A Quick Brew

This week Dave and James discuss setting the tone from the top. They explore how a toxic culture spreads through a business like poison, and why the best leaders can have the difficult conversation without making it personal. Plus, a ten million dollar offer that puts everything in perspective... As always, enjoy, with your ‘Quick Brew’ ⏱️☕🎙️ ❤️ Thank you to our sponsors, Loomyna. Your AI convers...

This week we welcome guest James Coates from WordPress design and development agency, Impact Media to the pod. He’s been building websites for 23 years, and has got some thoughts about AI tools and whether they're replacing the craftspeople or just making them better... As always, enjoy, with your ‘Quick Brew’ ⏱️☕🎙️ ----- 💻 Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdavidco...

This week Dave and James are talking about the elephant in the Premier League: Manchester City's 114 out of 115 guilty charges! Spanning nearly a decade and millions in disputed income, is this potentially the biggest scandal in English football history? So they're guilty... what happens next? As always, enjoy, with your 'Quick Brew' ⏱️☕🎙️ (PS. this episode was recorded before the Premier League...

This week we welcome Nick Looby, communication specialist and author of "Modern Zombies". He speaks on stages around the world, and today he talks to us about the way we've allowed technology to replace what humans do best. In this chat, he also shares why a phone call will always beat an email, why big tech has manipulated our language itself, and what happens when we outsource our thinking to ma...

This week Dave and James are back to talk about their experience exhibiting at Ideas Fest, the "Glastonbury of Business". In support of the online train-the-trainer community, Snowball, they went large with activation! A giant inflatable igloo, a yeti feeding game, and an airbrush tattoo station. The irony?... they created the hottest igloo known to man. But this episode is about more than the pre...

This week we welcomed our first partnership duo to the pod. Meet Jess and Gareth from Pocket Power. A psychologist and a fitness coach who decided to build a preventative health platform. From scratch. With no coding experience. And made it completely free! What started as a live product became an app. Bootstrapped. Intentional. Built to help people understand what actually matters. They talk abou...

Ideas Fest is coming, and Dave and James are in full prep mode. They're discussing what it actually means to show up properly at events, a bold product idea that could change employment forever, and why most brands are leaving opportunities on the table. This is about intention, activation, and thinking bigger than you normally would. As always, enjoy, with your 'Quick Brew' ⏱️☕🎙️ ❤️ Thank you to...

This week we were joined by Tara-Jane Sloane, CRN's Entrepreneur of the Year, and founder of Lead Generation and Strategic Marketing Agency, Telev8. She's built her career in male-dominated spaces and quickly learnt people buy from people... they relate to. 'TJ' talks about layered marketing strategies, the psychology of sales, and why sporadic campaigns are where so many MSPs get it wrong! As alw...

Fifty episodes! What started as a goal to survive seven, has become something neither Dave nor James expected. But this milestone comes as James processes something profound. This episode is about celebrating what they've built together, but more importantly, it's about remembering those who've shaped us. As always, enjoy, with your 'Quick Brew' ⏱️☕🎙️ ❤️ Thank you to our sponsors, Loomyna. Your A...

Tasha Thor-Straten is a coach and the founder of Let's Make Time. Eight years ago, she stumbled upon neurolinguistic programming whilst preparing a wedding speech. It changed everything. This week she talks about how better communication transformed her relationship with her children, how she built a coaching business just before the world shut down, and how a "terminal" cancer diagnosis taught he...

David's worried about AI. And it's not the technology itself, it's what we're doing with it, particularly in the workplace. In this episode he discusses a realisation with James: if we automate away the entry-level roles, the first rung of the ladder disappears entirely. Without that landing point, how does the next generation learn? What they discuss: 🤖 Why AI is threatening future talent 🗣️ Rea...

Josh Smith from Wingman made a bold career switch move. He reached out to his (now) Director on LinkedIn with no sales experience, no CV attached, just personality and a willingness to make a leap. Two and a half years later, he's traveling the world for expos, and working with MSPs across the English speaking world! This week Dave speaks with him about career pivots, why you should hire on person...

This week Dave and James suggest courtesy is dying, and we're treating people like they're our personal punching bags. What they discuss: 🎤 James' Center Parcs incident 🎵 Why weddings are chaos when you ask guests for playlists 🍽️ Why waiters don't deserve to be screamed at 👨‍⚖️ Kids football referees dealing with aggressive parents ✈️ Airport desk staff and the rudeness they face 🏢 Leadership...

