Podcast

181 – Magic Memories Goal Setting. Reflect – Set – Go

Happy New year!  Welcome to episode 181 – Reflect – Set – Go

We will be closing off the year with a 7 Step toolkit to reflect on last year and set new goals for this year. Today I will share my favourite ritual that I do at the end of each year which is an exercise called Magic Memories.

This exercise will help to reflect on the year that has passed and focus on creating a spectacular year ahead.  What do you want to accomplish, change and what are you committed to?   Next week we have a handy goal setting worksheet to help you create 100 goals.

If you need any assistance or have any questions, I would be happy to help.  You can book in a free 30-minute call with Shelley Rogers.

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180  – Happy Holidays!

180  - Happy Holidays

Welcome to episode 180 Happy Holiday’s!

I sincerely, wish you and all your loved ones a joyful connected Christmas.  It’s time to spend quality time with friends and loved ones.  It’s time to be thankful and I am going to start with a heartfelt thank you to YOU!  I started this podcast March 2016, wow I remember how nervous I was the few months when I hit the record button in my studio and here, we are 180 episodes later.  I realize you have many choices of amazing podcast to listen to so I want to take this time to say how much I appreciate you listening to Inspiring Greatness.  I have had the pleasure to interview amazing entrepreneurs and I am grateful to be able to share their stories to inspire you.   OUR BHAG is to impact 5 Million people by 2026, so please share your favorite episodes with other business owners who may find the content helpful.

Click here to subscribe to the show on iTunes and leave a review

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179 – 5 Tips to Scale and Grow Your Business

179 - 5 Tips to Scale and Grow Your Business.

Welcome to episode 179  - 5 tips to scale and grow your business

We are one week today away from Christmas…. I can’t believe how quickly this year has come and gone.  As we have done in the past, we take this time to reflect on some of the best books and tips that our guests have shared.  We published the top 5 books for success on episode 177 and today we bring you tips to scale and grow your business.

Over the next few weeks our team will also be taking some time away over the holidays however, we still have some great listening lined up for you. To close the year, I will share my favourite rituals which is an exercise called magic memories to reflect on you’re the year that has passed with a series of questions such as… triumphs, risks taken, lessons learned and people who had the greatest impact. Section two is looking at 2019 and creating the year ahead.  What do you want to accomplish, change and committee to?   Lastly, I love pulling out my 100 goals and review what I have accomplished update any new ones created by Keith Abraham – Episode 80  Passion – Goals - Focus

Based on popular demand we will cover how to create vision boards.

Let’s dive into the 5 tips to scale and grow your business.

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178 – Jeffrey Davidson – How to Take Teams From MEH to High Performing

178 - Jeffrey Davidson on How to take teams from MEH to High Performing

WELCOME TO EPISODE  178 where Jeffrey Davidson talks with me about How to take teams from MEH to High Performing

Jeffrey has been exploring the boundaries of world-class teams for over 20 years, As a recognized expert in strengthening leaders and building teams he has worked with thousands of employees and consulted with multiple Fortune 100 companies.  His goal is simple he wants you to be outstanding   and he wants your team to be even better.

In this Episode you’ll discover:

  • How Jeffery builds professional teams taking them from Meh to High Performance
  • Jeffrey shares his 5 steps to building awesome teams
  • The two most important questions you can ask your employees
  • Jeffery share 3 awesome free resources
    • Getting Stuff Done canvas
    • Defining Your Team’s Meaning Statement
    • Build upon and refocus

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177 – Five of the Best Books on Managing People For Success

177  - Five of the Best Books on Managing People For Success

Welcome to episode 177 - No one ever said it was easy being an entrepreneur. Whether you're in the early stages of your start-up or running an established business, we all face many hurdles along the way and at times you may ask yourself - if this whole entrepreneur thing is worth it?

This is one of the reasons I ask my guests to recommend their favourite book, one that has helped them along their entrepreneurial journey.

In my 20 + years as an entrepreneur I have turned to books & mentors for inspiration and advice as I rode the entrepreneur roller coaster. Each book brought new lessons and helped me develop my ideas more precisely. The best books are the ones I revisit years after I have first read them they have multiple folded pages, bookmarks tabs and full of highlighted sections.

