The High Ground

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Cameron Stallard built Grayza with zero outside funding. Here's why he still turns down deals that don't fit.

Cameron is the co-founder of Grayza, the Brisbane hospitality tech company behind order-at-table, order-ahead and kiosk ordering for venues across Australia. He's also the operational mind behind AM Social, PM Social and AMPED Entertainment. He and Chloe cover:

• Why restaurants and investors said phone ordering would never work
• Refusing middleware and holding out for direct integrations
• Turning down a 14-venue group to protect the product's reputation
• The 300-venue client that cost a competitor more than it paid
• Walking away from partners who can't match your pace
• Pulling a 4:40am all-nighter before the first venue went live

If this episode was useful, leave The High Ground a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other business owners find the show.

Connect with Cameron:

Grayza: https://grayza.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronstallard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cambowjs

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:27 Starting Grayza when nobody backed it

06:50 100 pitch decks and venues saying no

10:33 Refusing middleware: direct integrations only

12:31 Saying no to money

26:27 AI and the risk of vibe-coded software

35:20 How AM Social, PM Social and AMPED started

45:36 Are entrepreneurs made or born?

46:27 The 4:40am menu rebuild before go-live

1:00:07 Running a festival and Grayza at once

1:18:53 The client that costs more than it pays

1:20:48 Cameron's advice for founders

Revenue Maturity Assessment: see where your business's revenue engine is leaking value, free: https://www.boderia.io/revenue-system-maturity-assessment

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Steve Baxter has backed more than 100 Australian startups, and he says most businesses don't lose to their competitors. They blow themselves up from the inside.

Steve was one of the original sharks on Shark Tank Australia and co-founded PIPE Networks, which sold for $370 million. He and Chloe cover:

• Why businesses rarely die from competition
• How great service drove 90% of new customers through referrals
• The "never make a customer repeat themselves" rule
• Why your gut is the wrong tool for business decisions
• What Steve looks for in the people he backs
• How to pitch when an investor's job is to say no

If this episode was useful, leave The High Ground a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other business owners find the show.

Connect with Steve:

Beaten Zone: https://www.beatenzone.vc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-baxter-021448/

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Steve Baxter

00:49 From the army to his first internet business

04:40 Why business risk never really changes

12:34 What makes a business last

15:00 Timing, luck and the Maxwell MRI story

23:54 How he won his first customers

30:01 The decisions that took him from small to large

34:32 What Steve looks for when backing a business

39:50 What wins Steve over in a pitch

44:16 Life as a shark on Shark Tank

51:17 Tax, housing and founders leaving Australia

1:02:17 Steve's #1 advice

Revenue Maturity Assessment: see where your business's revenue engine is leaking value, free: https://www.boderia.io/revenue-system-maturity-assessment

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

If you had to hire yourself into your own business, would you? Blake Thompson on the ego and discipline gaps that quietly cap a founder's growth.

Blake is the CEO and co-founder of Xrecruiter, which helps recruiters launch and run their own agencies, from solo operators to teams turning over $20 million a year. He and Chloe cover:

• The "would you hire yourself?" test every founder should take
• Why ego is the biggest destroyer of businesses
• The 20-year veteran who refused advice and closed without a single deal
• How to prepare for the downturn while business is going well
• Whether you're building an asset or a high-paying job
• Why luck is really just volume

Connect with Blake:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startarecruitmentagency/

Xrecruiter: https://xrecruiter.io

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Blake Thompson

00:38 The question that started his business

09:26 Should everyone become a founder?

17:50 What nobody warns you about

20:47 How you handle pressure decides your success

22:29 The 20-year veteran who never did a deal

27:54 Building an asset vs a high-paying job

30:28 Would you hire yourself?

34:15 Ego, overthinking and the tax bill shock

36:40 How Xrecruiter started

45:56 Why luck is just volume 49:29 Blake's #1 advice

Revenue Maturity Assessment: see where your business's revenue engine is leaking value, free: https://www.boderia.io/revenue-system-maturity-assessment

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Most ad accounts could cut 20-30% of their budget and still get the same result. Jason Le shows where that money is quietly leaking.

