XL Podcast

Sarah joins us on the XL Podcast today from her beautiful farm in Australia. She sold her financial services a few years back when she realized she needed to make some serious lifestyle choices when starting a family. 2 kids and a farm later, she’s helping skilled Mums in making these choices. We’re talking skilled professionals from the worlds of accountancy, legal and medicine who have a lot to give but cannot see themselves returning to corporate life to realize that purpose.

Through her podcast and business community, Sarah has identified 2 key limitations that hold would-be Mumpreneurs back. First is the guilt associated with starting a business while being a Mum. “Most have only 2 hours a day not the 10-12 hours that mainstream ‘hustle’ culture requires”. So, business success for this community has to start with the lifestyle goal and design the business around this outcome. The second is knowledge or confidence. Many lack the framework or tools to work through the process of launching a business. In this episode, Sarah shares her how her 10 week launch programme works and how it provides a track for would be entrepreneurs to run on.

For more information on Sarah, check out these links:

Launch Your Biz Now podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/launchyourbiznow

Free New Biz Tool Kit: https://businessbrains.co/toolkit

Instagram (Business brains): https://instagram.com/businessbrains.au

Instagram (Oakley Farm): https://instagram.com/oakleyfarm_

We’re joined today by Author of “The Entrpreneurial ScaleUp System” and Podcast Host of “ScaleUp Radio” Kevin Brent to discuss business systems and rhythm. Did you know only 4% of businesses grow beyond 10 employees? While some happily stay small, many experience common symptoms faced by business owners who don’t have the right systems or rhythm in place to help them grow beyond a small business that may be living month to month. Those symptoms include the “plate spinning” of dealing with urgent client requests, growing revenues not manifesting as cash in the bank or even people issues. In this conversation we discuss what kind of checks and systems a business owner needs to put in place on a weekly, monthly and 90 day timeline, as well as the playbooks they need for each stage of growth.

For more information on Kevin’s book, podcast and work, check out these links:

The Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System
https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-ScaleUp-System-challenges-achieving-ebook/dp/B09Y91V4P2

Scale Up Radio
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/scaleup-radio/id1446574864

Biz Smart
esusgroup.co.uk

I’m joined on today’s XL Podcast by Atul Temurnikar, Chairman of the Global Schools Foundations. In a previous life, Atul was country leader for IBM in Singapore. After leaving corporate he set up a private school, originally for Indian expat families in the region. With demand and word of mouth growing, one school became two, eventually becoming 35 schools managed in the GSF family globally.

School and education is changing. Not only has the pandemic challenged educators to rethink how and why they deliver schooling, but the whole education system requires transformation. As a business leader, Atul is able to bring new skill sets and ways of thinkings to the challenges of education. Not only applying concepts like quality management and data analytics to schooling but also in understanding the drivers that compel a family or an entrepreneur themselves to set up and run a school.

In this conversation we look at how GSF schools didn’t just survive but thrive in the pandemic, how they are leading digital transformation and also how they work with family owned schools globally that may be facing transition or legacy challenges.

When it comes to selling to new customers or existing ones, the data is firmly on the side of the customers you have already. Research by Bain & Company found that a 5% increase in retention rate can lead to a rise in profit between 25% to 95%. Similarly, Invesp found that investing in new customers is between 5 and 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones.

Key to success is a world class post-sale customer experience. According to HubSpot Research, 55% of growing companies think it’s “very important” to invest in customer service programs. My next guest on the XL Podcast, Ed Frame from Exemplify, wants to help companies unlock the value of their existing customers. The challenge, Ed shares, is that companies may be stuck in the comfort zone of acquiring new customers, in paid advertising for example, and lack the processes and workflows to create a seamless experience once the sales gets the deal over the line.

And there’s good reason to invest in the post-sale experience. “Buyer’s Remorse” is real. We’ve all experienced doubt after a purchase, especially with higher ticket price services or products. Did I buy this on impulse? Did I make the wrong decision? When buyers experience this emotion, the experience can degrade rapidly, leading to higher servicing, recall and attrition costs. The good news is that small touches can have a big impact - a welcome onboarding call or video for example can allay initial buyer fears and set you up for a long term, profitable relationship with your customers. That means customers who buy again, and refer you to their friends.
All this requires good process, of course, and good process requires planning. In this podcast, Ed discusses what you need to map out a customer journey and the processes you need to create a world class post-sale customer experience.

We record this episode of The XL Podcast 95 years ago to the day that US based Bell Labs revealed a system for transmitting television pictures. And while this took place almost a century ago, this image of innovation, one of “labs”, “reveals” and, let’s face it, men, driving the process is still persistent today.

Natalie Turner, co-founder of The Entheo Network, author of “Yes You Can Innovate”, joins us on the podcast today to help draw a map of modern innovation for enterprise. While disruptive technologies like a new form of television may be a form of innovation, it’s just one. There are not only many different forms of innovation (such as product, service or society) but also different types of innovators. In this conversation, Natalie discusses the different types of innovation mindsets and personalities. The “Igniters” (the first i of the 6) are the best known and most celebrated in media, but there are many other types of innovators who are both critical to making innovation a success and often overlooked leadership. Innovation is a lot more complex and diverse than those simpler days of Bell Labs.

Leaders today need to unlock innovation at all levels of the organization, and that starts with creating a framework for innovation. Igniters may be the spark to create change, but how leaders empower and support the “Identifiers”, “Investors” and the other innovation personalities is key to long term success. For the modern team, more inclusive conversations about innovation are fundamental to success. A recent Boston Consulting report noted that diverse teams are 2.2x more likely to be “innovation leaders” rather than laggards. These outcomes lie in smart process and smart cultures, rather than simply relying on smart people.

