The Dare to Scale Show: Recent Episodes

Warsha Joshi & Evan Le Clus

Have you got what it takes to scale your business forward? Are you ready to take on greater heights in your entrepreneurial journey? Tune in to the Dare to Scale Podcast and find out the best practices, tactics, and strategies industry leaders and experts use to grow and scale their business successfully.Join hosts Warsha Joshi and Evan Le Clus as they discuss the framework that has helped many founders and entrepreneurs achieve incredible feats in their business.Everything from finding the courage to dream bigger and bolder to determining the right goals, developing an abundance mindset, unlearning practices that no longer serve the business and replacing them with useful ones, to hiring the right team, managing finances and operations to ultimately achieving growth in sales and revenue within the company, as well as practical tips on dealing with the intricate complexities that come with each stage – we’ve got all these covered.In each episode, we provide actionable steps you can take to propel your business upward and forward – no matter which stage you’re at in your Dare to Scale journey - Dare, Unlearn, Prepare and Scale. Whether you are a small business owner ready to scale up, or you’re a leader of a big company wanting to conquer your next big business venture, or you are somewhere in-between, the Dare to Scale Podcastis for you.

Business Scaling, Building Valuation and Wealth

Let’s continue the conversation on building value and building wealth in your business. Do they mean the same or are they different sides of the coin?

If you are a founder and CEO, been running your business for about 3 to 5 years, these topics are probably already taking centre stage. If you are now strategising for scaling success, these conversations are critical in that thinking.

• Maximising Business Value
• Diverse yet Sustainable Revenue Streams
• Strong Financials
• Efficient Operations
• …and many more

Mark your calendar to attend this Power Hour for specific, actionable points to implement in your business. Wednesday, 6 December 2023 at 11am GST (Dubai time)

Join me Warsha Joshi and 2 x entrepreneur turned CEO Coach, Surabhi Shenoy as together they navigate the conversations around the importance of building value and wealth in your growing business, the long-term impact and how they help the businesses they coach in scaling sustainably.

Block your calendar, bring your notebook/pen, courage, an open mind and join us for an engaging discussion.

Business Scaling, Building Valuation and Wealth happens on Wednesday, 6 December 2023 GST (Dubai time). Remember to send in your talking points on yourmentor@daretoscale.com

TheBaldBusinessCoach

Struggling with maintaining consistent cash flow?
Emphasis on hard work above cash management?
Associating self-worth with financial success?
Over-emphasis on frugality or debt aversion?
Growing broke?

Any (or ALL) of these resonate with you as a business owner looking to scale? Well, you have come to the right place then.

You asked, we deliver!

Click here to watch the conversation on LinkedIn
Click here to watch the conversation on YouTube

During our last event, Evan Le Clus talked about financial EQ and IQ. Your response was overwhelming as we received an avalanche of DMs asking for this topic to be discussed so, welcome to our next event on ‘Money, Business, Wealth and You!

Together Evan and Warsha Joshi will address the three large aspects of this topic namely, ‘Attitude’ ‘Management’ ‘Accumulation’ to make sure that you take away some great points to apply in your business, your personal wealth building and re-evaluating your ‘feeling’ towards money.

Block your calendar, bring your notebook/pen, courage, an open mind and join us for an engaging discussion.

Money, Business, Wealth and You happens on Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 at 11am GST (Dubai time). Remember to send in your talking points on yourmentor@daretoscale.com #TheBaldBusinessCoach #DareToScale Dare To Scale

Welcome to our 55th episode of the Dare to Scale Show!

Starting our podcast has been one of the most gratifying experiences: we've learned a lot doing it, and it's been a load of fun.

Today, we share the five most important lessons that have come out of our 55 episodes which can apply as much to your business scaling journey as launching your own show.

https://daretoscale.com/55

Last episode, we discussed the importance of strategic thinking. Today, we’re going a level higher, which is actually making things happen. We’re talking about the operations phase, where we turn our ideas into a plan to turn them into reality.

Keeping your company on track for success is almost impossible without proper planning. Without a plan, it is hard to gauge where your company is at and what your next move should be. The main problem with most enterprises is that they do not have a proper plan laid out. The problem is that plans are not specific enough and that the execution is not sound enough. In this episode, I’ll be walking you through what typically happens in an annual or quarterly planning session, how you can carry over your strategic thinking into an Operations Planning Document, and the important things you need to be mindful of when planning.

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Constantly putting out fires (management by reaction) is one of the key causes of burnout in a SME founder or CEO’s life, affecting not just their business, but their health and loved ones too.

But how does your business have persistent fires that require all your time? It probably all started with you.

You probably did not strategically plan your business, and that’s what we are talking about in this episode. Learn how to think creatively, logically and strategically to build and maintain a company with a strong foundation.

Warsha shares three ways on how to become a master of strategic thinking that you can practice and hone, even when you are daydreaming.

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If you get hit by a bus right now, what do you think will happen to your business?

This is a question that will urge you to evaluate your business. If you are an entrepreneur who thinks that your business will go downfall when you are not around, you should listen to this podcast to know exactly what aspects of your business are at high risk or needs improvement. Adapt the balanced scorecard, and take the 12 Scalability Quotient test. Practice getting an assessment of where you are as an entrepreneur right now in your business.

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To most people, cancer is a scary word to hear. It's an illness that many don't like to talk about but it's a reality for so many different people. One of those people is Warsha Joshi, who just recently discovered she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer for the third time.

