For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
"Your network equals your net worth"
A cliche, for sure. But like many cliches, there's some truth to be had there - and that's been our experience of networking. There's no instant return, but the more quality we add to our network, the more success we've encountered.
For this episode, we've roped in our very first guest. We were adamant from the start that we didn't want the Big Idea Podcast to be an endless procession of guests, leaving us asking the same banal, generic questions each week, but we will bring one in where they know a lot more about a subject than we do.
And that's clearly the case for the "King of Networking" in Plymouth, Mike Turner. There's very few people in Plymouth who don't know who Mike is - on a recent visit to his office, we popped out for lunch which involved a 2 minute walk to a local cafe, during which at least 10 people said hello to Mike by name - that's the power of networking.
Enjoy this episode - it's a long one, but a good one!
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
It's not your customers job to remember to do business with you - it's your job to remind them.
And there's no better way to do that than to send them a printed newsletter in the post. In this week's episode, we'll show you exactly how to do that, as well as the mistakes and pitfalls to avoid when sending a printed newsletter.
We also walk you through a selection of newsletters that we've either sent or received ourselves to give you some ideas about how you could implement a newsletter into your small business.
Newsletters are the best retention tool I know, but they're also pretty good at cross-selling, up-selling and securing referrals if done correctly - which is without overtly selling!
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
All businesses dictate your lifestyle, it's up to you to design it.
In this episode, John has a bit of a rant about Peter Jones from Dragons Den fame, and doesn't even mention his stupid stripy socks once (though the pinstripe suits get a bit of a bashing!)
We show you that if your small business isn't currently giving you the lifestyle you want, that:
1. That's YOUR fault.
2. You CAN change things.
3. We can HELP.
We look at what a lifestyle business actually is, and why it certainly doesn't mean small or unambitious. We see why NOT shooting for the moon can mean owning a less risky business, with an almost guaranteed level of success.
And who wouldn't want to own a business that guarantees them success, whilst also giving them the lifestyle they want?
Other than Peter Jones of course...
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Grab the popcorn, and put your phone onto "silent" - we're off to the cinema! Well, actually, John and Jason have been to the cinema, and are back with their take on one of Hollywood's latest blockbusters.
No, they haven't been watching 50 shades of Grey.
No, they haven't given up talking about Marketing and small businesses, to go into film reviews.
What they have done is taken some of the greatest lessons that YOU as a small business owner can take away from "The Founder", a movie all about the story of McDonalds.
From humble beginnings as a single burger shack in California to the behemoth that we know today, The Founder chronicles Ray Kroc, and his transformation of a tiny owner-operated business into a corporate giant, and the world's largest land-owner.
We'll talk once again about the importance of aligning your goals with your desire (and ensuring that your business partner's desires are the same as yours too!), and show why it's crucial to know your numbers.
What business are McDonalds in? The answer might surprise you (unless you've read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, or seen the trailer!).
Ray Kroc didn't take "no" for an answer, and we'll show why neither should you.
We'll talk about the importance of being disruptive, optimisation of your systems & processes, and tell you how McDonalds ensured consistency of their product, and their brand, even when expanding to 65,000 restaurants around the world.
And you won't want to miss John's biggest "take away" (even bigger than a Big Mac with large fries and a jumbo coke!) that EVERY small business owner needs to implement in their business if they don't want to suffer the same fate as the McDonalds brothers...
If you can call walking away with a cheque for $3.6 million suffering...
Oh bugger, I've just given away the ending.
That's why we don't do film reviews...
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
In today's episode we expose the myth of "luck", and show you how "luck happens" - good and bad. We ban Rob from attending any future Plymouth Argyle matches, and demonstrate correlation versus causality using a pasty.
We'll also show you to win raffles, and buy your house cheaper. We'll look at how everything is YOUR fault, and cure you of "excuseitis" once and for all.
