Little Black Book: The Entrepreneur's Podcast: Recent Episodes

Andrew Mattner

Welcome to the Little Black Book. A podcast for entrepreneurs BY entrepreneurs who provide their firsthand experiences to help others learn and grow. This podcast is brought to you by Altitude Advisory. Altitude Advisory is a modern business advisory firm helping business owners build a better business for a better life.

𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸’ 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁:

We are joined David Bartholomeusz, the man with many successful solo and collaborative entrepreneurial successes across a 20-year career.

David digs deep into communication habits that have helped his successes over the years. He goes through many difficulties he had along the way, explaining the strategies he used to overcome them.

Key takeaways from this episode that you 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦:

✅ How to use communication to your advantage

✅ How to monitor and set goals that are attainable

✅ Why communication skills are so important in today’s world

✅ How David’s grandfather’s encouragement inspired him

Stay tuned for more episodes of the Little Black Book coming soon.

In Episode 28 of the Little Black Book, we're joined by Daniel Chaffey Hartwig and Theo Engela, owners and directors of Chaffey Bros Wine Co.

An innovative and new-age winery, Chaffey Bros source their grapes from individual parcels of low-yielding vineyards with old vines and complex soils in the Barossa and Eden Valley.

Daniel and Theo share how their bond as brothers in business, and brothers-in-law, has grown with their faith being a foundation pillar. They discuss creating a connection between their customers and their wines through storytelling.

Daniel also shares the need to shatter perceptions and establish credibility in the wine making space after previously broking bulk wines.

In Episode 27 of the Little Black Book, we speak with Andrew Downs, founder and executive director of Sage Group.

Andrew’s vision, leadership and passion underpins the success and culture of the entire organisation, growing it from a backyard business to a group employing over 600 people.

Andrew speaks about his lifelong journey of learning and how that influences much of the growth initiatives for the business. He also discusses how he has used the shared values of the business to build an aligned team of executives, team members and advisors.

He details the ups and downs of the business, including nearly losing the company during the GFC and how a clear plan provided comfort to external bankers providing support.

In Episode 26 of the Little Black Book, we catch up with lawyer and corporate restructure professional Nick Dunstone. We hear how Nick and his partner have built not-for-profit organisation "Light Cultural Foundation" as a beacon of creativity for the Adelaide arts community.

Located with an innovative performance space, restaurant and bar, the Light Cultural Foundation exists to pave the way for emerging creatives.

Nick shares his insights into group dynamics, the importance of an operations team so he can focus on the big picture, and his philosophy of charitable giving to those less fortunate than him.

Nick also shares how his love of The Life of Brian and Lord of the Flies contributes to his business approach.

In Episode 25 of the Little Black Book, we talk to co-owner and Director of Zonte's Footstep Wines, Anna Fisher.

Anna shares her journey from business manager to business owner and how as a skilled change agent she manages operational improvements, risk management, systems integration and culture re-engineering.

Not conforming to traditional constraints or rules, Anna has a business ethic of continuous learning, fun, dependability, authenticity and living as a free spirit.

In Episode 24 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Rose Cocchiaro, founder and managing director of Resolve Divorce. Rose founded the business to right the wrongs she'd witnessed from years of litigation, providing a resolution focused approach to divorce. Rose and Resolve Divorce have been celebrated through various awards for their innovative and consumer-centric approach.

Rose talks about how growing up in a family of doctors taught her the importance of hard work and established a desire to help others. She discusses being challenged by the traditional legal models, creating the desire to establish Resolve Divorce, and the importance of branding, finding your niche and referral relationships.

In Episode 23 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Craig Watts, owner and CEO of PPI Promotion & Apparel. Craig has taken an interesting path to business ownership, from a professional baseball player in the USA to working as a sales rep for the business he would ultimately buy.

Craig shares his experiences and learnings from two failed business partnerships and how that has influenced his new business venture with his best friend. He discusses diversifying revenue streams to avoid reliance on events, knowing your numbers and the weekly business health check he conducts.

In Episode 22 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Heath and Adriana Cotter, owners and directors of Space Landscape Construction. Health and Adriana established Space after catching the entrepreneur bug, pivoting from their successful corporate careers.

They share with us the process and planning that went into starting their own business, how they balance working with their partner, and switching off. Heath touches on the challenge of 'letting go' of total control and Adriana shares her decision-making process and managing the stresses that come with a growing business.

In Episode 21 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Joe Collins, founder and executive chairman of Camms. Through Joe's vision and knowledge, Camms has become a world leader in enterprise risk and performance management software solutions, with clients and offices located around the globe.

