Embracing Excellence www.exeleonmagazine.com
I N - F O C US
Stefania Di Bartolomeo: Investing in a Better Tomorrow I N - F O C US
STAN SAMOLE FUELING A NEW CHAPTER OF INCLUSIVITY
DYN MIC E N T R E P R E NEU R O F T H E YE A R
Entrepreneurs Don’t Need (only) Money… but they have beenbrainwashed to think this way.
Interview with Jane Peyton
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CONTENTS
12 STAN SAMOLE
CONTENTS
34 STEFANIA DI BARTOLOMEO
CONTENTS
40 JANE PEYTON
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STAN SAMOLE
Fueling a New Chapter of Inclusivity
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E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E
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CEO | Family Tax Recovery
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Consumer's Digest Best Buy Award.
FRAMING THE RIGHT MINDSET
Entrepreneurship is a journey that transforms a society by creating wealth and value for improved well-being. To battle the societal challenges, catching the pulse of daily activities is essential. Also, addressing the constant ebb and low of the market is a prerequisite for entrepreneurial success.
While entrepreneurs are pioneers of bringing new changes and innovation to the forefront, a successful entrepreneur is a leader with a blend of different personalities. In fact, good leadership welcomes inclusivity, humility, and unpredictability. One such leader that has been pivotal in making notable differences to thousands of families is Stan Samole.
Stan Samole is the CEO of Family Tax Recovery Inc. and is on a mission to rightfully reclaim the wealth of Canadian Taxpayers.
Stan has consistently driven his company to great strides and is determined to scale further. He is also the six-times winner of the Pro it Magazine Award for Canada's fastest growing company and bagged several other accolades including the Winner of the Source Innovation Award and 14
Fluidity, adaptability, and scalability are the three magic ingredients to ensure any company is propelling towards success.
Stan's early years were a period of developing these traits along with self-exploration. In the late 1970s, he played the guitar and joined his brothers in Miami when he came off the road as a musician. A couple of years later, he ran a subsidiary distribution company with nearly 30 employees. Later, he had the opportunity to be the most sought-after Canadian distributor of consumer electronics. Consequently, he moved places starting from Canada in 1984, and launched Fidelity Electronics Ltd. After a few years, the company formed a joint venture association with Nintendo of Canada for distribution to Canada's national retailers. These series of events led to Fidelity being sold to Standard Broadcasting in 1994 and Stan Samole becoming a habitual entrepreneur. MASTERING THE CIRCUMSTANCES
Challenges are opportunities that unlock success in unexpected places. But it requires perseverance and nerves of steel to navigate through these major phases of transition.
Stan's con idence nosedived after losing most of the personal assets in an 8 year-long business investment. He had to reshape his ideologies and ind a new sense of purpose and direction. Gradually, he decided to look around with fresh eyes and ind opportunities for early wins and make small strides in securing them.
Finally, he regained control and drove the division of a medical distribution company. But he had a constant urge to start another business. And just then, as fate would have it, things took a different turn when his friend insisted, he undertake a personal tax review for a refund.
To Stan's surprise, he had never heard of a 10-year tax review, let alone a possibility of refund. Also, he held nearly no assets, had limited earnings in recent years, and was convinced to let go of this idea.
However, his friend persisted, and Stan eventually gave in and agreed to undergo a tax review. “The accountant that did the review was brilliant. I didn't have to email any information or make a photocopy of anything. The accountant found only one error after pouring over 10 years of tax returns, and he amended just that one item,” he recalls.
Three weeks later, Stan received a refund check of a surprising $21,640. He then decided to meet the accountant and soon realized that conducting a 10-year personal tax review for refund purposes
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“
LOVE IT OR HATE IT BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING IN BETWEEN. AND IF YOU DON’T LOVE IT THEN GET OUT AS SOON AS YOU CAN BECAUSE IT CAN GET A LOT WORSE. IF YOU LOVE IT, IT CAN GET A LOT BETTER.