Best of all, they deliver a whole new a-ha moment depending on what is going on in my business each time I reopen it.

In this episode, I’ve put together a list of fantastic book recommendations specifically around people as business leaders need great people both inside the company and out such as investors, suppliers, customers, partners and advisors as well as great support network at home.  All of these people are critical to the business.

So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, lost or unsure of your entrepreneurial future – don’t throw in the proverbial white towel, keep your head up - or in a book rather, visit this list and draw some inspiration from those who have been there and share their experiences.

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176 – Is your firms Strategy driving sustainable growth? – Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ or BHAG for short – BHAG

176 - Is your firms Strategy driving sustainable growth? - Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ or BHAG for short - BHAG

Welcome our final segment on Strategy, if you are a new listener welcome to Inspiring Greatness where we interview amazing guest or share business tips on how to help you grow your business and increase profits.  If you have not listened to our series yet you should start at episode 171 first.

Part one - Simon Sinek’s golden circle understanding your WHY and core purpose.

Part two - Identifying was operational activities can you do 3 to 5 activities that set you apart from the competition - These are process that your company uses to deliver your products or services.  What makes your company different?

Part 3 - How your company can surpass the competition! We highlight the difference between a SWOT & SWT analysis (Strengths, weakness, opportunities and Threats vs. Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends.

Part four – Two strategies the first one is Profit per X

Part five the X Factor to help you become 7 – 10 times better than your competition.  I refer to this as the secret sauce.

Today is the final episode on strategy and we will finish with finding your Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ or BHAG for short – BHAG

We have FREE worksheets on our show notes page for you to download.  If you are stuck on your strategy, I would be happy to help. You can book in a free 30-minute call with Shelley Rogers.

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175 – Is your firms Strategy driving sustainable growth?

Episode 175 Is your firms Strategy driving sustainable growth? – The X Factor to help you become 10 times better than your competition!

Welcome to part four on Strategy, if you are a new listener welcome to Inspiring Greatness where we interview amazing guest or share business tips on how to help you grow your business and increase profits.  If you have not listened to our series yet you should start at episode 171 first.    Part 1 was Simon Sinek’s golden circle understanding your WHY and core purpose. Part two identifying was operational activities can you do 3 to 5 activities that set you apart from the competition – These are process that your company uses to deliver your products or services.  What makes your company different?  Part 3 is all about how your company can surpass the competition! We highlight the difference between a SWOT & SWT analysis (Strengths, weakness, opportunities and Threats vs. Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends. Episode 174 we covered a strategy called Profit per X and today is on the X Factor to help you become 7 – 10 times better than your competition.  I refer to this as the secret sauce.

We have FREE worksheets on our show notes page for you to download.  If you are stuck on your strategy, I would be happy to help. You can book in a free 30-minute call with Shelley Rogers.

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174 – Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth? Profit Per X.

174 - Is Your Firm's Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth? - Profit per X what number would have the greatest and most sustainable impact on your economic engine to drive growth?

Welcome to part four on Strategy is your firm's strategy driving sustainable growth?   If you are a new listener welcome to Inspiring Greatness where we interview amazing guest or share business tips on how to help you grow your business and increase profits.  If you have not listened to our series yet you should start at episode 171 first.

Part one was Simon Sinek’s golden circle understanding your WHY and core purpose. Part two identifying was operational activities can you do 3 to 5 activities that set you apart from the competition - These are process that your company uses to deliver your products or services.  What makes your company different?  Part three is all about how your company can surpass the competition! We highlight the difference between a SWOT & SWT analysis (Strengths, weakness, opportunities and Threats vs. Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends.  Today’s exercise we will cover Profit per X which is a number that could precisely drive growth in your business!  I will highlight some examples for you to help get your mind going.

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173 – Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth? – Identifying the business Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends (SWT for your business)

173 - Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth? - Identifying the business Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends (SWT for your business)

Welcome to our third episode on Strategy, if you are a new listener welcome to Inspiring Greatness where we interview amazing entrepreneurs or share business tips on how to help you grow your business and increase profits.  If you have not listened to last few episodes you may want to go back now and listen to episode 171 & 172 on this strategy segment.  Part 1 was Simon Sinek’s golden circle understanding your WHY and core purpose. Part two identifying was operational activities can you do 3 to 5 activities that set you apart from the competition - These are process that your company uses to deliver your products or services.  What makes your company different?

