Smart Business Growth with Nicky Miklós

Nicky Miklós

TheSmart Business Growth podcast is your go-to for real talk and real strategy – grounded in over two decades of sales and leadership expertise. Hosted by sales growth expert and TEDx speaker Nicky Miklós, this show is for ambitious business owners and sales leaders who are scaling businesses – and refuse to choose between high performance and having a life. Expect pragmatic conversations, proven frameworks, and practical tools to shift your sales culture from reactive to revenue-driving. From systematising sales to developing your next generation of confident leaders, Nicky shares the thinking and strategies that help you build momentum that lasts. You’ll also hear powerful insights on redefining success, breaking up with burnout, and finding your own version of healthy hustle – that sweet spot of growth without the relentless grind. It’s time to lead smarter, sell stronger, and grow without losing yourself in the process. Welcome to Smart Business Growth. Wherever you listen to podcasts, Nicky's waiting to welcome you. 

  1. 6d ago

    Listen to Connect: The Leadership Skill Most Managers Miss | Nicky Miklós with Kylie Paatsch

    Are your one-on-ones building real connection, or just ticking boxes? In this episode, Nicky Miklós sits down with leadership expert Kylie Paatsch, author of The Connect Effect, to talk about the listening, questions and connection habits that build trust and lift team engagement. Nicky hears it all the time from leaders: "My team are calling me, so things are going really well." But what happens when they stop calling? Together, Nicky and Kylie unpack how to stay intentionally connected with hybrid and remote teams, how to make one-on-ones genuinely valuable, and why the most common leadership question, "How can I support you?", might be due for retirement. It's a conversation between two coaches (and good friends), so expect plenty of laughs alongside practical tools you can use in your very next one-on-one. In this episode, Nicky and Kylie cover: ▶ Why engagement starts with trust, and what six generations in the workforce means for leaders ▶ Staying connected with a hybrid team without relying on them to call you ▶ POT and DOT: a simple setup that stops one-on-ones becoming a chitty chat ▶ Listen to connect: the extra level of listening that helps people feel seen, heard and valued ▶ Better questions to ask instead of "How can I support you?" and "What motivates you?" ▶ SAOS: spend time, ask, observe, share ▶ Bringing a coaching approach to one-on-ones, and using situational leadership to decide how directive to be Nicky Miklós helps business owners and sales leaders move from reactive, scattered growth to smart, structured, scalable growth. Get in touch: hello@nickymiklos.com Kylie Paatsch is a leadership expert, coach and facilitator with more than 30 years of leadership experience and over 20 years of coaching and facilitation, working with senior leaders at organisations including Qantas, CommBank, Flight Centre and Rip Curl. Her latest book is The Connect Effect: How to Build Loyalty, Ownership and Engagement with Your Leaders. Get The Connect Effect: https://kyliepaatsch.com.au/book/ Kylie's website: https://kyliepaatsch.com.au Kylie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyliepaatsch/ Take the free Smart Business Growth Audit: https://smart-growth-audit.replit.app/ Watch the full episode on YouTube: [add YouTube link once live] Tags (plain keywords) leadership, listen to connect, one-on-one meetings, employee engagement, team engagement, hybrid teams, remote leadership, coaching questions, leadership coaching, sales leadership, situational leadership, trust in leadership, The Connect Effect, Kylie Paatsch, Nicky Miklós, Smart Business Growth Podcast Learn more about Nicky  at nickymiklos.com Do the Business Growth Audit here! Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com  Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

  2. Oct 15

    Why Adding More Is Slowing Your Business Down

    When growth stalls, most business owners add something: a new product, a new service, another process. A crooked Lego bridge shows why that instinct so often makes things worse. In this Quick Win, Nicky Miklós and productivity expert Donna McGeorge, author of Red Brick Thinking (amongst many other amazing books), unpacks addition bias, where hidden friction could be quietly costing your business, and why no one gets employee of the month for killing a project. Part 1 of a three-part Red Brick Thinking series. Up next: "What's Really Stopping Your Sales Team From Selling?" This is a Quick Win, a short, practical clip from a full Smart Business Growth Podcast episode. Want the whole conversation? Listen to the full episode with Nicky Miklós and Donna McGeorge, wherever you get your podcasts.  Connect with Donna: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnamcgeorge/ | donnamcgeorge.com Nicky Miklós helps business owners and sales leaders move from reactive, scattered growth to smart, structured, scalable growth. Get in touch: hello@nickymiklos.com Tags red brick thinking, addition bias, business growth, business owners, sales leadership, customer experience, simplicity, leadership, Donna McGeorge, Nicky Miklós, Smart Business Growth Podcast, Quick Wins Learn more about Nicky  at nickymiklos.com Do the Business Growth Audit here! Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com  Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

  3. Oct 6

    6 Things the Best Sales Leaders Are Doing Right Now | Nicky Miklós

    How many of these six are you already doing? In this solo episode of Smart Business Growth, Nicky Miklós shares the simple tweaks she's been seeing the best sales leaders use right now to drive results, hold standards and keep their teams engaged. It's a rapid fire check-in. For each one, give yourself a yes or a no. And if you're unsure, it's probably a no. In this episode, Nicky covers: ▶ The weekly wrap: wins, learns and market feedback, and why "the market is tough" isn't an answer ▶ Why revenue is a lag measure, and how 2 to 5 sales activity KPIs give your team something they can control every week ▶ Helping your team get crystal clear on what a high-quality deal looks like, and where to put their focus  ▶ The one simple action that should come out of every coaching conversation, formal or informal  ▶ Setting clear deadlines and expectations while keeping the conversation open  ▶ Why the WIIFM (and WIIFT) should come first before you roll out any change Nicky Miklós helps business owners and sales leaders move from reactive, scattered growth to smart, structured, scalable growth. Get in touch: hello@nickymiklos.com Take the free Smart Business Growth Audit at nickymiklos.com Watch the full episode on YouTube: [YouTube link] Tags (plain keywords) sales leadership, sales leader tips, sales management, sales coaching, sales KPIs, sales activity, lead and lag measures, weekly sales report, high performance sales team, team engagement, commercial leadership, WIIFM, Nicky Miklós, Smart Business Growth Podcast Learn more about Nicky  at nickymiklos.com Do the Business Growth Audit here! Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com  Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

  4. Oct 1

    Are You a Trust Giver or a Trust Earner?

