Brendon Baker is the founder of Australian-based Valuable Change . Even as a young child Brendon wanted to work in business and entrepreneurship. He started his first business at the age of 8, going door-to-door washing cars. In this episode, Charles learns more about how Brendon perfected his sales approach. The key? Reading, experimentation, and failure. So what is Brendon's change philosophy? Ask a lot of questions. Provide solutions based on individual client needs. Simplicity is best for moving from point A to point B. KEY POINTS There are three ripples that bring about change: be really clear on why the change needs to happen, bring your team onboard by highlighting what success will look like, and gain momentum by making the public and other stakeholders excited about the change. Without a willingness to take action, change can never happen and projects can fail. The best way to sell is to first build relationships. RESOURCES MENTIONED Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not – Robert T. Kiysaki Valuable Change: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Change Pays Off – Brendon Baker Creating High-value PMOs: Your Essential Guide –Brendon Baker

Simon Brown is the host of the popular week-day podcast, MoneyWebNOW . He also runs Just One Lap and appears weekly on BusinessDay TV’s The Week That Was and writes a weekly column for the Financial Mail . This man has a passion for money and educating people on how to work well with their finances! In this episode, Simon shares how downscaling was one of the best financial decisions he’s ever made. He also talks about learning the hard way to ride out stock crashes and take the emotion out of making financial decisions. From discussions on books and the fact that our bodies age to the people Simon has most enjoyed interviewing over the years, this episode covers a lot of bases. So, you’re bound to learn something interesting from the man who owns exactly two pairs of shoes. KEY POINTS To avoid wasting money, be sure you really need and really love the things you choose to buy Sometimes it’s good to try new things just for their silliness, not because you need to be the best at everything We don’t remember important life events by holding onto tangible objects, we simply remember them. So, it’s possible to let go of a lot of clutter RESOURCES Catch-22 – Joseph Heller The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale – Art Spiegelman The Five Stages of Grief – Elisabeth Kübler Ross

Tamryn Dicks is the founder of an accounting firm, Pharsyde Solutions , they have created a company that collaborates closely with and actively mentors clients. With this approach, business owners not only uphold all legal requirements but actually see their businesses prosper. The strange thing is that she never actually dreamt of being an accountant. In fact, for much of her school career, Tamryn believed she would become a psychologist. In this episode, Charles talks to Tamryn about her accidental fall into the world of accounting and business ownership. And Tamryn shares how the mistakes she made along the way have helped her help her clients. KEY POINTS The rates you charge clients should be in relation to the value you offer them There are a lot of financial and legal requirements associated with owning a business. But, few small business owners are aware of these and can find themselves paying a hefty price as a result Pay close attention to your business’s finances. These can help you identify your business's strengths as well as what you might need to change RESOURCES The Far Side – Gary Larson Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol S. Dweck Atomic Habits – James Clear

Sage’s VP of Services, PJ Bishop , joins Charles in this episode. They talk about PJ’s youth and how growing up with entrepreneurial parents paved the way for his own business endeavours. PJ shares how he began working at a very young age. And he notes the valuable lessons he learned by being under leaders who were willing to embrace teachable moments. PJ has packed artworks for shipment overseas, delivered newspapers, worked as a cashier, and been a teacher. So, he understands first-hand the value of hard work. This understanding drives him and others at Sage to help SMEs become successful. KEY POINTS Business owners make many sacrifices. Automation can help them gain back valuable time. Listen to understand, not to answer. There are many avenues of learning. One of the best ways to practically apply such learning is to consider how the knowledge might have served you in a past situation. RESOURCES Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek True Crime South Africa – Nicole Engelbrecht The Art of Manliness – Brett McKay Conspiracy Theories – Molly Brandenburg

