BOSS IT with Carl Reader

Here's why I took nearly two months out from the podcast...

Well, I didn't expect this curveball. Listen in to this chat between me and Nick Elston, where we talk about all sorts of things. And you'll see that sometimes, you have no idea of the impact you have.

Possibly my most controversial episode yet... but how can we as a generation be so selfish?

Many of us have a book in us. Or a bucket list entry to write one. Sometime. Here, I share my learnings about the reality of writing 3x published books - the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you want to learn more about the free course I mentioned, visit http://carl.to/wtb

A reflection on a social media post by my good friend David Holland. Check him out - he's been a previous guest and we did a mini series together on this show...

Sometimes I book a train when I don't need to. Am I mad? Probably. But putting that to one side, it is one of the greatest productivity hacks. Find out more in this episode.

Some more random musings from me, an update on my book, and my views on business failures coming out of the recession. Plus most importantly, discussing why we buy the stuff we do. (Hint, it's not because it's cheap, good or fast, whatever those signs used to tell us)

So, we've finally been able to recharge, in the sun, eating outside, and doing some non essential shopping... but video calls are something that have been the bane of our lives and might not go away. I talk about the way we can take advantage of our new found freedoms in England, and how we can make video calls work for us all whilst the world is still a little crazy. Unstructured, and unplanned, as usual :-)

Here's my view. Things will change in a 'new normal' - but not how you expect. Building a funnel to track clicks to your lead magnet ebook to a webinar webinar to your escalating sales process? You've been sold a $97 pup mate. This is what is happening over the next couple of years.

In this episode, I share the main problems with the way that businesses take on staff. What I've seen in my own businesses, and in others. And what I now do differently. Inspired by a conversation today at a book club that I spoke at. Enjoy! -- Audio: Persuasion (Instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/-persuasion Voiceover: Jordan Reader http://www.jordanreader.co.uk

Exclusively for existing subscribers - this won't be publicised! Thank you so much for your support. Here is a glimpse of what's to come following the rebrand to BOSS IT with Carl Reader. I hope you're happy to join us on this journey!

In the final episode of this mini series with Dave Holland, we discuss goalsetting. We talk about the myths and challenges around goal setting, it works for some people and it doesn't for others. Dave believes it's good to have short term goals - his goal is to go on a journey. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Myself and Dave Holland discuss scaling up your business. We touch on what prevents scalability of businesses, why you should scale your business and the four key area's of your business you need to nail. Take it from me, don't run before you can walk. Dave also speaks about management vs. leadership and why hiring both in your business is so important. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

In any sector, public speaking is something that comes naturally to some people and not so natural to others. Myself and Dave talk about our very first speaking gigs and the difficulties of public speaking. The key? Preparation! Whether it be my 5 minute prep on the back of my hand, or Dave's night before prep... it is the key element. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Offline marketing - We discuss challenges people face with offline marketing. Business relations aren't made online and the reality is that businesses need to network. I always say business isn't B2B it's H2H, human to human. Businesses need to interact and build relations. We all have days where we don't feel like human interaction but some days we do. Tips for face to face networking - own the hotel, listen to music and prepare. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Here myself and Dave Holland talk about other social media and marketing activities. We discuss different platforms that are used by ourselves and what we find works and doesn't work, and the impact that analytics can have on future content that gets uploaded. It turns out that real life updates seems to work better than most "hacks", I guess that's why they call it 'social' media - nobody wants a sales pitch on social media. On the back of social media, we talk about how work flows from posting content frequently - and if it didn't pay for itself, who would bother with social media useage for business purposes? The downside of social media marketing is that it doesn't start at monday at 9am and finish at 5pm on friday! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Adding on from the previous episode, myself and Dave Holland talk now about the negativity that may come off the back of controversial social media marketing and how to deal with it. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Carrying on from our first episode, this conversation continues on the subject of Social Media Marketing. We discuss controversy within social media marketing, the pro's and cons of using this and how to utilise it to your advantage. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Here in sunny Luxembourg I am joined by Dave Holland for a mini series of short and snappy podcast epsiodes related around a variety of business area's and bouncing around ideas/experiences. Our first topic is Social Media Marketing - it shouldn't be a real pressing issue for businesses to consider, myself and Dave discuss this and also chat about where businesses are going wrong with social media. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Author, military man, and Hollywood screenwriter Dougie Brimson has had a very colourful journey! He served 18+ years in the RAF, has a successful career in publishing and film and is now writing his 16th book (as well as working on a movie!)...but Dougie says he's still doesn't know what he wants to do with his life! A longer, brilliant episode with a fascinating guest - you'll need a cuppa for this one! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

