The Real Biz Life Chronicles

Hosted by Tracy Fryer

Business Entrepreneurship

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156

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Aug 2026

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EN-AU

About the show

Unedited stories of Business, Branding and Life. Banish boring as Tracy Fryer and her guests take a ride on the rollercoaster of being a business owner - or of simply being human! Get ready to learn exactly what it takes to grow with distinction and show mediocrity the middle finger. In this podcast Tracy interview’s authentic business owners, who share their story of building a successful business, their strategies behind their success and leading the way. RAW. Honest. Unedited.

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September 11, 2026Episode 1582 hr 2 min

Who Gets The House In A Divorce? | Marcus Procopio #158

Send us Fan Mail Most people meet a family lawyer on the worst day of their lives. Marcus Procopio would rather you met him before it. Commercial litigation, property, employment, wills, family law - he's seen it all. He worked for a national firm, then in-house, and in 2016 he opened a boutique practice with his own surname above the door. His name's on it, so everything he says, he says as himself. Last year Marcus gave six words of advice that got a bit of blowback: date people in your financial ballpark. Some people didn't love it. But he's not taking it back, and in this episode he explains exactly what he means, caveats and all. We get into why nobody actually understands "the system" until it's too late, the difference between prevention and cure, the divorce statistics that get worse with every remarriage, why you shouldn't invite the law into your private life on day one, what a homemaker of 30 years is really entitled to, and a 12-year property mistake that will make you check your own filing cabinet. Direct, precise, and genuinely on your side. This one's an education. In this episode: 4:53 The disclaimer a lawyer has to read before giving opinions in 2026 12:41 The real cost of not doing due diligence 18:22 How emotion overrides the logic you should be using 26:52 "Date people in your financial ballpark" - what it actually means 34:54 The divorce statistics: first, second and third marriages 50:34 The income gap, and what the higher earner isn't seeing 1:24:02 The homemaker myth: "he'll take everything" is nonsense 1:38:43 How not to fall into the will trap 1:44:19 The 12-year filing-cabinet mistake 1:55:39 The one thing to remember: slow yourself down About Marcus: Marcus Procopio is the Director and Public Notary at Procopio Legal, where more than two decades in the law have earned him a name for advice that's practical, affordable and focused on getting a result. His work spans a wide field — contracts, business and commercial matters, negotiation and dispute resolution, property and commercial acquisitions, and family law. Clients tend to remember two things about working with him: sharp, careful drafting, and a knack for cutting through complicated problems without leaving anyone confused. He says things plainly, so you always know where you stand, which is exactly what makes this conversation worth your time. Away from the office, Marcus looks after his fruit trees, plays a bit of guitar, spends time under the barbell, and keeps company with Lily, the firm's resident mascot. Connect with Marcus: Website LinkedIn With thanks: This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

September 4, 2026Episode 1571 hr 16 min

How To Turn A Good Salary Into Real Wealth | Andreas Kettemann #157

Send us Fan Mail Big income, no plan. Andreas Kettemann returns to break down why a high salary doesn't make you wealthy A high income does not make you wealthy. Say it again for the doctors, the directors, the business owners - all the big earners secretly living from pay cheque to pay cheque. Andreas Kettemann is back, and this time the man behind our most downloaded audio episode isn't here to talk theory. He's here to tell you where wealth actually starts: the first decision, the order of moves, what he'd do if he was starting from zero. Since we last had him in the chair, Andreas has become a dad, grown 3D Wealth by adding two staff members, and bought a business property. But his message hasn't changed. Wealth isn't what you earn, it's what you decide, decision by decision, from wherever you're standing right now. In this one, we get into lifestyle creep and the brand new car that always comes first, what a broke high earner looks like up close, why "I'll catch up later" is the most expensive lie in personal finance, the five-year hole every business owner falls into - and the one boring habit Andreas wants every listener to start the second this episode ends. It might just be the nudge you needed. Grab a pen and a notebook for this one. In this episode: 7:21 Where a strong income actually disappears to 11:36 What a broke high earner looks like up close 13:40 Wearing different hats: paying yourself like an employee 16:22 The five-year pattern every new business runs through 30:41 Save first, spend what's left - the mindset shift 38:35 Spare cash at month end - where should it go? 41:38 Super: the giant investment nobody checks 50:01 The number one reason couples split 1:03:32 The 50/30 rule for high earners 1:09:15 The one move to make the second this episode ends About Andreas: Andreas is the founder of 3D Wealth , where he helps high-income professionals, medical specialists and business owners bring clarity and structure to the complicated stuff - superannuation, tax strategy, insurance and debt. A chartered accountant with a Master of Professional Accounting and qualifications across financial planning and mortgage broking, he was named 2025 Insight Investment Services Financial Adviser of the Year. His approach is holistic and built for the long haul: he'd rather be your partner for the next decade than your advisor for a single transaction, because that's what actually creates lasting results. Outside of work, Andreas is all about staying active, spending time with family and friends, and never being done learning. Connect with Andreas: Website LinkedIn Email With thanks: This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

