Brisbane Based Carter Lagana

“They worry about what may happen or whether they’re going to make a sale next week, or next month, or ever again…Why are you worrying about those things, when you should be worrying about the things you can control? That’s all you should worry about; the things you can control….& rather than be worried about them why don’t you do something about it?”
 
Drew Davies is the selling principal & director of Place Ascot, a residential real estate sales firm employing 17 staff & turning over 9-figures+ worth of inner-city property per annum. In just 6 short years Drew entered the industry, clawed his way out of credit card debt & established himself as one of the top luxury agents in Ascot & Hamilton, breaking sales records & generating millions of dollars in gross commission along the way. Drew is perhaps best known for his presence on social media, having amassed over 32,000 loyal followers on Instagram -- making him Australia’s most followed agent on the platform. Today, we sit down with Drew to discuss cultivating mental toughness, learning from failure & the realities of doing multi-million dollar deals.
 
To learn more about Drew, you can find him on Instagram @definitelydrewdavies.
 
If you’d prefer to watch instead of listen, head over to my YouTube channel @carterlagana.
 
Timecodes:
2:47 | When push comes to shove, how does Drew rise to the occasion?
4:07 | What was going through Drew’s head when businesses were being shut down?
6:32 | Why failure is crucial for getting better & achieving your goals
9:38 | Drew’s thoughts on not predicating your self-esteem/confidence on income
11:15 | How Drew thinks about money & business decisions generally
14:57 | How Drew copes with crippling setbacks & being forced to adapt
17:37 | How Drew dealt with the biggest blow he suffered in his career
19:27 | Drew’s top takeaway from his favourite book (7 Habits)
24:12 | How much of a role sheer determination has played in Drew’s success
26:02 | The story of Drew’s biggest apartment sale to date ($4m)
29:07 | The secret to a successful career in real estate
30:20 | Drew’s parting advice for those in business during these times
 
Books Mentioned:
7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
 
Credits:
Filmed | @Blackardt
Crew | @BriannaBlack
Crew | @SamuelJBernard
 
If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m up to, you can find me @carterlagana on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok & LinkedIn.

“Adapt or die, it’s that simple…We will get to the other side of this, & when we get to the other side, you need to come out of the starting blocks really fast.”
 
Dr. Glen Richards is the former co-founder & managing director of Greencross, a $1bn+ market cap integrated pet care company, with over 250 stores & 5,500 employees spanning across Australia & New Zealand. Today, Glen holds various chairman & non-executive director level positions in a range of start-ups, scale-ups & publicly listed companies. Further, Glen has also featured on 3 seasons of Channel 10’s acclaimed Shark Tank Australia, solidifying his reputation as one of the country’s most prominent investors & business mentors. Today, we sit down with Glen to discuss how to win in business, advice for entrepreneurial minded youth & his experience being on Shark Tank.
 
To learn more about Glen, you can find him on LinkedIn @GlenRichards.
 
If you’d prefer to watch instead of listen, head over to my YouTube channel @carterlagana.
 
Timecodes:
2:28 | What Glen would do if he was 18 years old again, living through the current pandemic
4:06 | How important was reading, self-development & continual learning to your success?
4:52 | Glen’s top takeaways from 30 years in business
8:53 | Glen’s advice for chronic job hoppers & his take on passion in the workplace
12:37 | How important is patience in business, & why not try to get rich quick?
14:39 | Glen’s take on the utility of gap years & sabbaticals
17:23 | Glen’s advice for those wanting to take the next step but feel underqualified
20:15 | The most common advice Glen gives as a business mentor & investor
22:39 | Glen’s view on debt, risk & making bold bets in your career
23:49 | The role ‘gut feel’ plays in business
25:10 | The investment opportunities that would interest Glen at the moment
27:15 | Glen’s advice on raising capital from friends & family
28:51 | Glen’s experience being on Shark Tank
32:26 | Glen’s definition of success
 
Books Mentioned:
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits – Verne Harnish
Scaling Up – Verne Harnish
Good to Great – Jim Collins
 
Credits:
Filmed | @Blackardt &@cojones_media
Set | @TheRichardsGroup
Crew | @BriannaBlack
Crew | @cojones_media
 
If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m up to, you can find me @carterlagana on Instagram, TikTok & LinkedIn.