"Quality never goes out of style" - a great mantra that my guest Alex Hall lives by. Alex has a phenomenal CV - Microsoft, Samsung, Nike, GoPro and Muc Off to name a few. But what does Alex think really makes a great brand? Very simple - take away the money, the travel, the people who interviewed you, and think - is this brand a brand I want to work for? Is it a brand that represents you? Recently though, Alex decided it was time to be his own boss. We talk about the risks of starting his own business (especially with a newborn baby on the way!) and the new business journey he's setting out on. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Vice president of Global Brands and Creative, Dany Atkins is in charge of transforming Kodak's brand. Guiding the heritage brand through a challenging time, Dany is guiding Kodak in redefining itself, collaborating with huge names - Marc Jacobs, Selfridges and Forever 21, to name a few. From spending summers travelling in a campervan with her Dad, to heading up EMEA Marketing for Beats for Dre, and now bringing back the colour into Kodak - Dany has had a tremendous journey! Encouraged from an early age to 'pin your colours to your mast' by her father, Dany has never let anything stop her - especially not being the only woman in the room (not uncommon in the tech space). Dany talks of challenges she's faced along the way, and how she's overcome them. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Caffeine Partnership CEO and author Sophie Devonshire is on today's show, talking business acceleration. One of Sophie's key focuses are senior leaders who are impatient but excited about the future of their business. The world is moving so fast, but the challenge is to keep businesses continually moving forwards. Realising that this is a surprisingly common issue, Sophie researched and produced her book, Superfast Lead at Speed. A great quote from Sophie - "Learn from other peoples mistakes - because life is too short to make them all ourselves." Some wise words, applicable to most businesses, in this one. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

What if I told you that the key to selling is to listen, not talk? I'm joined by Alison Edgar, sales expert & the entrepreneur's godmother. Alison talks us through her journey in sales and how she transformed into sales coaching. Alison believes that everything we do in life is sales. From trying to bargain a good deal from an independent business to just getting somebody to make you a cuppa! An interesting listen, especially if you want to know how to up your sales game! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

I'm joined by Chris Williams, LinkedIn Guru (although he doesn't like that term!). We talk about how LinkedIn can improve your business when used in the correct way. There are many 'wrong' and 'right' ways of using LinkedIn, which we explore in this episode. We also touch on clickbait, polarising your audience and trolling! A really insightful episode, with some key takeaway points for all LinkedIn users. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

I'm joined by entrepreneur Richard Beese in this episode. Richard has - quite literally - had his life flash before his eyes. Hit by a London tube train, with devastating consequences, fomer stockbroker Richard found himself caught up in a horrific accident. The trauma totally changed his mindset - and his life. Now 37, Richard has a quite impressive business and life story to tell. An inspiring listen you need to hear! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

What can YOUR business do to make your customer feel special? We're all guilty of giving a fake email when the sales assistant asks us for one. Nobody wants repetitive junk filling up their email! Adapting how you communicate with your customers can totally change their perspective and put a genuine smile on their face. Sometimes it can be as simple as a simple text or email - think of this when adapting it to your business. I talk my personal experience and top tips for going the extra mile. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Jeremy "Jem" Nicholas's voice will probably be very familiar to you (especially if you've ever played any of the FIFA 06 - FIFA 16 games!) With 27 years working at the BBC as an award-winning broadcaster, presenter and comedian under his belt, Jem has hosted a multitude of interview, quiz, radio, sports and chat shows. Growing up as a West Ham fan in East London, Jem had told his teachers he wanted to talk about sport as a job, but was quickly told that wasn't a proper job. He certainly disproved that one - he's now spent 16 years as West Ham's stadium announcer! We chat through his career, business and journey - and why it's so vitally important to "do what you love". This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Georgie Frost returns! Last time she came on my show, Georgie spoke to me about the power of saying yes. This time around, Georgie's explaining how her 'Year of Yes' turned into not just one or two, but THREE years of saying yes. She talks about what made her keep at it, some of the choices she's made, and what she's learnt along the way. The key lesson? You don't need a business to "be your own boss" - actually, being your own boss in life is just as satisfying. A great story about how one woman's decision, on one simple thing, led to a huge life change. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

