Read that again. The past doesn’t need to still be happening to still be controlling you. Being bullied at school. Being told you were stupid. Growing up without money. A parent or teacher telling you that you’d never amount to much. A business failure. A bankruptcy. A relationship that knocked your confidence. A time you took a risk and got badly burnt. Those things may have happened 10, 20, 30 or even 50 years ago. But the beliefs they created can still be sitting quietly in the background today, influencing your confidence, your relationships, the risks you’re prepared to take, the opportunities you pursue, the money you believe you deserve and almost every important decision you make. And most of the time, you don’t even realise they’re doing it. That’s why I often say: Your biggest enemy is the six inches between your ears. One of the biggest parts of mentoring isn’t teaching somebody another business strategy. It’s helping them recognise the deeply rooted beliefs and behaviours that are stopping them implementing the strategies they already know. You have to understand your own psychology. You have to work on your mindset. And sometimes you have to challenge beliefs you’ve carried for decades that simply aren’t true anymore… and perhaps never were. So ponder this for a few minutes today: What happened in your past that is no longer present in your life… but might still be controlling your future? And more importantly: What could change if you finally stopped letting it?

How high on your priority list is your core brand proposition when you’re managing the daily demands of running a business? Sainsbury’s recently agreed to sell Argos to Swift Partners for at least £120m. From a strategic communications perspective, one of the most interesting aspects of the deal is the new owners’ commitment to making Argos their “first, second and third” priority. Richard Pennycook of Swift Partners explained: “As an independent company, we will think of Argos as the first, second and third thing we think of in the morning. And when Argos sits in a very large and successful supermarket business, the colleagues at the top of the organisation are not necessarily thinking in that way.” Within a supermarket group, Argos inevitably had to compete with the grocery business for leadership attention and investment. As an independent company, its positioning, customer proposition and growth can take centre stage. The immediate focus does not appear to be a radical reinvention. Instead, the opportunity lies in sharpening what Argos stands for, driving organic growth and balancing a well-known heritage with modern relevance. It illustrates a challenge many businesses face: when the brand proposition is not given sustained attention, messaging can gradually become diluted. The business becomes absorbed in operational demands while its distinction in the market becomes less clear. So, how do you keep your positioning front and centre when operational pressures take over? And if brand strategy has taken a back seat in your business, has that weakened your market message, or is an operations-led approach right for your model? I’d be interested to hear how others balance brand strategy with the demands of running a business.

I was fortunate to join Mike on the monthly call last night, and it is fair to say this was possibly one of the best hours I have spent, as it ended up being 1-on-1. Thank you @Mike Greene for your vision and support, as this was invaluable, including the session notes I have just run through, much appreciated! Being part of the Growth Syndicate for the past 12 months has seen more business and personal development, to a position where I have launched the business, whilst continuing in significant rehabilitation, and bringing my motivation for life back again! Having "The Board" as a support for my business is awesome, and as can be seen below, this is not always just about business; this was at a Chamber of Commerce Dinner, where, during this year, through networking, two of the greatest opportunities for my business have arisen! Please share your greatest wins since joining the Growth Syndicate, now "The Board" as I would love to see, since joining this community, what it means to you as well!

100 principles, ideas and quick wins that could transform your business within days: Link below 👇 Every month I sit in live mentoring sessions with businesses across the whole spectrum. Trades. Law firms. Property. Distribution. Engineering. Family businesses. Same month. Same mentor. Very different businesses. And here's the thing... The problems are never as unique as people think. These 100 moments are pulled straight from my July sessions. Real problems. Real solutions. Real principles that create lasting change - and massive scale for businesses that are stuck Pricing. Cash. Sales. Hiring. Mindset. Systems. ....The lot. And not many of them are complicated. Most are simple. Brutally simple. That's the point. 👊 Complicated doesn't scale. Simple does. Pick ONE this week. Apply it properly. Then come back and tell me what changed. https://www.skool.com/theboard/classroom/bafe9059?md=88cedd0716d44d25b134754049e89242

Here's why: The Growth Syndicate said nothing. It could have been anything. A property fund. A marketing agency. A crypto scheme, probably. Here's what this room actually is. Every serious business has a board. Not because it's a legal box to tick. Because nobody sees their own business clearly. You need people who've already made the mistake you're about to make. People who'll tell you the truth when everyone around you is on your payroll and can't. A proper board costs £hundreds of thousands a year. Most owner-managed businesses will never have one. So they run blind, and then wonder why year eight looks a lot like year four. That's what this is. The board you can't yet afford. Nothing else changes. Same sessions, same days, same library, same people. Same me telling you things you'd rather not hear. One thing is new. From now on, when someone joins at VIP, I record them a teardown of their own business. Theirs, by name. The good, the bad and the ugly. Then we fix it together... and some of our weekly BOARD zooms and classrooms will feature our Expert board members for: Finance People Sales & Lead Gen Marketing PR (yes it is different to Marketing IMO) Operations Stress & Burnout Legal (All areas) Investment and financial legacy ETC ETC Welcome to The Board. Mike