Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse

Peter Czapp loves what he does. He’s the co-founder of The Wow Company, an accountancy firm that helps you grow your business, not just fill in your tax return. He’s got a fascinating story and a lot of interesting thoughts on business, which I talk to him about for my podcast this week. Peter explains why he felt driven to launch his own company, despite not having a background in accounting. And why he’s so passionate about delivering that ‘Wow’ to clients. Lots of great advice included here. On today’s podcast: Why receiving negative feedback is the only way to get better Why he agrees that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” How he uses a special mind trick to turn negatives into positives Why focus is so important And, how you should always enjoy the journey! Links: The Wow Company The Agency Collective

Today I’m interviewing Mike Tobin, former CEO of Telecity. Mike has over 30 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur and he’s now working with a number of businesses across multiple continents. He’s also got significant charitable interests. In 2016 Mike raised over £100k running 40 marathons in 40 consecutive days. He’s now preparing for an unaided trek across Antarctica planned for next year. On top of that, he’s started a podcast with his son and written two books. On today’s podcast: Why it’s important to have realistic performance expectations Keeping up with the times is not optional, it’s essential Mike’s involvement in charity projects Why fear is an irrational emotion Having a vision is more important than planning on a strategy Work-life balance just doesn’t exist Links: Live, Love, Work, Prosper: A fresh approach to integrating life and work Forget Strategy. Get Results.: Radical Management Attitudes That Will Deliver Outstanding Success The Tobin Podcast

Today I’m talking to Stephen Sacks, the author of Reboot your Business, a step-by-step guide to reinventing your business for maximum growth. Stephen’s book includes a fantastic section on how to apply for grants. It also offers plenty of actionable tips on how to fund your business from free cash. Remember that allowing a third party to come in and help you rethink your funding methods can be very helpful. On today’s podcast: Lack of cash can be the symptom of a bigger problem Common issues businesses face Stephen’s turning point His passion for helping businesses acquire free cash Motivation drives success Stephen’s book recommendations Links: Reboot your Business

Roland Siebelink is a 25+ years veteran of Internet business, entrepreneurship and digital marketing. He is a former landslide winner of the Silicon Valley Founder Showcase (2011) and the only person who has lived through three 10-1000 FTE scaleup journeys in a row. He lives in San Francisco and coaches scaleup companies around the world. Startup founders know that product market fit is the “pot of gold”. But what happens after? In this podcast, Dominic and Roland take founders through the Silicon Valley Roller Coaster and the different stages they will have to scale to reach product market dominance. On today’s podcast: Why it’s better to avoid hiring executives that come from big corporations if you’re a scaleup Helping companies become more robust while keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive How to hire the right people Going from early market to mainstream Dimensions to consider: followers, strategic focus, follow through and flow Roland’s book recommendations Links: Roland’s Website Scaling Silicon Valley Style. Growing Big But Not Corporate.

My guest this week is Craig Fletcher, the founder and former Chief Exec of Multiplay. Multiplay is a video games industry and events & online services company which has now been split into two separate businesses: the events business and the online hosting part. If you’ve ever attended the Insomnia Gaming Festival, UK’s largest video games festival, then you might have already heard of Multiplay, which is its producer. On today’s podcast: Two businesses in one: a video games success story How Twitch changed the gaming landscape Multiplay’s slow, organic growth Getting acquired by GAME Digital What Craig would now do differently Craig’s book recommendations for the curious and entrepreneurial Links: Multiplay

Today I’m talking to Tony Pandher, Head of Operations at Macquarie Cloud Services. This episode is the second and final part of the Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on what it takes to get your Net Promoter Score to a world-class level and make Fred Reichheld proud. On today’s podcast: Why they chose to hire students How they built an amazing culture What they were after: a technology gene and a passion for delighting customers Hiring students on two-year contracts and investing in their growth Creating a knowledge base Launching the Legend program Links: The History of Net Promoter The Ultimate Question 2.0 The Net Promoter System Podcast

Today I’m talking to a soft-spoken Irishman, Fionán Mc Donnell, who is the NSW New Business Manager at Macquarie Telecom Group. This episode is the first part of a Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on how to achieve the best Net Promoter System score (a concept developed by Fred Reichheld). On today’s podcast: How they created a gold-class customer service centre Why they spent a lot of time on recruitment Why they made sure that their customer service professionals felt empowered Prioritizing customer satisfaction over operational efficiency The power of transparency and the supervisor feedback group What Fred Reichheld, the creator of the NPS, told Fionán after visiting their contact centre Links: Meet Fion YouTube Video The Ultimate Question 2.0 The Net Promoter System Podcast

