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Todays guest joining us on the show is the founder of Freshbooks, the cloud accountancy company that you hear advertised on many podcasts across the globe. Now this isn't just a cloud accounting firm, but the world's #1 cloud accounting software for self-employed professionals. Its a global hit, but his journey to creating this success was far from assured, even to the point of perhaps not even being part of the plan. You see most businesses are started from the position of an individual's pain with the service that they are getting, and deciding to go and do their own thing to solve this problem. And this was the case with today's guest. He was running a small design firm in 2003 when the frustration of billing his clients overwhelmed him — so he built his own solution. He moved into his parents' basement for 3.5 years to save money and completely revamped how he ran his design firm (to the point where he worked 19 days in one year and generated over $200,000) to bootstrap FreshBooks to what it is today. Since launching in 2003, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing and collect billions of dollars. As he says " I went through an incredibly scary time for 2.5 years while FreshBooks was rebuilding their entire platform, which is typically viewed in the software industry as the worst strategic mistake that a company can make. I even bounced back from a $1.5 million disaster — proving overcoming failure is possible, and often how to succeed in business to begin with." So its ok to say let's build this thing and solve this issue, but how do you start, where do you get the funding? And with more and more similar platforms being built, does this just increase his enjoyment everyday, or leave him in a whirl of panic? Well let's find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr. Mike McDermott. Show Highlights During the discussion with the Mike McDermott from Freshbooks we hit such deep subjects such as: Why you need to ask the question "Does the destination appeal to me" to truly work on the legacy of a passion project. We chat about the funding that you never thought you need when you start a business, but comes at you from every corner. Mike reveals why many of the metrics he chose to look at as success, are based around his employees happiness. Great way of operating in a business. And lastly......... Why life is a series of hard lefts no matter how much you try to make it a straight path. You just have to cling on and do your best.

On today's episode of Join Up Dots we share the story of an amazing listener in Israel, who after listening to the show, and reading many different types of self-development books has done what so few people do but started to create their success path the right way. It's amazing how many people that I speak to that either spend all the time researching and making lists with no action involved, or take all the action with no planning beforehand. Both strategies are full to the brim of failures and easy to hit obstacles. The best way is to create a detailed plan, do your market research, work hard and take huge action just like Neriya has done. So let's start off with the first email received at the show this week Just wanted to say thanks.. been listening to hundreds of your shows, I have the very worst job ever(pays off though, worst than garbage truck workers, not to be disrespectful) Helping me to build two businesses I'm extremely passionate about, working simultaneously on both my corporate job and my things about 15 hours a day all combined with ease.. thanks to your awesome podcast I realized what it takes to make a business and with that achieving my dreams and goals. Thanks you so much, Neriya. I of course went back, said thank you and asked for more information about the passion and tasks they have undertaken to which they responded with, quite simply a blueprint for success which is my delight to break down into its necessary chunks on todays show. My business is all around making fine leather items(wallets belts straps cases etc etc). The big idea is making everything completely by hand and with the finest materials the world has to offer, literally! It was quite the challenge figuring out the "hows" and "whys". I started off about a year ago (naturally with relatively little passion), ordering pretty much the cheapest tools I could actually afford and best materials I thought are the best but really far from it. I went on YouTube and watched literally every leather related video(mostly tutorials) Quick enough realized all of those videos was consists of pretty much hobbyists, obviously no one would teach you how to hand-stitch and work leather like Louis Vuitton and Hermes for free. Some leather artisans do teach but it costs a lot and where I'm from there are "zero" leather artisans so flight out the country was huge investment I couldn't afford (still can't:) I did a TON of research and by that I mean like 5 to 7 dedicated hours a day, everyday, 6 months straight and by that time I managed to develop a very simple, systematic and effective way to learn from the very best without even bothering them and it applies to all kinds of crafts. I also discovered what materials and tools Hermes LV and other top leather companies use and where to get them. it was not easy and there are almost none online stores to supply what I needed, I had to personally contact these rare suppliers I found and custom order from them, like a merchant would but at the beginning, with a typical mindset of a casual online consumer I just didn't( that was one of many blocks I had). Your genius podcast and some books like "Sam-Walton", "rich dad poor dad" and more, helped me tremendously!especially your podcast for being very relevant and contemporary. Plus it removed all those fears and blocks I had. One of the things I love the most in your on your podcast (your hilarious jokes aside) is the Jim Carrey quote which I recognized with a lot. So even if you do fail on doing what you love you most likely won't die you won't starve and you'd probably live a decent life anyways, genius! I have something I was wondering about for quite some time, about 5 years ago I used to smoke cigarettes quite a lot and I wanted to stop, I tried again and again and just couldn't stop. One day my brother came to me, surprised me with a book called "the easy way to stop smoking" by Allen Carr, so I read it and exactly as the title says I stopped with ease as if it was magic, so I RAN to my smoking relatives and friends trying to convince them in any way I can to just give it a shot, unfortunately unsuccessfully and It was the same with business coaching and your podcast. The funny thing is that they actually do believe me but just don't go for it. Are they too addicted to their convenient life/smoking habits? In your experience, why do think it's like that?

