Focus on the Fun Stuff

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Morgan Ratcliffe and his brother Niall started their B2B marketing agency, Noticed, with £18. In their first month, they signed £10,000 of work.

Four years later, they have a 22-person team in Manchester and still post on LinkedIn every day. In this episode, Morgan shares how they did it without a big marketing budget. He covers telling the story rather than selling, giving away useful free resources, and testing everything without getting emotionally attached.

We also get into Ironmans, a 24-hour backyard ultra, and why doing hard things on purpose makes business stress feel a lot smaller.

In this episode:

• Starting a business with just £18
• How LinkedIn launched Noticed, and £10K in the first month
• Creating content without a big audience
• Using free resources and scorecards to get leads
• Why you should sell the outcome, not the service
• Testing and improving your marketing without the emotion
• Why "I don't have time" is usually a choice
• Building a personal brand beyond LinkedIn
• Using intent signals to find people ready to buy
• Morgan's approach to business, fitness and personal growth

Find Morgan and Niall at Noticed: https://www.noticed.co/
📬 Get the Win the Week newsletter: https://www.emmamills.co.uk/wintheweek

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What if AI could give you back 10 hours every single week?

In this episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, Emma Mills shares exactly how she's using Claude to save around 10 hours a week in her business without handing her thinking over to AI or letting it take over her voice.

She walks through 6 practical ways she uses Claude: finding open loops in her inbox, turning sales calls into content ideas, building team training, sharpening her writing, pulling together reports, and building a bank of stories for future content.

Her approach — do the thinking herself, then use Claude to make the output sharper and faster, not to create it from scratch.

🎧 Hit play to hear the 6 ways Emma is using Claude to save time, work smarter, and get back to focusing on the fun stuff.

What you'll take away:
How to use Claude to find unanswered emails and open loops
How to turn sales calls into content ideas
How Claude can create training frameworks and presentations
How to sharpen your writing without losing your voice
How to create reports, charts and visual business data
How to build a content bank from your own experience and ideas
Why what you put into AI determines what you get out

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Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

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EmmaMills.co.uk

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Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

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What happens when you stop working in your business and start working on it?

In this episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, Emma Mills sits down with Julian Stafford, entrepreneur, sales expert and former owner of Midshire Business Systems, an SME he grew to £35 million in turnover before exiting after 21 years.

Julian shares how he built a business that felt like a hobby to him, why stepping away from the day-to-day sales became a turning point in its growth, and how surrounding himself with people who were better than him helped take the business to the next level.

They talk about sales training, marketing, leadership, decision-making, building a sales team, owner dependency and what actually makes a business attractive to a buyer when it comes to a business exit strategy.

Julian also shares the story of his eventual exit, including the moment he walked out of a negotiation at the Belfry when the buyer's figure wasn't quite what he expected, and how he now works as a business exit coach helping other owners get ready to sell a business of their own.

🎧 Hit play to hear how to build a business that can grow without you, make better decisions faster, and become genuinely ready for an exit.

What you'll take away:

• Why stepping out of sales helped Midshire's growth accelerate
• How to stop being the bottleneck in your business
• Why you need people around you who are better than you
• Julian's approach to making decisions quickly
• How to market a "boring" product by selling the outcome
• Why testimonials became the backbone of Midshire's marketing
• How to build and manage a sales team from scratch
• What makes a business genuinely attractive to buyers
• How Julian approached the three-year exit negotiation process
• Why you should build a business you actually enjoy running

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

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Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

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Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

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What if being busy is actually keeping your business stuck?

In this solo episode, Emma Mills tackles one of the biggest traps business owners fall into: confusing being busy with being productive.

Emma explains why constantly sitting in your inbox, chasing invoices, scheduling posts and dealing with admin can feel productive, but can actually stop you from focusing on the things that generate revenue, create opportunities and move your business forwards.

She shares how she structures her own week to protect three full days for the work that only she can do and why creating space in your calendar is one of the most important things you can do as a business owner.

🎧 Hit play to hear why being busy could be costing you growth, how to get out of the weeds, and how to start protecting your time for the work that really matters.

What you'll take away:
• Why being busy and being productive aren't the same thing
• How busywork can quietly limit your business growth
• How to identify the things only you should be doing
• Why successful business owners protect their time
• How Emma structures her week around high-value work
• How to create more time for revenue, opportunities and growth
• Why every hour you spend has a consequence

Support the show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

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Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

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Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

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What if your content could generate leads and sales instead of just likes and views?

In this episode, Emma Mills sits down with Martin Huntbach, co founder of Jammy Digital and Vidonary, to unpack the content strategy behind taking Daniel Priestley’s content from hundreds of views to millions.

Martin shares how they built a predictable content system using the 3 Rs: reps, rhythm and repetition, why views aren't the most important metric, and how business owners can create content that actually drives leads and sales.

They also talk about the expert trap, repurposing content, long form video, and the story behind Vidonary.

Hit play to hear how to create content that builds trust, generates leads and grows your business without overcomplicating your content strategy.

What you'll take away:

• Why consistency beats perfection

• The 3 Rs behind predictable content growth

• How to turn content into leads and sales

• Why long form content builds trust

• How to escape the expert trap

• The story behind Vidonary and its 4,500 person waitlist

You can connect with Martin here:

Connect with Martin Huntbach:

Website:  https://get.vidonary.com/u93g6s297jg6

 LinkedIn: Martin Huntbach

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

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Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

Connect with Emma on Linkedin

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

Send us Fan Mail

Most business owners hire in the wrong order.

