Elevate With Jack Delosa

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

How many of us spend a lot of time consuming content but less time implementing? I’m a huge advocate of education (I’ve built my whole business around it) however no amount of learning will build your business for you if you don’t take steps to actually action what you learn. Knowledge without implementation is just unrealised potential.

In an ideal world we would be a 10 out of 10 in every area of our life - our health, our relationships, our career, our spirituality - would all on par and thriving. However this ideal does not mirror the reality of entrepreneurship. If this is what you're aiming for then chances are you will set yourself up for failure. Entrepreneurship is a path that requires sacrifice - accept it and embrace it.

In this episode of #AskJackD I’m joined by Freelancer’s founder & CEO, Matt Barrie. We cover: Sydney’s lockout laws, the mistakes early stage entrepreneurs commonly make and raising capital to accelerate growth.

In this episode I share two strategies that will empower you to push past your fear of failure and become a thought leader in your industry.

We have all feel it at some point in our life…. that little voice inside our head that tells us “we can’t” or that “we’re not good enough”. Ultimately those who build great businesses and meaningful lives are those who have developed the self awareness to move past this voice. In this episode I’m joined by Melissa Ambrosini, best selling author and entrepreneur, to talk about how to master that inner critic.

Even if you have developed a profitable business model, the more you grow, the more cash you will devour day-to-day. As a business owner it’s your responsibility to have a firm understanding of the numbers within your business, as how you manage your money will determine the ultimate success of failure of your business. That’s why today I’m joined by Beau Bertoli, co-founder and co-CEO of Prospa, to take all your questions on finance, cash flow and capital raising.

On this episode of #AskJackD I'm joined by one of our own - Tim Morris, the Head of Education at The Entourage. As we're in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign at the moment for our Purpose Journal, we decided to reverse engineer everything we did to hit our target within 24 hours for you all. We talk about: How to smash your crowd funding goal in 24 hours, finding a business idea that works and turning your ideas into a reality.

The number one factor that will determine how effective and productive you are is this: how much time you can spend uninterrupted on one particular task. Do the thinking, get clear on your highest and best use, and reclaim your time. This will enable you not only to be incredibly effective but also to rejuvenate and re-energise. Taking control of your schedule and your environment enables you to be more present. When you are engaged in work, be fully engaged. When you are not, do your best to fully disengage. Wherever you are, be there. The pauses re-energise you, make you more whole and fulfilled, and therefore make you more effective when you do decide to return to the work. Being effective, and being able to sustain that effectiveness, is how you will build your legacy.

Challenge is an inevitable part of life. What’s not inevitable is how we react to it, and who we become as a result. In this episode I share the lowest point of my life, and the 3 things that empowered me to keep going…

The only defensible barrier to competition is to continue innovating. Keep working on getting better... every single day.

In this episode of #AskJackD I’m joined by Michelle Hespe, Editor-In-Chief of The CEO Magazine to talk about what it takes to be a strong leader. We take these questions: Hi Jack, what are the most important skills to develop to be a successful CEO? What is the best way to get noticed by a journalist? #AskJackD What are the don’ts when reaching out the media? You feature many prominent leaders in your magazine, in your opinion who is the greatest leader of our time and why? What ‘s your biggest weakness? Everyone says to work smart not work hard (although most of the time you need to work smart and hard). How do you take a step back and evaluate if what you are doing is truly smart? In Unwritten you speak of The Entourage having an informal culture that lends itself to innovation and how it enables your high-performance team. How does your team decide what processes need to be formalised or be allowed to occur organically?

Three strategies you can use to remain accessible to your team as your business scales.

The most important conversation we've had on #AskJackD to date. Tim Morris, Director of Education at The Entourage & ex GM of Uber Melbourne joins me to talk disruptive innovation. We cover: - Why great businesses disrupt themselves - Finding product to market fit - When to walk away from a business

What it takes to build and inspire a team of A players.

In this episode of ‪#‎AskJackD‬, entrepreneur Lorraine Murphy, Founder of The Remarkables Group joins me. After starting her business in her spare room, Lorraine went on to turn over $1 mil in her first year and has since been listed as a BRW Fast Starter. We take questions on: - Overcoming the challenges of scaling a business - Becoming the go-to expert in your industry - Writing a book

How to launch a business in only 7 days with Stacey Jacobs, Founder of Tidy Me. In this episode we go through launching quickly (with limited funds), the importance of testing your idea and marketing strategies that will enable you to get business traction in the early days

Any entrepreneur who wants to build a significantly sized business, needs to understand that their business should be able to operate without them. The challenge lies in how you dilute yourself from the day-to-day operations while maintaining quality. In this episode I outline the strategies you can use to build a business that runs without you.

PR and personal branding... two of the most overlooked drivers of building a successful business. Loved having Taryn Williams, Founder of Wink Models on ‪#‎AskJackD‬ to shed her own unique light on these topics. We take questions on: - Building your personal brand - Getting your business into the media - Managing a growing team Register for The Entourage's free PR short course here: http://bit.ly/pr-short-course

o you need to an MBA to be an entrepreneur? No. Absolutely not. The skills required in startup, high growth businesses are completely different to what is taught in most traditional business degrees. Incredibly interested to hear your thoughts on this… what value do you place on traditional education for entrepreneurs?