Joe talks about the importance of forging your own path and how this view set him up for his entrepreneurial journey. He shares the importance of productising your IP to create consistent revenue, as well as the personal challenges he faced when stepping away from the CEO role.

In Episode 20 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Mark McGill, CEO of Variety SA. Mark has over two decades of experience in the not-for-profit sector and uses that to maximise the assistance that Variety SA can provide to children in need.

Mark shares his strategies for focusing his team, allowing him to run Variety SA like a lean for-profit business, which increases the support they’re able to deliver. He discusses the family legacy created by his grandmother, developing a social conscious from an early age and ‘earning his voice’ through participation. We also learn from him the innovative methods Variety uses to stay relevant in a competitive market.

In Episode 19 of the Little Black Book, we're joined by Max Rofagha. Max is the founder of Finimize, a mentor at Techstars and Startup Bootcamp and was named in Forbes' "30 under 30" list in 2016.

Max details how important having a clear focus on mission and purpose was in establishing the Finimize platform, as well as the critical role the company's culture manifesto played in providing a clear direction. He also discusses how Finimize provides valuable information to its connected community and his different approach to disrupting the financial advisory landscape.

In Episode 18 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Simone Douglas. Simone is the publican of The Duke of Brunswick Hotel, Executive Director for BNI Adelaide North, Founder of digital marketing agency Social Media AOK and best selling author of Seriously Social and Confident Networker.

Simone shares how she established a routine that enables her to focus on positives and what she can control. She discusses how she's built strong teams, which enable her to focus on strategy, business development and culture. Simone also talks to the importance of personal and professional networks and how they've helped her succeed.

In Episode 17 of the Little Black Book, we're joined by Natalie Cook. Nat has worn a lot of hats in her life, namely: entrepreneur, professional speaker, coach, 5 time Olympian and gold medallist!

Nat chats around her ‘own brand of crazy’ and how important being comfortable doing the extremes was to her success. She shares her experiences in goal setting and how her full immersion in her Gold Medal Excellence Plan brought focus and a clear sense of direction for her and her playing partner Kerri. We also discuss Nat’s transition into business and how she surrounded herself with coaches and mentors, to help guide her journey.

In Episode 16 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Nick Sinclair, founder of TOA Global. Founded in 2014, TOA has grown to an organisation with 1,500+ accounting staff, working with over 500 global accounting firms.

Nick shares with us how a trip to the Philippines in 2014 changed the way he approached running his financial advisory business, leading to the establishment of TOA. We also discuss the process behind the rapid scaling of TOA's team, including the importance of proactively recruiting good people before your business needs them.

In Episode 15 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Keith Abraham, founder and CEO of Passionate Performance. Keith has presented to over 1.6 million people, helping them harness their passions!

Keith shared with us his experience on the best framework for people to set and achieve their goals.

We also discuss the importance of referrals, and your referral network, in growing a business.

In Episode 14 of the Little Black Book we're joined by Tom Caesar, founder and CEO of Positive Group. Positive Group provide fast lending solutions to individuals and businesses through the use of innovative platforms and technology.

We explore the challenges Tom faced as a young entrepreneur, how he developed a winning team culture, how he embraces change and has learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Tom shares how understanding his customer needs and their friction points helped create their award winning tech product: the 'Nodifi' platform.

Tom also talks about the importance of feedback loops and developing trust within your team to help stay on track with key priorities.

Positive Group have won several awards, including "Small Business of the Year" at the Telstra Business Awards (2016) and "Innovator of the Year" at the Australian Broker Awards (2017).

Join us with Peter Williams, co-owner and CEO of Phil Hoffmann Travel, as we discuss the importance of building relationships, focusing on your business' unique selling proposition and never leaving anything in the tank.

With nearly 3 decades of experience in the travel industry, Peter has overseen a period of significant growth for the business. Now employing over 200 people in 10 branches, Phil Hoffman Travel has been awarded the 'Best Travel Agent' at the NTIA awards on 12 occasions.

In this episode Peter shares his 'sliding door' moment, when he abandoned a career in commercial property to become a travel agent. We also discuss how the establishment of an A grade leadership team helped the business remain nimble, facilitating growth and surviving several crises, including COVID-19 lockdowns.

Join us in the recording booth with the Managing Director of Transworld Enterprises – Toby Bensimon – as we discuss how a culture of bravery established at childhood set the scene for future entrepreneurship.

Transworld Enterprises is the parent company of two well-known Australian brands: Shiels (established 1945) and Grahams Jewellers (established 1932).

