Don't Work Harder

The rise of the one person business is here. You started your business for freedom. You want more money, more control, more time for the things you actually care about.But instead you're working 12 hour days. You haven't had a proper weekend in months, and you can't even remember the last time you weren't thinking about work. Everyone tells you the answer is to hire and build a team.Shoaib Ahmed did all of that. He built a personal branding agency, hired a team of six, and worked with 170 clients in three years.But it nearly destroyed him. He was working 18 hour days. He'd stopped sleeping and couldn’t walk down the street without work stress.And it ended with him in a hospital corridor on an IV drip, being told his body was shutting down from exhaustion.Shoaib’s business is now the OPPOSITE of that… he’s living his dream life.He runs his business alone, with five clients. No team, no overheads. He finishes work at 2:30pm every day, and he takes holidays without a laptop.Even better… he's making multi-6 figures, which is more revenue than he did before!!!!In this episode, Shoaib breaks down:How to earn a lot of money just working with 5 clients that you loveHis exactly daily routine to finish work at 2:30pm every dayHow to take a week off with your phone off, without losing a single clientHow to know when to fire clients you don't like working withAnd so much more. This is the full guide to building the dream one person business.------0:00 How to earn more by running a smaller business2:23 Burning down the agency at his biggest revenue month2:57 From agency employee to freelancer4:38 The hustle years and 18-hour days6:01 The hospital moment that changed everything7:04 Why freedom became the whole goal7:55 Preparing the team before closing10:18 How he picked which clients to keep12:17 The record 30K month and finding purpose14:00 From 90 tasks to 3 focus areas15:31 Working in sprints and rest mode16:08 Revenue dropping from 30K to 12K17:16 Running a business with only 5 clients18:02 One focus project every six months20:19 How to scale revenue without hiring22:00 Structuring the perfect day24:15 Finishing work by 2pm26:44 Travelling without your laptop28:15 The simple tool stack31:36 Virtual events and digital products35:12 Why the solo model can be more profitable ------Shoaib’s Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoaibahmed21/ Website: https://www.shoaibahmed.co.uk/ ------#DontWorkHarder #BusinessGrowth #SalesandMarketing

Getting your content seen on LinkedIn feels soooooo hard these days. 👉 https://atomic.site/sales-script 👈 Download your Sales Call Script Template to convert more of the right people on calls and get more ‘YESES’ than ever before without feeling salesyYou keep posting, hoping to get more followers and connections. But all you end up with is a few likes from old work colleagues and an AI generated comment or three.And the only activity in your DMs is people pitching you on a ‘quick coffee chat’ to sell you something 🤦‍♂️But you see some people blowing up and getting crazy growth and opportunities. How are those people doing it?Josh Sanders knows exactly how to go from banging your head against the wall to exploding on LinkedIn. He helped Chris Donnelly (one of the fastest-growing LinkedIn pages and personal brands in the world) gain 170,000 LinkedIn followers in just three months. Three years later Chris is at over 3 million followers, and built a £10 million education business leveraging that audience..The crazy thing?? Josh did that by running a LinkedIn content system that works for ANYONE, in any industry, starting from scratch!!In this episode, Josh gives away the exact engine they use:- One content format that is growing accounts faster than any other right now (most people get this wrong)- How to find content ideas that are already proven to go viral - so you already know your content is going to work - How to “borrow” a bigger creator’s audience and grow quickly off the back of it- How to use AI to write content that actually sounds like you - not like everyone else’s Chat GPT slop - The free resource that drives 75% of their revenue - and how to build your own following the exact same template This episode gives you the exact step by step system that built one of the fastest growing personal brands in the world… and it’s easy for you to copy to do the same for your LinkedIn!------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------0:00 The LinkedIn strategy behind a £10M business2:10 Taking Chris Donnelly to 3M followers5:28 Scaling an established LinkedIn brand6:28 How Chris spotted Josh on LinkedIn9:17 Inside the Creator Accelerator11:14 What you need before you start posting14:16 Pillar 1: positioning15:05 Finding the right platform for your ICP18:53 Optimising your profile and banner21:30 Pillar 2: content and pre-validation26:41 Why educational content wins28:31 Why newsletters are critical from day one30:21 Pillar 3: compounding33:53 The 30-30-30-10 engagement rule36:49 Pillar 4: capturing emails41:28 Pillar 5: lead magnets and conversion43:33 Two lead magnet strategies48:08 Should you put links in LinkedIn captions?49:14 Why LinkedIn videos still don't convert-----------Josh's Links: https://growth.chris-donnelly.co.uk/-lm-the-expert-positioning-system-page?utm_source=joshpod&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Openmarketing&utm_content=Nov https://growth.chris-donnelly.co.uk/the-state-of-linkedin-report-2026-page?utm_source=joshpod&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Openmarketing&utm_content=Nov

