FlowZone

Mark Kentwell

FlowZone Podcast is where high performers, entrepreneurs, and world-class thinkers break down the systems, habits, and mindsets that fuel peak performance — without burnout. If you want to work smarter, perform better, and live with more energy, you’re in the right place. Welcome to the FlowZone.

  1. 19 DEC

    $290M Exit: The One Thing That Separates $10M vs $100M

    Tristan Sternson went from bedroom startup to delivering $290 million worth of exits. In this episode of Flow Zone, he reveals the exact playbook that transformed struggling businesses into acquisition targets, and why most entrepreneurs get turnarounds completely wrong. This isn't theory, it's battle-tested strategy from someone who's bought and sold the same business three times. You'll hear why private equity isn't what you think it is, how he survived Covid with Qantas as his biggest customer, and the one thing that separates $10M businesses from $100M businesses. 0:00 - The $290M Exit Reveal2:30 - Why Turnarounds Aren't Actually Broken8:40 - First Exit: $35M InfoReady Deal That Doubled15:22 - Public vs Private Company Secrets20:15 - Why He Sold at 36 Instead of Pushing Further27:12 - Partnering with Private Equity (Not What You Think)33:59 - Customer Obsession That Changed Everything39:21 - "Choose Your Own Adventure": Writing Your Press Release First43:03 - 22 Team Members Got Equity in the Exit53:12 - Rapid Fire: The #1 Rule for $100M Businesses Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    56 min

  2. 11 DEC

    Australia Real Estate 2026: What Agents Must Know to Survive

    Mark Kentwell reveals how to build a multi-million dollar real estate business in 2026 with AI automation and a minimal team. From the minimum viable team structure (hint: your first hire should be a systems champion, not a cold caller) to the custom tech backbone that connects everything, this is the blueprint for entrepreneurs and future agency owners who want to build a real estate practice that actually lasts. Whether you're starting from scratch or transitioning a legacy business, these frameworks scale from $1M to $100M. 0:00 – The old real estate model is dead 4:30 – Minimum viable team: Your first hire is a systems champion 6:46 – Why prop tech CRMs can't keep up 11:00 – Traffic light system for listings and buyers 17:00 – Property management is wealth creation, not a side hustle 19:12 – 1 manager for 10,000 units: How it's already happening 26:08 – Future of talent: Best hires won't come from real estate 28:17 – The founder's real job in 2026 Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    29 min

  3. 4 DEC

    Millionaire Founders Exposed: The Hard Lessons Nobody Talks About

    This special compilation brings together the best business wisdom from Flow Zone's episodes in May 2025. From founders who've navigated administration and emerged stronger, to entrepreneurs battling global giants in international courts, to the raw conversations about mental health, tall poppy syndrome, and what real success actually looks like - this episode delivers the unfiltered truth about building a business and a life worth living. Don't just watch - take notes, because this is the business advice that actually works. 0:00 — Introduction2:40 — Part 1: Where It All Fell Apart20:40 — Part 2: When The Tide Turned26:10 — Part 3: What The Greats Taught Me39:05 — Part 4: How Winners Think42:35 — Part 5: The Legacy Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    45 min

  4. 27 NOV

    He Bought Into a Dying Industry and Turned It Into a $17M Exit: David Fastuca

    David Fastuca did what most founders would never dare, he bought back his travel tech company in July 2020, right as the industry was collapsing. With his cousin Ross, they self-funded through 18 months of zero revenue, rebuilt the pipeline from scratch using cold calls and a clever compliance-focused pitch, and ultimately sold Locomote to Webjet for $17 million. Now he's channelling those hard-won lessons into Coach Pilot, an AI sales brain built on 9,000+ mega prompts and 20 years of sales IP. In this episode of Flow Zone, David breaks down why first-time founders obsess over product while second-timers focus on distribution, how to sell in a market everyone else has abandoned, and why the biggest mistake founders make is being "scared to sell." 0:00 – Introduction: $75M in exits and buying into a dying industry 3:37 – The Covid Gamble: Why he bought back Locomote in July 2020 6:42 – What surprised him selling to a public company (Travelport) 10:46 – The moment every other buyer walked away 14:59 – The Pitch That Worked: Selling travel when no one was travelling 19:00 – The $17M Exit: How the Webjet deal came together 21:13 – Why marketing's only job is to make sales easier 24:00 – Why Founders Fail at Sales: First-time vs second-time founder mindset 27:00 – From coaching community to AI product (Coach Pilot) 33:24 – How 9,000 mega prompts turn bad inputs into world-class outputs 38:12 – MVP is dead: Why "minimum viable" no longer works 44:51 – What success looks like this time around 48:46 – Lightning Round: Cold calling in 2025, hiring mistakes, and founder advice Follow David Fastuca: Instagram: www.instagram.com/davidfastuca/ LinkedIn: www.au.linkedin.com/in/davidfastuca Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    56 min

