Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch has a BRILLIANT exercise, called "Happiness Islands" Thanks to this exercise, I've spent more money on gigs than I have on cars. Why? Because they give me more "smiles-per-gallon" - the fuel that drivesevery ambitious lifestyle business. What are your "happiness islands" (and "unhappiness deserts"?)

Every week, I encourage you to improve your business by 1%. But  why  are you improving it? And are you improving the WRONG things - for the WRONG reasons? Find out in today's episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast.

Running a small business in the UK is tough if you're a one-person band. But letting go of control to others is tough too - so what do you do? Last month, I fulfilled a 30-year dream, and finally saw Pulp live in concert. They were absolutely AMAZING - but there was one moment where  the gig was almost ruined - by ONE person  (and no, that person wasn't frontman Jarvis Cocker) . (You can watch thi...

In this episode of Ambitious Lifestyle Business, we dive into effective customer retention strategies specifically tailored for UK businesses.  You'll hear how improving your approach to existing customers can significantly boost your revenue without the need for increased effort. Recently, my second-favourite Australian (and host of the Oz version of the 1% Club - not to be confused with the One...

  Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were independently asked to sum up the secret to their success in one word. They ALL chose the same word... Can you guess what it is?

Are you looking to take your side hustle full time? Chris Spencer founded Peak Media Marketing after three decades in corporate work, and together with his wife Sarah, they aimed for a better work-life balance and less stress. They focused on a diverse client base to stabilise income, and believe that authenticity is key in business relationships. Caring for clients leads to loyalty, and ambitious...

For the past ten years (and three months), I've built my businesses 90 days at a time - setting three BIG challenges to work on every 90 days. This quarter, I achieved... NONE of my goals. I made some schoolboy errors: 👷 Underestimating how much work was involved. ⌛ Overestimating how much capacity and resources (especially time) I had at my disposal. 🎯 Setting goals that were outside of my con...

No Hurry, No Pause?  How does that fit with an ambitious lifestyle business mindset? What ambitious lifestyle business owner wants to "never pause"? At least that's what I initially thought - then I spent two hours pondering the question, while hiking in the countryside with my dog - and I reached a VERY different conclusion - which I share in today's episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business po...

Feedback loops in business are a great way to uncover 1% improvements.  In this solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, bestselling author John Lamerton shares the FOUR questions he uses to get high-quality, actionable feedback from his clients.  

In Big Ideas... for Small Businesses , John Lamerton wrote about the Team GB Men's Eights Rowing team from the late 90's and early 2000's - and how they've inspired him to "make his boat go faster". In this solo episode of the ambitious lifestyle business podcast, John tells the story in full, and asks the question: what makes YOUR boat go faster?

In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, One Percenter Ian Bluck returns to discuss his journey from a corporate job at Lloyds Bank to building a property empire and moving to Spain. Moving to Spain was a family decision influenced by Ian's children, after they attended One Percent LIVE with Ian and his wife in 2024. It's important to take inspiration from others' journeys, and...

I set some ambitious health goals in January.   They've gone to 💩.   Here's what I'm doing about it...

If you wanna be the best...   And you wanna beat the rest...   _______________'s what you need.   (but do you REALLY want to be a record breaker?)

You're probably familiar with the so-called "Marshmallow experiment", which "proved" the long term life benefits of delayed gratification. Well, today I'm imploring you to do the opposite - to eat the damn marshmallow!

Why do people hate lifestyle businesses? My first book ( Big Ideas.. for Small Businesses ) is 70,000 words long.  Here are the 1,471 words that have had the biggest impact on readers over the past 8 years - in which I explain my ideal job description, why I refuse to take VC money, and why I'm banned from watching Dragons Den. (The full book is available on Audible , narrated by me).

Can you find 1,000 ways to say the SAME thing? Are you posting random opinions and thoughts when trying to market your business, or do you have ONE coherant thread running through every promotion? In today's Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, I'll show you how to sum up your "big idea" in one sentence.. then find 1,000 different ways to say that sentence!  

In this episode, John, Jason, and One Percenter Michael Oliver delve into the Hedgehog Concept, a business strategy derived from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great.' They explore the importance of aligning passion, expertise, and economic viability in business. Michael shares personal reflections on his career journey, evaluating his past roles through the lens of the Hedgehog Concept. The conversat...

In 1986, Daniel Ludwig was the richest man on the planet. Daniel Who? Exactly. In today's Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, I explain why going "under the radar" could be the best thing you ever do...

There's a YouTube video , titled "Horse kicks tree, farts on dogs then runs away." In it, you won't be surprised to hear that a horse kicks a tree, farts on some dogs, then runs away. In today's Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, find out why DOING what you said you'd do is CRUCIAL to your business.

The first 30 employees at Microsoft were 28 programmers, Bill Gates, and a secretary. YOU are the best person to sell your product/service. Bill Gates knew it. Red Bull Founder Dietrich Mateschitz knew it. And, after today's Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast episode, you'll know it too...

Many people can articulate their goals but struggle with the steps to achieve them. Visualizing the finish line is not enough; you need a plan to get there. Starting where you ARE is crucial for success. Success is built step by step, not by jumping to the end, and even small beginnings can lead to significant achievements over time. You may not have all the resources you need at the start. But t...

The school system is outdated and fails children with additional needs. In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, we chat with Sarah Lamerton, author of " How the School System Fails Children With Needs (And What You Can Do About It "). Sarah shares her evolution in business, her motivations for writing a book about the education system, and her plans to create a podcast aimed a...

This year, I'll be celebrating 25 years of running small businesses. In those 25 years, here are the 5 things that made the BIGGEST difference: 1. persevering (and iterating) until I found a model that worked. 2. Starting a mailing list. 3. Investing in paid advertising. (Google Ads in 2002, FB Ads in 2013, Amazon Ads currently run my coaching business) 4. Focusing on ONE thing. "Deep work" days a...

The One Percent Club doors are NOW OPEN for our March 2025 intake.   However, we'll be closing the doors at 9pm THIS MONDAY - and won't open them again until September. If you're looking to improve YOUR business (and lifestyle) by 1% every week, you can join the One Percent Club here (until 9pm on Monday 31st March)

You know what they say - t he first £177,835.50 is the hardest. No, it's not the first million - though you'll be well on your way to that. It's about getting to launch velocity - where compounding begins to do some of the heavy lifting for you. Charlie Munger wrote in the 1998 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter that "The first $100,000 is a b****, but you gotta do it." "I don't care what you h...