Episodes
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In this episode, I speak to Lambros Photios, CEO of Station Five, a software development company based in Sydney since July 2015. Station Five offers custom software development capabilities for companies looking to build their own technology but lacking the internal capability to facilitate its development.
Lambros was able to re-invest and scale his business during the pandemic to a business that's trusted by several successful startups and tech companies.
We sat down and talked about a multitude of entrepreneurship topics including how he was able to turn around his business and thrive during the pandemic crisis.
Hidden gems in this episode for all entrepreneurs. -
40 minutes of an excellent and insightful conversation with Gavin Rae, Co-Founder at Product Rocket, on all things Digital Product Development & Management.
About Gavin:
MD/Co-Founder at Product Rocket, a consulting company in Digital Product Management and Product Design.
Gavin is also a UEFA A licensed football coach with an extensive knowledge of coaching methods and tactics accrued through a successful playing career, coaching assignments and personal development.
About Product Rocket:
Product Rocket helps their customers hone their Product Maturity by working on Product Strategy and Product Organisation along with in-house assignments and training.
Product Rocket also exists to enhance the Product community in Sydney and host regular meetups for leaders in product and for a practical meetup for the wider community. -
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In this episode, I talk to Peter Tsokelenis about all things sales and how to become better at selling.
Pete is an experienced human capital advisor, problem solver and sales strategist.
With over 15 years of experience in the recruitment industry, Pete’s talent acquisition abilities are second to none. His experience in sales, negotiation, business strategy and planning extends across various industries, including legal, C-suite, heavy industry, mining, construction and engineering.
As an intuitive and innovative problem solver, Pete helps transform companies by solving their most critical leadership and business development challenges in addition to building highly collaborative sales teams that consistently deliver results.
From his extensive professional network, Pete is highly regarded as the go-to authority for sound and actionable business advice.
From juggling the demands of a young family at home to developing the 'wolf pack' talent at work, Pete demonstrates that anything is possible with the right attitude and team.
As the co-founder of Black Wolf Group - a Queensland-based recruitment agency - Pete also draws upon experience scaling several multimillion-dollar operations. -
In this episode, I chat to Daniel Bartels, Regional Vice President of Sales at Financial Force (SalesForce Company) and a recognised Entrepreneur. We talk about:- What's it like being an entrepreneur vs. working for a large organisation- B2B Selling Tips and strategies- Advice for SAAS and Startups- Digital Transformationand a lot more.A bit about Daniel• Software As A Service industry thought leader.• Specialist skills Salesforce CRM, FinancialForce, Salesforce Marketing Cloud & cross-platform integrations• 20+ years as a Sales & Marketing leader with startup to enterprise leadership experience• Owned & successfully launched, ran, and sold a Start-Up to an ASX Listed company• Industry experience in Government, Retail, Telco, Travel, Finance, and Sport.• New Business development.Some of his specialties: Salesforce.com; FinancialForce, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Radian6, Social Media, Financial Management, Subscription Billing, Professional Services Automation, Social Listening, Social Publishing, Social Media Monitoring, Business management, Account Management, SAAS Services, SME Brand Development, Start-Up Businesses
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Incredible podcast episode with a PR legend, Amanda Williams.
We talked about the importance of PR, how to build an authentic public profile, personal branding for entrepreneurs and business leaders, business branding and how to create a competitive edge.
About Amanda
Before starting her own business, Amanda Williams made headlines as "a rising star" of the federal government's media team. The ambitious Gold Coast local left a six-year career working with politicians to build a PR firm from scratch with just three-months savings.
The vibrant public relations and corporate affairs professional founded Yellowpanda in 2017. The boutique operation is responsible for raising the profiles and visibility of CEOs for the long-term growth of their current business interests and beyond.
Amanda brings unmatched enthusiasm and passion into the lives of others and instinctively generates ideas at a pace some find dizzying. Fascinated by problems that puzzle and confound or frustrate most people, she sees opportunities, trends and solutions before others.
A passionate advocate for small business, Amanda measures her success by the positive impact she has on others. She lives by the quote, "If you have the opportunity to do amazing things in your life, bring someone with you." - Simon Sinek
A connector of dots, and people, Amanda builds deep and genuine relationships within her industry and continues to build both local and international networks of like-minded entrepreneurs.