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A 3-Step Process to Tax Recovery
Fill out Benefits Review Form
Validate your Social Insurance Number
Sign Authorization Form Online
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could be a thoughtful business idea while providing a valuable service to thousands of Canadian taxpayers.
In the wake of conducting nearly a hundred thousand tax reviews, Stan con idently estimates that about $30 billion — money that belongs to taxpayers — is safely tucked with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
LEADING THE TEAM TO SUCCESS On one hand, a product quickly determines whether an organization will propel forward, and on the other hand, it's the people that create a virtuous cycle of achievement and con idence.
Stan believes that Family Tax Recovery's services and people are uniquely helpful and rightfully bridge the gap in the market. He says, “Everybody wants and needs more cash. It's also cash that's taxfree because it already belongs to the taxpayers.” Additionally, to ensure the best experience, each client also has a personal digital page where information is shared and communicated. “We keep them apprised of the tax review process, status and results every step along the way. Clients also have access to our corporate partners for additional inancial services,” he shares. He is a irm believer of following an ethical process to ensure optimal client satisfaction. He thrives on making a difference in 18
people's lives, be it $250 or $25,000, and the response from his clients warms his heart and solidi ies his resolve to keep going.
Stan also feels blessed with his amazing business partner and two sons in the business. For him, age is just a number as he started this company when he was 65, and now that he is 72, he enjoys working a few hours a day, and not 80 hours a week like in the past.
“I am also quite occupied with family, religion, and music. I meticulously watch the daily activities and am on the lookout for anomalies, errors, and slowdowns. I ask a lot of questions. I also participate with our corporate partners,” he concludes. DISCOVERING THE PERFECT MELODY
Great leadership and music are allconsuming. Every time you hear a song, you relive a moment and bind yourself to a particular memory, feeling or person. This is something every leader aspires to do as well: to inspire and touch people's hearts and heads; like great music does.
Stan's life has always been guided by music that further cascaded down to his leadership style. As a curious 12-year-old, he started to pursue his journey as a professional guitarist just two years later. “I started the Jazz Guitar program at the University of Miami in 1972 and eventually performed on the road, in studios and released a number of CDs,” he
recalls fondly.
In fact, he still plays the guitar and music impacts everything in his life. He delved into the topic of music theory that served him well in his business decisions too. According to him, music theory can involve complex study of scales, chords, harmony, counterpoint, and analysis of different periods like baroque and classical. It is very mathematical, and breaking down compositions is like breaking down business, parsing into pieces and enjoying the beauty and rhythm of the complete unit in a business or music composition.
Looking back at his journey, Stan has a treasure of lessons to carry and share. While his previous businesses were inventory and employee-based, Family Tax Recovery is his only establishment that is a service-based business with no inventory.
Moreover, his employee functions are either automated or farmed out. He adds, "Many entrepreneurs with high inventory and employee costs have the potential for stress, grief, worry and negative cash low," and this motivates him to plan better for the long-term. ADVICE ON RIGHT ALIGNMENT Stan's principles re lect his business values. His advice for aspiring and emerging leaders is: Always tell the truth and learn Accounting 101. He feels that relying on an E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E
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“
I’VE HAD COMPANIES WITH PRODUCTS THAT SOME, MANY AND OR EVEN MOST PEOPLE LIKE AND WANT. BUT FAMILY TAX RECOVERY’S PRODUCT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. EVERYBODY WANTS AND NEEDS MORE CASH. IT’S ALSO CASH THAT’S TAX FREE BECAUSE IT ALREADY BELONGS TO THE TAXPAYERS.
accountant or bookkeeper to understand the numbers can dramatically increase the potential for failure. “Entrepreneurs stand a much better chance to succeed if they can understand their own balance sheet, their sources of expenses and earnings along with the inancial norms, ratios, and terms,” he shares.
