Max Your Business

  In this episode of the Max Your Business Podcast, hosts Ben Fewtrell and David Carlin dive into why having clear, actionable SMART goals is the real secret to driving growth in your business.  Effective goal setting requires far more than jotting down a wish list on New Year's Eve. To see real progress, you need a structured, measurable plan that aligns with your ultimate vision and actively holds you to account. Ben and David share practical tips, mindset shifts and exactly why starting with the end in mind changes everything. They also tackle the reality of 90-day planning, unpacking why so many business owners reach the end of a quarter only to realise they have missed their targets.  If you are tired of carrying the same unachieved goals over month after month, this episode will challenge how you plan and help you finally hit those milestones.    Episode Highlights:   00:00 - Welcome to the Max Your Business Podcast   02:03 - The reality of 90-day planning (and why tasks get left behind)   04:57 - Mindset shift: moving from setting 'goals' to defining 'outcomes'   05:39 - Why most of our goals are actually just good intentions   09:07 - Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) and testing what is realistic   13:31 - The reverse engineering process: beginning with the end in mind   17:01 - Breaking down the SMART acronym step by step   19:16 - What to do when you realise you are going to miss your deadline   24:48 - Why business owners need to spend 20% of their time planning   26:43 - The power of accountability (and why you need a "date with a dude")    Key Takeaways:  Ditch the Intentions for Outcomes: An idea or a wish is not a goal. To turn a good intention into a reality, frame it as an outcome you have already achieved and reverse engineer the steps to get there.  Run the SMART Test: Ensure every goal you set is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. If it does not pass the test, it needs refining.  Be Prepared to Pivot: If you are going to miss a deadline, do not chuck the whole plan out the window. Change the timeframe or adjust the target to keep your momentum moving forward.  Lock in Accountability: A plan means nothing if you do not stick to it. Dedicate 20% of your week to planning and find a coach to hold your feet to the fire.  🚀 Get your free SMART Goals Workbook at maxmyprofit.com.au/smart and start building a business plan that actually gets results.  Tune in to discover how to bring your goals to life. Don't miss this episode, and don't forget to subscribe for more practical insights every week.   

  In this episode of the Max Your Business Podcast, hosts Ben Fewtrell and David Carlin dive deep into the nuts and bolts of core values. What exactly are they, where do they come from, and how do you actually work out what is genuinely important to you and your business?  Hiring the right fit goes well beyond looking at a CV. Ben and David share some hard truths about why people behave the way they do, using everyday examples to highlight why you cannot easily change a team member's deeply held beliefs. They unpack why establishing clear, non-negotiable values is the real secret to building a high-performing and unified team.  If you have ever had to let someone go because of poor behaviour, this episode will show you how to define your standards and protect your workplace culture moving forward.    Episode Highlights:   00:00 Welcome to the Max Your Business Podcast  00:46 Why every business owner needs a coach and the real value of accountability   05:18 What a core value actually is and where it comes from   08:48 How to ensure new recruits genuinely align with your business   11:41 The Coles supermarket analogy and hiring for true integrity   14:28 What off-duty behaviour reveals about a person's core values   18:54 The vital difference between the rules of the game and your core values   20:17 Why building a strong culture is a massive positive for your business   21:54 Why you cannot just change someone's beliefs   25:17 How to get the most out of the free Core Values Workbook    Key Takeaways:  Values Drive Behaviour: It is your team's core values that dictate how they act, both on the job and when nobody is watching.  Beliefs Are Personal: You cannot easily change a person's deep beliefs. That is why hiring people who naturally align with your culture from day one is so crucial.  Rules vs. Values: Rules tell your team how to do a task, but values are the glue that builds trust and keeps everyone working together.  Make It Public: Core values do no good sitting in a drawer. They need to be front and centre in your hiring process, employment agreements, and daily standards.  Culture is Your Advantage: Having a highly aligned team heading in the exact same direction is the ultimate competitive advantage for any business.  🚀 Get your free Core Values Workbook at maxmyprofit.com.au/core and start building a business people love to work for.  Tune in to discover how to bring yours to life. Don't miss this episode, and remember to subscribe for more practical insights every week.       

  In this episode of the Max Your Business Podcast, hosts Ben Fewtrell and David Carlin unpack why recruiting is one of the biggest headaches for business owners and why the traditional way of hiring just leaves you with the best of a bad bunch.  Hiring is not just about throwing an ad up on Seek and hoping for the best. It is about treating your job ad like a marketing campaign, weeding out the time-wasters before you even look at a resume, and building a business that people genuinely want to work for. Ben and David share practical tips, mindset shifts, and the "bookends" of recruiting that ensure you set your new team members up for absolute success.  If you are tired of saying "I cannot find good people" or "No one wants to work anymore," this episode will challenge you to view your recruitment process through a completely different lens.    Episode Highlights:   00:00 - Welcome to the Max Your Business Podcast   07:23 - Why recruiting is one of the most common challenges for business owners today  08:28 - The "bookends" of recruiting: role clarity before you hire and induction training after   10:43 - The biggest mistake you can make: recruiting to replace a person instead of recruiting for a role 12:21 - Why your job ad is actually a marketing tool (and how to write one that works)   14:10 - Thinking outside the job boards: using Facebook ads and customer databases to find hidden talent   18:36 - The "Funky Wombat" trick: how a simple code word saves you hours of reading useless applications   21:51 - Why successful recruiting is actually a strict deselection process   25:00 - Busting the "skills shortage" myth with a real-world panel beater example   30:54 - The power of group interviews to find confident, customer-facing superstars    Key Takeaways:  Recruit for the Role, Not the Person: Do not just look for a carbon copy of whoever left. Start fresh with a clear role description and fit it into your organisational structure.  Treat Job Ads Like Marketing: Use the AIDA principle (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) and always answer "What's in it for me?" for the candidate. Your ad should sell the benefits of working with you.  Deselection is Your Best Friend: Put simple hurdles in your process, like a funny code word in the ad or a video questionnaire, to weed out the lazy applicants before you even look at a resume.  Nail the Bookends: Your recruitment process will fail if you do not have clear KPIs set up beforehand and a solid induction training programme waiting for them on day one.  🚀 Get your free 5-Stage Approach to Recruiting guide at maxmyprofit.com.au/recruit and make your next hire a successful one.  Tune in to discover how to attract and retain the best talent. Do not miss this episode, and do not forget to subscribe for more practical insights every week.     