Todays guest joining us on the show is a 34 year old, husband, father of 3, engineer, sports fan and huge geek when it to comes to automating and outsourcing any activity. He is the co-founder of adbank network - a powerful online ad platform built on the blockchain, as well as co-founding a successful digital asset acquisition firm that controls over 6000 websites generating 6 figures a month. As he says "I am no genius, I HAVE NOT found a loop hole on the internet that lets anyone get rich quick, I have not quit my job but because of my online income I am able to live the way I want to and have a level of security for my family a job today cannot provide. Unfortunately, I can't say that making money from websites is easy but through my ventures I hope to show you that without a doubt it is possible and with hard work most people that commit themselves can do it. For the last 5 years I have built up over 150 websites and use these to generate passive income, I am not an online guru I am just someone who has tried and tested many different methods. I am willing to test any system as long as it stays aligned with my online business cornerstone beliefs. My Internet Marketing Beliefs… Always add value Google wants to deliver the "best" result so be the "best" A website visitor is a renewable resource to be cultivated not something to be mined once, enjoy what you do online. Many people may disagree with my beliefs and suggest there is a faster way to make money online. They may be right, but what our guest is doing is building businesses that operate the way that the search engines want. Building relationships, by nurturing those relationships. Not chasing some get rich quick scheme, that fades as soon as the big boys realise someone is gaming the system. So how did he develop his internet marketing beliefs, through building businesses that dropped like a stone, or simply by understanding what GOOGLE is aiming for? Well let's find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr. Jon Gillham. Show Highlights We discussed so many deep subjects on the show such as: Jon talks about the shortcuts routes that he took for business that all led to failure before he realised that real work was needed to make the success he wanted. We discuss the blockchain strategy that is creating a completely new and exciting way for businesses to start operating across the world. And lastly........... Jon shares the discussion that he had with his parents, and friends who considered his route to success to be somewhat risky.

Today's guest, joining us today on the Join Up Dots entrepreneur podcast interview is a man who has been floating around my world it seems from the birth of Join Up Dots. Having been an entrepreneur for 30 years, to say I've seen a few things is an understatement. I've definitely had more fails than successes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I sold my fitness business which I owned for 9 years a year ago to start teaching other entrepreneurs how to use story to sell. It's storytelling that is the real power of growing an online business. Then I realized that most small business owners don't follow up with their leads, so I started teaching them how to create follow up system so they could have a conversation to share their story and make more sales. Then of course I realized that some of those small business owners wanted to speak but didn't know how to be more dramatic with their stories. With my degree in theatre I am able to help my clients create a performance out of their presentations so it's not the same boring presentation audiences are unfortunately used to seeing. I believe all business owners deserve the right to be successful by doing the work necessary to achieve that success, which starts with being able to sell effectively. And storytelling is the best way to do it. As he says "There likely isn't a business issue that I haven't seen or experienced. I've seen it. I've been through it and I've come out on the other end all the better for it. But it hasn't always been that way. Like most start-ups and small business owners, I struggled to make ends meet. On a personal note, he is also a private pilot and enjoys flying around the great state of Texas. Why? Because I can! So why does he want to do this entrepreneurial stuff as certainly more often than not its easier to work for someone else? And looking back through the dots, are there things that he would change or do they all lead him to where he is today? Well let's find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Tom Jackobs Show Highlights During the entrepreneur podcast show we had deep hitting storytelling conversations with Tom Jackobs around subjects such as: Why the easiest part of creating business success is always right under your nose, even though it takes you awhile to actually see it. Tom shares the reasons why you should never start a presentation or joke by advising "This is soooo funny, you will love this!" Why he pushes himself to get out of his comfort zone at every opportunity, as he sees this to be where true growth starts. And lastly We discuss why the online and offline world really have to work hand in hand for a business to be truly successful.

