Scale Up With Nick Bradley

Keeping It Real With Khadija! As part of the entrepreneurial series, Nick is in conversation with  Khadija Kalifa  entrepreneur and former contestant on ‘The Apprentice’  They discuss the journey Khadija has been on, what it is really like to be an entrepreneur and finding what you love then making it your vision.   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  My cleaning business was circumstantial, a necessity due to factors in my life at the time.  From an early age, I knew that if I wanted something I had to work hard for it.  I have a belief system, a mindset that drives me to be successful. It is important to me and I see it as my responsibility to make sure everybody in my family is looked after.  Some people like to have a life of certainty, everything is more or less what you expect it to be until it’s not. Those are the people who try to keep it as level as possible but that’s not realistic.  As an entrepreneur, there are always ups and downs but you have to take control of your future.  We all have the same needs but require the balance between those needs to be different according to our individual characters.  The psychology is important, you need to understand who you are and who you need around you to move your business forward successfully.  You cannot do it on your own you need others around you to take on the other necessary roles within the business.  Since being on ‘The Apprentice I have utilised opportunities for public speaking, networking and podcasts.  It was like a business boot camp. I came out having learnt a huge amount about business and gained confidence in my own abilities.  If I can help others learn from my mistakes then I am able to offer them something positive.  People need to decide on a set of standards. When you start with that you can then retrofit those standards back to your business. If you don’t do that you won’t have the vision in place to move forward.  Your mission to build an empire requires you to have a vision where others are working within it.  If you are doing what you love, doing it becomes your passion.  The empire then becomes part of the clarity, not the destination.  Most people want to help people in the way that they can help.  If you find what you are really special at then everything changes and there is no work anymore.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘I’ve always been a hustler’  ‘You’ve got to have a balance’  ‘If someone’s being stupid, I tell them they are being stupid’  ‘The entrepreneurial journey is within everyone but it’s a trigger that is switched in some of us’    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/

In this episode, Nick talks you through several practical techniques that will allow you to invest more time in yourself and explains why self-improvement and investment, is by far the best investment you can make.  By adding to our intelligence, value and skill-set, we can positively impact others and our own world.    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 By investing heavily in ourselves, whether intellectually, or in terms of skills or value, then you can easily add more value back to other people. You are your greatest asset, and any value you add to that will only impact others positively. Investing in yourself is different from the pathway of formal education. As Nick points out, his schooling began as a child, but his education began in his thirties. It is only when we begin to apply the lessons learned through life experience, that we can start to utilise our entire value.   Formal education can be useful in teaching us discipline, focus, a regimented work ethic, and the ability to learn how to study, but the practical experience comes later once our personalities become defined, and when we begin to focus upon the life we want and the goals we are setting for ourselves.  Personal development is about the skills, the beliefs and mindset that you need. Professional development is the acquisition of broader attributes and skills. Personal is based around your attitude and outlook. Professional is based around the specific skill set that will allow you to master your chosen vocation. Both are equally important. You have to take action wherever possible., Theorising and studying about self-improvement are all very well, but progression can never be made until we take that first step In practical terms. Entrepreneurs are not just born - they construct themselves through defining their life’s purpose. Everyone has the capability to be the best version of themselves possible - to seek success and make the most of it. It just takes belief and the will to act. Invest in more time - by creating more time and leveraging it properly, the more time you can devote to the things that are going to drive you towards your passions and your goals. By defining the dimensions in our lives that we wish to spend more time in, we can better utilise and create the time available. Leverage and outsource all of your low-value tasks - Household tasks, administrative tasks and other low-value duties can consume a large amount of our personal development time. By employing others to help, we can focus on the things that are truly important. Invest in your health - Looking better is wonderful, but by improving our health we also improve our energy levels. Sleeping, also, is a crucial part of maintaining our optimum energy levels. Plan your day carefully.  