August 28, 2026Episode 1561 hr 19 min

#156 How to Close More Sales Without More Leads - Dave Edward

Send us Fan Mail He built Perth's largest trade business in 3 years with no experience. Here's the sales process he used. Dave Edwards has spent 40 years dissecting the moment a customer decides. He’s sold for global companies, led sales teams, built six businesses of his own, and learned more from his one failure than from any of the wins. Ask him what he’s taken from it all, and he’ll tell you that it all comes back to a single belief: it's never the product, it's the experience around it. I first met Dave over Zoom a few years ago, and after a coffee earlier this year I knew I had to get him on the show. This is a man who gave up the good life in the UK to move his family across the world and start again. He wanted to prove that his system for success works in any industry, and he decided to do it by going all in on the move everyone thought was crazy: starting a trade business at the age of 49, with soft hands and no experience. Three years later he sold it as the largest in Perth, with 147 five-star reviews. In this conversation, we get into why more leads won't fix a sales problem, the "messy middle" most business owners ignore, the tiny touch points that win or lose the sale, how to make customers feel safe instead of stupid, and why taking full responsibility for failure is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. We also go well off script, into ice baths, wing walking, men's mental health, and the power of gratitude. His business is called Touchpoint Sales Consulting, and the name is the whole philosophy: every small interaction either wins the customer or loses them. This episode shows you how to get them right. In this episode: 6:01 Falling into sales and discovering a gift 8:38 Why human connection matters more in the age of AI 13:37 Can you fix a sales problem with a marketing solution? 14:47 The one tiny tweak that flooded a client with enquiries 19:51 How to become a business that's easy to say yes to 25:03 Getting Google reviews while the customer's buzzing 36:31 Starting a trade business at 49 to prove the system works 40:33 Never make a customer feel stupid 49:07 Men's mental health and the art of getting uncomfortable 59:30 Six businesses, one failure, and taking responsibility About Dave: Dave is the founder of Touchpoint Sales Consulting , where he helps small business owners fix the sales process problems they often mistake for marketing problems. Using his "From Prospects to Profits" framework, he builds customer journeys rooted in trust, clarity, and ease. His philosophy is simple: be memorable, and make every customer interaction a positive touch point. With 40 years in sales, Dave has led teams for global companies and built six businesses of his own - most notably building and selling one of Perth's largest trade businesses in three years, just to prove his systems work in any industry. Outside of work, he's all about family, the ocean, exercise, music, and travel, and is a passionate advocate for self-care in men, vulnerability, and gratitude. Connect with Dave: Website Instagram LinkedIn With thanks: This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

August 21, 2026Episode 15552 min

#155 Delegation and Learning How to Trust: How You Get Your Time Back - Mavic Medina