In this milestone 150th episode of the Max Your Business Podcast, hosts Ben Fewtrell and David Carlin unpack the real mechanics of your business machine. While most business owners focus heavily on sales and profit, Ben and David explain why these are actually outcome numbers and how you need to pull the very specific levers that influence them.  Growing a business is not just about spending more money on marketing. It is about understanding the five crucial KPIs every owner needs to measure. From finding out your true conversion rate to boosting the average customer spend, they share practical advice on how small tweaks across these five areas create a massive compounding effect on your bottom line.  If you are tired of working hard without seeing the financial reward, or if you want to know exactly what to measure before delegating tasks to your team, this episode is an absolute must listen.  Episode Highlights:   00:00 - Welcome to the Max Your Business Podcast  01:55 - Why sales and profit are outcome numbers, not direct levers   02:40 - The business machine view: why your business needs to produce a clear output   05:19 - Celebrating episode 150 and why revisiting the basics is so powerful   07:51 - KPI 1 and 2: Generating leads and why your actual conversion rate might shock you   12:18 - Why counting every single lead is essential for understanding your marketing costs   14:47 - KPI 3 and 4: Maximising spending frequency and average customer spend to boost revenue   18:40 - KPI 5: Understanding your profit margins to ensure you actually keep what you make   20:46 - How mastering these five numbers allows you to effectively delegate and set team targets   23:37 - Your Next Steps    Key Takeaways:  Focus on the Inputs: Sales and profit are just outcomes. To grow your business, you need to focus on the five actionable levers that actually create them.  Measure Every Lead: Do not just count the qualified leads. Measuring every single enquiry gives you a true picture of your conversion rate and marketing costs.  Small Tweaks, Massive Results: You do not need to double your leads to double your profit. Small percentage increases across all five KPIs create a huge compounding effect.  Delegate with Data: You cannot effectively hand over the reins if you do not know the mechanics of your business. These numbers give your team clear, measurable targets.  🚀 Get your free Leverage Workbook featuring 50 practical strategies at maxmyprofit.com.au/leverage and start pulling the right levers in your business today.  Tune in to discover how to bring these numbers to life. Do not miss this milestone episode, and do not forget to subscribe for more practical insights every week.

In this episode of the Max Your Business Podcast, hosts Ben Fewtrell and David Carlin unpack the core fundamentals every small business owner needs to master. They dive into why looking backwards is often the best way to plan forward and why knowing your numbers is absolutely critical before you try to delegate to a manager.  Running a business is completely different from just operating one. Ben and David share exactly how to build a business dashboard, what Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you need to track, and why relying on hard work alone will not automatically create long term success. They also explore the practical steps required to systemise your operations so your business can eventually run without you.  If you are tired of guessing and want to start pulling the right levers to grow your bottom line, this episode will challenge you to look at your business through a completely new lens.    Episode Highlights:   00:00 Welcome to the Max Your Business Podcast  00:27 Why looking backward helps you accurately plan forward for business growth  03:50 The roadblock of delegating when you do not know your own numbers  04:34 The car dashboard analogy and tracking your vital KPIs  08:02 Why you must understand the difference between gross profit and net profit  12:51 Operating a business versus actually running a profitable business  15:52 How to figure out what to delegate and what to keep as the owner  16:49 The McDonald's model and what true business systemisation looks like  30:19 Your Next Steps      Key Takeaways:  Build Your Business Dashboard: Just like driving a car, you need the essential numbers right at your fingertips to track your progress and spot warning signs early.  Operate vs. Run: Knowing the technical aspects of your trade is great, but understanding the mechanics of running a business is what will actually keep you growing.  Prepare to Delegate: You cannot effectively hand over the reins to a general manager if you do not have clear numbers and targets to hold them accountable.  Invest in Learning: Before spending big on equipment or commercial fit outs, invest time and resources in understanding how your business actually makes a profit.  Systemise for Freedom: Setting up solid structures and processes is the only true way to build a scalable asset that generates income without you needing to be on the tools.  🚀 Get your free workbook and learn how to build your own KPI dashboard at maxmyprofit.com.au/business  Curious about the gaps in your strategy? Head to maxmyprofit.com.au and scroll to the footer to take the Business Acceleration Blueprint quiz.  Tune in to discover how to take control of your numbers. Do not miss this episode, and make sure to subscribe for more practical small business insights every week.