If innovation’s in your job title, you’re curious about what kind of innovator you are, or you’re leading transformation in your organization, this episode with Natalie Turner is a must listen.

The world of work is changing. We all know how the pandemic has radically changed how we work and how we hire talent. But, more importantly, the bigger changes lies with those being hired, us.

In this episode of The XL Podcast I’m joined by Hong Kong based headhunter Larraine Chang to get a top level view of what is working (and what isn’t working) in the ever evolving world of careers. One of the big changes in the talent market is how and why people are choosing to move. While salary and company brand are still important, other factors now come into play. As Larraine shares, candidates are more likely to go check out the backstory of an organization, learn about their DEI, ESG and work culture in assessing the overall appeal of a next move.

Candidates are also increasingly aware of the developmental opportunities in an organization. In a recent survey on Linkedin, the number 1 skill listed by Headhunters and Hirers as the skill they most wanted to acquire or focus on was “personal development” (44% of responses). Headhunters are no longer in the business of placing candidates, they are increasingly advising and coaching people on how to make the right career choices. A good Headhunter not only needs to know the organization’s needs, but also the intrinsic motivations of their candidates too.

Larraine advises leaders on the importance of “career by design” as opposed to “by default”. No matter how strong your CV resume, you need to make a conscious decision of how to manage perceptions about your career move. “By design” means planning your career move to make change on your terms rather than by accident, tips which Larraine shares in this podcast episode.

You might remember the 2004 Movie “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks. It’s about a traveler trapped in an airport and unbelievably based on the true story of Mehran Nasseri who was stuck at Paris Charles De Gaule airport for 18 years (yes, not a typo).

Living at airports gives you an interesting perspective on life, and the humans of travel. My next guest on The XL Podcast spent 73 days living at an airport hotel (out of choice) to observer how we travel and how we interact with airlines. 

Mark Ross-Smith is the founder of Status Match, a service that helps premium travelers transfer their hard earned points and benefits across from one airline loyalty program to another. For most travelers, this is a new world: airlines don’t openly promote transfers and many don’t have systems in place to efficiently deal with them.

Strange that, because as Mark reveals in this conversation, the economics of loyalty are stacked against inactivity. 20% of customers account for 80% of airline profitability. And it affects the bottom line too. American Airlines is valued at $21 billion. Their loyalty program is worth, according to some experts, $37 billion. Many airlines survived the covid crisis by raising capital on the forward cashflows of these programs alone.

Loyalty, whether it’s travel or financial services, has both an art and a science. The science being the data and the workflows needed to ensure a seamless ride. The art is where customer empathy and those airport insights pay off. When was the last time an airline employee handed you a box of chocolates and thanked you for being a loyal customer? Not often, not ever I bet. But, in this conversation we’ll look inside a world that touches us all, but few of us really understand what’s at stack - the world of loyalty and the battle for our wallet.

In a recent survey of 3,000 executives Alix found that 72% of executives are actually worried about losing their jobs due to “disruption,” - up from 51% in 2021. And 94% believe they will have to change their business models within the next three years to remain competitive. The pressure of leaders to find answers is intense. On top of this we have the challenge of leading our teams remotely: 89% of team members surveyed by RMIT said their employers wanted them back at the office but only 41% wanted to return.Indeed. we live in a time of great change. Leaders need to step up and speak out. From climate change to diversity, C-Suite leaders are themselves looking for leadership. Where do you turn to? How do you speak up without speaking out of tune? And how do you navigate this ever changing world of work? To help us answer that question I’m joined on the XL Podcast by Harvard MBA & Personal Branding Expert Brenda Bence. She’s recognized by Thinkers50 as a Leading Global Coach, her publications include “The Forgotten Choice” which was quoted by NYT Bestseller Ron Kaufman as being “…more than just a useful reminder. It’s an encouraging guide to thoughtful action—and to action in your thoughts. Brilliant!” Let’s learn about “Thoughtful Action” with Brenda from the inside out.

My next guest on the XL Podcast is on a spiritual and professional mission to solve one of the biggest challenges of our time - dementia. But getting there has been quite a journey. Even before we go into the burden degenerative diseases like dementia place on society and families, there are the sheer volume of cases. The WHO estimates 55 million people are living with dementia in the world today, numbers that will double within the next 20 years. And while dementia is the moniker of a successful society where people are healthier and living longer, it also places an extreme emotional and economic burden on the families and caregivers involved. John DenBoer is a former clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in early stage preventative medicine - including cognitive, physical exercise and nutrition - that can manage and slow down the natural decline in patients with dementia. At peak, his practise served 10,000 patients in the US supported by over 100 employees. But, just as John’s personal mission seemed set to reach the next level, personal disaster and failure struck. A series of bad business decisions led the company to the brink. Only now 4 years on John is coming to terms with the wild ride and almost coming full circle. He is finding strength in family, his mission and the human connections in clinical medicine that underpinned why he became a medical professional in the beginning. It’s an inspiring story, one which will give strength to those who find themselves facing adversity in their own journey.

Google recently announced that any web copy written by AI algorithms would be considered “spam”. That’s big news for an entire community of founders. As my next guest on The XL Podcast, Katrina Mckinnon founder of Copysmiths says, tech platforms like Google can be powerful allies in driving content to your site, but they can also change the rules overnight. The answer lies not in digging deeper into the world of gaming Google SEO algorithms, but doing the opposite - adding the human touch. Human written content is a long term game, but it’s far more engaging than copy spun by a bot. Human written content is also key to building your brand. For many ecommerce stores who built their businesses on Amazon, the control the platform exerts over customer relationships and lead generation means that Founders are increasingly seeking out ways to derisk their business. Writing content with a human voice, with the aim of building organic traffic to your own website takes work, but it’s the work necessary to build an asset that you as a business owner can own and control yourself.