Send us Fan Mail What if the person holding your business together is not the person who is in the spotlight? Mavic has been a part of every major decision Design Studio Perth has made for five years, and until this week, we had never met face to face. This episode was shot on the first day we’d ever met, at the picturesque Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay, and I asked her everything I never had the chance to over five years of working side by side. Mav is the Operations Manager at Design Studio Perth and The Real Biz Life Chronicles, the reason our team runs like a machine. But before DSP met Mav, we had to get through Covid. In this conversation, we get into what it actually takes to hand your business to someone else, why Mav believes resourcefulness beats technical skill every time, how AI is reshaping the virtual assistant role, and the exact signs a business owner should watch for when they know they need their own Mavic. Her title is operations manager, but really, Mav is a genius conductor of chaos, and I always say, “every business needs a Mav!” This episode explains why. In This Episode: 7:47 Choosing mental health over a career 14:17 Which skills make you a resource as a VA 18:07 If VA’s don’t learn AI 24:30 The biggest misconception about being a virtual assistant 39:28 The mindset to have before making a big decision 44:44 Delegation inspiration for controlling business owners About Mav: Mav is the Operations Manager at Design Studio Perth, where she helps keep the business running smoothly by overseeing operations, project management and systems. Working behind the scenes, she supports both clients and team members to create a seamless experience. After leaving a fifteen-year corporate career, she embraced a new path as a virtual assistant, learning an entirely new way of working before growing into her role as Operations Manager. Her journey is one of resilience, continuous learning, and discovering that some of the biggest business impacts happen behind the scenes. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, friends and her fur babies. Tools and resources mentioned: Google Sheets | Asana | Loom | ChatGPT Connect with Mav: LinkedIn With thanks: Recorded on location at the Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay, Philippines. Thank you to the team there for hosting us and for the stunning view of Taal Lake that frames this conversation. This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

August 14, 2026Episode 1541 hr 19 min

#154 Marion Burchell on Leadership, ego and AI: Three forces colliding in every business right now.

Send us Fan Mail What if the way you have led for the past twenty years is about to stop working? I sat down with Marion Burchell, the Managing Director of Azolla, a Perth based management consulting firm that advises governments and organisations on operational excellence, change, leadership and systems. Marion spent twenty years in the public sector and a stint with one of the big four before backing herself and starting Azolla during COVID, the same month I started Design Studio Perth. What I love about Marion is that Azolla runs almost entirely on word of mouth. She says they have not needed to market in years, and once you hear how she thinks, you understand why. In this conversation, we talk about the thing every business owner is quietly wrestling with right now: the impact of AI on how we work and how we lead. Marion explains why this moment is so confronting for leaders, why so many organisations are preaching wellbeing while creating the exact conditions for burnout, and why the pause, actually stopping to breathe and think, might be the most valuable leadership skill of all. We also get into the difference between leadership and management, how to tell whether you are leading from ego or capability, and why saying no to the wrong clients protects everything you have built. What struck me most was Marion's view that for all our strategies and plans and processes, what we are really missing is the human factor. She describes real leadership as the deep work on yourself, the honest and awkward conversations, and the courage to hold on to your humanity in a world that keeps trying to sterilise it. It reframed how I think about my own role as my business grows. If you have ever felt the ground shifting under the way you lead, or wondered whether the next chapter of your business needs a different version of you, this is the conversation to sit with. Mentioned in This Episode: 6:11 Why the impact of AI is now the biggest conversation in every industry 10:17 The confronting question AI is forcing every leader to ask about their career 14:36 How organisations preach wellbeing while quietly fuelling burnout 17:54 The great pause, and why stopping to breathe might be your most valuable leadership skill 35:00 The two questions that reveal your real value as a business owner 48:07 Why saying no to the wrong clients protects your brand 54:37 Ego or capability: which leadership problem can actually be fixed 1:12:04 Why leadership and management are not the same thing, and what real leadership takes About Marion Burchell: Marion Burchell is the Managing Director of Azolla, a management consulting firm based in Perth that works with governments and organisations on operational excellence, change, leadership and systems. She has appeared on ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS and Telemundo, has authored or co-authored more than twenty publications, and her work on public participation in public policy development has been cited as best practice and adopted by international governments. Marion holds degrees in science and sociology and a certificate in public leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and she sits on the faculty of the AGSM at UNSW Business School. Connect with Marion: theazollaeffect.com | marionburchell.com | LinkedIn | Email This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