He further suggests working hard ruthlessly. “Work like a dog. Love it or hate it because there's nothing in between. And if you don't love it, then get out as soon as you can because it can get a lot worse. If you love it, it can get a lot better.” A PROMISING DIRECTION
Stan believes that the future of Family Tax Recovery Inc. looks fabulous, thanks to the blessings of the Lord Almighty. “So far, we've produced around $60 million in refunds, which W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M
isn't even a drop in the bucket considering what's available at the CRA,” he says.
As no other established companies are conducting a 10year personal tax review, there's only a fraction of competitors in the space that are ex-employees and licensees. “Frankly, most accountants aren't even aware the government allows Canadian taxpayers 10 years to adjust their tax returns,” he comments.
He also emphasizes on the technological leverage that his irm holds. "Working manually, an accountant can conduct two or three reviews a day. But with automation that number increases dramatically," he adds.
Stan believes that wealthier clients are highly strung about a tax review by being afraid of 'rattling the CRA's cage', ending up getting audited, or worse.
His irm focuses on the middle and lower-income earners that are in need and are more willing to have their taxes reviewed. "I'm pleased to say that since we started in 2015 there hasn't been one tax audit. The reason is because we're not iling taxes, just amending a line on previously iled taxes," he claims.
The dynamic entrepreneur feels fortunate to have the majority of his clients as middle and lower-income earners. Since Stan's irm conducts tax reviews on a contingency basis, it's clear most clients wouldn't have a chance at retrieving their funds and that's a very satisfying deed for his irm to address and deliver.
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IN - FOCUS
Where Passion Meets
Leadership
MOUSTAFA HAMWI
What according to you makes one a passionate leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership? To de ine a passionate leader, we have to de ine 2 things i) Passion ii) A leader
To give you some context on how much depth the de inition I am about to give you has: I spent years of research on the topic of passion where I travelled the world to conduct in-person interviews of 160+ leaders, authors, speakers, coaches, celebrities, Olympians, and Nobel Prize laureates talking about one topic…PASSION So, the de inition that came out is: Passion is consistently doing what you love, what you are good at, and what is of value to the world
So, if it doesn't tick all these boxes, I'm sorry but it's not passion. You
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can call it anything else that you want, but I promise you that it's not passion.
The shortest de inition I can give you of a leader is “someone who takes ownership and demonstrates courage, humility and discipline to walk the talk” So put both de initions together and will be “a leader is a person who walks the talk to deliver on their true passion”
Brief us into your journey of an inner search and your experiences traveling to India. My journey started by trying to answer a question: Do You Know What Makes You Tick?
Without knowing the answer to this
question, you will always feel like something is missing, no matter how successful you are, which is how I felt many years ago when I was running a multimillion-dollar business in Dubai while living a seemingly successful life.
Although my life looked super successful on the outside, like the stuff you see in movies and rap videos, I was all empty on the inside. Sure enough, I had a nervous breakdown My business was great, and my lifestyle was enviable, but I wanted more out of life than this golden cage. I kept asking myself, “WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?” It became increasingly apparent that having clarity about one's passion
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and purpose affects one more than just direction; it impacts the quality of life and increases the probability of success! This question triggered me to start an inner search of true passion, purpose, and meaning. After years of courses, workshops, and books I'm still lost so I was at the stage now where I had to go deeper on my journey inwards before I looked for resources outwards. I remember waking up one day with a jolt of energy and a thought that got stuck in a loop in my head: “I'm going to India.” And so, I bought a one-way ticket to India.
The story of my journey from Cavalli to Manali is a whole book in itself, but not the purpose of this interview. I will, however, share two key incidents that stand out for me and that were pivotal in my life.
The irst of them could be described (for lack of a better word) as a coincidence—meeting Swami Yogananda who had been meditating in caves for over 13 years. He had just stepped out of a life of solitude and meditation and started teaching wisdom-seekers in his ashram in a small village outside the town of Manali in the Himalayas. On one of my many deep conversations with him, trying to get an answer about life and the purpose and meaning of everything, he said, playing with his long beard, in an Indian accent, “Do you know what you are thirsty for? If you do not know what you are thirsty for, you cannot quench your thirst.” His words made me realize that while I had bought this one-way 24
ticket to India seeking an answer, I did not even have the most essential element right: the question!