P.s If you'd like help with all things digital marketing, feel free to reach out by visiting savvdigital.com.au -
I had the pleasure of speaking to Tanya Abbey in this episode about a multitude of topics including
- What companies in 2021 should be looking for in candidates
- What makes a great culture
- How to attract the best candidates
- How candidates should position themselves to find the job they're looking for
- Top personal skills employers should focus on
A bit about Tanya
Tanya Abbey sits at the forefront of the Australian recruitment industry. Her commitment to both the client and candidate is pivoted on an undeniable passion for customer service and backed by authenticity and openness around all relationships and communications.
Tanya’s priority is transparency, she excels at being efficient and delivering real tangible solutions when called upon. Her industry knowledge is vast, a real 360-degree recruiter - she has enjoyed great success in all facets of the sector from temporary, permanent, project, bulk and assessment recruitment.
Recruitment requires leaders and forerunners to be diligent and constantly remaining educated. Tanya realises this and is always striving to learn more, immersing herself in each business and team she works across whilst constantly looking to better the working lives of those she works with.
An original thinker, an exceptional relationship developer, and an unmatched professional in talent acquisition. The young business mind prides herself on building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, in maximising performance, and ultimately creating positive team environments.
About Black Wolf Group
With a team of experienced recruiters, Black Wolf Group has proven success across all industries, consulting to all sizes of companies and placing candidates at the Graduate to the Executive level.
With our Head Office based on the Gold Coast and offices in major cities, BWG's capability and network extends Nationally and Internationally. From our extensive experience, we know that our customers are looking for delivery partners who provide professional, quality, cost-efficient, safe solutions and services.
We pride ourselves on our thorough process and authentic, genuine approach and feel these attributes are key to any successful relationship.
Our Permanent, Temporary and Labour Hire recruitment services are cost effective and are designed to eliminate duplication. Through our five-step recruitment process, we gain a thorough understanding of the business, and the key drivers, allowing us to not just find you the right candidate but to anticipate your business needs around growth and development. -
In this episode, I talk to Leigh Rust, Co-founder and Director of Safetyline Jalousie Louvre Windows. A family-owned, Australian manufacturing business supplying the construction sector, based in Sydney with offices in Brisbane, Melbourne and Malaysia.
Some of the topics we discussed are the importance of local manufacturing, how to win in the world of B2B sales and how to succeed as a small business especially in the midst of tough local and international competiton.
A bit about Leigh
Leigh is a passionate advocate for Australian made goods, Leigh believes a legacy of great building initiatives should start with the intention of sourcing locally made products to stimulate our own economy before sending funds offshore. He is the driving force behind Safetyline Jalousie's mission to provide air-quality solutions with ongoing energy efficiency for built environments
The multi-award-winning entrepreneur and father of three youngsters is always up for a challenge – whether it be in the octagon at an amateur MMA fight, triathlons or personal development, Leigh stands by the motto, 'I never lose, either I win or I learn'.
With two decades of experience in Australian manufacturing, Leigh is fast becoming a trusted, experienced authority with entrepreneurs, government and stakeholders alike. -
In this episode, I talk to Kyle Stone, LinkedIn Top20 Voices, a High-performance leadership coach & Branding Expert, amongst many other things.
Kylee works with forward-thinking leaders on disrupting the status quo and aligning people on purpose to accelerate growth.
She's a descendant of the stolen generation of the Wakka Wakka and Kulluli Nations with an intrinsic talent in the power of storytelling to create meaningful connections.
Kylee has a reputation for getting to the root of what matters, delivering high-value strategic solutions and going beyond expectations on producing results.
Described as "an effervescent force of nature" and "one of the most authentic leaders of our time", it's my compassionate, no BS approach that earns me the trust and respect of others.
We’re in an era of leadership that demands a transformation of oneself to embrace disruption and advance as leaders despite adversity.
My purpose is to be of service. I create a world where people are acknowledged, accountable and taking action in direct accordance with their vision, values, purpose and passion.
Kylee is also the founder of the Performance Code.
The Performance Code is a coaching consultancy specialising in leadership transformation, resilience and wellbeing.
They help people find the potential in themselves, others and ideas and have the courage to develop that potential with clarity, compassion and congruence.
The Problem they Solve:
- 85% of people are unhappy at work.
- 77% of leaders say they’re doing a great job at engaging people, 88% of employees disagree
- 65% of employees say they’d forgo a pay raise to see their leader fired
- 67% of organisations fail to deliver on strategy.
How they help:
1. VISON + PURPOSE: Do you have a vision that ignites your passion? Are your people clear aligned on a compelling vision? Are you taking action in direct accordance with your vision, values, mission and goals?
2. RESILIENCE & WELL-BEING - Are you breaking through barriers and creating bold new futures while taking care of your own others wellbeing?
