Thriving Business

Dr Kate De Jong & Sam Morris
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THRIVING BUSINESS Business Insights to Help You Grow Your Business with Ease We’re two seasoned business owners — Sam Morris and Kate De Jong — sharing our nearly thirty-year combined experience of starting and growing service-based businesses from the ground up. We so many small businesses struggling or falling prey to expensive promises of quick fixes or silver bullets. Both of us know what it REALLY takes to start and grow a business, we've done it many times over and we've got the blisters to prove it! We’ve joined forces to share our knowledge and experience so you can find the easiest path to success, doing it your way, and most importantly — staying true to yourself.

  1. 6d ago

    The Least Salesy Salesman: How to Sell Without Selling with Dave Edward

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Most small business owners never planned to be the salesperson. They started a business because they’re great at what they do, and then found out selling came with it. Dave Edward from Touchpoint Sales has spent decades in sales, including 25 years in the UK bed business, and won salesman of the year by being the quiet one in the room. Now he finds where businesses are losing sales and fixes it. He calls it Kitchen Nightmares with a lot less swearing. In this episode Why only 25% of sales is selling, and what the other 75% isThe doctor approach: diagnose before you prescribeWhy most business owners don’t know how many leads they get a week, and why that mattersWhen to ask for a review, and why you should reply to every one“Sell up by selling down” and how it stops customers getting overwhelmedHow speed of response wins the job before your competitors even call backThe one-word change to a web form that flooded a client with better enquiriesHow to frame a discovery call so the price conversation doesn’t feel awkwardGetting the customer to tell you why your offer works for themTimestamps 01:24 The least salesy salesperson03:12 Only 25% of sales is selling07:15 Buyer’s remorse and why it happens08:17 Dave’s start as a 17-year-old in a furniture shop11:52 Marketing vs sales13:50 The doctor analogy and the caravan “what happens next” document16:57 Know your numbers19:29 What if you don’t want to sell at all?21:36 Reviews and the human touch in an AI world23:59 Sell up by selling down26:49 Working as an in-house sales partner28:29 Action takers and Kitchen Nightmares32:47 Becoming the obvious choice39:14 The web form change44:48 Your worst customer is the one you convinced46:50 Framing the discovery call49:28 How to bring up price54:00 Dave’s booking reminders, and why every one includes the linkLinks Touchpoint Sales: touchpointsales.com.auThriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    The Least Salesy Salesman: How to Sell Without Selling with Dave Edward

  2. Oct 14

    The Two Things AI Needs to Change Your Life

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam AI only does what you direct it to do. If it’s giving you rubbish, it hasn’t been trained yet or set up for success. Kate De Jong and Sam Morris break down the two things that make AI actually useful in a small business: context and connectors. Sam shows how she runs three businesses with one AI executive assistant that reads her email, calendar and Trello board, then tells her every morning what to focus on. Get the free prompt, “Why Should Anyone Pick You?”:  thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/free-prompt Ready to train your AI properly? Grind to Growth: The AI Setup Workbook:  [link] Questions? thrivingbusinesspodcast@gmail.com Chapters (add your intro length to each): 00:00 Welcome back 02:07 AI only does what you direct it to do 03:51 Why you have to onboard AI like an employee 05:58 The builder who thought Copilot was crap 06:59 The two keys: context and connectors 08:30 Native connectors vs GitHub files 17:00 Step 1: one inbox, one calendar 19:56 Using Trello as the to-do list 22:24 The daily brief: how it plans the day 26:01 Payroll from days to minutes 32:24 Cash flow questions answered in seconds 34:25 Using AI to coach you, not replace your thinking 36:52 Building a staff intranet with Google Sites 40:58 “I don’t believe in AI” 43:45 Supervising AI from the couch 49:59 Where to start Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    The Two Things AI Needs to Change Your Life

  3. Sep 30

    The Coach Trap: Why Copying Someone Else's Playbook Isn't Working for Your Business

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam You see someone crush it with a group program, a membership or a $37 product, and you think that's what you should be doing too. We've both fallen into that trap. In this episode, Kate and I talk about why we pulled the pin on The Engine Room, our group program, after coming home from Bali completely wiped out. There was nothing wrong with the idea. We just didn't want to deliver it. We talk about: Why someone else's success comes from their skills, personality and journey, not yoursHow to use your energy to tell whether a business model's right for youGroup coaching vs online courses, and what we've chosen insteadWhy coaching gets poor results when the foundation work hasn't been done firstGetting off the hamster wheel long enough to get clear on what you actually wantIf you're a coach, consultant or expert trying to work out which business model suits you, this one's for you. Grab our free AI workbook at thrivingbusinesspodcast.com while it's still free. Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    The Coach Trap: Why Copying Someone Else's Playbook Isn't Working for Your Business