But unlike many others who might see this situation as a challenge, Warsha chooses to view it in a completely different light. Listen to her conversation with Amanda Schulte, her long-time friend, and partner in the business, as they open up the dialogue around cancer and have a refreshing chat over coffee.

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Go ahead, dare to be authentic. Be the best version of YOU. Each day is a new chance to be more YOU!

Have you ever wondered why certain milestones, such as a 50th birthday, are celebrated? Well, aside from the fact that you have crossed the half-way point of a century, it is also because you have come so far: accumulated a lot of experiences, knowledge and successes while overcoming pitfalls and persevering through many curved balls from life.

We have also come a long way, reached OUR 50th and have become more "US". We dedicate this episode to you and your being more YOU.

Keep growing, keep scaling and keep daring to be YOU!

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How frequently do you declutter your things, your personal matters, and especially your business? A lot of people are so busy that they forget to spare some time to reflect and declutter. This leads to a more complicated and tougher-to-solve situation and it’s called organizational debt.

Organisational Debt is the accumulation of changes that leaders should have made but didn't—from the hiring process to maintaining the company’s culture between employees.

In this episode, Warsha talks about organizational debt and how it shows up in the Five Elements of your company.

Let’s dig deeper into the causes of organizational debt and how to avoid it in the first place.

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There are days when we feel extra motivated. We want to be productive and finish the day with a lot of tasks completed. It's often challenging to figure out what to do first, what to do next, and how to finish the tasks without starting the others halfway. We find it hard to fight the urge to start another task when the first one is not yet finished. In this episode, you will laugh at yourself when you figure out that it’s easier to do the tasks and complete the day when you do mind mapping. Let Juliana Khalil teach you how.

Juliana Khalil has been Tony Buzan's licensed instructor in Mind Mapping and MBraining since April 2017. She has been renewing her license since then because she wants to help more people unleash their minds' fullest potential. She then decided to found and direct her own company, Juliana Khalil Lifestyle Coaching. She is now conducting mentoring, selling courses, posting blogs, and continuing to maximize the ways people can work with her. She said that she could sit and talk about mind mapping for many hours.

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We often think of the huge breakthrough that we want to happen but when it comes to taking action, we stumble. We start to doubt our capabilities, so we end up not doing it. Looking back to the previous achievements and successes you’ve made – both big and small – will very much help you regain self-confidence.

In today’s Dare to Scale show, you will reclaim your momentum as Warsha Joshi talks about the importance of valuing ourselves and getting out of our comfort zones, a show that summarizes the stories behind the successful journey of entrepreneurs

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‘I’ll do it now’ can literally become your war cry that will help you tackle that sense of overwhelm and sort out your priorities.

Welcome to this episode where Evan talks us through the emboldening expression of ‘I’ll do it now’ and his experience with using this thought to take control of your day and focus on that which needs your attention the most.

Join us on this journey of self-discovery, where we use great tips and even a 100-year-old strategy to help you become more productive.

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Welcome back to Part Two of our wonderful conversation about Studio Expo with our Studio Expo’s Executive Producer, Reim El Houni. She has been sharing amazing stories about what it takes to make the greatest show on Earth live on TV and make it an effortless success.

If you haven't listened to Part One in our previous Episode 44, we highly recommend you start with that, and then come back and continue listening because these stories of grit, determination, debt, immense resourcefulness, and being able to rely on and draw from your experience will leave you speechless.

Reim El Houni is the founder and CEO of the award-winning video production company called TI-22 and lots of other brands all leading into video production. She is a detail-oriented person with unmatched skills in video content creation and production. She has a strong desire to help anyone who wants to leverage the power of video to build their brand and business authentically.

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In this episode, we're joined by a guest whom we've already had on the show, Reim El Houni, as she recounted to us how she and her team managed to pull off such a long and worthwhile journey of daily live shows with global reach for six months and make it a seamless, enjoyable experience for everyone watching.

Reim is the founder and CEO of the award-winning video production company called TI-22 and lots of other brands all leading into video production. She is a detail-oriented person with unmatched skills in video content creation and production. She has a strong desire to help anyone who wants to leverage the power of video to build their brand and business authentically.

https://daretoscale.com/44

Life is not just about business. You can’t enjoy all the fruits of your labour unless you take time off occasionally to smell the roses. It's important to take a step back and enjoy life from time to time. This is one of the many brilliant nuggets we came up with while recording this episode that consist of our top 20 favorite quotes from the book ‘The Complete Tales of Winnie The Pooh’ written by A.A.Milne.

The quotes from this book are so simple and yet can allow you moments of soul-searching reflection. They are also considered by many to be timeless because these stories were written almost 100 years ago and yet if you pick any of these quotes and make that your mantra there is so much you can take away from it.

So, we would like to welcome you to part two of this collaborative episode done with Dhiren Bhatia of Elevated Entrepreneur podcast.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Episode Highlights:

Learn to look at the ups and downs and prepare for it.
Keeping reminding yourself of your best qualities to keep self-doubt at bay.
Remember to be patient: Some people may just not be listening properly.
There is so much to be found when you’re looking in places you never thought of.
Look up, Look out: Sometimes there are too may doers are too few thinkers
Be open to asking for help and asking for more.

