The Business Game

LEVEL TWO: E-Commerce Founder on 10 Million Views, Airport Deals, and Building a Million-Dollar Brand

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/fan_mail/new] LEVEL 1: $0 – $1M   STARTUP & SURVIVAL STAGE  On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Laura Campbell, Founder of Hip Surfer, the Australian baby product brand transforming how parents carry their children.  What started as a side hustle during maternity leave quickly became something much bigger. After struggling with chronic pain and finding existing baby carriers uncomfortable, Laura decided to create her own solution. Three years later, Hip Surfer has grown into a seven-figure business stocked in airports, theme parks, resorts, and retail locations across Australia and beyond.  We asked Laura about building a product business while raising young children, scaling from a simple idea into a nationally recognised brand, and the realities of being a solo founder when every department still runs through you.  From late-night Meta ads and manufacturing challenges to viral social media moments and stock shortages, Laura shares the highs, lows, and lessons from building a business that's helping thousands of families around the world.  Let’s dive in, with Laura Campbell:  • Why a personal health challenge led to creating Hip Surfer  • The customer feedback that proved she had more than just a baby product  • How she went from a $30,000 goal to blowing past $100,000 in her first year  • The reality of doing your own marketing, manufacturing, accounting, and operations  • How leveraging relationships opened doors into airports, resorts, and theme parks  • The viral reel that generated millions of views, and a stock crisis  • Why investing in coaching and business communities accelerated growth  • The hidden challenges of being a solo founder  • What it takes to scale a product business while raising a family  If you're building an e-commerce brand, launching a product business, balancing entrepreneurship with family life, or trying to turn a side hustle into something bigger, this episode is packed with practical lessons and honest insights. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/support] Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business. Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap. For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBusinessGamePodcast], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebusinessgamegroup], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-game-podcast], Facebook and Instagram. Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework? Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com [http://www.thebusinessgamepodcast.com] It's time to Level Up! We’ll see you at the next level.

Sales Psychologist: Why Sales Get Harder When You Need Them Most

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/fan_mail/new] LEVEL 1: $0 – $1M STARTUP & SURVIVAL STAGE On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Ian Stephens, one of Australia’s leading sales psychologists, speaker, author, and performance coach who has worked with businesses in 29 countries around the world Before becoming an internationally recognised sales expert, Ian spent years fighting to keep his business alive — borrowing money from his parents, selling his car, and even selling his house to stay in the game. Along the way, he learned some hard truths about cash flow, mindset, systems, and what really happens when business owners get desperate. We asked Ian why sales often get harder when you need them most, how limiting beliefs quietly sabotage business growth, why most founders focus on goals instead of systems, and the lesson every entrepreneur needs to hear about building a business that doesn't rely entirely on them. Let's dive in with Ian Stephens: • Why sales feel harder when you need them most  • How pressure shifts your behaviour (and costs you deals)  • The link between mindset, cash flow and performance  • Why systems matter more than motivation  • The mistake most business owners make under pressure  • How to stay effective when everything feels urgent  • The shift from operator → scalable business model  • What’s coming next with AI and customer expectations  If you’re in a season where things feel tighter than usual, this episode will give you clarity on what’s actually going on... and what to do next.  Connect with Ian: LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ianstephensspeaks Website - enrichacademy.com.au Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/support] Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business. Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap. For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBusinessGamePodcast], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebusinessgamegroup], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-game-podcast], Facebook and Instagram. Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework? Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com [http://www.thebusinessgamepodcast.com] It's time to Level Up! We’ll see you at the next level.

LEVEL TWO: Workplace Culture Expert on Why Bad Employees Are Built By Bad Leadership