Your business is making money. But it's stopped GROWING.Way too many business owners hit the 6-figure range and then get stuck, working long hours just to maintain their revenue.But it shouldn't be like that. You've done the hard part - you've got your business off the ground. Now it's the time to scale! You probably don't know exactly how to get to your first 7-figure year. But Annissa Mohsin and Mohsin Ashraf do.They bootstrapped their business to £30 million in revenue, 200,000+ customers and 70+ staff.Neither of them came from an entrepreneurial background.In this episode, Annissa and Mohsin gave away the exact framework they use to scale businesses from 6 figures to 7.They revealed: * An easy exercise that reveals EXACTLY why your business isn't growing - so you know how to fix it.* How to reach the 97% of your dream client base who will never see your marketing* How to increase your average customer spend, so you make more profit without needing to sell to more clients.* The email system that made them £100,000 a month - and how you can replicate it to scale your business! * How to get customers coming back again and again (Because that's where the real profit and growth is)* One upsell that you can introduce to double what each customer is worth to you - and double your revenue If your business has stalled in the six figures, this episode gives you the exact framework to break into the £1M+ revenue range.------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------Anissa and Mohsin's links: https://www.lumosense.co.ukhttps://www.instagram.com/mohsingrowsbrands/https://www.instagram.com/annissatalksbusiness

If you knew how to reach out to huge brands to create opportunities that would amplify your business AND get them to say YES ... imagine how much faster your business would grow! 👉 https://atomic.site/sales-script 👈 Download your Sales Call Script Template to convert more of the right people on calls and get more ‘YESES’ than ever before without feeling salesyWhether that’s a huge brand you want as a client, a big podcast you’d like to be a guest on, or landing your dream speaking gig.If you could just get them to say yes, everything would change.But… they haven’t heard of you, and they just wouldn’t respond.Or they said yes in person and then ghosted you over email!But what if you knew the secrets to getting them to say yes?Kira Matthews has the secrets. She’s landed dream partnerships with Squarespace, Ganni, Papier and more - before anyone knew who she was. All from cold emails that actually got replies.In this episode, she reveals to you:-The exact cold email template that gets you replies from enormous brands-A super unique email subject line that gets EVERYONE curious and opening your emails-How to get a big brand to ask YOU about working together, so you never have to ask!!!-How to follow up that gets cold leads to actually respond to you (and how many follow-ups to send)-Exactly how you should price your services if you're not sure what to charge-What to do when people say no... that later turns that no into a yes!If you want the secrets to get huge brands opening your emails and saying YES, without the big follower numbers, watch this episode to get every trick you need.------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------0:00 How to land brand deals without a big audience1:40 Why she became the pitching queen2:41 How fashion PR shaped her pitching skills4:01 The 2-minute post that went viral5:16 What audacity actually means7:14 Do you really need a big following?9:33 What to leverage instead of followers11:00 Quality over quantity in pitching13:28 Where the pitching framework starts14:30 Why warming up beats cold emails16:32 Inviting brands to your events first17:49 The train platform email test19:21 Why cheeky subject lines work23:00 Why you're always pitching a person24:15 Making the next step crystal clear25:51 How often to follow up28:42 Why silence means nothing30:22 The two-year Squarespace journey33:40 The pitching framework broken down47:22 Kira's next audacious goal49:02 How to price yourself-----Kira’s Links:https://www.kiramatthews.com/pyot https://www.kiramatthews.com/signupforpitchschool-4 https://www.instagram.com/kirathebold

Beyoncé, Obama and Zendaya ALL use these speaking tricks… 👉 https://atomic.site/sales-script 👈 Download your Sales Call Script Template to convert more of the right people on calls and get more ‘YESES’ than ever before without feeling salesyWe all know what it’s like to get nervous for important sales calls, conversations or speaking gigs.It’s so frustrating. 😩Viral public speaking expert Nausheen Chen knows exactly how to fix that. If you want to speak with insane confidence and charisma, so that people are hanging off your every word in all situations, then this week's episode will change your life..Nausheen teaches you how you can speak confidently in any situation to get more yeses on sales calls, and be the most talked-about speaker at your next event.Nausheen is a three-time TEDx speaker who has coached CEOs in huge corporate positions, and studied the exact tricks celebrities are using to come across confident and charismatic.She teaches you:-How to answer ANY question on the spot… so people see you as an expert at what you do -A trick you can use to make people listen to you and stay engaged while you speak-A 60-second exercise that reveals your biggest speaking weaknesses, and teaches you exactly how to fix them - so more people listen to you and believe in what you say -How to sound extremely confident when you're nervous, so your nerves don’t effect your performance in sales conversations or important moments -An easy warm-up routine that will have you going into every important meeting or speaking gig confident and ready to perform at your best This episode will make you speak more confidently, enjoy important conversations without feeling awkward and attract better opportunities for you and your business!------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------0:00 How to speak with confidence and charisma2:42 What viral celebrity videos have in common4:09 Why we freeze in the spotlight5:47 The Zendaya Trick7:34 How Nausheen found her voice8:50 Scriptwriter, performer and director9:38 The three pillars of spotlight mode11:17 The record-and-watch exercise13:17 The second pillar: messaging14:49 The rule of three for on-the-spot speaking17:12 The positive feedback loop18:43 Internalization vs memorization20:04 Building your warm-up routine23:05 Debriefing with yourself24:14 The third pillar: delivery26:08 The 5 Ps of vocal variation28:45 Enunciation vs pronunciation31:23 How long it takes to transform your speaking34:58 Energy management------Nausheen's LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nausheenichen/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nausheen.speaking.coach

