#askjackd

Ever feel as if you’re doing ALL the stuff the experts tell you to do online, but it’s not translating into sales and more cash? This is a trap I sadly see far too many entrepreneurs fall into. And is why having a structured sales process is so crucial to the growth of your business. In fact, implementing a more structured approach to sales has helped one of our Entourage members, James Banks, increase the conversion rate from lead to customer at his Digital Marketing Agency, by 252% - from 25% to 63.4% conversion. As a result his turnover has also grown from $70,000 annually to $600,000 and he has built his team from 2 to 8. Listen to the episode to find out exactly how he did this.

As your business grows do you ever struggle to recruit the right people? Have you ever hired someone only to realise three months later that they’re not the right fit? The reality is working in a high-growth business is incredibly challenging... and it’s definitely not for everyone. But in this stage of business who you bring into your organisation is absolutely crucial. The people you hire, need to be able to operate within a less stable and fast-paced environment and be able to lean into the challenges that come with it. Yet so many business owners get the recruitment process wrong. In this episode I share the number one mistake I see business owners making when they’re recruiting. As well as the strategy you can use to scare off the wrong people, and find the right people.

I recently chatted to Lewis Howes in what became an incredible interview and the beginning of a friendship. Lewis has broken boundaries his whole life, constantly transforming himself into new fields and new ways of being. We covered A LOT of ground in this episode team, so tune in to hear us dig into: - The ‘formula for greatness - the key traits that enable people to reach superhuman levels of success - The brand strategy that enabled the Rock to become the HIGHEST paid actor in Hollywood - Tactics and strategies to help you build and monetise your audience on Instagram - The importance of purpose (and the risk of not having one)

Melissa Ambrosini is an entrepreneur, self-love coach and the bestselling author of Mastering Your Mean Girl and Open Wide. Named a 'self-help guru' by Elle Magazine her mission is to inspire women across the globe to create a heart-centred life one that’s wildly wealthy, fabulously healthy and bursting with love. She’s also the host of the number one podcast The Melissa Ambrosini Show, which has been downloaded over 2 million times world wide. In this chat, Melissa and I dive into a lot of the topics she explores in her recent book ‘Open Wide’, which she artfully describes as “ A Radically Real Guide to Deep Love, Rocking Relationships, and Soulful Sex” We have a very real, authentic chat around relationships, moving past conflict, connecting with your partners at a deeper level and of course, soulful sex.

Jamie has founded over six technology startups. As an investor, he has raised more than $16 million in funding, including completing an IPO on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2015. Jamie also recently released Unicorn Tears - a book about Why Startups Fail and How To Avoid It . In this episode I share an honest and powerful conversation around the harsh realities of entrepreneurship, mental health and coping with the huge amount of pressure that come with being a founder. Jamie even gives us insight into how he got out of bed in the morning and coped with losing $200 MILLION DOLLARS. As well as this Jamie shares a lot of valuable insights and unique frameworks for building a successful tech business and avoiding the pitfalls that so startups tend to fall into.

In this episode, I identify one of the core paradigms that leads to success in any business and in life. This one pattern is something I have come to realise after working directly with 1000s of entrepreneurs as they build their business. Often embracing a simple shift in mindset like this can have an exponential impact on your business and personal growth. Tune in to the podcast to find out what it is…

I recently developed a great friend and learning advisor in Jim Kwik, the world’s leading brain and memory coach and Founder of Kwik Learning. If you’re not familiar with Jim… he’s the Founder of Kwik Learning and has worked with genius billionaires like Elon Musk and Richard Branson, as well as elite athletes, celebrities and Forbes 500 CEOs. There’s so many critical takeaways for business owners in this interview, some of the things Jim shares are: - The 3 modern day super villains that completely cripple your personal productivity - The secret mental hack high-performance athletes use to break through limiting beliefs (and how you can use this to achieve what you once considered ‘impossible) - A powerful memorisation technique the world’s top CEOs use to retain more information

In this episode I’ll be sharing a recent Facebook Live session I did with Janine Allis, Co-Founder of Boost and Retail Zoo. Boost has generated an impressive $2 billion of revenue since launching and now have 500 stores in over 13 countries worldwide. I’m sure many of you will also know Janine for her role as high profile investor on Shark Tank! In this interview we talk about: - How Janine started Boost with zero business experience - she reveals one key thing that she did at the beginning of her journey that ultimately led to its success - The harsh realities of entrepreneurship and how Boost came through a 2 year period of decreasing sales, after experiencing initial exponential growth - The mistakes entrepreneurs often make and what Janine thinks are the ‘6 most expensive words in business’

