Screw It Just DO It with Alex Chisnall

Welcome to episode #139, and the second anniversary of this podcast - Screw it, Just Do it. I'd like to take this opportunity to thankyou personally for listening and supporting this show. It's THE most favourite thing that I do, and has given me so much pleasure, opened so many doors and opportunities, and introduced me to so many incredibly knowledgable and inspiring entrepreneurs.  I never set out to achieve a Top 3 ranked business and technology podcast by iTunes, let alone have it downloaded in 114 countries and counting. It literally started as a hobby, an extension of my personal mission to  help everyone to start their own business. And my only regret - that I didn't start it sooner. Here's a collection of the greatest hits from the first two years... Let's StartUp!

Welcome to episode #138. I take a look at what platforms I believe give you the best chance at growing your brand in 2019 We're nearly 6 months into 2019, as good a time as any to take a step back, review how far you've come - & how far you've got to go. So which platforms am I getting the best reach & engagement from? Funnily enough...podcasting is 100% the best for reach, whilst Linkedin and Facebook groups offer the best opportunities for engagement. What's working best for you?

On today's show it's my pleasure to welcome Norwegian entrepreneur Magnus Grimeland, the ex-Navy Seal and Harvard graduate who's co-founded Antler, a Global Startup-Generator, who's mission is to turn the world's top talent into great founders of great companies. Well, if you're a regular listener to the show you know that it takes a lot to blow me away when it comes to new businesses, new ideas and new people. But the interview you're about to hear with Magnus was one of those occasions. I genuinely think that this business, with Magnus driving it alongside his incredibly talented team, has the potential to change the world in the same way that Air bnb, Uber or even Apple has done. My twenty minute chat turned into a 60 minute conversation - and it's 100% worth your time to listen all the way through on this one. This is for you if you're looking to launch a successful tech business and have spike, drive and tenacity but aren't sure where to start - or with who. If you're looking for an upwardly mobile organisation to work for, or have bags of experience helping startup businesses and want to give back, or an investor looking for the biggest opportunity this side of our solar system. Magnus left a successful career in retail to identify and nurture the next generation of game-changing startup companies. Founded in 2017 Antler have painstakingly researched the best practices from the world's foremost VC's, Universities and Accelerator's and picked the best elements from all of these communities to form Antler - a Startup Generator. Antler's revolutionary process sources the most promising talent and puts them together to co-found businesses the will own and run and provide them with access to the mentoring and funding they will need to succeed. Their first cohort graduated in Singapore in 2018 and Antler have gone on to build 47 companies and establish further cohorts in Stockholm, Oslo, Sydney, Amsterdam and London - with Nairobi and New York to follow. Want to hear more? This is going to blow you away. Let's StartUp!

What would it be worth to you if you could 100X traits in yourself like confidence, self-belief, discipline, & grittiness...& completely transform your life? These are not traits you are born with, but skills you develop. Andy Frisella is the host of podcast MFCEO Project an entrepreneur and CEO of $100m US Supplement business 1stPhorm. He's spent more than twenty years figuring out how to master mental toughness and put everything he's learned into a program he calls 75HARD. What's it all about & how can it help you become who you are meant to be & get the life you want? Well, I came randomly came across episode #290 of his show when checking out who else was in the iTunes Top 5 most-listened to shows one week. And I was hooked. There was something about him. Something about this guy's energy. He's 100% marmite. You'll love him or hate him. An unashamed alpha dog. But I was hooked. So I gave 75HARD a try. Today I'm on day 22. And it's tough. Really tough. But that's the point. This episode tells you what this worldwide movement is, and where I'm currently at it with it. I've had a number of people who follow me on social contact me privately about this programme. Contact me on all social @alexchisnall or email alex@screwitjustdoit.org

"What I've discovered, what probably makes me different is that lots of people try, try, try and give up. They're like 'This isn't working, I'm over it'..Even when I'm over it I try and find something. I try and build myself up, to find something to keep going." In Episode #135 I welcome Sherrille Riley, the founder of Nails & Brows Mayfair and her award-wining collection Beauty Edit Mayfair. Sherrille's exposure to entrepreneurialism began at an early age. As a child she took inspiration from her mother, grandmother and great-aunt who each ran their own businesses. After developing an interest in eyebrows as a teenager Sherrille moved to London to work at the famous Red Door Spa. Nails & Brows Mayfair is the culmination of her life's work. It began as the first luxury concept nail and brow styling boutique in London and remains the go-to beauty destination for A-List celebrities, beauty editors - and royalty. After spending twenty years in beauty she identified a gap in the market and has grown from a team of seven to thirty-one from seventeen different countries, and is now looking at franchise opportunities. She also went on to launch Beauty Edit Mayfair, her own exclusive collection which has earned her plaudits from Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Hello magazines. On today's show I chat to Sherrille about: Additional revenue streams - and their importance in your business Mindset - and ensuring your staff's is aligned to yours Perseverance - and never taking no for an answer Let's StartUp!

Welcome to episode #134 in which I discuss how you can figure out your competitor's Facebook Strategy. Following the fall-out from Facebook's data breach last year they decided to be a little more transparent. So transparent in fact, that you are now able to view your competitor's Facebook ad strategy. Shortest episode I've done, but something I wanted to share with you asap! I found this super-interesting & believe a little bit of education for fellow entrepreneurs can go a long way. By the way, our next event is coming 'live' from Bournemouth Beach, celebrating the anniversary of both the show and our live events. Plus celebrating the start of summer..and a brand new product launch for Jimmy's Iced Coffee. Just 50 tickets available for this intimate event here.