It's a funny old world that we live in nowadays. A world of love, creativity, but also extreme bitterness and hostility. You see everywhere we go, everyone we speak to has an instant ability to critique and be mean from a distance. We see this all the time on social media, whereby some keyboard warrier, who is sitting behind their devices can throw spears of hatred. However, behind these comments there is always a deeper message for the sending as you will hear in today's show as a response to the following email received in this week for the show. "Ralph, wow what a show. Or should i say wow what a joke you are. I have listened to one of your episodes and believe me i wont be listening to anymore. It was called Free Time, when you wasted twenty minutes of my life telling me how wonderful yours is as you can take a month off when you want to. Its funny that you felt the need to tell us, as being a podcaster, or should I say someone who wants the world to love them so tells them what they want them to hear it's not a job. You can take time off from anything that isn't a job. Hey, im an astronaut today, let's chill instead. You make me want to vomit. Anyone can do what you do, but we don't as we have proper jobs to do, and have to go to work as we don't have a choice. We live by the clock without escape. So don't try to tell me that I can change my life just by making a few mindset changes, give me a million dollars so I can make those changes instead. That my friend is one thing your show will never ever deliver to any of us. You are full of shit. Your show is shit. And no matter how great your life seems to be, it will also be shit. That is what life is and you can't tell me otherwise. So what makes someone think such extreme thoughts? Is it simply they were having a bad day, or something far more deep routed....who knows? However in todays show, David Ralph discusses this email and sends out a positive response to the sender to connect with him directly. Thanks for listening to the episode and any comments drop us a line. Cheers David

Today's guest is an expert on Smart Investments, he is the creator and founder of the Smart Asset Opportunities After 12 years serving in the military and over 20 years running a successful private practice, he realized if he didn't alter his course he'd be trading hours for dollars forever. It was this belief that led him to launch Smart Asset Opportunities. In just four years, he has been involved in projects totaling over $100 million, and owns 40+ single family homes, 14 ATM's, a coffee farm in Panama, apartment complexes, office parks, storage units, and ownership in a Belizean resort. As he says "After over 20 years of running a successful small business in rural Missouri, we seemingly "woke up" to the realization we were not on the path to a comfortable retirement, a course of not knowing when we would be able to transition out of the business. We truly did not have a plan to replace our transactional income – the exchanging of our hours for dollars. We needed some Smart Investments for sure. Truthfully, we felt stuck. Fast forward two years and our passive income from our investment endeavors has exceeded that of our practice income. The driving factor of this change was our mindset; we took control of our lives, our future and decided financial freedom doesn't have just one path. We surrounded ourselves with like-minded individuals on the same journey and with the same aspirations. We sought out opportunities to learn more and partner with others in lucrative joint ventures. We understood our WHY and became intentional about taking action. These days we are dedicated to our new passion: helping others achieve their success. It is far more rewarding, interesting and exciting than lounging around on a beach, and we're enjoying every second of it. Our WHY is to help others find their path to the financial freedom we found with their own Smart Investments. So it's ok to say, let's change direction and do something different but how do you upskill and make these changes occur? And is it still fun and exciting to be building what they have, or getting more and more like a job? Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr. Ross Stryker. Show Highlights During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Ross Stryker such as: We share the dawning realisation when he realised that his retirement was not going to be as comfortable as he and his wife hoped and the actions he then took. Why it is so important to start surrounding yourself with the kind of people that you want to become in your life. Dont look for less but look higher up the ladder. Ross shares why he loves, what he is doing for the reasons because it was hard, more than anything else. It's the challenge that lights him up inside. and lastly…. Why we can learn from other peoples mistakes, much more cheaply and quickly than we can hope to do ourselves. So study other peoples route to success.