“If you spend a year or two working on something that you’re really interested in, & it doesn’t work out, it’s going to be totally doable for you to get back into an industry. Maybe it’s different if you’re 45 & you have 3 kids & a mortgage….but if you’re young, then I reckon just go for it. ”
 
Dre Zhou is the co-founder of Askable, the ‘Uber’ for user-testing; which helps companies find & book participants on demand for market research & usability testing purposes. Askable has progressed from a mere incubator generated idea in mid-2017, to a thriving outfit with over 10 staff, six figures in monthly revenue & a laundry list of prestigious clients -- including Woolworths, Qantas, Dominos, Optus & Medibank to name but a few. For this episode, we sit down with Dre to discuss what every young entrepreneur needs to understand about risk, the realities of growing an early stage enterprise & the hard truths about what it takes to build a successful startup.
 
To learn more about Dre & Askable, you can find them on Medium @DreZhou or Askable’s website @ askable.com.
 
If you’d prefer to watch instead of listen, head over to my YouTube channel @carterlagana.
 
Timecodes:
1:59 | The unspoken truth about ‘loving’ your job
3:27 | Dre’s philosophy on taking risks
5:32 | The best time to take on risk
6:36 | What Dre wishes he knew earlier in his career
9:54 | Dre’s advice for building an MVP
12:27 | Acquiring paying users via cold email
14:57 | Plugin to mine email data on LinkedIn
15:47 | Practical productivity tips for getting more done
19:59 | The realities of early stage entrepreneurship
22:00 | Key resources for learning more about startups
23:48 | An interesting insight for those interested in business
 
Dre’s blog on selling via cold emailing |
 https://medium.com/@drezhou/how-we-got-our-first-100-paying-customers-at-askable-51246dfa143
 
Dre’s blog on productivity pt.1 | 
https://medium.com/@drezhou/improving-productivity-as-a-designer-part-1-336314410ab5?source=---------5------------------
 
Dre’s blog on productivity pt.2 | 
https://medium.com/@drezhou/improving-productivity-as-a-designer-part-2-4ad2d940973e
 
Credits:
Filmed | @Blackardt
Crew | @BriannaBlack
Crew | @SamuelJBernard
 
If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m up to, you can find me @carterlagana on all social media platforms.

 “Stop worrying about what you’re selling & start providing solutions to your clients’ problems”
 
Joe Fox is the APAC Managing Director of ‘Lighthouse8’, a multi-national technology-driven marketing agency with offices spanning across Australia, Norway, Singapore & the UK. Prior to his appointment as MD, Joe co-founded ‘Studio Culture’ – a highly decorated full-service digital marketing firm, having progressed from idea to a flourishing professional outfit with 12+ staff & multi-millions in annual revenue within 5 years. For this episode, we sit down with Joe to discuss how to close deals during down markets, win business with no track record & his advice for sales & marketing professionals in light of a looming global recession.
 
To learn more about Joe & Lighthouse8, you can find them on LinkedIn @JoeFox & @Lighthouse8.
 
If you’d prefer to watch instead of listen, head over to my YouTube channel @carterlagana.
 
Timecodes:
2:23 | Driving top line revenue during tough times
4:47 | How to land your first few clients when just starting out
6:35 | Key resources & tactics for nailing cold outreaches
8:24 | How to find & mine data when you don’t know who to call
9:33 | Key qualifying questions to ask a warm lead
12:06 | Negotiation tips to close deals during down markets
15:24 | Why you must always charge for your product or service
18:55 | How to acquire monetisable sales & marketing skills
23:29 | Where to spend your marketing dollars right now & why
24:39 | The power of narrow AI technology as applied to digital marketing
28:00 | When to hire marketing talent in-house & what they should handle
30:48 | The realities of doing business with large scale enterprise clients
37:47 | Key takeaway for forging a successful career in marketing & sales
 
Credits:
Filmed | @Blackardt
Crew | @BriannaBlack
Crew | @SamuelJBernard
 
If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m up to, you can find me @carterlagana on all social media platforms.

