The Dent Podcast

In 2011, Philip Hitchen was diagnosed with cancer and spent three months having chemotherapy. That experience changed everything, not just in his life but in business too. Since then, Philip has increased the turnover of his bus and coach hire business, Belle Vue, by £3 million plus. He’s added 40 vehicles to his company, has 93 employees and is helping other business owners to achieve similar results.      Here, we deconstruct all of that and map out Philip’s journey that led to Belle Vue becoming an award-winning, leading transport brand for education across Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom, moving 1.4 million passengers per year. This is definitely one to check out if you’re at a stage where you’re wondering how to scale your business and improve efficiency. In this episode we really get into: How Philip overcame intense price competition with a simple, free product Using customer criticism to develop a better product How he decimated (and acquired) the competition to 100% own his niche Philip on how he acquired two businesses from hospital in between bouts of chemotherapy The mindset that helped him overcome cancer and also solve some major business challenges How he transformed a hard grind business into a lifestyle business Building trust and credibility with clients using a simple communication system How a stellar reputation and word-of-mouth landed Philip’s business with the biggest and most lucrative contracts Dealing with inefficiency and wasted talent to improve margins and revenue How Philip saved £43,000 per annum by improving his drivers’ performances Using the universal language of iMA to improve communication, trust, understanding, cooperation and ultimately sales The Wheel of Life – a tool Philip uses to help motivate and train Resources LinkedIn iMA Twitter Belle Vue Coach Hire The Belle Vue Coach Email The Wheel of Life Francis House Stockport Metro The post Ep.40 Philip Hitchen on How He Overcame Adversity, Improved His Lifestyle and Raised His Business’ Revenue by £3 Million in Just Five Years appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

If you’re interested in finding out how you can market to the ‘mum demographic’ for your business, then you’re definitely going to get a lot out of this episode of the Dent Podcast. I’m talking with Katrina McCarter – founder of Bubbler and Marketing to Mums, and bestselling author of Marketing to Mums: How to Sell More to Australia’s Most Powerful Consumer. Katrina has won awards for Best Social Media, Best Customer Service and Best Boss in Business. She’s also been featured on Today Tonight, WAtoday.com.au, The Age, Perth Now, Smart Company and Sydney Morning Herald. In this episode, we get into how Katrina built an online community of 150,000 mums across Australia, the 6.2 million mums in Australia being responsible for spending $132 billion per year, how Katrina improved one client’s direct sales by 655% in a year by using her simple, unique methodology, and the fact that thanks to her public profile, Katrina has built some killer partnerships and been able to advise organisations like Twitter, Google and Mumbrella. So, give the episode a listen, take notes and enjoy.      In this episode we really get into: Tips, tricks and hacks into how Katrina funded the production of her book How she was able to leverage partnerships to grow her profile while also being able to leverage her clients’ businesses and her clients’ profiles as well The huge influence that mums have on the market, and the diversity of their spending How Katrina built an online community of 150,000 mums across Australia The 6.2 million mums in Australia being responsible for spending $132 billion per year Katrina improving one client’s direct sales by 655% in a year by using her simple, unique methodology The #1 thing that influences mums in making a purchase Steps on how to find who your ideal client is, and strategies to implement in targeting them The eight pillars of success – Katrina’s eight-step framework, and how it provides success and creates tangibility for clients and their services How Katrina used partnerships to add 7,000 email sign-ups to her database over a three-week period Choosing potential partners for your business Resources Marketing to Mums website Bubbler LinkedIn Marketing to Mums Facebook Marketing to Mums Twitter Katrina’s Facebook page Marketing to Mums: How to Sell More to Australia’s Most Powerful Consumer The post Ep.39 Katrina McCarter on Building Her Business and Brand by Targeting Australia’s Biggest Powerhouse Demographic appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

