From Startup to Wunderbrand

Stop Being the Lowest-Paid Person in Your Own Business

He’s been the hardest-working, lowest-paid person in his own businesses more than once—near burnout, building companies that no one else wanted, and scaling one to £35 million with 450 staff only to watch money leak through the cracks. That experience is exactly why he wrote The Bee Myth: how successful people accidentally build businesses that steal their lives. Right now this matters because most founders are still chasing every new AI toy while doing £10 tasks at a £100-an-hour rate. Louis shows the simple system that flips the equation—calculate your real hourly value with the 2K rule, stick the number on a post-it, and only touch work that actually pays. Everything else goes to AI-trained VAs that free time and generate revenue through lead magnets, personalised outreach, content, and meeting prep. Get the book and book a virtual coffee at louisswart.com Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq] Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] 00:00 – Meet Louis Swart and the Ironbridge mission 01:56 – Why you become the hardest-working, lowest-paid person in your business 03:55 – Why most AI implementations fail (and the iPhone trap) 05:22 – Building a meeting-report AI in minutes with Hermes 08:46 – Where to actually start with AI in any size business 09:16 – The 2K rule that tells you what your time is really worth 13:06 – Finding the money leaks in growing companies 15:08 – Turning AI from cost-saver into revenue generator 18:43 – Lessons from the Millionaire Speaker Summit 21:09 – Where to get The Bee Myth and connect with Louis 22:04 – The one post-it note action that changes everything Connect with me on: All my links [https://beacons.ai/nicholas_kuhne] Become a guest [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Sign up for Riverside [https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=nicholas-kuhne] Get Descript [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq]   #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stop chasing downloads: the single-CTA method that turns listeners into buyers

Background in computer science, persuasion and ten years of biotech software engineering. She and her husband built the business on relationships and real outcomes. Over 300 clients have chosen her approach because members stay when they get results—not when they sit in another generic platform. Most creators leave money on the table. Treat selected episodes as strategic assets with one clear call to action, reverse-engineer them for the next step in the buyer’s journey, and you turn old content into conversations and sales. Links Membership Lab + Podcast Lead Flow: https://membershiplab.com/nicholas [https://membershiplab.com/nicholas] Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin] me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Timestamps 00:00 – Meet Nathalie and the problem she solves 01:27 – Why 300+ businesses choose Membership Lab 08:01 – Validate the offer before you build anything 10:26 – Podcast Lead Flow for podcasters who want clients 13:27 – The power of a single call to action 19:20 – One reworked episode → $7,500 sale 22:55 – How Podcast Lead Flow creates personalised responses Connect with me on: All my links [https://beacons.ai/nicholas_kuhne] Become a guest [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Sign up for Riverside [https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=nicholas-kuhne] Get Descript [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq]   #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How Groas AI trounces Traditional Google Ads Agencies

From private equity boardrooms to late-night dropshipping experiments, David used his ruthless data-driven mindset to spot massive inefficiencies in performance marketing. What started as a simple tool to dynamically match landing pages to search queries evolved into full end-to-end AI autonomy for Google Ads. The real value right now? You can connect your campaigns and literally never touch them again while the AI scales and optimises better than a full team of humans or a traditional agency. Perfect timing as ad costs rise and competition intensifies. Guest Links: GROAS: https://groas.com [https://groas.com] Contact David: dp@groas.com [dp@groas.com] Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq] Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Timestamps: 00:02 – Introducing David Pourquery and the leap from hedge funds 01:46 – Why investment brain transfers perfectly to Google Ads 02:39 – The original landing page problem that started GROAS 04:37 – How dynamic AI landing pages work in real time 05:22 – Building full autonomous AI agents for Google Ads 07:14 – Managing brand tone of voice and copy quality with AI 08:59 – Shifting from self-serve to high-value agency and enterprise clients 09:39 – One-year journey: explosive growth, painful lessons, and pivots 13:44 – Why technical edge is dead – brand and distribution win now 16:34 – Personal branding in the AI era 21:29 – Next frontier: dominating organic AI visibility Connect with me on: All my links [https://beacons.ai/nicholas_kuhne] Become a guest [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Sign up for Riverside [https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=nicholas-kuhne] Get Descript [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq]   #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Scale Faster Without the Full-Time Payroll: How to Build Your Fractional A-Team

In this episode, Katie shares hard-won lessons on the biggest challenge most founders face: letting go of control and bringing in outside specialist support. She reveals why so many businesses get burnt by agencies, how to set clear expectations and KPIs even when you lack the expertise yourself, and the right way to vet and onboard talent that actually delivers. You’ll learn exactly when your “fire” is dimming and it’s time to hand off the tasks draining your joy, why fractional executives often beat full-time hires for growing companies, and how FRX carefully selects battle-tested operators who have sat in real C-suite seats managing seven-figure budgets. Guest Links Connect with Katie Peterman on LinkedIn Learn more about FRX fractional executive services Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin] me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Katie Peterman’s background 01:06 – The real challenge of releasing control to outsiders 02:13 – Why agencies often fail and how to fix it 04:39 – Setting KPIs and expectations when you lack the expertise 09:39 – Taking full ownership across departments 10:34 – How FRX vets and selects elite fractional executives 15:27 – When founders should bring in help (the joy test) 18:41 – Fractional vs full-time executives 20:43 – What happens when fractional talent gets full-time offers 23:18 – Where to find Katie and FRX Connect with me on: All my links [https://beacons.ai/nicholas_kuhne] Become a guest [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Sign up for Riverside [https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=nicholas-kuhne] Get Descript [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq]   #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why Persuasion Skills Will Change Your Entire Career Trajectory

From his early discovery of Dr. Robert Cialdini’s work 26 years ago, Patrick has dedicated his career to teaching the science of influence that actually works. As a certified trainer, coach, and author of How to Hear Yes More Often, he equips professionals and young adults with tools for clearer, more impactful communication. The core takeaway? Most decisions (90-95%) happen via our fast, intuitive System 1 brain. Learning Cialdini’s principles lets you give people the mental shortcuts they need to say yes quickly and confidently—whether in job interviews, sales, negotiations, or everyday life. In an AI-driven world where interpersonal skills rank as a top-3 priority, starting early can dramatically alter your career trajectory and avoid years of wasted effort. Guest Links: * Website: ethicalpersuasion.com.au * Podcast: Ethical Persuasion Unlocked * Book: How to Hear Yes More Often Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq] Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] *Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to ethical persuasion with Patrick van der Burght 00:59 – Patrick’s “aha” moment with Cialdini’s work 01:35 – Persuasion in everyday life and why it’s a learnable skill 02:50 – Why young adults and students should master persuasion early 06:07 – The problem with calling it a “soft skill” 07:48 – How the brain makes decisions (System 1 vs System 2) 12:10 – Persuasion across the customer journey and relationship stages 13:47 – Building relationships, reducing uncertainty, and creating motivation 17:07 – When to accept “no” and knowing it’s not manipulation 20:08 – Improving your odds with science-backed techniques 21:07 – Resources: podcast, book, free downloads, and training 22:43 – Why persuasion remains timeless in an overloaded world 24:17 – Final thoughts and call to action Connect with me on: All my links [https://beacons.ai/nicholas_kuhne] Become a guest [https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne] Sign up for Riverside [https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=nicholas-kuhne] Get Descript [https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq]   #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.