Everything Ben Ross has done in his working life is clearly top-shelf. And throughout his career, Ben has been in complete control of his own destiny, stepping into different roles and guises in different countries and levelling up his career every single step.

Ben is self aware, well-rounded and poised, a risk-taker with a brilliant mind and deep understanding of product market fit and customer driven innovation.

Ben believes that great businesses happen when customer driven innovations (insights) MEETS technology driven innovations MEETS great design. And why is it important? Because "...disruption never finishes. There is another wave of disruption coming right behind the first wave."

Whilst your going to learn heaps about product market fit, lean start ups, customer validation and so much more, what Ben really drives home is how culture, values and people (especially product managers) are always the building blocks of great product and leading indicators of company success.

Enjoy our discussion.

E43 | Ben Ross | Product Management | Go To Market Expert | Customer First | Tech Entrepreneur

Where does one start to describe Dave Prior? 

You can start with strong-foundations; his vision, commitment and self-belief. What about his history? Simply track the incredible story of his family, his understanding of the power of brands, the dedication he has to himself, his craft and his team. Now look at the incredible products that this extraordinary entrepreneur has built and bought. Add these together and you get an incredible entrepreneur with an amazing story, and plenty left in the tank. 

Dave’s penchant for risk is off the charts, matched only by his ability to deliver outstanding outcomes. What is clear is that Dave draws additional strength from his tight-knit family, and doesn’t make everything one way traffic - he gives back to his staff and community and that makes his journey all the more impressive. 

Our discussion of self-belief and values is very informative, as is the resolve that Dave displayed against all odds when "experts" told him that he was destined for failure.

Enjoy our discussion.

E44 | David Prior | Entrepreneur | Brands | Self-Belief | Family Business | Values

Navigating the pathway to success isn't a smooth ride. With the bumps and reroutes you may experience along the way, how can you achieve the goals you have in mind?

Brendon Gale has had an amazing career. He is the current CEO of the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Before that, he played for the club from 1990 to 2001, became the CEO of the AFL Player's Association, and was a member of AFL's rules committee. Being one of the most influential people in the field, he brought Premiership Glory to Richmond after the club had had decades of on field mediocrity.

For Brendon Gale, CEO of Richmond Football Club, you need to have a vision and equip yourself with the right values to gain success. In this episode, we will talk about Brendon's journey towards being the CEO of the Richmond Football Club. He will share with us the experiences that moulded him and the RFC football team magnificently.

Kick-start your journey to success with our conversation on Disciplinn. Enjoy

E45 | Brendon Gale | Richmond Football Club | Vision | Values | Team | Leadership | Success | AFL

Many of us start off on the “wrong foot” or wind up in a seemingly dead-end job.  The kind of place where our growth and need for creativity are limited. While a few of us stay, there are those who decided to take the plunge for little soul searching until we strike gold.

Today’s guest, Larah Loutati — founder and CEO of her own company, Vitable Australia — grew up in the coastal town of Agadir, Morocco. Larah later moved to Europe to take a degree in communication and finance, and finally Australia to build her start-up. 

Larah left her seaside childhood town in Morocco to joining the corporate rat race in Europe, to breezing through hospitality in Bondi Beach. Until she found her calling for product development in nutrition. Enabling her to connect directly to customers with ways that could optimise their experience. She is also now expanding her vitamin business overseas. It is an incredible journey and even better story.

Hit the play button now to listen in Laura’s amazing journey to destiny and get inspired!

E46 | Larah Loutati | Entrepreneur | Customer Engagement | Product First

Marathon swimming champion Chloë McCardel believes that we all have the potential to be great at one thing, but may not know what that is. For most of her early life, Chloe identified herself as the best in her class, desiring to swim her way to the Olympics.  

When things turned out to disappoint, it was here where Chloe got to learn what a breeding ground for excellence looks like. That failure along the way does not dictate the mindset.  Fast-forward to 2020, Chloe beat the men's record for number of cross-channel open water swimming on her 35th try. 

As my guest in this episode, Chloe shares her inspiring story of trials and tribulations. The importance of a self-analysis, and the will to keep on pressing forward.  

Whether you’re an athlete, business owner or simply someone with a dream. Tune in now because this just might be the episode for you!

