Hi All - Please note that tomorrow (WEDS 13th May) evenings live group mentoring will start at 7.30pm rather than the normal 7pm (just for this week) ...and there will be no Syndicafe mentoring this coming Saturday (16th) as i will be travelling. All will be back to normal timing(s) for next week though. Cheers Mike

People tell their kids: • don’t smoke • don’t drink too much • be disciplined • be organised • be respectful • be on time • keep your promises Then the same adults: • smoke in front of them • drink every weekend • Spend all evening and weekends as a lazy couch potato • run late constantly • break promises • avoid responsibility • live in chaos • blame everybody else They complain about: • the government lying • customers paying late • staff not caring • partners not listening • society losing values But when you look deeper into their own behaviours, businesses and lives… ...they are often doing the exact same things they criticise in others. Children do not become what you tell them: They become what they see. Teams do not follow your mission statement: They follow your standards. Clients do not trust your words: They trust your consistency. And life itself often becomes a mirror: You attract what you give out. The energy, standards, discipline, honesty and respect you carry into the world tends to come back in one form or another. That’s why one of the most powerful ideas ever shared was: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Not demand it. Not preach it. Not post about it. ....Be it. Because what you do speaks far louder than anything you say.

or... The words of Losing pitches: “If…” “Maybe…” “Just…” “Hopefully…” “We’re nearly there…” “It’s not quite ready yet…” I hear this language every single day in business. And most of the time… It’s the language of people trying to sell products or services that are not ready, not focused, or not what the client actually asked for. One of the biggest mistakes in business is this: Trying to sell people what YOU want to sell… Instead of listening properly and delivering what THEY actually want or need. I see it constantly. People trying to: - Upsell before trust exists - Change the brief - Reframe the requirement - Sell a “better” service the client never asked for - Push a bigger package - Defend weak delivery with excuses “If we just…” “Maybe later…” “Once this is finished…” “We can adapt it…” "Can I suggest..." No. Answer their f*cking question. Deliver the f*cking product/service THEY want or need. Solve the actual problem. Because here’s the irony… If you genuinely solve the client’s immediate need properly: - They come back - They trust you - They buy more - They take your advice - They refer people Trust is earned through delivery. Not through pitching people into something they didn’t ask for. Too many businesses are trying to force customers into their world… Instead of building solutions around the customer’s world. ....And that’s why so many businesses struggle. Not because they lack talent. But because they lack listening. The best businesses in the world are not the best talkers. They are the best listeners. Reminds me of what one of my mentors used to say - 'dont sell them a 'chocolate teapot' it may look good and even be enticing but on first use they will realise it IS NOT fit for purpose'!!

...You build it. Sometimes I look at my week ahead & genuinely have to pinch myself. Not because it’s perfect. Not because there’s no pressure. But because of the sheer variety, freedom, people & purpose that now fill my weeks. And because I remember the years when none of this existed: - The years of Poverty, Abuse, Bankruptcy and even homelessness - The Stress. - Working every hour - Building & losing a businesses. - Starting again. Grinding through my 20s, 30s and much of my 40s to create the life I live today. People often ask me: “What does your week look like?” The truth is, no 2 weeks are ever the same This week alone: Monday - I’ll spend the day at an exclusive Rolls-Royce event in Yorkshire. Not just around beautiful cars, but around philanthropy, networking and one of the greatest examples of British engineering, craftsmanship and quality in the world. - Then 2x 1-2-1 mentoring sessions in the evening Tuesday - starts with breakfast with the Commercial Executive at Peterborough United Football Club. Not because football is everything to me, but because POSH are the heartbeat of my home city. - Then into London for a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Wednesday - starts mentoring one of my clients in Bali, who's helping people overcome addiction & rebuild their lives through the incredible work they do there - Then a group Zoom with one of my longest-known clients, a business that has grown from a handful of pharmacies into one of the UK's Top 1% businesses. - Then onto a CPCA Business Board at AstraZeneca in Cambridge. - Then 2 more 1-2-1 mentoring sessions. - Then our Growth Syndicate group Zoom. And then Thursday through Monday in Mallorca: - Sunshine, Friends, Resetting, Re-grounding, Recharging. Every day above ground truly is a great day! But some weeks just remind you how important it is to consciously build a life, not simply drift through one. And before anyone says:

Last month I took every one-to-one mentoring session I ran - 40 sessions, real founders, real businesses, real problems - and pulled out 100 lessons. Not theory. Not textbook stuff. Summarised lessons from the actual conversations. The decisions that saved businesses and the ones that nearly broke them. The same problems that come up again and again at every stage - cash flow, people, pricing, growth, exit - and the solutions that actually work when someone finally applies them. Things like: → Why 70% of businesses fail with a full order book → The one question that tells you instantly who needs to go → Why your brand is worth more at exit than your profit ever will be → How to collect a debt from anyone — including a FTSE 100 company → The system that stops you unconsciously killing your own sales → The rule that separates businesses that grow from ones that just stay busy And 94 more lessons/principles. I've turned it into a full advisory document - beautifully laid out, protected, yours to print, adopt and keep. 100 lifechanging, business scaling lessons Its in on Skool available to every member FREE: https://www.skool.com/thegrowthsyndicate/classroom/efdda4a9?md=608ecc68108e4ed7bef73476a4e8a9d0