Have you ever had an idea for an app or a piece of software that your customers would love? 👉 https://atomic.site/sales-script 👈 Download your Sales Call Script Template to convert more of the right people on calls and get more ‘YESES’ than ever before without feeling salesyBut you're not a developer. You can't code. And you don't have loads of money to spend on marketing.So the idea just sits there, because it feels like something you could never do.Today's guest will make you realise that starting and selling your own software business is possible for you.Colin Gray built and sold a 7 figure SaaS with no technical background, no paid ads, and no big marketing budget.And he built it as a lean, profitable business that was genuinely fun to run - the dream!Colin came into the studio and revealed:- Why you don't need a technical background to build and sell a software business- How to pick an idea people will pay for, before you start building it- How to have your first customers WAITING to sign up before you've built a thing- The exact system you can use to turn strangers into paying software customers on autopilot- How he competed with $100 million rivals without spending a penny on ads- One AWFUL mistake almost every growing founder makes (and how you can avoid it)- The boring habit that will make your business worth far more when you're ready to sellThis episode gives you everything you need to build a software business, find customers for it, AND exit - without any software or technical experience 🤯------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------Colin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinmcgray/?hl=en------0:00 How to build and sell a SaaS without technical skills3:14 Finding the real audience5:03 Content as a research tool7:33 Hiring a content creator before an engineer8:35 Building the first MVP9:41 Opinionated software and the 80/20 rule10:50 Why software is an extension of your IP12:10 50 to 100 memberships in the first month12:51 One price, one tier, no choices16:58 The first move for non-technical founders18:14 Hiring a hungry 24-year-old engineer20:52 Why he wasn't building it to sell23:01 What AI still can't do for you24:19 The blog, video and podcast engagement stack27:46 Taking funding for the wrong reasons30:28 Going all-in-one with the product33:34 Coming back to the coaches and mentors35:19 Pick a channel that suits your personality37:33 Why headcount is a liability39:47 What makes a company sellable45:11 Experts add, masters subtract------#DontWorkHarder #BusinessGrowth #SalesandMarketing

You want more sales calls in your calendar, but selling in the DMs feels awkward.So you spend hours messaging people without booking any appointments.You don’t want to sound pushy, either. So conversations go back and forth for days… then things just fizzle out.We know there is one person in our space who has the secret sauce for making money in the DMs. It’s Charlotte Lloyd.Charlotte gets ALL of her clients for her 6 figure business from the DMs, and every message she sends gets a 50-70% response rate. That’s pretty unheard of - but for Charlotte it isn’t luck, it’s because she knows DM selling strategy better than anyone else we know.We wanted all of our listeners to finally start filling their calendars with sales calls from their DMs - so we convinced Charlotte to come into our studio and teach us everything she knows.And wow, she revealed absolutely everything: - Where you can find warm leads that will actually respond - The trick she uses to get 70%+ of her LinkedIn connection requests accepted- Exactly what the cold DM template that got her to six figures looks like - One thing you can put in every message so people know you aren’t writing with AI (this was geniusssss)- How she follows up with “dead” leads and gets them in her calendar - Charlotte has been sending cold DMs every week for years, and she’s learnt everything that works, and everything that doesn’t.Literally everyone who watches this conversation will leave with a proven DM strategy that will get you more qualified sales calls for your business 🤯 ------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------Charlotte's Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottelloydsales/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlottelloydsales/------#DontWorkHarder #BusinessGrowth #SalesandMarketing

