We all set big goals, and then dream about how brilliant life will be when we hit them.

But how often do we consider what life will be like if we DON'T achieve them?

In today's short episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton, bestselling author of Big Ideas.. for Small Businesses explains how imagining telling your kids they WON'T be going to Walt Disney World after all increases the odds that you WILL meet Micky and Donald after all...

Are you a financial advisor who hasn't got an ISA? An accountant who misses the tax deadline for your own self assessment? A builder with a half-finished kitchen at home?

Well then, today's short episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is for you - as John Lamerton, bestselling author of Big Ideas... for Small Businesses encourages you to be your own client - and explains how lucrative that can be...

In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, John and Jason interview One Percenter Simon Fisher, who describes himself as "that property guy from Torbay who loves networking, travelling, sport & business."

Simon shares his journey navigating various business ventures, including web design, mortgage brokering, a jet ski business and an estate agency.

He discusses the importance of seizing opportunities, the challenges faced in different markets, and the dynamics of running a family business. Simon also reflects on the concept of a 'false exit' and how he plans to continue contributing to his business while delegating responsibilities to his family.

In this conversation, Simon Fisher discusses the evolution of his business and personal mindset, emphasising the importance of delegation, building a diverse leadership team, and creating a sustainable business model that aligns with his lifestyle goals.

He shares insights from his journey, including the impact of running on his mindset, the value of mentorship, and the necessity of letting go of control to empower his team. Simon also reflects on the challenges of small business ownership and the importance of adapting to changes in the market.

I got a new fish tank recently.

It's three times the size of my old one, and full of REAL plants, soil, sand etc.

In today's solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, I explain what happened when I introduced my old fish to their new home...

December 20th 2024 was the shortest day.

From here on in, it's constant, never-ending improvement.

Marginal gains every day, gaining an extra minute in the morning, and/or a minute in the evening.

No noticeable difference whatsoever from day to day.

After a week, we gain 10 minutes of daylight a day. Whoop-de-do.

After a month, we get an extra hour a day. Now we're talking! We start to notice the difference - eventually waking up in daylight, or driving home in daylight (for me, one of the first signs is leaving a football match in the daylight around late February.)

After six months of constant never-ending improvement, we gain an extra 8 hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds of daylight - a world of difference. But it all happened little-by-little, day-by-day.

And so it is with your business - if you're following the One Percent Way, you're making your business 1% better every week - an improvement that you won't even notice for months - but that eventually you'll look back over dozens (or eventually hundreds!) of weekly 1% gains, and the difference will be like night and day...

Summary

In this solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, business book author John Lamerton discusses the influence of Rory Sutherland, particularly his book 'Alchemy', which highlights the importance of psycho-logical solutions in addressing problems that seem to require logical fixes.

John illustrates this with examples from the London Underground and even proposes a rebranding of Inheritance Tax to enhance public perception and engagement. He shows how small businesses can adopt these psycho-logical insights to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.

You can get a FREE chapter of John's book Big Ideas... for Small Businesses here.

Is your Marketing strategy primarily inbound, or outbound?

Despite having written a bestselling business book (Evergreen Assets) about an inbound, content marketing led strategy, John Lamerton doesn't suggest that this is necessarily the best option for YOU.

In this short, solo episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John explains the difference between the two strategies, and suggests you may want to do BOTH...

Every year in the One Percent Club, John and Jason ask One Percenters to start the year by pondering TWO questions:

1. What's the ONE thing you want to acheive in 2025?
   
   
2. What's the SYSTEM that's going to get you there?

This is a really simple exercise, but sticking to that system for a whole year is more difficult...