Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast (John Lamerton and Jason Brockman)

In this episode John and Jason are joined by Elaine Colliar.

Elaine is the Five Times World Mind Mapping Champion and Grand Master Trainer for Tony Buzan International Ltd.

Tony Buzan was Elaine's mentor, tragically since recording this podcast in March, Tony suffered a heart attack and sadly passed away.

This episode is dedicated to Tony, a name we are sure you will still hear and talk of in many many years to come when discussing the world of Mind Mapping, a true gift that Tony has left to the world.

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.

We're working to rather a tight deadline at the moment, with John's new book "Big Ideas for Small Businesses" coming out on the 21st June.

With that very deadline much in mind for the whole team at the moment, it's only natural that this week we talk about deadlines - how to set ambitious, yet realistic ones, as well as the effect that a good deadline can have on your own business, and how they can be deadly when deployed in your marketing.

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, you will hear:

• The 3 mistakes most photography business owners make

• Jeff's "greatest-ever failure"

• Depression, debt and divorce

• The difference between a good photographer and a good photography business

• Why every mentor should have a mentor themselves.

• How Jeff went from zero to 80,000 followers on LinkedIn

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.

In this episode we welcome Karlie Somerville aka the queen of green, at the moment she is helping more than 4000 business owners deal with the crisis that coronavirus has brought.

Karlie is a two-time former One Percenter and made a guest appearance in John’s last book, "Routine Machine."

3 years ago, Karlie said she was going to get a commercial business premises, a few people told her she wouldn’t be able to do that, but guess what, she did, and the rest as they say is history.

Karlie’s first business was EcoBlitz an environmentally conscious cleaning company, but with the premises now secured, she went on to launch EcoBliz Laundry Limited.

By Karlie’s own admissions she is a workaholic, she is completely inspired by learning and achieving new things. Karlie even says that it has become her lifestyle therefore she doesn’t look at it like work.  

In this podcast we are going to go back to the early days sitting in the pub where Karlie had plenty of discussions with John and Jason, as a former one percenter, Karlie learnt the benefits of having efficient systems and processes in place, it was partly why she felt ready to launch EcoBlitz Laundry Ltd that alongside a bucket full of ambition.

This ambition is still as fierce now as it was then and has led to Karlie now having 5 successful businesses.

So how has lockdown been for Karlie, well it looks a little like supporting 4000 and growing business owners, click play to find out more.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

"To live longer, get stronger..." 

Today, on the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, we're joined by Matt Fox from Physiocore, a group-based class which helps people to live longer and get stronger, by future-proofing their bodies with a unique combination of mobility, core, balance and strengthening exercises.

As a Physiotherapist with a degree in sport science, he has worked in the NHS, private practice and spent over 10 years working full time in professional football at Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers FC.

Matt has helped many hundreds of people create a flexible and strong body with a view to keeping active and healthy for life.

In this episode, Matt tells us:

1. How we can outperform our age.

2. Why we should avoid "junk miles" - for our bodies AND our business.

3. How he's used the Evergreen Assets ecosystem, and the Could Do List to improve his business.

4. Why it took hearing the "constant, never-ending improvement" message more than 100 times before the penny dropped.

5. The moment he designed his own ambitious, lifestyle business, camping in his back garden with his kids.

6. That he's a bit of a routine machine...

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 solo epsiode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton, author of the bestselling book Routine Machine explains how ONE simple change to his dog's food could add years to his life - and life to his years!

Whether you've got a furry friend or not - this podcast IS NOT about the dog - it's about the ROUTINE.

Today, we're joined by Michele Marsland from Marslands Accountants. In this episode, you will hear:

1. Why breaking her leg was the best thing that ever happened to Michele's business.

2. How Michele has become the Queen of the Let Property Campaign.

3. Why Michele played "chapter roulette" with Routine Machine.

4. How to change your money mindset - optimising your actual hourly rate.

5. The subtle difference between earning £5 an hour and £95 an hour.

6. Why Michele lives in "Pink Flamingo Land" - and how YOU can too!

ALB84 – The Christmas Special 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Christmas just would not be the same without the annual tradition of John and Jason rounding their year up in true ALB style.

Have you played Whamageddon?

If you don’t know what that is, you will know and you will want to play.

Is Die Hard a Christmas film?

This is a jam or cream first type scenario isn’t it?

When John met Neville Wright

This was a definite highlight of John’s year; our One Percenters also had the pleasure of having a coaching call with him as well as Gerald Ratner.

Jason’s incredible fundraising  

Despite another difficult year for the charity sector, Jason the fundraising superstar still managed to raise an incredible amount for Cancer Research.

Book of the Year

John has had a year of book writing with Evergreen Assets, but that has certainly not stopped him from reading plenty of other books this year. Find out his key takeaways from those and how he has implemented them into his daily routines (DING).

Fruition and Serve

Looking forward to 2022 John and Jason have two words.

Practically Morecambe and Wise

This is the 5th year running of the Christmas Special and you could say that it has turned into an Evergreen Asset. This episode is packed with all of the usual content for you to grab a mince pie, a festive tipple and lookback over 2021.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

Doors are open for the One Percent Club! We've got just 12 spaces for ambitious, lifestyle business owners to work more closely with John and Jason to grow their businesses.

In this episode:

We review "Shoe Dog", the memoirs of Phil Knight, the founder of Nike (and Jason gives us a memorable lesson in how to pronounce Nike "correctly"...)

We look back on a very successful month of our "Bring me Sunshine" challenge - and how forcing ourselves to think positively on a daily basis has led to the habit of positive thinking coming much, much easier to us.

It's Jason's turn for a rant this month - as he laments the lack of follow-up from several people he's had dealings with recently.

John shares his simple 3-step process for "the ultimate marketing strategy"

We look at the importance of giving value as part of a content marketing strategy.

John looks forward to meeting Charlie Mullins, the "millionaire plumber" from Pimlico Plumbers later this month, and also manages to get in a dig at used car salesmen...

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 month, 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's the best Exit Strategy for a Small Business? It depends...

In this summer-special podcast, John and Jason discuss their (many!) failed attempts to exit their small business over the years, including:

• Thinking they sold their company for £2m - only to get a Dear John email.

• John giving away 49% of his small business for free

• What happens when you abdicate rather than delegate.

• How to choose the right exit strategy for small business owners.

• Why "doing nothing" isn't really an option.

• How John and Jase discovered the "False EXIT" - and why they're glad they did!

For the 5th year running, we have the ALB Summer Special edition with John and Jason.