"When we were younger we were really passionate about the spirit-mixer market and always quite fascinated by the limits and choice in the tonic water and mixers. We used to make sodas for friends and family in our kitchen, we were always in the tonic-mixer market so we were definitely just following our passion.  We were only going for about 6 months when we got the Foodpreneur award from Richard Branson so we didn't really have to change much because there wasn't so much going on, it was really interesting and it helped us a lot later-on as well.  We had one bar who said, "we love the pomegranate and basil and the cucumber and watermelon but the packaging is really not on point so we'll have to find a way to serve drinks without people seeing the brand"! So we walked out of that meeting and we thought 'oh my god'. We've had this branding for about 3 years now and we'll probably keep on changing it. We came to the UK and didn't have a lot of friends or family here, didn't know anyone in food and beverage so we needed investment for the cash but also to get investors on board who could actually help us with our strategy and with networking. We are super lucky that we have each other, if you're a bit down you can pick each other up again, and especially because we're twins we can 100% help each other, it's definitely amazing to do it with the two of us." On today's show, I welcome Raissa De Haas, one half of Double Dutch, a premium mixer brand started by Dutch identical twins Joyce and Raissa. I met up with Raissa at their offices in London and we talked about how to disrupt, how to raise finance and how to get help. Originally from the Netherlands, they moved to the UK to study at University and they launched Double Dutch Drinks back in 2016 and you can now find their premium mixers in over 4,500 outlets including Michelin Star restaurants and luxury hotels and they're about to launch into their first supermarket with Waitrose. They are also previous Foodpreneur winners, an award chosen by Richard Branson to mark the UK's most exciting food or drinks business. They've gone from starting their business from their kitchen table and bottling by hand to now selling over 10-million bottles in 22 countries. Let's start-up!

Welcome to episode #132 and on today's solo show I'd like to talk to to you about designing your ideal workday. This is not your dream retirement plan Richard Branson-style, sat in your hammock having played a game of tennis on your private island. This is based on reality...This is meant to be achievable and where you see your future in however many years. Let's StartUp!

"I ended up having a one-to-one experience myself with this exercise - pair up with a stranger and look into their eyes - I'm introverted, generally speaking. I didn't have a partner, I thought I'll sit this one out and it struck me the only person in the room who didn't have a partner was Tony Robbins so I walked up and suggested maybe he be my partner and he agreed and we had this eye contact moment for about 5 minutes and I was crying and screaming with gratitude for what he'd done and thought "you know what Andy, I know you don't know what he knows, I know you don't know you can do this but this is your moment."  "Can I, within a year, correct a whole new business and build up the same level of income I've now got in this other business in a year. I didn't quite pull it off to be fair, I was a bit lower but I had enough momentum to get there fairly quickly after that."  "I discovered over the years that most clients are actually afraid of the solution, not the problem. And the reason is they live with the problem, they've got coping mechanisms for that but the solution carries with it the fear, the risk of loss and rejection and failure, now you see that is scary. So for me, it's influencing things - that's the greatest skill - and that's not about being manipulative, it's not about getting them to do something you want them to do, it's about generally finding out where somebody is right now and where do they want to be and how do I bridge that gap between A and B, with my product or service and how do I convince and influence them to walk across my bridge between A and B so that they will buy from me."  "What people need to do that don't have the pockets of Nike is realise is you don't need to be famous for 50 million or 5billion people you can be famous for 5,000 people actually and still create a very good business and build that 5,000 strong community of people." "The answer is content. the content today is not "buy my stuff, buy my stuff" it's one of 3 things. Content is either E for educational, E for entertaining or E for emotional." And actually, if you can create bits of content for all 3 they get shared a lot more. So, I want people to realise that today, the tools, the infrastructure to get you 'out there' are within your grasp." Welcome to episode #131 of #Screwitjustdoit. On today's show, I welcome Andy Harrington, Sunday Times bestselling author of 'Passion into Profit' and Founder of the Professional Speakers Academy and the Public Speakers University.  Andy is an award-winning entrepreneur who has shared the stage with the likes of Tony Robbins, Sir Richard Branson, Steve Wozniak and two US Presidents. He's improved the performance level of thousands of people around the World including Hollywood movie stars, premiership football players and top CEOs of bluechip organisations. I've been a huge fan of Andy's ever since reading his Passion into Profit book a few years back and currently, I'm rereading it as I'm looking to put the finishing touches to our Podcasting Academy. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did, let's Start-Up! 

Would you like to know how you can build out your entire week's content plan from just one pillar piece of content? To take just one piece of content and turn that into 10, 20 and even 30 pieces of content.   On episode #130 I talk you through how you can build your entire week's worth of content from just one piece of 'pillar' content and map out your entire week's social media posts. If you'd like to see how I do that from just one podcast episode - my 'pillar' content - go to the Screw it, Just Do it Facebook page  or on my personal pages just search @alexchisnall. To explain, your pillar content could be taken from a podcast interview, a blog you've posted on your website, a talk at an event, a vlog you've posted on Youtube. And all of your week's content will be taken form just this one pice of content. At the moment I take my weekly Q & A podcast and repurpose that into something like 7-10 pieces of 'micro-content' but it could easily be repurposed into 15-30 pieces.  Would you like to know how you can do that with your business? Let's StartUp!