If you’re interested in automating the marketing in your business so that it runs without you, then you’re in for a treat. My guests in this week’s episode are Franziska Iseli and Christo Hall, the founders of Basic Bananas – Australia’s leading marketing training organisation. Franziska and Christo have built a business that not only provides real value for their clients but also perfectly complements their shared passion of travel.               These two have also got a load of stuff going on away from Basic Bananas too. Together they’ve co-written two bestselling books, they’re highly sought-after keynote speakers and they’ve had a ton of press, being featured in The Huffington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald and Forbes. I think you’re really going to get a lot out of this one so get comfortable, grab a pen and paper, and give it a listen.          In this episode we get into: The force multipliers and structure that allow Franziska and Christo to travel four months of the year How to navigate the compromise between maintaining a lifestyle and growing your business How, as a couple, they overcome differences of opinion in terms of strategy and methodology Having flexibility with your team and the traps that suck you back into your business Franziska and Christo on the major problems that stop businesses from generating more profit and leads The left-field marketing strategies that Basic Bananas have launched and how they use imaginative campaigns to engage with their audience Smoothing out the peaks and troughs and creating consistency within your business Investing in high-quality branding in order to attract premium clients Getting traction in business by being specific with your marketing Franziska and Christo’s step-by-step guide to setting up a marketing process that’s not only effective but also sustainable The books that have had the biggest impact on Franziska and Christo Resources Basic Bananas Franziska website Christo website Perception by Christo and Franziska Bananas About Marketing by Christo and Franziska The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis and Larry Sloman Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall The post Ep.37 Franziska & Christo on Life, Liberty and Growing Bananas. appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

Paul Dunn is an absolute force for good. If you’re interested in finding out how you can use entrepreneurship as a vehicle for creating more and contributing more, then you’re definitely going to get a lot out of this episode. Paul is a four-time Ted-X speaker, author and a senior fellow at one of the world’s leading think tanks. He’s also a business guru, having launched three different companies in his career, employing hundreds of employees and exiting for over $40 million in total. In 2007, he became the chairman of Buy1Give1 – a company that makes a real difference to those who need it most by unlocking the power of giving and creating a network of business owners and entrepreneurs. To date, Buy1Give1 has created 93 million giving impacts around the world and has grand plans for the future. This conversation will help you to think not just about how you and your business can create more but how you can contribute more as well.      In this episode we get into: The number one tip for finding and connecting with growing businesses across all industries Paul appearing in Forbes alongside Richard Branson in a global feature on disruptors in business Why more and more people are leaving corporations and becoming entrepreneurs Offering a value exchange to small businesses and their clients so that everyone is involved in the giving Global goals and the framework they create that allows everyone to pull in the same direction, and B1G1 as a vehicle to execute those goals The importance of investing ahead of the growth in your industry, as opposed to waiting for it B1G1’s goal to make one billion giving impacts by 2020 Changing your businesses scalability by asking yourself a different set of questions, and reimagining your company goals and objectives Giving not as a one-way system but as a dynamic, cyclical flow How Paul’s embedded the philosophy of giving into the brands, companies and people that he’s worked with The greatest adversities Paul has faced as a human and an entrepreneur The two words that Paul says before every speaking event to inspire and motivate himself Resources Buy1Give1 LinkedIn Email The Firm of the Future by Paul Dunn and Ronald Baker We the People Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl The Story of Telling blog   The post Ep.36 Buy1Give1- Paul Dunn on disruption, the UN Global Goals and Business as a Force for Good. appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

