Curious Leadership with Dominic Monkhouse

Peter Czapp loves what he does. He’s the co-founder of The Wow Company, an accountancy firm that helps you grow your business, not just fill in your tax return. He’s got a fascinating story and a lot of interesting thoughts on business, which I talk to him about for my podcast this week. Peter explains why he felt driven to launch his own company, despite not having a background in accounting. And why he’s so passionate about delivering that ‘Wow’ to clients. Lots of great advice included here. On today’s podcast: Why receiving negative feedback is the only way to get better Why he agrees that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” How he uses a special mind trick to turn negatives into positives Why focus is so important And, how you should always enjoy the journey! Links: The Wow Company The Agency Collective

Today I’m interviewing Mike Tobin, former CEO of Telecity. Mike has over 30 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur and he’s now working with a number of businesses across multiple continents. He’s also got significant charitable interests. In 2016 Mike raised over £100k running 40 marathons in 40 consecutive days. He’s now preparing for an unaided trek across Antarctica planned for next year. On top of that, he’s started a podcast with his son and written two books. On today’s podcast: Why it’s important to have realistic performance expectations Keeping up with the times is not optional, it’s essential Mike’s involvement in charity projects Why fear is an irrational emotion Having a vision is more important than planning on a strategy Work-life balance just doesn’t exist Links: Live, Love, Work, Prosper: A fresh approach to integrating life and work Forget Strategy. Get Results.: Radical Management Attitudes That Will Deliver Outstanding Success The Tobin Podcast

Today I’m talking to Stephen Sacks, the author of Reboot your Business, a step-by-step guide to reinventing your business for maximum growth. Stephen’s book includes a fantastic section on how to apply for grants. It also offers plenty of actionable tips on how to fund your business from free cash. Remember that allowing a third party to come in and help you rethink your funding methods can be very helpful. On today’s podcast: Lack of cash can be the symptom of a bigger problem Common issues businesses face Stephen’s turning point His passion for helping businesses acquire free cash Motivation drives success Stephen’s book recommendations Links: Reboot your Business

Roland Siebelink is a 25+ years veteran of Internet business, entrepreneurship and digital marketing. He is a former landslide winner of the Silicon Valley Founder Showcase (2011) and the only person who has lived through three 10-1000 FTE scaleup journeys in a row. He lives in San Francisco and coaches scaleup companies around the world. Startup founders know that product market fit is the “pot of gold”. But what happens after? In this podcast, Dominic and Roland take founders through the Silicon Valley Roller Coaster and the different stages they will have to scale to reach product market dominance. On today’s podcast: Why it’s better to avoid hiring executives that come from big corporations if you’re a scaleup Helping companies become more robust while keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive How to hire the right people Going from early market to mainstream Dimensions to consider: followers, strategic focus, follow through and flow Roland’s book recommendations Links: Roland’s Website Scaling Silicon Valley Style. Growing Big But Not Corporate.

My guest this week is Craig Fletcher, the founder and former Chief Exec of Multiplay. Multiplay is a video games industry and events & online services company which has now been split into two separate businesses: the events business and the online hosting part. If you’ve ever attended the Insomnia Gaming Festival, UK’s largest video games festival, then you might have already heard of Multiplay, which is its producer. On today’s podcast: Two businesses in one: a video games success story How Twitch changed the gaming landscape Multiplay’s slow, organic growth Getting acquired by GAME Digital What Craig would now do differently Craig’s book recommendations for the curious and entrepreneurial Links: Multiplay

Today I’m talking to Tony Pandher, Head of Operations at Macquarie Cloud Services. This episode is the second and final part of the Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on what it takes to get your Net Promoter Score to a world-class level and make Fred Reichheld proud. On today’s podcast: Why they chose to hire students How they built an amazing culture What they were after: a technology gene and a passion for delighting customers Hiring students on two-year contracts and investing in their growth Creating a knowledge base Launching the Legend program Links: The History of Net Promoter The Ultimate Question 2.0 The Net Promoter System Podcast

Today I’m talking to a soft-spoken Irishman, Fionán Mc Donnell, who is the NSW New Business Manager at Macquarie Telecom Group. This episode is the first part of a Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on how to achieve the best Net Promoter System score (a concept developed by Fred Reichheld). On today’s podcast: How they created a gold-class customer service centre Why they spent a lot of time on recruitment Why they made sure that their customer service professionals felt empowered Prioritizing customer satisfaction over operational efficiency The power of transparency and the supervisor feedback group What Fred Reichheld, the creator of the NPS, told Fionán after visiting their contact centre Links: Meet Fion YouTube Video The Ultimate Question 2.0 The Net Promoter System Podcast

Nikki Gatenby is the Managing Director and Co-Owner of Propellernet, a marketing agency that has consistently been named as a top UK workplace by the Great Place To Work Institute. On today’s podcast: How to spark innovation Their five key values Why they keep a close eye on their team’s wellbeing The importance of staying adventurous Why they value regular check-ins with their team What’s in Nikki’s recent book, Superengaged Links: Superengaged: How to transform business performance by putting people and purpose first (Amazon) Superengaged Book Website Propellernet

At 29, Liz Robinson was the youngest headteacher in England. She took on a pretty rough inner city school (Surrey Square Primary School) which she turned into a fantastic place. She’s done it in a remarkable way, by throwing away the rule book. I first met Liz six months ago when I visited the school. I was absolutely blown away with how positive and amazing the parents and the teachers were, given its location in a very challenging environment. After being the headmaster of Surrey Square for 10 years, Liz just started a new role with Big Education, an organization on a mission to change the education system by empowering teachers and leaders to ask bigger questions about what schools should or could stand for. On today’s podcast: The flaws in our current education system Engaging children to be active change agents A school with no rules Surrey Square’s seven core values Innovating quality assurance Tracking progress using personal excellence journey books Links: Surrey Square Primary School Big Education The Guardian: 'It's like family to me': the school feeding its poorest families

**PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A TINY BIT OF SWEARING IN THIS EPISODE!** At the age of 27 Chris Donnelly already runs a very successful business, Verb. He's the founder and managing director of the digital agency that works with luxury brands, including Jimmy Choo, Claridges and The Wolseley. Chris started the business at university and then developed it into what it is today when he saw a gap in the market for high-end brands. The entrepreneur talks to podcast host, Dominic Monkhouse, about that journey and the ways in which he's managed to create such a successful company in such a short time. They cover: - Finding your niche - Building relationships, and trust, with prospective clients even before a pitch - How culture, and spotting the right talent, is essential - Pitfalls to a merger - Pitches, and how organising them like a military operation has led to a fantastic win rate - And why he wants to give back Plus, Chris talks about how his event 'Trend', a conference for luxury brands, is pushing his success further and why they've also started 'London Women In Digital'.