How They Do Business

It’s called “You Should Be Stressed” and you should be when starting your own business. It’s stressful as f*ck, it’s a big investment of your time and money. Is trust earned in business? What’s the most brutal thing? Have I specifically tried to “get better” at networking…?

Questions from the audience are up (again) and I have been the only one talking on this podcast since COVID ruined everyone’s plans. I go on a bit of a rant about doing what you say. I’ve said before that “word is bond” but I truly credit our success to me doing exactly what I say I will. Being able to promise that we’re going to do something, on time, every time, is a big reason that we’ve gotten this far as an organisation.

What defines a good employee? And how do I reward employees who are performing well? This is a really great question and it’s something we put a heavy emphasis on within our organisation. Being a good employee is not always about who is bringing in the most money, or the greatest results – it’s ALSO about being some of the things that I mention in this podcast. That is why when we give awards, we give awards for performance, as well as things like engagement and support.

Have I ever deliberately signed a bad contract? No, and no business owner should do that. Have I signed contracts that are financially “bad” in hopes to build something greater? Yes. Do I think you need to uphold your end of a contract to a T? Hell yes. It’s a contract.⁠

This week’s question was “What is the biggest barrier stopping you from moving forward?” and I enjoyed answering this. It’s a great question, but I also think the answer changes what I said in this podcast is still correct – but there are always other acute barriers at play. Other business owners might agree with me, but two of the major things that cause barriers for @Fuel Your Life is skill-shortage and time. As we’ve built, I’ve tried to hire Operations Managers, Business Development Managers, and Marketing Managers that have all fallen flat – so I am trying to see who in our company can be built up to these roles.

This question took me straight back to university, to my business degree. It’s not a secret that I can be pretty laissez-fair on the things that don’t really matter to me. We don’t really have a dress code or anything like that.⁠ On the other hand, I would call myself almost autocratic on things like communication, honesty and making sure that people are always being open. It’s non-negotiable. You need to do that or you’re out.⁠⁠

As a business owner, it’s all on you and you really have to be “on point” at all times. On point in the way you manage your staff, on point in the way you manage your relationships, on point in decision making and on point managing yourself and your emotions. I made my bed and I am happy with my choices, but it’s not always easy.

As announced last week, Fuel Your Life has officially partnered with Melbourne Storm & Sunshine Coast Lightning. Growing up on the Sunshine Coast and being a part of the local sport in the area since I was young, I feel a sense of pride being able to support these teams and the community that surrounds them. I couldn’t be happier to be on board with these elite sporting teams and hope that it is the start of a new chapter in the dietetics industry. My crew and I are ready.

“I’ll always be in it, I’ll always be doing something, I won’t be retiring… But at the same time, there’s other people that are in the company that I want to build up in a way that they’d become the next me.” This week on my podcast, I answer your questions! I talk succession plans, early investors and transitioning from working “in” your business to “on” your business.

I’m going off-script to talk about what’s going on in our organisation/my life right now. Or at least, what was happening two weeks ago when I recorded this one. Major business developments coming up, a huge company restructure that included removing mid-level management roles, rewriting the website entire website, a new “work for us” page that I’ve passed on to our web developer. And that’s only part of what’s been happening.