Our favourite quotes from the book:

“Could be worse. Not sure how, but it could be.”
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You are braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
“It all comes of not having front doors big enough.”
“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”
“Think, think, think.”
“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
“We will be friends until forever, just you wait and see.”
“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.”
“Think it over, think it under.” – PERSPECTIVE
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
"People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
"I did know once, only I’ve sort of forgotten.”
“A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”
“What day is it?" asked Pooh. "It's today," squeaked Piglet. "My favourite day," said Pooh."
“I wasn't going to eat it, I was just going to taste it."
"I am short, fat, and proud of that."
"I wonder how many wishes a star can give."
"When life throws you a rainy day, play in the puddles”

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When you started your business, it will have been to follow your passion or fill a gap in the world with your service or product. Yet as the business grows there are so many things that need your attention. Finance, administration, operations, the list just goes on and on and it’s at that time when you start feeling anxious and stressed because these are not your areas of expertise.

Every entrepreneur who has built a business from the ground up will tell you that this is something thing each one of them have faced and a large part of their success was owed to the fantastic support that received from their family, teams and community. Our guest on today’s show strongly believes in that a strong support system can make all the difference when it comes to your business support. Oh, and she also strongly recommends to not to sweat the small stuff!

Meet our guest

Leah Tedrow is the CEO and MD of EVOKE International, an international Strategic Communications and Marketing company, that provides consultancy and implementation on all forms of commercial, political and social messaging, marketing and rebranding, with a specialization in managing mass media communication campaigns in both global commercial markets and austere, unstable environments.

In this episode, Leah shares with us her unique journey from starting her career as a broadcast journalist for the U.S. military to the ups and downs she experienced when she first started her business and then went on to grow it. This is definitely an episode you don’t want to miss.

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Building a business is not just about creating job opportunities and having a great product that helps you move forward. It is mostly about building a community, this community extends from your family and friends to the employees who work for you and the end users who require your product and services.

Being a steward for all these people, while maintain the course of the company are a few of the many hats that an entrepreneur has to wear. Add to the mix the fact that this particular entrepreneur is a second-generation entrepreneur then the stakes are equally high if not more and our guest on this episode is an exceptional example of this.

Meet our guest

Priyanka Gupta Zielinski, is an Executive Director of MPIL Steel Structures Limited, a family business in India. Priyanka recently published her book, The Ultimate Family Business Survival Guide. This amazing book is filled to the brim with notes, sticky tabs, bookmarks, and so much more—this might be one of the most engaging business books we’ve had the pleasure of reading!

In this episode, we'll talk with Priyanka about her journey as a second-generation entrepreneur, joining the family business, and the importance of developing open and honest relationship with your loved ones while contributing service to your family.

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In this brilliant collaborative episode with fellow podcaster Dhiren Bhatia, we are discussing the classic ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

This wonderful children’s book was written in 1865 and has been enthralling readers ever since. So how can this children’s book help you in your entrepreneurial journey. Well allow us to break it down for you.

This book has some wonderful lessons to share with each of us, no matter where we are in our life’s journey. Learning that each person’s perception might be different from ours and hence their advice may not relate to us, it may not necessarily be wrong, it is just not right for us.

Only when you own your perception, can you make it a reality for yourself. So be prepared to peel off those onion layers and dig deep to find your own brand of ‘crazy’ that the world may or may not accept. Yet you will always know to be true because that is your reality.

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There may be many reasons that led you to become an entrepreneur yet that one compelling reason, your big ‘Why’ sometimes gets lost along the way. It could be because you are more invested in creating a great business plan rather than focusing on creating a thriving business or it could just be that you are afraid to ask for help.

There is no better time than the present to be brave, for you and your business. Gather your courage and take immediate action to see the results. Remember there is always help available, you just need to ask for it.

Meet our guest

Stevi Lowmass is the Founder and CEO of The Camel Soap Factory. She started the company as a kitchen-based adventure selling soaps in markets and fairs which since then has been scaled to this brand well known across the world and now operates out of industrial premises as a full-on manufacturer.

In this episode, Stevi shares how she found a gap in the gifting industry which led her to start her own soap company. She has founded and grown a successful business while overcoming countless obstacles. Her mindset and approach to business have greatly inspire.

If you have ever considered starting your own company or wondered how other entrepreneurs were able to overcome similar challenges, then this interview is for you.

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In this episode, we are departing from our usual format to bring you a delightful narration of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It is beautifully written and so lovingly put together about a curious set of friends facing their biggest fears in the middle of an uncertain world as they explore kindness, hope, friendship, and loyalty. The four friends share adventures and important conversations that have resonated with readers of all ages.

There is something in this tale for everyone. It is easy to identify with the hopes and dreams of the four characters. Each character is different in his own way and yet as you delve deeper into the book you will find yourself identifying in someway or the other to at least one of the characters if not all of them.

What is Success?

Oftentimes business entrepreneurs start businesses with a certain goal in mind. They put in all their efforts and work to make their dreams a reality. There is a lot of ‘frantic paddling’ below the surface that happens every single day within these setups to stay afloat and to work towards achieving a goal.

It is in situations like these that the entrepreneur feels a deep sense of dissatisfaction for a number of reasons. It is during this time of deep unrest, when the entrepreneur feels stuck that he should be brave and ask for help.

Help to move forward, help to unlearn and learn new things and help to see what success means to each one of us.

Remember mistakes are good as they are more a learning experience than anything else. So, keep putting yourself out there and keep achieving everything you dreamed of.

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Hello! How is 2022 going so far?

As promised, here is a continuation of some of our favourite episodes. Just like the last episode, these engaging and outstanding snippets are well worth a listen in their own right. For now, here are our best of selection part two, where you get to hear a clip from the entrepreneurs’ story straight from the horse’s mouth.

So, without further ado, let's get to it!

We hope you enjoy them!