Today is all about how your company can surpass the competition! I will highlight the difference between a SWOT & SWT analysis (Strengths, weakness, opportunities and Threats vs. Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends.  Then explain and provide a free worksheet so you can identify your business Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends known as (SWT for your business).

Let’s start with SWOT.  Every year I conducts an annual planning and strategy meeting with my clients, we ask the leadership teams to assess what the top 3-5 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for your company are at this point in time.

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172 – Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth?

172 - Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth?

Welcome to part two on Strategy, if you are a new listener welcome to Inspiring Greatness where we interview amazing business owners or share business tips on how to help you grow your business and increase profits.  If you have not listened to last week’s episode you may want to go back now and listen to episode 171 which was part one on this strategy segment.  I covered Simon Sinek’s golden circle understanding your WHY and core purpose.    Today we will identify what operational activities can you do… 3 to 5 activities that set you apart from the competition - These are process that your company uses to deliver your products or services.  What makes your company different?

In Michael Porter’s Harvard Business Review article ‘What is Strategy?,’ he defines and shares the value and example(s) of having 3 to 5 operational activities (processes a company does to deliver its product and/or service) to both differentiate and give a company a competitive edge in their market space. He also says, “The leader must provide the discipline to decide which industry changes and customer needs the company will responds to, while avoiding organizational distractions and maintaining companies distinctiveness.”   One of the leader’s jobs is to teach others in the organization to say NO!

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171 – Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth?

171 - Is Your Firms Strategy Driving Sustainable Growth?

I was recently in Adelaide also known as the city of churches, delivering a full day workshop on strategy to a group of entrepreneurs.  I asked them to take a piece of paper write their business strategy in one sentence.  The kicker is they only had three minutes to do this.  These business owners struggled to state their firm’s strategy in one simple sentence. Why? It’s a difficult exercise to do.  Would you be able to state your company’s strategy in one simple sentence?  Today’s episode we will discover your why…. What is your core purpose?  This is just the start of a series of episodes on business Strategy. In the following weeks we will cover difference between SWOT & SWT, how to differentiate your company from the competition, how to discover your X-Factor to gain a 10 times advantage and learn about Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ or BHAG for short.  We will have all these free worksheets, on our show notes page compliments to Vern Harnish from Gazelles.

How do you know if you have a great strategy?  This part is simple. If you have a great strategy your top line revenue will reflect.  If you revenue is flat or declining you most likely have a strategy issue.  A solid strategy ensures a growing top line!  So how do we define Strategy?  I like Michael Porter's definition as the basis, companies need to position themselves so that they are competing to be unique. It is this differentiated position that is the foundation of capturing your share of the market.  The best action we can take is to create a strategy that avoids competing with rivals on the SAME DIMENSIONS. Building a strategy is about developing, refining, and leveraging foundational elements that make you UNIQUE, which in turn drives confidence in predicting the future growth of your company (and then making it happen).  So how can your company be different?

Simon Sinek has a great ted talk on how to improve strategic thinking. He asks the question.  Why are some organizations more innovative, more influential and more profitable than others? And, why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees?  Have a listen to Simon describe the Golden Circle explaining People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

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170 – Jane Curnow – Age is no barrier to your dreams!

170 – Jane Curnow - Age is no barrier to your dreams!

Mindset & Lifestyle Coach, Fitness Model @ 52 years young, Author, Blogger.

Jane suffered debilitating depression for 25 years including 2 attempts on her life, 3 hospitalizations, serious psychiatric drugs & in and out of therapy since the age of 16.  In her mid-40's she discovers bodybuilding, debuts as a fitness model at the age of 46 and over the course of the following 4 years inadvertently cures herself from her lifelong misery.  She celebrates her 50th birthday on stage and declares herself fully recovered! She is now a mindset & lifestyle coach empowering woman through health & a change in habits & self-awareness.  She is driven by her relentless desire to support, motivate & support as many women as possible to stop the suffering that too many endure.

