In The Trenches

Self-managed super funds promise freedom, flexibility, and control over your retirement future. But they're not right for everyone — and the mistakes people make with them can be costly. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Peter, a specialist in self-managed superannuation, for a clear and honest conversation about what SMSFs actually involve — the benefits, the obliga...

Australia's new Right to Disconnect legislation is now law — and most employers still don't fully understand what it means for them. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Patrick Mullally, employment lawyer, for a clear, practical breakdown of what the Right to Disconnect actually requires of employers — and what happens if they get it wrong. This is not a political deba...

The Perth property market has been moving fast. But where is the real value — and what are smart investors actually doing? In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Peter Gavalas, a buyer's agent with deep expertise in the Perth market, for a practical, no-nonsense breakdown of where property investment opportunities actually sit right now. This is not a conversation about g...

Some business owners always knew they'd build something. Others stumble into it through a completely unexpected path — and that journey often makes for the most instructive story. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Dr. Ian Barron, a veterinarian who built a business that nobody saw coming — and in doing so, uncovered insights about entrepreneurship, purpose, and profe...

What if the business you love building and the business that makes serious money didn't have to be two different things? In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Bernie Janes to explore the rare and rewarding challenge of scaling a passion-led business — where the product is essentially fun — without losing the soul of what made it great in the first place. Bernie's story i...

Most business owners plan to sell their business one day. Most of them have no idea their business isn't actually worth what they think — or structured in a way that would survive due diligence. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Adrien Giraud for one of the most important conversations on this show — a frank, expert-driven breakdown of why the majority of businesses...

In one of the most competitive industries in the world, Raymond Kwok built something people actually talk about. MODU Bar & Kitchen isn't just a restaurant — it's an experience, a brand, and a business lesson wrapped in great food. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Raymond to explore what it really takes to build and sustain a hospitality business in today's mark...

The conversation wasn't finished — so we kept going. This bonus episode continues Hanif Ibrahim's conversation with David Egerton-Warburton, picking up where the main episode left off and going deeper into the themes that resonated most with listeners: legacy, land stewardship, the emotional dimensions of family business, and what it means to build something truly meaningful. If you listened to th...

Some businesses are built for profit. Others are built to last a lifetime — and to mean something beyond the balance sheet. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with David Egerton-Warburton for a deeply personal and insightful conversation about what it means to build a family business with genuine purpose — one that weaves together legacy, land, community, and commercial re...

Menopause affects half the population — and the business world has been almost entirely silent about it. That silence has a cost. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Mirina Muir for a frank and important conversation about menopause — not just as a health topic, but as a business and leadership one. This is a conversation for business owners, managers, and HR leaders w...

Town planning feels like someone else's problem — until it's yours. And by then, it's usually expensive. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Joe Algeri to unpack why urban planning and development decisions have far greater implications for business owners than most people realise — from property investment to commercial leasing, site development, and community infrast...

Most businesses think marketing is about advertising. They're wrong — and that misunderstanding is costing them. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Russell Smith to challenge the conventional definition of marketing and explore why the businesses that grow fastest treat marketing as a philosophy that runs through every part of their operation — not just their ad spend...

Cash flow crises don't announce themselves. One quarter everything looks fine — and the next, you're wondering how to make payroll. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Paul Donoghue to tackle one of the most feared but least discussed topics in business — how to lead, communicate, and make decisions when you're navigating a genuine financial crisis. This is a candid co...

The best leaders in the world don't get results through hierarchy — they get results through influence. And that's a skill most people were never taught. In this episode of In The Trenches, host Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Margo Halbert to explore what genuine leadership influence looks like in a modern business context — and why leaders who rely on authority alone consistently underperform those...

The goal of every entrepreneur should be to build a business that doesn't need them — but most end up building a very expensive job instead. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Thibaut Holl to dig into one of the most important transitions any business owner has to make: from operator to owner. From working in the business to working on it. This is a conversation about...

Most business owners think cybersecurity is an IT problem. It's not — it's a business problem. And it's costing Australian companies millions. In this episode of In The Trenches, Hanif Ibrahim is joined by Dr. Thomas Dunn, a cybersecurity expert, for a frank conversation about what business leaders consistently get wrong when it comes to protecting their operations, their data, and their clients....

Success rarely arrives on schedule. The entrepreneurs who win are usually the ones who learned to endure when everything said quit. In this episode of In The Trenches, host Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Alan Chau to unpack one of the most underrated principles in business — the capacity to absorb setbacks, stay the course, and build resilience as a competitive advantage. This is a raw, honest conve...

What's actually happening in the Australian economy — and what does it mean for your business? In this debut episode of In The Trenches, host Hanif Ibrahim sits down with Daniel Gradwell, Economist and Associate Director of Property at ANZ, for a ground-level breakdown of where the Australian economy really stands. This isn't the sanitised version you hear on the news. Daniel unpacks the real pres...

Running a business isn't easy. The late nights, tough decisions, and constant pressure to grow, adapt, and succeed—it's all part of the journey. In the Trenches is a business podcast created for Perth business owners who know what it's like to be in the thick of it. Each episode dives into real stories from business owners, industry leaders, and experts who have faced challenges head-on, found opp...