My daughter Rosie (now 26) was clearing out some old school stuff this week and found a drawing she did when she was 10 or 12 - a kind of “family coat of arms.” She gave each of us two symbols: - My wife had books and gardening. - Amelia had music and pets. - Rosie had music and gymnastics. - And me? Aeroplanes and a briefcase. That was her picture of me at the time... ....defined by Work and travel. It hit me when I saw it again. That was the reality back then. I was always on a plane, always with a briefcase/Laptop bag, always busy. Luckily, I made the change not long after: I sold up, shifted my priorities, and began a different chapter. Today, life looks very different: more family time, more balance, and a lot of my week dedicated to helping local businesses, charities, schools, the Chamber of Commerce, and as an Ambassador for Cambridge Children’s Hospital and A Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Here’s why I’m sharing this with you: We don’t often get to see ourselves through someone else’s eyes until it’s too late. That little drawing was the mirror I needed back then. So let me ask you - if your kids, your partner, your mates, or even your team were asked to draw your coat of arms today, what would they sketch? ....And is that the picture you want them to remember? Because if not, it’s never too late to redraw it.

Hey guys, It’s great to see the community has more than doubled in the last week — welcome to all the new members. I’m genuinely excited about the energy and insights that fresh perspectives bring. That said, I want to be really clear about what this community is and isn’t. This isn’t a place for people who haven’t yet started their business journey. It isn’t a place for people just looking to sell, look for investors, self-promote, or collect contacts. This community is for serious business owners and investors who are looking to grow and scale... and who want to share, learn, and contribute along the way. If we start introducing the wrong people - forgive my bluntness, but those who are weak in mindset, only here to build their own network, or looking to take rather than give... then we dilute the value for everyone. That’s not what The Growth Syndicate is about. 👉 Please do recommend people. I want the right kind of growth here. I’m happy to keep the community free for now while I review who’s joining. But it isn’t about chasing numbers for the sake of it - it’s about quality. Also, a reminder of the community rules (image attached below): - No self-promotion - No selling - Respect people’s time - Keep the focus on education, inspiration, and motivation That’s the clarity and purity I want to protect in this space. I’m happy to discuss this if anyone wants to drop me a DM, or right here in the group. Mike

As a quick follow on from this evening's session (which was excellent, by the way), I posted the following into the chat, but I'll drop it in here too... "Getting Things Done" by David Allen is a great resource for productivity, and includes the matrix that Mike showed. I could recommend the book, but searching for "Getting Things Done" or "GTD" and even asking ChatGPT to summarise will probably give you enough of an overview for you to get what it's all about. Other's I mentioned were "Endless Customers" by Marcus Sheridan, which is the latest incarnation of his best seller "They Ask, You Answer"

Every business hits sticking points - often it’s not about working harder, it’s about tackling the right obstacle first. If you had to choose just one that’s holding you back most right now, which would it be? Vote Below — and if you want, drop a comment on what you’ve already tried to fix it.

What's your biggest barrier to growth as of today? Humbling myself, mine is MINDSET!