If you’re interested in learning how to get more leads and sales on the web by maximising your mailing list, content and product ecosystem, then you’ll definitely want to check out this conversation with Adam Franklin. Adam is an author, keynote speaker and co-founder of Bluewire Media – a web marketing business that is now consulting with nine-figure businesses. They’ve also created 33 free marketing templates that are used by over 20,000 business marketers and consultants worldwide, and have received press coverage in a number of publications including Forbes, The Australian and The Financial Review. Adam himself has used his business success to free up his time and dedicate himself to his passion of travelling. He now spends one month every year in Bali, and has spoken in front of more than 130 audiences globally. We get into all of that plus loads more. This is a must-listen for anyone looking for new methods and inspirations around their online marketing strategy, and tips on building a flexible business model.          In this episode we really get into: How Adam and his partner created value out of a consulting and strategic planning service that was, at the time, being given away for free by other similar businesses Moving from a website-building ‘agency model’ towards creating a product ecosystem based on the knowledge they’d gained of the industry from their first eight years in business How Adam created a mailing of over 20,000 people from distributing free content online Adam’s ‘Email Autoresponder Sequence’ and how he uses it to introduce his mailing list to his product ecosystem The reverse engineering and steps that Adam took to be able to incorporate his love of travel into his working life Adam’s process of stepping away from certain tasks within his business and delegating to allow him more time to focus elsewhere Using contra deals to create opportunities that might not otherwise be available Adam’s greatest victories, failures and lessons learned as an entrepreneur The top mistakes that businesses make when they start their online sales campaigns and how to avoid them Teaching your clients for free as a device for drastically increasing your sales The books and podcasts that have had the biggest impact on Adam’s entrepreneurial journey Resources Bluewire Media Adam’s Website Adam’s Book, Web Marketing That Works Email LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Speechpad Leadpages InfusionSoft Scaling Up by Verne Harnish Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber Good to Great by Jim Collins   Permission Marketing by Seth Godin The New Rule of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk The Three Month Vacation Podcast by Sean D’Souza The post Ep.35 How Adam Franklin Built a Product Ecosystem and Leveraged the Success to Follow His Passion appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can create a culture of innovation in your business in order to accelerate growth, establish partnerships and raise capital, then you’re definitely going to get a lot out of this episode. My guest is Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin, and he’s an expert in tech startups. His business, Blue Chilli, helps and supports entrepreneurs to build highly investable, scalable and well-designed businesses that are enabled by technology. Blue Chilli has experienced great success. They’ve won a ton of awards including The Microsoft Silver Partnership and The General Assembly Startup Brand of the year, and they’re well on their way to achieving their goal of creating 100 startups by the end of 2016. Sebastien himself won the 2013 EY Australian Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in this conversation he shares some real gems around the tech-startup industry and the phases that business owners in that space have to go through.          In this episode we really get into: Sebastien’s first business at the age of 19 and the lessons he learned from it Using the startup approach to help corporate clients with internal and external innovation Raising Blue Chilli’s profile with community engagement Sebastien’s vision to create a billion-dollar portfolio by 2020 How systemisation, structure and process have allowed Blue Chilli to reach goals and meet a scalable level of demand The four phases that all tech-based startups go through and the macro funding objective that comes with each of them The 156 steps for new entrepreneurs, from the light bulb moment to achieving success Thought leadership and its media and distribution as a strategy for Blue Chilli Putting process and structure into an organisation to encourage a culture where innovation is the end result How Sebastien’s thinking around technology has evolved to allow for scalability Looking at partnerships who offer complementary services to your own business in order to scale quickly The tech platforms that are instrumental to Blue Chilli and have helped Sebastien scale The three books that have fundamentally changed the way Sebastien sees the world Resources Blue Chilli Pitch to Blue Chilli Email LinkedIn Twitter The 99 to Launch Programme   BugHerd Slack The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz From Zero to One by Peter Thiel Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson   The post Ep.34 How Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin Raised $35 million with Startups by Creating a Culture of Innovation appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