3. GETTING MATCH FIT: Are the results you’re producing a match for what’s possible? Are you disrupting old ways of being, acting and thinking to produce unprecedented results despite complexity?
4. THE A-GAME: What's your brand story? Are you confident in communicating your message? Is your story effectively engaging and mobilising the people around you into action? -
In this episode, I talk to Dulanka Jayaweera, founder of Ozone CPS. We talk about his entrepreneurship experience and share our thoughts on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and the key factors to being a successful business owner in this day and age.
About Dulanka
Dulanka is a young, up and coming Australian entrepreneur who started his journey from the bottom and quickly moved up the hospitality ladder. He then moved to start his own business offering Australian commercial facilities complete property services nationwide.
About Ozone CPS
THe mission of Ozone CPS is to provide complete property services through unbeatable value to the property services market - with quality, our range of services, integrity & competitive pricing. Businesses are able to streamline all their property needs through ozone from cleaning, landscaping to air purification. We create memorable first impressions and experiences through the way & how we work.
The company was created during Dulanka's time in hospitality management where he had to get numerous trades and contractors to address various property issues, cleaning and maintenance needs. This was a time consuming and costly practice. Ozone looks at creating efficiency, effectiveness & consistency in quality by allowing businesses to funnel their needs through one national contractor. -
In this episode, I talk to Hiam Sakakini about change within organisations and individuals.
Hiam is a Transformational Change Consultant, Founder and Advisor.
Her career has been an interesting journey with twists and turns, taking her from a Sales Manager to Head of Leadership Development at Google Asia. Along the path, Hiam lived and breathed the unique experience of how technology disrupts industries and how to navigate that change successfully through your people.
As a Sociology Major and Culture Change Expert, her drive is to create environments founded on trust and psychological safety where teams can be empowered and thrive.
In 2019, Hiam founded the Cultural Equation - specialising in Culture Change for medium to large organisations. We have a team of experts ready to expand the human potential in your business. We develop leaders people can trust and inclusive teams that thrive through ambiguity by embracing customer-centric innovation. All of this amounts to developing your competitive edge in business. -
About Sherif
Sherif co-founded multiple companies in the beverage sector.
WIne & Co
A wine wholesale business servicing the on-premise market including bars, restaurants and clubs. Focusing on boutique Australian and international wines
Initially founded by trading distressed stock at online auctions and later eventuated into a successful business managing wine lists at various Sydney restaurants. As a founder of the business, I was involved in all aspects of the business including finance, operations and logistics however with a greater focus on sales and marketing.Quick Bottle
Along with co-founder Marc Naggar, Sherif started Quick Bottle in 2014. Quick Bottle is an online platform offering an on-demand alcohol delivery service by connecting bottle shops with end-users.
QuickBottle has eventuated as a subsidiary of Wine & Co. Being a startup I was involved in establishing partners, logistics, an initial website and putting together a reliable team -
Some of the topics we covered.
General
Top personal skills you need to master in 2021 (Emotional intelligence, confidence, empathy, listening & communication, creativity, etc.)
Communication
The impact of having effective communication skills on a personal and company level
What are the common areas many people are lacking when it comes to communication
How to improve your communication skills
How to get good at dealing with tough conversations at work / home
Tips for negotiation whether in business, at work (higher salary, etc.)
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In this episode, I talk to Rana Kordahi founder of the Selling Academy.
Rana is a B2B Sales Coach, NLP Practitioner, Writer, TEDx Speaker and Top 10 Female Sales Coach in 2020 by Yahoo Finance.
The Selling Academy specialises in sales and sales leadership training, coaching and consulting. We understand that an organization’s survival is based on how well the sales and marketing team performs. Sales is the heart of the company and without a strong sales team, not only are profits lost but jobs as well.
And sadly, many times businesses fail because they either didn’t have a strong sales strategy, leadership or team. The folks at the Selling Academy are passionate about everything called sales, and our mission is to make every team member fall in love with selling. We don’t only help your team members and executive team with their sales skills and strategy, but also mindset. We will spend as long as it takes helping you achieve success, whether it’s through a one-day workshop, or spending a whole month consulting alongside you on the front line.
In this episode, we discuss the following topics.
1. The skill of knowing ‘How to sell’ – how do you rank it against the most important skills an entrepreneur needs to have and master?
2. What does ‘sales mindset’ mean? What are the most important things to have for a successful sales mindset?
3. Sales Motivation – Do you need it and how do you do it?
4. Sales Techniques – What techniques do you focus on with your clients? Are there techniques better than others?
5. Sales funnel – Do you focus on building funnels and how so?
6. Sales Training – How do you train your salespeople? What are the most effective methods? -
In this episode, I talk to Sandra Irving, Entrepreneurial Development Manager at The Entourage & Founder of Network Well.