So, what have they been up to this year?

Well, there is another book for John on its way “Evergreen Assets” which is currently at the editing stage. 106,000 words was then down to 94,000 then back up to 104,000 he was then totally ruthless and was sitting at 102,000 words and at the time of recording lost another 3000 words and all of that was with just the 1 edit.

This book will be available November 2021 and is your one stop ecosystem of doing the work once and then be able to reap the rewards over and over again. BUT you have to do the work.

Lockdown

It has been a year like no other, and all plans were thrown up into the air but that said it certainly didn’t stop John or Jason with moving the businesses forward.  

It has given them time to look at everything within their businesses and fix any holes that may have appeared in those buckets. Concentrating on the assets, the businesses in turn run better.

Investment strategies and assets

Find out John’s advice on what he classes as assets, is word of mouth an asset? Not according to John, it isn’t. How do you turn 1 customer into 1:1 and so on.

Leaky Buckets

Do you have any of these? Have you taken the time to identify them?

That’s not my burger?

Ordering what you want should be the simplest thing shouldn’t it? But it must look like the burger in the picture.

How to turn Dave into Oliver?

Identifying your customers is crucial, listen to find out ways to turn them from a confused newbie to a seasoned pro.

Making sure that handovers happen smoothly.

If things start well, they end well.

Knock Knock

On the 1st September the doors to The One Percent Club will be open again. Find out what some of our last intake have been up to and what you can expect when you join.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

Hear an exclusive sneak preview of the book here - and get a FREE Evergreen Assets workshop when you pre-order the audiobook before midnight on Feb 23rd: https://www.bigidea.co.uk/workshop

When you create Evergreen Assets, you do the work ONCE, and reap the rewards again and again (and again!).

That's the OPPOSITE of what's happening in my garden right now, where I seem to have acquired a new full-time job!

In this short episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton asks: "what impact would a £350,000 lottery win have on your lifestyle?"

The lottery win is ficticious, but the impact on your lifestyle doesn't have to be...

You can get a FREE chapter of ANY of John's best selling business books - just CLICK HERE.

Here are my Top 10 Positive Thinking Books, featuring titles by Susan Cain, Ryan Holiday, Angela Duckworth and Tony Robbins

https://bigidea.co.uk/best-business-books/#postivity

This is part of my Top 100 Best Business Books project - do you agree with my choices? - what book(s) should I have chosen? What's YOUR number one?

Our review of the year - key takeaways and favourite moments.
Our resolutions and predictions for 2018.
What we've learned from a year of podcasting.
Our Book(s) of the Year

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 month, 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.

Do NOT sell your business...

At least not until you've read John's new book - The False EXIT.

The False EXIT isn't a book about selling your business. It's a book about NOT selling your business - it's about keeping, rather than killing the golden goose.

The book is available NOW on Amazon (in Kindle, Paperback and Hardcover formats), with the Audiobook version coming in January 2024.

For the next 48 hours, there's some VERY special launch pricing, making the book as cheap as it will ever be. In John's words, "fill your boots! Buy 1 copy, 10 copies or even 100. Get one for clients, colleagues and people you vaguely like - anyone who needs to read this book."

In this episode, John practices his narration for the audiobook (only stumbling over the phrase "lugging buckets") by reading the introduction for us - enjoy!

Many people can articulate their goals but struggle with the steps to achieve them. Visualizing the finish line is not enough; you need a plan to get there.

Starting where you ARE is crucial for success. Success is built step by step, not by jumping to the end, and even small beginnings can lead to significant achievements over time.

You may not have all the resources you need at the start. But the hardest part of any journey is getting started. Momentum is created by taking the first step, no matter how small.

Get a FREE chapter of ANY of John's Books

How do you deal with customer complaints?

In this solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business, John Lamerton, author of bestselling business books such as Big Ideas... for Small Businesses, Evergreen Assets and Routine Machine explains why it should be "the end of the world" for EVERY complaint you get...

The One Percent Club doors are NOW OPEN for our March 2025 intake.

However, we'll be closing the doors at 9pm THIS MONDAY - and won't open them again until September.

If you're looking to improve YOUR business (and lifestyle) by 1% every week, you can join the One Percent Club here (until 9pm on Monday 31st March)

The Evergreen Assets Audiobook launches on February 24th.

Hear an exclusive sneak preview of the book here - and get a FREE Evergreen Assets workshop when you pre-order the audiobook before midnight on Feb 23rd: https://www.bigidea.co.uk/workshop

Here are my Top 10 Business Strategy Books, featuring titles by Dan Bradbury, Matthew Syed, Daniel Priestley, John Warrillow, and Mike Michalowicz.

https://bigidea.co.uk/best-business-books/#strat

This is part of my Top 100 Best Business Books project - do you agree with my choices? - what book(s) should I have chosen? What's YOUR number one?

Ambitious, lifestyle business owners can learn valuable lessons from Charlie Munger, the renowned investor and Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Here are some key lessons:

1. Value of Continuous Learning: Munger is a strong advocate of lifelong learning. He believes in expanding one's knowledge across various disciplines, not just in your field of business. Business owners can benefit from this by constantly seeking new knowledge and perspectives that can help them make better decisions.

2. Importance of Mental Models: Munger emphasizes the use of mental models from multiple disciplines to solve complex problems. Business owners can apply this by integrating ideas and concepts from different areas to gain a more comprehensive view of their challenges and opportunities.

3. Inversion: Munger often uses inversion, a problem-solving technique, to think backward and identify potential pitfalls. Business owners can apply this by considering what not to do or what could go wrong in their business strategies.

4. Long-Term Perspective: Munger's investment philosophy is built on the idea of holding quality assets for the long term. Business owners can adopt this mindset by focusing on sustainable growth and avoiding short-term thinking that might compromise the long-term health of their businesses.

5. Rational Decision-Making: Munger promotes rationality in decision-making, emphasizing the importance of avoiding emotional reactions. Business owners can benefit from this by making well-thought-out decisions based on facts and analysis rather than emotions.

6. Competitive Advantage: Munger encourages business owners to build and maintain a competitive advantage. Whether through unique products, excellent customer service, or innovative processes, having a sustainable advantage can lead to long-term success.

7. Circle of Competence: Munger advises staying within one's circle of competence, focusing on what you understand well. Business owners should recognize their strengths and limitations and make decisions accordingly, seeking expert advice when needed.

8. Ethical Behavior: Munger values ethical behavior and integrity in business. Business owners can learn the importance of conducting business honestly, which builds trust with customers and partners.

