In this episode of The Grown UP Business Podcast, host Paul Avins welcomes Chris James, a prominent figure in the realm of personal branding and digital marketing.

They dive deep into the significance of building and leveraging a personal brand in today's business landscape. Chris shares his journey from starting in sales to becoming a key influencer and speaker, emphasizing the transformative power of a strong personal brand.

Key Takeaways:

1. Importance of Personal Branding: - Chris discusses

how a well-crafted personal brand can distinguish you in a crowded market. He

highlights the journey of influential figures like Elon Musk and Lionel Messi,

showing how personal branding can surpass corporate branding in impact.

2. Steps to Build a Personal Brand: - Chris outlines actionable steps to develop a personal brand, including consistency in content creation, authenticity, and engagement with your audience. He stresses the importance of portraying your true self and sharing your unique story.

3. Leveraging Social Media Platforms: - A significant portion of the conversation revolves around LinkedIn. Chris explains why LinkedIn is an underrated platform and how it can be a goldmine for professionals looking to build their personal brand and network effectively.

4. Challenges and Overcoming Them: - Chris opens up about the challenges he faced in his career, from making cold calls to transitioning into digital advertising. He shares valuable lessons on resilience and the importance of not normalizing hardships.

Quotes:

- "When you put your personal brand out there, it becomes a lot more relatable than just a business logo." – Chris James

- "If you can't get excited about having a conversation, we probably shouldn't have a conversation." – Paul Avins

- "Personal branding is like an insurance policy; it makes you more desirable as a person and the company you are attached to." – Chris James

- "Don't normalize hardships. What you tolerate, you tend to keep attracting." – Paul Avins

Follow Paul on Social Media:

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulavins/)

- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/paulavins/)

Connect with Chris James and learn more about personal

branding and digital marketing:

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjames)

- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/chrisjames)

In this episode of The Grown Up Business Podcast, host Paul Avins sits down with sales expert David Angel to delve into the common challenges businesses face in their sales processes and how to overcome them.

David brings his wealth of experience in helping entrepreneurs scale their sales and build effective sales teams. The discussion focuses on the pitfalls of relying too heavily on salespeople without having robust systems and processes in place, the importance of continuous training, and actionable strategies to enhance sales performance.

1. Challenges in Sales and Solutions:

- Identifying the pitfalls of over-reliance on individual salespeople.

- Importance of having structured systems and processes to support sales teams.

- Strategies to ensure sales processes are scalable and repeatable.

2. Importance of Continuous Training:

- How ongoing training helps maintain and improve sales skills.

- The role of training in preventing skill erosion and keeping the team sharp.

- Examples of effective training practices and how to implement them.

3. Building a Resilient Sales Team:

- Characteristics of a successful salesperson and how to identify them during recruitment.

- The significance of onboarding and ongoing support for new sales hires.

- Tips on creating a supportive environment that fosters continuous improvement and resilience.

Quotes:

- Paul Avins: "When we start out, we sell the way that we feel comfortable selling rather than the way necessarily people wanna buy. Understanding different buying energies is crucial."

- Paul Avins: "One of the biggest mistakes people make with salespeople is they don't onboard them very well. They spend all this time and money hiring and then just expect them to impress without any proper training."

- David Angel: "Most business owners sell the way they like to buy, not based on the way their clients would like to buy. Adjusting to the client's buying preferences is key to improving sales."

- David Angel: "Sales isn't an eroding skill. Like going to the gym to maintain muscles, continuous training is essential to keep sales skills sharp and effective."

Connect with us on social media:

Paul Avins:

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulavins/)

-Twitter](https://twitter.com/paulavins)

David Angel:

-[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidangel/)

-[Twitter](https://twitter.com/davidangel)

In this insightful episode of The Grown UP Business Podcast, host Paul Avins sits down with Jamie Beaumont, the CEO of Playter, a company revolutionizing the way small businesses manage their cash flow. Jamie shares his journey from the recruitment industry to founding Playter, highlighting the challenges and solutions small businesses face when dealing with cash flow issues.

The conversation dives deep into the common cash flow problems that many entrepreneurs encounter, such as late invoice payments and difficulties in securing funding from traditional banks. Jamie discusses how Plata's innovative financial solutions are designed to help businesses pay their bills later and get paid faster, thereby easing the cash flow crunch.

Whether you’re a startup struggling with liquidity or an established business looking to optimize your cash management, this episode is packed with practical advice and real-world examples that can help you navigate the financial hurdles in your business.

Highlights:

- The importance of managing cash flow for business sustainability.

- Jamie’s personal journey from a recruitment entrepreneur to the fintech space.

- Common cash flow challenges faced by small businesses.

- Innovative solutions Plata offers to help businesses manage their finances more effectively.

- The role of technology in streamlining financial processes for SMEs.

Quotes:

Paul Avins:

1. "I think it can be really confusing sometimes to be an entrepreneur because you look at the data, and even though your business might be turning a profit on paper, there's very little cash in the bank at the end of the month."

2. "The ability to access capital quickly is a skill, and the power of your network plays a crucial role in finding solutions that traditional banks often overlook."

Jamie Beaumont:

1. "We want to leave every business at the end of every single month with more cash in their bank to do whatever they want to do with, whether it's investments or just peace of mind."

2. "Our mantra is to help slow the flow of money leaving your business and help speed the flow of money coming in, providing a more stable cash flow for small businesses."

Follow and connect with us:

- Follow Jamie Beaumont on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/b2bbnpl/)

- Connect with Paul Avins on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulavins/)

- Learn more about Plata and their financial solutions at [Playter's Website](https://www.playter.co)