  5. 20 NOV

    Brutally Honest Advice For Real Estate Businesses (750k Mistake)

    Spent $750,000 on a state-of-the-art real estate office in 2014. Agents’ response? “Too far to drive, parking’s too hard, I’m scared of lifts.” This massive investment became a rod for my back, but it taught me what most real estate leaders get completely wrong about performance. I built Presence to $15 million with a hybrid work environment, and it nearly broke us. Your office doesn’t create culture. Your systems do. From the traffic light listing system to desktop client acquisition, here’s what actually drives performance when agents can work from anywhere. :point_right: The brutal truth? When agents get the choice to do nothing, everything changes. 0:00 - The $750K Office Disaster 0:38 - Built $15M Hybrid (Nearly Broke Us) 2:20 - Office Doesn’t Create Culture—Systems Do 4:13 - Defining What Great Performance Actually Looks Like 5:43 - The Traffic Light System (Ranking Every Listing) 10:01 - Buyer Pipeline Management Strategy 15:30 - Response Time = Competitive Advantage in Hybrid 28:00 - 4 Offices, Wider Talent Pool Strategy 29:03 - Desktop Client Acquisition (The Future) 31:57 - Systems Over Activity: Making Hybrid Work Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    33 min

  6. 13 NOV

    The Value Loop: How To Stop Resale Platforms Stealing Your Revenue?: Corey Topp

    Event organiser Corey Topp has seen it all: scammers selling the same ticket to multiple people, fans heartbroken at the door after paying $200 for fraudulent passes, and resale platforms killing event profitability. After 20 years running festivals, from backyard parties to selling out Sydney’s Music Bowl, he’s built Eventflo, a blockchain ticketing platform that’s solving the industry’s biggest nightmares. In this episode, Corey breaks down the knockout festival scam that made headlines, why traditional ticketing platforms crash when you need them most, and how blockchain technology eliminates fraud without fans even knowing they’re using it. He reveals the “value loop” that ensures fans, organisers, and the industry all win—plus why most event promoters fail because they don’t track their numbers. If you’ve ever been scammed buying tickets or wondered why events struggle to sell out, this is the conversation you need to hear. 0:00 - The Scam That Started Everything: Multiple fans buying the same ticket 2:29 - From Backyard Parties to Sydney Music Bowl: 20 years of event evolution 6:45 - Why Traditional Ticketing Platforms Keep Crashing 11:30 - The Knockout Festival Disaster: 11 victims confront the scammer 18:20 - Heartbroken at the Door: When $200 tickets won’t scan and events are sold out 25:15 - How Resale Platforms Kill Event Profitability (The value loop explained) 33:40 - Why Blockchain? The accidental tech pivot that changed everything 38:50 - NFT Tickets That Change Every 2 Minutes: How it actually works 42:15 - Making Blockchain Invisible: Users don’t even know they’re using it 47:30 - RAPID FIRE: Why event promoters fail, biggest marketing wastes, and Australia’s nanny state problem 50:20 - What’s Next: EventFlo goes live after this summer Follow Corey Topp: Instagram: www.instagram.com/coreytopp/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/coreytopp/ Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/ #TicketScam #EventIndustry #BlockchainTechnology #Entrepreneurship #FestivalFraud #StartupStory #NFTTicketing #EventTech