Nikki Gatenby is the Managing Director and Co-Owner of Propellernet, a marketing agency that has consistently been named as a top UK workplace by the Great Place To Work Institute. On today’s podcast: How to spark innovation Their five key values Why they keep a close eye on their team’s wellbeing The importance of staying adventurous Why they value regular check-ins with their team What’s in Nikki’s recent book, Superengaged Links: Superengaged: How to transform business performance by putting people and purpose first (Amazon) Superengaged Book Website Propellernet

At 29, Liz Robinson was the youngest headteacher in England. She took on a pretty rough inner city school (Surrey Square Primary School) which she turned into a fantastic place. She’s done it in a remarkable way, by throwing away the rule book. I first met Liz six months ago when I visited the school. I was absolutely blown away with how positive and amazing the parents and the teachers were, given its location in a very challenging environment. After being the headmaster of Surrey Square for 10 years, Liz just started a new role with Big Education, an organization on a mission to change the education system by empowering teachers and leaders to ask bigger questions about what schools should or could stand for. On today’s podcast: The flaws in our current education system Engaging children to be active change agents A school with no rules Surrey Square’s seven core values Innovating quality assurance Tracking progress using personal excellence journey books Links: Surrey Square Primary School Big Education The Guardian: 'It's like family to me': the school feeding its poorest families

**PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A TINY BIT OF SWEARING IN THIS EPISODE!** At the age of 27 Chris Donnelly already runs a very successful business, Verb. He's the founder and managing director of the digital agency that works with luxury brands, including Jimmy Choo, Claridges and The Wolseley. Chris started the business at university and then developed it into what it is today when he saw a gap in the market for high-end brands. The entrepreneur talks to podcast host, Dominic Monkhouse, about that journey and the ways in which he's managed to create such a successful company in such a short time. They cover: - Finding your niche - Building relationships, and trust, with prospective clients even before a pitch - How culture, and spotting the right talent, is essential - Pitfalls to a merger - Pitches, and how organising them like a military operation has led to a fantastic win rate - And why he wants to give back Plus, Chris talks about how his event 'Trend', a conference for luxury brands, is pushing his success further and why they've also started 'London Women In Digital'.

Peter Czapp loves what he does. He's the co-founder of Wow, an accountancy firm that helps you grow your business not just fill in your tax return. In this episode of Dominic Monkhouse's The Melting Pot, Peter explains why he felt driven to launch his own business, despite not having an accountancy background. And why he's so passionate about delivering that 'Wow' to clients. Peter also talks to Dom about: Why receiving negative feedback is the only way to get better Why he agrees that "culture eats strategy for breakfast" How he uses a special mind trick to turn negatives into positives Why focus is so important And, how you should always enjoy the journey!

Nick Earle has spent over 35 years in tech. He’s currently the Chairman and CEO of Eseye - a leading company in the Internet of Things Market. He was involved in Virgin’s Hyperloop One and has also worked for Cisco and HP. He’s covered a lot of ground and host, Dominic Monkhouse, talks to him about all of it in this episode of The Melting Pot Podcast. They chat about why he’s decided to move onto projects that are making a difference to the world Why Hyperloop will be the next big mode of transportation and how it’ll impact our lives in a positive way How curiosity has driven his career Why it’s never been a better time to start a business And a LOT more! If you want to see more from Nick then he has a TED Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZORdiH6pDyg

Alexandra Eavis is the CEO Dovetail Lab. Working to create an integrated system using blockchain that will enable patients to have access and control over their medical data. She is also the CEO of NFC Helps Me a social enterprise to support people with learning disabilities acquire life and employment skills. Alex is the latest guest on The Melting Pot Podcast with host Dominic Monkhouse. She talks about harnessing the power of tech to help people who need it the most, the pain of fundraising, how, in business, you need to make sure you love what you do, and tips on getting that balance right.