How Far We Have Come

Every journey starts at some point and then moves through different phases of learning and growing. Our podcast journey started in the same way, we had faced a few bumps along the way and yet when we look back and see how far we have come, we feel very proud and excited of all we have achieved.

Our brilliant guests have played a huge role to play in our journey as they have come forward and generously shared their experiences and their learning. Thus, enabling us and by extension, you our listeners to evolve into a better version.

Whether it's entrepreneurship or something else that they excel at, there are so many wonderful lessons to take away from each of these stories. Our best of selection really is a big thank you to every single person who made The Dare to Scale Show what it is today.

We are listened to in more than 290 cities in over 20 countries around the world and this just keeps on growing!

How is this Episode Different from our Usual Episodes?

We give a short introduction and background on the episode then play an audio clip. That audio clip really is a reminder to say, hey, if you haven't heard that episode yet, go ahead and listen to it. You will find all our episodes on your favourite podcast streaming channel, on daretoscale.com/podcast and we will be giving the episode numbers as we go along.

As there were so many episodes that deserved a place in this best of selection, we have decided to split this over two episodes, this being part two. Remember, there are some brilliant ones over in part one as well, so hop on over to listen to that one.

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Hello and welcome to 2022!

We are so excited to share some of our favourite episodes with you all. These episodes are packed full of golden nuggets and insights on scaling your business. Each episode is super engaging and well worth a listen in its own right but for now, here are our best of selection part one, where you get to hear a clip from the entrepreneurs’ story straight from the horse’s mouth.

So, without further ado, let's do it!

We hope you enjoy them!

How Far We Have Come

We think we have grown a lot and it really is somewhat cringe worthy listening to some of our early episodes and yet, they were our excellence of the day at that time.

You have to start somewhere and that is where we started. Today, looking back we think, we have come a long way, mainly because it is all to do with how generously so many brilliant guests came forward to share their story, their experiences, their journey so far with us and by extension, you! Whether it's entrepreneurship or something else it is that they excel at, there are so many wonderful lessons to take away from each of these stories. Our best of selection really is a big thank you to every single person who made The Dare to Scale Show what it is today.

We are listened to in more than 290 cities in over 20 countries around the world and this just keeps on growing!

How is this Episode Different from our Usual Episodes?

We give a short introduction and background on the episode then play an audio clip. That audio clip really is a reminder to say, hey, if you haven't heard that episode yet, go ahead and listen to it. You will find all our episodes on your favourite podcast streaming channel, on daretoscale.com/podcast and we will be giving the episode numbers as we go along.

As there were so many episodes that deserved a place in this best of selection, we have decided to split this over two episodes, this being part one. Remember, there are some brilliant ones coming through in part two, which releases exactly in two weeks’ time.

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Entrepreneurship is about unlocking your inner superpowers and making an impact. It's about being courageous enough to grab an opportunity and follow your gut. It’s about being gritty enough to make your idea a reality.

When you help others, it comes back to you. That is the concept of Karma. It does not matter what culture you are from. Apply the idea of karma and watch what unfolds in your world.

Meet our guest

JUSTIN RECLA has 14 years of experience in the fields of tactical questioning, surveillance, counter espionage, threat and vulnerability assessments and investigative techniques. Justin is a communications expert and an educator, teaching hundreds of future government agents how to conduct subject interviews, source interviews, and report on investigative functions.

He is the operations director for the Superpower Network. With listeners in over 90 countries and over a 2.5million downloads a month, the Superpower Network is the #1 Podcast Network for inspired personal development.

A summary of our conversation

Justin’s message is very simple. Help others, do things better, and have self-dominion in everything you do. Take control of your own life.

Justin and his wife Tonya are both former counterintelligence agents with the US government. They ended up teaching a counterintelligence Special Agents course in which they trained new agents. Tonya is part of the top 1% of agents that have testified in a Federal Court on an actual espionage case.

What started as a corporate counterintelligence business led to a coaching practice. They started coaching CEOs and COOs on everything they taught counter-intel agents and helped people deconstruct their thoughts so they could get to the truth of how it all works. So, they can go out and be a creator in the world and not a consumer. Those are superpowers!

Today we are seeing a hopeful trend in the business and entrepreneurial world. Hopeful, because the old way of doing business is fading. The old goal of the business was to make as much money as you possibly can. What is happening today is that there is more focus on impact. Overtaking profitability. When you focus on impact, the money will follow.

First is recovery. Recovery is recognizing that you don’t have to go, go, go all the time because it is important to take time and recharge. Take time to unplug and set boundaries around your work life. Set up rules for how much you will do at a given time and learn to step away.
Next is to take your time and stick to a routine. You do not have to jump into the workday right when you wake up. Do some reflection on the previous day. Does your workday need some tweaking? If you don’t address it, then the energy from the previous day will carry over into that day and build up, and you can not create from that space.
Finally, it is gratitude. Gratitude is the magic sauce of all things, the secret to unlocking abundance in your world. When you are grateful for everything you have, the universe will give you more. If you are not satisfied with what you have now, what makes you think that if you had more, you would be satisfied? Take a look at what you have in life and recognise that at the end of the day, you do not need much.

Everyone has a superpower that can be used in both professional and personal settings. You have the power to help others, get ahead of others, and make an impact on the world around you. If you know what your powers are, you can use them to succeed at anything.

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In today’s world, the term “entrepreneur” is used quite a lot. It may even be used to describe you! In this conversation marathon, we dig deep and ask what it means to be an entrepreneur? Is it about having that great idea? What about taking risks? Or, is there something more to it than those things? We explored and redefined the meaning of the true grit of an entrepreneur that has a story like no other!