We hear about people who lost a million dollars, were born without arms and legs, and who were given a terminal cancer diagnosis (not the same person - that WOULD be unlucky!) - and how they each consider themselves to be lucky - mainly by creating their own luck.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Hiring your first member of staff is the leverage you need to stop owning a job, and start owning a business. In this episode, we'll dive into how to recruit good members of staff (tip: you won't find them at the Jobcentre!), how to go through the recruitment process effectively so that you weed out the crap, leaving yourself with the best of the best.
What do you do once you've got a good member of staff? We look at how to actually KEEP them, and perhaps surprisingly, "pay them more money" doesn't get mentioned once.
But everyone's got some horror stories about hiring staff gone wrong, and we're no exception - there's a good 20 people who have worked for us over the last 17 years, who no longer do - some left, some were made redundant, and one or two were sacked - if you're worried about firing employees, then this episode is worth a listen just for our war stories and tips on how to get rid of bad employees from your small business.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Ever wondered if the grass is greener on the other side? Not sure if you're in the right business for you?
If so, then you're not alone - many small business owners don't actually choose their business - it chooses them! Many inherit a family business, or work with a partner or loved on who then leaves / dies.
Others leave the "security" of a day job (often by being made redundant), only to start up as a self employed version of what they did to get a paycheck. In this episode we'll dive into why you don't HAVE to do what you've always done, and how to find something that you'd be happy to do for the rest of your life.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
What are you afraid of? What keeps you awake at night?
Public speaking? Picking up the phone?
Closing a sale? Hiring staff? Firing staff?
Doing the accounts? Dealing with technology?
Running out of money? Clowns?
Whatever it is, we've got a tactic to help you conquer your fears. It involves a hula hoop, eating beans on toast, and jumping out of an aeroplane at 15,000 feet. (thankfully WITH a parachute!)
But if the thought of skydiving gets you trembling with fear, then we've got quite a few more sedate methods that you could implement in your life (or your small business) to increase your self confidence and expand your comfort zone.
We tell you (AGAIN!) why reading the newspapers will only serve to make you more scared (that's their job!), and we tell you why talking to random strangers in the street (or at the gym like John does!) can help you build your self confidence, and be good for your business.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
This week Jason is relegated to the subs bench, and instead John is joined by Rob Rowe, who works within the team here at Big Idea Media, looking after the marketing for our sports betting brands.
Rob's a really switched on marketeer, with a strong passion for writing copy, and putting big sales campaigns together. He's worked for the likes of Skybet, NetBet, and Agora Publishing, so we're very pleased to have him as part of the Big Idea family.
In this episode, John and Rob dissect a recent marketing campaign that was (in John's words) "the most successful campaign we've EVER run" - We'll give you a checklist of all the elements that you need to run a successful campaign in YOUR business, and give you real-world examples of exactly WHY this all came together so well.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Ah, "Multiple Streams of Income", the battle-cry of every MLM spammer since the early 2000's - but don't worry, we're not here to sell you a "lifestyle business" that will "change your life" by persuading you to sell stuff no-one wants to your friends and family, becoming a social pariah in the process.
Nope, we're here to show you how Multiple Streams of Income works in the REAL world - how we've applied it to our businesses, and our investments.
You'll hear how a profitable £300k a year businesses collapsed overnight because they DIDN'T have multiple income streams, and how this led to a BIG change in one of our businesses.
You'll also hear more words of wisdom from Warren Buffett, talking about eggs, rivers, baskets, feet and hawks. Plus Jason's got a cracking tool of the week which we use in our businesses to devastating effect.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
In today's episode, you can find out the ONE THING that really catapulted our businesses to super-success. It's something so simple that you'd almost overlook it, and think "it can't be that simple can it?"
But that's the idea - it's a very simple thing, done well, on a daily basis, that will make all the difference over a long period of time.
You'll find out why multi-tasking doesn't work, Jason manages to alienate the female population, and you'll find out why I blame Richard Branson.