E47 | Chloë McCardel | World Record Holder | Determination | Mental Strength | Marathon Swimmer

Throughout her career as a successful lawyer, Laura Keily felt a great need to address a common problem many people on the opposite end of the table were experiencing. She wanted to relieve her clients from the usual financial roadblocks that prevented them from getting what they deserved. 

In her determination to preserve business relationships, and clients from losing hope. Laura came up with the idea of integrating technology as an alternative to the already fragmented legal system. That would help people seeking legal advice cope appropriately, and succeed in their undertakings in a lesser amount of time and cost. 

Join me and I sit down with this superhero of a woman and her selfless desire to make the world a better place through her efforts, experience, and expertise.

E48 | Laura Keily | Mediation | Advocacy | Start-Ups | Law | Barrister | Transformation

Jim Penman started a part-time gardening business while earning his PhD in history at Latrobe University. He launched a full-time mowing business in 1982 with a $24 investment.

He originally aimed only at taking on subcontractors, but his business grew and he gradually began to specialise in the building up and selling of lawn mowing rounds. By 1989 he franchised his business, and since then Jim’s Mowing has become the largest franchise chain in Australian and the largest and best-known lawn mowing business in the world.

Jim’s Cleaning was launched in 1994, followed by more than 50 other divisions which now operate in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. Jim’s Group now has over 3,800 Franchisees and a turnover of approximately $500 million.

It was great fun talking to and learning from Jim! Listen in now because I’m sure you will too on how you can take the ordinary to the extraordinary!

E49 | Jim Penman | Entrepreneur | Franchising | Customer Service | Sustained Growth | Jim's Mowing

Gabby Leibovich came to Australia as an immigrant child and worked hard. He worked hard at school, he and his brother worked hard at the markets to make some money and he worked hard to build one of Australia's best known and loved online retail brands; Catch of The Day.

Gabby is a great Australian success story and a font of wisdom and knowledge about retail sales, online sales, marketing, brand building, team building, money making, investing and, also importantly, knowing ones business limitations.

Gabby also invested hard in adjacent supplier relationships and the logistics side that supported his (and his brothers) business.  What is revealing is the important focus on input costs as much as retail prices.

Gabby is a straight-shooter, but incredibly warm and generous with his time, insights and views. For Episode 50 of Disciplinn, this is a real highlight. Enjoy our discussion.

E50 | Gabby Leibovich | Retail Legend | E-Commerce | Online Sales | Entrepreneur | Investor

This week I talk with Adam Schwab as we delve into his incredible success. We cover:
- The benefits of lawyers
- Replacing a CEO
- Business Model Boxing
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Investors and Sherholders
- Start-up Investment 

and much much more

E01 | Adam Schwab | Founder | Travel Platforms

This week, I speak with Jason Ellenport, Principal at Edison Partners and Member board or directors for EO (Entrepreneurs Organisation).

For any entrepreneur, Disciplinn is a vital listen as we delve into key tips for business leaders and entrepreneurs and what makes entrepreneurs tick. 

This week we start with:

Inauspicious beginnings
Growing ambition
Father & son / family values
Start-ups calling
The value of values
From pilot to trusted advisor
M&A advice - how, when, why and who
Set backs and challenges
Passions and just being Jason

There was significant set-backs for Jason on his path and this article in The Australian newspaper will give even more insight into this incredibly story and into this brilliant entrepreneur: https://bit.ly/2Kr9pix  

Next week, we look at a no bullshit entrepreneur, THE BULL. See you then

Tony

E02 | Jason Ellenport | Mergers & Acquisitions

This week on Disciplinn I speak with Paul Breen, AKA the Bull.

Paul is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet - he’s had spectacular business success, but as you will hear he’s also seen the other side and embraces failure whole heartedly.

Paul is universally admired for his honesty, insights, ability to hit you straight between the eye and to understand that cultural motivations that drive business, and the personal motivations that accelerate or decelerate individuals. 

Paul is a writer, raconteur and this episode of Disciplinn will give you an insight into the commitment an entrepreneur needs, to achieve great success. He also gives insights into sales, culture and retail and about grafting your way to an outcome.

