Rise and Shine: Your Dose Of Business Tech Inspiration

Sometimes DIY tech makes sense - especially when you’re starting out or testing a new process. But there comes a point where doing it yourself is costing you more than hiring someone who knows what they’re doing. The trick is recognising when you’ve hit that point.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ Why tech marketing sets unrealistic expectations about what you can do yourself

➡️ The real costs hiding behind the DIY and budget route

⚡ Why cheap providers do what’s easiest, not what’s right for your business long-term

⭐ How to recognise when you’ve outgrown the DIY stage

✨ The mindset shift - knowing when it’s time to bring in a specialist

Sometimes doing it yourself makes sense. Knowing when to stop is what matters.

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Cyber security training works best when people actually want to do it. Craig Taylor, CISSP and co-founder of Cyber Hoot, has spent 30 years proving that rewarding good behaviour, recognising effort and making training feel like play gets better results than any amount of pressure. In this conversation, Charly sits down with Craig to explore how positive reinforcement and gamification are reshaping cyber security training for small businesses.

Craig's background in psychology gives him a clear lens on why rewarded behaviours are repeated, and why leaderboards, small wins and open-book learning lift engagement across entire organisations.

In this episode, Charly and Craig cover:

✅ Why rewarded behaviours are the ones that stick

➡️ How gamification lifts engagement from leadership to front-line staff

⚡ The PAR method - Pause, Assess, Report - for handling suspicious messages

⭐ Why leaderboards unexpectedly engaged the C-suite

✨ How AI is making phishing attacks harder to spot

☑️ When small businesses actually need formal cyber training

Whether you run a solo business or manage a small team, this conversation will change how you think about cyber security education.

🔗 Try Cyber Hoot free for individuals: https://cyberhoot.com/individuals

🔗 Get 20% off for the first year with code: askcharlyleetham

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

If you use Google Chrome, there could be a hidden AI model sitting on your computer right now - and you were never asked or told about it. Google has been silently downloading Gemini Nano onto users’ devices, taking up storage, using bandwidth, and raising serious privacy questions.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ What Gemini Nano is and how it ended up on your device without consent

➡️ How Google profiled your hardware before deciding to push the download

⚡ The contradiction between Google’s “local processing” claims and their general AI privacy policies

⭐ Why having an AI model sitting alongside your personal and business data is a real concern

Your computer, your data, your choice. If Google will install AI without telling you, it is time to ask what else they are doing with your information.

Alexander Hanf’s full forensic analysis: https://www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-silent-nano-install/

HOW TO CHECK AND REMOVE GEMINI NANO

BACK UP FIRST

1. Check whether the model is on your machine.

On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to your AppData, then Local, then Google, then Chrome, then User Data. Look for a folder called OptGuideOnDeviceModel. If it is there and it contains a file around four gigabytes, you have it. On a Mac, check your Chrome profile directory for the same folder name.

2. To stop Chrome from downloading it again, you need to open Chrome and type chrome://flags into the address bar. Search for “Optimization Guide On Device Model” and set it to Disabled.

3. Restart Chrome, then go and delete the folder from Step 1.

On Windows, there is also a registry change you can make that blocks the download permanently through a policy setting, which is more reliable than the flags method. If you are not comfortable making registry changes yourself, ask someone who is - this is not something to guess at.

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Gmail Confidential Mode sounds impressive, but does it actually keep your sensitive emails private? If you send client details, contracts or personal information through Gmail, you need to understand what this feature really does and where it falls short.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ What Gmail Confidential Mode does and how to switch it on

➡️ How to set expiry dates and passcode protection on emails

⚡ The restrictions it places on forwarding, copying, printing and downloads

⭐ What happens when you send confidential emails to non-Gmail users

❗ The things it cannot stop, including screenshots, photos and retyping

✨ Whether it is suitable for genuinely sensitive business communications

Gmail Confidential Mode is a useful tool for limiting casual sharing, but it is not true encryption or security. Watch the walkthrough to see exactly how it works and decide if it fits your business needs.

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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***

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Your email is the one system that controls access to everything else in your business - your bank, your website, your social media, and your cloud storage. But if it just works, you probably never think about it.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ Why your email is the master key to your entire business

⚡ What happens when that system gets compromised or goes down

➡️ The difference between treating email as a commodity and treating it as critical infrastructure

⭐ The mindset shift that changes how you manage, secure, and protect your inbox

✨ Questions you should be asking about access, backups, and encryption

Stop treating your email like it is just another tool and start treating it like the critical business infrastructure it actually is.