I was introduced to Jane through Business Chick’s Facebook page.  Jane had a post asking for recommendations on business coaches that has taken your business to the next level, and I was one of the recommendations… Thank you Aimee Engleman for the kind words.   After looking at her website and reading her story, I immediately said to her, “Jane you have such an amazing story, I would be delighted if I could share it on my podcast”.   So here we are.  Jane at age 52 is beautiful inside and out, she now has purpose, she is passionate, and dammed determined to help others find their passion.

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169 – From Nothing to Overflow with Jeff Hall

169 – From Nothing to Overflow with Jeff Hall

Jeff Hall never had a choice but to become an entrepreneur.    At age 7 he sold candy because money meant escaping his life of poverty and neglect.    At age 13, he acquired a reputation as a computer nerd at school quite by accident and began working on his school’s computers.  At the age of fifteen, Jeff started his business in order to save his family from being evicted, and at age 17 was lying about his age to get the commercial lease for his first office.    23 years later built up Overflow café helping small businesses become popular online.

It was fantastic to chat with Jeff and learn about his journey.  Bottom line is Jeff loves to help people, and give back!  Jeff dives deep into what it was like as born in South Africa very poor with dirt floors and no electricity then moving to Canada at age 4, seeing snow for the first time, a television and crosswalks.

In this interview we give you the inside scoop from direct experience so you can avoid the obvious potholes we stepped into.  I’ve coached many of my clients through the process of scaling their businesses for growth and how to avoid common mistakes that I went through it myself.

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168 – Lessons learnt. Australia’s richest woman under 40

168 – Lessons learnt. Australia’s richest woman under 40

Last week we highlighted Sheryl Sandbergs top 10 rules for success, and provided information on two awesome programs for women looking to grow their business!  Business Chicks have created Elevate and Power Players to support you as you work directly with your peers on your business, not in it, during a monthly session.  You can find out all the details on the programs on our show notes page. Maxumcorp.com.au/podcast episode 167

While it’s easy to imagine the ladies with the biggest dollars are those on the world’s catwalks and Hollywood movie sets, it’s the names you may never have heard of that make up the list of young rich Australian women under 40.

Sitting on top is 37-year-old Cyan Ta’eed, the founder of ethical chocolate company Hey Tiger and co-founder of online design and photography hub Envato. With co-founder and husband Collis, they have a combined net worth of $216 million.

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167 – Top 10 Rules for success from Sheryl Sandberg

167 – Top 10 Rules for Success from Sheryl Sandberg

Today we will focus on Sheryl Sandberg’s top 10 rules for you to be successful.  However, before we jump into those rules I wanted to quickly say two things.  Firstly, thank you for listening to this podcast!.  The first word that comes to me is gratitude.  I am grateful for everyone who is listening, and I’m grateful for  all  the amazing  awesome  guests.    I have learned so much from everyone sharing their lessons learned, tips and stories.  They have been such an inspiration to me, I hope you feel the same way.  So thank  you  to  all  the  guests  who  have  shared their  wisdom.      We  are  always  looking  for  business  owner’s…. entrepreneurs who are  interested  in  being  a  guest  on  Inspiring  Greatness!  So that  is  you  or  if  know  of  someone  who  would  be  fabulous please  reach  out  or  send  us  a  quick  email  to Shelley@maxumcorp.com.au

Secondly, I recently conducted a Facebook survey and asked a women’s group if they preferred to participate in a business networking mastermind program with a mixture of men and women OR just women.  The results were kind of shocking as the majority of  responses were women business networking.

That has encouraged me to quickly talk to the women on this podcast who are listening about a great program to support women-based businesses.  Because sometimes business can be lonely – no matter how strong your team, how deep your knowledge or how much experience you have, it’s natural to feel isolated and alone. Are you making the right decisions? Could you be doing things differently? Or better? Do others know shortcuts that you haven’t yet learned?

An organization called Business Chicks here in Australia founded by Emma Isaacs has two amazing programs to support women business owners.

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166 – #1 Skill Entrepreneurs Should Look for When Hiring

166 – #1 Skill Entrepreneurs Should Look for When Hiring

Today we are going to explore the number 1 skill entrepreneurs should look for when hiring according to Mark Cuban.