“Anything you’ll ever need or want is going to come from another person”
Jason Roulston is a seasoned recruitment executive, serial entrepreneur & managing director of Blackroc -- a c18 month old, multidisciplinary agency grown from Jason’s dining room table to 20+ staff & $10m+ in generated fees. In addition to Blackroc, Jason has co-founded 4 other businesses, including a digital first recruitment organisation producing 8 figures in annual turnover, with over 40 employees & offices across 3 states. For this episode, we sit down with Jason to discuss some general career advice, the key ingredient to every business partnership & his thoughts on stoic philosophy.
To learn more about Jason & Blackroc, you can follow them on LinkedIn @JasonRoulston & @BLACKROC.
If you’d prefer to watch instead of listen, head over to my YouTube channel @carterlagana.
 
Timecodes:
2:18 | Highest paying professions
3:13 | Advice for selecting a career
4:47 | Maximising your employability
6:30 | How important is having a degree?
9:10 | Can you trade experience for qualifications?
10:13 | Jason’s thoughts on cold emailing
11:10 | How to nail your next job interview
12:43 | Key ingredients to succeeding in the workplace pt.1
14:26 | Key ingredients to succeeding in the workplace pt.2
16:01 | Something EVERY business partnership needs
17:51 | Why Jason awards equity to key employees
21:22 | Balancing happiness & huge ambition
23:47 | Chasing external validation vs living your life
28:26 | Observed benefits of digital minimalism
32:22 | Embracing isolation & introspection
34:52 | Learnings from Ryan Holiday
36:55 | Jason’s vision for Blackroc
39:16 | Want to work for Jason? Listen up
42:19 | A counterintuitive insight worth noting
 
Books Mentioned:
Ego is the Enemy | Link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Ego-Enemy-Ryan-Holiday/dp/1591847818
Stillness is the Key | Link: https://www.amazon.com/Stillness-Key-Ryan-Holiday/dp/0525538585
 
Credits:
Filmed | @Blackardt
Crew | @BriannaBlack
Crew | @SamuelJBernard
Set | @BLACKROC
 
If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m up to, you can find me @carterlagana on all social media platforms.

“Most people aim too low & reach their target – that’s the biggest issue”
BeforeYouSpeakCoffee is the fastest growing instant coffee business in all of Australia, having shipped well over 2 million units to 43 countries worldwide & counting. For this episode, we sit down with co-founders Jaryd Terkelsen & Ash Bisset to discuss mindset, personal growth & what it takes to successfully build & scale a start-up.
To learn more about Jaryd & Ash, you can follow them @beforeyouspeakcoffee, @jaryterk & @mr.bisset.
If you’d prefer to watch instead of listen, head over to my YouTube channel @carterlagana.
Timecodes:
11:49 | Mentorship & levelling up
17:27 | The hard times
22:56 | Mental fortitude
24:58 | Chinese bamboo parable
29:00 | Prolific over perfect
33:30 | Total start-up cost
34:47 | Their biggest mistake to date
42:25 | Hiring, people & culture
47:32 | Morning routines
48:55 | Jaryd’s 3 daily non-negotiables
54:36 | Learnings from Amazon & Dollar Shave Club
56:41 | Stretch goals & thinking big
1:00:16 | Advice for finding your passion
1:03:07 | Time is on your side
1:04:59 | Chase fulfillment, not things
1:07:04 | Advice to 18-year-old selves
Credits:
Filmed | @joelweaverfilms
Edited | @joealweaverfilms & @i.matthews
Crew support | @menaalexander
Set | @beforeyouspeakcoffee HQ
If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m up to, you can find me @carterlagana on all social media platforms.