9. Risk Management: Munger emphasizes the need to consider and manage risks. Business owners should conduct thorough risk assessments and implement strategies to mitigate potential threats to their businesses.

10. Patience and Discipline: Munger's investment success is partly attributed to his patience and discipline. Business owners can apply this by staying committed to their long-term goals and not being swayed by short-term fluctuations or pressures.

11. Adaptation: Munger recognizes the importance of adaptability. Business owners should be willing to adjust their strategies and embrace change when necessary to stay relevant and competitive.

12. Simplicity: Munger often advocates for simplicity in decision-making and business processes. Business owners can benefit from simplifying complex issues and strategies to make them more manageable and effective.

Overall, Charlie Munger's principles can guide ambitious business owners toward making informed, rational, and ethical decisions that promote long-term success and personal growth.

Running a small business is like playing Snakes & Ladders - just as you feel you're about to win the game, you land on a snake.. and find yourself almost back where you started.

There are ladders in this game though - and if you know where to find them, and how to increase your chances of landing on one, you're more likely to beat your competition.

In this 5-minute solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton show you how to "rig the game" in your favour - ensuring that, as long as you keep rolling the dice, you WILL win.

In this episode with Ian Ebbs from Football Boots, you will hear:

1. How Ian grew an audience of 1.4 million YouTube subscribers
2. The difference between "being a genius" and "being lucky".
3. Why Ian was locked up by Border Security.
4. How Ian has made "having fun with the family" his day job.
5. Why Ian moved from the UK to New Zealand.

• Ian's process for "having a system that works - and then beating it to death!"

John's eight year old son is collecting mentors. Like just about every other 8 year old kid, he wants to be a famous YouTuber like DanTDM or Stampylonghead. But like John way back in 2000, he "knows that he knows nothing" - so he's been seeking out mentors. Other kids like him that are a little bit ahead of him in his Youtube journey, and who can help give him the blueprint to succeed.

We review February's Book of the Month by Neville Wright, which earned rave reviews, and also introduced March's book of the month by Gerald Ratner, which having seen Gerald speak before should be very entertaining (and certainly not "crap!").

We delve into how and why accountability works for us, and show you how we've used it to publish a book, learn to play golf, and even get a lazy entrepreneur doing 100 press ups every day!

Finally, we talk about public speaking - This is something that both John and Jason do quite a lot of these days. But it wasn't always the case, so we look into the secret behind confident public speaking.

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 month, 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.

#ALB79 – Why Sarah Lamerton closed the doors after just 18 months

18 months ago Sarah quit her job and started her new business. In that time using the techniques she shares in this podcast she has gained a decade of experience, is currently completely full and has closed her books in order to embrace the lifestyle business she wanted to achieve.

School Days

Sarah had worked as a teacher for almost 20 years working her way up the ladder to a senior lead in education within the primary years setting. Sarah has always liked to challenge herself but found that the more and more changes schools were expected to go through she was losing her “why”.

Square pegs are good

Sarah knows how to teach and is a master in not only accepting but also implementing that children are all different and therefore will all learn in different ways. She wanted to take the time to be able to celebrate children’s individuality. Nurture their love for maths and celebrate their results but that is not so easy to deliver within the classroom setting.

Words of advice from her spouse

Being married to John, Sarah is not a stranger to the Ambitious Lifestyle Business he has strived to achieve, and she was very aware that the pressure she was under from her employed job was far from fitting in that box. But it is not in Sarah’s nature to give up on anything, so she persevered for the time being. Sarah did offload onto John about the pressure the job was bringing, how she felt the longing for an ambitious lifestyle business but still be able to do what she loves and teach. John offered sound words of advice “leave then”

The nagging “Who am I doing this for?” and not necessarily agreeing with certain ways of doing things continued to play on Sarah’s mind however. This was then emphasised by her own two children’s experience of school and she realised that school isn’t right for all children and there are most certainly different ways of doing things.

18 months of planning her business 

It was definitely not a kneejerk decision, Sarah thought long and hard about this decision to start her own business but she knew it was something she had to do. The original plan was to start the business and continue to teach part time, but soon realised that this was just not going to work. Even part time hours equated to full time when she considered lesson planning, marking and everything else involved. No, all Sarah’s focus would be on her new business.

 Who leaves a paid role to start brand new business just before a pandemic?

Nobody knew what was around the corner for us back in early 2020 but a global pandemic probably wasn’t high on our lists of things that could go wrong. But Sarah had made her decision she was starting her lifestyle business and as mentioned earlier it is simply not in Sarah’s nature to give up on anything.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

The school system is outdated and fails children with additional needs. In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, we chat with Sarah Lamerton, author of "How the School System Fails Children With Needs (And What You Can Do About It").

Sarah shares her evolution in business, her motivations for writing a book about the education system, and her plans to create a podcast aimed at supporting parents navigating the complexities of education.

John and Jason grill Sarah on the evolution of her work, from one-on-one support to creating broader educational resources, including courses and books. We look at getting the balance right between "evergreen assets" and live work. The episode highlights the need for systemic change in education and the role of community and media in driving that change.

The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts...

Earlier this week, I recorded a video for my One Percent Club members, showing them exactly HOW I'm going to 5x one of my businesses in 2020 - and how they could copy me, and do the same.

I've shared that video with you in this bonus podcast episode.

By the end of this episode, you'll be able to:

• Understand the power of "marginal gains"
• See how just 162 "1% gains" are needed to 5x your business
• Create your own folder of "1% gains" - easy-to-implement tactics and strategies that grow your business
• Make implementing these "1% gains" a daily, weekly or monthly habit - that pay lifetime dividends every time you do!
• See how not all "1% gains" are created equal - and how I've already grown my business by 80% with just TWO "1% gains"

Doors are currently open for the March intake of my One Percent Club, where I share more than 250 "1% gains" with you, and coach you through implementing them in YOUR business - you can find out more, and apply to join at http://www.bigidea.co.uk/opcc

December 20th 2024 was the shortest day.

From here on in, it's constant, never-ending improvement.

Marginal gains every day, gaining an extra minute in the morning, and/or a minute in the evening.

No noticeable difference whatsoever from day to day.

After a week, we gain 10 minutes of daylight a day. Whoop-de-do.

After a month, we get an extra hour a day. Now we're talking! We start to notice the difference - eventually waking up in daylight, or driving home in daylight (for me, one of the first signs is leaving a football match in the daylight around late February.)

After six months of constant never-ending improvement, we gain an extra 8 hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds of daylight - a world of difference. But it all happened little-by-little, day-by-day.

And so it is with your business - if you're following the One Percent Way, you're making your business 1% better every week - an improvement that you won't even notice for months - but that eventually you'll look back over dozens (or eventually hundreds!) of weekly 1% gains, and the difference will be like night and day...

Whether you call them 1% gains, Winner Stays On, Marginal Gains, optimisation, or Constant And Never-ending Improvement - doesn't matter.

What matters is that you strive to be better tomorrow than you were today.

The One Percent Club is NOT about growing your business. A bigger business often means more stress, more problems and more responsibilities. 

More isn’t better. Better is better.

The One Percent Club won’t help you GROW your business. It’ll help you IMPROVE your business, so that it delivers the lifestyle you TRULY want

The One Percent Club doors are open until March 31st at 9pm - https://bigidea.co.uk/opcc

Today, we're joined by Caroline Gurtler from Curious Rose. In this episode, you will hear:

1. How Caroline showed tremendous bravery to be brutally honest about her problems - and how that led to an outpouring of help that turned things around

2. How to balance "selling out of products" versus simply "selling out"

3. Why Caroline took a 1-year-old baby to Cambodia.

4. How, after hiding under a table during a military coup, Caroline doesn't really fear anything.

5. Caroline describe her journey as a "road to entrepreneurship, paved with disasters"!

6. What an ambitious, lifestyle business means to Caroline.

Meet Phil Allen.

Phil blows stuff up for a living. 💥

His company, Entertainment Effects provides special effects, pyrotechnics and water features to live sport, music, TV and corporate events.

Flames 🔥

Confetti Cannons 🎊

Fountains ⛲

Smoke Machines 🌫

Phil is our guest on the Ambitious, Lifestyle Business podcast this month, where we discuss:

📈 How Phil TREBLED his business in a couple of years.

📕 The ONE book that changed everything.

😨 The pressure of letting someone ELSE detonate explosive material near Premier League footballers.

👨‍💻 How Phil generates a HUGE ROI from investing in tech (hint: he's not buying Nvidia shares!)

🧗‍♂️ The more than 100 "1% improvements" that Phil has stacked up over the past three years.

This months guest is Steve West owner of The Pudding Compartment, (John’s perfect client).

Steve makes delicious handcrafted cakes, biscuits, flapjacks, Brownies, sticky, toffee, puddings cookies, scones, you name it, all white labelled for businesses such as Virgin trains and 2016 apprentice winner Alana Spencer.

Steve joined the One Percent Club 6 months ago with 3 clear goals, there have been many obstacles that many business owners have faced over the last few months, Steve included but despite this, those goals are still in place and Steve is well on track to achieving them all!!

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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 are joined by David Aggiss and Tom Boulden of Three Sixty Mortgages who are based in Plymouth.  

This year, I'll be celebrating 25 years of running small businesses.

In those 25 years, here are the 5 things that made the BIGGEST difference:

1. persevering (and iterating) until I found a model that worked.

2. Starting a mailing list.

3. Investing in paid advertising. (Google Ads in 2002, FB Ads in 2013, Amazon Ads currently run my coaching business)

4. Focusing on ONE thing. "Deep work" days and stacking up weekly "one things".

5. Putting retention first. focus on growing returning visits, increasing lifetime value, and truly putting retention first for every business.

The One Percent Club doors are NOW OPEN - until 9pm on Monday 31st March

The One Percent Club doors are NOW OPEN.

In today's episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton (author of Big Ideas.. for Small Businesses) explains why it took him NINE MONTHS to earn £13.51 - and how this was the MOMENT he knew he'd be successful.

Click here to find out more about the One Percent Club, and how it can improve your business AND your lifestyle.

Nine years ago, James Marks sat, head in hands at his kitchen table, wondering how he was going to pay the bills. Today, James owns a number of businesses, employs 34 people, and has systemised his entire operation - leaving him free to write romance novels.

Yes, really. 

In this episode, James tells us exactly how he became an “overnight success” in those nine years.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How James started his very first business by searching Google for “how to run a window cleaning round” after his interest-free credit cards ran out.
• James’s constant devotion to personal development and self improvement.
• How a One Percent Club coaching call helped James realise that he needed to systemise his business.
• How, as a result of that systemisation work, James removed himself from the day-to-day work.
• The rule of 3 and 10 - that predicts exactly when your business systems will break.
• The time that James devotes to creating evergreen assets - including ghostwriting romance novels under a pen name!
• How wrong we all were about 2020 - hoping for “a year of plain sailing”, and declaring it would be “the year of travel” - oops!

You've heard our daily minipods over the last week or so.

You've decided what you're going to change.

All you need to do now is START - and KEEP at it. These next 30 days are CRUCIAL if you're going to stick at your new routine(s) like Sticky the Stick Insect, stuck on a sticky bun...

Find out how to do that in this bonus minipod episode to celebrate the release of John's brand new audiobook Routine Machine, which is OUT NOW!

Plus, discover how you could get the audiobook for FREE...

#ALB81 – Alun missed the memo regards 1% weekly gains

Alun is a registered psychotherapist who works on a 1-2-1 basis with his clients but also teaches and shares his expertise with other psychotherapists through his website fresh therapists. He uses this platform to educate therapists and counsellors on how to achieve transformational change with their clients.  Alun translates the breakthroughs of neuroscience to the therapy room so that other psychotherapists are able to apply it to their own client work.

 March seems like only yesterday

Alun began his journey with the One Percent Club in March, and it would be fair to say he has fully utilised everything that it had to offer, and the benefits are really speaking for themselves but he’s nowhere near done yet. In his words “all that has happened so far is that it has lifted the bar of what is possible to me”.

Alun used to be fragile

As a lot of us already know being self-employed can sometimes leave you in a very fragile state economically, but Alun has rectified this by adding more revenue streams to his business that will continue to make money if he is unable to in the short term

Hunting Instinct

After reading John’s book Big Ideas for Small Businesses,  Alun decided to hunt John down. He liked the ethos, and although he found some of the questions uncomfortable, he could relate to a lot of what was said. Alun like John and Jason enjoys life and knows that it is very important.

All by himself

Alun was surrounded by lots of friends and family, but he found himself looking for like-minded business people to ask advice, share ideas, vent and so on. Virtual board members so to speak. He knew he liked what he had read in Johns books and had also asked John to appear on his own podcast. He had pondered joining the One Percent Club, in his mind it was a relatively easy gamble to make.

