Scale Up With Nick Bradley

In this episode, Nick once again returns to the ‘Entrepreneur In Focus’, this time talking to Andy Alsop, the President and CEO of US-based tech-company The Receptionist. Since taking the helm at The Receptionist, Andy has grown their reach considerably. In 2015 the company’s software was being used at around 150 locations. These days, the software is being used in over 3,000 locations globally. Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS  An important factor in Andy’s decision to purchase a company instead of founding one was that for some time previously, he had not been seeing the success he had hoped to see. The Receptionist was based in Colorado, an area that Andy was interested in targeting, and through networking, found himself face to face with the company’s founder. The Receptionist had an installed customer base, albeit small, including market research and initial sales. Andy’s main issue with startups has always been the first giant step from “dead start” to “something”. This issue had been solved by the company already. In the US today there are approximately 10,000 people retiring each day. A lot of those people own businesses, and are wishing to divest themselves. There areonly three ways to do this: sell to a person, sell to a private equity firm, or sell to another company. These opportunities can be attractive, because the hard part (founding and marketing) is already done. It can be beneficial to immerse yourself in the genesis of your new acquisition, learning the ropes from the inside out, working on marketing and design yourself. This can be a far more effective use of investment capital than hiring early on. The risks of making a bad hire can be costly, especially at the nascent stages. One of the most effective methodologies that Andy discovered was Traction by Gino Wickman, upon which he and The Receptionist team built their company strategy, mindset and values. Employee concerns are always acted upon either as an individual concern, a departmental concern, or a company-wide concern. By dealing with the concern swiftly and through the proper channels, the company runs more efficiently and happily. Focus and structure are essential for any business. Especially when it comes to planning the future trajectory or goals of your business, of paramount importance is the need for structure and planning, but also adherence to those goals. Many entrepreneurs who begin at the startup phase become very enamoured with the creative process, and then when growth begins, and people are required, and culture and values become important, that’s when certain types of entrepreneurs struggle. BEST MOMENTS ‘I wish I’d had a podcast like this to listen to over the past 22 years’ ’The hardest part of any startup is taking it from a dead start to “something”' ’Now’s a great time to create that one-plus-one-equals-three’ ’That one misfire can taint the whole thing’ ‘We know where we want to go. We know our goalposts. How do we align our company to get there?’ ‘It’s that efficiency of how to communicate that is so critical in a company’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Andy Alsop on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyalsop/The Receptionist - https://thereceptionist.comTraction by Gino Wickman - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/ref=asc_df_1936661837/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310623486223&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8563956478218085729&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006817&hvtargid=pla-404289645110&psc=1&th=1&psc=1   ABOUT THE HOST  My name is Nick Bradley. I’m an entrepreneur, author, speaker and investor. My background is in growing and scaling VC and Private Equity backed businesses. Having successfully built, bought and sold a number of companies, and removed myself from day-to-day operations, my focus now is on helping entrepreneurs get to where they want to be, in business and in life. As well as investing in growth businesses and backing turnarounds - with the ultimate aim of creating value from significant capital events. I’m passionate about personal and professional development - showing up and being the best version of myself ... every day. My bigger vision is to help bring entrepreneurial skills, experience and mindset to people in developing nations - so they can follow their dreams, live life more on their terms - utilising entrepreneurship as a global force for good. CONTACT METHOD https://twitter.com/nickcbradleynick@fielding.globalwww.fielding.global    Support the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

Sometimes, your business’s growth can stall because your standards and values may have become less clear. It’s worth taking the time to reflect upon the way we live each day, to ensure that we are meeting our own standards of quality. It’s only from meeting, and sometimes exceeding these standards, that we can make true change. Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS  Standards are the key to changing anything. As Tony Robbins says: “Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is raise your standards” To have an outstanding quality of life, you must take risks, and much of this comes from the standards you set for yourself. Self-esteem comes from raising your personal standards in everything from the way you treat others to the way you dress. One of the first areas in which you should set standards for yourself should be your health. Mindset is incredibly important, but always remember that you need energy and vitality in order to deliver. Managing your emotions is another area of your personal life that will translate to your business life. Business is not just about the wins, but the roller coaster of ups and downs that challenges create. We need to be mentally prepared for everything. What are your standards regarding relationships? How do you get on with people? Are you striking the balance between home life and business life effectively? Remember not to let your personal relationships suffer. Are you using your time effectively? Productivity is the result of effective planning and holding yourself accountable for delivering on your promises and potential. You’re not going to become financially free unless you learn how to manage your money well. Discipline yourself to save money, and spend it wisely. Envision your goal from the future perspective of your desired reality. Nick practices “priming”, reflecting upon the past, present and subsequently three future goals. Envisioning yourself as the type of person who can achieve those things will give you insight on the actions needed to get there. Find inspiring mentors who are a few steps ahead of where you are. Look for those who are living the highest standards in a specific area you aspire to.  Learn from your mistakes. Remember to take risks. Don’t compare yourself too closely to others. Feel your way through the journey and remember that there’s no such thing as failure, only feedback.  Ask yourself: are you doing what it takes? Are you living with intention? Are you living with balance?    BEST MOMENTS  ‘Mindset isn’t just part of the game. It is the game’ ‘Don’t worry twice!’ ‘Everything that you do or say provides others with insight into the personal standards you keep’ ’Some people are very good at offence, but not at defence’ ‘If your identity is not taking you to where you want to be in life, that’s when you need to set a new standard’ ‘When I look for a mentor for myself, I’m not looking for an easy ride'   ABOUT THE HOSTNick Bradley  Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

Storytelling is not just a key literary aspect. Storytelling is a strategy that can also propel your business growth.  In this episode of the Scale Up Your Business Podcast, Nick discusses the importance of storytelling in business. He also shares three models so you can easily implement inside your business, during your talks, meeting with your investors, and many more.   Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS  Why storytelling? To communicate an idea or a statement to someone effectively, the receiver must be interested enough to be receptive about it. Storytelling improves how you’ll communicate. It helps you deliver your message in a compelling and engaging way.  Everyone learns differently. In fact, there are different learning styles, namely: visual, auditory, verbal, kinaesthetic, and auditory-digital.  When you’re about to hold a meeting, a talk, or a lecture, get a sense of how people inside the room engage so you can adjust how you’ll share your message.  5-Step Sequential Model – What, Why, How, What if, and When?  What – the overview of your business.  Why – a well-thought part of the story; can be based on the current demand, personal mission, advocacy, etc.  How – how is it going to benefit your investors, your clients, and your customers?  What if – what will be the consequences if the plan didn’t push through?  When – NOW. Convince the investors to do it now.  Charisma, Conviction, and Connection.  Tell your story in a charismatic way so it becomes more engaging.  Have conviction. People believe what you say when they see that you believe in what you’re saying.  Connect with the audience verbal and non-verbally.  The Then, Now, How Model.  Tell true stories that the audience can relate to and learn from. Share how you could improve your conditions from the past. This will definitely inspire them and invite them to be on your side.  BEST MOMENTS  “The context of how you deliver is important.”  “The invisible, or what you think is invisible, is actually just as important as the visible.”  “Selling is still the lifeblood of business, as much as marketing is.”  VALUABLE RESOURCES  Scale Up Your Business Podcast: Presenting, Persuading And Winning Deals | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr Robert Cialdini  Zig Ziglar Books  ABOUT THE HOST  Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

“A Product Ecosystem aligns with value proposition and is crucial for a business to be able to scale up.” In this episode of Scale Up Your Business Nick covers what an ecosystem is and the importance of the product eco system, also known as a product staircase. Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS ‘Product’ aligns with another episode that I’ve previously published on value proposition and it’s an absolutely crucial thing. If you haven’t got a clear problem to be solved for your niche/audience to focus on; you could do all of the marketing and selling in the world but you wont sell anything. A product ecosystem is the ability to create a number of pathways for your audience to engage then eventually buy from you. An ecosystem is thinking about the entry points or lifetime value that you want to take your ideal prospect through. If your product is of high value it can have a longer sale cycle. So the way to try and get your valuable products to sell is to have ladders within your staircases where the customer can engage. Think about what you can give away for free. This is often information like podcasts. Is there something that you can sell that has an accessible monetary value but at the same time is not that much that it’s too much of a thought for someone to says yes. This can sometimes be consultancy. Then think about customer lifetime value. What happens after you sell your product? A lot of business grow by selling services. Put yourself in the minds of your customer and audience and think about the end to end journey. Product creation formula keeping the staircase in mind: Your products need to all work together. Decide on the best format that aligns with what your business is. Choose a compelling name. Don’t go out there with anything boring. Think about the benefit of your product. Price it along the staircase. The first should be free. The second needs to be accessible. Then you need to sell your core product. Focus on the benefits of what you’re selling them not the features. Keep asking ‘why’ until you get the answer. Sometimes it’s worth having a guarantee. This doesn’t work for everything but can be affective with certain products. It gives a level of certainty. Think about packaging a few of your components together. If you discount it then try get a longer term deal. Use genuine and believable scarcity. This could be time or the number of products you have. Try use social proof and testimonials alongside the scarcity. BEST MOMENTS ‘Having a well thought out ecosystem is going to help you regardless of where you are with your business.’ ‘Sometimes product ecosystems can be called product staircases or ladders.’ ‘A product staircase is one of the best ways I know to bring a customer along with you to the point that they want to buy.’ ‘If you can spend 8 hours with someone then they’re going to start forming a relationship with you.’ ‘Try to win the hearts and minds of your prospects.’ ‘Don’t go out there thinking your going to only be selling one thing.’ ‘Add value, add value, add value without expectation and you’ll get where you want to be in life.’ ‘Clear benefits aligned with your proposition will create a position in your market that will make your prospect more likely to buy from you’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast: Rock Thomas: Interview With The World’s #1 Whole-Life-Success Expert | Apple | Stitcher | Omny Google Analytics Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman ABOUT THE HOST Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

“This is probably the most practical episode of Scale Up Your Business Podcast done to date.” Nick highlights the important of tracking metrics inside the business to maximise results and performance. If you’re not doing it, then how sure are you you’re achieving whatever your goals are in your business?  Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS Tracking your metrics lets you see the improvements and results in your business. Ensuring that your cash flow is healthy Maintaining a top-level performance Achieving overall business goals Boosting productivity and efficiency Bringing out issues, challenges, and concerns early on Implement your own scorecard. It’s different for every business depending on your goals and how you achieve them. Your scorecard should not just show how you are performing as of now, but also how you have performed in the past and where you’re heading in the future. Use web analytics services. When looking at Google Analytics (or any platform of your chosen tool), Nick tracks a certain data point, which is of no correlation to the success of the business, for a number of months. Here are some tips to help you create your own: Be very clear in your vision. Identify at most 15 but not less than 5 categories that you’re going to measure. Using key questions based on what’s important to you will make this easy. Include metrics that are related to your core processes (e.g. HR, operation, marketing, etc.) Assign each goal to each team member. It’s a weekly process. Bring out the scorecard every week to review it. Most likely, after 4-6 months, you’ll have a scorecard that you can use in the long-term. BEST MOMENTS “If you can really make a few pointers from today – the different things, the different approaches I’m going to provide you – you can really start making a huge difference.” “What gets measured gets done.” “Understand the metrics – all the indicators. Not just because it will get you where you need to, but it will keep your alive.” “Your business is your business; your scorecard will be unique.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast: Rock Thomas: Interview With The World’s #1 Whole-Life-Success Expert | Apple | Stitcher | Omny Google Analytics Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman ABOUT THE HOST Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