Invest in your mindset - Understanding how our psychology works is hugely important in terms of how we begin to improve our attitude and self-belief. Seminars, coaches, audiobooks and podcasts are an invaluable source of mindset improvement. Investing in knowledge and skills - If mindset is what makes you take action, then knowledge and skills are the things that will create more certainty around what you are trying to achieve. Seek out experts who are a few steps ahead of where you want to be. Invest in your network - Look at who you’re spending your time with, particularly in the world of business. Surround yourself with people who are a few steps ahead, and learn and grow in their company. Always celebrate your successes - Focussing purely on achievement can sometimes leave us blind to the actual progress we are making. Pause once in a while to reflect upon your growth.   BEST MOMENTS  ‘Investing in yourself is not a “should do”, it’s a “must do”’  ‘Find a way to add more value than anyone else does, and you’ll never have to worry about anything’  ‘Every day, work harder on yourself than anything else’  ‘Depending on where you want to go, your education and what you want to invest in, may not be what the establishment does’  ‘You gotta take action!’  ‘I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself I can be’ ‘You are the sum average of the five people you spend the most time with. So choose these people well!’ ‘It can sometimes be possible to improve ourselves by two avenues at once - listening to an audiobook while exercising stimulates our body and mind simultaneously’ ‘Excuses are created in the mind and do not exist’ ‘Where are you now, where do you want to be, and what is the gap?’ ‘Your network is your net worth’ ‘Everyone needs me time, just make sure it’s not an excuse for procrastination’ 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.global  Support the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

‘People buy from people, people trust people and the best way to get your message out is through personal brand’ The number one most important thing you can do to create trust, resonance and scale no matter what stage of business you are in is to have a strong personal brand. 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 Personal branding is the one thing anyone can do and the resources are everywhere. What is a personal brand? Ultimately a brand is a way of standing out that means the audience you are seeking to connect with understands completely where you are coming from. It is how the value proposition aligns with the person you are trying to help. What is the problem that needs to be solved and why is my business  best placed to help solve the problem for a specific niche. It is key to get these things in congruency by being really clear on the problem and the niche. The brand element is about how you communicate and put it together. A personal brand has to be the best version that you want people to understand and connect with It's your values and standards, it’s what you stand for and stand against. It's about you sharing what you are with the intent to add value because your message and vision need to be expressed and communicated to the people you are trying to help. How do you create a personal brand? It needs to be a balance between who you are now, who you want to be and what your niche wants of you. The first question to ask is who am I? and what do I care about? You’ve got to understand who you are before you can communicate it to others. The key is to be authentic throughout everything. What’s unique about you? What do you stand for and against? Creating your brand story from all the elements is a succinct way of telling what you are about. Within a personal brand, you’ve got to think about the way you are going to connect and get your message out there. Effective use of social media platforms and the opportunities available to you is vital. Focus on platforms that resonant with your audience niche. If you want to step up, stand out and grow your business you have to come to that business from a place of trust, credibility and genuine sense of wanting to add value. The best way for this to happen is by people getting to know you. BEST MOMENTS ‘You got to do it from the right frame of reference for it to work’ ‘A connection about why the problem and the solution come together’ ‘People love to buy but they don’t love to be sold to’ ‘You’re connecting on a personal level, ‘p’ to ‘p’ – person to person’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast Life Leverage by Rob Moore Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk 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.global  Support the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

In today’s episode of the Scale Up Your Business Podcast, Nick lets you in the 5 biggest mistakes he had made in business, so you don’t have to make them! Make sure you’re all ears because even the littlest mistake will create a delay or even a diversion from your business plans. Nick discusses the importance of influence, empathy, and belief systems among others especially if you’re just climbing yourself up yet.  