The IGNITE Podcast with Josh Stone

Hosted by Josh Stone

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200

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Jun 2026

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June 15, 202617 min

Stop Being So Available To Your Clients | EP 174

If you're ending every week feeling like you've just been running around putting out fires - answering calls at 6 or 7pm, dropping everything every time a client rings - this episode is for you. Being available to your clients 24/7 isn't a strength. It's a trap. And in this episode I break down exactly why it's costing you growth, killing your team's ability to step up, and what you can do about it. I also share the story of Steven, one of our Boardroom members who came in as a one-man band and went on to build a team of seven with 230% growth from the prior financial year - partly because he made the decision to set firmer client boundaries and stop letting clients call the shots on his time and cash flow. Inside this episode we cover: - Why being too available trains clients to expect the impossible - How your constant availability is blocking your team from growing - Why always being reactive means you'll never be strategic - The simple boundaries you can put in place without damaging client relationships - What Steven did to go from solo operator to leading a team of seven If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like your clients own your time more than you do, this episode will give you a clear framework to fix that. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

June 8, 202626 min

How Principals Become The Bottleneck In Their Own Firm | The Blueprint Collective | EP 173

I recently joined Scott Banton on The Blueprint Collective podcast to talk about one of the most common things I see holding consultancy owners back - and most of them don't even realise it's happening. In this episode we get into what it actually looks like when a founder or principal becomes the bottleneck in their own business. Not just in design and delivery - but in decision making, client relationships and team confidence. And what it costs you commercially when you can't let go. We cover:- Why smart people stay stuck and keep doing work they should be delegating- The buyback rate and how to use it to work out what's worth your time- Why founders sometimes hire people who aren't as good as them on purpose- How to get your team running systems without you being across everything- What 30% net profit actually takes to achieve- Where AI fits into the engineering and built environment space right now If you recognise yourself in any of this - the suggestion is simple. Do a calendar audit this week. Highlight what's high value, highlight what isn't, and ask yourself honestly who else could do this. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw Don't forget to subscribe so you get notified of future episodes About The Blueprint Collective:Hosted by Scott Bampton, Product Marketing Manager at Total Synergy and former Operations Lead within national architecture firms, The Blueprint Collective is a curated podcast featuring candid Q&A-style conversations with architects, engineers, and creative leaders redefining how we design, deliver, and lead. Filmed online, the series cuts through industry polish to focus on what matters: the ideas and people driving progress. Want to join us on the podcast? Register your interest here - https://totalsynergy.com/blueprint-collective/ About Total Synergy:Built in Australia, Total Synergy is a global software platform purpose-built for the architecture and engineering industry. The all-in-one solution brings together project management, resourcing, budgeting, time tracking, document management, invoicing, and reporting into a single system. Trusted by thousands of A&E professionals across the globe, Total Synergy simplifies complex workflows so teams can spend less time on admin and more time delivering exceptional results.

June 1, 202611 min

Engineers Let Themselves Become a Commodity (And Doctors Didn’t) | EP 172

Engineers didn’t lose respect overnight — it happened one “yes” at a time. In this episode, I explain how the engineering & built environment profession gradually became commoditised, dropping fees & profit margins — while doctors protected their value — and what you need to do to stop being discounted, rushed, and disrespected.I share a real client example of saying no, holding standards, and attracting higher-quality opportunities. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

May 25, 202610 min

The Transition to a Leadership Team | EP 171

If you're trying to build out your leadership team and you're still doing everything yourself - this episode is for you. In this episode I break down why most leadership teams just create more meetings without more results, why ambiguous roles lead to slow decisions and finger-pointing, and how to build a leadership team on accountability rather than just tenure or title. I also share the story of Adam, a Boardroom member who promoted two of his team members into dedicated leadership roles and got to work building a clear development plan for each of them from day one - and how that deliberate approach is already showing him the path to stepping back from the day-to-day. Inside this episode we cover: - Why a leadership team without real ownership just creates more noise - How ambiguous responsibility kills momentum and makes you the default decision-maker for everything - Why promoting your best technical person into leadership often backfires - How to build an 18 to 24-month development plan for your leaders - What Adam did to start transitioning out of the day-to-day properly If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like your leadership team still needs you in the room for every decision, this episode will give you a clear framework to fix that. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

May 18, 20269 min

How to Nail Asking for Variations | EP 170

If you've ever done extra work for a client, knowing you're leaving money on the table, and still not charged for it - this episode is for you.In this episode I break down why clients will always push for more, how a simple script takes all the awkwardness out of asking for variations, and why not asking is doing your business a serious disservice.I also share the story of George, one of our Boardroom members, who landed a variation worth 25% of the original project value - because he had a system in place and had done the mindset work to back himself in the moment.Inside this episode we cover: - Why clients will always try it on and what to do about it- The simple scripts that make asking for variations completely natural- Why not charging for variations isn't being generous, it's being unsustainable- How to make variation conversations a normal part of how your whole business operates- What George did to land a variation worth 25% of the original project value If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and you're regularly absorbing scope creep without charging for it, this episode will give you the exact words and process to fix it. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