For those of you who may not know Mark Cuban was the founder of early internet streaming radio company Broadcast.com, TV channel HDNet, and now a Shark Tank investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban has hired hundreds of employees over the last two decades.

And he says there’s one skill he values more than anything else: Stress reduction.

“Mark explains the people that tend work for me a long time, not only are smart, not only are driven, not only are learners, but they understand that the greatest value you can offer a boss is to reduce their stress,”

“Anybody who reduces my stress becomes invaluable to me,” he added. “I never want to get rid of them. The people who tend to think that they are invaluable are typically the ones who create the most stress by creating firestorms and creating drama and making things more difficult for me. If you are stress reducer, you’re going to do well. If you’re a drama creator, you’re not going to do well.”

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165 – Global Leadership

165 – Global Leadership

Last week’s episode we spoke about getting rid of the words I’m too Busy, we touched on the importance of being an authentic leader and recommended a book called Discover you True North by Bill George.  Today’s episode is based around Bill George’s book specifically Chapter 12 on Global leadership.  What it takes to thrive in a complex environment requires qualities above and beyond those of authentic leaders.  To help you prepare for global leadership, we introduce the concept of global intelligence or GQ, and explore how to develop the traits of GQ leadership.  In today episode we will cover what is GQ (global intelligence). How leaders can develop GQ, seven elements essential for global leaders and here Bill George talk about his definition of 21 century leadership.

So lets dive in…

Today’s world is far more uncertain than it was in the past, largely because of the rise of emerging markets with greater instability, speed of information technology, and interdependency of nations.  To adapt to this rapidly changing world, companies need a clear understanding of the geopolitical context of their business and have a keen awareness of how geopolitical events can affect it.  One of the best ways in increase aspiring leaders GQ is to live in or visit an emerging country to learn and understand emerging markets where everything is different.  The language, customs, culture, laws and preferences forces leaders to challenge assumptions about themselves.

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164 – Why you should replace I’m Busy with the words Things are fantastic!

164 – Why you should replace I’m Busy with the words Things are fantastic!

As we all get older and progress further in our business or careers, it's inevitable that our schedules get packed with more meetings, more family responsibilities, more social obligations—the list goes on. We're constantly telling each other how busy we are, how there's not enough hours in the day, and telling our kids to "enjoy the freedom while you can."  I remember my dad telling me enjoy school it will be the best years of your life!

I met up with my mentor a few months back.  He’s such a wise man.  The first thing he said to me is, “Shelley how are you?”  I replied, “I’m so busy!”  He looked me straight in the eye and said, never say you’re busy, replace the word with…. Things are fantastic.   The truth of the matter is, none of us are actually that busy—and we need to stop telling each other that we are. In reality, we have control over our time. We choose what we do and who we interact with on a daily basis.

When we tell others we're "too busy," what we're really saying is that we are not in control. As a business leader, is that the message we want to send to our staff, our customers, friends and family?   Imagine all of the missed opportunities you've had because you were "too busy," being "too busy," We all need to stop concentrating on how little time we have to do the things we want, and start focusing on the freedom we have to choose.

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163 – 10 Biggest Entrepreneurisal Mistakes

163 – 10 Biggest Entrepreneurisal Mistakes

Here’s the 10 biggest entrepreneurial mistakes according to  Mike Michalowics Author of Profit First

Here we go starting at number 10 the countdown begins.

  1. Trying To Get Rich Quick

Most overnight success takes 15 to 20 years to achieve.  If you go in expecting to be rich overnight, you may become discouraged early on and give up on your dream prematurely.  Know that success takes time. Takes perseverance and takes a little bit of luck.  Give your business the time to grow.  Only if your company is stagnant for a long time, should you take it as an indication to try something new.

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162 – Mike Michalowicz

162 – Mike Michalowicz

How to transform any business from a cash – eating monster to a money-making machine.  In this episode you will hear Mike Michalowics Author of profit first compare four lessons from the healthy diet industry to the four core business diet lessons of Profit First.

We will start with Mike describing The Frankenstein Formula

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