Miss Whiplash

If you had asked Alun 6 months ago whether he was looking for accountability he would have proudly told you no, but Alun soon realised that the 1-2-1 weekly calls with Jason who will now be known as Miss Whiplash offered far more than just accountability.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

Are you STILL eating mince pies for breakfast? Had enough of turkey curry, turkey stew, and turkey sandwiches?

What does the "King of Routine" do over the holiday period?

Find out in this bonus minipod episode to celebrate the release of John's brand new audiobook Routine Machine, which is OUT NOW!

1. How Alison Davies was told "not to fall in love" with buying a pub - and promptly did just that.

2. The importance of "doing the right thing" - and how it can lead to winning clients.

3. How Alison built resilience battling a recession, floods, health problems and a global pandemic.

4. Why Alison sent £5 notes to local pubs - and how it landed her on BBC Radio 4.

5. What happens when you surround yourself with a group of smart people.

#ALB68 – The Ghost of Business Past

This summer special episode is going to take you all on a little trip down memory lane and look at not only what John has done over the last 20 years, but also and maybe most importantly what he has learned. Some of the mistakes that have been made and some of the key takeaways that you can benefit from.

20 Years ago, John was working as a civil servant, he had just bought his first house, he was getting married the following year, life was all good. And then something happened. He was moved to a different department in the service and he absolutely hated his new job, he also suddenly found himself in a job where the average lifespan of an employee was two years. His previous role was within a section where literally nobody ever left.

John decided within the first two weeks of being there that this was not the job for him. So he started applying for other jobs, looking at leaving the civil service completely, whether he could work within the private sector, perhaps get another role within the civil service.

And one other thing he looked at was, well, could he start his own business?

Skip forward 3 years and Jason come along to form the dynamic but incredibly modest duo that is John and Jason.

Sit back, click play and enjoy listening to their business journey.  

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

I've got two pieces of time-sensitive information to share with you today - one involving an 82% discount, and on that could (literally) change your life.

But BOTH require some action in the next 8 days...

John shows us what we can learn from Heston Blumenthal's restaurant "The Fat Duck" - in terms of customer experience, attention to detail, and pricing.

We also look back at last month's book of the month "Money", by Rob Moore - a title that really polarised listeners, who seemed to either love it or hate it - Jason of course didn't read it as usual!

We do a debrief from Black Friday - sharing what's worked, and what hasn't worked from our clients businesses - and our own. There's a crucial point in there too about not needing to wait a year to repeat a successful Black Friday campaign...

Finally, we show you why it's really important not to just ask for feedback from your customers, but to actually LISTEN to what they're telling you too!

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 month, 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.

Here are my Top 10 Productivity Books, featuring titles by Hal Elrod, James Schramko, Michael Heppell, and James Clear.

https://bigidea.co.uk/best-business-books/#productivity

This is part of my Top 100 Best Business Books project - do you agree with my choices? - what book(s) should I have chosen? What's YOUR number one?

Kris Oldland launched 1927 Media in 2013 and over ten years, built his primary brand Field Service News to be a global leader in the field, before disaster struck - and Kris was forced to sell the business - worth £2.6million at its peak - for £1,000.

In this powerful episode, Kris bears all and tells us:

💬 The key mistakes that he made leading to the collapse..

💬 The warning signs he ignored for years.

💬 Why it's important to separate you, from your business.

💬 The value of a business partner who is different to you.

💬 Why he views his experience as a "ten-year MBA" - and is determined to return stronger.

This episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast (and the previous 112) is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Here are my Top 10 Leadership Books, featuring titles by Simon Sinek, Jason Fried, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jocko Willink

https://bigidea.co.uk/best-business-books/#leadership

This is part of my Top 100 Best Business Books project - do you agree with my choices? - what book(s) should I have chosen? What's YOUR number one?

We "keep it simple, stupid" in this episode, with key takeaways and lessons from Elon Musk, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger about the power of simplicity in 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 month, 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.

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.

In this episode we are joined by Colette Mason, book coach and publisher who has helped create over 3000 titles and worked with 13 bestselling authors. 

Colette has a set of simple effective systems to help you plan, write, edit, format, publish and promote your book. She can help you turn a simple idea into the finished article. 

Colette helps in her words "Badass business owners rapidly publish a top-notch book without cutting corners". 

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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 the Easter edition of the Big Idea Podcast, so it's only natural that we talk about... Hot Cross Buns!

Specifically, how Hot Cross Buns can teach you a thing or two about growing your business - especially if you think you only sell one "thing" and can't possibly branch out into other products or cross sell something similar to people who currently HATE what you sell.

We talk about asset creation, and why EVERYBODY should be creating, building, buying and sweating assets on a weekly, if not daily basis. We give an insight into one of the latest assets in OUR arsenal - the audiobook recording of Big Ideas for Small Businesses, where John recently spent two days in the studio, recording an asset that will still be bringing in constant revenue 20 or 30 years from now.

This month's Book of the Month was "The Rise and Fall... and rise again" by Gerald Ratner. It's a fascinating insight into the world of a man who had it all, the world at his feet, and then told one "crap" joke, and lost it all.

More specifically, it's a great insight into how Gerald Ratner had everything taken away from him - apart from the knowledge between his ears, and his drive to succeed - and how he clawed his way back to become successful again. 

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 month, 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 months episode, we have our One Percent Club resident Facebook ads expert Danny Harris.

If Facebook ads are what you need advice on Danny is the man to go to, when he started working in this industry, he was purely managing Facebook pages for people. There was no advertising involved, times have moved on and now he works much more on the advertising side of things because Facebook pages have changed and Facebook as we all know has evolved.  The next stage for Danny, will be to teach other people how to do run their own pages effectively.

When an advert comes on the TV, that's when you pick your phone up and watch your phone rather than watching the advert on the TV. So previously what was the audience on the TV is now much more on Facebook, on social media, online generally, and with Facebook being by far the most used website on the planet and people spend more time on it and any other, they basically, can't not work.

Danny also has a whole concept of starting a charity at some point. And the point of the charity will be to help underprivileged kids. It will be focusing on teaching them about things like online marketing, so that they can learn a different route to perhaps the unpleasant routes that a lot of disadvantaged kids end up going down sadly.

Danny’s business is called DH2026 Ltd, now the first part of that company name is probably quite self-explanatory, but what does the 2026 mean? Well Danny has a plan and that will be revealed in the podcast.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

Here is the Christmas Special 2019 with John Lamerton and Jason Brockman.

