The Sevo Show

Word of mouth got you here. It won't get you to the next thing. That's the episode.

Recorded at 12:25am, jet lagged, fresh off three weeks in Europe with my wife and daughter, who just turned 15 months. Valencia, then the Netherlands, then Nice. Home, then straight back on a plane to Sydney, because Apple invited me to the iPhone 18 launch for the second year running.

Then the work. Most people start a business because a couple of customers said they were good at it, and that runs out. So they turn to ads, which work fast. What they skip is the moat. MOAT. Everything you know, every question you've ever answered for a customer, sitting online where people and AI can find it. It's the long play, it's not turnkey, and you can't hand it to an agency and expect them to make you. They'll break you first. The fix isn't "post more content", it's post more about what you know.

Then the story I've been waiting three years for. Six minute call with a client, I told him to tinker three things. Day one he posted and got nothing. Day two he messaged me with ten leads. A week later he was past forty, now north of fifty.

I also go through the five parts of a business nobody teaches you when you start: marketing, sales, operations, optimisation and finance. And the three things that decide whether you get hired again, consistent, reliable and curious. Curiosity is the one that separates everybody.

The rest is the trip. A European toyshops, great-grandparents in their late eighties, and sales calls at 1am from a different timezone, because that's what buying your time back actually looks like.

Also in this episode:

• Why meeting in person is about to come back hard, as AI makes everything online impossible to verify

• The three questions to ask every client: what was the "fuck yeah", how could it have been better, what was missing

• FAFO. Fuck around, find out. Why it's on my hat and why it might retire "good thanks" for good

• The mate "good thanks" came from, who I don't talk to anymore, and why your friendships are going to drift anyway

• Narrowing your ICP by talking to future versions of the clients you already love

The Becoming a Dad series is coming. I said if one person asked I'd release the lot, one person asked, so it's dropping in October. Episode one starts the day I found out I was going to be a father.

Tell me what you got out of this one, how it could have been better, and what was missing. I'll build the next episode out of your answers.

Follow along

instagram.com/sevspics

Work with me

instagram.com/talktosev

Book a call

https://enquire.talktosev.com/apply

Topics: what to do when word of mouth runs out, organic content strategy, building a content moat, ads vs organic, ideal customer profile, client retention, profit margins, AI search and trust, Talk To Sev, Seva Mozhaev, Perth.

Five months off the mic and I'm back with no guest, no hooks and no production. The theme is focus, and the focus is camera confidence.

This one is recorded at 10:17pm in my home studio, straight into a voice memo, because I remembered why I started this thing seven years ago. Not for downloads. To document. I've got 269 episodes recorded and going back through the old titles hit different, so this show is becoming a digital audio diary that my kids can go back and listen to one day.

Then I get into the actual work. For three years I've been telling business owners to answer their customers' questions on video and they don't do it, because the camera scares them. So that's the problem I'm solving now: the philosophy, the strategy and the systems that make you clear on what to say. Clarity is what makes you confident, and once you're confident the camera is just a tool.

Also in this episode:

• The Matthew McConaughey journaling idea I keep coming back to: read your good days when you're having a bad one
• Why "just give it a go" isn't camera confidence coaching, and what a teaching degree changes
• Ethan "Brownie" Brown, the 14 year old I mentored, now 22 and doing six figures a month
• Eight workshops a month, the February two day online cohort, and what a 10 out of 10 has to feel like
• Being a dad at 13 months, zero screen time, and Europe at the end of the month
• Why the news, the music and the movies all got boring, and why I'm back on 2000s emo

If you want the Becoming a Dad series pulled out of the vault, message me and I'll push the whole thing out.

Follow along

www.instagram.com/sevspics

Work with me

www.instagram.com/talktosev

How do you survive when your fairy tale life suddenly turns into an inescapable nightmare? Today on The Sevo Show, we sit down with Donna Walsh, who shares her incredibly raw and heartbreaking journey.

After moving from Ireland to Australia and building a family of three, Donna discovered her partner of 20+ years had a devastating secret.

Just six weeks later, he tragically took his own life, leaving Donna to navigate the unimaginable trauma with her children.

In this deeply emotional episode, we discuss the red flags of infidelity, the manipulation leading up to the tragedy, and how to keep breathing when your world collapses.

Follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.

Follow DonnaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/donna_walsh_rise/Website: https://www.donnawalshrise.com/Follow me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/Hire My Studios and Production Team:https://brighttsar.com/Sponsors:https://www.whereu.com.au/

Former teachers Seva Mozhaev and Adam Cicanese pull back the curtain on the failing education system and share the exact blueprint they used to exit the classroom and build six-figure creative empires. From viral TikTok scandals to $10k mural deals, this is a masterclass in career pivoting.

Follow Adam belowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyrow/Learn from Adam: https://www.modulesbyrow.com.auCommissions: [email protected] me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/Hire My Studios and Production Team: https://brighttsar.com/Sponsored by: https://www.whereu.com.au/

How do you scale a coaching business to over 140 clients while still working a full-time trade? Richard Detering joins Sev on the show to reveal the backend of Richard’s Muscle Lab. This episode is a must-watch for creators and business owners looking to understand the difference between "The Journeyman" and "The Educator" content strategies.Richard shares his experience getting burned by a $30,000 marketing agency and why organic trust will always beat paid ads in the long run. We discuss the power of collaboration, hiring the right team, and why being unapologetically yourself is the ultimate competitive advantage in a crowded market. Learn how to use keywords, hooks, and authenticity to dominate your niche and build a brand that resonates.Enjoyed this deep dive? Like, comment, and subscribe to The Sevo Show for more inspiring conversations. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments and share this video with someone who needs a dose of FIFO optimisation.