  4. Sep 16

    Full Disclosure - When the Truth Finally Comes Out

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Full Disclosure: Business Pivots, Finding Your Alignment & What’s Next for UsIn this candid episode of the Thriving Business Podcast, hosts Kate De Jong and Sam Morris return from a month-long break for an open and honest "full disclosure" conversation. Fresh off their business retreat in Sanur, Bali, Kate and Sam reflect on the importance of creating spaciousness, listening to intuition, and making brave pivots when things no longer feel aligned in business. Key Discussion Points & Takeaways: The Power of Spaciousness: Highlights from their 5-day Bali retreat on why slowing down and stepping out of daily operations allows essential recovery and expansive visioning to take place.Full Disclosure on "The Engine Room": Why Kate and Sam made the decision to pull the pin on their planned program, The Engine Room, after recognizing resistance and misalignmen.Human Design & Personal Alignment: How exploring Human Design helped Sam realize her natural wiring as a Generator—preferring behind-the-scenes consulting, systems, and tool creation over live group coaching.Skill Sets vs. Energy Drivers: The crucial distinction between being skilled at something and being genuinely energized by it, plus how Kate and Sam balance their complementary strengths in leadership, marketing, and systems.Pivots & Market Feedback: Why trying new offers that don't take off isn't a failure, but essential feedback that highlighted their audience's biggest demand: revenue generation and AI implementation.What's Coming Next: The upcoming transition to the Business Launch Pad—a resource providing self-paced AI prompts across all quadrants of the Thriving Business Wheel. Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    Full Disclosure - When the Truth Finally Comes Out

  5. Aug 19

    The Advertising "Black Box" Myth: Why Your Ads Aren't Working (with Skip Wilson)

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Kate and Sam sit down with Skip Wilson, founder and CEO of DraftMedia Partners, and former VP of Digital Media at Clear Channel/iHeartRadio, for a deep dive into paid advertising: what it actually costs, when a business is genuinely ready for it, and why most people treat it like an unpredictable black box instead of a diagnosable system. Skip pulls back the curtain on demand-side platforms (DSPs), the most underused ad channel right now (OTT/CTV), how AI is already reshaping search and influencer marketing, and a customer lifetime value case study that completely reframes what "ROI negative" actually means. About our guest: Skip Wilson is the founder and CEO of DraftMedia Partners, a full-service paid advertising agency that started life as a SaaS forecasting tool (Direct Response Advertising Forecast Technology) before pivoting into hands-on execution — much of it white-label work behind other creative and digital marketing agencies. Before DraftMedia, Skip was VP of Digital Media at Clear Channel, which became iHeartRadio. Website: draftadvertising.com 0:00  Podcast intro0:17  Episode opens, Kate and Sam welcome guest Skip Wilson (DraftMedia Partners)2:25  Today's topic: paid advertising, the channel people "either love or hate"6:26  The two schools of thought on when to start advertising — and why Skip says wait until you have capacity and know your customer's entry point10:36  How DraftMedia started as a SaaS forecasting tool before pivoting to full execution (and why two-thirds of its business is white-label)16:02  What a DSP (demand-side platform) actually is, in plain English21:31  The minimum ad budget rule of thumb: ~$1,000/month per tactic22:59  The Bojangles case study: why a "$6 ticket" that looked ROI-negative was actually a huge win once customer lifetime value entered the picture25:46  Is paid advertising coming to ChatGPT and other AI chat tools? (It's already here, and influencer marketing may get disrupted first)30:09 Skip's favorite advertising platform: why OTT/CTV (streaming TV) is the most underutilized channel for small business right now37:56  Apple Search and Apple Intelligence: why you'll soon need an "Apple Business Profile," not just a Google one40:28  Are Meta ads about to get more expensive? Skip's take on pricing plateaus and Meta's wearables (smart glasses) as a future ad channel46:54  Skip's closing insight: advertising isn't a black box, it's a series of steps, and why that reframe makes broken campaigns easy to diagnose54:15 Outro What you'll learn in this episode Why you shouldn't spend a dollar on ads until you can answer two questions: do you have the capacity to handle more business, and do you actually know who your customer is and how they first reach you (6:26)The "customer journey" framing Kate and Sam use with new businesses, and why advertising without it just scales the wrong thing faster (6:26)What a DSP (demand-side platform) actually is, and why DraftMedia calls itself a "DSP aggregator" that gives small businesses access to inventory (Hulu, Amazon's DSP, etc.) they'd normally be locked out of by high minimum spends (16:02)The rule-of-thumb minimum ad budget: roughly $1,000/month per tactic, and why running on two or three platforms means budgeting accordingly (21:31)The Bojangles case study: a $6 average ticket that looked disastrously ROI-negative — until customer lifetime value (a $300+/year loyalty customer) told the real story (22:59)Why Skip thinks OTT and connected TV (streaming) advertising is the most underutilized channel available to small businesses right now, and how it's been democratized away from being "network-television-budget only" (30:09)The real difference between YouTube pre-roll ads and YouTube TV (which counts as true CTV) (30:09–37:56)How AI is already showing up in advertising (ads inside ChatGPT and Gemini), why Google's move away from exact-match keywords is a response to longer, conversational searches, and why Skip thinks influencer marketing is the segment most likely to be disrupted first (25:46)Why small businesses will soon need to think about an "Apple Business Profile" the same way they think about Google Business Profile, as Apple rolls out its own search and Apple Intelligence (37:56)Skip's take on Meta ad costs plateauing, and the wildcard of Meta's wearables (smart glasses) becoming an ad channel (40:28)Skip's closing reframe: advertising isn't a mysterious black box — it's a series of steps, each with one job, and knowing that makes it easy to diagnose which piece is actually broken (46:54)DraftMedia Partners: https://draftadvertising.com Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    The Advertising "Black Box" Myth: Why Your Ads Aren't Working (with Skip Wilson)