Meet our Guest

Amit is the Founder and Managing Partner at Grover Impact Ventures, an aspiring Venture Capital Fund Manager building a USD 50 Million impact fund domiciled in Dubai.

From humble beginnings in New Zealand to Grover & Company's expansion into Australia, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, Amit has come a long way in understanding the impact of cross-border business on the small-medium enterprise ecosystem.

A summary of our conversation

The seeds of entrepreneurship were planted early on in Amit's childhood, and his desire to be accepted by others grew during these years. There was always this burning desire to be somebody that people would accept and admire.

In 2005 Amit moved to New Zealand to do his MBA. After which, he worked for a consulting company called Boston Consulting Group. Working with one of the largest consulting businesses in the world, advising top CEOs in Australia and New Zealand, made him realise that instead of building somebody else's ambitions and dreams, it is time to build a brand for himself and quit his corporate job.

In 2007, from a swanky office and a $10,000 suit to sitting in his jeans and T-shirt in a cafe, Grover and Company was founded and he began using his consulting skills to advise mid-market companies in New Zealand and Australia on how they should expand internationally.

In 2012 Amit opened an office in Sydney with 75 people working for him out of three offices and he felt on top of the world. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, in 2013 whilst he was on an official visit to India with a client, he fell severely ill. He was in the ICU for 22 days fighting for his life. This phase taught him how to respect Life.

Finally, in August the same year after recovering he went back to Auckland to find he had lost all the money, his clients were gone, and was in a bankrupt situation. His house, his car and everything were sold off to pay his debts. Friends, relatives and colleagues disappeared. Nobody wanted to associate with him. He found himself cleaning the toilets of the Auckland Railway Station with tears because he couldn't believe a guy like from the family he came from, the schools he had gone to, the corporate career he had had, now finds himself in this situation. That was his darkest period.

Like they say miracles happen from within and an idea struck him and he headed to the bankruptcy office and said "There are two things you can do, you can either file bankruptcy, chapter 11 and all my debts get wiped out and you don't get a dime. Or you can give me $5,000 that I am going to use to buy a laptop and a co-working desk and I will give you all the money I owe with interest." Amit bounced back and within six months he got his first client.

Everything changed again and his financial failure completely decimated. He was building a business that was doing about $9 million in turnover.

When we asked Amit what his “I Dare To…..” statement was, he simply said, “I Dare To be 18!”

This entire story is one of adaptability, which is the core of what being an entrepreneur is about. The true grit of an entrepreneur isn’t just found in their successes, but also in their failures. It is not easy to keep going after failure but it pays off when you learn from them.

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The life of a business owner is always busy. You are juggling your time between the demands of your business and then trying to find some time for yourself after a long day. Most people do not think about how they can achieve a healthy balance in their lives, but many entrepreneurs have found that this makes all the difference when it comes to achieving success with their businesses. In order to be successful you need to make sure that you are balancing both work and personal needs. If you take care of yourself, this will help ensure that you don't burn out from working too much or neglecting your family responsibilities.

Meet our Guest

The legendary David Meltzer guest starred on our show! David is the Co-founder of Sports 1 Marketing. Prior to this, David served as CEO of the notorious Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire.

His mission in life has always been to make over 1 billion people happy. This has led him on an incredible journey providing value to everyone he interacts with. Here he shares his take on a balanced and happy life.

A summary of our conversation

In the US, entrepreneurs are changing at an accelerated pace, which creates extraordinary opportunity. We are seeing more focus on technology and business opportunities that perhaps never existed before, but now we are leaning into those. Those who react and adapt when there is a pain or struggle, as COVID has presented, those people benefit greatly because they respond appropriately and ride the curve instead of ignoring it like most would do.

Those who focused on stability have remained stable, alternating and adjusting to changing business models. Those that were fixated by what was missing, or other people's negative thoughts, suffered.

While entrepreneurship has been romanticised in the past, an unexpected benefit of the COVID pandemic means more people are working from home. As an intrapreneur you can have all the benefits of being an entrepreneur, work at home, work on your own timeframe and really get to be productive when you want to be productive but you don't have to risk everything and you can still get a stable salary.

Have you heard of the law of GOYA?

David strongly recommends focusing on milestones and why they are important. Most people attach feelings to what the end result looks like so instead of saying "I will be happy when this happens," we should think more along the lines of “how can I feel accomplished with this journey that I am on?”.

There is the law of GOYA, “Get Off Your Ass”. Having the desire to do everything that you possibly can to be what you must be. This is the common ingredient amongst billionaires, millionaires, entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletes and entertainers, who all carry the spirit of excellence. There is only one common denominator that all these people have. All of the extraordinary human beings have a desire that they must be what they can be and so they institute the law of GOYA every day, no matter how much they have.

We all know that being a successful entrepreneur is not easy. It takes time, dedication and determination to continue moving forward with your business despite the obstacles you’ll inevitably face along the way. But there are ways of giving yourself a better chance at success by balancing life as an entrepreneur – which can be done if you take steps like those outlined in this post.

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Welcome to a brand-new episode in the Dare to Scale YOU Series, where we are in conversation with Peter Winnick, Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage. Over the last two decades, Peter has been helping entrepreneurs, individuals and organisations grow their revenue streams by identifying and developing their individual thought leadership platforms.

In this episode, he shows us how the current landscape has affected small businesses worldwide for the better and how we as entrepreneurs can benefit from starting our own thought leadership to elevate our brand or business.