Jason is the founder and managing director of JRNY Digital and has managed more than $40 million in ad spend across 200 businesses. He and Chloe cover:

• How a business doubled to $10M, then cut the channel responsible
• The "fact or opinion?" test for marketing decisions
• Why most small businesses don't need more leads
• The rule of one for testing ad creative
• When to cut an ad using your break-even cost
• Whether billboards and radio are worth it
• How to brief an agency so you get the right leads

Connect with Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-le1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_le1996/

JRNY Digital: https://jrnydigital.com.au/

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Jason Le

00:35 Where ad spend quietly leaks

02:30 The attribution mistake

07:14 Why you might not need more leads

09:27 The rule of one for ad creative

12:23 When to cut an ad

16:15 What works in B2B ads

22:54 Jason's story

33:22 Billboards and radio

42:42 Marketing and sales working apart

48:43 Why agencies fail

1:04:39 Jason's #1 advice

Revenue Maturity Assessment: see where your business's revenue engine is leaking value, free: https://www.boderia.io/revenue-system-maturity-assessment

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

A wrong senior hire can cost a founder-led business 3–5x that person's salary. Daniel Moussa explains how to get it right the first time.

Daniel is the founder of Third Way Advisory, an executive search firm working exclusively with founder-led businesses across Australia and Asia. He and Chloe cover:

• Why a founder-led CEO role is a different job to a corporate CEO
• The "pre-season" hiring process Dan borrows from elite sport
• How to headhunt senior talent who aren't actively looking
• Why senior hires take six months, and how to start early
• How founders stop being the bottleneck in their own business
• Options when you can't yet afford a full-time executive

Connect With Dan:

Third Way Advisory: https://www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-thirdway

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danmoussa_thirdwayadvisory/

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Daniel Moussa

00:29 Founder-led CEO vs corporate CEO

03:05 The real cost of a wrong hire

04:41 The "pre-season" hiring process

07:50 Fake CVs and volume recruiting

12:28 Stop being the bottleneck

15:49 Headhunting people who aren't looking

25:48 Why senior hires take 6 months

31:13 Interims and fractional executives

35:12 Dan's founder story

41:21 Dan's #1 advice: no plan B

Revenue Maturity Assessment: see where your business's revenue engine is leaking value, free: https://www.boderia.io/revenue-system-maturity-assessment

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Chasing money is how most founders stall. Investor and property developer John Jia-Ren Lee explains why reputation is what actually scales a business.

John is a business mentor, property developer and movie executive producer who backs businesses across very different industries, from drone shows to perfume vending. He and Chloe talk about how he picks what to back, what makes him walk away from a pitch and why he builds strong foundations before he scales anything.

In this episode:

• How John chooses which businesses to back
• The pitch red flags that make him say no
• How rebranding fixed a struggling perfume machine business
• Why he scales for quality before speed
• Angel investing vs Shark Tank-style deals
• How to cold DM and pitch a busy investor
• How to handle a venture that's sinking
• The Rule of 5 for the people around you
• Why SOPs come before scaling

Connect with John:

John Jia-Ren Lee: https://linktr.ee/jiarenl

Chapters:

00:00 Intro 01:13 Meet John Lee 04:01 How John chooses what businesses to back 07:27 Pitch red flags: why respect and synergy come first 11:45 Fixing the problem: rebranding the perfume machine 13:37 Scaling smart: quality over rapid expansion 15:01 Don't chase money, chase reputation 19:27 Mindset and staying open-minded 22:02 Angel investing vs Shark Tank deals 23:59 How to cold DM and pitch busy investors 28:13 Managing multiple companies 32:08 How to handle a sinking venture 40:47 The overnight success myth 43:37 The Rule of 5: cutting off toxic friends 52:03 Strong foundations and SOPs before scaling 56:08 Scaling into Australian property development 1:05:02 John's #1 advice for new entrepreneurs 1:07:41 Where to follow John

If this episode was useful, leave The High Ground a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other business owners find the show.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AecP14OFl6k

Revenue Maturity Assessment: see where your business's revenue engine is leaking value, free: https://www.boderia.io/revenue-system-maturity-assessment

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Most businesses think the funnel ends when someone buys.

But the sale isn't the finish line. It's the beginning of the customer relationship.

In this episode of The High Ground, Chloe and Derek break down why the traditional linear funnel no longer reflects how people actually buy, especially in B2B. Customers research, leave, return, compare alternatives, ask questions, and may take months before they are ready to buy.

🌐 Build your own high-performance Revenue System 👉🏽 www.boderia.io

The conversation explores why businesses need to move beyond a fragmented funnel and build a connected revenue system that attracts, converts, delivers and delights customers.