Staying organised when you’re an entrepreneur is such a crucial part of our success, yet it’s hard to do when we have 5 million things on our plates all the time. That’s why I’m really happy to share this interview with bestselling author, Lorraine Murphy with you. Lorraine shares lots of simple yet very practical hacks for staying organised and maximising productivity while creating a holistic life that is meaningful to you. We talk about: - Lorraine’s unique philosophy - the wheel of life - and how you can use it to elevate every area of your life - How to establish habits and routines that will set yourself up for success - Why you need to be ok with ‘subtracting things from your life’ and saying NO

This next 57 minutes has the power to change your life and your business. BIG call, I know. But honestly, I’ve done over 300 episodes of AskJackD, interviewed countless entrepreneurs, and this live session with Gerard Adams (Co-Founder of Elite Daily & Founder of Fownders) was perhaps the most profound to date. We went over time, but stick with it to the end as the real magic happens around 49:00 when Gerard opens up about how losing $20 million in his mid 20s helped him let go of ego and redefine the true meaning of success. A lot of of solid takeaways in this episode, so don’t miss: - 24:00 - The viral content tactics that Elite Daily used to build an monthly readership of 80 million - 30:00 - The untold story behind Elite Daily’s $50million acquisition (and why Gerard almost said NO) - 39:00 - The number one non-negotiable trait you need to possess if you want to be a successful entrepreneur

You shouldn’t have to give up your health and fitness in order to build your dream. I get it though, finding balance between work and health isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s hard to find time to go to the gym in the evening when you’ve got a million “urgent” things waiting for you to finalise at home that night. It’s hard to wake up in the morning and go for a run when you’ve been up until 2am answering emails from your team. That’s why in this episode I’m joined by Greg Stark, Founder of Better Being Personal Training, and author of Sweat Equity to talk through strategies that will help you maintain your health, while juggling the endless demands of running a business.

Most people live in a hypnosis of disempowerment. They see life as something that is happening to them, rather than something they are actively creating. The most powerful thing you can do is realise that your life is led by choice not chance. You are creating every single minute of it, every single day.

In entrepreneurship passive income is myth. There's absolutely nothing passive about building a successful business, and while you may at some point be able to step out of the day-to-day... there's absolutely nothing passive about the path you'll take to get there. The reason I'm saying this is because I see a lot of people promoting this idea of getting rich quickly through passive income, but generally they're selling a fantasy that leads people down a path that does not exist. Interested to get your thoughts on this topic.

Highly recommend every entrepreneur reads the book I talk about in this ep... honest and life changing. What are you reading right now?

95% of startups fail, which means if you've chosen to pursue an entrepreneurial path, the statistics aren't exactly in your favour. However, it's not failure that defines us as entrepreneurs. But how we choose to respond to it. Those who achieve great things are those who have the ability to get back up after a failure. When we fail we get two choices: to let is define us or to learn from it.

Would you rather: spend money on PR or social media? I answer this question today and outline how you should integrate both strategies into your marketing.

If you're facing cash constraints in business there are probably some long term considerations and solutions you should be exploring, however this can take time, which in business, you don't always have. Sometimes we need to inject cash as soon as possible. Try implementing these shorter term strategies to make more immediate sales.

Everyone at some point in their life has been nervous about public speaking. For many it can be one of the most terrifying things to encounter.  However, don’t write yourself off because you’re not a “natural” speaker. It’s a skill, and like any skill, it can be learnt.  Here’s some pointers for you to use if you’re committed to overcoming your fear of presenting.

If you're looking at the hours your team are putting in then you're looking at the wrong thing. As a leader your focus should be on the outcomes your team are having, not the clock. Working from 9 - 5.30 isn’t inherently bad, as long as they are performing at the level required. In this episode I talk about the 3 ways I manage performance to drive growth in my businesses.

In this episode I'm joined by Julie Stevanja​, co-founder of Stylerunner​, one of Australia's fastest growing companies. We cover: - Setting your business up to run on autopilot - Getting big brands on board with you in the early days - Social media growth strategies