Sandra is passionate about transformation, data, human potential, growth and change. Her mission is to enable entrepreneurial excellence through unconventional learning.
With over 7 years in change and transformation along with her experience in organisational development, Sandra brings a unique outlook on how to sustainably achieve optimal performance for organisations.
Sandra also is a Coach, exceptional people enabler, project manager and trusted advisor.
The Entourage work with 6, 7 & 8 figure business owners and entrepreneurs to scale their businesses to the next level.
We provide a personalised operational road map as well as ongoing training and support from some of the worlds leading experts and coaches and have Australia's number #1 network of Elite business owners and Entrepreneurs.
Network Well is an Australian owned wellness provider that improves the wellbeing of individuals ‘The Journey to Wellness’ to wellness online program. -
In this episode, I sit down with Jeffrey Morgan once again to talk about mental health, happiness, wellbeing and how to create a life of high performance.
About Jeffrey,
Jeffrey is a Lifestyle Coach, Health & wellbeing consultant, Nutritionist & Mentor, helping to empower people to sustainable, enjoyable, and healthy lifestyle habits and rituals.
Growing up in Redfern NSW, a disadvantaged notorious neighbourhood, he was surrounded by bad habits, unhealthy diets and poor mental health.
At 12 years old, he left my home to live on the streets.
After losing both his parents to cancer, one brother to suicide & one to a preventable illness I became passionate about empowering people through the LIFESTYLE PROGRAM™
Today, his program has been adopted by many across the globe. -
In today’s episode, I am joined by the great Oliver Jackson, Founder and CEO of Living Property. A bit about Oliver. Oliver is a Buyer’s Agent, Buyers Advocate, Property Advisor & Expert Negotiator. Oliver's company, Living Property, specialises in sourcing and accessing all market stock incl. pre, post and off-market properties. With expert negotiators securing your next property.
Living Property helps clients who
- Are time poor or have limited time to be researching the property.
- Want to leverage experts' knowledge.
- Are fearful of overpaying and unsure of what to buy or had bad past experience.
- Prefer to delegate the entire process.
Oliver and Living Property work with
- First home buyers
- Primary residence upgraders
- Property Investors
- Developers looking for sites, joint ventures, or project managers
- Overseas, Interstate buyers.
Aside from work, Oliver has been up to some exciting things over the last few months including ultramarathons which I find very fascinating. -
In this episode, I talk to Dean Salakas, the Chief Party Dude at the Party People which is an Australian market leader for Party Supplies and Costumes. You might have seen Dean or The party People on the Shark Tank Show and numerous other media outlets. The man is a PR machine but more importantly an e-commerce expert and an entrepreneur with a strong track record. We sit down and talk about his story, how he helped grow the business and we share many insights that you can take on board as an entrepreneur or business leader.
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Today’s guest is Tom Waterhouse, Chief Investment Officer at WaterhouseVC.com. Tom comes from a long line of bookmakers dating back four generations. He became a licensed bookmaker in 2003 at the age of 20 and was Australia’s largest and most profitable on-course bookie by 2008. In 2010 he launched the online sports betting business TOMWATERHOUSE.COM and in 2013, by the time the company was sold to William Hill, they had 100 people working in the business and 250,000 clients. In this episode, I get Tom’s insights on how to become successful inside and outside the world of sports betting. We also talk about the psychology of betting and what traits entrepreneurs and business owners can adopt to become more successful.
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In this episode, I have the honour of talking to Nick Verykios – an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader and mentor. Across the years, Nick founded and successfully grew multiple IT companies and some of his significant achievement are, being inducted into the ARN IT Industry Hall of Fame in 2012, named IT Executive of the Year at the 2013 CEO Magazine Executive of the Year Awards, amongst other awards and recognitions. In this episode, Nick and I talk about business, we also talk about leadership, mentorship, purpose and many other cool topics.
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Today's guest is Mark Lazarus, Director of Lazarus Legal and formerly the Legal Director for world-renowned energy drink brand, Monster Energy, where he was the co-head of the European Legal Department. Mark is a lawyer and former barrister who has extensive experience working with startups, FMCG businesses, Tech companies amongst many other industries and sectors, on a variety of commercial law areas including intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution. In this episode, we discuss a variety of topics on how businesses and startups can grow whilst avoiding any legal traps or landmines.
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