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🔍 In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the traditional sales funnel doesn't reflect the modern buyer journey
• Why customers rarely move from awareness to purchase in a straight line
• Why the sale should be treated as the start of the customer relationship
• How disconnected marketing, sales and customer success teams create friction
• Why referrals and customer experience can become powerful growth drivers
• How content keeps your business visible while prospects research
• Why you need to meet buyers where they are in their buying journey
• How the flywheel can replace the traditional funnel mindset
• Why retention, referrals and expansion matter for long-term growth
• How a single revenue system can connect the entire customer journey

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🌐 Build your own high-performance Revenue System 👉🏽 www.boderia.io

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST & NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! ⬇️

🎧 Listen on your preferred platform:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Castbox | Podcast Addict

Resources & Tools: Learning Centre

Follow Boderia Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | Youtube | Tiktok

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Most businesses want to stand out, but end up looking exactly like everyone else.

They copy their competitors’ websites, messaging, offers and positioning, creating what we call a “sea of sameness”.

The problem is, when customers can't see a clear difference between you and your competitors, you end up competing on price rather than value.

🌐 Build your own high-performance Revenue System 👉🏽 www.boderia.io

In this episode of The High Ground, Chloe and Derek explore what it really takes to differentiate your business. From defining your ideal customer and developing a clear point of view to creating your own frameworks, methods and messaging, the conversation breaks down how to become the obvious choice for someone specific.

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🔍 In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why copying your competitors makes it harder to stand out
• How to escape the “sea of sameness”
• Why competing on price can be a result of poor differentiation
• How to define your ideal customer profile
• Why trying to appeal to everyone makes your business forgettable
• How to communicate outcomes instead of generic features
• Why thought leadership and having a point of view matter
• How creating your own framework or method can differentiate your business
• Why your website needs to clearly communicate who you help and how
• Why social proof and case studies matter
• Why being different for the sake of being different doesn't work
• How to become the obvious choice for a specific customer

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🌐 Build your own high-performance Revenue System 👉🏽 www.boderia.io

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST & NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! ⬇️

🎧 Listen on your preferred platform:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Castbox | Podcast Addict

Resources & Tools: Learning Centre

Follow Boderia Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | Youtube | Tiktok

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

You can be the busiest person you've ever been and still have less money in the bank than you did a year ago. Everyone's flat out. The calendar looks full. The top line looks great. Yet there's no money.

In this episode of The High Ground, we break down why revenue growth doesn't automatically lead to profit and how rising costs, underpricing, unnecessary expenses and inefficient systems can leave businesses working harder without actually becoming more profitable. We explore why businesses need to understand their value, price accordingly and build a revenue system that supports sustainable growth rather than simply chasing more sales.

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In this episode you'll learn

• Why growing revenue doesn't automatically mean growing profit
• How rising costs can reduce profitability as your business grows
• Why many businesses unknowingly underprice their services
• How to price based on the value you provide, not just your time
• Why increasing your prices can lead to fewer customers but better profitability
• How unnecessary expenses can consume the revenue you're generating
• Why businesses need to understand their numbers and where their money is going
• Why a website alone won't move the needle without a bigger revenue system
• How AI and technology can help businesses work faster and improve profitability
• Why selling your way out of a cash-flow problem can make things worse
• Why cutting costs to the bone isn't always the right solution
• How building a systemised revenue model can support more predictable growth

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🌐 Build your own high-performance Revenue System 👉🏽 www.boderia.io

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST & NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! ⬇️

🎧 Listen on your preferred platform:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Castbox | Podcast Addict

Resources & Tools: Learning Centre

Follow Boderia Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | Youtube | Tiktok

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Most businesses think they need more leads.

They generate leads. They run outreach. They increase sales activity.

But none of that matters if they're attracting the wrong customers.

In this episode of The High Ground, we break down why lead quality matters more than lead volume, how to identify your ideal customer profile, and how to build a more targeted approach to B2B growth.

We explore why 10 highly qualified prospects can be worth more than 100 poor-quality leads, how to avoid wasting sales resources, why generic messaging fails, and how marketing, sales and customer success need to work together to build a predictable growth engine.

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In this episode you'll learn

• Why more leads aren't always better

• Why 10 high-quality leads can outperform 100 poor-quality leads

• How to identify your ideal customer profile

• Why generic messaging fails to attract the right prospects

• How poor-quality lead data wastes sales resources

• Why sales teams should focus on meaningful opportunities

• How to build a better lead management system

• Why marketing, sales and customer success need to work together

• How content can build trust before a prospect is ready to buy

• Why most potential buyers aren't ready to buy immediately

• How to build a long-term growth engine instead of chasing lead volume

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🌐 Build your own high-performance Revenue System 👉🏽 www.boderia.io

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST & NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! ⬇️

🎧 Listen on your preferred platform:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Castbox | Podcast Addict

Resources & Tools: Learning Centre

Follow Boderia Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | Youtube | Tiktok