Business Excellence - TOP 5 Series

Hosted by Rael Bricker and Lindsay Adams

Business Entrepreneurship EducationInterviews guests

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Episodes

309

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

In keeping with the theme of our podcast, "Business Excellence" we have decided to release a new edition, the Business Excellence Top 5 Series. In this series we interview the best contributors we can source to tell us about their Top 5 tips, tools or ideas relating to their topic around business and / or life. Hosted by Lindsay Adams OAM CSP and Rael Bricker CSP bringing 60+ years of entrepreneurial success and professional speaking together.

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60 recent

October 18, 2026Episode 16825 min

In Conversation - Kate Engler Top Five Tips For Getting Media Coverage Without Needing An Expensive PR Agency - Yes You CAN Do It Yourself

“It’s actually not the journalist’s job to promote your business.” Kate Engler Top Five Tips For Getting Media Coverage Without Needing an Expensive PR Agency – yes you CAN do it yourself 1. Pitch useful expertise, not your business 2. Back yourself 3. You don’t need an expensive PR agency to get coverage 4. Write a proper media pitch in the third person 5. Use AI carefully TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:40 Changing how you pitch is important 05:50 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome 10:12 Effective Media Pitching Strategies 15:48 Writing Professional Media Releases 21:17 The Role of AI in Media Where to find Kate? Website https://meetthepressmasterclass.com.au/ LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/in/kate-engler-publicity Kate Engler Bio In a nutshell, Kate breaks the rules of how businesses get publicity. Her MEET THE PRESS MASTERCLASS links journos directly with hand-selected business owners and allows journalists to hear multiple pitches in one go - direct from the client, with no ‘PR whitewashing’ and no more 'dud' pitches. What do journalists get out of this? Qualified businesses with juicy stories that they can immediately take to their viewers, readers or listeners. Kate challenges the way publicity is harnessed by businesses, by giving them access to thousands of dollars of free media exposure without using the traditional PR agency model or needing her assistance beyond her highly regarded MasterClass. (Yep - that means her MasterClass is an ‘upsell free zone’ – Quite refreshing don’t you think?) After many years working in corporate PR on both sides of the country with internationally recognised brands including World Vision, P&O Cruises, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Starlight Children’s Foundation, BedShed, Homeloans Ltd, Australand, Sanwa Vines, and Dilmah Tea, Kate now puts the power of the media into the hands of everyday business owners so they can easily and quickly generate their own media coverage. Every year, her MasterClass graduates regularly feature across thousands of hours of TV and radio time, and hundreds of pages of national, local and specialty newspapers and magazines including some of Australia’s biggest TV shows including The Project, A Current Affair, The Today Show, Ticker TV, Sunrise and ABC News 24, Daily Mail, Body & Soul and Prevention magazine, Inside Small Business and SmartCompany. They have been interviewed on numerous radio stations including 3AW, 2UE, 6PR, ABC Radio around the country and 4BC and featured in the nation’s biggest circulating newspapers including The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Courier Mail, The Australian, Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph as well as many local newspapers. They have also found extremely valuable exposure in many specialist publications and on online news and industry sites. Better still, a growing number of Kate’s MasterClass graduates are now asked to appear regularly in the medial as experts in their field. You will find Kate to be an engaging, generous presenter with a warm, welcoming and surprisingly (for a PR person) genuine nature.

October 11, 2026Episode 16729 min

In Conversation - Simon Bowen Top Five Tips For How To Make Your Genius Impossible To Ignore

“Why gets you hear, but how gets you chosen.” Simon Bowen Top Five Tips for How to make your genius impossible to ignore 1. The genius lives in one head, not in a transferable model 2. Buyers cannot tell your depth from your competitor's surface 3. Why creates interest, but it never closes a high-stakes deal 4. Urgency-driven pitching signals risk, not confidence 5. Buyers need to try on your genius before they'll buy it TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:10 Codifying Company Genius 04:26 Simplification Through Visual Models 13:32 Why Gets Heard and How Gets Chosen 20:51 Prioritizing Buyer Safety Over Urgency Where to find Simon? Website www.modelsmethod.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonbowen-mm Simon Bowen Bio Simon Bowen is the world's leading authority on strategic thinking systems and founder of The Models Method®, the proven methodology that transforms how organisations unlock, protect, and scale their unique intellectual genius. He works with Fortune 500 companies, heads of government, military leaders, and visionary CEOs to extract their intuitive genius and create visual frameworks that revolutionize how they sell, position, and deliver complex value. With over two decades advising some of the most influential leaders across complex industries including manufacturing, mining, financial services, technology, defence, and infrastructure, Simon operates at the intersection of where most businesses fail: making the invisible visible. His fundamental findings are that thinking is systematically undervalued in our modern world, yet the power and success of any organisation is directly proportional to the quality of thinking and ideas on which it is built. The Models Method® has enabled clients to achieve complete clarity on what they truly sell, transform how their team’s articulate value, revolutionize conversion rates, and create deep organisational alignment around their core genius. Through his strategic frameworks, combined with pattern recognition mastery and extraction expertise, Simon has helped leaders protect their intuitive methodologies, scale without dilution, and build multi-generational market power. Simon is the creator of the Models Method® framework and host of The Wisdom of...Show is a powerful interview series featuring some of the world's most respected thinkers, founders, and industry-shaping leaders. His methodology has been developed through years of research and real-world application across multiple industries, making it a proven solution for complex organisations worldwide.

