Notes From The Executive Podcast with Mina Amso

• $1.5M Debt. I Didn’t Break.

  Steve Ballantyne is the Founder of Brand IQ helping prominent national brands like Serko, Speedy Signs and Purex build their brand story in NZ. He shares how he clawed his way out of two big business disasters, one of them was $1.5M.Steve is the brother of Mike Ballantyne, the founder of a travel firm that was sold for $85M.Episode Partner:Hibiscus Jet Ski Hire: https://hibiscusjetskihire.co.nz/WIN! To Enter: https://tinyurl.com/y64efe7aTimestamps: Business Failures & Resilience01:50 - Which business failure broke Steve the most? The clothing business disaster story03:40 - Surviving $1.5 million debt: The Telecom Yellow Pages crisisEmotional Control & Business Decisions09:00 - Why emotional control matters in business (and when to let it go)10:22 - The pitch meeting walkout: When Steve called out a CEO's behavior12:33 - Standing up to clients: Preserving dignity and self-worth in businessPersonal Challenges & Growth14:02 - Dealing with grief: Losing four family members in 18 months07:51 - Lessons from divorce and learning to pick your battlesBuilding a Lean Business Model17:08 - Why lean business models win: Steve's transition from 23 staff to lean operations17:38 - The future of business: One-person billion-dollar companies with AI18:15 - How to start building a billion-dollar business from scratchMarket Size & Positioning19:40 - Why New Zealand vs US market size matters for entrepreneurs21:38 - Success is about positioning, not just hard workAI in Business & Marketing, Custom GPTs & Workflows28:05 - Getting started with AI automation: First steps for entrepreneurs29:00 - AI is augmented intelligence, not artificial: The 10,000 hour principle still applies31:30 - Steve's 30-minute AI product development workflow revealed33:17 - AI workflows vs Custom GPTs: Understanding the difference34:14 - How to get AI to help you brief the AI (the secret to better prompts)43:50 - Making money with AI consulting: Opportunities in niche expertise23:27 - Launching an AI art business: 120+ sales in 8 months40:20 - Steve’s favourite AI platform and why59:32 - Athena: Steve's AI business coach that sends daily mindset tips48:00 - Democratisation production, AI disrupting the branding processBrand Strategy & Being Different To Stand Out49:24 - The most urgent thing businesses need for their brand right now51:26 - How do you get attention?52:00 - Being different is better than being better53:00 - Category norms framework: How to disrupt any industryStorytelling in Business1:04:36 - Why storytelling is the most powerful form of business communication1:05:22 - Stories are 20x more memorable than facts and data1:06:35 - The Hero's Journey framework: Key ingredients of powerful stories1:07:40 - Why conflict and tension drive great brand storiesStarting Over & Life Philosophy56:29 - What Steve would do if he lost everything tomorrow58:17 - Building from zero at 35: The simpler model approach1:01:13 - What industry would Steve invest in right now?1:02:41 - The story Steve's most proud ofPractical Business Advice06:00 - When you're in a hole in business, there's always a way out07:00 - Standing up to corporate bullies: Confidence and bravery matter45:56 - Daily rituals for business success: Be a chameleonResources & Contact1:08:36 - How to connect with Steve Ballantyne on LinkedIn and emailEpisode Partner:Hibiscus Jet Ski Hire: https://hibiscusjetskihire.co.nz/Be in to WIN! To Enter: https://tinyurl.com/y64efe7aFollow Stevehttps://www.brandiq.co.nz/ Follow me:www.linkedin.com/in/minaamsoSubscribe To My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Watch on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/aho75bHK2-g Listen on:Apple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify:  https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

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• 3 Costly Marketing Myths NZ Owners Still Believe