  6. Jul 29

    Ep #17 | How Your Values Show Up Whether You Name Them or Not

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam This is the final episode in our Leadership quadrant, and the last stop on the 16-episode Road Map to Business Success. Sam and Kate unpack why most values statements fail: they're written as nouns, printed on a wall, and disconnected from how the business actually runs day to day. They break down organisational health expert Patrick Lencioni's four types of values, core, aspirational, permission-to-play, and accidental, and why only one of these should actually be driving your business. You'll hear how a real value statement works as a decision filter: what the value is, what it looks like in practice, and what you'd walk away from because of it. Sam and Kate also get honest about the tension between values-led leadership and commercial pressure — what happens when your marketing drifts out of step with your own voice, and why alignment shows up in every decision whether you name it or not. Mentioned in this episode: the free AI Employee Setup Workbook, and the upcoming Bali Business Retreat — four days of hands-on implementation with Sam and Kate. Early bird pricing ends July 15, limited spots. Have you got your copy of the AI Employee Setup Workbook yet? It's been getting rave reviews! Go here to get it now: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/ai-setup-workbook Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    Ep #17 | How Your Values Show Up Whether You Name Them or Not

  7. Jul 8

    EP #16 | EQ Over IQ: Why Emotional Intelligence Makes or Breaks Leaders

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Leading with Impact | The Power of Emotional Intelligence This episode delves into the critical aspect of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) as part of Quadrant Four of the Thriving Business Wheel, focusing on leadership and leading with impact. Building on the previous discussion about self-awareness, this episode explores how understanding and managing emotions – both our own and others' – is fundamental to business success. Key Discussion Points & Takeaways: Self-Awareness vs. Emotional Intelligence While self-awareness is the bedrock, emotional intelligence encompasses self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. A significant disconnect often exists between how individuals perceive themselves and how others perceive them, highlighting the need for external feedback. Daniel Goleman's EQ Framework The discussion outlines Goleman's four core components of emotional intelligence.   1. Self-Awareness: Understanding your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and impact.   2. Self-Management: The ability to manage your emotions and behaviors effectively, especially under pressure. This involves creating space between a trigger and a response, allowing for rational decision-making.   3. Social Awareness: The capacity to understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, demonstrating empathy and sensing group dynamics.   4. Relationship Management: Using your awareness of your own and others' emotions to positively influence, coach, manage conflict, and lead collaboratively. The Importance of EQ in Leadership Research consistently shows that leaders with high EQ are more effective, foster stronger workplace cultures, build higher levels of trust, and are often promoted faster. They create environments of psychological safety, which is now a crucial, legally recognized aspect of a healthy workplace. Developing EQ is a Journey EQ is not a fixed trait but a skill that can be developed through effort, focus, and a willingness to become uncomfortable and vulnerable. Challenges and Nuances Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset: An unwillingness to develop EQ is often linked to a fixed mindset, hindering personal and professional growth.Employer Responsibility:  The evolving legal landscape places a greater onus on employers to ensure psychological safety, presenting challenges for business owners who may not be trained psychologists. The consensus is that while employers have a duty of care, employees also share responsibility for their own mental well-being and development.  The "Mate" Mentality: Confusing being a "mate" with providing genuine leadership and psychological safety can be detrimental, blurring boundaries and hindering necessary feedback. True leadership requires balancing empathy with assertiveness and clear boundaries.  "Cutting the Noise" vs. Tact:  While directness can be valuable, delivering it without consideration for the recipient's feelings or context (low EQ) can be damaging, as illustrated by anecdotal examples.Key Qualities for Developing EQ The discussion emphasises embracing curiosity, vulnerability, and comfort with uncertainty as crucial drivers for improving EQ, and discusses the upcoming launch of her new book collaboration: The WisDumb Way | A Practical Guide to Developing EQ Through the Power of Paradox Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    EP #16 | EQ Over IQ: Why Emotional Intelligence Makes or Breaks Leaders