August 7, 2026Episode 1531 hr 52 min

#153 The 1% Better Method: Small Steps That Actually Build Discipline - Kerrin Watson-Smith

Send us Fan Mail The boring middle is where most goals quietly die, long after the excitement has gone. 1% Better is a first for the show. It is a four-part series across the year. Before each episode my running coach and I run the same 5k together on camera, then walk straight into the studio and hit record. The idea is to track my 5k getting faster and to show the part of a goal that usually gets edited out. Because the discipline it takes to train is the same discipline it takes to build a business. There is no one I would rather do this with than Kerrin Watson-Smith, founder of Chi-Me, a mental fitness framework that helps people train their mind the way they train their body. In 2010 she entered a full Ironman on three months of training, having never ridden in cleats or run a marathon, and finished first time out. She has also run the Comrades Marathon (86.9km) three times. We talk about why we train the body but expect the mind to just cope, why small steps beat grand resolutions, why stopping can be more disciplined than pushing through, the three word mantra that carried her through her first Ironman, and the year of training she lost to a torn calf two weeks out. If you are somewhere in the boring middle right now, start here. Mentioned in This Episode: 0:20 Why people quit on the boring middle, not the big goal 2:03 Why the discipline to train is the discipline to build a business 2:38 How a dog on a first run made Kerrin a coach and friend 14:03 Training the mind with the same intention as the body 16:01 When stopping beats pushing through 20:54 Small daily steps over grand resolutions 38:58 The three word mantra from her first Ironman 52:47 What a torn calf taught her about disappointment 59:12 Why the limits you place on yourself are hardest to beat About Kerrin: Kerrin Watson-Smith is the founder of Chi-Me, a mental fitness framework built around self-esteem, clarity of goals, social connection and wellness. A three time Comrades runner and Ironman finisher, she believes the mind should be trained with the same intention as the body. She lives, coaches and runs in Perth. Connect with Kerrin: Instagram @thatgirlwhoruns | Instagram @chi_me_australia | Facebook | inspire@chi-me.co.za This episode's sponsors: • Cuppa Cartel , the coffee fuelling our conversations. Enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans with code TRBLC at checkout. • MyGene , personalised genetic testing and healthspan programs. Use code REALBIZLIFE26 at checkout to get the Inform Me Plus program for the price of Inform Me, a free upgrade worth $403. • Chi-Me , Kerrin's mental fitness framework. • Design Studio Perth , the branding studio behind the show. • Beam Theory, dentist designed, enamel safe teeth whitening. • Project Rhino KZN , protecting rhino populations across KwaZulu-Natal. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

July 31, 2026Episode 1521 hr 14 min

#152 We Shouldn't Tell You This! B2B Social Media Done Correctly - Sian Lindeque

Send us Fan Mail What is your social media saying about your business before you ever get the chance to speak? I sat down with Sian Lindeque, the social media manager behind so much of what happens at Design Studio Perth, for a conversation I have wanted to record for a while. Sian runs our clients' social media, and after more than two years working alongside her, I can tell you her real job goes far beyond posting and captions. At its core, it is about trust. Her work is taking a business owner who is brilliant at what they do but invisible to the people who need to see them most, and making them seen. In this episode she is refreshingly honest about how much has shifted, especially now that AI has made it so easy to show up as a generic, forgettable brand. In this conversation, we unpack why so many owners freeze before they even begin, what someone actually decides in the first few seconds of finding your business online, and why posting every day without a strategy quietly works against you. Sian explains the difference between a business that just posts and one that genuinely builds trust, the metrics that matter far more than likes and followers, and how long it really takes before social media starts working. We also get into where all of this is heading as AI reshapes the feed. What struck me most was Sian's take on visibility as a cost. If you are not showing up online, she says, it is a bit like standing in your garden telling people you have a business. Your neighbours might hear you, but the people who actually need you never will. It reframed the whole thing for me. If you have ever felt invisible to the people who need you, or you know your social media could be doing far more than it is, this is the episode I would want you to hear now. Mentioned in This Episode: 2:00 How social media has shifted in the age of AI, and the generic brand trap 11:13 The real reason business owners do not show up 14:33 The garden analogy that reframes what being invisible online costs you 15:32 What someone decides about your business in the first few seconds 27:50 The number of times a person needs to see you before they reach out 39:03 The vanity metrics owners obsess over, and the data that actually matters 44:09 Where social media is heading in the next five years About Sian Lindeque: Sian Lindeque is the social media manager at Design Studio Perth, where she runs client accounts and social media management. She holds degrees in public relations and international relations, and found her way into social media in her final year of university running the personal pages of the businesswomen behind a well-known reality series. Outspoken, calm and dependable, she is known for saying the true thing in the room when everyone else stays quiet. Connect with Design Studio Perth: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