Heather from Counting Creators knows something most MSPs don't: if your financial house isn't in order, you can't see s**t. And she says it unapologetically. What they discuss: 💰 Why a financial house in order is the foundation to every business decision 📊 The Evolve benchmark model: 80% recurring revenue, 20% non-recurring (projects/hardware/upsells) 🏆 Building teams where nobody's waiting for...

Dave and James explore what happens when you stop moving forward: burnout, illness, and stagnation. But more importantly, they explore what happens when you learn to rest. What they discuss: 🪓 The Axeman story 🥋 Dave's karate journey: commitment, discipline, and competing ⏰ Consistency beats intensity every single time 😤 Hustle culture is a lie 🏥 Why David got ill every time he took a holiday...

England just beat Mexico in the World Cup, and James Pitron from Digital Data Governance is here to explain why cybersecurity requires the same tactical flexibility as football! Dave and James 'ICH' Sharples welcome Shiny (our guest James), a cyber essentials assessor just back from expanding operations across Southeast Asia. They dive into Cyber Essentials frameworks, why basic cybersecurity hygi...

EP42. The summer holiday season is coming, and your mindset about it will determine your results! This week Dave and James explore the sales fundamental that separates winners from everyone else: showing up when everyone else assumes it's quiet. They discuss why your effort directly equals your opportunities, why quality conversations matter more than call scripts, and why after working hard, you...

How do you turn broken tech into life-changing opportunities? Mike Tarbard, co-founder and CEO of Every Child Online and Everyone Digital, has spent five years answering that question... and the results are impressive! Dave and James welcome Mike to discuss digital inclusion, online safety, and how refurbished IT equipment is creating pathways for young people who would otherwise have no access. F...

Sometimes the best episodes are about the simplest things: paying it forward and remembering that kindness still matters. Dave and James kick off their 40th episode discussing James's decision to refocus on an AI project inspired by recent health scares, and David's work as a charity ambassador for Every Child Online and Everyone Digital. What follows is a celebration of random acts of kindness. W...

One conversation that needed to happen during Pride Month: why football remains one of the least inclusive sports, and what genuine change actually looks like. Dave and James welcome Phil McQuillan , Inclusion and Wellbeing Lead at Birmingham City Football Club, for a raw discussion about safety, authenticity, and a statistic that may just stagger you... What they discuss: 🏳️‍🌈 Why Pride Month is...

With the World Cup just weeks away, Dave and James dive deep into England's prospects. What they discuss: ⚽ Arsenal's heartbreak in the Champions League penalty shootout against PSG 💪 Why confidence matters more than trickery when taking penalties 🤞 World Cup favourites and some dark horse predictions 🎯 Squad selection debates 🏆 Premier League Manager of the Year choice... From why stuttering...

What happens when vulnerability becomes your superpower? Dave and James 'Hehe' Sharples welcome Lauren Cross, award-winning "vulnerability warrior" and blogger, for a conversation that spans mental health, authenticity, and why not everyone will like you, even if you're a peach... From her win at the Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards to sharing her journey through anxiety, solo parenting, a...

What do you do when your car literally catches fire on the motorway? Dave and James 'Resilience' Sharples explore the power of perspective and resilience after James experiences every driver's nightmare - a head gasket blowout that turned his car into a bonfire on the A1! This episode is a masterclass in choosing your response when life throws curveballs. What they discuss: 🔥 How to stay positive...

Are you collecting business cards or building genuine relationships? Dave and James welcome Lesley McDowell from Baumann Partners to explore the art of networking done right. From the pitfalls of "panic networking" to the power of meaningful follow-ups, Lesley shares why quality always beats quantity when it comes to building your professional network. What they discuss: 🎯 Why three quality conne...

Do you use voice notes on LinkedIn, or do they make you cringe? Dave and James 'DM' Sharples dive into the world of LinkedIn DMs, exploring why voice messages add authenticity and personality to cold outreach, and why some communication methods fall flat (we're looking at you, unsolicited GIFs). What they discuss: 🎤 Why voice notes beat text for building trust 🤖 The AI tool that failed at person...