Excellence Expected: Small Business Action - Define, Challenge & Conquer Your Biggest Issues!

Robert Kelsey is motivated by his own perceived failures. Something that actually, we all draw motivation from even if we aren’t aware of it. The author of 3 Amazon bestselling personal development books, Robert changed his life by beginning to understand why he measured himself so harshly and has made a successful literary career through helping entrepreneurs like you do the same. This episode is a deep insight into the psychology that drives all of Robert’s decisions and during the episode you will learn: * The anatomy of a bad decision * The reasons we’re bad at making decisions * The effect second guessing and under confident decision making can have on all aspects of our lives * Is this a nature or nurture question: can we overcome this by understanding it? Furthermore, Robert shares is fantastic and ACTIONABLE tips for overcoming the decision making paralysis that, at times, stymies us all. Links to Robert’s work: * Robert-Kelsey.co.uk * What’s Stopping You? Why Smart People Don’t Always Reach Their Potential and How You Can by Robert Kelsey * What’s Stopping You Being More Confident? by Robert Kelsey * Get Things Done – What Stops Smart People From Achieving More and How You Can Change by Robert Kelsey Robert’s new book “Outside Edge” hits stores and online outlets in March 2015. Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel!

Brad Burton is the UK’s #1 motivational speaker, founder of the 4Networking organisation that holds over 5,000 events throughout the UK each year, and author of the highest rated and reviewed business books on Amazon. But it wasn’t always like that. Brad came from a working class background in the North of England and created his business at a time when he was £25,000 in debt. Crazy? No. Inspired? Yes. Brad has a true “Get Off Your Arse” mentality, so much so that it is the title of his first book, that has seen him rise from lacking motivation and self-belief, to spearheading a multi-million pound business – all in t-shirt and trainers. How? Honesty, transparency and being himself. During this interview, Brad shares his unique and charismatic advice on how you can cut the crap and get off YOUR ass to affect real, lasting and positive change in your life – learn how to deconstruct yourself and rebuild with Brad’s 4 actionable takeaways. Links mentioned in the show: * Get Off Your Arse by Brad Burton * Get Off Your Arse Too by Brad Burton * Life. Business.: Just Got Easier by Brad Burton * BradBurton.biz – Brad’s own website * 4Networking Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel! Image credit: Jonathan Jacob

Keith Evans, founder of CidaCo, has made a career out of helping entrepreneurs excel. It’s something he’s passionate about, believes in and is truly accomplished in. What makes Keith so successful? His open mind and willingness to think differently. In a world of uncertainty, your business needs to remain agile, open minded and employ creative thinking in order to allow it to grow, develop and surpass your expectations – but how can you break free of the traditional mindsets that we have all been conditioned to live within? During this insightful interview, Keith shares his actionable advice on how you can leverage a more open attitude in order to break down the walls that may be holding you back, thus allowing your business to truly achieve and SURPASS it’s potential. What a start to 2015, this interview will energise you into taking positive action for yourself and your business. For a copy of the CidaCo Environmental Mapping Tool mentioned in this episode, simply email Keith! Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel!

You’re in business to succeed, yet there’s no question at all that the success you WILL achieve can be gained through so many different means. Today I’m joined by Alan Wilkinson, franchise expert, to discuss how franchising your business can offer a low risk growth opportunity with unlimited capability. Alan has spent his career helping multi-national corporations such as McDonald’s & Mars, and businesses just like yours achieve sustainable growth through a solid franchise model that he calls “5 Star Franchising” and today, Alan shares that roadmap to growth. Alan shares his top tips to readying your business for franchising along with how to actually define if your business can be franchised and the pitfalls & problems that you must be aware of before diving in. After sharing his top tips about readying your business, Alan shares his 5 tips to turn you into the ultimate franchisor and just how you can develop your own low risk growth plan, starting today. Alan can be found online at The Franchise Development Centre. Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel!

2014 closes out with a time to celebrate your successes and an opportunity to allow yourself to EXCEL in 2015. This is my message to you, a thank you and a challenge: create your 2015 roadmap and give yourself no choice BUT to succeed! Thank you so much for all of your loyal support through 2014, it’s my honour to be able to share value with you every single episode and here’s to a happy, healthy and successful 2015 for you. Happy Christmas and don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