  Fran Bellingham, Founder of Virtual Marketers, is an expert in taking new ideas, products and campaigns to market. With a 25-year background across advertising, media and marketing including TradeMe in New Zealand and the UK, she breaks down the myths costing owners time and money and shows the metrics that actually move revenue.💬 What's one marketing lesson you wish you'd known before launching your product or service? Comment and let me know.Episode partner: AcademyEx Sign up to The Masters of Technological Futures Today: https://academyex.com/courses/master/master-of-technological-futuresWe cover:How to market a service business without burning cashHow to launch into a new market (NZ or AU) with evidence, not guessworkHow to use digital products to attract clients and build recurring revenueThe core SaaS metrics that matter (beyond vanity numbers)00:00 – stop wasting money on marketing 01:45 – meet fran bellingham (virtual marketers) 02:52 – marketing strategy that actually works 05:56 – hard truths about honest marketing 09:08 – what is saas (simple) 09:50 – how to validate a saas product 11:36 – enterprise vs self-serve validation 12:48 – pricing and cac basics for saas 15:29 – steps to product-market fit 18:01 – market sizing with search + ai 20:44 – onboarding, activation, retention tactics 21:24 – how much budget to test a channel 23:36 – channel testing that actually works 24:30 – nz vs australia go-to-market 26:47 – seo + ai optimisation before ads 27:44 – behaviour-based onboarding emails 29:29 – top marketing myths to avoid 32:18 – metrics that matter 39:42 – kpis that move revenue (saas, services, ecommerce) 43:15 – if you lost everything: restart plan 46:13 – awards, momentum, wellington scene 47:21 – best advice for owners (don’t take it personally) 48:50 – how to contact virtual marketersFollow FranVirtual Marketers: https://www.virtualmarketers.co.nzFollow MeAll links: https://linkin.bio/minaamso YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8v Spotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

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• Homeless to Knighted ENTREPRENEUR: The MINDSET That Reinvented My Life | Sir Ray Avery

  Sir Ray Avery GNZM is a New Zealand philanthropist, inventor, scientist and entrepreneur. More about him further below.Sir Ray Avery shares how he went from the streets to knighthood — and the mindset that built an empire. He reveals 50 years worth of business insights around:- how he comes up with genius ideas- how he gets to be successful in business- how he gets up when he badly knocked in businessTime Stamps 00:00 – how sir ray avery went from homeless teen to knighted entrepreneur02:20 – abuse, orphanages and resilience: how he survived seven years of trauma03:20 – the tragedy that defined him: losing his best friend and finding meaning05:00 – the stranger who changed his life and set him on a new path08:15 – starting over in new zealand: how reinvention built his future15:00 – building his first lab: entrepreneurship through experimentation16:12 – meeting fred hollows: the partnership that changed global healthcare17:20 – resilience advice to business owners from 50 years of entrepreneurship.18:13 – ‘Ray, Factory gone’, the disaster that was not forseen24:00 – the start up mentor advice for those going through sh*t in business26:30 – he did this, that’s why he’s successful34:00 – ‘if you lost everything, Sir Ray how would you rebuild it?’35:30 – the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand is so bad 36:00 – the baby incubator story, media controversy, accusations, and the truth behind the headlines39:00 – Sir Ray’s Invention: The Acuset IV Flow controller story and the media50:20 – mental and health toll on family and team: when doing good nearly destroys you56:00 – how entrepreneurs can survive public attack and failure1:06:05 – how you eventually win1:07:00 – how to find ideas that change the world1:08:00 – how do you innovate?1:09:20 – the story behind velcro, bird’s eye1:13:20 – “how do you feel about winning all these awards?”1:18:51 – What he defines success, what’s he working on right now, and where to next for Sir Ray Avery1:23:18 – the message to New Zealanders in 20251:30:28 – what Sir Ray would invest in right now1:35:00 – BONUS: how do you ask for things - like investors, partners1:40:09 – what’s the most important thing for entrepreneursFollow Sir Rayhttps://www.helpathand.org.nz/ Follow me:https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Listen on:Apple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX More About Sir Ray AveryHe's the CEO and Founder of Help at Hand, Sir Ray Avery Foundation and Medicine Mondiale, where he helped bring life saving medical technologies to third world countries.He is a founding member of the University of Auckland's Pharmacology Department in 1978 and 1985. Spent years working at Douglas Pharmaceuticals and Fred Hollows Foundation before he began inventing tech that kept people alive.Sir Ray shares insights on how to live a successful life and build resilience when sh*t happens, drawing from his own super lows, and super highs, he was:- Beaten unconscious by his mother and spent 7 years in orphanages experiencing all sorts of abuse- Lived under a railway bridge in London as a homeless teenager with just a small tent- His best friend hung himself in the orphanage toilets after Ray convinced him to report abuse to teachers - a guilt he's carried his entire lifeThen had a turning point that saw him succeed...- His inventions such as the Baby Incubators and Drip Controllers have improved healthcare across developing nations saving millions of lives, yet he's faced intense media attacks and investigationsHis accomplishments ..- He’s been awarded the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year and Sir Peter Blake Leadership Medal in 2010- Named Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Person in New Zealand and EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011 and appointed Knight Grand Companion of the - New Zealand Order of Merit (GNZM) in the 2011 New Year Honours, for services to philanthropy.