As my journey continued from one place to the next, across the span of this vast, beautiful landscape that is India, I experienced another coincidence (if you still believe in coincidences). One day, on my way to the meditation center, I decided to walk into a hospital to get myself checked up. When the results came in, I felt as if my life stopped and everything crumbled and collapsed around me; I was told that I had benign prostate enlargement that was, at that moment, labelled medically as an incurable disease!
The summary of that healing journey is that I dedicated all my time and energy towards healing with the help of everything I had access to: Ayurveda, vegan diets, juicing, and all kinds of meditations (including laughter meditation and crying meditation). You name it, and I did it. And as you might have guessed, I eventually healed!
however, this interview is not about physical healing and medical miracles.
I am here to talk to you about the self-re lection I had to go through when I faced the reality of a serious “WHAT IF…?” What if these were the last days of my life? DID MY LIFE REALLY MATTER?
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Imagine you live your life, thinking you are on top of the world— you're ruling, you're the king, you're “it.” And then, you realize none of this is worth it. When it's time for you to die, you are going to re lect on your life in a totally different manner
That is what triggered me to make a 180-degree shift in my life and focus on spreading passion & purpose in the world. How are you helping leaders and entrepreneurs ind purpose and live passionately?
I work with high-preforming entrepreneurs of passion & purpose “Passionpreneurs” to help them use W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M
passion to DOMINATE THEIR MARKET NICHE and leave their mark.
That's what I call the Way of the Passionpreneur.
I do this through either one-to-one coaching but that is very exclusive as I can only handle a handful of entrepreneurs, so they need to be dam serious and already having a serious level of success, so my job is to take them to new heights. Or by helping underdogs write & publish their books and then use it to spread their message to the world, build their personal brand and
What does a day in the life look like for you? How do you ensure work-life balance? On the long term the work-life balance is a myth. I aim to have a life that I do not need much of a break from. That is a truly passionate life. The way to do it is to always ask before you do something: 1. Does it directly relate to my passion in life?
2. If not, does it bring me closer to the direction of my passion?
If neither of the above, I avoid doing it. 25
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With time you will not need a break from what you love. This takes some time and depends on what responsibilities in life you have. But remember the de inition of passion, the irst word is “consistently” so if it really matters to you, then you will not quit on it Looking back at your journey, what would you have done differently when starting out?
Very good question, I would have started the pursuit of what my passion is at a much earlier age, and then would have stayed consistent with it till it paid off. Starting late has advantage of being more mature but it's much more challenging as you make a lot of sacri ices. It's like investing, the earlier you start the better it is on long run
What would be your advice for aspiring and young business leaders?
Find your real purpose as early as you can and dedicate the rest of your life to make it happen, you only have this life to make an impact. Regardless of you believe in reincarnation you cannot guarantee what format you will come back in as it might be less powerful. So why leave it to another life. It's all about this life to make an impact and leave your 26
legacy.
Finally, what does the future look like for you, both professionally and personally? I have achieved my goal of hitting a 100 authors at Passionpreneur Publishing (as of date of this interview) which is the seed for Passionpreneur Organization where we are building a community of Passionpreneurs who are on a journey of changing the
world and having fun while doing it.
As this becomes more in motion, I am redirecting my attention toward bring more healing to the world. Think about it, “Compassion” is the other side of “passion.”
That will be through writing more books, speaking, doing retreats in nature that involve healthy food, yoga, therapy, etc. Everything that I used to heal myself in 2012 and then launch my passion into the world and connecting all of that into social impact be it for people or the planet now it's time to be less on the business side and more on the giving. We all need it, i want it for me and for the world remember, one life to leave a legacy
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oo many new and small business are focused on the belief that an injection of cash will solve all their problems. A company is just like a building; if the foundation isn't solid, the building will eventually collapse. You could have a great product/service, and all the money in the world but without the right support your business is doomed.
