Focus on the Fun Stuff

Emma Mills
  • 5.0 (28)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated weekly

Welcome to "Focus on the Fun Stuff" the podcast where we dive into what it takes to focus on the things you love in your business and enjoy the journey. We'll explore how to get more of those days where you're in the flow, loving what you're doing and using your unique abilities and passions.Many business owners find themselves down in the weeds, overwhelmed, stuck at a certain revenue level, limited by team size, or constantly time-poor. Often, it's a combination of all these challenges. If you’ve ever looked at another successful, ambitious happy business owner and wondered ‘How did they do that?’ I’ve totally done the same thing.And Focus on the fun Stuff explores how they did it.

  1. Everyone Told Him Not To Do It. He Built a Global Empire Anyway

    9 hr ago

    Everyone Told Him Not To Do It. He Built a Global Empire Anyway

    Send us Fan Mail Sacha Lord is the founder of Parklife Festival and The Warehouse Project — two of the UK's most successful live event brands, built over 30 years from a market stall in Liverpool. He served as Greater Manchester's Night-Time Economy Adviser, became a Sunday Times bestselling author, and helped shape Manchester's cultural landscape into what it is today. He is one of the most influential figures in UK hospitality and events. And it all started with selling leather jackets. In this episode, Sacha sits down with Emma to talk about what really happens when you stop listening to everyone telling you to play it safe. He opens up about anxiety, self-belief, and the mindset behind building iconic brands — as well as the mistakes, the leadership lessons, and the moment he knew it was time to let go. This is one of the most honest conversations Emma has had on the podcast. If you've ever doubted yourself, felt stuck, or wondered whether now is the right time to start something new this one's for you. Emma and Sacha cover: How he went from market trader to building world-renowned eventsWhy most people give up too early — and how to push throughHow to build teams you can genuinely trustThe leadership lessons behind scaling large organisationsHow to know when it's time to exit a businessWhy passion still matters, even at the top"If you've got a passion for something, don't listen to anybody. Just do it." Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    1hr 6min
  2. How to Win the Week: A Guide to Weekly Planning and Goal Setting

    12 Jun

    How to Win the Week: A Guide to Weekly Planning and Goal Setting

    Send us Fan Mail Feeling like your weeks are slipping by without real progress?   That’s where I was for 10 years. Another Friday, another week of fighting fires at MiPA, no closer to my big picture goals, no longer enjoying the business I was running.   Then four years ago, I found a way to change all that.   In the latest episode of MiTV, I share that “Win the Week” philosophy that’s seen me completely revolutionise my life as a small business owner, grow my business, and enjoy my life a hell of a lot more.   Give it a watch, and if you need support to create more time in your calendar and get progress happening faster, comment below and let’s have a chat.  Em x  P.S. You’ll get more crucial insights for small business owners like this in my Sunday night newsletter, Win the Week (sign up here: https://emmas-newsletter-adef7a.beehiiv.com/subscribe), and over on my Instagram @emmamipa (give me a follow!) Please visit my website to get more information: https://www.mi-pa.co.uk/  Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    13 min
  3. If You Hire Smart People, They'll Find Their Way

    5 Jun

    If You Hire Smart People, They'll Find Their Way

    Send us Fan Mail Neil Walton is the founder and Managing Director behind The HMO Guys, Manchester's fastest-growing independent co-living specialist. From a back bedroom to a Salford HQ employing nine people, Neil has built a team that now manages around 850 rooms across 150 properties throughout Greater Manchester and Cheshire. His approach is refreshingly simple: property management should be straightforward, responsive, and genuinely useful. Landlords and tenants both seem to agree. In this episode, Neil sits down with Emma to unpack the journey — and it wasn't a straight line. He got sacked from his first three jobs in a single year. He walked away from a 15-year recruitment career with zero property experience. And seven years later, he deliberately left his business for seven weeks — not for a holiday, but to find out where the gaps really were. Emma and Neil explore the hiring philosophy behind an 850-unit portfolio run by just nine people, why Neil believes training and mistakes cost about the same, what stepping back reveals about your leadership, and the counterintuitive link between payment terms and customer respect. Outside of work you'll find Neil planning his next trip somewhere sunnier than Salford and backing his team to keep raising the bar. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with founders and business owners who've built something that supports their life — not consumes it. 🌐 Work with Mi-PA: https://mi-pa.co.uk  📲 Follow Emma on Instagram: https://instagram.com/emmamills_ 🎧 Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    1hr 1min
  4. What Three Things Should I Delegate To A Virtual Assistant First To Actually Save Time And Money.

    22 May

    What Three Things Should I Delegate To A Virtual Assistant First To Actually Save Time And Money.

    Send us Fan Mail Most business owners know they need help. But the real challenge isn’t finding a virtual assistant it’s learning how to let go. In this episode, Emma Mills explores why delegation feels so uncomfortable, the psychological reasons we hold onto tasks for too long, and the first things you should actually hand over if you want more time, focus, and freedom. From inbox overwhelm to the “delegation dip”, this is a practical and honest conversation about building a business that doesn’t rely on you for everything. Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    27 min
  5. He Left A Six-Figure Job, Sold His House And Bought A One-Way Ticket