Today's guest is a lady who loves to "Start With Why" everyday, but that perhaps wasn't always the case. However as soon as I heard about her daily hustle and drive to achieve a dream not just for herself, but for eight complete strangers then I knew I had to have her on the show. And so I did, back on episode 233 of Join Up Dots where we discussed the creation of her My Million To One programme whereby she was on a mission to raise one million pounds to provide housing for eight disabled children that she first met when volunteering in Africa. She was asked to help whilst volunteering in the area and quickly approached a couple of local charities who agreed to help by adopting the children and providing them a home on the proviso that she found money every year to pay for the children's home. Seems simple, part of the start with why strategy? Well throw into the mix money for all their needs, education and rehabilitation costs – and guarantee that the money would be provided for their lifetimes then it seems daunting to say the least.. So… she challenged herself to raise £1 million – enough to build the orphanage itself and then enough money to sit in a bank, so the centre can survive off the interest payments. Now she has added even more charitable hustle and adventure into her life by starting Plucky Us, born from the people that she met previously As she says " When I was setting up My Million To One programme I set out to network with other entrepreneurs. I expected to find a lot of other people who were positive & ambitious & trying something different but I didn't: I just met a lot of people who weren't like me at all and who didn't really understand or want to help. The people that did help me to build & promote it in the end were actors, adventurers, athletes, musicians (to name a few) and only scattered amongst them were there other people establishing similar businesses. What EVERYONE had in common though was a positive, ambitious outlook, determination, drive and a desire to be the best that they could be. They were all successful, outgoing people who helped others: people who both inspired and encouraged. They did understand the start why why concept and why it was so powerful. As MMTO grew, an organic community formed around it of these wonderful people. MMTO members had become friends and they were telling me about exciting projects that they were working on and I found myself CREATING CONNECTIONS between members (introducing them to one another, forwarding each other their proposals) when I saw how they could help each other achieve their chosen goals. The members in question were often in different industries and sometimes different countries but - when presented with their hopes & dreams - it was clear how they could match & empower each other and MORE IMPORTANTLY I knew that they would also GET ON WELL because they were LIKE MINDED, OUTGOING PEOPLE. So how did this lady come to find herself in Africa volunteering in the first place? And why does she think that entrepreneurs in the business world, are unlikely to help in the same way as the creative folk are? Well let's find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Alana Hurd. Show Highlights During the episode we discussed such weighty topics such as: How Alana walked into a world of business and health issues with all the naivety that she could muster, until realising that success comes by rest as much as hustle. Alana shares the problems of building your mindset to look at No's as just one more step closer to gaining the big Yes's your business needs. Why Start With Your Why is such simple advice, but one that so many people ignore until it is truly too late. And lastly........ We talk about connecting with the super successful without care, as more often than not they will bend over backwards to help you in your pursuit for success.

In todays show, hosted by David Ralph, we talk about free time, and how to build more of it into our lives. With the biggest question, and the biggest surprise being...do we actually want to have free time in our lives? You see most of us are building our lives around routine and responsibilities. We get up when our alarm says we have to get up, we deal with the things that life says we have to deal with, and then look at free time as something that is never going to happen. We push past the belief that we can choose our own time, and can actually make the decisions in our business to be free from the hassles and inconveniences. But we can make every decision in our own life. We can take control of the free time that we have, and make it more and more and more, why still becoming more successful in our lives. So how do we do it, (and of course you will hear a lot more in today's episode of Join Up Dots), how do we protect the time that we have to grow the roots of freedom? Firstly, we need to look at the work that we need to do, against the work that we are just doing because we always have done it. We need to see where the true value of the task is for us. Is it actually rewarding us for its completion or just something to tick off our list? Secondly, we need to block out time in our schedule to make sure that things we want to do can occur. It's no good saying "I want more free time, if when you get it you haven't got a clue as to what you want it for!" Which actually was a situation that I found myself in, when I started rewarding myself for the work that I have done in my life, and then ended up bored with the free time. I blocked off a whole month, made sure that the work was all completed and then sat around thinking "I think I would have preferred to be working as this is boring" Things are so different nowadays, with fun, vacations, day outs and excitement to fill my time with and recharge the batteries. I knew what I wanted the free time for, and went out and made it occur. So do you find yourself looking for things in your life to escape the norm, but dont think you have the time and resources to make it happen? Then this show is for you. Enjoy.