T
We all know that it's not how much you have, it's what you can do with it (nudge nudge, wink wink). Having money is very helpful when starting a business, but there is so much more that is needed for a business to be successful. This can include mentorship or guidance from an experienced entrepreneur, access to business resources and support, and knowledge of one's industry and market. If you're not generating revenue, perhaps it's time to take a step back, and rede ine your target group, re-evaluate your USP and reinvent your marketing and sales strategy.
All aspects of business such as conducting operations effectively, investing in the right team members, improving the overall customer experience, and creating an excellent product or service are needed for businesses to be pro itable and run smoothly. In fact, some of the most successful companies in the world started from the bottom but were able to leverage their limited resources and climb to the top of their respective industries.
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Furthermore, most entrepreneurs are misguided in thinking that an Incubator or Accelerator will be the lightning in a bottle that they need. The unfortunate reality is that traditional incubator/accelerator models are broken. Most business incubators/accelerators simply share their contacts and resources and take a portion of equity, then tell the business owner who to contact to resolve their issues. Any service that is rendered based on a referral from the incubator/accelerator has to be absorbed by the entrepreneur and in reality, most (if not all) small businesses don't have the free
cash low to cover these costs. Whatever happened to 'paying it forward' and helping support these small businesses to be successful without driving them into further inancial peril?
That's where we come in… Evolve’s Business Acceleration service provides the horsepower small businesses need (business development, social media, bookkeeping, marketing, administrative, PR and much more) without the cost of maintaining a complete workforce. Moreover, as part of our Start-Up Incubation service, we inancially invest in our
client's business, make a working line of credit available and provide all the necessary resources such as marketing, inance, admin support, business development, and more.
Let's face it - growing a small business is an ongoing process that involves perpetual trial and error. If you haven't felt “the suck” and happily accepted it, you will never be a successful entrepreneur. There is no substitute for hard work, focus, determination, and an unwavering ability to say, “Fuck It!” and keep following your dreams.
About the Author
Tom Greenwood is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years of international experience driving growth, building teams, and executing innovative business strategies as both a senior in-house executive and as a trusted advisor. Tom is an expert in managing, structuring, and scaling businesses for explosive growth organically or through strategic acquisitions. His thorough understanding of global business cultures, operations, markets, and sales channels; combined with his extensive network of senior-level contacts across Canada, the USA, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East; allows him to effectively bridge global business practices in order to achieve substantial, quantitative results.
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Founder | Physis Investment
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STEFANIA DI BARTOLOMEO Investing in a Better Tomorrow
F
or Stefania Di Bartolomeo, giving back to the environment has always been her passion. Through Physis Investment, she has created a platform to support entrepreneurs and companies that are dedicated towards protecting the planet and our natural ecosystem.
With its unique data reports and tools to measure real-time impacts of sustainable investment, Physis is making a mark to bring about a change in the business landscape.
In an Exclusive Interview with Exeleon Magazine, Stefania Di Bartolomeo discusses her passion, journey, and Physis Investment. What according to you makes one a dynamic entrepreneur? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
In my experience, a dynamic entrepreneur is one who continuously learns, adapts, and attempts new things. An entrepreneur cannot be a solo player. They are the ones who must lead and drive a group of people to continuously learn, adapt, and attempt new things. The exciting part is building a team and inding a market that shares your view and wants to make it happen! W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M
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A dynamic entrepreneur is someone who has built a dynamic environment where energy, knowledge, and passion are put forward in the creation of innovative products and solutions. It is not about making one product and putting it on the market, it is about working with brilliant minds in implementing new ideas that can keep improving and adapting to the way people live. Entrepreneurship is a neverending process. 36
Talk to us about your growingup years. What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the sustainable investing space? I didn't have an epiphany moment, rather my passion for the environment has always been part of my life. I have always had an innate sense of respect for the planet, walking and being surrounded by nature makes me happy, and I want to preserve it. I
believe the natural ecosystem faces many challenges, from pollution to the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources. Investing in companies and projects that protect the planet and the people is simply a natural consequence of what I believe is right. Sustainable investing is key to building a better tomorrow. I want to be an active contributor to this incredible journey that the inancial system has begun.