  8. Jun 19

    Ep #15 | 95% Of Us Think We Are Self Aware - WRONG!

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Most leaders believe they're self-aware. The research disagrees — dramatically. In this episode, Kate and Sam dive deep into one of the most underused leadership skills in small business: genuine self-awareness. Not the "I know myself pretty well" kind — but the kind that closes the gap between how you think you show up and how others actually experience you. They cover: The Tasha Eurich research that stops most people cold (the 95% vs 15% stat)The difference between internal and external self-awareness — and why you need bothWhat a 360-degree LSI assessment revealed about Kate's leadership (and why she cried)Why fixed mindset blocks self-awareness before you even get startedThe Enneagram — what it is, why it's confronting, and why that's exactly the pointCuriosity, vulnerability, and comfort with uncertainty as the three-part path forwardPsychological safety at work — and why it starts with the leader knowing themselves firstWhether you've never taken a personality assessment or you've done them all, this episode will give you a fresh lens on why self-awareness isn't a one-time exercise — it's a lifelong practice. Resources mentioned in this episode: Tasha Eurich — researcher and author on self-awareness; her TED Talk is a great starting pointLSI (Life Styles Inventory) — 360-degree behavioural assessment toolThe Enneagram — nine-type personality framework; free test available online (Kate recommends getting some support interpreting your result)Myers-Briggs — useful particularly for career directionBankCode — four-colour personality profile (Blueprint, Action, Nurture, Knowledge); fun in a team settingTed Lasso (Apple TV+) — Sam's recommendation as an unlikely masterclass in curiosity and self-awarenessKate's Happiness Key eBook — includes links to the personality tests discussed; reach out to Kate directly for accessNext episode: Emotional Intelligence — Daniel Goleman's four-layer model, starting with self-awareness as the foundation. Coming up: Leading from your values, a wrap-up episode, and the Bali Business Retreat. Workshop — 24th June: Details at thrivingbusinesspodcast.com Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/  Thriving Business Launchpad 🌐Website:  https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/thriving-business-launchpad Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business  🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/  📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness  ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8  🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/  📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew  ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    Ep #15 | 95% Of Us Think We Are Self Aware - WRONG!
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About

THRIVING BUSINESS Business Insights to Help You Grow Your Business with Ease We’re two seasoned business owners — Sam Morris and Kate De Jong — sharing our nearly thirty-year combined experience of starting and growing service-based businesses from the ground up. We so many small businesses struggling or falling prey to expensive promises of quick fixes or silver bullets. Both of us know what it REALLY takes to start and grow a business, we've done it many times over and we've got the blisters to prove it! We’ve joined forces to share our knowledge and experience so you can find the easiest path to success, doing it your way, and most importantly — staying true to yourself.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Kate De Jong & Sam Morris
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    85
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Thriving Business
  • Show Website
    Thriving Business