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Join us for this brilliant conversation with Paul Zelizer, a leader in the global conversations on mindful leadership in business, lifelong athlete, ultramarathon trail runner and host of the Awarepreneurs podcast.

In this new series called ‘Dare to Scale YOU’, we focus on the human entrepreneur behind the business. We will be speaking to some wonderful people from around the globe, and getting their best practices on how to look after and improve your most important asset, YOU!

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Welcome to this edition of the Dare to Scale show, where we are talking to an inspiring entrepreneur based right here in the UAE, Mahwussh Alam. Mahwussh leads One Perfect Group as the Co-founder of One Perfect Stay and Founder of One Perfect Space. One Perfect Stay is a "Holiday home" or "Short Rental" luxury hospitality brand which provides tailored-made service to the homeowners enabling them to let out their homes to guests from around the world.

In this episode Mahwussh shares with us her journey into the world of entrepreneurship, the passion that drives her to thrive and some very inspiring advice for any entrepreneur out there who have had to go through massive challenges while running their business.

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Today’s guest is one of those successful entrepreneurs who never run out of interesting things to share and talk about. Sagarika Sahoo is the founder of CommerceConnect, a marketing technology company that designs, develops and provides tools that allow businesses to connect with their customers, drive sales, and build long-term relationships. According to her, entrepreneurship can never be put in a box. There is so much more to learn and explore, and it is never too late. In this episode, she shares how significant every experience is, but most of all, how she sees so much value and learns so many lessons from every person she encounters. A wonderful mom, a genuine people-person, an adventurous explorer, a foodie (like most of us!), a contagious smiler, and the happiest and most contented person alive– Sagarika proves that there is so much more to her than just being the founder of CommerceConnect. Be inspired by every single nugget of wisdom she shares throughout this episode

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As an entrepreneur, it is not surprising to hear things like, “I have so many things on my plate that I don’t have time to do this and that!” Most often than not, those being pertained to in the latter part are for the entrepreneur’s holistic wellbeing as well. When thinking about pause or rest, one might immediately think it’s not that important. However, the obvious need for constant hustling and grinding all the more highlights the need to pause every once in a while, and find the perfect rhythm of balance in our lives, especially as entrepreneurs.

In this short and quick episode, join Warsha and Evan as they talk about practical things that an entrepreneur can start doing as a discipline, in order to have the right balance between hustle and pause.

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How can we make our society universally accessible and inclusive for people of all shapes, sizes, temperaments, races, and abilities? Featured in the Masters’ Spotlight series today is Elie Ghoussoub, the Senior Consultant of Health, Safety & Accessibility at DASS Solutions, who works with organizations to foster safe and inclusive access to all members of society.

In this episode, we talk about his journey into entrepreneurship, how he discovered his passion for helping make this world a safer and more inclusive place, and why entrepreneurship isn’t glamorous rather involves a lot of hard work.

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We are so excited to welcome our guest, Surbhi Dedhia on this episode. Surbhi is the founder of Digital Genie, a boutique marketing company, and also the host of her own podcast, The Making of a Thought Leader. Her expertise as a digital marketer has helped large organisations - including author Ron Kaufman - to execute complex marketing strategies.

In this episode, she shares her learnings and experiences as a digital marketer and how businesses - large or small- can leverage modern marketing to create value for their consumers.

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Planning to start a business while you're still employed by a company? Perhaps you're a business owner looking for ways to innovate? Find out more from Rajat Karol as he talks about his journey and learnings on how to level up and give value to your business that benefits the many.

Rajat Karol is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Vadi Health. In this episode, he will share his insights on the different aspects of entrepreneurship, the transition, and his mission to normalize women’s health.

Listen and be inspired by the discussion on having awareness and discernment in making decisions that can impact you and society.

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Business is all about momentum! Distractions, lack of focus and an inability to complete the task at hand are some of the contributing factors that are can disturb that momentum.

In this episode, Evan and Warsha share their best practices to help you achieve your goals faster by focusing on the milestones and as a bonus they have also shared some great tips to avoid distractions along the way.

Episode Highlights:

Milestones vs. Goals
Business is a team sport- the importance of building your support system
Measuring the right metrics- balance & counter balance

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In this Masters’ Spotlight episode, we welcome, Reim El Houni, Founder and CEO of Ti22 Films and dubai ON demand. Reim shares with us her meticulous journey from TV producer to setting up and running her own business.

Reim has won a number of awards at various international festivals like the Cannes and New York Film Festivals. She is a detail-oriented person with unmatched skill for video content creation and production with a strong desire to help anyone who wants to leverage the power of video to build their brand and business authentically.

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In today’s podcast, Evan and I get personal as we reminisce our life journey We share how our parents raised us, migrating to various countries and locations, the beginning of our entrepreneurial pursuits, going from jobs to in-between businesses, how we met, and so much more. As we look back, we can only observe the threads of our paths that weave into a beautiful tapestry of lessons that we can only see and appreciate in hindsight.

As we go through each stage of our lives, we share the mentoring lessons we’ve learned over the years from our parents, grandparents, colleagues, and eventually, from our own experiences that have shaped the way we live our lives today.

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Welcome to another instalment to our Masters’ Spotlight Series. In this episode, we had an incredible conversation with Jatin Sachdeva, the founder, and CEO of Au Pure, the leading integrator of Air Quality Solutions based here in Dubai. Jatin came from a strong corporate background of 17 years and now he is responsible for creating and leading an Indoor Air Quality Solutions provider for the Middle East + Africa region.