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 Not appreciating the power and the importance of influence. Nick admits that he was not great at it at first. But he listened to every feedback, thought about reasons behind it, and changed how he acts around people. Operating like a gold-driven machine – basically leading teams – versus using the magical tools of engagement and empathy. You have your goal to stand out, be high-performing, and be wealthy. We’re not going to change that. What you have to put in mind is the importance of empathy. Empathy is needed when you’re on your way up to build your network and when you’re trying to build an empire with a team. You can’t ever fake it. Allowing self-limiting beliefs to affect my confidence and conviction. Stop pushing yourself into a belief system you’re not comfortable with. Acting confident and high up at first might hurt you and your career if you’re not able to put up with what you’re capable of. Underestimating the power of marketing. It’s your voice that gives you the brand and the personality. Utilise social media – create compelling content, build a following, and increase your sales. Hiring people based on aptitude versus attitude//Failing to fire people quickly enough If you have someone on your side who’s willing to learn, take in feedback, and perform better, despite the lack of aptitude, don’t lose him. They’re going to serve you better. And, when a person’s not a right fit, make the decision to cut them off. BEST MOMENTS “If you can influence, you can sell. If you can influence, you can engage your team. If you can influence, you can pitch to invest.” “The one thing I can say about empathy is you can’t fake it.” “Don’t go out there and turn it into a sales methodology. There’s nothing worse than reading a post on LinkedIn and hits you up with a terrible close at the end of it.” “If you should, you must.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business Podcast: Presenting, Persuading, and Winning Deals | Apple | Omny Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence – And How You Can Too by Gary Vaynerchuk 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.global  Support the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

When you’re starting a business, you have to build a great team early on. Most, if not all, successful empire businesses, have the best group of people rallying behind their backs. Nick unleashes the leader in you so you can start building great teams, free yourself up from day-to-day operations, and finally grow your business. As much as possible, you want a company that runs like a machine that’s efficient and meticulous with your procedures and systems.  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 “If you don’t find money while you sleep, you work until you die.” – Warren Buffett “An extraordinary quality of life is living life in your terms.” – Victor Hugo To build a great business, you need other people (e.g. mentor, employees, support group, etc.) Some tasks can be leveraged to other people so you’ll have more time for the more important stuff. Why do you need to build a great team? You can’t scale business by yourself. There are 3 types of business, namely: A lifestyle business (10-15 employees) where you’re usually the manager A performance business (15-20 employees) needs an established structure to manage the team An empire (>20) where you’re the leader, not just the manager Decide on what type of business are you going to build, then think carefully if you either want to be an owner-investor or an owner-operator. Have an amazing personal assistant (PA) who could efficiently do the administrative tasks. Hire someone good in marketing. Most CEOs and founders are in charge of the ‘front-facing’ (i.e. sales), so it’s better to have someone do the other tasks. How you lead and manage as you scale? Be objective and decisive in designing the structure of your team. A manager oversees the business projects and operations while a leader sets the tone, creates the mission, brings the people with aligned values inside the business. You have to have the right people in the team that believe in your mission. The most common mistake that leaders make is that they put the right person in the wrong place. And, also, we don’t take the tough decisions to lay off an employee even though we know that the relationship isn’t going to help forward your business. Make yourself redundant from your business, not from your job. Nick advises you to work in the business, rather than work on the business. Always ask yourself if what you do is in line with your goal. Three different roles: Artist (creative) – Someone who crafts solutions Chaotic entrepreneur – Someone who’s all about the visions Manager/Leader – Someone who runs the day-to-day operations Create your culture early – a culture that’s nurturing and not reliant on the leader’s presence. How to create values: Align the business’ visions with customer’s wants, demands, and needs Create systems and processes, including setting the parameters of the roles Performance Management Have clear metrics of their performance that you review weekly and daily. Measure the impact of your business. How do you get the most out of the people? Develop them, improve their skills, and create incentives. BEST MOMENTS “Everyone is a leader in different ways, and you have to have leadership in yourself, in teams, and other people.” “Having control of your time is the ultimate freedom.” “Get someone who can get you more time. More time is the most crucial thing you need at the beginning when you’re starting to build a great team and a great business.” “Think about yourself first as a leader of yourself before you think of yourself as a leader of the people.” “Don’t ever get tempted to choose the superstar that has a poor attitude.” “Your words become your actions, become your attitude, and become the heart and soul of the business.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Institute of Leadership and Management 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/