The instinct is to hire more people to sell, market, or deliver your service. But what if that's actually slowing your business down?

In this solo episode, Emma explains why the smartest first hire isn't someone who generates revenue directly, it's the person who removes you as the bottleneck.

She shares the three questions every business owner should ask before making their next hire, how to calculate the true value of your time, and why buying back your time creates more growth than simply adding more people.

If you're feeling busy but your business still relies on you for everything, this episode will help you rethink your next hire and start building a business that can truly scale.

📥 Get the Free Productivity Planner:
https://mi-pa.co.uk/planner/

🔑 Topics covered:

• Why most business owners hire in the wrong order
• How to calculate your true hourly value
• The hidden cost of doing your own admin
• Why you're losing opportunities without realising it
• The three-step framework for deciding who to hire first
• How to stop being the bottleneck in your business

🎧 Hit play to discover why your next hire shouldn't just grow your team, it should buy back your time, remove you as the bottleneck, and give you the freedom to focus on the work that actually grows your business.

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

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Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

Connect with Emma on Linkedin

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

Send us Fan Mail

What if the next breakthrough in your business isn't another customer… but better financial leadership?

In this episode, I sit down with Matthew Mills, former professional footballer and Chief Revenue Officer at The CFO Centre.

Like many business owners, I didn't think I needed a CFO. But after working with one myself, I realised how much clarity, confidence and profitability I was missing.

We talk about Matthew's journey from professional football into business, what a fractional CFO actually does, why so many business owners wait too long to get financial support, and how understanding your numbers can completely change the way you run your business.

In this episode:
Why most business owners think they don't need a CFO
The biggest financial mistakes growing businesses make
How better financial reporting leads to better decisions
The surprising similarities between elite sport and business
Why profitability matters more than revenue
When it's the right time to bring in a CFO

🎧 Hit play to discover why understanding your numbers could be the biggest competitive advantage your business is missing.

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

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Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

Connect with Emma on Linkedin

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

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The hard conversations you keep avoiding are costing you more than money. In this solo episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, I unpack why business owners avoid difficult conversations - with team members, clients, and ourselves - and the four-step approach I now use to have them quickly.

Inspired by Patrick Lencioni's The Motive, I talk through the shift from "reward-centred" to "responsibility-based" leadership, why most avoidance is a motivation problem rather than a skill problem, and the simple two-step test that tells you whether you're genuinely waiting for the right moment or just dodging the discomfort.

⏱️ In this episode:
– Why the conversations you're not having drain your energy, focus and money
– The Motive by Patrick Lencioni, and the one line that stopped me in my tracks
– The two-step test: are you waiting, or avoiding?
– My four steps for having the hard conversation — fast

🎙️ For more on building a business you actually enjoy running, join the Win the Week newsletter - straight to your inbox every Tuesday.

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

--

Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

Connect with Emma on Linkedin

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

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Sacha Lord is the founder of Parklife Festival and The Warehouse Project — two of the UK's most successful live event brands, built over 30 years from a market stall in Liverpool.

He served as Greater Manchester's Night-Time Economy Adviser, became a Sunday Times bestselling author, and helped shape Manchester's cultural landscape into what it is today. He is one of the most influential figures in UK hospitality and events. And it all started with selling leather jackets.

In this episode, Sacha sits down with Emma to talk about what really happens when you stop listening to everyone telling you to play it safe. He opens up about anxiety, self-belief, and the mindset behind building iconic brands — as well as the mistakes, the leadership lessons, and the moment he knew it was time to let go.

This is one of the most honest conversations Emma has had on the podcast. If you've ever doubted yourself, felt stuck, or wondered whether now is the right time to start something new this one's for you.

Emma and Sacha cover:

• How he went from market trader to building world-renowned events
• Why most people give up too early — and how to push through
• How to build teams you can genuinely trust
• The leadership lessons behind scaling large organisations
• How to know when it's time to exit a business
• Why passion still matters, even at the top

"If you've got a passion for something, don't listen to anybody. Just do it."

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

--

Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

Connect with Emma on Linkedin

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

Send us Fan Mail

Feeling like your weeks are slipping by without real progress?  

That’s where I was for 10 years. Another Friday, another week of fighting fires at MiPA, no closer to my big picture goals, no longer enjoying the business I was running.  

Then four years ago, I found a way to change all that.  

In the latest episode of MiTV, I share that “Win the Week” philosophy that’s seen me completely revolutionise my life as a small business owner, grow my business, and enjoy my life a hell of a lot more.  

Give it a watch, and if you need support to create more time in your calendar and get progress happening faster, comment below and let’s have a chat. 

Em x 

P.S. You’ll get more crucial insights for small business owners like this in my Sunday night newsletter, Win the Week (sign up here: https://emmas-newsletter-adef7a.beehiiv.com/subscribe), and over on my Instagram @emmamipa (give me a follow!)

Please visit my website to get more information: https://www.mi-pa.co.uk/ 

Support the show

Support The Show

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Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate

--

Connect with Emma!

Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week.

World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk

Follow Emma on Instagram

Connect with Emma on Linkedin

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

EmmaMills.co.uk

Reviews and Feedback:

Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us!

Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