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What was the idea that led to the formation of Physis Investment? What makes the company stand out? Physis was born to bring transparency to the investment industry and display investment impact in a comprehensive, transparent way.
The idea for Physis came to me while I was a fund manager working with a client who was inquiring about a fund investment strategy. The client asked a simple yet powerful question: How do you prove you are positively impacting the planet with my money? And after a few seconds, she added: Do you have data to show me?
At this moment, I realized I could provide plenty of analysis with large datasets or provide ambiguous ESG information, but there was no way I could help the client engage more deeply with their investments and answer her questions.
Physis was designed to answer these questions. We provide unique impact data and multiple tools to measure real-time impact of investments on the planet, rather than a confusing score telling only half of the story.
Being the Founder and CEO, what role do you play in the dayto-day proceedings of the company? A few weeks ago, in our team meeting, I presented a slide, there was Mario + a mushroom = Super Mario. It is a clear reference to the W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M
game from Nintendo my generation grew up with. I told them I am the mushroom, my job and my responsibility is to make sure you, and the company grow. I am the captain of a fantastic crew that wants to make a difference in the way people invest. In the dayto-day, I bring the Physis vision and advanced industry knowledge to make sure I can enable growth for the whole team. I love sharing ideas, making execution plans, and checking results with all Physis' departments, from the analyst to developers to sales. Looking back at your journey, what would you have done differently when starting out?
In the early years of my career, after work and on the weekends, I studied to be excellent the next day at work. I would probably tell my younger self to work and study less, so I could spend more time with friends. But the reality is that I was in love with my job and the world of sustainable inance. I felt a drive and an urgency to make a difference, thus deepening my knowledge to be effective.
What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs? I have a few advice for emerging entrepreneurs:
Ÿ Be persistent in your goals, the path is tough
around you
Ÿ Ask for help and learn from mistakes
Ÿ Hire smart people and let them add value every day Ÿ Motivate your team to learn and leave their comfort zone
Ÿ Value and reward your people
Finally, what does the future look like for you and Physis Investment?
Physis is a young, Boston-based intech company always looking to provide innovative solutions. Our growth strategy initially focused on the USA market alone but thanks to the European sustainable investing and reporting regulations, an increased number of European investors are inquiring about the Physis platform. We have seen exponential growth in the EU, and we are excited to create a new division there.
In the following months, in the USA, we will launch three different versions of the platform to better capture the diverse needs of investors, from small RIAs to large asset managers that aim to create and understand the impact of their portfolios.
Ÿ Be bold and attempt the impossible
Ÿ Build a supportive network 37
Fo u n d e r, School of Booze
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INTERVIEW WITH
Jane Peyton What according to you makes one a transformational leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership? To me a transformational leader is a person who is driven, inspirational, and recognizes that employees are a company's most valuable asset and must be treated with respect. A transformational leader has a vision and can make that vision a reality.
When I founded School of Booze my vision was to build a unique business that was a one-stop destination for corporate events, education, writing, consultancy, and communication focusing on a range of alcoholic drinks. I've succeeded but could not have done so without several super-talented people to help me. I'm considerate and supportive of them, pay well, and always show enthusiasm and gratitude for their work.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader/ entrepreneur that you can remember?
I was born in a small market town in the north of England. My irst memory of entrepreneurial leadership was producing and directing a talent show featuring siblings and friends and then charging adult family members to watch us perform. Thankfully there were no theatre critics in the audience! What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the alcohol and drinks space?