The larger your business becomes, the more you grow and the bigger your vision gets; the more naysayers you’ll have. My advice for moving past them? Don’t listen.

One of the things I get asked about most is how to raise capital, so today I’m joined by entrepreneur Kath Purkis who successfully raised $200k, to talk about what it takes. We take questions on getting investors to back a concept, pitching to investors , ignoring naysayers in business and ultimately, "wowing" your customers.

Sales and public speaking… these are the two things entrepreneurs consistently tell me they fear. Both will act as a barrier to your growth if you let them. Today I’m joined by sales expert, Petar Lackovic, who has helped his clients generate over $1 billion revenue, to help you move past this…

Which is more important to success... hard work or good luck? This is a topic that I’m incredibly passionate about, so I was excited to finally get to answer a question on this today. The way I see it, throughout our lives there is going to be times where fortune favours us and times where it goes against us. It’s what we do with those moments that differentiates consistently successful people from the rest #AskJackD

So many businesses focus on the frustrations and fears of their audience, rather than to their hopes and heart. Should you do the same? My answer today is probably the opposite of what you've been told for the last 20 or 30 years, but it’s been working for me so listen up. This is why pain point marketing doesn't always work.

Whether you start our with no money, or run out of money, most entrepreneurs are familiar with the financial struggle of building a business, especially in the early stages. Being an entrepreneur is more about resourcefulness than resources, and working with nothing might be one of the best things you ever do.

Today's question is about business plans: "Was your first business plan original or did you use a template of some sort?" The truth is, I didn't use a business plan and never have. For most entrepreneurs their path starts with exploration of idea, or a 'What if?' moment. Vision is crystallised as the business matures, but the early stages are about passion, iteration and adaption, not having a business plan.

My favourite episode of #AskJackD to date. I talk all things influencer marketing with, Jules Lund, Founder of Tribe. We talk about why you need to be using Snapchat, how you can use influencers to build your brand and cutting through the noise on social media.

As entrepreneurs, we are pioneers who dream of and create things that do not yet exist. It’s a given that anyone who chooses this path will be doubted and protested against. Don’t let this doubt deter you, instead let it fuel you.

I often hear entrepreneurs say, "I don’t want to get bogged down in the detail, I want to be the visionary.” While this should be your ultimate goal, it takes years to get to a point where you’re not involved in the day-to-day. At the beginning of your journey you need to live in the details. You need to know every aspect of your business, better than everyone else.

Success isn’t just defined by what we KNOW, it’s defined by what we DO. Reading all the personal development books in the world won’t help if you don’t have the work ethic to back up your knowledge. Personal development vs. work ethic? You decide.

In this episode I’m joined by Ryan Bonnici, Director of Marketing for HubSpot, to talk about creating compelling content that will enable you to convert, close and delight your audience. We take questions on: - Marketing a “boring” business - How entrepreneurs can find time to create content - Getting ROI on that content #AskJackD 201

The 4 key principles you need to know if you want to maximise the value of your business and prepare for ultimate exit. ‪#‎AskJackD‬ 199

After receiving over 600k views on a recent video series, in today’s episode I reflect on: - The power of video content in marketing - Why all businesses should be using video - Traditional vs. online marketing strategy

We have a business world that is obsessed with professionalism - saying the right things, wearing the right suits, and doing what is expected. It’s all manufactured, surface level plastic. Today I talk about being unprofessional: being you, being real and being different, to create brands and advertising that cut through all the noise. #AskJackD

In this episode I talk about when, how and what not to do when bringing on your very first employee, and ultimately how to set up an ecosystem to build a foundation of a business that can scale.

Developing your personal values is incredibly important for your own personal development and growth. In this episode I talk about how you can develop these values and how to live in alignment with them so that you can live a life that is truly and uniquely you.

What makes a great leader? I've spent a lot of time studying of the greats of history... Einstein, Jobs, Michelangelo, Mandela, MLK, Branson; they all come from different eras and industries, but I think there are three core things they all have in common. Today I share those those three traits with you.

In the early days of business one of the ways I generated more exposure for myself and my business was through leveraging PR. Here I share the strategy I used in the past to approach top entrepreneurs and media personalities.

Your friends will believe in your dreams, but it's your enemies that will help you achieve them. The price you pay as an entrepreneur for leading the field means that everyone will be copying and following you. Don’t get upset about this. Business shouldn’t be about protecting ourselves from the competition or getting incrementally better. It’s about innovating and aiming to be 10 times better.

We filmed today’s episode at TEDxMacquarieUniversity, where I spoke about the future of education. Our question comes from a member of the audience and AskJackD viewer, Angela. I’ve said before that the best entrepreneurs find one thing to focus on, and become the best in the world at it... but how do you find that ONE thing?