July 24, 2026Episode 1511 hr 5 min

#151 The 1 Client You Must Fire To Grow - Tristan Peirce

Send us Fan Mail What if the smartest growth move you make this year is the work you decide not to take on? Tristan Peirce has spent more than twenty years designing gardens across Perth, and he does not build a single one of them. Landscapers and pool builders do that, and that is exactly how he wants it. Tristan is the founder and principal of Tristan Peirce Landscape Architects. After completing his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at UWA and spending eleven years at Tim Davies Landscaping as Principal Landscape Architect, he started his own studio in 2018 with a single belief: great outcomes come from collaboration, strong technical knowledge, and a shared commitment to design excellence. What I loved about this conversation is how honestly Tristan talks about the business side that so many creatives avoid. He describes the first year of his business in one word, and it is not the word you would put on a brochure. From there we get into why he made the deliberate choice to stay in his lane as a designer, how charging for his time quietly attracted the right clients, and why he is comfortable walking away from a project when the fit is wrong. In this conversation, we remove the shame attached to the discussions of budgets with clients, the tell-tale signs of client relationships that simply won’t work, the 80 percent rule he uses to stop himself agonising over things that do not need to be perfect, and what it really takes in those first three years on your own. We also talk about knowing your worth, growing a team on personality before skill, and why his Instagram became one of his most valuable business assets. There is a sense of calm that Tristan carries with him, and the quiet confidence that doing fewer things brilliantly beats doing everything adequately. He is blunt, happy to tell a client what they do not want to hear when the design calls for it, and clear that a business never stays still. As he puts it, it is like the shark that stops swimming. You have to keep moving to stay relevant. If you have ever felt the pull to say yes to everything, undercharge to keep the peace, or hold onto a client you know is the wrong fit, hit that play button and take a note out of Tristan Peirce’s playbook. Mentioned in This Episode: 9:28 The one-word answer to what year one really felt like 13:34 The conscious decision that protects the quality of every project 33:54 The kind of client who quietly brings you all the others 36:05 The blunt truth about fit that most owners will not say out loud 42:47 The moment the free consultations had to stop 49:07 What still surprises Tristan about his own business 52:37 The two words Tristan keeps coming back to 55:03 The 80 percent rule for anyone agonising over getting it perfect About Tristan Peirce: Tristan Peirce is the founder and principal of Tristan Peirce Landscape Architects, a dedicated residential landscape architecture practice in Perth. He completed his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Western Australia in 2002, worked at Blackwell and Associates, then spent eleven years at Tim Davies Landscaping where he became Principal Landscape Architect on a run of award-winning projects. He founded his own studio in 2018. Today TPLA designs architecture-led pools, alfrescos, outdoor landscapes, sustainable planting and garden lighting, supported by a close-knit team. Connect with Tristan Peirce: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