Follow Richard:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ric_hyy/Website: https://richardsmusclelab.com/Follow me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/Hire the Studio and Production Team:https://brighttsar.com/Sponsors:https://www.whereu.com.au/

On this episode, Sev sits down with Marcelo Avila, a car dealership entrepreneur and immigrant success story who reveals the hard truths about buying and selling used cars. Discover why most people buy what they want instead of what they need, how to avoid the biggest car-buying mistakes, and why choosing the right partner in life and business makes all the difference. Marcelo opens up about his journey from Ecuador to Australia, building a multi-location dealership, and his practical framework for sustainable success. If you’re considering a car purchase or just love deep dives into entrepreneurship, business culture, and family, this episode delivers.

Enjoyed this deep dive? Like, comment, and subscribe to The Sevo Show for more inspiring conversations. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments and share this video with someone who needs a dose of used car ownership or family man entrepreneurship.

00:00:00 - Biggest used-car mistake: wants vs needs

00:00:24 - New-dad intro and guest Marcelo Aila

00:01:15 - Entrepreneurship is failing forward

00:02:01 - Why migrate to Perth: origin story

00:02:59 - Showroom crash and ownership lessons

00:04:56 - Car-loan regret and money mindset

00:06:24 - Family hardship, England to Australia arc

00:07:51 - Picking the right life partner matters

00:11:00 - COVID boom, market cool-off, subleasing

00:12:30 - Building an internal marketing team

00:14:22 - Agencies vs in-house: incentives and speed

00:16:24 - Set 30-day success metrics that count

00:18:10 - Test small budgets, learn from data

00:19:16 - SOPs so knowledge doesn’t walk away

00:20:49 - Culture: people stay by choice

00:21:49 - Franchises, buying land, scaling yards

00:22:55 - Sponsor message: ads done properly

00:23:42 - Qualifying buyers: use case and budget

00:24:54 - Chinese brands, EVs, hybrids complexity

00:26:27 - Consignment explained with real example

00:28:10 - Price bands for first car, risk trade-offs

00:29:08 - BYD servicing, parts and range realities

00:31:05 - Toyota/Mazda/Subaru: reliability and resale

00:33:06 - Autonomy timelines and safety features

00:35:44 - Adapting to policy shifts and markets

00:40:10 - Raising kids while building a business

00:43:15 - Document everything; avoid assumptions

00:50:08 - How to contact Marcelo and businesses

Follow Marcelo's Business:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3mt.auto/

Website: https://www.3mtauto.com.au/

Follow me:

https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/

https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/

Hire My Studios and Production Team:

https://brighttsar.com/

Sponsors:

https://www.whereu.com.au/

Perth pizza entrepreneur Matt, founder of iL Locale - joins The Sevo Show to share how he turned €500 and a single oven into a seven-store brand with plans to franchise across Australia. We dig into consistency over virality, staff culture, loyalty boxes, and why spending on marketing is as crucial as paying the rent.

All Matt's Links:https://www.illocalepizza.com.au/https://www.instagram.com/illocalebestinthewest/https://www.instagram.com/mateuspipa/

Follow me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/

Hire My Studios and Production Team:https://brighttsar.com/

Sponsors:https://www.whereu.com.au/

In today’s episode I chat with Peta Slocombe, a performance psychologist who’s spent 33 years guiding everyone from top CEOs to teenagers who’ve “tried everything else.”

We cover:

- Why the “hard option” is usually the shortcut to a richer life- Turning so

-called “bad days” into feedback (and dropping the label altogether)

- Childhood wiring: how early stories still run the show, and what to do about it

- Regret, risk and that 20-cent coin Peta says most people never spend

- Critical thinking in an age of endless noisePractical ways to catch the first thought, shape the second, and act on it.

If you’re stuck, curious or just keen to think sharper, you’ll get a tonne from Peta’s straight-up wisdom.

Enjoyed this deep dive? Like, comment, and subscribe to The Sevo Show for more inspiring conversations. Let me know in the comments: what “hard thing” are you finally ready to tackle after hearing this?Follow Peta SlocombeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaslocombeWebsite: https://www.performancestory.com.au/Follow me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/Hire My Studios and Production Team:https://brighttsar.com/Sponsor:https://www.whereu.com.au/

Anthony Drilich joins me in the studio and sits down to talk all things MMA fighting and gym ownership to explore his journey from amateur fighter to professional MMA competitor, the lessons learned through victories and losses, and insights into running a successful gym.Enjoyed this deep dive? Like, comment, and subscribe to The Sevo Show for more inspiring conversations. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments and share this video with someone who needs a dose of MMA chats or has their own gym and needs to listen in!

Follow https://www.instagram.com/anthonydrilichmma/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drilichcombatacademy/Website: https://www.anthonydrilich.comFollow me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/Hire My Studios and Production Team:https://brighttsar.com/Sponsors:https://www.whereu.com.au/

Creative director & strategist Caleb Ralston (ex-Vayner, Homozis, Empathy Wines) joins Sev to talk skipping school after reading Crush It, filming bodybuilding legends at 16, wiping out NYC debt, leading Gary Vee’s and the Hormozi's content charge, and why every team needs a monthly Content Hackathon. If you make videos, sell creativity, or need “endless customers,” press play.Enjoyed this deep dive? Like, comment, and subscribe to The Sevo Show for more inspiring conversations. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments and share this video with someone who needs a dose of authenticity in their online content game.Follow Caleb:  ⁨@CalebRalston⁩  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calebralston/Website: www.calebralston.comFollow me:https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/Hire My Studios and Production Team:https://brighttsar.com/Sponsors:https://www.whereu.com.au/