August 16, 2026Episode 16620 min

In Conversation - Derek Fredrickson Top Five Tips For Building A Business That Scales Without You

“Business owners love to start things, but they can’t stand finishing things, and so the team ends up having all of these unfinished projects.” The Top 5 Tips for Building a Business That Scales Without You 1. Do a Bottleneck Audit 2. Stop Delegating Tasks - Start Delegating Outcomes 3. Build One Operating Rhythm This Week 4. Define What Only You Can Do 5. Hire for Trust First TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:15 The audit helps business owners shift from an operator mindset to an owner mindset. 08:10 Delegating outcomes leads to more effective and efficient team execution. 12:20 Creating a culture of accountability, ensuring everyone is responsible for their outcomes. 13:16 Business owners should focus on activities that only they can do and those that light them up. 16:05 Trust is crucial for effective delegation and operational support. Where to find Derek? Website https://thecoosolution.com/ LinkedIn https://fr.linkedin.com/in/derekfredrickson Derek Fredrickson Bio Derek Fredrickson is the CEO and founder of The COO Solution, a fractional COO firm that works hands-on with 7- and 8-figure founders and CEOs to build the operational foundation their businesses need to scale. With over 16 years as a Chief Operating Officer and second-in-command, including years running operations for his wife Fabienne Fredrickson's coaching business as she scaled it to multiple seven figures, Derek has spent his career at the intersection of operational leadership, team building, and founder development. He relocated his family to Paris over a decade ago and built The COO Solution from the ground up, and now leads a team of fractional COOs embedded inside growing businesses across industries. He also hosts The COO Solution Podcast, where he shares practical insights on scaling, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a business that runs without the founder at the center of everything.

August 9, 2026Episode 16519 min

In Conversation - Drew Dorenfest Top Five Tips For Small Business Owners To Get Found Online

“It’s not about cleverness, its about clarity.” Drew Dorenfest Top Five Tips For Small Business Owners To Get Found Online 1. Get more reviews. 2. Optimize your website 3. Write content that cites sources 4. Focus on your best social network 5. Email your email list regularly TIME STAMP SUMMARY 02:00 Managing Negative Reviews and Optimizing Websites 06:06 SEO Practices and AI Content Creation 10:05 Focusing on the Best Social Networks 12:52 Email Marketing and Staying Top of Mind 15:20 Repurposing Content Across Social Networks Where to find Drew? Website www.clientmagnetcrm.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-dorenfest-64688213 Drew Dorenfest Bio Drew Dorenfest is a marketing expert who has worked with global brands such as Netflix, Apple, Warner Bros, The NFL and many more as video editor. Now with client Magnet CRM he’s using his expertise to help fellow small business owners grow their brands through more clients, more 5-star reviews and more sales.

August 2, 2026Episode 16420 min

In Conversation - Steve Riddle Top Five Tips For Closing The Gap Between Leadership Intent and Impact

“Real accountability is not something you impose on people. It’s a culture that they choose.” The Top 5 Tips for Closing the Gap Between Leadership Intent and Impact 1. Telling people the what without owning the how. 2. Accountability is chosen, not imposed. 3. The intent-impact gap. 4. Reflection only has value if it changes behaviour. 5. Self-awareness as the core leadership tool. TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:32 Overcoming Fear of Setting Expectations 05:59 Balancing accountability and trust 10:03 Generational differences in feedback 16:25 Developing self-awareness Where to find Steve? Website https://coachstation.com.au/our-team/ LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/in/steveriddlecoachstation1 Steve Riddle Bio Steve Riddle is the founder of CoachStation, a Brisbane-based leadership coaching and advisory practice operating across Australia since 2010. He has spent 16 years coaching leaders, working with more than 600 leaders across 90-plus organisations on leadership capability, accountability and decision quality. Steve is the author of Falling Into Leadership and creator of the Effective LEADER framework. He is a QUT Leadership Institute Fellow and a regular podcast guest and contributor. His clients range from emerging leaders to senior executives and business owners, with engagements spanning one-to-one coaching, leadership workshops and embedded organisational partnerships.

