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. Ep #10 | Stop Winging It: How to Design a Business Model That Gives You Revenue, Freedom and a Life

    1D AGO

    Ep #10 | Stop Winging It: How to Design a Business Model That Gives You Revenue, Freedom and a Life

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Welcome to Episode 10 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the first episode of Quadrant 3: Grow Smart | Capacity! Most business owners start with a skill or a product, not a model. They figure it out as they go. And if you don't design your model intentionally, your business will design itself, and it usually designs itself into something that consumes your life. In this episode, Kate and Sam get honest about the difference between accidental growth and intentional design, and why getting clear on your business model is the single most important thing you can do to create sustainable revenue, freedom and a business you actually love running. "If you don't design your model, the business will design itself, and it usually designs itself into something that consumes your life." In this episode, you will learn: Business model vs business plan vs business structure: Why these three terms are not interchangeable, and what each one actually means for your businessThe fragmented model trap: Why having multiple revenue streams that don't talk to each other creates chaos, exhaustion and a business that's almost impossible to scale, and how to fix itIntentional vs accidental growth: Why accidental businesses are usually chaotic and exhausting and the simple questions to ask yourself to design something that actually worksScale is a choice, not an obligation: Why 10x growth isn't the right goal for everyone, and how to design a business model around the lifestyle, freedom and revenue that actually lights you upReverse engineer your profit goal: How to start with the number you want in your pocket and work backwards to figure out exactly what your business model needs to look like to get you thereThe product spiral, not the product ladder: Why Sam has banned the term "product ladder" and why a spiral or loop model that keeps clients circling through your offerings is far more powerful than a linear funnel with a dead endRecurring revenue as a non-negotiable: Why the businesses that are valued the highest, and feel the most stable to run, are the ones with subscription, membership or retainer income baked into their modelThe Matt Church cluster methodology: How launching one cluster every three to six months, one market, one problem, one method of delivery, and assuming 50% will fail gives you the freedom to experiment without betting everything on one ideaZone of genius as a design parameter: Why your business model should be built around the work that puts you in your zone of genius, not just the work you can do or the work that pays wellBusiness should be boring: Why repeatability and predictability are the foundations of freedom, and why the excitement should come from your life, not your businessKate and Sam also share personal stories about the moments they realised they were operating outside their zone of genius, why the Revenue Breakthrough Workshop felt so energising compared to a day of back-to-back one-on-one sessions, and why the question "what is your end game?" is one of the most important questions every business owner needs to answer. Coming Up Next: Episode 11 To hire or not to hire? How to build a strong team, make smart hiring decisions, and create a business that doesn't depend entirely on you. Join the Workshop: Kate and Sam are hosting Grow Smart: Scale with Ease on Wednesday 24th June, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST,  What is it? 90 minutes of live profitability coaching. Every participant walks away with a personalised report. Bring your business model questions, this workshop is the perfect place to get Kate and Sam's eyes on your model live. 🐦 Early bird: $49 (until 10 June) | 🎟️ LIVE: $89 | 🎧 Replay: $49 👉 Register here And save the date! Bali Business Retreat: 27 August – 1 September 2026. Secure your spot with a $200 deposit. Reach out directly to lock in your place. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:57 Quadrant Three Begins 02:36 Model Plan Structure 04:55 Scattered Offers Trap 10:34 Designing Intentional Growth 14:04 Reverse Engineering Profit 17:26 Evolving Zone Genius 20:24 Joyful Work Choices 23:13 Group Work Momentum 24:12 Scaling Group Coaching 25:23 Small Rooms Big Results 26:12 Who Your Room Is For 26:56 From Courses To Coaching 27:57 Business Model Takeaways 31:14 Boring Business Wins 32:38 Predictability Beats Panic 35:40 Growing Teams With Purpose 40:15 Recurring Revenue Flywheel 42:52 Clusters Not One Niche 45:45 Workshop Invite And Topics 47:02 Product Loop Not Ladder 48:50 Wrap Up And Next Steps 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    49 min
  2. Ep #9 | Systems Before Staff: The Smart Way to Outsource, Delegate and Hire