Dr. Jack Kreindler is a leading expert in health optimisation. Founder of the Centre For Health and Human Performance, Jack works not only with top athletes but also cancer patients, including the late Dame Tessa Jowell. Jack is also a medical technology entrepreneur in the areas of wireless bio-sensors and artificial intelligence. He does a lot of great work. In this episode of The Melting Pot Dr. Jack talks to host, Dominic Monkhouse, about advances in healthcare, and how tech and AI is pushing that forward. They also talk about health hacks that can help us cope with our busy lifestyles, how working with Douglas Adams was a big inspiration and how working at high-altitude is a lot like being an entrepreneur.

Alain Falys is a serial entrepreneur. He's currently the chairman of YoYo Wallet the fastest growing mobile payment and loyalty payment marketing platform in Europe. They allow companies to get to know their customers better, meaning they can offer more specific loyalty prizes. He's raised a massive £35 million in seed to series B capital from Tier 1 VC's in the last 10 years - he knows a lot about business, but admits he hasn't always got it right! So, in this episode of The Meting Pot Podcast, host Dom Monkhouse chats to Alain about his journey, his thoughts on Brexit, blockchain and the FinTech companies of the future.

Verne Harnish has helped around 40,000 companies scale-up. He knows business and host Dom Monkhouse admits Verne has been a huge influence in his life. Verne is founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), heads up an international coaching organisation and hosts an international summit, plus he’s written books Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and Scaling Up which are must reads for any business owner. \InIn thie spisode of The Melting Pot Verne and Dom discusss: The importance of talent Visions and core values A.I in business The “power of focus” How lonely it can get for entrepreneurs Identifying constraints that can actually help a company grow We hope you enjoy.

Alexander Kjerulf has been working to create happier workplaces for over 15 years. He is the founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Woohoo inc and one of the world’s leading experts on happiness at work. He's also written two books - Leading With Happiness and Happy Hour Is 9 To 5. In this episode of The Melting Pot he talks to Dominic Monkhouse about why happiness at work is so important, and what makes us happy. It isn't those perks like pool tables and free coffee, it's results and relationships. Alex talks more about that, plus why company visions, praise and recognition are so important too. As well as this podcast you can also pick up some great tips from Alex's TEDx talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq81wx6aPbA (which is mentioned in the podcast).

Shannon Byrne Susko has more than twenty years of experience building and leading high-growth technology companies. She's now passing on her knowledge through coaching and her own books. Shannon wrote The Metronome Effect and her brand new release is 3HAG Way, a framework to running a successful business. In this episode of The Melting Pot Shannon talks to host Dominic Monkhouse about the journey that led her to where she is now, and what she learned along the way. Shannon admits it was 'chaos' at times, but she 'muddled' through, and became a CEO 'by accident'! Listen to her fascinating journey here:

**PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A TINY BIT OF SWEARING IN THIS EPISODE!** Cate Murden set up PUSH Mind and Body after realising the life she was living was no longer sustainable. It had got so bad she was signed off with stress. In this episode of The Melting Pot, Cate opens up to Dominic Monkhouse about that time in her life, and how it led to the creation of a company that would help others in a similar situation.

How do you create a workplace where staff feel fulfilled and happy? Henry Stewart is the man who knows. He's the author of The Happy Manifesto: Make Your Organisation a Great Workplace. In Episode 4 of The Melting Pot Henry speaks to Dom Monkhouse about the steps we can take to make work a happier place to be. Ideas like: No managers (they have coaches) Pre-approving work Celebrating mistakes Playing to strengths. Henry has lots of ideas, and you can hear them all here.

Dom's guest this week is Robert Belgrave, CEO of cloud consultancy firm Wirehive and co-host of the Alexa Stop! podcast. Rob and Dom discuss how technology is changing our lives, for the better. They talk through: - How the way we harness energy will change - How communication will move forward, and the internet will move skywards - Autonomous vehicles and why we don't need to fear them - Crypto-currency and blockchain... and so much more!

This week on The Melting Pot Dominic Monkhouse is speaking to Macquarie Telecom CEO David Tudehope about how the business became one of the best in the world for customer services. Plus, how they're changing the way they work to encourage more Millennials into the business. The Melting Pot is hosted by business coach Dominic Monkhouse. In this series he talks to entrepreneurs who are doing things differently, pushing boundaries.

The Melting Pot is hosted by business coach Dominic Monkhouse. In this series he talks to entrepreneurs who are doing things differently, pushing boundaries. This week he chats with the CEO of Makers Academy, Evgeny Shadchnev, covering everything from unlimited holidays for staff, no sales commission, salary transparency and set your own salaries.