‘Everyone has a story no one has had a perfect life it’s how you react to what has happened to  you that makes the biggest difference’ 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 The most critical thing in business is having the right psychology and mindset along with business concepts such as systems, process and sales. Having all the tools in the toolkit will lead you to success and the life you want to have and where you want to be with your career. Fear – false evidence appearing real, fear is something from your psychology. The fear emotion helps us to gauge and react to possible danger, but the same emotion drives people to not take chances in business or take more control in their lives. It is critical to realise everything is in your mind and what you are feeling is a self-limiting belief. It’s what you do to manage this emotion and ultimately this is a decision requiring implementation of processes and tools to change things. Achievement and fulfilment are based on focusing on growth and contribution. How can you learn more? do more? be more? Contributing more will create a greater sense of purpose. Gratitude in its simplest form is the way you begin to overcome fear and self-limiting beliefs. Fear and gratitude can’t exist in the same frame of reference in your mind. Fear focuses on all the things that could go wrong whereas gratitude focuses on all the things that have gone right, it is the opposite paradigm to fear. Fear places us in a place of insecurity and uncertainty and we become stressed wondering about not if but when something will go wrong When you shift towards gratitude-based thinking it places you in a stable position of thankfulness where you are able to recognise the positives in your life. Having a positive view about how you view life opens your mind to other positive things. Fear is inevitable it is simply part of the process of going through life, building a business and taking risks. Better to take a risk and fail than not take a risk at all. You never ultimately fail if you do something, learn from it, adapt and go again.   BEST MOMENTS ‘Nothing fails if you are ultimately open to change’ ‘Everything in life is ultimately there to serve you both the good and the bad’ ‘Even though I look significantly different the programming from my early childhood stayed with me’ ‘Even years later I was still living in the shadow of this little fat kid who had little self-worth’ ‘It was a coping mechanism because of a fear in my past’ ‘Ripping out the weeds of self-doubt and limiting self-belief that had been in my psychology for so long and replacing them with positive beliefs’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Man's Search for Meaning book by Viktor E Frankl 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/

Pitching is an essential skill you should have not just in your business, but also in your life. Today on the Scale Up Your Business Podcast, Nick highlights the key lessons about pitching he learned from two of his favourite books: Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff & Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr Robert Cialdini. 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 When you fully understand what you want with your business, it’s easier to pitch. You just need to harness that high energy and let your passion come across. 6 Laws of Human Behaviour: Reciprocity – once you have given value to someone, there’s a feeling that they need to return a favour. Scarcity – If you know that there only a limited number of supplies of a thing you want, you’re going to want it more. Authority – People will follow the lead of knowledgeable experts. Consistency – People like leaders who are consistent with what they have said or done. Liking – People say yes to the people that they like. Consensus – When people are uncertain with their decisions, they follow what other people do. STRONG framework that Oren Klaff uses: Set the Frame. Tell your story. Storytelling is the best way to make your audience interested and engaged. Reveal the intrigue. Alongside the storytelling, create something that will make them go back for more of what you’re offering. Offer the nail. Nail the hook point. Get the deal. 6 Pitching Flaws: Don’t talk too much and certainly don’t waffle and go off on tangents. Don’t be too vague and fuzzy. Be specific. Never stay needy. Go slow. Don’t make your pitches similar to other pitches. Prepare for your audience. BEST MOMENTS “People think of pitching as often you’re trying to get someone to buy from you. Pitching is much more than that. It’s how you present who you are, what you do, what you believe in, or what your greater mission is.” “It’s much easier for someone to buy into you if you create something on the side which brings the attention back.” “Rapport-building – in the context of everything – is a powerful thing.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr Robert Cialdini 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.global  Support the show: https://highvalueexit.com/

There are two different approaches when you want to reach out to your customers: branding and direct response marketing. Now, when we do our marketing for our business, should we apply one approach only or both? Don’t get confused with marketing. 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 Marketing helps your business to have a predictable income and predictable level of performance. Before there was any technology, the only way to reach your target audience was to focus on advertising. 