    53 min

  7. 6 NOV

    Remote Work: Why It's Unfair To Young Workers: Adam Schwab

    Australian entrepreneur, Adam Schwab, doesn't hold back on the remote work debate. The Luxury Escapes co-founder who built a billion-dollar travel empire reveals why he believes working from home is destroying young professionals' careers, costing businesses millions in lost productivity, and creating an unfair two-tier workforce. In this episode, Adam shares his unfiltered take on the agency cost problem plaguing big corporations, why he won't hire from banks or big consulting firms, and the exact hiring strategy that's kept Luxury Escapes' turnover under 10% for seven years. If you're building a business or climbing the corporate ladder, this conversation will challenge everything you thought you knew about modern work culture. 0:00 - Trailer: Remote Work Controversy Teaser 2:00 - Introduction: From Corporate Lawyer to $1B Travel Empire 2:43 - The Biggest Lie in Business Today - Agency costs destroying shareholder value 5:05 - The Middle Management Trap - Why wrong hires kill company growth 10:42 - Never Hire From Banks - The exact hiring strategy for hungry teams 15:20 - Scaling Past Founder Fantasy - Creating ownership mentality throughout business 30:15 - The Optus Failure - When management and ownership split goes catastrophically wrong 38:47 - How Luxury Escapes Survived COVID - Revenue dropped to zero, competitors died 43:33 - Building for 50 Years - Long-term thinking vs short-term profitability 45:13 - The Remote Work Debate - Why Adam's controversial 5-day office policy works 46:40 - The Retention Data - Remote workers have double the attrition rate 47:17 - Why It's Unfair to Young People - The hidden cost of working from home 47:35 - The 45-Year-Old Manager Problem - Gen X and Boomers staying home hurt young careers 48:10 - The 5-Day Office Rule - How Luxury Escapes maintains sub-10% turnover 49:14 - Rapid Fire: Start-up advice, innovation theater, investors vs builders 51:15 - Business Podcasts Done Right - What makes great business content 52:06 - Real Entrepreneurs vs Wantrepreneurs - Grit and hard work Follow Adam Schwab: Instagram: www.instagram.com/adamjschwab/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adam-schwab-64b439a/ Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    52 min

  8. 30 OCT

    Money or Freedom? Most Entrepreneurs Choose Wrong: Ash Bent

    Ash Bent hit $4.2 million per month in just two years after pivoting to neon signs during COVID. He was spending $100,000 per day on Facebook ads and burning through cash to chase growth. He fired 40 people in a single day and felt... free. Now running Kloud, an ice bath company built on health and sustainable growth, Ash shares the lessons most entrepreneurs learn too late: funding is overrated, rapid scaling is like fast food (feels good but destroys you), and if your business isn't aligned with your values, it won't last. From million-dollar months to rock bottom and back, this is the story they don't tell you about entrepreneurship. 0:00 - Intro: From $4.2M/Month to Firing 40 People2:15 - COVID Pivot: 80% Revenue Drop to Launching Neon Signs5:30 - $0 to $500K in Days: Every System Broke9:45 - First Meta Ban: Lost My Main Revenue Channel12:20 - Spending $100K Per Day on Ads at Peak16:10 - Second Meta Ban: Burned $800K in 30 Days19:45 - The Collapse: Firing 40 People in One Day22:30 - Why I Felt Free After Losing Everything28:15 - Building Kloud: Ice Baths and Sustainable Growth35:50 - ADHD Diagnosis Changed How I Build Companies41:30 - Lightning Round: Why Funding is Overrated48:15 - Scaling Too Fast is Like Fast Food50:45 - Work-Life Balance Doesn't Exist—Just Be You Follow Ash Bent: Instagram: www.instagram.com/_ashbent/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ash-bent-8185a317b Follow Mark Kentwell: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1 Mark’s Businesses: Presence Real Estate: presence.realestate/ Nexr: nexr.com.au/

    51 min
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About

FlowZone Podcast is where high performers, entrepreneurs, and world-class thinkers break down the systems, habits, and mindsets that fuel peak performance — without burnout. If you want to work smarter, perform better, and live with more energy, you’re in the right place. Welcome to the FlowZone.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Kentwell
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit