Today we reintroduce someone who has been on the podcast not once but twice before; Justin Falk, Founder of Talent Vine.If you don’t know what Talent Vine is, it is APAC’s leading marketplace for connecting recruiters and employers. Check out more about them at talentvine.com.auGiven Justin has been on the podcast twice before, it’s quite an experience to reflect on who we were when we spoke 4 years ago. The beauty of having a podcast means you can go back in time and get a feel for who you were then and document your growth. Scroll back to Season 1 if you want to hear about Justin’s early life and his first couple of years growing Talent Vine.For this episode we are going to be more focused on what has happened in the last 4 years, which has been a lot. Justin was really open about the challenges he faced during that time. Convinced by startup culture that rest is for the weak and overworking himself, Justin experienced a range of health problems including Insomnia and Chronic Fatigue. We discuss the effects of an excessive workload at length in this episode, managing your Energy is now a big focus for Justin.We discuss Startup Culture and the cost of buying into some of its philosophies which makes for some interesting discussions, but TalentVine was also a company significantly by Covid and we discuss what he had to do to get through a very difficult period.It was great to deal with some taboo subjects and thanks to Justin for being so open about his journey. 

Be The Push

Riding the Tech Startup Rollercoaster, Managing Chronic Fatigue, and Surviving a Sharp Downturn, with TalentVine Founder Justin Falk.

Today&apos;s guest is Dan Scougall who owns Next Level Taxation, an Accounting Firm North of Brisbane. Dan is a registered tax agent and self managed superfund auditor who specialises in Small Business and Self Managed Superannuation. What was unique about Dan’s story is that he has spent most of his career as a business owner, and owned his first business at the age of 22. He shares the challenges and highs that came from that and how such an opportunity arose in the first place, one of those challenges was having to manage people much older than he was.A few parts of this episode get quite raw. Dan talks us through watching his parents go through hardships with their business while he was growing up, dealing with burnout and what that looks like, how he made the decision to sell his first business, and how important he believes it is to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before passing judgement. Dan is exactly what this podcast is about. Gritty stories of resilience and perseverance when faced with difficult situations. 

Buying a Business at 22, Rejecting Luck, and Walking a Mile In Someone Else's Shoes with Dan Scougall, Founder of Next Level Taxation

Today our guest is Mitch Hills, Founder of Mastered Marketing, a digital agency that helps socially conscious organisations to grow their revenue and awareness with proven marketing strategies. This isn’t Mitch’s first time on the podcast. He was interviewed about 5 years ago so if you want to hear a little bit more about his early story, please go back and listen to that episode in Season 1. But a lot changes in 5 years, and interestingly enough, Mitch wasn’t far off shutting down his Tech Company when we chatted last time, naturally, that is one of the things we discuss first in this episode. We also chat about:The good and bad of startup culture. How niching can go wrong. What to do when you are working in an industry with people who don’t align with your values. The pivotal moment and story that pushed Mitch to leave this niche Why he quit DJing. What stress and a run of bad luck can do to someone. Mitch had a particularly hard 2020 and we discuss that at length.What going on a health retreat can do for your body and your mind, and your business.What forgiveness does for your growth. Doubling his businesses revenue. We talk real numbers and discuss how he did it.And plenty more. This episode got very deep and explored a whole range of topics. We appreciate Mitch being so open about so many deeply personal experiences. Some of what we cover isn’t easy to talk about. 

Doubling Your Revenue, When Niching Goes Wrong, and How Forgiveness Grows Your Business, with Mitch Hills, Founder of Mastered Marketing.

Today’s guest is Morgan Wilson, Founder of Creditte. Morgan is an accountant and business advisor who takes the complexity out of numbers, and guides business owners through the ups and downs of running their business. He does this so business owners can have the comfort and confidence to make the right decisions for themselves, their business, and their family. Creditte is the Accounting Firm and vehicle he uses to accomplish all of this. Morgan started his business during Covid which makes for intriguing storytelling and we discuss exactly how that came to be. We also talk about:A couple of mistakes he made early on in his business journey. How Monopoly sparked his fascination in business. His thoughts on Formal Education and how that has helped slash hindered his professional development. What his first day was like as an Accountant. It was particularly challenging.How it can be lonely to be a business owner.AndWhat the Startup Community has done better than the SME community.