Todays guest joining us on the Join Up Dots podcast is an expert in Instagram and a lady that if you opened her up would have entrepreneur written all the way through her. Actually she was back on the show on episode 259, where we talked about her early journey where she was creating an online identity and profile, alongside a brick and mortar business in the holistic world of Kinesiology, which is a holistic approach of simultaneously treating all the aspects of a person, emotional, nutritional, structural and energetic needs, whilst still working for the man. This came about after spending a number of years suffering from a vast array of illness and discomfort, she discovered this form of treatment and founded the company Body Sync in 2010, to take her understanding and training out into the world to help others. But she needed to pivot as quite simply, although she was treating her patients to feel great, the business was making her ill again, as the hours were grinding her into the ground. So she did what so many people do and took the learnings from all this action taking and positioned herself as the Digestion Detective which was a franchised online show, found in ITunes and available on UK Health Radio each week, where she talked and discussed health issues. And now it seems that she has gone in a different direction, and has niched down to a tighter model, teaching health care professionals and others how to gain massive visibility online. She has seen that her colleagues are struggling to get their message out to the world, and with her Instagram coaching, podcasting school and other platforms she is showing them the way to get noticed. As she says "Having a thriving online business isn't hard once you know a few things and who better to learn from than someone who has made every single mistake possible and still here doing her thing. " So does she look back and slap her head with a "If I only knew then what i know now how life would have been different" And is she surprised at how little people actually know today, when we are all attached to our online profiles and content like never before. Well let's find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Sam Bearfoot Show Highlights During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Sam Bearfoot such as: We discuss how and why people are continuing to make the same mistakes online that they have always done, even though they could find the easy way through to the gold. We share the first steps to creating Instagram success, by deciding who your customers are, and focusing the content on them, not necessarily all about yourself. Why Instragram coaching is just the starting point, and success from high numbers only comes by being consistent and posting at regular intervals and lastly…. We show the world has success online is created, by the open and frank discussion as to entrepreneurial life. Sam has created an Instagram success due to her 15 years of persistence.

Today's episode as is normal for a Fridays show, is a hybrid between keeping you advised as to what is happening in the world of Join Up Dots, and answering a few listener questions. Well, let's start with the show first and foremost. If you have been keeping up with the new routine that we now operate you will know that October has been a rest month for the host of Join Up Dots. Being aware that a business can not operate on a low battery, has pushed David into finding a way that he can bring the business under his control and not the other way around. He has done that by compressing his activities into a four week burst of activity, and then protecting the following week like his life depended on it. Making sure that he utilized batching methods, Parkinson's law and also the 80/20 principle which he is a huge believer in. If you want more free time in your life, and increase your earnings exponentially then as he says "You must think about what you are doing, and what your customer needs most. Cut out all the wasted time that you think is productive, and just do what they truly need." It really has been a game change for sure, and allows for true focus, money building, and great ideas to flow into your brain. Now for some questions from the listeners of Join Up Dots "Hi David, I am a 26 year old female originally from Jakarta in Malaysia, but now living in Holland. I love your show and all the interesting stories that you give us. I am in a job that i dont like and find very unfulfilling. My passion is to create a business around Yoga, and specifically Pranayama, which is the formal practice of controlling the breath, which is the source of our prana, or vital life force. This seems so specific that I wonder if I could manage to build a business around this. Any suggestions I would truly appreciate it." Adelia, Amsterdam. The second question this week is from John from Cheshire who asks "David what is the first thing that you do each day in your business. I would love some guidance as I spend much of my time deciding to do something and not actually doing anything" And now the last question from the Join Up Dots listeners comes from M. Archer from Tupelo, Mississippi who wants more guidance in regards to finding money from her Toy Making business. "Hello David, over the last few years I have been working on a toy making business. These are small knitted replicas of friends and family. They send me pictures and then I make small models of them. I love doing it, as its very therapeutic. But it is also time consuming so the money I can charge for the toys, is nowhere near what my hourly wage would be in a job. Any suggestions as to how I can develop this business that I love into one that I can do full time?" Thank you as always for you your time and listening to the show.