    Most business owners know, intellectually, that they need to let go. Actually doing it is another thing entirely. In this Quick Win from Smart Business Growth Podcast Episode 23, "Lessons from the Frontline," Nicky sits down with Nick and Jeni Clift, who built and later sold a successful IT managed services business, to unpack what really gets in the way of stepping back: the ego, the dopamine hit of closing the deal yourself, and the quiet sabotage that happens when you try to let go without replacing it with something else. Nick shares the idea of being a "trust giver" versus a "trust earner," and why it changed how he built his team. This is a Quick Win, a short, practical clip from a full Smart Business Growth Podcast episode. Want the whole conversation? Listen to "Lessons from the Frontline" with Nick and Jeni Clift, wherever you get your podcasts. [Buzzsprout link] Connect with Nick and Jeni: Nick: nick-clift.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-clift-mspcoach-mentor-eosintegrator/ Jeni: jeniclift.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeni-clift-business-coach-coaching-change-management-process-improvement-eos/ Nicky Miklós helps business owners and sales leaders move from reactive, scattered growth to smart, structured, scalable growth. Tags leadership, business growth, delegation, letting go, trust, sales leadership, team culture, autonomous team, Nick Clift, Jeni Clift, Nicky Miklós, Smart Business Growth Podcast, Quick Wins Learn more about Nicky  at nickymiklos.com Do the Business Growth Audit here! Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com  Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

  5. Sep 22

    Money in Good Hands: What It Really Takes to Build a Business Doing Good

    Nicky Miklós sits down with B Corp consultant Michelle Sutherland for a conversation about what it actually means to build a business doing good in the world. Not values on a wall, but leading from the heart, and backing that up with real work. Michelle has had an incredible career, from the top one percent of a global sales team to a life dedicated to making sure profit is profit for good, money in good hands, through her work as a B Corp consultant. In this episode, Nicky and Michelle get into: ▶ What a values-led, purpose-driven business really looks like, and why it's a returning, not a reinvention ▶ The head, heart and hands framework, and why businesses running on head alone are missing the point ▶ What's shifted in the B Corp movement over the last five years, and why younger generations are driving the change ▶ The real risks and costs of shifting a business toward social impact, and why something usually has to die before something better grows ▶ Why every dollar you spend is a vote, from your bank to your suppliers to your super fund ▶ A simple head, heart, gut exercise you can use for your next big decision Connect with Michelle Sutherland, B Corp consultant and founder of Definitii:  LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/michellesutherlandco  Website: https://michellesutherland.co  Email: michelle@definitii.co  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellesutherland.co Nicky Miklós helps business owners and sales leaders move from reactive, scattered growth to smart, structured, scalable growth. Get in touch: hello@nickymiklos.com Learn more about Nicky  at nickymiklos.com Do the Business Growth Audit here! Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com  Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

  6. Sep 8

    So What? The Question Behind Every Successful Cold Call

    🎙️ Episode 29: So What? The Question Behind Every Successful Cold Call "If it ain't coming in, we're going out to get it." That's been Nicky's mantra for cold outreach for 20 years, and in this episode she's unpacking exactly how to do it with confidence, not cringe. Because here's the truth: cold calling isn't dead. It's just often done badly. In this solo episode, Nicky breaks down her Cold Call Formula, a dead simple structure built around one question that changes everything: so what? You'll learn: The "so what" factor, and why every reach out, warm or cold, needs to answer it in the first few secondsThe Cold Call Formula: talking point, link, why statement, questionHow to handle the inevitable brush off with Nicky's Hold Framework, without losing your nerve or the opportunityThe fine line between confidence and arrogance, and why oversharing your solution too soon can cost you trustSimple ways to stand out when everyone else is hiding behind emailWhether you're on the phones, walking into a business, or building frontline sellers who need to hit the ground running, this episode hands you a framework you can put into action today. Curious where the gaps are in your own sales approach? Take the free Smart Business Growth Audit and get your results instantly: https://smart-growth-audit.replit.app/ Connect with Nicky: 🌐 nickymiklos.com 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/connectwithnicky 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/nickymikloswoodley Learn more about Nicky  at nickymiklos.com Do the Business Growth Audit here! Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com  Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

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About

TheSmart Business Growth podcast is your go-to for real talk and real strategy – grounded in over two decades of sales and leadership expertise. Hosted by sales growth expert and TEDx speaker Nicky Miklós, this show is for ambitious business owners and sales leaders who are scaling businesses – and refuse to choose between high performance and having a life. Expect pragmatic conversations, proven frameworks, and practical tools to shift your sales culture from reactive to revenue-driving. From systematising sales to developing your next generation of confident leaders, Nicky shares the thinking and strategies that help you build momentum that lasts. You’ll also hear powerful insights on redefining success, breaking up with burnout, and finding your own version of healthy hustle – that sweet spot of growth without the relentless grind. It’s time to lead smarter, sell stronger, and grow without losing yourself in the process. Welcome to Smart Business Growth. Wherever you listen to podcasts, Nicky's waiting to welcome you.