I've always enjoyed socializing in the pub and am fascinated with the role of alcohol in society and the way that it unites people regardless of whether they can speak each other's language. I am fascinated at how barley and other
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cereals, grapes, honey, apples, and pears can be coaxed, with the transformational process of fermentation, to create such a diverse range of alcoholic drinks. Alcohol also has an incredible history that spans thousands of years, and it has been central to human culture for millennia.
What was the idea that led to the formation of School of Booze? What is your vision through this business? My dream was to combine being sociable and going to the pub, with my interest in celebrating and teaching about alcoholic drinks, including all its incredible historic and cultural stories, plus my professional skills of producing events, teaching, writing, and public speaking so that is why I founded the School of Booze.
I aim to enlighten people about the different styles of alcoholic drinks, how they are made, where the lavors come from, how to taste like a professional, how to match with food, and to appreciate its social and cultural history. At the heart of everything I do is the sociable aspect of alcohol and how it brings humans together to have fun. Being the Founder, what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the company? I am the main presenter-host for School of Booze events and teaching. I am also the main point of contact for clients. I negotiate deals. I write social media content rather than outsource it so it is authentic and in my voice. It's important to keep up to date with developments in the drinks 42
industry so I do lots of reading and listening to podcasts and attend trade events.
What is the approach followed by you in order to provide best-inclass training and education? It's essential to be engaging as a presenter and to keep the learner's attention. Ideally make them laugh at the beginning so they know they are going to enjoy the learning. Be as interactive as possible. I speak and write in clear, easy-tounderstand language – no jargon. Using analogies of something commonplace to explain a concept is very effective. Make it fun.
What has the journey been like for Jane Peyton over the years? Looking back, what would you have done different when starting out?
I founded School of Booze during the banking collapse of 2008 but was con ident that even in a recession people still want business entertainment and events. Thankfully I was right. It helped that my USP was beer and cider tasting events and at the time no other corporate events companies offered that service the way I did. Over the years I diversi ied the School of Booze offering to include consultancy and copywriting for drinks brands. But there was me thinking I had a recession proof business and then the global pandemic started. All my in-person group events and training ceased so I had to scramble to replace that income.
I started doing events and training on-line and video conferencing kept the company going although
nothing can replace the atmosphere and engagement of being in-person with a group of people. In the early weeks of the pandemic, I developed an e-learning platform for beer, cider, and wine knowledge and that is aimed at people who want to learn more about their favorite drink, and also at hospitality and retail staff. The past two years of the pandemic have de initely been tricky, but I am so thankful I offer several different services, and that alcohol has global and enduring appeal. Over the years I have won lots of awards and it's wonderful to be recognized for what School of Booze does. My most recent accolades were for my entrepreneurial spirit, and I was a inalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, and School of Booze was included in the Top 100 Small & Medium Enterprises in London & Southeast England.
Looking back on what I would have done differently there are several things. If I was starting the company now, I would not bother with a business plan – it took me ages to compile and was no bene it whatsoever to how I ran the business or grew it. I would also be more strategic in the business networking I did. At the beginning I wasted so much time and money attending networking clubs for small businesses. It took me a while to realize that my potential clients were not there because I needed to target large companies with big budgets for corporate events. I have always been a person led by my instinct but a few times at the
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start of the business I ignored it and regretted it soon after. Now I always listen to that little voice because it knows best.
Finally, what does the future look like for you and School of Booze? It's very exciting because business travel is starting again now that the worst of the pandemic is over. The majority of my corporate events clients are incoming groups from overseas that are in the UK for conferences and other business reasons. In the next month I have bookings from American, Canadian,
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Brazilian, and Argentinian groups. I've missed so much hosting that type of client, so I am really looking forward to giving them a great time and good memories of their visit.
I am also planning to build up demand for the e-learning platform side of the business in other English-speaking countries apart from the UK. They include USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India. The courses have already been written and recorded. Pandemic proo ing the business and passive income is the aim! 43
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Coaching Entrepreneurs on How to Grow Their Business
T
he business world is more competitive than ever, and it has become much harder for leaders to stand out. And when it comes to leadership, word of mouth is the best form of advertisement you can have. If your people love working for you and respect you, they will spread those good words and naturally grow your company. Thus, leaders with integrity don't need to be feared because they know they are honest, genuine and are taking the world by storm due to this virtue.