This podcast takes a look at both John and Jason's 2019, what their targets and goals were and whether they achieved them. Holidays, books, John stepping into the boxing ring, Jason's charity work and much more!!

Plus find out what they have in store for 2020. 

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

I actually told one of my One Percenters to go and get a job at Starbucks.

I explain why in this solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast - and it's NOT because I wanted him to quit his business and "get a real job"...

Emma Walton was a teacher, with two (very!) young children at home when she started her Tuition business - and through a process of constant, never-ending improvement, Emma’s business has grown alongside her kids.

She now employs 45 tutors, and helps 350 children a week, as she’s designed her business as an ambitious, lifestyle business - to deliver the lifestyle that she TRULY wants.

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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 Chriiiiistmaaaaasss! We start this Christmas special episode by wishing Noddy Holder's Evergreen Asset (Merry Xmas Everybody) a happy 50th birthday.

We also dissect the rise of AI in 2023 (No, it's not coming for your job - but it IS going to change your job completely!), celebrate the return of in-person events, and explain how to listen to John's audiobooks for free.

We also end the year by looking at the boys' Books of the Year - including a "personality profiling" book that identified John as someone who is:

1. overly judgemental

2. has a lot of self-discipline

3. spends a lot of time thinking how to become a better person

4. likes routine

5. is really disappointed when other people don't do their part.

Yep, that sounds like John!

This episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast (and the 107 that preceded it) is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

You don't choose the level of your success.

You choose your habits, and your habits dictate the level of your success.

In this episode, we find out why you need to become the "King of Routine" in your business if you want to thrive. We look at what it takes to have "grit" with Angela Duckworth, and how to demonstrate "Extreme Ownership" courtesy of Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

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 month, 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.

One Percenter Gary shares his journey from running a lifestyle business to building an ambitious lifestyle business.

He discusses the personal challenges he faced, including family health issues and the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit on his business. Gary reflects on the strain in his partnership, the difficult conversations he had to navigate, and the divergence of visions and values between him and his business partner.

He emphasizes the importance of community support and outlines his future plans for the business, including family involvement and creating a sustainable model that allows for growth without sacrificing personal time.

The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts...

I made a deal with Dave Grohl on the Foo Fighters' recent UK tour.

Dave & Co put existing customers (fans) first - BEFORE trying to win new ones.

In this solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton, author of Big Ideas... for Small Businesses explains the power of "Retention First" thinking.

#ALB82 – John Warrillow

This month’s episode is slightly different, as you know we normally chat with a client, but today we are taking to bestselling author John Warrillow, who is the author of best-selling book Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You was recognized by both Fortune and Inc. as one of the best business books of 2011 and just so happens to be John Lamerton’s favourite book.

John is also the host of Built to Sell Radio, ranked by Forbes as one of the world’s 10 best podcasts for business owners.  In 2015, John wrote another best-selling book, The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry.  John completes the trilogy with his latest book, The Art of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies & Secret Hacks for Exiting on Top.

Let’s get the house valued

Just because you book a valuation, doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to sell your house that month, the same applies for your retirement pot, you check it as you want it to be ready when you are ready to move house or retire.

Well, the same applies for your business.  

Scaling back

The pandemic has been a struggle for most business owners, but what many have realised is that actually they are able to operate a much leaner business model, that perhaps you do not need offices and multiple overheads. And this in turn has seen a trend in more lifestyle businesses being created.

Subscription models are the way forward

John and Jason are HUGE fans of a subscription model, in fact most of their businesses run on this model. But why do they like them so much?

Yes or No

How much time would you free up by being able to answer employees’ questions with a simple Yes or No answer? Learn the art of a “Yesable question”

So, do you want to sell your business?

You probably don’t, but how many of you would like to know you “COULD” sell your business if you wanted too?

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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.

Evergreen Assets is OUT NOW! Get a FREE sample chapter at https://bigidea.co.uk/evergreen-assets

In this bonus episode of the ALB podcast, John reads the opening chapter of the book LIVE (including a rather "interesting" attempt at singing a Christmas song), as well as a bonus chapter that isn't in the print version of the book.

Today, we're joined by Nathan Counter from Portable Putts. In this episode, you will hear:

1. Why Nathan still has a day job, and runs his business as a "side hustle".

2. How Nathan "didn't really know what the One Percent Club was", but joined anyway!

3. The many, many ways that Nathan has "read the books.. and followed the instructions".

4. How Nathan uses routine streaks to keep him on track to achieve his goals.

5. The six words that Jason uses to keep Nathan away from shiny objects.

6. Why Nathan is always talking about hedgehogs, buses, pumpkins and friction.

In today's solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton, author of Evergreen Assets: Do the Work Once, Reap the Rewards Again and Again (and Again!) explains why you should be BOTH an explorer AND an exploiter.

This episode is with soon to be black belt wielding, wedding singer Jamie Reeves from The Best Singing Waiters. 

So,who is Jamie?

Jamie started out as a DJ when he was just 16 years old and travelled around Europe at the age of 20 as a singer. After establishing himself as a Robbie Williams tribute act, he set up his own entertainment agency and started managing various different tribute acts including Take That, Meatloaf and Amy Winehouse. Jamies’ entertainment agency was primarily aimed at the wedding market, and that is where the idea for “’The Singing Waiters’ come along.  

Jamie is also a keen singer songwriter and has even had his own top ten hit on itunes. He has written and worked with people whose credits include Beyonce, Take That and Sir Paul McCartney. 

You might also have seen Jamie in several episodes of Eastenders, riding a moped through Albert Square. But not if you blinked…

What is a singing waiter?

Everybody has probably been to a wedding, corporate event, birthday etc and typically you will have an idea of how the day will run. 

This is where The Best Singing Waiters come in, they take the ordinary and make it more extraordinary. After dessert has been served, they spring into action, suddenly breaking with their “waiter” character, and bursting out into song, getting everyone singing along and essentially break every type of rule you can think of when it comes to party etiquette. They literally get the party started! 

The “reveal” is something that you simply have to see to believe (They have more than 900 videos on their YouTube channel), and it’s this magic moment that wedding guests talk about for years to come.

What does an Ambitious Lifestyle Business look like for Jamie?

Jamie is a married proud dad of three, so for him it’s all about being with the family. Two of the three children are sports minded and love football, karate and dance and the two-and-a-half-year-old is just into everything!!  

