A Father’s Fight for the Future: From Dragons’ Den to Building a Better World
In this episode, I sit down with a friend I met in a luxury hot tub on the top of a tall hotel in Dubai recently. We were there as patrons of the Bates Foundation, run by our mutual friend, Sebastian Bates. Dan Sherrard-Smith is the founder and CEO of MyMotherTree.com, the world’s first money carbon calculator. In our conversation, Dan shares his incredible entrepreneurial journey, from building a business that landed the best deal ever on Dragon’s Den to creating a tool that transforms how individuals and businesses address the climate crisis. In this conversation, we hear about how having a baby changed his entire outlook and how being a Father got him focused. We also explore the power of personal branding, the keys to leveraging LinkedIn for meaningful connections, the critical role of paying attention to the money in driving sustainability, and a lot more. He is just a lighthouse of good will and I think you'll love him as much as I do. PLEASE: If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a fellow leader or entrepreneur who would benefit from these insights. Don’t forget to subscribe to Live Like a Leader, leave a 5-star review, and help us spread the word!
Live Like a Leader with John Bates · Dan Sherrard-Smith, John Bates
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Show Notes
Dan Sherrard-Smith is the founder & CEO of MotherTree. MotherTree works with values-led businesses to reduce CO2 emissions, increase client satisfaction, and unlock savings. Launched by the founding team behind Look After My Bills: Best ever deal on Dragons' Den, saved the British public £127m in 3 years.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Following the Money for Impact: Discover why your bank and pension investments have a bigger carbon footprint than your diet or commute—and what you can do about it.
- Building a Personal Brand: Learn why authenticity and storytelling are crucial for leaders and impact-driven founders.
- Scaling Connections with LinkedIn: Dan’s proven strategy to create high-quality content that generates leads and builds lasting relationships in just two hours a week.
- Entrepreneurial Lessons: Behind-the-scenes of Dan’s Dragons’ Den journey, including the challenges of rapid growth and the power of staying adaptable.
- Finding Purpose: How becoming a father inspired Dan to leave a cushy job and tackle the climate crisis head-on.
Key Moments:
- [04:32] The “aha” moment that led to MyMotherTree.com's creation.
- [18:10] The Dragons’ Den story—how Dan secured an unprecedented deal and scaled his business almost overnight.
- [30:22] The three levers of impact: money, influence, and voting.
- [47:15] Counterintuitive LinkedIn strategies to grow your network and drive revenue.
- [1:02:50] The importance of gratitude and moving beyond fossil fuels to embrace innovation.
Actionable Insights:
- Start small: Audit your bank and pension to ensure your money aligns with your values.
- Build trust on LinkedIn by showing up authentically—connect, don’t sell.
- Define your key content pillars to balance reach with resonance.
- Focus on scaling relationships, not just transactions, for sustainable business growth.
Connect with Dan Sherrard-Smith:
- Website: MyMotherTree.com
- Email: Dan [at] MyMotherTree.com
- LinkedIn: Dan Sherrard-Smith
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John Bates provides 1:1 Executive Communications Coaching, both in-person and online. He also gets 92+ Net Promoter Scores for his large and small group leadership development trainings at organizations like Johnson & Johnson, NASA, Google, Intuit, Boston Scientific, and many more. Find more at https://executivespeakingsuccess.com.
Sign up for his weekly micro-trainings for free at https://johnbates.com/mini-trainings and create a great leadership communications habit that makes you the kind of leader who inspires trust, loyalty, and connection.