"Businesses that 'do good' do better!" Today I'm joined by my friend and fellow accountant, Steve Pipe. Steve built a 40-strong consulting business, then sold that business to management aged 50. Now 57, the family man and author encourages businesses to focus on making a change in the world. He explains why businesses (no matter how big or small) should be doing good in every transaction of the business, to ensure their businesses thrive. Find out more in this **short/meaty** episode. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Recently, I've taken over as vice-chair at Hungerford Town Football Club. I have come into the club not only to give my business insights, but also to help make the club, which is a non-profit organisation, sustainable. My main aim for HTFC is simple: I want to keep football as it should be - something for the community, rather than something for property developers to make a few quid off. But at the same time, sustainability is essential. In this episode, I share the key principles on how to keep a sports NFP business stable and sustainable. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Iona Bain is the founder of The Young Money Blog. In this podcast episode, Iona talks about her music career, freelancing and writing about money! On her blog, Iona gives young people advice on how to better manage their money, based on lessons she's learnt herself. As a full time musician, it was pure luck that would get that 'big break'. Iona then started writing about managing money because she wanted to do something where she got recognition for her hard work. We also get insight into Iona's best spend under £50! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Thinking of taking the next step in your business? Franchising might just be the answer. Don't worry if you've never researched into franchising - I've got you covered in this episode! I touch on branding, legislation and investment - all key factors within franchising. Shameless promo time - if you find this helpful and want more information, my book 'The Franchising Handbook' (available on Amazon) covers *all* topic in far more depth (or drop me a message and I'll hook you up with d&t, who can help you franchise your business). This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

New Yorker Vana Koutsomitis joins me on the podcast this week. Vana, who was runner-up on the 11th series of The Apprentice in 2015, talks about her time on the show and her businesses, DatePlay, Deep Dating Coaching and Vino by Vana. It was the possibility of publicity from The Apprentice that attracted her to take part - she'd never watched it prior to applying for it! Her passion is the networking and branding, and that's what drove her to create DatePlay. A great listen - and if you ask me, Lord Sugar missed out! Vana's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vanackoutsomitis/ Vana's Instagram & Twitter - @vana_cristina This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Entrepreneur, nutrition geek & genuine nice guy! I talk to Jason Rickaby on this episode and we discuss all things nutrition and business. Jason first set foot into a gym at 17. 26 years later and he's built an empire - PhD Nutrition. We talk about the most important parts of his brand, the positive effect that social media has had on the fitness and well-being industry, and the misconception of gender and the gym! We also touch on brand ambassadors and how they've boosted the authenticity of PhD Nutrition. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Penny Power OBE, the woman responsible for Ecademy, shares her story. The first social network for business people, with 650,000 members, Ecademy sadly closed its doors in 2012. Penny now focuses on helping other business owners achieve their dream. In this episode, Penny and I touch on everything from the "Instagram lifestyle" and marketing to mental health in business. A very real, down-to-earth episode, with key points that sometimes - we all need a reminder of. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