Starting a Company During Covid, Improving Financial Literacy in Business Owners, and Refusing To Wear Ties with Morgan Wilson, Founder of Creditte

Today’s guest is Nathan Smith, Co-Founder of Switchnode.Switchnode is an established telecommunications service provider based in Brisbane and have become specialists in providing phone and internet services to local business. In an industry that is renowned for treating its clients poorly, Switchnode have a focus on quality customer service and reliability.Nathan is incredibly open about his journey so far. It is the purpose of this podcast to be honest and share real anecdotes around what happened during one’s business journey. This episode does not disappoint.We talk about:The 3-year ruleGetting attacked by another company early on in their journey.Crazy clients, like the one you heard about at the start.What he would do differently if he had his time again.Being held to ransom by a supplier.A pivot into the elevator market that didn’t quite go to plan.Why performing to 1000 people can be easier than speaking to 1. What it’s like to pitch to a high-profile investor and get roasted.

The 3 Year Rule, Persevering When You Want To Shut Your Business, and What Your Startup Will Do For Your Personal Growth, with Switchnode Co-Founder Nathan Smith.

This episode&apos;s guest is Ash Reddy, Founder of Chess Mates.Ash has a great story. One in which he describes himself as someone who wasn’t meant for success due to the adversity he grew up in. Founding the company 8 years ago, the growth has been anything but easy.We talk about:How Ash got the business off the ground through cold calling.How he stayed under the radar of competitors for some time. Why his first business didn’t work out and what would he do differently in hindsight? How Covid affected Chess Mates and how he got through it.A great entrepreneur who shares so much of his story.

Teaching 1 Million Kids How To Play Chess, and Achieving Success Against The Odds, With Chess Mates Founder Ash Reddy

Today&apos;s guest is Sala Rankine, Founder of Snag Studio, a specialised Hospitality Branding & Marketing agency.Sala’s story is very unique.She started her business in the hospitality niche a month before covid started. We talk about how she approached this. Starting a business in a difficult space at a difficult time does make for intriguing listening.We also talk about:How she learned to charge properly for her services. How important it is to get everything in writing. Who you should listen to for business advice.How Sala spoke at Linkedin at just 20 years old. Her experiences with bad bosses.AndHow her passion for hospitality came to be. 

Surviving Covid In Hospitality, Early Business Lessons, And Knowing What Advice To Take, with Snag Studio Founder Sala Rankine

On this episode of the podcast, our guest is Sally Prosser.Sally is a voice coach who helps people realise their best voice and embrace public speaking with confidence. She’s a former TV news reporter, company spokesperson, and speech and drama teacher. Sally has her own podcast called That Voice Podcast and enjoys making comedy TikToks, like reading song lyrics like a news report. We were able to cover a lot in this episode as Sally was very open and generous with her story.We talk about:How she built such a large following on TikTok and what that has done for her personally.How to deal with negativity when you have such a large followingWhat holds people back when they aren’t utilising their voice properly and how to overcome thisHer experience building her business and what she would say to others thinking about building their own businessWhat her best experiences in business have been Some of the biggest challenges in her careerAnd even what her biggest on-air blunder was. It’s quite a funny story.Enjoy the episode. Sally is a great person and was a pleasure to talk to. 

Finding Your Voice, Going Viral on TikTok, and Voquality, with Voice Coach Sally Prosser

Today&apos;s guest is Mark Hocknell, Author of Profit By Design: How to Create A Customer Portfolio Full of Profitable Promoters.Mark’s experience spans three decades and covers line management roles, consulting, and academia.  In the early 2000’s he lead one of Australia’s first large-scale CRM initiatives, has had an extensive career in consulting, and has taught at the Graduate School of Business at QUT.  Today he runs his own consulting practice focusing on applying a customer-centric approach to business and performance measurement. He has an MBA, and certifications in change management and PuMP.In this episode we speak about:- How Managers and Leaders misuse KPI’s, and how they encourage the wrong behaviours.- The importance of unpacking complexity for customer experience- How to think about your customer portfolio.- How to segment your customers, (and it’s not by demographics, it’s by value)And- What benefits Mark got from writing a book.This is the second time Mark has been on the podcast and he certainly didn’t disappoint.

Profit By Design, Customer Centricity, And Segmenting Your Customers on What They Value, with Mark Hocknell

This episode features Gavin Tye, Founder of Sales Market Fit and Sales Director of MyPass Global.Gavin has spent time a ton of time working in sales, and this was what we talked about at length. We talk about:- How badly it can go wrong in a sales meeting- How to outsmart the incumbents when you have a smaller budget- Why you are not selling what you think you are - How empathy can be a salesperson’s best friend.- Why a sale is not binary- Why you really have a demand problem, not a sales problem- Many funny incidents that have happened in Gavin&apos;s life.Most of the conversation centred around the last couple of years as Gavin has been on the podcast previously, and we discussed his early life there. If you would like to go back and listen to that episode you can find it in Season 1. But for now, we hope you enjoy this episode.