He shares with us how he got into entrepreneurship, the various ways he has changed the landscape of air quality space just by questioning the traditional ways corporate companies have done things and finding people who have also done something different and discerning in their sectors to work with. We also learn how Jatin applied the 4D framework in his business and his personal life. You’ll also discover why it’s normal to be called “crazy” if you’re an entrepreneur. This is not a conversation you would not like to miss.

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In today’s episode, we have Ramzi Ghurani, Managing partner of Petra Insurance Brokers. His impressive background includes 20 years in insurance, risk management, branding, and business development, and he made it his mission to bring clarity to people about the confusing world of insurance.

Stay tuned as we discover Ramzi's innate authentic self, his lessons learned about entrepreneurship, leadership, and becoming a parent, as he shares his wisdom and insights, along with his daring plans for the future of his business.

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Welcome to another episode of our Masters’ Spotlight series! Our guest today is Marilyn Zakhour, CEO and founder of Cosmic Centaurs. Marilyn has over 10 years of experience creating and running digital native organizations of all sizes. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of EMAAR and as the Head of Dubai Opera. She holds an executive MBA from INSEAD.

You'll be captivated by Marilyn's story of starting her own company at the height of the pandemic and her passion for collaboration, innovation, and creativity, along with her vision to empower teams around the world to build together freely.

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Today we are in conversation with Darren Carrington, Founder and Director of YouNique Consulting, as he gives great insight into his background in broadcasting and radio, what it takes to work in high-tension environments all over the world, leaving his radio background in the UK to take a leadership role in the UAE and how leaders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners can motivate and empower their team to enhance performance and profit.

YouNique Consulting is focused on helping businesses identify, understand, and improve the overall health and profitability of their company. They provide bespoke solutions to fit their clients’ individual and organizational needs allowing Human Capital to perform at its best by utilizing each employee’s capabilities and abilities.

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Hello and welcome to the first episode of our Master Spotlight Series, where we sit with immensely successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders and learn what they bring to the table. In today’s episode, we feature our guest, Dhiren Bhatia who shares with us how he was able to incorporate the three key elements of entrepreneurial success into his life and business: Disrupt, Discern, and Decide.

Dhiren Bhatia is the founder and managing director of Cloudscape Technologies, helping inventory-based business simplify business operations using modern POS and Inventory Management Systems. He is also the host of the Elevated Entrepreneur Podcast, helping entrepreneurs elevate themselves and do better in life

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In today's episode, we're chatting with an absolute dynamic and formidable female force in the entrepreneurial world.

Amanda Perry is the CEO and Managing Director of Vitality Management Consultancies and Vital Corporate Solutions, the UAE's first and only female-focused business accelerator. She has over 20 years of experience working within the Offshore Financial Services sector having spent time in Guernsey, Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and Dubai.

Born and raised in Guernsey, Amanda grew up surrounded by strong, remarkable women who taught her valuable lessons on entrepreneurship and building businesses. Now, she is living her passion by empowering female entrepreneurs to achieve great success in both business and in life.

Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, there is so much you can take away from Amanda Perry's wisdom and incredible insights.

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Good morning business world, and welcome to a new month! Time flies so fast, and we are now in the third month of the year! Today’s podcast episode will be all about pipelines. For a lot of people, the pipeline is just one thing. Initially, we think about customers. However, we know that in finance, pipelines are used to somehow indicate the progress of a process or system that is being followed.

These are crucial in evaluating the success of our businesses and if we are actually gearing towards the goals that we, as a business, aim to meet. This is why today, we will be talking about different things like how to get started with pipelines, their importance, knowing your team, and what personal mentoring and guidance does to employees and coworkers alike.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/15 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

As we dive deeper into our finance series, we chat with our guest Rayhan Aleem, the managing partner of Alpha Pro Partners based in Dubai. He helps small to medium-sized businesses optimize their finance and operation functions and has served in several industries, such as Technology, Financial Services, Media, F&B, Logistics and Marketing both in London and Dubai.

Rayhan Aleem takes us through his journey from corporate to starting his own business in the UK and Dubai. The tips he has for business owners and entrepreneurs regarding their financials are just some of the amazing things he shares in this week’s episode. If you’re a new business owner and you want to know how to keep your cash flowing, then keep listening.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/14 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

In today's episode, we're reviewing the Cash Conversion Cycle. This is one of the most essential metrics to measure the efficiency of cash management within your business, and without knowing where your money goes and flows, you'll have a difficult time scaling up your business. That is why today we're discussing the 4 key areas within that cash conversion cycle that you need to look at as well as ways to improve how money flows within your business.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/13 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

Imelda Dagus is the founder and owner of Dennis Coffee Garden based in Zamboanga, Philippines. Dennis Coffee Garden is famous for its value of legacy and culture and for reviving dying traditions and preserving heirloom delicacies.

Imelda’s entrepreneurial journey from working overseas for more than 20 years to building her business from scratch and becoming the businesswoman that she is today will inspire any entrepreneur out there. Tune in to the episode and learn so much more as she shares her struggles when she was first starting, what she did to overcome the challenges, and how she is now impacting the lives of many through her business.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/12 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

It's the start of a brand-new year and we're so excited to share more business and productivity tips with you! If you've been following us last year, you already know how to assess your year and you've gone ahead to start planning for 2021. But with a long laundry list of plans and things to do, how do you know where to start? Which tasks or goals are the most important and which need to be done ASAP? Well, in today's episode, we're helping you set your priorities, by borrowing a few tools from the great thought leaders of productivity and putting our own twist on it, so you can finally get the important things done.