2 Categories of Marketing: Brand – building credibility and trust Direct Response – conversion Businesses tend to choose the shortcut to close deals and drive sales using the direct response approach. This is not always correct. A brand is also about the story, the vision of why you created the business in the first place. Use it to build a relationship with your prospective customer. If they see your brand and decided to choose you, it only means that they resonate with you. It’s vital that you research and know everything about your market – who they are, what social media they use more often, what are their desires, etc. Nick calls it creating a target persona. You have to be yourself in marketing your business. Some might not like you. But, rest assured that the people who like you are people who are going to stay longer to support you since they understand you. Direct response is how you put something in front of your target persona which drives for a call to action. It’s the processes and actions you do for your brand. Examples: PPC campaigns, funnels, lifetime client value, engagement, etc. Utilise CRMs and as possible, be visible on all social media. Social media are free vehicles to get to your target persona. Get your branding right. Be smart with your direct response. You’ll get the best output possible when you understand how these two go together. BEST MOMENTS “If you are great at marketing – which means you like it, you understand it, and you realise the value of it in your business – then you’re gonna have a successful business.” “You need to build a relationship by your brand with your ideal target customer.” “If you are in a scaleup, you’re really selling stuff to a market.” “What is a brand? It’s a process of consistency.” “If you get the brand right, you’re very clear, and you’re authentic to yourself as part of that – particularly in a small business – that’s how you can really start to take on anyone who’s got a bigger or first-move advantage in your market.” VALUABLE RESOURCES HubSpot Innocent smoothies Gary Vaynerchuk 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/

Is it time to burn the boat? In this fascinating episode, Nick looks at the different strategies and approaches you can use to get started on your entrepreneurial journey. 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 What does burning the boat mean? A well-known fable has a saying ‘if you are going to take the island you need to burn the boat’ It’s a paradigm around how committed you are to the decisions you take. This works really well for some people because you are leveraging yourself so much that you have to make it work. When you become an entrepreneur, you have to take the decision to go all in at some point It’s something every entrepreneur must face, the reason most don’t do it early on is fear. Start-up mode You are at the start of your entrepreneurial journey but have other responsibilities such as a family to support. In this situation, you have 3 options; Do nothing and put the idea on hold until it is the perfect time Go for it, quit your day job and burn the boat   Build your business as a side hustle whilst still potentially having a day job Hold off from your dream until the perfect time There is no such thing as the perfect time. Don t ever give up on your dream as there is nothing worse than a life of fear and regret, culminating in a feeling that time is running out. Burn your boat Quitting your main source of income in pursuit of your dream can be a romantic ideal, in reality, it is not always the best option. Entrepreneurial success is underpinned by focus and meaning and if there are too many challenges  you will not be in the right head space to make your business a success This is not true for everyone, some people work best under pressure and seeing a dwindling bank account is the right motivator for them to make it work Being strategic and planning out the best time to burn the boat ensures it is on your terms. It is about giving yourself the best opportunity for success. There are many examples of people burning the boat and even through perceived failures getting there and realising their dream in the end Begin your business as a side hustle Depending on what your idea is you can begin your business as a side hustle until you are more certain about your position. You can get investment and funding whilst still being employed You are building around the edges, creating the opportunity to be able to go for it when the time is right for you. It takes focus and discipline, but it is possible to build a business of your own whilst being employed. When do you know it’s time to ‘burn the boat?’ There are 5 questions you should ask yourself, if the answers provide you with clarity and certainty then it’s the right time. If I burn the boat now what’s my economic runway? How much capital do I have access to?, how much cash do I have in the bank?, do I have any third-party funding that means I can concentrate on building the business without compromising my other priorities. Do I have any life distractions that are about to hit either now or in the near future? A life distraction is something such as marriage or children need to be built into the plan. Do I have a strong business plan? Do you have a clear business proposition?  Are you clear about the problem your business is going to solve? You need to have a pathway to how you are going to generate income, how you are going to get your product out there? You have a key plan that increases your chances of success. How will I respond to challenges and what’s my attitude to failure? Ultimately there is no failure only learning. You have seen what has happened and taken action and you get results. It is an opportunity to adapt and change. If you remain persistent you will get there in the end. Am I absolutely clear about my vision and my why? This is the driving force, having that belief aligned with the other questions is what brings you to the best position to act. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s essentially about cutting ties’ ‘Where this is a smart approach and when it is not’ ‘Making sure there are leverage and certainty’ ‘90% of people who have the vision to do something entrepreneurial are waiting for the perfect time’ ‘Never build a business that is competing with your current employer. This is a moral issue, to be successful you need live to your own values and standards’ ‘One of the first goals should be for your side hustle to equal your current monthly income. When you reach this point ‘burning the boat’ becomes a much easier proposition and less stressful’ ‘You have to think about it in the context of what you are doing’ ‘If you really want to do something you have to plan it out and take action, then it becomes a reality’ ‘You spend time putting some substance around the idea before you burn the boat’ VALUABLE RESOURCES https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill-ebook/dp/B07NLBLFFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1552469227&sr=8-1&keywords=think+and+grow+rich https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scale-up-your-business-podcast/id1453523566?mt=2 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 simple investment to get to somewhere quite extraordinary’ In this episode, Nick looks in detail at how to raise funding to scale up your business. He examines the various types of funding available exploring the opportunities and risks for your business at differing times in its development and growth. 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 Funding is important, you need it to fuel your growth, but you also need to make sure you have the fundamentals of your business in place so that growth is successful. Personal investment If you have the money then investing it in yourself is the least stressful way to raise finance for your business. You can also use the retained earnings from your business to fuel the growth of the business. You will have to achieve a balance, such as not paying yourself so much, or leveraging so much. You are taking a shorter amount of pain for something that is more compelling for you financially in the longer term. Friends and family Often if you are at an early stage with a fantastic idea that you think will get wider investment from a community, later on, then you can look for an investment that will be developing proof of concept. This is a way of driving entrepreneurship and innovation through the system. You are going to people you know for investment in your business idea and often that is at an earlier stage in your business. Angels This is usually a high net individual or consortium. These are people who have been successful in their careers and business and want to put their money directly into ideas. You may not know the angel, but you are pitching for them to invest directly in your business. Angels are looking for quite large returns from investing in clever ideas and it can become a tax efficient way for them to drive investment. Across Angels and Venture Capital you are often giving up a percentage of the business to secure the investment you require. Venture Capital You must be well aware of what you are going into as you are getting a significant injection of capital so you can realise your idea. Venture Capital investors are looking for fast growth and quick returns and this can be stressful but if you are prepared and need that amount of investment then they are a good option to consider. Business Accelerators These can sometimes be government or state-funded when a nation is trying to drive growth in a particular area. They are often suited to early stages and can be part of a suite of support offered to businesses who are just starting up. Crowd Funding This works well if you have a strong brand or something unique, interesting and topical in the niche you are trying to serve because that is where you will get productive groundswell. Government Grants These are a great option as you often don’t have to pay them back however they can be subject to matched funding by you and the application process can be very involved. Debt Most small businesses will use loans as a way of scaling their business. If borrowing is low you can leverage debt to grow your business effectively. How you put yourself in the best possible place to secure investment The person The most important thing is the person their clarity, conviction and vision when speaking with potential investors. The pitch The pitch is about what you are why are there and how you are going to create value. Often it’s the pitch that enables you to inspire them so that they can buy into your energy. The business plan This is where you will talk about the current state to the desired state for your business. You need to demonstrate a good understanding of the market, of where you are now and where you want to be and explain how compelling the numbers are. Raising funding for your business is important depending on where you are but it's important to recognise it’s not a panacea or something that you have to achieve it in a dramatic way.   BEST MOMENTS ‘A simple investment to get to somewhere quite extraordinary’ ‘They were buying into me, the rest of it was important but it was me as a person’ ‘Sometimes a portfolio of investment into your business is the best option’ ‘It’s how you are realising a capital event and creating your own wealth’ ‘Drive growth and aspirations for you and your business’ ‘Don’t do anything that is going to get you in an onerous position, get the amount of money you need in the right structure to fuel growth’ ‘If you are trying to grow your business it’s not a lack of resources it’s a lack of resourcefulness that can hold you back’ ‘In many cases, you would be paying that sort of money in tax anyway’ ‘That’s where you show you have the winning team’ ‘It takes the person on the other side of the table to another place’ 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/