Each week Excellence Expected interviews the world’s finest entrepreneurs and industry experts to challenge some of the most important issues facing the modern business person.  This weekly follow up expands upon each expert’s insights to deliver: * Resources to help you navigate the the topic in hand each week and overcome the challenges you might be facing * My own personal reflection or interpretation of the topic each week so that we can move forward together – I am a business owner just like you with many of the same issues, let’s help each other! * Why?: * To add even more value for you as a listener * Most importantly, to deliver upon the Excellence Expected promise and to kick start you into action Recap of Monday’s topic * Episode number – 19 * Topic – I Created A Global Phenomenon Against All The Odds: how to take a vision that your peers just do not see and turn it into an unprecedented success.  * Guest & guest company – David Lewis, Young Voices * Web URL – http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode19 * Recap of Monday’s tips – * Have a good idea * Test & refine     * Rinse & repeat Resources & Reflections * My reflections * If someone tells you something is too big, or too hard, it’s usually because THEY’RE scared. Don’t let that stop you, make sure you’ve done your due diligence and you have taken David’s advice of filling out the idea, testing measuring and repeating and if everything lines up, DO IT – don’t seek permission, just do it and the people who doubted you, forget them. * First resource * The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas by Andrii Sedniev – Why? Because it’s based on a tried and tested system and systems WORK! * Second resource * Trello.com * Links to the guest * www.youngvoices.co.uk * What’s YOUR action plan for this week? Thank You and Next steps Thank you so much for choosing to hit that play button and I hope you found this, Resources & Reflections the Excellence Expected follow up series, to be of great inspiration and value. But more than that, I hope it kick starts you into taking the right ACTION, RIGHT NOW. Don’t forget, the more your expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

David Lewis set out with the goal of rebuilding a dwindling choir in his home country of Wales. What he actually achieved is a record breaking, over 6,000 member choir that tours the world; sells out the biggest venues across the globe and performs both with & for some of the most influential figures of our time. How? Self belief and an open heart. David created Young Voices, a youth choir that now performs across the world for some of the most influential people of our time. Throughout his journey, David admittedly made some mistakes; mistakes that he learned from and that allowed him to grow and flourish. By continuing to have an open heart and give everyone the time and respect that they deserve, David has crafted a path that has led him to working with Tom Jone, Shirley Bassey, Ben E. King and the amazing Maya Angelou. David is proof that no matter the scale of your goal, you can achieve it with some devout attention and a pragmatic approach to life; it’s a formula that we can all follow and a formula that echoes that of some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. If David can achieve goals AND break records doing so, what’s stopping you seizing your own life right now? Nothing, nothing at all. “Resources & Reflections” – Even More Value, Even More Action From David Lewis’s Episode… “Resources & Reflections” is my follow up episode to help you take action and EXCEL! Publishing after each topical, expert interview, I share my own actionable advice along with resources & recommendations to galvanise your thoughts into the will to take action. Listen to This Week’s “Resources & Reflections” Each episode of “Resources & Reflections” focusses solely on the topic in hand on the previous episode and is only available via your subscriptions feed – iTunes, Stitcher et al – or the player within each individual episode like this one: * My reflections * If someone tells you something is too big, or too hard, it’s usually because THEY’RE scared. Don’t let that stop you, make sure you’ve done your due diligence and you have taken David’s advice of filling out the idea, testing measuring and repeating and if everything lines up, DO IT – don’t seek permission, just do it and the people who doubted you, forget them. * First resource * The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas by Andrii Sedniev – Why? Because it’s based on a tried and tested system and systems WORK! * Second resource * Trello.com – Define, refine and develop your ideas with this superb online project software. * What’s YOUR action plan for this week? Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

Each week Excellence Expected interviews the world’s finest entrepreneurs and industry experts to challenge some of the most important issues facing the modern business person.  This weekly follow up expands upon each expert’s insights to deliver: * Resources to help you navigate the the topic in hand each week and overcome the challenges you might be facing * My own personal reflection or interpretation of the topic each week so that we can move forward together – I am a business owner just like you with many of the same issues, let’s help each other! * Why?: * To add even more value for you as a listener. * Most importantly, to deliver upon the Excellence Expected promise and to kick start you into action. Recap of Kate’s Episode * Episode number – 18 * Topic – Kate Erickson’s “3 Ps” To Guarantee A Powerful Product Launch * Guest & guest company – Kate Erickson, Entrepreneur on Fire * Web URL – http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode18 * Recap of Kate’s actionable tips – * Patience. * With opportunities. * With feedback. * With yourself. * Practice. * Planning. * Break things right down into manageable pieces, move that mountain one small stone at a time. Resources & Reflections * My reflections * Don’t close the door on opportunities, even if the timing isn’t right – circumstances will align SOMETIME to make it happen. * First resource * Kate’s Take podcast. * Second resource * GingkoApp.com – the finest writing tool on the web, hear founder Adriano Ferrari discuss overcoming launch paralysis on episode 8. * Links to the guest * EOFire.com * The Fire Path What’s YOUR action plan for this week? Thank You and Next Steps Thank you so much for choosing to hit that play button and I hope you found this, Resources & Reflections the Excellence Expected follow up series, to be of great inspiration and value. But more than that, I hope it kick starts you into taking the right ACTION, RIGHT NOW. Don’t forget, the more your expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