We'll get our boats going faster with an Olympic gold medal winner, put a man on the moon, and win a US election - all in 33 minutes! The only thing you won't achieve is Inbox Zero - but as you'll learn in this episode, that's NOT what you want anyway - we're aiming for Productivity Central!
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Just about every story of success that you come across will have been as a result of these 5 magic ingredients coming together in perfect harmony. As a result, we now structure our businesses (and indeed our daily lives) around them.
They are:
GOALS
DESIRE
KNOWLEDGE
ENVIRONMENT
ACTION
In this episode, we talk in-depth about each of the five ingredients and give you real examples of how they can help in your business and in your life. We've also covered GOALS (episode #5) and DESIRE (#2) in more depth in their own episodes, as well as touching on one element of ENVIRONMENT (be careful who you listen to) in Episode #1.
We have quite a few book recommendations in this episode - for links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Change your ways in 90 days...
In this episode we'll be showing you how to achieve more in the first 3 months of the year than most people do in 3 years, a MUCH more effective way than simply saying "I'm going to join the gym this year" or "I want to grow my business in 2017"
We'll look at our strategy for hitting our 20 year plan (yep, TWENTY year plan!), our goals and how we keep ourselves on track.
We cover why willpower doesn't work, John dusts off his Arnold Schwarzeneggar impression, and we get all accountable on you. We'll tell you why SMART goals are actually pretty dumb, and we shoot for the moon with Elon Musk.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
How do you grow a small business and still have time for the family?
Yes, we're talking about that great mythical beast - the Work / Life balance. And we'll tell you why it IS a myth - but don't get too stressed.. we'll show you some tactics and tools to make the "lack of balance" your friend - to accept the imbalance, and actually make it work in your favour.
We talk about see-saws. A lot. Which is a great visual metaphor for an audio podcast. We make sure that you're achieving the right balance of Work AND Life that you actually want.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
In this episode John gets to talk about his favourite subject, compounding. We find out about how our use of compounding has grown our business exponentially. So grab a coffee and find out ‘How to Build a Snowman’
There's liberal amounting of hero-worshipping Warren Buffett, including how he spent $2 Million buying a $57,000 house, and we show you how we used compounding to turn £100 into £120,000, £6,500 into half a million, and £500 into £700,000 a year.
We detail how to use this with devastating effect in your business, and how you could create your own pension, which for £300 a month could net you a lump sum of almost £7 million (note the use of the would "could" there - we were playing with Compound Interest Calculators at the time!)
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Originally entitled What do you REALLY want,our second podcast looks deeper than that and talks about desires versus wants, the differences between "that would be nice", and "Hell Yes", that’s what I am having. We’ll find out how desire has fuelled our business, and how it is essential for you to grow your businesses.
You'll discover that without desire, you're at the whim and mercy of Willpower - and we only have a finite amount of willpower to keep us going. When you're got a burning desire, you'll do whatever is necessary to survive / succeed.
There's also a cautionary tale of what happens when you follow someone else's desire - be warned, it's not pretty!
We also look at how to create desire in your products so you don;t have to give it the hard sell to potential customers.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.
Welcome to our first edition of the Big Idea Podcast where it's our jobs to get small business owners thinking BIGGER. We'll be tackling the world of business and marketing with a new episode every week.
In this inaugural edition, we will be finding out why you shouldn’t read the Daily Mail, that John loves Marmite, (but Jason doesn’t) and how to "feed the beast" .
We'll find out that free advice is worth every penny, and that teenagers were right all along - you SHOULDN'T listen to your parents! But in the interests of balance, we also come up with loads of people that you SHOULD be listening to - chief of which of course.. is this podcast - don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, and you'll get it delivered straight to your phone every week.
For links to everything we talk about, including the video recording of the episode and transcription of everything we talked about, head over to the show notes at bigidea.co.uk/podcast.
And to watch the LIVE recording of each episode of the Big Idea Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every Monday lunchtime, as well as get BONUS in-between-isodes, and direct access to both of us to ask any questions about this, or any other episode.