    MAY 8

    Ep #9 | Systems Before Staff: The Smart Way to Outsource, Delegate and Hire

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Welcome to Episode 9 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the final episode of Quadrant 2: Keep More | Profitable Operations! You can't outsource chaos. Before you bring anyone into your business, you need systems, clarity, and a clear understanding of what you're actually handing off. In this episode, Kate and Sam get practical about the smartest way to automate, delegate, outsource, and hire — in that order. "Systems before staff. You cannot delegate chaos." In this episode, you will learn: The automate → delegate → hire framework: Why this is the right order , and what goes wrong when business owners skip straight to hiring before foundations are in placeZone of genius vs everything else: How to identify the tasks only you should be doing, the tasks AI can handle, and the tasks that need a humanHow AI is replacing the need for a VA: How Sam used the Claude Chrome extension to build detailed standard operating procedures while she played games on her phoneHire slow, fire fast: Why hiring should be a financial decision before a workload decision, and why desperation hiring almost always goes wrongWrite your job ad for culture, not just skills: How to attract the right candidates from the first line, including Sam's hidden keyword trick that instantly filters out applicants who lack attention to detailLayla Hormozi's five C's: Compliance, clarity, culture, connection, and checkback, the framework Sam incorporated into her most recent hiring processGive people responsibility, not just tasks: Why the best hires want ownership and autonomy, and how a long-term vision keeps them loyalThis episode wraps up Quadrant 2. Next up — Quadrant 3: Grow Smart | Capacity. Join the Workshop:  Kate and Sam are hosting Profit Unlocked on Wednesday 20 May, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST  What is it? 90 minutes of live profitability coaching. Every participant walks away with a personalised report. 🐦 Early bird: $49 (until 10 May) | 🎟️ LIVE: $89 | 🎧 Replay: $49 👉 Register here And save the date — Bali Business Retreat: 27 August - 1 September 2026. Secure your spot with a $200 deposit. Reach out directly to lock in your place. 00:00 Show Welcome 00:30 Roadmap Recap 01:49 Claude Extension Wins 06:09 SOPs Before Delegation 11:05 AI Reports Workflow 15:07 Back to Delegation 18:35 What to Outsource 23:28 Hiring Lessons 25:55 Hiring Framework Reel 26:52 Five Hiring Elements 29:33 Hire Slow Fire Fast 30:36 Values Over Skills 32:57 Write Better Job Ads 35:07 Easter Egg Screening 36:01 Job Market Reality Check 39:11 Ownership And Incentives 44:09 People Management Fit 46:04 Key Takeaways And Next Steps 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    50 min
  3. Ep #8 | AI for Maximum Efficiency: How to Automate the 80% and Focus on the Work Only You Can Do

    APR 28

    Ep #8 | AI for Maximum Efficiency: How to Automate the 80% and Focus on the Work Only You Can Do

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Welcome to Episode 8 of the Roadmap to Business Success series! If you're only using AI for content creation, you're leaving the biggest gains on the table. In this episode, Kate and Sam dive into the AI tools they actually use in their businesses every day, and discuss how to shift from using AI to do more, to using AI to work less. "AI should handle the 80% of grunt work while you handle the 20% that requires judgment, relationships, and nuance." In this episode, you will learn: Why you shouldn't be loyal to just one AI tool: Different AI platforms have different strengths, and the smartest business owners use multiple tools for different jobs.Claude: Why it's Kate's go-to for content creation, critical analysis, data analysis, book writing, and coding tasks, including how she saved $10,000 in website costs by using Claude to write code herself.Claude Cowork: Sam's introduction to the agentic side of Claude, how it can organise your entire filing system, build sales pages, and execute complex multi-step tasks on your behalf while you step away.Gemini: How Sam uses Google's AI to automate payroll calculations, organise her inbox, add tasks to her calendar, and manage the chaos of a busy brain, all through its deep integration with Google apps.Notebook LM: The hosts personal favourite for repurposing content. How to upload a podcast transcript or YouTube link and turn it into blog posts, infographics, slide decks, or even a new podcast episode, in your own voice.REVE AI: The free image generation tool Sam uses to create AI-generated images of herself and Kate for podcast thumbnails and social media.AI for website SEO: How to enter your URL into an AI and instantly get a plain-English audit of what's missing: H1 tags, meta descriptions, ALT tags and more.The tells of AI-generated content: The words, phrases and structural patterns that immediately give away AI-generated copy.Automation vs productivity: Why the real opportunity isn't doing more in the same time, it's doing the same in less time.How to use AI to figure out what to automate: Why asking AI to review your regular tasks and identify what can be automated is one of the highest-value conversations you can have.Kate and Sam also discuss the evolution of AI since their first conversation about it in September 2023, why ChatGPT is no longer the only game in town, the rise of agentic AI, and how they've used AI to almost fully automate the production of this very podcast. Join the Workshop:  Kate and Sam are hosting Profit Unlocked on Wednesday 20 May, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST. What is it? A LIVE 90-minute coaching session where you can bring your questions on AI systems, profitability, pricing and more. 🐦 Early bird tickets available until Sunday 10 May for just $49 (live attendance) 🎟️ Attend LIVE: $89 🎧 Replay only: $49 Grab your early bird ticket now! 👉 Register here 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    47 min
  4. Ep #7 | Price for Profit: Why What You Charge Says Everything About How You See Your Own Value