This time around I'm the guest! This is me on Share Radio with Georgie Frost discussing 'The Year of Yes'. In an episode full of positivity and energy, we talk about how to leverage the power of saying yes (both in business and in life), the opportunities that could arise and how to get into the momentum of saying yes. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Buying a business can be a great investment, but there are a lot of important factors to consider before you make the leap. Should you buy business shares or the sole business itself? How do you find a good business for sale? This is my guide to the real, nitty-gritty details of business buying. If you're considering investing in a business, this one's for you. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Delve in to the choc-filled world of James Cadbury, great-great-great-grandson of John Cadbury (of Dairy Milk etc fame), contestant on ITV's Dragon's Den and founder of Love Cocoa. We go into the history of Cadbury and what happened there, then he explains what inspired him to set up Love Cocoa AND why he turned down the Dragon's offer! WARNING: This one will make you hungry! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Welcome to your whistle-stop tour of scaling your business! Have you ever wanted to grow your business to its full potential? In this episode I explain the 4 key pillars of doing just that! From values and vision to management jargon - this is a run through of how to make sure you're making the most of your potential. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Find out why you should go for B minus, not for A with this, my chat with performer, coach and writer, Sarah Archer. We discuss how our faults and errors are often actually our best tools - they mould us into who we are, define how we learn from our mistakes, and determine what we do with the learnings. Sarah talks about her working life, how she fell into comedy, and what she's learnt along the way. She also shares the secret ingredients of how to create a great joke. Watch out world, my dad jokes are on the up! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Ever wondered how I come up with my content for the Bulletpoint Business episodes? In this episode I chat about how I come up with ideas for the episodes, where I find inspiration and also the equipment I use. A little insight & knowledge that can help ideas form for any type of business. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Emails - they're time-consuming and quite frankly, boring as hell. Not everyone in business has the time to sit and work through emails, so release yourself from your Outlook time-drain with my top tips. Find out how I manage mine and only spend time on the important ones, and watch as your productivity rockets! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

This episode we welcome back Kiki Stanton (The lady with one name). Kiki and I delve into the detail of social media platforms and how they work for our businesses. We chat about what works and what doesn't, and the tips and tricks that you can apply to your business. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

Every business can save money in some way. We've all got costs that we could be getting cheaper or a better deal elsewhere, but how do we know what we can effectively cut the cost of without it damaging our business? In this episode I talk about overheads you can cut without a negative impact. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

A customer isn't our customer if they're not paying us - words I truly believe. (and many business owners need to come to terms with). I chat about how to keep in control of your money and keep good relationships with your customer. I offer tips and tricks which will keep you and your staff in control of your money. (The audio isn't great on this one but the content will be worth a listen!) This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

My personal mentor, coach and friend David Holland chats about how he started his life as a weapons engineer, ran a franchise in the UK then packed everything up and began a new life in the glittering lands of Las Vegas. Dave talks about the challenges of his journey and talks about the importance of adapting your mindset to 'go and do it' and open yourself up to bigger and better opportunities. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

James Phipps... what a guy! James had the ambition of retiring before he was 40 and wanted to spend his life helping people (spoiler: he succeeded!). We talk about how he began his journey, built his career and now takes businesses sustainably from where they are to a more profitable, successful level. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

With less than a week to go with Making Tax Digital, here's my interview with LBC Radio where I'm talking all things Making Tax Digital and what it means for small businesses. I iron out the key points of Making Tax Digital and discuss the effect it'll have (and my thoughts might not be what you expect!) This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

An episode packed full of insight from Warren Shute, who I would refer to as 'The New Martin Lewis'. As well as being full of knowledge, Warren's a really good mate of mine. We chat about financial planning, pocket money strategies and becoming financially free (without touching on interest rates and annuities!). A really interesting listen that anybody can relate to! This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.

I don't hold back in this one! This is 6 mins of me talking about avoiding common business pitfalls and doing what's needed for your business. I've worked with thousands of businesses, and all too often I see the same problems coming up, whether they're brand new in business or established. From classic "CEO complex" traps to creative avoidance, and much more, I talk about the key pitfalls and how to avoid them. This is a #BulletpointBusiness episode of The Carl Reader Show, where I'll distil complicated business concepts into bulletpoints that you can take away and action. This podcast is brought to you by d&t advisory, helping you unlock the magic of your business, and sponsored by QuickBooks – helping UK small businesses stay on top of their finances. For more The Carl Reader Show, follow me on social media @CarlReader.