Kate Erickson recently fulfilled a decade long ambition – to author and self-publish a book. “The Fire Path” was a labour of love for Kate and was borne from her role as partner at Entrepreneur on Fire, the highly successful podcast and digital business created by John Lee Dumas in 2012. Kate held the desire to write a book even before she knew HOW to write a book. But, through patience, active and planning “The Fire Path” is en route to becoming a huge success! In this episode, Kate shares her own personal background before diving into how “The Fire Path” took shape, including sharing her own actionable tips on: * How to follow a dream and a passion to create a product that SELLS * How to leverage multiple mediums to target every corner of your market * Overcoming the challenges of self-publishing * The 3 Ps of a powerful product launch: * Patience * Practice * Planning Links mentioned in this episode: * The Fire Path by Kate Erickson * Entrepreneur on Fire Kate’s journey is one of dedication and it is a journey that is full of inspiration and ACTION. Follow your passion, never let up and keep on moving – you will achieve your goals! “Resources & Reflections” – Even More Value, Even More Action From Kate Erickson’s Episode… “Resources & Reflections” is my follow up episode to help you take action and EXCEL! Publishing after each topical, expert interview, I share my own actionable advice along with resources & recommendations to galvanise your thoughts into the will to take action. Listen to This Week’s “Resources & Reflections” Each episode of “Resources & Reflections” focusses solely on the topic in hand on the previous episode and is only available via your subscriptions feed – iTunes, Stitcher et al – or the player within each individual episode like this one: The week’s resources are: * First resource * Kate’s Take podcast. * Second resource * GingkoApp.com – the finest writing tool on the web, hear founder Adriano Ferrari discuss overcoming launch paralysis on episode 8. What is YOUR action plan this week? Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

Each week Excellence Expected interviews the world’s finest entrepreneurs and industry experts to challenge some of the most important issues facing the modern business person. This weekly follow up expands upon each expert’s insights to deliver:. * Resources to help you navigate the the topic in hand each week and overcome the challenges you might be facing * My own personal reflection or interpretation of the topic each week so that we can move forward together – I am a business owner just like you with many of the same issues, let’s help each other! * Why?: * To add even more value for you as a listener * Most importantly, to deliver upon the Excellence Expected promise and to kick start you into action Recap of Monday’s topic * Episode number – 17 * Topic – 3 Ways to Strengthen Your Bench of Next Generation Leaders * Guest & guest company – Ryan Jenkins, Next Generation Catalyst * Web URL – http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode17 * Recap of Monday’s tips – * Decide LESS as a leader, let your team be involved and collaborate with you * Serve down – work for your team and for the people that look up to you, empower them and let the * Pour more – empty your cup – share your knowledge and give value / expertise to the team we lead My Resources & Reflections * First resource * Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y – Bruce Tulgan * My reflections * From a millennial’s perspective, it’s hard to feel like you ‘fit in’, especially if you don’t know that there are other people out there with this same desire to find something you really love to work on. * The key thing is engagement, keep Generation Y interested and you’ll see great things come to fruition. * Second resource * “How to Recruit Millenials” – INFOGRAPHIC form the Undercover Recruiter showing how to attract, engage and retain Generation Y * Links to the guest * Next Generation Catalyst Podcast * RyanJenkins.com * What’s YOUR action plan for this week? Thank you so much for choosing to hit that play button and I hope you found this, the first of the Resources & Reflections follow up episodes, to be of great inspiration and value. But more than that, I hope it kick starts you into taking the right ACTION for you. Don’t forget, the more your expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

Do you really know how your business will look a generation from now? More importantly, do you know what the pioneers of your business will look like a generation from now; their motivations, desires, dreams, goals, values, ethics and how you can begin to nurture these TODAY? Ryan Jenkins has built a career based on understanding these values and advising some of Corporate America’s biggest businesses in nurturing, developing and creating value for the “Millennial” generation (“Generation Y”) and the emerging “Generation Z”. These generations are the future of your business and you cannot afford to miss this episode. Ryan is an expert in helping like yours both understand and integrate Generation Y into a company whilst providing the motivation and the engagement needed to stimulate this passionate generation. There’s no doubt that the Millennial generation is shaping the future of business and really, can you afford NOT to understand how that generation thinks? Links featured in this episode: * www.ryan-jenkins.com * Wynter – New Worlds Comics * Zapos Shoes, Las Vegas I’d LOVE to hear your stories and allow you to share your lessons from your own business journey – the comments are waiting folks! Introducing “Resources & Reflections” – Even More Value, Even More Action From This Week Onwards… “Resources & Reflections” is my follow up episode to help you take action and EXCEL! Publishing the Wednesday following each week’s topical, expert interview, I share my own actionable advice along with resources & recommendations to galvanise your thoughts into the will to take action. Listen to This Week’s “Resources & Reflections” Each episode of “Resources & Reflections” focusses solely on the topic in hand each week and is only available via your subscriptions feed – iTunes, Stitcher et al – or the player within each individual episode like this one: This week’s resources are: * Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y – Bruce Tulgan * The Undercover Recruiter “How to Recruit Millenials” Infographic Don’t forget: the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