Enjoy my chat with THE BULL, Paul Breen

E03 | Paul Breen | The Bull | Retail Business Builder

Disciplinn has already had incredible feedback and listeners want to know who I am, what qualifies me to sit in the interviewers chair and why am I doing these interviews.

If you have six minutes, all will be revealed.

An introduction to Disciplinn and Tony Simmons

Hiring, firing and looking for great people - especially start-ups -  this weeks episode of Disciplinn is a must. I speak with Jamal Khan, Managing Partner of Amrop Carmichael Fisher.

Jamal has spent his working life in recruitment, building recruitment start-ups throughout the world, and now having his own executive search firm incorporated into the Global Amrop Group. He gives you an inside track into what makes an outstanding candidate, and we cover some fertile ground, including:

- Entrepreneurial itch from an academic background
- Falling into recruitment - controlling your own destiny and creating something from nothing
- Getting in sales and generating revenue - Tom Hopkins, How to Master the Art of selling - it's a number game!
- Starting again - the adrenalin of new things and another start-up
- Plugging it into a global network
- Recruitment - Halos and Horns - good hiring tips
- Good people for business - People are enablers its all about people - context driven 
- What is Executive Search - how does it work - client & Candidate side - what makes a good candidate
- What about start ups - attracting great candidates 
- What about Executive Coaches
- Constant exposure to incredible business people - front row seat to captains of industry
- Personality traits in great CEOs  - and sustainable leadership

E04 | Jamal Khan | Start-ups | Global Executive Search

Have a business that sells a product or service, or are a sales person yourself, then you must listen to this weeks episode.

I speak with Graham Hawkins about Sales Tribe and his incredible journey from facing displacement as a sales person in a rapidly evolving digital world, to how he founded a transformational company; Sales tribe. 

The insights you will get for how sales in changing and what you / business can do to change now to improve all sales efforts is truly valuable. We discuss:

- Subject Matter leads to understanding - buyer behaviour - B2B sales
- Frightening changes in Sales - fast changing roles
- Sales Influencer - curating and leveraging a network
- Why take a risk - because I knew!!! The problem was obvious
- Know your market - product / market validation
- The entrepreneur - “the white knuckle ride” - keep energy high
- Sales - trust, open, reputation and integrity
- Content, content, content is, and always has been, king
- Get out of your comfort zone -  you must connect and be front of mind 
- Sales is becoming a cultural and competency fit - it is not a bum on a seat - This is how you must find people 
- The entrepreneurs journey is sacrifice - but healthy body and mind helps amazingly

Enjoy the episode!

E05 | Graham Hawkins | Transformative Sales Mindset | SalesTribe

This week I speak to Zandy Fell about her journey from the boardrooms of Toyota as their Diversity and Equal opportunity manager
Employee relations Manager and National recruitment Manager
To running her own business, The Zalt Group.

Zandy says there is nothing soft and fluffy about workplace relations and I can really see that now, enjoy as we cover:

- HR - Values and Idealism
- HR and ER - not a soft skill 
- It really is the silly things - emotions run high
- The female assumptions in business
- Feelings - Nothing more than feelings
- Conflict needs a PR remodel - a good workplace is the ability to deal with difference and can get an organisation to a better place
- “Don’t take it personally” Be rational - change your thinking!
- Conflict is a leakage point - it is a loss of hours, mental space and - and most companies don’t measure it
- Who has the power - the manager or the subordinate
- HR is a strategic advantage
- We’ve all got the skills for conflict resolution

E06 | Zandy Fell | Workplace Conflict Resolution | Zalt Group

“Every successful business needs a good accountant and good lawyer”, and it is 100% true. 

If you are a start-up and want some free accounting advice, listen up.

Darren Heveren is making accountancy and tax sexy and on this episode of Disciplinn, Darren discusses business structure and tax. Whilst all of these concepts might seem out-of-reach and fanciful when starting out, believe me, you can lose A LOT of money if you overlook accounting; tax, bookkeeping, cash flow, real time data and much much more.

This week Darren opens up about his incredible journey from average student, to partner at Deloitte, to giving it all away to find freedom and start out again at his own small firm which has grown and grown and grown.

E09 | Darren Heveren | Accounting | Finance | Tax | Xero

If you fancy yourself as an entrepreneur, then you will love this episode.