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Last week, half a million UK Biobank volunteers discovered their de-identified medical records listed for sale on a Chinese marketplace. No firewall was breached. No password was cracked. The data was downloaded legitimately by accredited research organisations and ended up somewhere it absolutely should not have been. This episode unpacks what the UK Biobank breach tells us about centralised data, the limits of de-identification, and why the push for mandatory digital ID should concern every business owner.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ What actually happened with the UK Biobank data and why it wasn't a cyber attack

➡️ Why de-identified data can still be used to identify you

⚡ How your information moves through chains of trusted partners you never agreed to

⭐ What centralised databases mean for privacy and security risk

❗ Why mandatory digital ID follows the same flawed model

✨ What business owners need to consider about tracking and customer data

Privacy isn't about having something to hide. It's about having things to protect.

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Wondering if you can personalise Gmail templates so each message feels tailored? A viewer asked this on YouTube last week and the honest answer is no, not really. Gmail templates (or canned responses) will let you pull a contact name and address into a message, but that is about the limit of it.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ Why Gmail templates are not really personalisable in any meaningful way

➡️ The one small thing you can do with Google Contacts and the "a" key shortcut

⚡ Why trying to use a group only pulls in the first person on the list

⭐ Why Gmail is not a mass mailing tool and the sending limits Google enforces

❗ What can happen to your account if you ignore those limits

Templates work for sending the same message to one person at a time without retyping it. If you need genuine personalisation or want to reach a larger list, you need a dedicated email marketing tool.

Watch the full walkthrough to see exactly what Gmail templates can and cannot do.

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

"Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

How many tools is your business actually running right now? If the honest answer surprises you, your tech stack could be costing you more than the subscriptions alone. A complicated stack slows you down, duplicates work, and quietly opens security gaps you never meant to leave open.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ Why reasonable tech decisions add up to an unreasonable stack

➡️ The hidden admin load every tool brings with it

⚡ How overlapping tools create friction you do not notice until it matters

⭐ Why forgotten subscriptions and abandoned trials are your biggest security risk

❗ The off-boarding gap that turns former team members into future problems

✨ How to audit your stack, spot overlap, and let go of sunk costs

☑️ Why simplification is a security move as much as a productivity one

This is the bridge from April's security focus into May's productivity conversations, because the simpler your stack, the easier it is to do both well.

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Your phone probably has more access to your business than your laptop does, yet most business owners have barely thought about phone security. Banking apps, email, CRM, cloud storage, your password manager - it is all sitting there, one tap away from anyone who gets past your lock screen.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ Why your browser's saved password list is a serious risk, and what to use instead

✅ How to lock down the apps that matter with PIN or biometric protection

✅ The trade-offs of remote wipe tools like Find My iPhone and Find My Device

✅ Business-grade alternatives through Google Workspace, Zoho OneAuth and Microsoft 365

✅ Why public WiFi at cafes, hotels and airports needs a paid VPN every single time

This is the wrap-up of Device Security Week, and it might be the most important episode of the lot. Pick one thing from this episode and do it today.

➡️ Free VPNs 101 course: https://askcharlyleetham.com/business-tech-boost/vpns-101/

➡️ Get up to 3 months free with NordVPN

https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/nordvpn

And I'll get the same as you (affiliate link)

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721

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Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Tired of retyping the same email replies over and over? Gmail templates (also known as canned responses) let you save pre-written messages you can drop into any email in seconds, and most people do not realise the feature is already sitting inside their account waiting to be switched on.

In this episode, Charly covers:

✅ How to enable Gmail templates in your account settings

✅ Creating your first canned response from a draft email

✅ Using templates in new messages and replies

✅ How to add formatting, images, and links to make templates look professional

⭐ A handy tip for using AI to generate nicely formatted template content

✅ How to update, overwrite, and delete templates you no longer need

Whether you are answering guest pitch enquiries, support requests, or repeat customer questions, Gmail templates help you respond faster without adding another tool to your tech stack.

Book a Free 30 minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me

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Spotify: https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/rise-and-shine

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721

iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ask-charly-leetham-online-105944212/

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/662f1e44-115d-4094-862b-efe9307e0df4/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager

Music and Credits to:

Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons.

“Paradise Found”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/