“If only I had done it, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Life is just an absolute waste if you live it with regrets, doubts, and fears. So, as early as now, do what you can to have a happy future. Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS 21-year-old Nick didn’t see the real value of money. All he did was to spend it on possessions instead of saving up and investing in things that could bring him abundance – he was just getting by. Nick discovered the true passion for health and fitness, so he started a personal training business, his first business. He learned the importance of focus and discipline. He also read self-help and inspirational books. While helping his clients improve their physical health, he was also learning from them through their personal stories. This also gave him clarity on his life purpose. He believes that he can help more, so he moved to a new place and started a new career. If he can help more people achieve personal development, advance in their career ladder and scale up their business, then sacrificing comfort and security can be worth it. 7 Pieces of Advice for Younger Nick: Trust that life is always giving you feedback that serves you. Take absolute control and accountability for your education. Find mentors early. Save and invest. Give back and contribute value to others without expectation. When opportunities present themselves, show up. Believe in yourself. BEST MOMENTS “Interestingly, when I got the most fulfilment back, then was helping people be physically healthy through personal training. There were side conversations I had with clients about life. That was an interesting part of my growth.” “Be grateful, be brave, have faith, and show up.” “I know that I wouldn’t be who I am if I have gone through the challenges and put myself out there.” “Never stop reading and filling your mind with stuff that will help you achieve your goals, and more importantly, enjoy your journey on the way.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast: Rock Thomas – Interview with the World’s #1 Whole-Life-Success Expert | Apple | Omny | Stitcher Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki ABOUT THE HOST Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

‘You have to have this guy on your show he’s a badass’  In this very special 25th episode Nick is in conversation with Rock Thomas, successful entrepreneur, self-made millionaire, influencer and public speaker for personal development and growth who now dedicates his time, passion, focus and energy to helping others achieve success and fulfilment.  He has a huge social media following and in this in-depth interview discusses systems, the mindset and the models he has developed that have brought him success and fulfilment across multiple streams of income. Listen in to this exciting episode and find out how being  ‘a badass’ is about understanding, learning and teaching others.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  What is your mission and what do you do?  I learn to be able to teach and then I try and teach the things that are valuable in today’s world when it comes to getting results.  I’m a passionately curious person with a good work ethic if you combine those two things where ever you put your energy and intention you are going to get results.  When you go the extra mile, you get extra attention and better opportunities  It’s about bringing your best self to the challenge you are facing and the one after that.  How do you scale up?  Using the Me, We, They system  Me - first you become great  We – bring someone alongside you who watches your expertise and then develops through your feedback as they work  They - when they have reached the standard required you move away.  Most people know what to do but they don’t do what they know.  The people who are hugely successful have a rage for mastery and an absolute inferno inside about wanting to get better and hating to lose.  We want to be in the arena with a worthy opponent, but we need the tools to be able to battle it.  How important is having a clear identity in achieving business success?  How do you find one when you don’t know what yours is?  ‘3 Ms Model’ involving finding a Mentor Model until you achieve Mastery.  It's not completing the ultimate race, it’s who you have to become to compete in the race.  Life brings all sorts of challenges and obstacles it's all about how you respond.  How you describe and define yourself determines how you respond when faced with any situation. You dictate your role by how you approach a task  You need to change your perspective and complete the analysis and effective preparation before a task to ensure you can respond positively.  How important is your mindset in business?  You have to work your mindset consistently; rituals and routines can keep you in a better place more often and help you get back to a better place more quickly when you face challenges.  Your mindset dictates how you do the next thing and it comes down to practise.  If you are not where you want to be, where would you start?  The 8 areas of your life are all interconnected and the place to begin is to be passionately curious about everything.  Audit your days – what worked, what didn’t work, how can I do it better, what did I learn, what did I love, how did I contribute?  Work on your health, energy and resilience continually.  Work 4% outside your comfort zone on a regular basis, you’ll learn from it and be willing to do it.  What can you do If you feel you are stuck?  Find the one thing that lights you up, and do it 5-10% of the week.  Start it, master it, delegate it, move on to something else.  I’m a starter, some are maintainers, and some are finishers, As a visionary, I can see it, but I don’t want to be in it, it's vital to know who you are.  Start saying ‘yes’ to the small things and you will find it easier to ask for other things  Nothing has meaning but the meaning you give it and when you become a meaning master you change your life.