Tim Fung has taken a non-linear career path that had him successfully co-founding and scaling one of Australia's most disruptive, successful, gig-economy marketplaces, Airtasker. 

Tim has grown Airtasker with his diligent and expert approach to tech, capital raising, pivoting and hard hard work. More importantly, Tim and Airtasker are mission driven and that is why they have made such a huge impact on the community.

E10 | Tim Fung | Airtasker | Founder & CEO | Disruption | Gig Economy

There is nothing better than getting money back for growing your business. It's a no brainer.

Evan Widmonte is a specialist in R&D and other Government grants, helping businesses grow by massively improving cash flow - especially for startups.

As an actuarial scientist and accountant, Evan found out that by applying for grants, you find out a lot about a business and their team, and that makes it great starting point to invest in these businesses - who would have thought - but its pure genius!

E11 | Evan Widmonte | R&D | Grants | Advisory | Spiritual

Adir Shiffman was a Medical Doctor that couldn't stand the mundane. At medical school he started businesses, and he's had enormous success with almost everything he's touched.

He's Executive Chair of global business Catapult Sports and he knows a few things about scale, growth and strategy.

His advice is incredible: if there is a wall in front of you, run as fast as you can at it. Hopefully you work out how to get over it before you go SPLAT! Better still, "don't amputate your toe, amputate your foot"

E12 | Adir Shiffman | Doctor | Entrepreneur | Catapult Sports

Jacyl Shaw is a free thinker, a tempered radical and a boundary spanner. Innovation is part of Jacyl’s DNA she believes that innovation happens when you "...put people together, then get out of the way".

Jacyl has advised Governments, Universities and Corporations about the creation of innovation hubs and precincts and how to embrace and harness digital transformation.  She thrives in her current role as an intrapreneur stating that to achieve success you must "...bring innovation and fit for purpose thinking to make sure that an organisation thrives and survives..."

She is also an actress who can boast a small part on the long running TV show Neighbours. Enjoy.

E15 | Jacyl Shaw | Innovation Leader | Digital Transformation | Hubs | Intrapreneur

Steves Hui’s journey is a journey of many parts. From working class suburbs to a guru of using frequent flyer points to fly flat in business and first class.

From small business accountant to the millionaires factory of Macquarie bank. From banking and finance at Macquarie Bank to start up entrepreneur. From start up founder to most known Australian Brand in frequent flyer miles - The Points Whisperer (TM). 

As an immigrant to Australia - Steves is another great Australian success story proving that hard work, and smart work can get you to anywhere - as Steve says, "...there are many different paths to the same place."

If you want to fly business class, and let's be honest we all do, then Steve sheds some light on earning frequent flyer points and, more importantly, scoring that all important frequent flyer points business class seat. It is a dark art that Steve Hui has mastered. Enjoy.

E16 | Steve Hui | The Points Whisperer | Entrepreneur | Frequent Flyer Points | Business Class

Many people want to make a big positive change. Cressida Wall is one of these unique people who takes on incredibly demanding and complex jobs so that she can bring about positive change and have positive impact in peoples lives.

How many people go into politics thinking that they can impose their view onto us all? Well, as an advisor to the Victorian Premier, Cressida never confused the situation, knowing that her views were not the views of other people.

Cressida is a person of influence whose career spans political parties, global private tech start-ups, and now representing the interests of the sector that employs the most Australians - The Property Council of Australia. She believes that legislative change is probably the best way to make a difference. Enjoy our discussion.

E17 | Cressida Wall | Policy Advisor | Leader | Impact | The Property Council

Lance Picioane was a first round draft pick in the AFL - Australian Football League - with incredibly high expectations. But, playing Australian rules, where battle is done in gladiatorial like stadiums, was masking a private battle that Lance was facing. We all now know that athletes have human fragilities too.

Lance takes us through his youth, football career, and some of his troubled times as his parallel mental health battles led to substance abuse and a descent into troubled waters. 

Lance is a character of exceptional qualities, brought out by the exceptional women in his life. With his Mum and his wife by his side, Lance was able to find a positive path into good mental health and he founded Love Me Love You, a foundation built purposefully so that people who face mental health struggles can walk the pathway with support. 

Whilst his football career was important, his post-football life changing people’s lives and getting them help is truly remarkable and inspirational.