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• How to Monetise Your Podcast: Lessons From 1300 Episodes to Six Figures

  Luke Kemeys is an Accountant runs two successful podcasts - Keep the Change (financial literacy) and Next Advisory (business-focused). He's helped 100,000+ Kiwis improve their financial literacy and built a thriving accounting practice.He has recorded over 1,300 podcast episodes reaching 50,000 Kiwis weekly, attracting clients who pay $10-23K, and generating nearly six figures from speaking opportunities, all through his podcast.Episode Partner:‪ ⁨@academyex⁩  https://academyex.com/courses/master/master-of-technological-futures-- He shares specific numbers (what to charge, client values, sponsorship frameworks)-- Reveals the uncomfortable truths ("most people want brain rot, not value" + "you might need to reject people")-- Business-owner perspective vs. influencer/creator perspective-- NZ-specific context that's often missing from US-dominated podcast contentTime Stamps0:00 - Can You Really Make Money from Podcasting?0:35 - Why Do Most Podcasters Fail to Monetize?4:30 - What is the Asset Mindset for Podcasting?7:35 - How Long Does It Take to Grow a Podcast?10:04 - How Do You Build a Podcast Community?14:20 - How to Convert Podcast Listeners to Customers18:40 - Can Anyone Start a Successful Podcast?22:30 - How Do You Get Podcast Sponsors?25:48 - What Tools Help Find Podcast Sponsors?28:20 - How Much Should I Charge Podcast Sponsors?30:33 - How to Negotiate with Podcast Sponsors32:50 - Should I Charge Guests to Be on My Podcast?34:23 - How to Make Businesses Come to You36:43 - How Podcasting Creates Speaking Opportunities Follow Lukehttps://www.lukekemeys.com/ Follow me:linkin.bio/minaamso Follow Us on YouTube: (for spotify and apple only) https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Listen on:Apple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify:  https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

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• How to Research Customers Who Lie About Money (The Framework Behind a $1B Platform)

  Natalie Ferguson paid $100K at 23 to escape a controlling relationship - then used that experience to build a customer research framework that validated a billion-dollar investment platform. This is her exact process.She has a gift of finding and solving complex problems. She helped change the financial habits of nearly 200,000 customers with her last startup, ⁠Hatch⁠. Now, she’s focused on the gender leadership gap with ⁠Powrsuit⁠, a career accelerator for women at every stage.Episode PartnerAcademyEx: https://academyex.com/courses/master/master-of-technological-futuresTime Stamps 0:00 – introduction Natalie Ferguson, Entrepreneur & Power Suit Founder2:00 – the problem New Zealanders and money mindset4:30 – natalie’s personal story Overcoming financial control8:00 – early entrepreneurship Starting a web design business10:30 – family influence Entrepreneurial mindset from childhood13:00 – the hatch journey Solving money control issues16:00 – research & customer discovery Framework for startups20:00 – gender wealth gap Launching Power Suit24:00 – mindset barriers Women and money myths28:00 – product development Testing multiple solutions32:00 – early adopters Identifying target market for Hatch & Power Suit36:00 – b2b vs b2c sales Lessons learned40:00 – sales skills for entrepreneurs Overcoming fear of rejection44:00 – newsletters Business growth & research48:00 – podcasting Building community & brand awareness52:00 – linkedin & events Customer acquisition strategies56:00 – measuring impact Tracking professional development outcomes1:00:00 – overcoming objections Budget, time, and gender issues1:04:00 – mistakes & lessons Failing fast and bold moves1:08:00 – bootstrapping vs funding Business growth decisions1:12:00 – the power of co-founders Building a strong partnership1:15:00 – final advice How to connect with Power SuitFollow Natalie https://powrsuit.com/ Follow me:⁠linkin.bio/minaamso⁠ Watch the episode on YouTube: (for spotify and apple only)⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Listen on:Apple podcast:⁠ https://shorturl.at/UkJ8v⁠Spotify: ⁠ https://shorturl.at/nRz5Z Podcast Partner: AcademyEx https://academyex.com/courses/master/master-of-technological-futures

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