Inspired by the marvellous work of Simon Sinek, this week successful financial entrepreneur  Bill Bottomley takes us on a journey from a career path with little fulfilment, to directorship of a thriving business that he passionately believes in. Episode 16 is an episode for all of us, an episode that helps us to reassess where we are and why we do exactly what we do. Throughout the episode Bill discusses the vital importance of: * Self belief * Belief in your “mission” * The positive impact that can have to your internal company culture * The positive effects it has on your customers and your bottom line * How this approach builds longevity into your business * The happiness that can be drawn personally from this kind of approach Bill is a firm believer in doing the ‘right thing’, with Lifetime’s philanthropical efforts playing a huge role in that business’ overall success. This all stems from Bill’s solid belief in WHY he turns up to work every day and WHY he conducts himself the way he does. Links mentioned in the episode: * Lifetime Financial Management * Simon Sinek – Start With Why It’s an inspirational episode closed by the usual high quality actionable takeaways that will allow you to begin your own journey of discovery to reveal your true “why”. Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the you will excel.

In this continuation of my interview with Ben Beaumont from 48.3 Scaffold Design Ben dives into the famous Excellence Expected actionable takeaways section… Ben share his 3 simple steps to begin your journey to becoming the ultimate business person through systemisation. Ben shares expert insight and actionable tips covering: * Overcoming the paralysis of starting – EVERYONE needs to systemise. EVERYONE. * Identifying the pain points within your business that are stopping you excelling and how to systemise through these. * How to leverage the technology around us to shift the effort onto reliable tools & resources. Ben is proof that systemisation leads to reward and an explosion in effective business practice. Why aren’t you doing it? Don’t forget: the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.

Ben Beaumont is serious about success. Having set out only a few short years ago to transform the service expectations within the scaffold design industry, his business, 48.3 Scaffold Design has seen wild growth and admirable success. Ben’s secret? He trusts his people and his systems. Ben began a journey to transform his business over the last 18 months through thorough and efficient systemisation that has allowed his business to thrive and maintain it’s impeccable customer service ethos even through a period of rapid growth. In part one of this interview I interview Ben, an old friend, and he shares some vital insights into how he came to realise what systemisation actually means, how it can be applied to any business and how he began going through a process of change that ultimately resulted in wild success and personal pride. Throughout this episode you will be taken on a journey to discover: * How to increase the time you have available * How to increase profitability by * Doing things quicker and more efficiently * Maintaining quality through consistent process * Enabling the person with the lowest possible skillet to carry out the function (by using the system) * Person on lowest wage executing the task * More serious staff or skilled staff freed to concentrate on more complex or higher income generating tasks. * Most valuable if less dependency on you or one key team member * How to create a culture of embodiment of your ethos, mission & values in your team * How to introduce systems and processes to allow others to do carry out the tasks you shouldn’t be doing * How to empower your team to do their job with right support * How to begin working “on” not “in” your business. This is an empowering episode full of ACTION, it will help you shape your business over the next few years and allow you to achieve what YOU want to achieve. Remember, the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.

Every business owner, every entrepreneur is on a journey of self discovery. For most entrepreneurs and business owners, there is someone there to accompany them on that path. Today I talk about 3 of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my time starting up and building a business, welcoming one of my partners on that journey to deliver those lessons: Mr. Donald Gent. Donald is a highly successful business person, having started his career in the heady days of 1960s London, before building a property portfolio and establishing the global design & digital agency DMSQD with myself and 3 other friends. Since I met Donald in late 2008, I’ve had the privilege of calling him a friend and being able to call upon him as a fine, patient and generous mentor. Without Donald, I doubt I you would even be listening to this show. This episode is packed full of insights and actionable takeaways, delving deep into the lessons we have learned together since we started. Myself and Donald chart some of the most challenging times we’ve faced in business and some of the hard decisions we’ve had to make. Links featured in this episode: *  @RoystonDon – Donald Gent on Twitter I’d LOVE to hear your stories and allow you to share your lessons from your own business journey – the comments are waiting folks! Don’t forget: the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.