May 4, 202614 min

Upgrade Your Identity, Or Forever Stay Stuck Where You Are Right Now | EP 169

If you have been trying to grow your consultancy for a while and keep hitting the same ceiling, dealing with the same problems, and wondering why nothing is really shifting — this episode is going to give you a very different answer to why. In this episode I break down why businesses don't outgrow their owners, what it actually means to upgrade your identity as a business owner, and the practical shift you need to make to start leading at the level your business actually needs. I also share the story of Jordan, a Boardroom member who 5X'd his revenue in a single year. Not through a new strategy. Through an identity shift. He decided to show up differently, hired the people the business needed, went after better clients, and backed himself — before the results had even shown up. Inside this episode we cover: - Why you can't grow a business beyond the version of you running it - How your identity determines what you say yes to, what you tolerate, and how you spend your time - Why upgrading your identity is a decision, not a destination - How to define what the next version of you actually looks like - What Jordan did to 5X his revenue in twelve months If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like you keep hitting the same ceiling, this episode will show you exactly where to look first. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

April 27, 202617 min

You Need a Weekly Rhythm, Not More Motivation | EP 168

If you are getting to the end of every week feeling like you have done nothing except put out fires — like the big stuff in your business has not moved an inch — this episode is for you. In this episode I break down why reactive weeks do not happen by accident, why being constantly available is keeping you stuck, and how to design and lock in a weekly rhythm that actually moves the needle on what matters. I also share the story of Drew, one of our Boardroom members, who committed to blocking Mondays for strategy — not Monday morning, the full day — and how that one decision changed the entire shape of his week and helped his business grow faster. Inside this episode we cover:- Why reactive weeks are a design problem, not a time problem- How being available for everything is keeping you the bottleneck- How to identify your big rocks and get them into your calendar first- Why consistency beats motivation every single time- What Drew did differently to stop running the business day to day and start leading it If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like your week is happening to you rather than being run by you, this episode will give you a clear framework to fix it. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

April 20, 202614 min

How To Lift Team Performance Without Being A Jerk | EP 167

Most consultancy owners know they need higher standards in their business. The problem is they are not sure how to get there without damaging relationships or turning into someone they do not want to be. In this episode I break down exactly how to lift the performance of your team without avoiding hard conversations or tolerating things you know are quietly dragging the business backwards. We cover why what you tolerate becomes your standard, why avoiding hard conversations is costing you far more than you think, and why most performance issues are not people problems at all — they are clarity problems. I also share a great example from Boardroom members Debbie and Patrick, who lifted performance across their business not by being harder on the team, but by getting clearer on expectations and creating space for people to step up and take ownership. Inside this episode we cover: - Why tolerating underperformance sets the standard for your whole business - The real cost of avoiding hard conversations - How to remove emotion from performance management - Why clear expectations lift performance more than pressure does - What Debbie and Patrick did to get their team performing at a higher level If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and have been putting off a conversation you know you need to have, this episode will give you a clear framework for how to handle it properly. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

April 13, 202618 min

Why Hiring More People Won't Fix Your Profit | EP 166

If your margins are tight and your instinct is to hire more people to deal with business bottlenecks, this episode is worth listening to before you do. In this episode I break down one of the most common mistakes I see consultancy owners make: using hiring as the default solution to a profit problem. More often than not, adding headcount makes things worse before they get better — and in many cases, it is not the real issue at all. I unpack why every new hire is a cost before it is a return, why throwing people at problems is usually avoidance of the real issue, and why the most profitable phases of a consultancy are not the growth phases — they are the consolidation phases. I also share a real example from inside our Boardroom community. Mandy recently hit 30% net profit for the first time in her business, and she did not hire a single extra person to get there. Inside this episode we cover: - Why hiring reduces profit before it increases it - Why most business problems are systems and process issues, not people issues - How to diagnose what is actually holding your margins back - Why consolidation phases are where real profit is built - What Mandy did differently to hit 30% net profit If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like margins are being squeezed no matter how hard you work, this episode will give you a completely different way to look at the problem. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw

April 6, 202610 min

Why Growth Plateaus Are Actually Good For Your Consultancy | EP 165

If your consultancy has hit a growth plateau recently, this episode is for you. Most engineering and built environment consultancy owners panic when revenue flattens out. They assume something's wrong. But in this episode, I want to completely reframe the way you think about plateau phases. In most cases, they're not a problem. They're a necessary part of building a strong, sustainable consultancy. I break down why strong consultancies grow in cycles rather than straight lines, why the consolidation phase is where the real foundations of a business get built, and how the most successful founders use these periods deliberately, instead of reacting to them emotionally. I also share the story of Meredith, a client inside our Boardroom community who used her plateau phase to build her business playbook, document systems and bring in two student planners and a VA. The result is a consultancy that's structurally stronger and ready for the next wave of growth. Inside this episode we cover: - Why growth happens in cycles, not straight lines- How plateau phases expose operational weaknesses that need to be fixed- The difference between reacting to a plateau and using it deliberately- How to create a mini business plan for your consolidation phase- What strong consultancies focus on when revenue growth slows If you're running an engineering or built environment consultancy and things feel like they've plateaued, this episode will show you exactly how to use that period to set yourself up for the next stage. 👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://youtu.be/qhusAlo3msw?si=JHK1JjXMMgJO08Hw