James Smith

Too many founders fixate on profit. But profit isn’t the purpose of a business. It’s the fuel that keeps it moving. That’s how Simon Sinek explained it when we spoke on the How to Make a Billion podcast. You don’t buy a car for the petrol. You buy it to go somewhere. Same with business. If you don’t know where you’re headed, no amount of fuel will help. Simon and I talked about why purpose matters more than ever, especially in 2025. We also covered: - The real job of a CEO - How to align people around a clear mission - Why Start With Why still holds up - And how copying (done well) can still lead to success Simon’s as insightful in person as he is on stage. You can watch the episode here: https://bit.ly/4ohsaWC Or search “Business Leader” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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I spoke with 49 different business owners in the last month I realised something. Most people are stuck when it comes to growth due to their own limitations. It's mostly what they believe and can't think differently. I have been lucky enough to break through each stagnant phase of my business to grow year on year and do $100M in revenue. I sat down and put together 5 things you MUST AVOID if you want to scale past $1M+ a year with your business. Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/d-RbCUKC

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How do you build a team that works with you? You recruit well. Not fast. Not cheap. Not because someone seems alright in the interview. You take the time to get it right. Because here’s the truth: Your business is only as strong as your team. It’s not the branding, the website, or the fancy pitch deck that keeps things moving... it’s the people who show up and deliver, day in, day out. This is exactly what we did for Sharps... and what a team we have. People who care. People who take pride in what they do. People who turn up, get stuck in, and get it done... no ego, no drama, no excuses. You find the right person, give them the right resources & leave them to it. Recruitment isn’t just hiring. It’s protecting your standards. It’s investing in the long game. #Teamwork #Leadership #Recruitment #Sharps #WasteManagement

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While everyone’s busy jumping on the Coldplay CEO trend with zero original thought... Posting things that have nothing to do with their business... This is your chance to cut through the noise and stand out from the sheep. Let’s call it what it is. Most people on here are chasing views with clickbait takes that don’t move the needle in their business. Their content is loud. But their bank accounts are quiet. Because attention without intention is just noise. If you’re tired of playing that game and want to build something that actually converts, focus on the real work: 1. Who are you? 2. What are your superpowers? 3. What does your business solve LinkedIn isn’t about how many people see your content. It’s about who sees it. Here’s a crash course in doing it right: 1. Optimise your profile and treat it like a landing page 2. Understand the pain, frustration, and aspiration of your ideal client 3. Create content that speaks directly to them 4. Share personal stories to stay relatable and real 5. Build target lists in Sales Navigator and connect intentionally 6. Start honest, human conversations in the DMs Do this consistently for 3 months, and you won’t need to piggyback off someone else’s scandal to get noticed. You’ll be building a brand that attracts clients, not just clicks.

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7 signs your FM is about to quit: 1. They've stopped fighting for budget 2. 'Not my problem' is now a standard operating procedure. 3. After 5pm, they’re as contactable as a Victorian ghost. 4. LinkedIn presence has gone 0-100 5. They've given up trying to convince you, the NEED a CAFM 6. Coffee breaks long enough to watch a Netflix episode. 7. Smiles when things break (never a good sign). Here's the uncomfortable truth... Your FM isn't just managing buildings. They’re juggling compliance, contractors, and a hundred silent fires. All while being invisible when things work and first in the firing line when they don't. If you’re seeing these signs, you’ve got weeks. Not months. What makes them stay? → Let them into strategic decisions → Stop treating them like glorified handymen → Invest in tools that make their job possible (not harder) → Celebrate wins loudly (not only the failures) → Actually listen when they flag risks Your FM knows where every body is buried. They’ve got contacts you can’t replace and knowledge you can’t Google. Trust me, the replacement cost isn't just salary. It's the 6 months of chaos while someone new figures out what Janet from accounting needs for her special desk setup. What are the top reasons you FMs stay? 👇🏼 Dont be shy! #FacilitiesManagement #CAFM #FacilitiesServices