Have a listen to this candid and brutally honest discussion on Disciplinn this week. Enjoy.

E26 | Lance Picioane | AFL Footballer | Charity | Foundation | Mental Health | CEO

Dr Qusai Hussain is a Lawyer, Psychologist and now a tech entrepreneur founding online Telehealth platform Cyber Clinic.

Receiving his Law Degree from the National Law School of India after which he practiced as a criminal defence lawyer, Dr Hussain then pursued postgraduate studies in New York, U.S.A receiving his M.A. in Forensic Psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice

In recent times, Qusai started to see, as we all have, the Incidents of mental health going up. With mental-health awareness and reporting increasing, more and more people are now seeking service providers. This is where Qusai encountered 2 problems - 1 practitioners are spread all over Australia so it is very hard to find and have access to a practitioner and 2, you want to be matched to a practitioner that can deal with your specific mental health issue and also ensure it is someone who you can trust.

Quasi invested his own money and energy into building an online clinic to solve these issues, and his results have been remarkable. But, as you will hear, riding the start-up rollercoaster certainly has come with sacrifice and costs too.

Please enjoy our very in-depth and important discussion.

E28 | Dr. Qusai Hussain | Mental Health Expert | Psychologist | Lawyer | Tech Entrepreneur

Matthew Toms is one of the most focussed, most honest, most decent, hardest working people you will find. As you will hear, if his brain was a machine, it would be a spaceship travelling mach 100. He moves with a serious pace and with his work with the Deague Group, creating the incredible, iconic, Art Series Hotel shows the level of accomplishment and achievement that Matthew brings to the table.

But with Matthew it is not all a one way street. His ongoing work with the Irvine Club and now WellAware shows he is always supporting his community and putting back what he takes out. He has inspired many people and he has positively impacted many peoples lives.

But, it's not all wine and roses. It never is. As you will hear, Matthew had his own moment of self-reflection which was forced upon him by his own drive and relentlessness. In this imposed hiatus and change of career path, Matthew may not have changed his work ethic, but he now knows when to take the foot off the pedal. 

Please enjoy our conversation.

E29 | Matthew Toms | Art Series Hotels | Deague Group | Irvine Club | Leader | Business Builder

Radek Sali always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and he personifies this crazy journey. In the mould of Sir Richard Branson, he has put himself "out there", been the spokesman and front-man of his company, gone high-profile, surrounded himself with brilliant and famous people, and taken all the spoils and falls that come with the name "entrepreneur".

Radek Sali has tasted the sweet success of building a global brand and selling it at a great price as fierce tail-winds blew. He was original in his thinking about marketing, original in his thinking about brand, original in his thinking about ambassadors and had the guts and dare to try new things. It worked.

But, past success is not always an indicator of smooth sailing ahead. As an investor, he made some of the moves he never took as a business owner. His backing of high profile celebrity chef George Calombaris has not ended well, and whilst the ink is still drying on this company decline, Radek is honest enough to share his thought on the matter.

Enjoy our discussion.

E31 | Radek Sali | Swisse Vitamins | Entrepreneur | Marketer | Investor | Culture Champion

For over 30 years Damien Mair has worked at the intersection and overlap of technology and design. Straight out of university he set up Fusion and landed his first client when he asked Apple Computers to use some of their computers - it was a massive sliding doors moment and a Lesson in “don’t ask and you don’t get”.

Damien has incredibly deep views about both culture and customers and this led him to create their own hosting company so that they could provide better service to their clients - it has transformed the revenues of the business and held him in great stead as technology and experiences came further to the fore.

Damien says when you think about marketing and technology you need to be more like a conductor, understanding how all the pieces of marketing work in concert. Also, he believes that you need to have a deep understanding of the technology that can support marketing activities, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of creativity. Creativity is very important.

I gleaned a huge amount of insight and different ways to look at marketing and technology and experiences from this discussion. I am certain you too will gain a lot too - enjoy

E32 | Damien Mair | Design & Technology Experiences | Customers | Fusion | Marketing | Entrepreneur

Dr Michelle Perugini is not just a brilliant, she is a brilliant person. Michelle is a sharp academic, generous giver of time and dedicated and focussed business woman.