In the following interview, Entrepreneur Coach Bri Seeley talks about the said integrity and why it makes a leader stand out from others leaders. She also explains why entrepreneurs are their own roadblocks alongside guiding us as to why every entrepreneur must hire a coach.
What according to you makes for a transformational leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
Integrity. In order to facilitate transformation in others, we as leaders need to be willing to irst facilitate it within ourselves. Long gone are the days where people want perfect leaders - they want leaders they can relate to. I approach life, business, and leadership with the courage to go
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irst through the messiness, then show up for others and support them through their messiness. What prompted you to begin your entrepreneurial career?
I didn't actually want to be an entrepreneur after growing up with an entrepreneurial mom. I started my irst of icial business at the age of 23 because I didn't have the opportunity to get a job in my ield of study. It began as a side hustle and a way for me to continue using my creativity, while working a full-time job. Year after year it grew and eventually became my full-time income. What approach do you follow in ensuring optimal client satisfaction?
A combination of compassionate understanding and butt-kicking motivation! It's important to have both because more than anything we're humans and we need both.
What has the journey been like for Bri Seeley over the years? It's been a trip. The entrepreneurial journey in general is a journey of extremes. The best
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example I can give of this was the day I was interviewed on The TODAY Show when I had $0.25 in my bank account. What it has taught me more than anything is to cultivate a strong, courageous, and powerful inner resilience. At any moment in this journey, my world could take a 180* turn and instead of letting external factors have control, I rely more on my inner resilience to keep going. Looking back, what would you have done different when starting out?
I wish I would have hired a coach to help me from the get-go. I wasted so much time, energy and money on trial and error, with a focus on all the wrong things. My business and my journey would be remarkably different if I knew and trusted how impactful a coach would be in supporting me.
What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs?
Get help and set yourself up for success. The success rates for entrepreneurs are abysmal and less than 10% of women owned businesses ever reach the 6igure threshold. If you're going to take the risk to become an entrepreneur, don't risk the success of your business on trial and error. Risk everything you can towards your success. What makes you stand out as a business and leadership coach?
I consider myself an entrepreneur coach because I view business as inherently personal. One's personal habits, mindset and belief paradigms impact the success of your business just as much (if not more) than your strategy. In order for
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my clients to succeed, I support them on a holistic level from the inside out.
What are some of the pre-conceived notions or stereotypes that you have faced being a women entrepreneur? I've met a lot of men in the business arena who assume that my business is just a hobby or that I'm being bankrolled by a signi icant other. It's unfortunate that in certain circles, women still aren't taken seriously in business. But I don't take it as my responsibility to change them, and instead just continue being the best to let my expertise and authority speak for itself. What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey? What has been your biggest learning? Myself. What I've learned during this journey is that I am the beginning and ending of my business - my business cannot surpass me. If I believe something is impossible, it becomes impossible. And if I believe something to be possible, it becomes possible. I (and every entrepreneur reading this) are concurrently our biggest roadblock and our biggest source of opportunity. Learning to navigate ourselves is a huge ingredient in business success.
What does the future look like for you in the coming years? What is your long-term vision? Continuing to support entrepreneurs through starting, building and growing pro itable businesses in my two signature programs “Monetize Your Vision” and “The Entrepreneur Accelerator”, writing my second book, starting to travel to speaking engagements again and launching my own women's entrepreneur conference!
Finally, what do you think is the most important trait for a leader and why?
Not to sound like a broken record… Integrity. It's important for leaders to be honest about their journey and what actually goes into building a brand and business. The days of Instagram perfection and sleazy “quick ix” marketing are thankfully ending. People want leaders they can relate to and they don't want to be deceived. Those who are leading with integrity will rise to the top and continue to thrive in business because of this.
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