July 26, 2026Episode 16321 min

In Conversation - David Deighton Top Five Tips For Active Listening

“In that moment of silence, you just remain silent and eventually the person in front of you will say something more and add more and add more. And often it’s more and more personal…” David Deighton Top Five Tips For Active Listening 1. Active listening, all senses included 2. How are all performance artists while listening 3. Abstract listening example 4. Conceptual listening example 5. Listening with strangers TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:36 Using all senses to be truly present in a conversation. 05:10 Silence demonstrates respect 11:20 Disrupting social norms to have deeper conversations 20:10 Acting with intent ties back to active listening Where to find David? Website https://www.triptychdialogue.com/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@triptych-dialogue David Deighton Bio I am told that my work is unusual and urgent. I'll explain, first my background: I am an artist, educator, father, world traveller and entrepreneur working on transformational experiences using abstract art. My background as an art dealer and creator of a successful art business allowed me to invest back into community and country. I use art to do this. I am about engaging strangers in the spirit on connection, and I do this in innovative ways. I'm focused on the taboo subject of politics, but that word can be exchanged for a multitude of taboo subjects. I do NOT talk politics rather it's about tools to heal community, bridge divides, transform and explore artistic expression. For the last 6 years I have been actively engaging with strangers in public spaces, asking them to talk to their political opponents, listen to them and find commonalities. So far all has gone well without confrontation. How do I do this? I set up art installations in free speech areas where I share communication techniques with the public to use in engaging with strangers. Thousands of visitors have discovered my work in unlikely venues such as National Parks or even a mountain top. I'm happy to share what I have discovered and also share stories from my encounters, my multiple travels around the World or offer insights into humanity. All these experiments have been profoundly transformative. Listeners will discover meaningful ways to change our course away from division and hatred to a healthier exchange that benefits them and those around them.

July 19, 2026Episode 16223 min

In Conversation - Andrew Griffiths Top Five Tips For Why You Should Proudly Be The Most Expensive

"You can't be the most expensive and be the most crap at what you do.” Andrew Griffiths Top Five Tips For Why You Should Proudly Be The Most Expensive 1. When you play in the cheap end of town, you are just another transaction 2. If you’re going to be the most expensive you have to be the best, and there is no downside to this 3. The right customers are looking for the best, not the cheapest 4. Being the most expensive differentiates you in so many ways 5. Businesses that charge the most build financial resilience TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:40 Competing solely on price is a lack of creativity and leads to a lack of emotional connection with customers. 04:10 Being the most expensive requires delivering exceptional value in every aspect of the transaction. 09:20 Rewriting the stories and mindsets that prevent business owners from charging appropriately. 15:25 Attracting the right customers who value quality and are willing to pay more leads to long-term business success. 20:10 Financial resilience leads to a more sustainable and less stressful business environment. Where to find Andrew? Website https://www.andrewgriffiths.com.au Website LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/in/griffithsandrew Andrew Griffiths Long Bio Andrew Griffiths stands as Australia’s #1 small business author and global authority on future-proofing businesses. With 40 years of entrepreneurial wisdom, 14 bestselling books published in 65 countries, and over 1,000 presentations delivered across 25 countries, Andrew brings a rare combination of street-smart experience and profound business insight to every stage. What sets Andrew apart isn’t just his impressive credentials – it’s his ability to see the human element in an increasingly digital world. Renowned as one of the greatest storytellers in the speaking profession, Andrew weaves masterful narratives drawn from his vast bank of personal experiences and business observations, delivering powerful lessons that resonate long after the presentation ends. As an entrepreneurial futurist, he champions the power of human intelligence in business, helping organisations and leaders navigate change while staying authentically connected to their customers. His gift for storytelling transforms complex business concepts into memorable, actionable insights that inspire real change. Drawing from his extraordinary journey from orphan to international business authority, Andrew delivers more than just insights, he shares battle-tested wisdom that has helped both Fortune 500 companies and small business owners thrive. His presentations blend powerful storytelling with practical strategies, delivered with an authenticity that can only come from someone who has lived the entrepreneurial journey in all its ups and downs. Organisations around the world including the European Union, CBS, Hewlett Packard and Hertz have trusted Andrew to deliver not just inspiration, but actionable wisdom that creates lasting impact. His unique ability to hold a mirror up to audiences, showing them both challenges and opportunities comes wrapped in his signature style of unapologetic honesty and quick wit. Andrew specialises in helping audiences: • Look at their business from a global trend perspective • Embrace human intelligence as a competitive advantage • Use storytelling in a strategic way to connect and influence • Build deeper customer connections in a digital age • Navigate price increases and value positioning • Transform their definition of success • Create bulletproof brands that stand the test of time • Feel inspired by global stories of innovation in business When Andrew takes the stage, he doesn’t just leave a warm impression, he catalyses real change. His mission is to help people of substance build businesses of substance, ensuring they remain relevant and resilient in an ever-evolving marketplace.