Toby shares the importance of 'breaking bread' and how social interactions create a relaxed environment for the generation of great ideas. He talks us through how he and his father successfully managed the transfer of their business between generations, and how his COVID crisis management team navigated lockdowns and the turmoil of a pandemic.

We also talk about the significance of having a strong online presence and how their pre-COVID vision set the scene for huge growth.

Rob Nixon has found huge success coaching business owners to improve and grow while delivering a better service.

In this episode of the Little Black Book, Rob takes us through his process for setting goals, focusing on a single market, and maintaining top performance (hint: say 'no'!).'

Rob started his career as a seminar presenter, opening up big opportunities in the niche world of accountants. Since then he's built 4 successful businesses and is back to his passion: business coaching.

He's the owner of the best backyard golf course in the world, has written 3 books, presented a TED talk, run a marathon, and shares a wealth of knowledge with us.

As a former professional sportsman, Daniel Healy knows one or two things about driving high performance in teams. Recognising that the same principles in leading sporting teams apply to the corporate world, Daniel became a founding athlete facilitator with Leading Teams.

Daniel shares his insights from both a professional and personal perspective and why genuine conversations and relationships are so important in creating trust and improved performance within teams.

Long term client of Altitude Advisory and fellow entrepreneur, Kate Hannemann, talks to Andrew Mattner about how at just 24 years of age, she created a business that is still going strong today with 15 staff.

Kate is the Managing Director and founder of communikate et al, an agency focussed on building and protecting the reputation of businesses.

The experiences Kate shares on Little Black Book offers insight into a values and learning based approach to business and the key role advisors, like Altitude Advisory have played.

Sarah Bartholomeuz is the Principal of award winning You Legal, a fast growing, new category law firm providing corporate and commercial legal services.

Sarah approaches everything in life with gusto, both professionally and personally. Not only has she created successful start up businesses, she has also penned 3 best selling books, sharing her legal knowledge and experience in a way that is creative and engaging.

In this episode you will hear why Sarah created You Legal and how her focus on structure, planning, leadership, connection and gratitude has underpinned her success.

Sarah also shares how a strong personal brand and a thirst for diversification has helped her achieve significant business growth and deliver value to her numerous clients.

Watch the full episode here

Jack Daly is a leading sales speaker and trainer with over 30 years of experience. Jack has achieved CEO level at several corporations and has built 6 companies and international firms along the way.

In this episode, Jack shares how he constructs and manages his ‘Life by Design’ and the importance of setting and writing down goals then sharing them with others to help keep you accountable. We also discuss how at a young age, Jack developed a group of mentors where he could learn and how he has kept that discipline throughout his career.

Watch the full episode here.

Daniel Bullock is the co-owner and Managing Director of Safeguard Insurance Brokers, a second generation, family-owned business.

If you work in a family business, you probably already know that it can be a complex environment. In this episode, we learn how Daniel leaving his family business was a traumatic experience for him. Daniel also tells us the importance of family balance and being present at home and how important communication is inside families in business together.

In this episode, Andrew chats to Kirsty Chapman-Smith, CEO of Discount Party Supplies, about how clear values helped her business and the team stay connected and aligned in the midst of a crisis.

Learn the challenges Kirsty faced when scaling a business that started in a living room to a fast growing multi-million dollar business employing over 40 people.

In this episode, Andrew speaks to Tony Catt, Director of Catapult Wealth, who recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary. Tony chats about how his frustration with the financial planning and advisory industry, leads him to challenge the status quo and establish a different model of business.

With over two decades of experience, discover how Tony’s role as a leader, his management style and the need to be vulnerable and genuine with his team is the key to generating trust.

Eric Kariuki is one of the owners and CEO of Pink Diamond Capital. Pink Diamond Capital specialise in helping investors, collectors and connoisseurs around the world acquire rare, Australian mined Argyle Pink Diamonds for their portfolio or personal holdings. They provide an end-to-end bespoke service, personally selecting diamonds for each client customised to their individual needs.

In episode 2, I interview Simon Hammond, Director and Owner of Spinach Effect Solutions. After a successful corporate career, Simon establish Spinach Effect which is a specialised marketing solutions company for the hearing care industry. This has expanded to the Touchscreen Hearing Check Booth.

Watch the full episode on YouTube here.

Greg Hobby is one of the owners and CEO of Taylor & Holmes. Founded by Greg’s wife Kate, Taylor & Holmes are a fine food catering company that has expanded into cafes and restaurants, with locations at SAHMRI, Flinders Medical Centre and the Bridgewater Mill.

Watch the full episode on YouTube here.