You're Not Selling What You Think You Are, Outsmarting The Incumbents, And Sales Meetings Gone Wrong, with Gavin Tye, Founder of Sales Market Fit

Today&apos;s guest is Jason Andrew,  Co-Founder of SBO Financial, Author of Stark Naked Numbers, and a Director of the Arbor Group. Like many others, Jason&apos;s success hasn’t come easy and we explore his development all the way from starting a lawn mowing business when he was young, through to who he is today.In this episode we cover:- Building a business when he was young- His passion for business financial literacy and why it is so important- How he sacrificed 3 years of his life when he was younger to further his career- His journey of self-discovery through travel including a trip to North Korea. - What it is like to be unhappy for periods of time while building your own business. - What it is like to fire customers. - Why he wrote his book &apos;Stark Naked Numbers&apos; and what impact that has had on his business and life.- And Much More.Jason was a fantastic guest, was very transparent about his story and views, and was very generous with his expertise.A great episode with a great guest.

Building A Business As A Teenager, Firing Your Customers, And Becoming An Author, With Jason Andrew, Co-Founder of SBO Financial

Today’s guest is Louise Flynn, Co-Founder of BrightCanvas and Founder of Rulu.In this episode, we cover: - How Louise built a consulting business and what roadblocks she came across while doing so. - What Business can learn from Basketball Strategy- Saas business models, marketing strategies, and - Why marketing plans are dead- Who is the worst digital marketer in Brisbane out of Louise and Jack.- Much more.Louise is an incredible storyteller and a very skilled business mind. Listen in because you won’t be disappointed.

Why Marketing Plans Are Dead, Saas, Sass, And Building A Consulting Business With Louise Flynn, Co-Founder Of Bright Canvas

Today’s guest is Sarina Eggers, Director of Business Kitz and Lux Whitsundays, and Partner at Legal Kitz. In this episode, we cover how Sarina went about building multiple companies and what factors positioned her to be able to do so.A non-typical childhood and upbringing, this episode involved deeply exploring Sarina’s background to help understand how she has become the person she is today.With a unique approach, it was interesting to get a feel for how Sarina has grown businesses without ego. She is happy for others to take the credit, the limelight, and makes employees feel deeply involved in the journey as her companies scale. A refreshing perspective.A very knowledgeable and insightful person with some incredible achievements, it was a privilege to have her on the podcast. 

Building 3 Companies, Succeeding Young, and The Importance of Healthy Living with Sarina Eggers, Director of Business Kitz.

Today's guests are Gauranga Magriplis and Jack Buscombe, the cofounders of Airshare. Airshare is a platform that sells flight experiences, particularly scenic flights, helicopter flights, and skydives.In this episode, we compare and contrast the perspectives of cofounders have while building the same company. Being in the travel industry during Covid makes for some interesting listening, and they have many entertaining stories about how they dealt with chaotic clients through their careers and while they were building Airshare.We spoke about the challenges of getting your startup off the ground and what it took to actually get Airshare growing. It can be very difficult to keep moving forward when nothing seems to be going right, particularly in the first few months of embarking on a new venture.

Navigating The Travel Industry During Covid, Chaotic Clients, And Creative Startup Tactics, With Jack Buscombe And Gauranga Magriplis of Airshare

Today&apos;s guest is Rachel Smith of cyclingrachelsmith.com and author of Underspent: How I broke my shopping addiction & buying habit without dramatically changing my lifeOn today&apos;s episode we cover a range of topics including Rachel&apos;s near death experience while scuba diving in the UK.We discuss Rachel&apos;s year of non buying and what that has done for her personal finances.Rachel also introduced me to a concept of manifesting your own redundancy.Enjoy the episode!

A near death experience, manifesting your own redundancy, and a year of no buying with Rachel Smith

It is the mission of this podcast to bring you interesting, practical, and entertaining stories of how guests got through the tough times in their business careers. This is a collection of real stories from the trenches of entrepreneurship with the aim of helping you to Be The Push when you need it most, so you can then take the next step in your business journey. This path can be lonely but I’m here to remind you that you’re not alone. Guests have inluded Shark Tank investors Steve Baxter and Dr Glen Richards. Hosted by Jack Ferguson, a businessman based in Brisbane, Australia, who is fascinated by all things entrepreneurial.

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Be The Push

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