If you’ve ever wondered how to go about hiring great talent and building a high performance team then you’re definitely going to get some real value out of this episode. Natasha Hawker is the Founder and Director of Employee Matters, and is an expert when it comes to team building and management. Not only is she the Employee Expert blogger for Australian Business Women’s Network and Flying Solo, she’s also the author of From Hire to Fire & Everything In Between – an in-depth book that offers practical advice and wisdom on how to manage employees and grow your business quickly. When it comes to team management, Natasha’s reputation is world-wide, having trained employees from the Philippines to the USA and from London to India. In this conversation, she shares the low points as well as the highs, telling her story of building a brand and a business that’s set to hit the million dollar mark this year.          In this episode we talk about: Natasha’s 23 years of experience How she’s hired or fired over 15,000 employees Shifts in thinking around pricing – switching from a time model to fixed-fee What Natasha did to allow her conversions to fly right up Building products to specifically drive profit Natasha’s frustrations with revenue, cash flow and profit Building talent pools, using LinkedIn and Facebook to create great teams The three steps to not getting sued for unfair dismissal The big picture strategy around Natasha’s business The tactical and practical side of building high performance teams The art of tracking performance as a business owner or team leader Natasha’s work as an author and public speaker, and how that’s led to significant improvements in her deal flow The partnerships that Natasha’s brand and profile have been able to create Resources Employee Matters Email Facebook LinkedIn From Hire to Fire & Everything In Between: Managing the Employee Life Cycle Natasha Hawker Website Natasha Hawker Twitter Natasha Hawker LinkedIn   The post Ep.33 Natasha Hawker on Hiring, Firing & High Performance Teams. appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

Welcome to the third episode of the InDent series – a collection of shorter podcast episodes where I have a detailed look at sections of my business partner Daniel Priestley’s book, Key Person of Influence, dissecting the core principles and philosophies that our business and many others are built on. If you’re not already caught up, go ahead and check out episodes one and two before diving into this one.      In this installment, I’m getting into the real concept of what makes a Key Person of Influence. These are people whose names come up in conversation,who attract opportunity and earn more money. Most people think it takes decades of hard work, academic qualifications and good luck to become one of them. We’ve proven them wrong over the last six years with our Key Person of Influence Accelerator – a programme that’s been featured on the BBC, The Financial Times, Inc.com, The Huffington Post and Forbes, just to name a few. So, go ahead and check out this episode if you’re looking for a way to take your skills, talents, expertise and existing business, and accelerate that into the inner circle of your industry, creating cut-through, differentiation and a scalable business. In this show I talk about: Becoming a Key Person of Influence and stepping into the inner circle of your industry How to have more income mobility by becoming the type of person that gets closer to the top Steps someone takes to making an exponential increase in their earning How making small shifts has helped certain people to find themselves in the top 1% of their industry in under 12 months Insights into representing yourself as a key person of influence at events The five questions to uncovering a Key Person of Influence Outlining the explicit five-step method that builds clarity, credibility, scale, transparency and commercial viability The Key Person of Influence methodology across all industries The five things that you need to have in place to demonstrate that you’re a key person of influence How to turn your service business into something that can be scaled quite rapidly Why having visibility online is crucial to becoming a Key Person of Influence Using both social media and traditional media to create a powerful online presence The results that come from having all five steps of the Key Person of Influence process in place The Key Person of Influence scorecard Resources The Key Person of Influence Scorecard   The post Ep 32. InDent – Become a Key Person of Influence appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