With Presagen and The Life Whisperer Michelle is changing, sorry, making lives. With Artificial Intelligence, AI, The Life Whisperer is making IVF up to 30% more successful. What could be better in business than giving the gift of life. In this day and age, we all understand the importance and benefits of #medtech.

Some people might wonder where this incredible drive comes from, Dr Perugini says “In order for scientific advances to be useful to patients, you need to build up a successful commercial business, and you need to have the right intention about why you are doing the thing - we just all care deeply about patient outcome”

I needn’t say anymore, enjoy our discussion.

E33 | Dr. Michelle Perugini | AI | Artificial Intelligence | MedTech | The Life Whisperer | IVF

Justin Dry’s business career is very much like a good bottle of wine. The culmination of years of meticulously mastering a craft, and blending that knowledge into something that improves with age.

In this episode of Disciplinn, Justin covers the highs, and numerous lows of getting to where he is now, CEO of Vinomofo, a great brand and a great showcase for how one business model can be brilliantly be adapted to dominate different verticals. 

This episode should be mandatory listening for any entrepreneur; success, failure, capital raising, failed deals, successful M&A, buy back and then master of ones domain. It’s an incredibly journey.

Enjoy our discussion.

E37 | Justin Dry | Wine Lover | Entrepreneur | Online Retail | Niches | Buy-Back | Vinomofo

Culture? What is it? How do you create a good one - how do you measure it and what do you do if you have a bad company culture?

In this episode of Disciplinn, we chat with Barbara Hyman, CEO of AI software company, Predictive Hire. Barb has decades of understanding of what culture is and how to best create it. Because of her background (at BCG and REA Group), and her deep knowledge of values, she is  perfectly placed to scale this AI business into a global powerhouse.

Barb discussed exactly what defines culture, how you hire for culture and we explore how she came into the role of CEO at Predictive Hire and had to RESET this tech start-up and essentially build a team, product and culture form scratch. This journey is not for the faint of heart.

We delve into the incredibly difficult job of being an outsider and coming into a tech start-up and undertaking a start-up turnaround. There is so much depth to this discussion and the advice is really invaluable. In Barb’s own words “you have to be crazy to do it”.

Enjoy our discussion.

E39 | Barbara Hyman | Culture | AI | Hiring for Behaviours | Software | Team

PR (Public Relations) is, for many of us in business, a black box, a dark art of achieving editorial over advertorial, of earned vs paid, of authenticity vs concoction; or as some call it, "SPIN".

Lahra Carey is an ex-ABC journalist who was one of the forerunners in crossing over from media to media advisory. Her networks are significant, her entrepreneurial curiosity unbounded, and her depth of knowledge on both creating good PR, and dealing with crisis management is world-class. 

This interview contains abundant, critical, insights and you won’t be disappointed with our deep dive into company values, storytelling, the value that PR can add to company boards, messaging for crisis management, editorial relations and more.

If you don’t get value from listing to Lahra’s first-hand knowledge of how to communicate as a business, and inspiration from her own entrepreneurial journey - then I would suggest that you are probably not awake! Enjoy our discussion.

E41 | Lahra Carey | Public Relations | PR | Corporate Communications | Storytelling | Authenticity

Gavin Appel has the trifecta for any tech entrepreneur:

- Global Exit
- Partner at preeminent Venture Capital firm
- Scale up and tech advisor to scale ups and large corporates

It really is a journey to marvel at.

Gavin believes businesses need to be close to their customers, and solving real, large-scale, problems. And understands that founders must be razor focussed on their goals, whilst founders should obsessively become the subject matter experts in their domains. 

Importantly, Gavin has certainty of his position and views and doesn’t mice his words or water-down them down. It’s this strength of conviction that had guided him through his career, and will no doubt give you some inspiration and fresh perspective. Enjoy our discussion.

This episode of Disciplinn is proudly brought to you by Edison Partners.

E42 | Gavin Appel | Tech Start-Ups | Global Exit | Venture Capital | Scale Ups | Entrepreneur

Why do some entrepreneurs succeed? How do they think? If you only listen to one podcast about business success, this is the one. This is entrepreneurs speaking with entrepreneurs with practical insights and advice for any one in business.

Disciplinn by Tony Simmons

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