You've just finished sending your batch of follow-up emails to all your potential clients that have ghosted you. The constant chase for new leads is super draining and annoying. Endless outreach, follow ups, launches, content, it's exhausting! But what if you never had to do another one of those ever again? What if you had a Facebook Ads funnel for your business that got you sales calls booked in consistently? That's exactly what this week's episode is going to show you.Gavin Bell built his agency from scratch and sold it for seven figures 3 years later. That’s faster growth than almost any other agency owner we’ve met. But what got him there wasn’t sending out cold outreach messages.It was by building a BULLET PROOF reliable Facebook ads system that predictably filled his calendar with sales calls with his dream clients.For this week’s episode, Gavin came into our studio to teach us exactly how you can use his exact Facebook ads strategy to fill your pipeline with sales calls every single week.Gavin doesn't hold anything back - he agreed to reveal his whole system. ------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------Gavin's Website: https://mrgavinbell.com/------0:00 How a freelancer achieved a seven-figure exit3:40 What makes a business worth buying?6:29 How to make cold leads buy10:13 How to spot a winning ad in 2 weeks12:13 The secret to winning ad hooks17:24 The maths behind profitable ads20:09 How to start on a low budget21:29 How to turn bad leads into paying clients24:12 How to sell without ever pitching26:14 Why most people give up on ads too soon27:53 The new rules of Meta ads30:31 The hundred-million-pound idea32:41 Why your best ad could be shot on your phone34:04 The habits and books behind his success------#DontWorkHarder #BusinessGrowth #SalesandMarketing

Nadia Nagamootoo started her business with a new baby, an MBA on the go, and just 6 months of runway.11 years later, she runs Avenir Consulting - a multi six-figure leadership and inclusion consultancy with clients like Warner Bros, Starbucks, Paramount and AstraZeneca 🤯But she didn't build it by going viral, or spending a ton of money on ads...She did it by building a personal brand designed to land BIG contracts.And in this conversation, Nadia breaks down exactly how she did it 👇- How to get corporate decision-makers to notice you when they aren't active on social media 🙏- The number of touch points you need to make with a corporate client before they spend big with you 👀- How she used a podcast to build authority, grow her network and get in front of HUGE names in her industry 🎙️- How one podcast guest eventually turned into a Warner Bros. Discovery contract 🤯- The exact strategy she used to book big name podcast guests WAY outside her network 🔥- How to become the person people think when they have a problem you can solve Plus, how she won a £36,000 MBA scholarship, built a big business with ZERO full time employees, and a lot more.Nadia knows exactly how to build a personal brand so that the right people know who you are, trust what you have to say, and think of you when they need help.If you want to build a personal brand that gets you big name clients - this episode is FULL of secrets you can implement to make that happen 🚀------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Our next event is An Evening with Carrie Green in London on 17th September... and tickets are included in your Mavericks membership!Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------Nadia's Links:Websites: www.avenirconsultingservices.com www.nadianagamootoo.comInsta @nadianagamootoo @whycare_podcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-nagamootoo-she-her-98436613/------#DontWorkHarder #BusinessGrowth #SalesandMarketing

Everyone wants to generate lots of revenue and opportunities from their personal brand, but not many people know how.Today’s guest knows the secret.Justice Williams has attracted over 400 speaking engagements, built a Facebook community to 1,600 members in 3 months, a Clubhouse room to 20,000 in 6 weeks, and secured a $50,000 investment - all from her personal brand.Oh… and she’s a self-described introvert.In this conversation, Justice reveals the secret.She teaches us: - Why she decided to go all in on LinkedIn… NOT Instagram- The steps she takes to land big corporate clients on LinkedIn - The exact LinkedIn growth strategy that she used to land double her audience size - How she positioned herself as an expert, despite being an introvert and not the loudest person in the room - How she built a Facebook group to 1,600 members in 3 months with no funnel, email automation or ads- One little change that took her speaking fee from £200 to £2,000- Why chasing views and visibility is the worst thing you can do for your personal brand - How she wins high ticket clients without being overly salesy - How she used other people's expertise to position HERSELF as the go-to name in her space 🤯We knew that Justice’s track record was astonishing.But even we didn’t expect how she would be able to break down her methods into such practical, actionable steps.For anyone looking to use their personal brand to grow their business (and that really should be all of us!) this episode gives you the full playbook. ------This episode is brought to you by our sponsors: Mavericks Founders Network.If you’re an ambitious founder who’s ready to grow faster and think bigger, Mavericks is the network built to help you do exactly that.Your annual membership gives you access to four incredible in-person events each year, where you’ll connect with world-class entrepreneurs, potential clients, investors and collaborators.If you’re serious about scaling your business and surrounding yourself with people who’ll challenge, support and accelerate your journey, Mavericks Founders Network is for you.Our next event is An Evening with Carrie Green in London on 17th September... and tickets are included in your Mavericks membership!Sign up here: https://atomic.site/mavericks------Justice's Instagram: www.instagram.com/justiceamariah------#DontWorkHarder #BusinessGrowth #SalesandMarketing