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘It’s about being resourceful; you have the ability to do it so do it more often’  ‘I’ve created a strategy for myself that allows me to fill in my biggest fear – ‘that I’m not enough’  ‘Until you become conscious of the people ecosystem that exists around you, it is not possible to change your environment’  ‘The inner narrative never stops so you may as well be intentional’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Power of Your Identity book by Rock Thomas Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds book by David Goggins    ABOUT THE GUEST  "M1 is a 52-week whole life leadership development community with proven results in your net worth, passive income, health, relationships, and lifestyle. We teach the lessons from street smart whole-life millionaires and ingrain these lessons into your day to day life. We succeed where personal development seminars and masterminds lose steam. Instead of a motivational shot in the arm, this creates a permanent shift in the way you think, feel, and take action".  Invitation only, apply at www.gom1.com  CONTACT METHOD  Rock Thomas website: https://rockthomas.com/     ABOUT THE HOST  Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

For businesses who want to expand, the biggest problem is how to maintain and boost your lead generation. What worked for you now might not work for you in the future. It’s a good step to always improve and try new strategies.  Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS “A lead is a person who has indicated some level of interest in what your company’s product or propositional service is.” Marketing requires experimentation. To know if your products and services will get the attention and the interest of people; you must try various strategies. Attract, Convert, Close, & Delight. Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) – someone who has already shown interest by giving you some contact details through signing up for your newsletters, downloading your resources, or going to your events. Sales-qualified lead (SQL) – a prospective customer; you’ve had a dialogue with them and understood what they need and what you could provide for them. How to generate leads? Social media. For personal branding, it’s easier to build more authenticity, trust, and connection with strangers online if you post regular content. Also, look into Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to increase website traffic and into repurposing your content. Set up lead magnets on your websites through downloadable contents. Your website needs to explain what you can offer your customers and how it can benefit them. It’s not going to be all about you.  Email marketing. In order for this to work, your messages that you send out shouldn’t be generic. Every message should be tailored to every person’s needs. It’s better if the landing pages have eye-catching and captivating visuals. It’s what makes your visitors stay a bit longer to absorb what’s on your site. 10X-ing your sales team. Expand your reach. Make sure that what your team is selling is something that they want to sell as well. BEST MOMENTS “Marketing is more important than sales these days in many businesses.” “Your website is not about you, it’s about them.” “When I go out there and contact people, I’m genuinely looking for people I can help, not just build up my list.” “Don’t make someone work to find out what you do.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast: Why You Must Have A Personal Brand | Apple | Omny | Stitcher ABOUT THE HOST Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time to have many opportunities in front of you. When you’re coming from a place of the uncertainty of how to choose the ultimate one, then this episode of the Scale Up Your Business Podcast might help you Neil shares the structured step-by-step process on how to handle overwhelm and stay focused. Clearing your mind and staying focused on your outcome and your WHY can help you decide more effectively.  Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS Overwhelm can mean ‘drowning beneath a huge massive something’. It happens when you have too many options presented to you. This could be a positive or negative thing depending on your capabilities and resources. Before you decide on what to do next, focus on your Key Result Areas (KRA) and key income-generating areas which will act as your basis. Nick learned the practice of being present by meditation. This maintains a healthy psychological and emotional state. Being present can help you be calm, be focused, and be ready for the tasks that you need to do regularly. How to Stay Focused (Step-by-step): Get everything listed down on paper—not on your laptop, tablet, or phone, on paper! You need to be clear on your outcomes. What are you trying to achieve? Why do you want it? Neil suggests you start with the results, then the way towards them would be easy to build. Write out all the options. Know the consequences. There will be upsides and downsides for each option—write them down. What is the outcome if I take this option? How important from 0 to 10 are each upside and the downside to meeting my outcome? What is the probability that each upside and downside can occur? What are the emotional benefits of the outcome? Damage mitigation. Of the remaining options, look at how you can eliminate or lessen the downsides. BEST MOMENTS “As much it is about the journey, the destination seems really compelling, and you want to do everything to run towards that.” “Focus and flow, when you’ve got them, you can just achieve so much.” “Reasons come first; answers come second.” “When you’re prepared, you eliminate fear in a much more powerful way.” ABOUT THE HOST Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