Lebo Molefe is the founder of The Biz Plug . His aim is to help entrepreneurs operating in, especially, in South Africa’s rural communities to thrive. In this episode, Charles chats to Lebo about his climb out of poverty and the important role books played in this journey. Lebo wanted to be a lawyer but circumstances lead him down another path. Instead, after school, Lebo found himself in hairdressing and then construction. Lebo founded The Hookup Dinner (THUD). Then came The People’s Fund . Thanks to his journey, Lebo knows first-hand the hard work it takes to become successful. He also appreciates the unique hurdles faced by South African entrepreneurs. This helps him to provide tailored solutions. KEY POINTS In South Africa, the vast majority of those who start businesses do so out of the fundamental need to make a living. Understanding this reality should change the way we support small businesses Both manual labour and informal trade can be exceptionally lucrative. But, they're often looked down upon because they're less glamorous forms of profession Copy-pasting solutions from other countries cannot and do not help South African entrepreneurs RESOURCES Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail – Ray Dalio Friday Forward: Second Chances and Confirmation Bias – Robert Glazer

This week’s episode serves up a tasty treat as Charles chats to  Fred Roed from Heavy Chef . But before you go thinking this instalment will be all about food, think again. As the saying goes, “Never trust a skinny chef”. This is why Heavy Chef is in the business of equipping entrepreneurs through ‘bite-sized’ education that helps them become heavy hitters in their field. Think of it as ‘Recipes for entrepreneurs’. Heavy Chef is a learning platform for entrepreneurs. Fred shares his journey from aspiring young cartoonist to co-founder of a successful digital marketing agency. It was while building the agency that Fred learnt the importance of entrepreneurs believing in and using their own products. He used these lessons to create Heavy Chef, with the aim to build up South Africa’s entrepreneurs. From Tim Ferraris to statistics to inspiring stories, there are a lot of practical insights in this episode. KEY POINTS Selling is an attribute of life – you might not like it, but we all need to do it You can be a 'heavy chef' in your field without being an expert Entrepreneurship is fraught with micro and macro challenges – the key is how you navigate them RESOURCES To Sell is Human  – Daniel H. Pink The Heavy Chef Guide to Starting a Business in South Africa  – Fred Roed https://www.heavychef.com/recipes - Recipes for entrepreneurs

In this episode, Charles Hsuan chats to Kimberly Taylor, the CEO and founder of Loop. At 28, Kimberly also happens to be the youngest female entrepreneur to ever be interviewed on Candid Conversations. The two talk about Kimberly's childhood love of maths and current love of podcasts. Kimberly also shares how her desire for financial freedom influenced her career choice. And, she chats about the importance of hard work and how her mom is her inspiration. Kimberly shares how she never specifically dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur. Rather, a third-year university assignment set her course. It was when Kimberly couldn't get the possible real-world value of an algorithm she'd written for an assignment out of her head that Loop was born. Five years on, Loop now offers real-world solutions to clients operating in logistics and deliveries. KEY POINTS Hard work and tenacity are key for successful enterprises Investors are more likely to commit when they see there’s a demand for your product – spend more time on establishing your client base than chasing investors Visibility, performance, and logic are key factors for successful logistics operations RESOURCES MENTIONED The Diary of a CEO – Steven Bartlett The Tim Ferriss Show – Tim Ferriss The Aubrey Marcus Podcast – Aubrey Marcus Push Past Impossible – Ryan Stamrood You can’t ‘grow’ sales. Grow your people and they will grow the sales for you. Book your 30-min discovery call now.

Why are some people more successful and productive than others? What is it that they are doing that you are not? I’ve interviewed over 70 successful business owners and industry experts, many of them were guests on my podcast, Candid Conversations . I started to notice a pattern, and one thing, in particular, kept coming up. It is one of their less talked about secrets but is a HUGE component of driving their business growth. They are all what I call ‘Daily Learning Machines’. In this video, I go through the 4-part framework that describes what makes them a daily learning machine and how you can become one too. You can’t ‘grow’ sales. Grow your people and they will grow the sales for you. Book your 30-min discovery call now. #GrowthMindset