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One of the simplest reasons businesses lose money is because they leave it on the table. Didn’t get it? Here’s what I mean. Founders spend hours filtering the prospect, researching and customising their needs, and perfecting their pitch and finally putting out that “message.” When there is no reply, they assume the client is not interested and do not get back into the loop again, and that’s where it costs them. Because here is the truth that most people ignore: Money lies in the follow-ups, and doing that isn’t shameful or desperate. Even Vaibhav Sisinty , founder of GrowthSchool emphasised this in one of his workshops. 80% of conversions happen after the second or third touchpoint, yet most people never send one. Why? Because they feel awkward and convince themselves that “If they were interested, they would reply.” But businesses do not work like that. Your first message is just one of the hundred things sitting in someone’s inbox, and it often happens that people miss it or tend to forget about it. Every follow-up is a chance to bring yourself back on their radar. It is not about being pushy but about being persistent, relevant, and valuable in every touchpoint. Here is why they matter so much: 📌 Decisions take time: A follow-up gives them a reason to revisit your offer when they finally have mindspace. 📌 Most conversions happen after multiple touchpoints: The second or third interaction is when real credibility is built and action happens. 📌 Resilience shows reliability. A well-timed follow-up is a professional cue that you care about working with them and that you are serious about what you do. Every successful business has a structured follow-up system because they know this is where deals are won. What’s your follow-up strategy? I’d love to know how you approach it.

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A high FB ROAS could be hurting your brand. ↳ This is the reason why ... Last month, I audited the Facebook ad account of an 8-figure supplement brand. They were spending $175k a month with a ROAS well above their target. But this was having little to no effect on their bottom line. Why? Their entire account was using 7-day click 1-day view attribution, which resulted in significant over-attribution. When including 1-day view attribution as a large brand with multiple marketing channels, Facebook takes more credit than it should. This is best explained using an example: John is swiping through Instagram stories, when someone rings his doorbell and he goes to answer it. He leaves his phone open, and the stories keep swiping through and eventually lands on one of your ads while he is still at the door, and then moves on to the next story. John's account has technically 'seen' your ad, even though he has no idea who your brand is. Later that day John is scrolling through TikTok, sees one of your ads, clicks through and buys right there and then. Even though TikTok is what drove the sale, Facebook will still claim that as a purchase as your ad was 'viewed' by John's account. But Facebook had nothing to do with it. So you increase your Facebook ad budget because of this apparent high ROAS. But your brand's bottom line is unaffected. This is an extreme example, but with people using social media every minute of every day, scenarios like this happen a lot more than you think. The solution? For larger brands with multiple marketing channels, your Facebook campaigns should be optimised for 1-day click or 7-day click most of the time. This may under-attribute on Facebook slightly, but it only attributes high-intent purchases. Whereas the standard Facebook attribution, which includes 1-day view addition, can cannibalise your bottom line. By making you think you have made all these extra sales, which in reality these are phantom sales captured by a generous attribution setting. This leads you to think that your Facebook campaigns are doing great. When your bank account is telling a whole different story. This may not be the case for every brand, but it is definitely something to watch out for. Always remember: All attribution settings are wrong, they are just varying degrees of wrong. Some help your business, others harm it.

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I helped 25 advisers get clients on LinkedIn this month Here's 10 things NOT to do on LinkedIn: (And what to do instead) 1. Target everyone ↳ Why: You blend in ↳ Instead: pick a niche to target 2. Post AI-generated fluff ↳ Why: Paints you as lazy ↳ Instead: Post good quality helpful content 3. Hide client results ↳ Why: People won't trust you ↳ Instead: Share your client results 4. Forget to follow-up ↳ Why: Many leads don't reply first time ↳ Instead: Follow-up at least twice with every lead 5. Connect mostly with advisers ↳ Why: Builds an audience of competitors ↳ Instead: Connect mostly with clients 6. Have no funnel ↳ Why: Without it you won't book calls ↳ Instead: Make a simple funnel like mine to convert 7. Send ZERO messages ↳ Why: Many people need a message to convert ↳ Instead: Send 10 messages to ideal clients a day 8. Post & Pray ↳ Why: "Post & Pray" does not book calls ↳ Instead: Post 5x a week, same time, consistently 9. Ignore your LinkedIn profile ↳ Why: Your profile converts visitors into calls ↳ Instead: Optimise your profile. Use mine as a model 10. Wait for perfect content ↳ Why: 'Postable' content is better than perfect ↳ Instead: Write content that's 'good enough' & post it Fix these → get clients. What do you think?

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