For Jamie, working from home is a must – he has no desire to have an office (his office at home does look pretty smart though – check it out in the video!), however that doesn’t mean he is a one man band – Jamie has a team of staff, and has built robust systems and processes which enable him to have the freedom to work from home.  

He also still does some gigs, performing between six and ten gigs per year. Clearly, Jamie’s company do a LOT more gigs than that – more like 200 a year. But again, Jamie has no desire to be racing up and down the motorways of Britain on a daily basis, doing back-to-back weddings, and spending every weekend away from his family.

How did Jamie design his business to deliver his ambitious lifestyle business?

As with most guests on the ALB podcast, it was a bit of design, and a bit of luck! 

As a literal one-man-band, Jamie started to get more and more offers of gigs, that with the best will in the world he simply couldn’t keep up with, so he brought on some singers to lighten the load. 

Before he knew it, that turned into a team of six singers. 

Similar to how Jon Monks told us back in ALB44 that he was “the conductor of the orchestra”, Jamie directs his team, and designs the systems and processes from his home office, so that multiple weddings can all happen at the same time, at opposite ends of the country, and all whilst Jamie is sat at a football match with his family. 

Whilst he did reference Jon Monk’s “conductor of the orchestra” comment though, Jamie explained that his version was a bit more like “waving your arms about and blagging it!” 

Jamie firmly believes that the key to running any business is down to the processes and systems that are in place. (If you want to go deep on systems and processes, have another listen to ALB14, where we look at the story of Ray Kroc, and McDonalds, through the lens of the movie The Founder. 

For Jamie, admin was the first to go – as a creative person, this was something he just did not enjoy, so he was very quick to get someone else doing the paperwork.  Every single thing that he does within the business is fully documented, so that a team member can follow the exact processes to the letter. 

Jamie also likes to record videos of himself on zoom performing key tasks and pop it into a shared dropbox folder, so it is accessible to all of his team, and they can all see visually, exactly what Jamie wants to happen – every time.

Is Jamie a Routine Machine? 

When Jamie started a family, all of his routines changed. He now feels extremely lucky that he works for himself, being able to pick and choose his own hours.  

He doesn’t have to miss a sports day, he can take his son to football and his daughter to dance classes, and he believes that it is all thanks to putting those routines, systems and processes in place.  

As an ambitious, lifestyle business owner, Jamie can dictate life on his own terms.  Routine plays a really important part of this for Jamie. If you want to become a Routine Machine, then you can now grab a free chapter of John’s latest bestselling book of the same name.

How has the One Percent Club helped Jamie?

Jamie’s main reason for joining the One Percent Club was to align himself with like minded people who all have similar values. He read John’s first book (Big Ideas… for Small Businesses), and he wanted a platform that enabled him to be closer to John and Jason to copy their model.  

As John says in Big Ideas… “Who you hang around with REALLY matters. We’ve all heard it said that ‘you are the sum of the five people closest to you’, or ‘your network is your net worth’.  

Well, this is one cliché that is true. That immediate environment around you sculpts who you are. 

Your best chance of becoming a millionaire is to hang around with five millionaires – their habits, routines, ways of thinking, ability to spot an opportunity, the language they use, the networks they have access to. 

This will all rub off on you via osmosis, and before you know it, you’re millionaire number six.”

3 Grades away from a Black Belt

Health and well-being are important to Jamie and he is currently only 3 grades away from obtaining his black belt in Karate.  

Jamie believes that the skills learnt from Karate can be transferred into his business life and his own personal development.  He feels they are similar in the sense of continual repetition, for example making his kicks sharper and harder, learning how to block faster and be more in touch, becoming more flexible. 

He’s also not afraid of groundhog day, he embraces the boring repetition, repetition, repetition that ultimately leads to success, whether in martial arts, or in business. 

Top ten hit on iTunes

Jamie wrote a song for his wife when they got married in Jamaica. The song was called ‘Let’s get married’ and it hit the top ten reggae chart on iTunes, up there with alongside legendary Bob Marley, Shaggy and Kevin Little. How long did Jamie hold his spot in the top ten?  

You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out!

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 Ambitious. Lifestyle. Business. Podcast, join our Facebook Group for FREE - you can then watch our ugly mugs in glorious technicolour every month, 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 short episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, bestselling business author John Lamerton explains why "a little leverage is a great thing", but a lot could spell DISASTER.

I got a new fish tank recently.

It's three times the size of my old one, and full of REAL plants, soil, sand etc.

In today's solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, I explain what happened when I introduced my old fish to their new home...

In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, hosts John and Jason interview Martin Ross, a travel counselor who shares his journey from working at Disneyland Paris to building a successful lifestyle business in travel.

Martin discusses his experiences in the travel industry, the challenges of starting a new business, and the importance of finding a niche. He also emphasises the role of content creation and marketing in his business, as well as the benefits of incremental improvements and the use of AI to streamline processes.

Throughout the conversation, Martin highlights the significance of balancing work and lifestyle, particularly in his life in France. They discuss the evolution of content creation and personal branding in the travel industry.

They explore how technology has made it easier for individuals to generate content and build a brand without needing a large team.

Martin shares insights on the importance of reflection for business improvement, the necessity of marketing as a core function of any business, and how to define an ambitious lifestyle that allows for personal fulfillment while achieving business goals..

The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts...

In this episode John and Jason are joined by special guest Clarke Duncan.

Who is Clarke Duncan?

Clarke was John’s very first business mentor back in the day and he also appeared heavily in John’s first book ‘Big Ideas for Small Businesses’

“I was very lucky when I first started my business – there were a number of people, who at first glance would appear to be my competitors – those who ran similar businesses to mine. And for some reason, they were happy to share tips, tactics, and ideas with me. They’d tell me where I was going wrong, and how I could improve my business and make more money. (The reason they were happy to share so freely, was because they had a growth mindset, rather than a scarcity one. They knew that if everyone helped each other out, we’d all make fewer mistakes, and everyone’s business benefited – if someone helps me out, and my business grows as a result, theirs doesn’t shrink – it actually grows too, as I then share something I’ve found with them – it’s a virtuous circle!)

I didn’t know it at the time, but Clarke and Jason were my very first mentors – they’re the people who gave me an arm around the shoulder when I needed it, and a kick up the arse when I needed that. They told me what worked, what didn’t, and they probably saved me months and months of trying stuff that wouldn’t work, and brought in many thousands of pounds of additional revenue in those crucial early years.”

In this podcast, Clarke gives us an insight to his own successes and experiences of affiliate marketing, which he has done for the last 17 years and certainly shows no signs of slowing down either.

