You’ll discover:
This conversation was recorded in 2022. Since then, Jason has been appointed CBE for services to the creative industries.
Its central lessons remain highly relevant: protect what makes the company special, build assets rather than depending entirely on client work and create a business capable of surviving when circumstances invalidate the original plan.
CONNECT WITH JASON KINGSLEY
Rebellion: https://rebellion.com
Modern History TV: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernHistoryTV
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
Why do prospects delay, resist or disappear even when your product or service could genuinely help them?
Jeremy Miner’s answer is uncertainty.
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Jeremy, founder and chairman of 7th Level and creator of the NEPQ sales methodology, about why traditional pitching creates resistance and how better questions can help prospects understand their own problems.
Jeremy argues that selling is ultimately about change. A prospect must believe that changing their situation is less risky than remaining with the problems they already have.
Rather than immediately presenting features and benefits, effective salespeople learn how to uncover the gap between a prospect’s current situation and the outcome they want.
You’ll discover:
Although this conversation was recorded in 2022 and originally framed around post-pandemic selling, its central lessons are not tied to that period.
Buyers still resist pressure. They still fear uncertainty. The businesses that consistently win are those that understand their customers, ask better questions and help people make confident decisions.
CONNECT WITH JEREMY MINER
7th Level: https://www.7thlevel.com
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when artificial intelligence can perform parts of a job faster, cheaper and more consistently than a human?
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with Neil Sahota, author of Own the A.I. Revolution, about why AI is changing the nature of work rather than simply eliminating entire professions.
Neil explains why small and medium-sized businesses have been slow to embrace AI, how falling costs are making the technology increasingly accessible and why resistance often comes from mindset and ego rather than technical limitations.
Peter and Neil explore hybrid intelligence, digital twins, scenario planning, labour shortages and the need for companies to reconsider where human beings create the greatest value.
You’ll discover:
This conversation was recorded in 2022, before generative AI became a mass-market business tool. Some forecasts particularly those concerning autonomous vehicles should therefore be heard in that context.
The central lesson has become even more relevant: the businesses that learn to redesign work around AI will create greater leverage, while those that resist change risk becoming irrelevant.
CONNECT WITH NEIL SAHOTA
Website: https://www.neilsahota.com
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
ARCHIVE NOTICE
This interview was recorded in May 2022 during the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin and its associated LUNA cryptocurrency.
It is retained as a historical record of opinions expressed at that time. It is not current financial advice, an endorsement of the guest or an invitation to contact or invest with any person or organisation mentioned.
The guest makes several speculative claims during the conversation, including an allegation that BlackRock and Citadel borrowed 100,000 Bitcoin from Gemini and helped engineer the Terra/LUNA collapse.
BlackRock, Citadel Securities and Gemini all denied involvement. The allegation should not be treated as established fact.
After this episode was published, the US Securities and Exchange Commission brought an enforcement action against guest Blake Templeton, Boron Capital and related entities concerning separate real-estate investment offerings.
In February 2024, Templeton consented without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations to a final judgment permanently enjoining him from future violations of federal securities antifraud provisions.
In the original 2022 conversation, Peter Boolkah and Blake Templeton discuss:
Some predictions and factual claims made during the interview have not aged reliably.
Listeners should independently verify all investment-related information and consult an appropriately authorised financial adviser before making financial decisions.
Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile. Investors can lose some or all of their money. Past performance does not predict future returns.
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
Send us Fan Mail
What happens to your confidence when the world around you no longer feels predictable?
Uncertainty can challenge more than a company’s strategy.
It can disrupt the identity, assumptions and sense of control the founder has built around the business.
In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with trauma-recovery author, coach and mental-health advocate Michele Rosenthal about remaining calm, making conscious choices and rebuilding confidence when circumstances feel unstable.
Michele shares a three-part framework:
Control your state.
Learn to recognise your physical response to pressure and use your breathing to create a calmer starting point.
Change your automatic patterns.
Notice the habitual responses that immediately push you towards fear, worry or catastrophe and practise interrupting them.
Create your chosen identity.
Identify the characteristics of the leader you want to become and translate those characteristics into visible actions.
You’ll discover:
Confidence is not the belief that nothing will go wrong.
It is the belief that you can choose how you respond when it does.
The external environment may remain uncertain.
Your leadership does not have to remain directionless.
IMPORTANT NOTE
This episode is provided for general educational purposes and is not a diagnosis or substitute for advice, assessment or treatment from a licensed medical or mental-health professional.
If distress is affecting your sleep, safety, relationships or ability to function, contact your GP or an appropriately qualified mental-health professional.
CONNECT WITH MICHELE ROSENTHAL
Website: https://www.mytraumacoach.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelerosenthal
CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAH
Website: https://www.boolkah.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boolkah
X: https://twitter.com/boolkah
ABOUT PETER BOOLKAH
Peter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.
He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.
Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.
His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:
Do you own the business, or does the business own you?
Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com
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