Wendy Shand, founder and CEO of Tots To Travel joins Nick to talk about her journey in business, how she successfully identified her target market, and how she grew an idea into an eight-figure company that caters to families wishing to explore the world.  No two journeys in business are the same. Wendy’s began at a young age, when her parents would often travel without her due to insufficient amenities for children on international business trips. When Wendy’s family began to grow, she began to realise that a huge market was being ignored.  Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes. https://highvalueexit.scoreapp.com/ KEY TAKEAWAYS Tots To Travel is a specialist holiday resort company for families with young children, which was born out of Wendy’s own experiences of how to holiday with her own young children. The entire experience of trying to vacation with infants can be extremely difficult and overwhelming. This is a market that was being ignored almost entirely when Wendy began thirteen years ago. It isn’t just comfort that’s an issue with young families. Safety also is a huge concern for parents and families. Mindset and focus at the beginning was extremely important. Wendy’s home life was transient due to her husband’s career. By understanding their different personality profiles, she was able to table the subject of their family’s future in a meaningful way. Wendy’s personality is that of a visionary, while her husband is an integrator. By teaming these attributes together, they were able to envision Wendy’s aims for Tots To Travel and turn it into a reality. When it comes to her workforce, Wendy believes passionately in placing the right people in the right roles. By identifying her staff’s personal gifts and strengths, she can assign them correctly to key positions, and in turn ensure that they come to work happy and leave each day feeling fulfilled.  One of the key moments in Wendy’s journey was when she and her husband decided to play a high-risk move and go all in on Tots To Travel. Wendy’s husband quit his important career and they focussed entirely on building and growing Tots To Travel. As Wendy puts it, you make your best decisions when you’re hungry and when the wolf is at the door. By going all in, they had no choice but to succeed. Tots To Travel saw a huge surge of growth when they refined their offerings to include resort villas providing a more thorough service, meaning that families could enjoy a more luxury holiday experience. This led to a large period of scaling up to meet the new demand. Tots To Travel is challenged by disintermediation, the process by where consumers may discover their product using Wendy’s company, but who will then go and shop for it elsewhere so as to save money. This can essentially mean that Tots To Travel acts as a shop window at times, and is one of the more complex problems faced by Wendy; how to attract a consumer, and ensure that they complete their experience with her. Wendy’s answer to this problem was to establish a product that could not be found anywhere else. Wendy approached investors and scaled Tots To Travel up even further. By purchasing a resort’s inventory for a set period of time, Wendy was not only able to offer a product that could not be found elsewhere, but she was also able to ingeniously tailor the holiday experience precisely to her market. Across the life of her business so far, the main challenge in scaling up was a lack of inventory when it came to destinations. By evolving the business from a simple directory of holiday lets for families, into an exclusive collection of destination resorts that cannot be found anywhere else, Tots To Travel has genuinely evolved and met the demands of its own growth. Building a successful business and scaling it effectively has been a lesson in experimentation, and developing a niche market that is exclusively yours.  During the beginning of the business, Wendy didn’t realise the importance of establishing the culture of the company she wished to create. Over the next years, they focussed on stripping out practices that weren’t aligned with the values she wished to establish, and began again.  Self-development is crucial in creating the right mindset. Wendy and her family focus on physical as well as mental stimulation and treat themselves as prime athletes. This is of paramount importance in Wendy’s mind. By telling herself that she is valuable, and reinforcing this with tangible benefits, this sense of importance and value is translated into her business life. BEST MOMENTS I don’t see boundaries between countries. I see opportunities” “People go to Cornwall for eight or nine years on the trot, because they’re scared of travelling further” “Creators work intuitively. I was feeling my way along the journey” “I fundamentally believe that if people spend more time in flow, that is where their brilliance is” “To take the island, you’ve got to burn the boat” “It’s been a big lesson in experimentation” “I profoundly believe that what we are doing at Tots is purposeful” “I am at my best when I am being creative” VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast Tots To Travel John Demartini ABOUT THE HOST Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert. His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars. His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact.  CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.globalSupport the show: https://highvalueexit.com/