The IGNITE Podcast with Josh Stone

Josh Stone

Helping Engineering, Town Planning, Surveying & Architecture Consultancies grow to $10M a year & beyond Build A Profitable Consultancy | Hit 30% Net Profit Margins Operate More Efficiently | Unlock your Businesses Potential & Grow with Confidence Download our free Business Plan template to build out your Business Plan & consistently grow your business - https://www.coachignite.com/the-business-plan-template Join our next online workshop – The Profitable Consultant | Learn how to build a Profitable Consultancy, that generates consistent 30% net profit margins - https://www.coachignite.com/the-profitable-consultant-workshop Book a 15-minute Business Growth Call | A short, no-obligation catch up where we can touch base and really look at where you are now, where you want to be, and then build a personalised plan together for how to get you there - https://www.coachignite.com/business-growth-call 📞 0408 063 479 ✉ admin@coachignite.com 🌐 www.coachignite.com

  1. How To Have A Proper Holiday Without Your Business Falling Apart | EP 152

    12/28/2025

    How To Have A Proper Holiday Without Your Business Falling Apart | EP 152

    Your business shouldn’t collapse without you.    If stepping away feels risky, it’s not bad luck.  It’s feedback.    In this episode, I break down why most consultancies struggle to run without the founder — and why it has nothing to do with effort, talent, or commitment.    It comes down to five predictable constraints:    - Decisions funnelled through one person.  - No operating rhythm the team can follow independently.  - Critical knowledge trapped in someone’s head.  - Unclear ownership when things go wrong.  - And boundaries that train dependency instead of capability.    When those exist, holidays aren’t a luxury — they’re a liability.    For this episode, I walk through how we systematically removed these bottlenecks as our consultancy grew from $3M to $30M.  Not by hiring endlessly.  Not by being “less involved.”  But by designing the business to operate without heroic intervention.    I also explain why a proper holiday is one of the most effective stress-tests your business can run.  It reveals where structure is missing.  Where trust is fragile.  And where growth is artificially capped.    If your goal is a consultancy that scales cleanly past $5M, $10M and beyond —  Being optional is not a lifestyle goal.  It’s an operational requirement.    This episode lays out exactly how to think about that shift.    PS: If you’re interested, here are 4 ways I can help you right now:     Grab a copy of my new book | Profitable Engineering Consultant | 9 strategies to grow with confidence, get your time back & consistently hit 30% plus net profit margins – Click Here    Subscribe to our podcast | Learn how to run a more profitable consultancy and grow successfully – no fluff, just actionable and practical advice from someone who grew a consultancy to $30M and exited successfully – Watch Here or Listen Here + make sure you subscribe!     3. Download our free Business Plan template | Map out your Business Plan & grow your consultancy with confidence – Click Here to download now    4. Book a 20-minute Business Audit Call | We’ll do a full review & audit of your business, uncover the #1 bottleneck that's holding you back right now & develop a 3-step action plan together for how you can get results faster. You'll leave this call with a clear and actionable plan for what to do next in your business – Book Here

    18 min
  2. The Shareholder Framework You Must Build Now | EP 151

    12/01/2025

    The Shareholder Framework You Must Build Now | EP 151

    Businesses don’t fall apart from delivery. They fall apart at the top.    I’ve coached hundreds of consultancy owners.  I’ve sat on real boards.  I’ve scaled from $3M → $30M with 20 shareholders.  And I’ve seen how fast a business can fracture when governance isn’t set up properly.    This week’s episode is the conversation most founders avoid — until they can’t.    Inside, I’ll show you:    Why founders lose control without even realising it  (and how to make sure it never happens to you).    Why minority shareholders disengage silently  (and what this does to culture and momentum).    Why “everyone gets a say” sounds fair  but destroys speed.    And why the wrong voting structure traps good businesses in endless friction.    Then I show you the model that fixes it.    The exact two voting frameworks that work.  When to use each.  How to keep the business fast, aligned, and conflict-free.  And how to write it properly into your shareholders’ deed.    This is real-world, in-the-trenches consultancy leadership.    If you’re serious about scaling…  If you care about alignment…  If you want a business that grows past $10M and actually stays healthy…  Listen to this episode — especially if you’ve introduced (or are planning to introduce) new shareholders into the business.      PS: If you’re interested, here are 4 ways I can help you right now:     Grab a copy of my new book | Profitable Engineering Consultant | 9 strategies to grow with confidence, get your time back & consistently hit 30% plus net profit margins – Click Here     Subscribe to our podcast | Learn how to run a more profitable consultancy and grow successfully – no fluff, just actionable and practical advice from someone who grew a consultancy to $30M and exited successfully – Watch Here or Listen Here + make sure you subscribe!     3. Download our free Business Plan template | Map out your Business Plan & grow your consultancy with confidence – Click Here to download now    4. Book a 20-minute Business Audit Call | We’ll do a full review & audit of your business, uncover the #1 bottleneck that's holding you back right now & develop a 3-step action plan together for how you can get results faster. You'll leave this call with a clear and actionable plan for what to do next in your business – Book Here

    18 min

About

Helping Engineering, Town Planning, Surveying & Architecture Consultancies grow to $10M a year & beyond Build A Profitable Consultancy | Hit 30% Net Profit Margins Operate More Efficiently | Unlock your Businesses Potential & Grow with Confidence Download our free Business Plan template to build out your Business Plan & consistently grow your business - https://www.coachignite.com/the-business-plan-template Join our next online workshop – The Profitable Consultant | Learn how to build a Profitable Consultancy, that generates consistent 30% net profit margins - https://www.coachignite.com/the-profitable-consultant-workshop Book a 15-minute Business Growth Call | A short, no-obligation catch up where we can touch base and really look at where you are now, where you want to be, and then build a personalised plan together for how to get you there - https://www.coachignite.com/business-growth-call 📞 0408 063 479 ✉ admin@coachignite.com 🌐 www.coachignite.com