Clarke is the founder of affiliate marketing network Paid on Results, as well as unlimited design agency Bee All Design

Clarke works WITH his competitors….

He talks about how he has never looked at other affiliates as competition, but more like-minded people all working together to try and make something happen and revisits the days where he was a part of the ‘Limo Club’.

How Clarke spots opportunities…

Clarke runs numerous succesful businesses from Spain, including a family one, and talks about the pro’s and con’s that some of these entail.

But is he an opportunity hunter or is there more to it…….

He tells us that he starts off by seeing a set of circumstances and then works out if there is any money to be made, is there something he can do that someone else isn’t? He explains how if you’re solving problems for people you tend to make money easier than making something up and trying to convince them that they need it.

What does an Ambitious.Lifestyle.Business. look like for Clarke?

His family time is plentiful but in his extra time Clarke enjoys working, watching video’s that are sometimes over two hours long, but the amount he takes from them he considers these a great investment of his time https://www.bigidea.co.uk/7-ways-to-get-more-done-in-less-time/

He has two golden rules regarding his staff;

1) Be truthful

2) Be a nice person, get on with others and be onboard with each other

This is very important to Clarke for many different reasons which he explains in more detail in the episode.

How has Brexit affected Clarke’s business?

Brexit has been a HUGE discussion point for all businesses, the uncertainity of it all has had some small businesses losing sleep, but was it detrimental or another golden opportunity for Clarke?

How has the One Percent Club helped Clarke?

Clarke talks about being a member of the One Percent Club and how he values it, how it benefits him and how he would rather look stupid one time and know how to do it, then to not ask the question and be forever stupid! https://www.bigidea.co.uk/opcc

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.

In this episode we are joined by transformative coach and certified psychotherapist Jason Shiers. Join us for an in-depth discussion around mindset, designing your life around decisions, using creativity and much more.

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 bite-sized solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton, author of Big Ideas... for Small Businesses, explains what happens when his car disappeared from his driveway overnight - and why he was actually GRATEFUL for it!

"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.

In school, we're taught that copying others is bad.

However, in this 5-minute solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton explains how copying the right people is a sure-fire way to guarantee yourself success.

Get them for FREE instead!

Today (and EVERY Friday throughout the Coronavirus lockdown) is FREE BOOK FRIDAY - where you can download the Kindle version of BOTH "Big Ideas.. for Small Businesses" AND "Routine Machine" completely FREE.

"Why this Money Mindset book is my book of the year…" 

So here it is - Merry Christmas! Everybody’s… designing their 2023 goals. In this Christmas special, John and Jason put the year to bed, and the world to rights. The boys discuss:

1. Their books of the year - including the money mindset book that will be crucial to read in the current economic climate.

2. Why John is learning how to care less about work - dialling down his ambition and slowing down.

3. How “constant never-ending improvement” has actually been around for centuries.

4. The upcoming 100th episode of the ALB podcast - and how you can take part!

5. Why grown adults are competing to win an inflatable flamingo - and learning how to work less in the process.

6. The False EXIT - John’s new book, coming out (sometime!) in 2023. It’s definitely NOT a DCI Lamerton crime thriller!

In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, we meet Tom Edwards from Tom Edwards Sound and Five29 - a company which specialises in final post-production services for factual content - helping make TV shows such as Cash in the Attic and The One Show sound amazing.

We discuss:

1. Why losing his dream job forced Tom to become a "reluctant business owner"

2. How to find your niche in business.

3. What good sound actually sounds like.

4. Why Tom said "yes" to every opportunity that came his way - and how he discovered the "hell yeah or no" mindset.

5. How quickly the "hell yeah or no" goalposts move - and former dream clients/opportunities can become nightmares

6. The upcoming 100th episode of the ALB podcast - and how you can take part!

7. How Tom embraced the Dream Clients strategy - with amazing results in just two weeks!

8. 90's WWF wrestlers - yes, really!

In this short episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton shares the FIVE "magic ingredients" from his bestselling book Big Ideas... for Small Businesses - Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business GROW.

Find out what happens when John spends a few days in the company of Ryan Deiss and Gary Vaynerchuk. As well as the main lessons that John picked up from Ryan and Gary Vee, he also has a rant about trying to buy a jar of pesto, and a very important lesson about margins.

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.

Are you a financial advisor who hasn't got an ISA? An accountant who misses the tax deadline for your own self assessment? A builder with a half-finished kitchen at home?

Well then, today's short episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is for you - as John Lamerton, bestselling author of Big Ideas... for Small Businesses encourages you to be your own client - and explains how lucrative that can be...

The Evergreen Assets Audiobook launches on February 24th.

Hear an exclusive sneak preview of the book here - and get a FREE Evergreen Assets workshop when you pre-order the audiobook before midnight on Feb 23rd: https://www.bigidea.co.uk/workshop

Ambitious, Lifestyle Business owners John and Jason meet to discuss:

⚽ The importance of "process over outcome" - even if you're looking to win a European football tournament...

🏖️ Why Jason is (seriously) looking to emigrate.

🤬 The biggest challenges facing small business owners right now.

🦩 How the One Percent Club could help with those challenges (doors open next month - September 1st)

The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts...

Here are my Top 10 Customer Service Books, featuring titles by Pat Flynn, Roger Dooley, Nir Eyal, James Sinclair and Joey Coleman.

https://bigidea.co.uk/best-business-books/#customerservice

This is part of my Top 100 Best Business Books project - do you agree with my choices? - what book(s) should I have chosen? What's YOUR number one?

How does a weekly email that DOESN'T sell ANYTHING help you market your product/service?

By using the exact technique that Walt Disney deployed 70 years ago to launch Disneyland...

Improving your business by just 1% every week is the path to steady, sustainable growth that lasts.

In this solo epsiode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton, author of Big Ideas... for Small Businesses, and founder of the One Percent Club breaks down just how easy it can be, rattling off 36 ways you could improve your small business by 1% this week.

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.

Mick Walker has been making award-winning videos for major brands around the world for over 17 years. He's all about keeping video production simple and accessible – something he calls 'Video Made Simple.'.

In this episode, you will hear:

💬 Why Mick "never wanted to run a business".

💬 How "coming clean" about owning a lifestyle business changed everything.

💬 Why most businesses overcomplicate video.

💬 The importance of "starting with shite".

💬 Why video is the ULTIMATE evergreen asset.

This episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast (and the 111 that preceded it) is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.