If you’re looking for ways to accelerate your ability to network, improve your game as a public speaker and improve your pitch then you’ll definitely want to check out this conversation with Topher Morrison. Topher is the Managing Director of KPI in the USA and he’s also an expert in mass communication, regularly speaking at Amex, Microsoft and Google.           His networking skills have seen him go from virtually knowing no-one to being very much in the entrepreneurial inner-circle of Tampa Bay in just two-and-a-half years through intelligent pitching and making the most of connections. He trains top business owners in the art of pitching and increasing credibility, and is the author of three bestselling books. Topher shares with me his story to the top as well as loads of actionable advice for entrepreneurs looking for effective, innovative ways to increase the value of their brand and business.      In this episode we get really into: Topher on how he used his pitch to attract one of the top entrepreneurs in the US Jumping ‘from lilypad to lilypad’ – using one pitch to open up a multitude of doors Topher being on a sales conversion of over 60% Tricks on how he took his speaker fee from $3k to over $10k As well as… How Topher earned his first dollar Topher becoming a professional speaker at just 19 years old before transitioning into the self-help world at 23 The problem with quick-fix solutions versus smart, hard graft The power of oration as the key to the highest level of success Topher on how lack of skills in keynote speaking can actually cost a business money Steps you can take to making yourself a better public speaker The five different types of pitches that Topher uses and the purpose of each of them Pitching a unique, different idea and approach to American entrepreneur, Kevin Harrington, and how that ended up becoming a successful partnership How you, as a small business owner, can add value to multi-billion dollar companies Why Topher offers services to businesses without any expectations of money and the results that the approach brings The biggest inhibitors when it comes to pitching Topher on how he helped the founder of a company raise $2.5 million in three sessions after training him on how to pitch Spearfishing versus net-fishing – targeting specific clients and leads Topher’s charity work with Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge Resources Topher Morrison website Stop Chasing Perfection & Settle for Excellence I Come to You From the Future: Everything You’ll Need to Know Before You Know It! Collaboration Economy: Eliminate the Competition by Creating Partnership Opportunities Free Videos Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge LinkedIn Twitter The post Ep.31 How Topher Morrison Worked His Way into Florida’s Billionaire Inner-Circle with the Power of Pitching appeared first on Key Person of Influence.

Cyndi O’Meara, Founder of Changing Habits, an organisation dedicated to educating and providing the resources needed to live a life full of vitality through consuming real foods is a nutrition guru, author and international speaker with a background in anthropology and chiropractic. Cyndi has developed the way she shares her message from one-to-one consulting to one to many educating and built a $5m business as a result.               But like with anyone that’s making a huge impact, it wasn’t the overnight success it appeared, and only through ferocious learning and research, the courage to speak up about controversial health issues and food realities and a whole lot of hustle did Cyndi get to where she is today. Now creating a documentary and developing a nutrition education programme, this epic businesswoman shares the secrets behind her savvy product eco-system, the importance of listening and responding to the market and her awesome life-changing philosophies on health, well being and real food.          In this week’s episode we deep dive into: Transitioning from one-to-one consultations to a one-to-many educator, resource provider and $5m business owner, and the mindset shifts that encouraged that movement Cyndi’s step-by-step guidance on writing and self-publishing a book The true hustle of Motherhood and Business Ownership simultaneously and how to keep pushing forward How Cyndi pre-sold 17,000 copies of her book Pitching ideas to companies without the internet and using TV opportunities to get your message out The shocking truths about the effects of the foods we’re traditionally encouraged to put into our bodies The 200+ auto-immune diseases we’ve developed as a civilisation through the chemicals in traditional foods and medicines The healing power of real foods its connection with a life full of vitality, vibrance and far less allergies and intolerances How to stop being seduced by supermarkets and fast-food chains who provide food that isn’t real food (but make it look like real food) Cyndi’s philosophies and guidance around the connection between real food, wellbeing and high performance, energy and vitality The importance of creating and building a business from something you love and have passion for Cyndi’s step by step approach to the building, development and growth of her business over 30 years in the health industry Uncovering the huge mistake that novice businesses make The how behind building an online profile and dominating google How controversy and the courage to face it were the stepping stones for Cyndi breaking out of tradition and going it alone in her own business Hiring and training a fantastic team who are running the show How to stop making technology excuses to grow your business How to maximise your volume equation through delegation The power of influence, personal development and being the best you can be in order to make an impact Cyndi’s how to’s on embedding new habits The importance on testing and measuring what’s working for you – and changing the habits that are not serving your body or mind Resources Website Manifesting Matisse Changing Habits, Changing Lives Podcast Cyndi’s 21 step reset Facebook Instagram The post Ep.30 Cyndi O’Meara, from nutrition consultant to $5m business owner, the connection between real foods and high performance, and pre-selling 17,000 copies of her book. appeared first on Key Person of Influence.