July 12, 2026Episode 16122 min

In Conversation - Tracy Holland Top Five Tips For Business Builders

“My circle decides my ceiling.” Tracy Hollands Top Five Tips For Business Builders 1. Stop confusing activity with leverage 2. Turn your influence into something tangible 3. Build with your community, not just for them 4. Simple scales. Complex breaks 5. Choose rooms that expand your future TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:23 Doing more with less 05:40 Building a brand, no matter what 10:20 Include your community in changes 13:50 Focus on simplicity 17:10 Who is in your surroundings Where to find Tracy? Website https://www.innerfifth.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyholland Tracy Holland Bio I’m a founder, investor, and operator who has spent more than two decades building brands and businesses with women who lead. I co-founded HATCHBEAUTY and helped scale it to over $750M in cumulative wholesale revenue, launching and growing brands like Naturewell, Nuance by Salma Hayek, BLISS Color, FOUND Active, and Orlando Pita Haircare. Today, I lead the InnerFifth ecosystem, Potential to Powerhouse, Inner Fifth Accelerator, and Goodwill Brands, which is designed to take creators and entrepreneurs from inspiration to product to scale. I believe a woman’s greatest asset isn’t capital, it’s conviction, and the community that amplifies it. My mission is to build rooms where powerhouse women rise together, with clarity, strategy, and support. I’m an EY Entrepreneur of the Year, a Fashion & Beauty Award recipient, and a member of The Committee of 200.

June 21, 2026Episode 16023 min

In Conversation - Dre Baldwin Top Five Tips For Eliminating Execution Drift in Growing Organizations

“People don’t do what you expect, they do what you inspect” Dre Baldwin Top Five Tips for Eliminating Execution Drift in Growing Organizations 1. Define Behavior, Not Just Outcomes 2. Build a measurable execution scorecard 3. Remove Ambiguity from Roles and Standards 4. Systematize “The Same Things, The Same Way, Every Time” 5. Enforce accountability through structure not emotion TIME STAMP SUMMARY 04:03 Importance of team leaders communicating that activities are being tracked to ensure compliance. 08:58 Consistent enforcement of standards is crucial for maintaining order and respect. 17:58 Systems can be simple but effective, and they are essential for managing growth. 20:10 Accountability should be based on consistent processes, not personal relationships or moods. Where to find Dre? Website https://www.dreallday.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dreallday Dre Baldwin Bio Dre Baldwin is the creator of Work on your game, the operating system for high performance entrepreneurs. After a 9-year pro basketball career, Dre has delivered 4 TEDx Talks, authored 43 books, and built a body of work consumed over 100 million times. His framework installs discipline, structure and presence into experts and service pros ready to scale from six to seven figures with clarity, confidence and control.

June 14, 2026Episode 15921 min

In Conversation - Nancy Youssef Top Five Tips For Moving From Fear To Purpose and Building A Life You Actually Want

“Success really should be improving your life, not just consuming it.” Nancy Youssef Top Five Tips For Moving From Fear to Purpose and Building a Life you Actually Want 1. Commit before you feel ready 2. Money is emotional before it’s mathematical. 3. Let go of control to become a better leader 4. Purpose isn’t something you find- Its something you keep choosing 5. Build a business that gives you freedom, not just success. TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:37 Readiness is achieved through action and experience. 06:40 Knowing your numbers and understanding trigger points. 14:50 Purpose can change based on life circumstances and challenges. 20:10 Make changes to achieve the freedom they desire, even if it means taking risks. Where to find Nancy? Website https://www.nancyyoussef.com.au/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyoussef/ Nancy Youssef Bio Nancy Youssef is an award-winning business mentor, Certified Speaking Professional and author of Fear Money Purpose and Success Beyond Fear. She founded Classic Finance in 2003 and Classic Mentoring and Coaching in 2012, originally to give back to startups in the finance industry. That work has since evolved into mentoring more than 300 entrepreneurs and SME owners across many industries in Australia and beyond. She sold Classic Finance in 2019 and has been fully dedicated to mentoring and speaking ever since. Nancy is a Director on the PSA Board and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. A lifelong student of leadership, she has invested in her entrepreneurial journey through Richard Branson's Necker Island and pursued development through UCLA Anderson School of Management, Bond University and the Mind Academy where she holds certifications in NLP, Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy and Sustainable Dynamics. Nancy has also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting charitable initiatives across Africa, the Middle East and beyond. For her, purpose-led business and giving back have always been the same pursuit. She is known for her grounded, candid style and one question guides everything she does: does this give you more freedom or less?