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/fan_mail/new] LEVEL 2: $1M – $3M FIRST TEAM, FIRST SYSTEMS STAGE  On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Dustin Snyder, Founder and Chief Advisor of WayForward, the company helping organisations uncover the hidden behavioural systems driving turnover, disengagement, low performance, and leadership problems inside teams.  After leading a 600-person manufacturing turnaround, Dustin realised something most leaders never see: employee behaviour isn’t random, it’s the rational output of the systems leaders create around people. That insight led him to build SWIM (Strategic Workforce Insight Mapping), a framework designed to help executives diagnose the real root causes behind workforce problems instead of treating surface-level symptoms.  In this episode, Dustin breaks down why most engagement surveys fail, why frontline behaviour almost always traces back to leadership, and why companies spend far more time understanding customers than they do their own employees.  He also opens up about the difficult transition from founder-operator to CEO, the painful lessons of scaling beyond himself, and why “killing your ego every morning” became one of the biggest unlocks in his growth journey.  Let’s dive in, with Dustin Snyder:  * Why employee turnover creates hidden financial damage most businesses never measure   * The leadership behaviours teams subconsciously copy   * Why fear-based decisions are almost always the wrong ones   * The scary process of niching down and saying no to revenue   * How documenting his process led to writing his book Sink or Swim   * The system-thinking cheat code founders can use to scale faster   If you’ve ever struggled with culture, delegation, leadership bottlenecks, or building a business that can grow beyond you, this episode is packed with insights you’ll want to hear.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/support] Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business. Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap. For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBusinessGamePodcast], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebusinessgamegroup], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-game-podcast], Facebook and Instagram. Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework? Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com [http://www.thebusinessgamepodcast.com] It's time to Level Up! We’ll see you at the next level.

LEVEL THREE: Million-Dollar Book Strategist On How She Went From $3.6Million in Debt to Multi-Millions... In 18 Months

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/fan_mail/new] LEVEL THREE: $3M to $8M:   DELEGATION AND EARLY LEADERSHIP  On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Melanie Warner, founder and CEO of Defining Moments Press.  After rebuilding from $3.6 million in debt to multi-millions in just 18 months, Melanie has turned personal adversity into a scalable business model that helps entrepreneurs turn books into client acquisition systems.  What started as a frustrating battle with traditional publishing evolved into the Seven Figure Book Method. A system that helps experts turn authority into scalable revenue.  We asked her how she rebuilt after losing everything, why most founders build personality-driven businesses that can’t scale, and what it really takes to transition from being the face of the company to building systems that grow without you.  Let’s dive in,  with Melanie Warner:  * How she rebuilt from $3.6M in debt to multi-millions  * Why traditional publishing failed her  * The real business model behind a “book funnel”  * Why personality can only build the first million  * The systems required to scale beyond founder-led growth  * How to stop selling to strangers and attract ideal buyers  * The transition from solopreneur to CEO  * Why systems beat hustle at every stage of growth  * What building authority really looks like in 2026  If you’re building an expertise-based business, trying to scale beyond yourself, or looking to turn your knowledge into a real growth engine... this episode is for you.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/support] Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business. Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap. For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBusinessGamePodcast], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebusinessgamegroup], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-game-podcast], Facebook and Instagram. Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework? Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com [http://www.thebusinessgamepodcast.com] It's time to Level Up! We’ll see you at the next level.

LEVEL FOUR: Female Construction CEO on Landing $50M+ Projects, Leading Under Pressure, and Empathy on the Job Site

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/fan_mail/new] LEVEL FOUR: $8M to $20M GROWING PAINS & OPERATIONAL COMPLEXITY  On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Melissa Drew, Founder and CEO of InSite BUILD, a construction management firm delivering complex government and institutional projects across the Mid-Atlantic.  After a 20-year career leading large-scale construction projects for national contractors, Melissa launched InSite BUILD and landed a $53 million project almost immediately, forcing the company to operate at a level most businesses take years to grow into.  Melissa shares the realities of scaling inside the construction industry, why relationships became the foundation of her business, and the leadership lessons she learned after losing key team members during a difficult growth phase. She also explains why empathy has become one of her greatest advantages on job sites, and how she’s building a culture that prioritises both accountability and humanity in a traditionally tough industry.  If you’re trying to scale a business, build strong culture, lead teams under pressure, or grow without compromising your standards? This episode is for you!    Let’s dive in, with Melissa Drew:  • how she landed a $53M project at the very start of the business  • the leadership mistakes that cost her valuable team members  • why relationships matter more than anything in construction  • what “bonding capacity” really means — and why it limits growth  • how empathy improves safety, performance, and accountability  • the realities of leading in a male-dominated industry  • why culture matters most when money is on the line  • the systems and structure she invested in from day one  • how to keep startup teams motivated during difficult growth phases  • why treating people like humans creates better performance  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2379864/support] Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business. Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap. For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBusinessGamePodcast], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebusinessgamegroup], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-game-podcast], Facebook and Instagram. Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework? Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com [http://www.thebusinessgamepodcast.com] It's time to Level Up! We’ll see you at the next level.