July 17, 2026Episode 1501 hr 40 min

#150 Confessions of A Business Owner

Send us Fan Mail What would you confess if no one could ever trace it back to you? For 149 episodes, I sat across from someone and asked them to be honest with me. This time I asked them to be honest when no one was watching. We sent out one dark box. No name, no way to trace it back. Just a black screen, two questions, and a button labelled "submit anonymously." The two questions were simple. What are you pretending isn't true about your business or life right now? And what do you fear would happen if you stopped pretending? I thought we'd get a handful back, the polite kind of honest. What came back instead was 150 confessions, including my own, and they read like the thing you think about at 2am and have never said to a living soul. There is a reason confession has existed in almost every culture for thousands of years, and it isn't only spiritual. When you carry an unspoken truth, your nervous system carries it with you. In this episode I read these confessions aloud, one after another, and you will hear money kept quiet from the people closest to them, a calm that owners sell as the whole offer, the founder stories that turned out to be fiction, and the quiet loneliness of the chair nobody else sits in. What struck me most was how familiar they felt. I went in expecting confessions about cash flow and clients. So much of what came back was about identity, family, and the version of ourselves we perform to keep the whole thing standing. If you have ever held the mask in place a little too long, this is the episode I would want you to hear now.' Mentioned in This Episode: 1:37 Why confession is neurological, not just spiritual 3:42 The first confession, and the wife who still thinks he has it handled 6:02 The deposit cycle one owner has been walking for years 25:52 Winning by every measure and feeling nothing 44:10 The moment identity and business quietly become the same thing 1:19:11 The loneliness no one at the top is allowed to admit 1:39:48 Why the office became a hiding place from family 1:46:08 Hitting the target you would have killed for, and feeling nothing If any of these confessions sit close to home and you are struggling, please reach out to someone you trust or a professional support service. In Australia, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14. The confession box is now open. Leave yours anonymously here: https://therealbizlifechronicles.com/confessions-of-a-business-owner/ This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com

July 10, 2026Episode 1491 hr 32 min

#149 How To Use AI In Your Business To Your Advantage - Paul Claessen

Send us Fan Mail What if the riskiest thing you can do with AI is wait for it to settle down first? I sat down with Paul Claessen for another expert-led conversation. Paul opened by admitting something I did not expect from someone who lives and breathes this stuff. He thought AI was a threat to his own business and to many of his clients’ businesses, too. Where he landed by the end of our chat is the reason I wanted to share this episode. Paul is a business coach and a recurring guest on the show. His background is in software engineering, and he runs Ignite , built on three pillars he calls Connect, Velocity and Mastery, alongside his premium one-to-one coaching. I have worked with Paul for four and a half years now, and he has a way of telling me the hard truth I need to hear rather than the comfortable one I want. In this conversation, Paul tells us the lie that is costing business owners the most right now, the architect, engineer, plan, do framework that changes how you approach any AI task, and the story of the person who spent twelve months building something with AI before realising he had to start again from the ground up. Paul also names the thing almost nobody is talking about: how genuinely exhausting this work has become. We both laughed about the Claude hangover, mostly because we are both living it. What struck me most was where Paul took the conversation at the end. For all the talk about tools, models, and tasks going to zero, the thing he kept circling back to was people. How you serve them. How you look forward to a brighter future. That felt like the real point of the whole episode. If you have been quietly avoiding AI, or quietly drowning in it, hit play for clarity on how to move ahead. Mentioned in This Episode: 1:38 Paul admits he first saw AI as a threat to his business 7:56 The one-shot culture Paul is determined to destroy 14:34 The twelve-month build that had to be scrapped and rewritten 33:19 The architect, engineer, plan, do framework explained 1:03:49 The honest warning label, prepare to be fundamentally exhausted 1:11:04 Why the biggest risk in AI is ignoring it 1:13:39 The parts of a business Paul believes are going to zero 1:26:09 Why serving people matters more than the tool itself Tools and resources mentioned: Ignite | Claude | Canva | Plaud | Wispr Flow About Paul: Paul Claessen is a Perth-based business coach with a background in software engineering. He works with business owners on the bigger question of where their business is heading, helping them build freedom through the business rather than a more comfortable prison. He runs Ignite, his coaching program built on three pillars, Connect, Velocity and Mastery, alongside premium one-to-one coaching. A recurring guest on the show, Paul is known for telling owners the hard truth they need to hear rather than the comfortable one they want. Connect with Paul: Website | Ignite | Email | LinkedIn This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel . To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand’s potential with a free Brand Discovery session at designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is a branding powerhouse, speaker, and founder of Design Studio Perth and Trace Designs Bespoke. She’s dedicated to helping business owners and creatives build brands that truly reflect their values, passions, and long-term vision. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real-blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Website Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com