In today's episode, we raise a glass for the year that has been and for the year that is to come. We'd like to share with you our milestones this year and the action steps we took to get us to where we are now, and how, you, dear Founder, business owner, or entrepreneur, can pivot your company and business success to not just survive but thrive in the coming year, despite the new normal.

"Continue to dream big, continue to dare because the sun is gonna shine again tomorrow morning, and bring in a brand new year."

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/10 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

We’re so honoured to have Margaret Mekaat here with us today. She is a financial wellbeing coach, and she helps clients in Dubai and all over the world take control of their day to day finances and achieve financial freedom to make choices that will allow them to enjoy life.

Join us as she shares with us some tips on how to master your mind and money, what’s really stopping us from reaching our financial goals, what we can do to break free from our limiting beliefs, and how we can live a life of fulfilment and purpose by having the right mindset and strategies in place. Whether you are a business owner, an employee, a university student, a home baker, or even a manager of the household, you can learn so much from this, we urge you to take notes because you will get so much value from this.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/9 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

Today, we’re tackling how in the year when everything felt like going wrong, we were able to take on massive milestones and made the impossible possible. Join us in our conversation as we talk about how utterly amazing the human spirit can be in times of crisis and what all business owners must remember as we move forward into the future.

“We are living in a time that is one of the biggest milestones in human history, we are here creating that history. All of us, every single one of us, it is one of the best times to be alive, times like these come only once every other generation, make the most of it. Because no matter what happens the sun will rise tomorrow morning, and the sun will shine tomorrow morning and there will be positivity hidden somewhere over there.”

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/8 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

We cannot deny that COVID-19 has definitely challenged the way we do business. Businesses across the globe – whether big or small – have tried their best to adapt to the new normal. In this podcast episode, Warsha and Evan invite us to take a few steps back from our business so that we can look at the bigger picture. Listen and find out the 5 important questions every business owner should answer in today’s landscape in order to thrive and not just survive in these changing times.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change". – attributed to Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/7 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

Running a business is much like driving a car. You have your steering wheel (your team), your dashboard (systems and operations), your windshield (vision and goals), and your rear-view and wing mirrors (performance KPIs). But do we look ahead in our business or do we sit facing the wrong way around looking back? In today’s episode, we discuss how we need to lead our business the same way we drive a car – focusing on what lies ahead and driving forward.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/6 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

Today we’re talking about a wonderful tool used to increase self-awareness and interpersonal communication and trust within organisations, the Johari Window. It was created in the 1950's by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham and is still relevant in businesses today. Join us as we discuss how implementing the Johari Window in your company can encourage better communication and collaboration within teams and departments, as well as expanding your awareness circle and getting comfortable giving and receiving honest and constructive feedback.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/5 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

In today’s Dare to Scale show, we sit down with Dhiren Bhatia of Elevated Entrepreneur Podcast to talk about a topic very dear and real to us, a Mastermind group.

This was first described by Napoleon Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich, as a group of peers who come together to solve their problems with input and advice from one another.

Tune in to learn more about what a mastermind group is, how it operates, and why it is so powerful for you to be a part of if you want to absolutely level up in your business.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/4 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

In today's podcast, we recall our Alaska trip to share with you the lessons we've gained about leadership from an unlikely sport - dog sledding.

Snow Runners is a form of transportation where you sit in a sled pulled by a team of dogs. The team is usually made up of 4 or more pairs - the lead pair, swing pair, team pair, and the wheel pair. Each dog is selected based on their unique personality and capabilities, and they all serve different roles depending on their position within the pack. The team is led by the musher who stands at the very back. Tune in to find out what these strong, resilient dogs can teach us about becoming a better leader.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/3 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

Can you clearly articulate your company's strategy in two minutes or less? When was the last time you sat down with your team to review your company's strategy? A strategy is not supposed to be a 100 - page long, overcomplicated document that you only review at the end of each year. In this podcast, we'll show you a strategy cascade that's simple, easy to execute and review, and readily accessible for everyone to implement within the company.

Join us as we look at Playing to Win, a book written by Richard Martin and A.G. Lafley, and discover the 6 questions we need to ask ourselves as a team to create a winning strategy.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/2 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

Have you got what it takes to scale your business forward? Are you ready to take on greater heights in your entrepreneurial journey? Tune in to the Dare to Scale Podcast and find out the best practices, tactics, and strategies industry leaders and experts use to grow and scale their business successfully.

Everything from finding the courage to dream bigger and bolder to determining the right goals, developing an abundance mindset, unlearning practices that no longer serve the business and replacing them with useful ones, to hiring the right team, managing finances and operations to ultimately achieving growth in sales and revenue within the company, as well as practical tips on dealing with the intricate complexities that come with each stage – we’ve got all these covered.

In each episode, we provide actionable steps you can take to propel your business upward and forward – no matter which stage you're at in your Dare to Scale journey - Dare, Unlearn, Prepare and Scale. Whether you are a small business owner ready to scale up, or you’re a leader of a big company wanting to conquer your next big business venture, or you are somewhere in-between, the Dare to Scale Podcast is for you.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/welcome for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!

To a successful entrepreneur, running a business is just like climbing a mountain. It's no easy feat, but all that hard work is worth it once you reach the top. But what do you do next after getting to the summit? Are you brave enough to scale the next mountain in your business? Join us in this episode as we show you how you can go from reaching one summit to conquering new heights.

Check out https://daretoscale.fm/1 for show notes, full episode transcripts, and more!