Tim Ferguson is a Canadian living in Switzerland. He also happens to be the co-CEO of Audience Communication and Events. When he was younger, Tim wanted to be an actor. But, he instead found himself in academia. And, eventually, he ended up in corporate communications. As head of Audience for the past 17 years, Tim has built a love for helping teams communicate better. He functions as a speaker, trainer, facilitator, and coach. Tim loves helping corporates navigate complex situations where communication is key for success. In this episode, Tim chats to Charles about the importance of clarity and limiting communication ambition to a few key points. This helps people remember, learn, and communicate well. Tim and Charles also chat about the importance of meeting an audience where they’re at. How? By appealing to their heads, hearts, and hands. KEY POINTS Facilitators need to be flexible and adapt to client needs Hone presentations down to promote understanding Promote active engagement in content early on. Don’t bombard audiences with information from the start, but rather help them engage with concepts The best way to learn new information is through the process of reflection, generalisation, and application RESOURCES MENTIONED Growth Mindset – Carol Dweck Radical Candor – Kim Scott The Fearless Organisation – Amy Edmondson You can’t ‘grow’ sales. Grow your people and they will grow the sales for you. Book your 30-min discovery call now. #CandidconversationpodcastwithCharlesHsuan

'We are a bit like Tabasco. A little bit of us, in the right places, makes an intense difference in the outcome of a project.' Joerie Schilders. Joeri is the owner and founder of The Magic Sauce. The company offers clients creative solutions to business problems. But, Joeri's approach is not simply around ‘design thinking, it’s about practical application and forward motion. To start, Joerie details his formative years growing up in the Netherlands. He had parents who taught him the value of blending creativity with practicality. These insights impacted his later career path. He also chats about his dream of becoming a rock star. But, ultimately, he ended up spending 15 years in China and Hong Kong. Here, he worked for different training and innovation consulting companies. Joeri's now taken what he's learnt to help other businesses grow. His company does this by addressing business problems through the process of 'creating', 'building', and 'sharing'. This episode is full of fun and valuable information. There are also tips on finding ideal clients and 'breaking up with those who are less than ideal. You can contact Joeri Schilders at The magic sauce.com You can’t ‘grow’ sales. Grow your people and they will grow the sales for you. Book your 30-min discovery call now.

Austrian native, Petra Zink is the owner and founder of Impaccct . Her company helps professionals move from experts to trusted authorities in their field. How? By following the 3 Cs in her company’s name – Clarity, Communicate, Commercialise. Included in this episode, Petra chats to Charles about her colourful professional trajectory. She notes how she achieved her childhood dream of living on the other side of the world. And she highlights the importance of having diverse income streams. Petra also details one of her biggest mistakes. Her 'lone wolf' mentality early in her career damaged her chances of progress. But, she learnt her lesson, and now advocates for relationship-building. Charles talks more to Petra about trust and relationships. They note the value of both when starting a company. They also discuss the pros and cons of in-person versus digital interactions. And Petra gives advice on how to establish good relationships in an increasingly online-first world. Podcasts also make an appearance. Petra's played host to several herself , and she shares some of the lessons she's learnt along the way. Petra also gives recommendations on a few of her personal favourites. With so many insights, it's best to get listening! Making sales should not be a mystery…. Book your 30-min strategy call today.

Meet Leanne Hughes – the first Australian interviewed on the show! Leanne is a facilitator, trainer, and writer. She also hosts the illuminating First Time Facilitator podcast . But Leanne’s main gig is helping companies create ‘rave-worthy' workshops. Charles chats to Leanne about her childhood. She relays how her natural penchant for planning awesome birthday parties as a kid blossomed into a fully-fledged business. Leanne also shares how her mixed upbringing taught her the value of time. She translates this to what she offers her clients in respect to having an intentional plan and design to make workshops 'pop'. As an avid reader, Leanne appreciates good content. More so, she believes that good content should be packaged in a way that is meaningful. Leanne also shares her journey from a corporate employee to an entrepreneur. She is a firm believer in dreaming big, embracing serendipitous moments, and taking chances. This episode is full of book references, sprinkled with mention of Leanne’s sporting background. So, tune in to learn more about the Three C’s and the importance of focussing on results rather than methodology. And along with all the informative tidbits, you'll be treated to Leanne’s zest for life. Making sales should not be a mystery…. Book your 30-min strategy call today.