    15 May

    He Left A Six-Figure Job, Sold His House And Bought A One-Way Ticket

    Send us Fan Mail What does it take to walk away from a six-figure salary, sell your house, and buy a one-way ticket to Dubai? For Freddie Pullen, the answer was a head-on car crash. On May 12, 2022, Freddie and his wife Antonia flipped their car and landed upside down in a ditch. They walked away physically intact but everything else shifted. Within two months, both had quit their corporate jobs. Within weeks, they were on a plane. Within six months, Freddie had launched The Healthy Entrepreneur podcast from a Dubai apartment with a £30 lapel mic and it hit number one in nine countries on its first day. In this episode, Emma sits down with Freddie to unpack what it actually looks and feels like to rebuild from zero and the surprisingly practical strategies behind his rapid rise. From LinkedIn to podcast guesting, newsletters to authentic content, Freddie breaks down exactly how he's built a business that funds the life he wants to live, not the other way around. What you'll take away: Why being a podcast guest before launching your own show is the smarter, faster growth moveThe "Bistro Table" concept and how to build genuine digital connection without oversharingHow Freddie grows his newsletter by 500+ organic subscribers every single monthThe LinkedIn strategy that cuts through AI-generated noise with pure authenticityWhy AI might be one of the biggest distractions facing business owners right now — and what to focus on insteadThe mindset shift that turns near-tragedy into the most powerful entrepreneurial fuel there isThis one hits differently. Give it a listen. Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    53 min
  6. How to Remove Yourself As The Bottleneck In Your Business

    8 May

    How to Remove Yourself As The Bottleneck In Your Business

    Send us Fan Mail What would it mean to protect your mornings completely? In this episode, Emma Mills shares the real story of a business owner who was checking his emails at 10pm every night. His doctor had told him to stop. And yet he couldn't  because he genuinely believed there was no one else who could do it. Emma unpacks the myth that doing everything yourself is quicker, faster, or better and why believing it is costing business owners far more than lost productivity. It's costing their sleep, their health, and their ability to show up at their best during the hours that matter most. What you'll take away: Why the "I'll just do it myself" mindset is holding your business backHow to recognise the real cost of staying in your own inboxThe 80% mindset shift that makes delegation feel safePermission to protect your morning as your most valuable business assetIf you've ever caught yourself working late just to keep up — this one's for you. Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    22 min
  7. I Was £24,000 In Debt: This Is How I Cleared It In 18 Months

    1 May

    I Was £24,000 In Debt: This Is How I Cleared It In 18 Months

    Send us Fan Mail What would you do if you found out you were £24,000 in debt — and on track to spend the next 7 years digging yourself out? That's the reality Sammy Elard King faced at 25, sitting on a beach in Vietnam. One conversation with a friend forced him to do the maths and the numbers were devastating. He had minus £24,000 to his name and no real plan to change it. 18 months later, the debt was gone. In this episode of Focus on Fun Stuff, Emma Mills sits down with Sammy founder of Up the Gains and the Gains FinTech app to unpack exactly how he did it, why the financial education system has failed most of us, and what you can do right now to start rewriting your financial story. What you'll take away: Why your spending habits might be working against you without you realisingThe side hustle approach that clears debt faster than your salary ever willHow to invest simply without becoming obsessed with trading chartsThe mindset shift that turns financial overwhelm into a clear, actionable planWhy building a true community (not just followers) is your biggest business assetHow Sammy raised £285,000 and put 15,000 people on a waitlist before his app even launchedThis is the financial education your school never gave you honest, practical, and completely jargon-free. If you've ever felt like money is a system you weren't taught to play this one's for you. Support the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    57 min
  8. Why 95% Of Your Inbox Is Someone Else's Agenda, Not Yours

    24 Apr

    Why 95% Of Your Inbox Is Someone Else's Agenda, Not Yours

    Send us Fan Mail Someone sent Emma Mills a DM that stopped her in her tracks: "I hate email with a passion. How do I get rid of it so I never see another email again?" This solo episode is the full, honest answer. Emma — founder of Mi-PA and someone who spent an entire week in Milan training for a marathon without once opening her inbox — shares the exact mindset shifts and practical system that means email no longer runs her day. She covers the four shifts every business owner needs to make, why AI tools only scratch the surface, and the simple three-folder structure that lets her assistant handle everything so Emma only ever sees what genuinely needs her attention. She also shares the story of a business owner leading a team of 80 — who was still personally managing 5,000 unread emails. The problem isn't the inbox. It's the belief that you need to be in it. What you'll take away: Why 95% of your inbox is someone else's agenda — and how to stop letting it dictate your dayThe 4 mindset shifts that will transform your relationship with emailWhy AI is a small improvement, not the solutionThe three-folder system Emma's assistant uses to manage her inbox entirelyHow to run a business (and a marathon) without looking at your emailsWhat to do if you don't have an assistant yet — and why it's the highest-leverage hire you'll makeSupport the show Support The Show -- Ready to reclaim your time? Grab our free guide and start delegating all of the things a business owner shouldn't be doing: 👉 The 106 Tasks You Must Delegate -- Connect with Emma! Get my personal weekly newsletter here - if you want to Win the Week, every week. World Class Virtual PA support here: Mi-PA.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram Connect with Emma on Linkedin Watch the Episodes on Youtube EmmaMills.co.uk Reviews and Feedback: Loving the show? Your feedback means the world to me and helps others find us! Thanks so much for listening to Focus on the Fun Stuff Podcast! Let’s make business a bit more fun together! 🌟

    23 min
See All (77)

5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Welcome to "Focus on the Fun Stuff" the podcast where we dive into what it takes to focus on the things you love in your business and enjoy the journey. We'll explore how to get more of those days where you're in the flow, loving what you're doing and using your unique abilities and passions.Many business owners find themselves down in the weeds, overwhelmed, stuck at a certain revenue level, limited by team size, or constantly time-poor. Often, it's a combination of all these challenges. If you’ve ever looked at another successful, ambitious happy business owner and wondered ‘How did they do that?’ I’ve totally done the same thing.And Focus on the fun Stuff explores how they did it.

Information

  • Creator
    Emma Mills
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Focus on the Fun Stuff
  • Show Website
    Focus on the Fun Stuff

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