    APR 16

    Ep #7 | Price for Profit: Why What You Charge Says Everything About How You See Your Own Value

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Welcome to Episode 7 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, our second episode in Quadrant 2 of the Thriving Business Wheel: Keep More | Profitable Operations. Pricing is one of the most emotionally loaded topics in business. Many business owners, particularly women, are significantly undercharging, and it's costing them not just money, but credibility and energy. "Being the cheapest in the market doesn't make you attractive. It makes you look desperate." In this episode, you will learn: Why under-pricing harms your profits and reputation: Charging too little signals a lack of confidence, and buyers trust you less when your prices are too low.The hourly rate trap: Why trading time for money is a burnout trap, and why breaking free is one of the most important shifts you'll ever make.How to price based on outcomes: What is the problem costing your client? What is solving it worth to them? These two questions reframe everything.The mindset piece: Why so many business owners habitually undervalue their skills, and what it takes to price with genuine confidence.Why discounting is rarely the answer: How habitual discounting erodes perceived value and attracts the wrong clients.What to do instead: How tiered pricing lets clients at different budget levels access your services, without slashing your rates.Reverse-engineering your revenue goals: Start with the income you want and work backwards to what you need to charge.Coming Up Next: Episode 8 on AI systems for maximum efficiency. How to work smarter, not harder, using the tools available to you right now. Join the Workshop: Kate and Sam are hosting Profit Unlocked on Wednesday 20 May, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST  You'll get 90 minutes of live profitability coaching. 🎟️ Attend LIVE: $89 | 🎧 Replay only: $49  👉 Register here 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    43 min
  5. Ep #6 | Master Your Money: The Profit First Approach to Keeping More of What You Earn

    APR 8

    Ep #6 | Master Your Money: The Profit First Approach to Keeping More of What You Earn

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Welcome to Episode 6 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the first episode of Quadrant 2: Keep More | Profitable Operations! You've done the work to generate revenue. Now it's time to talk about the part most business owners avoid until it's too late: keeping it. In this episode, Sam takes the lead on one of her favourite topics: money. Not the fluffy version, but the practical, roll-up-your-sleeves kind that actually changes how your business feels to run day to day. "Most business owners know what they're earning. Very few know what they're actually keeping." In this episode, you will learn: Why traditional accounting often fails business owners: How accounting is largely historical and tax-focused, and rarely designed to help you make better day-to-day decisions.Markup vs margin: One of the most common and costly mistakes small business owners make, explained clearly and simply.How to make your chart of accounts work for you: Why restructuring how you categorise income and expenses gives you far greater clarity over where your money is going.Cost of goods sold vs operating expenses: Why separating these properly is essential for accurate forecasting and understanding your true profitability.The Profit First method: How splitting income across separate bank accounts for profit, tax, operating expenses and owner pay creates automatic financial discipline.How to build a cash buffer: Why a financial cushion isn't a luxury, it's a necessity, and how to start building one even when cash feels tight.Adjusting your Profit First percentages by business stage: Why the right allocation for a startup looks very different to an established business.Why you must never "steal" from your profit account: The habit that keeps business owners stuck in financial stress, and how to break it.Sam and Kate also discuss why money slips through fingers even when revenue is strong, and why the solution isn't always earning more, it's managing better. Recommended Reading: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, the book that underpins Sam's entire approach to profitability. Join the Workshop: Kate and Sam are hosting Profit Unlocked on Wednesday 20 May, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST You'll get 90 minutes of live profitability coaching. 🎟️ Attend LIVE: $110 | 🎧 Replay only: $50  👉 Register here Coming Up Next: Episode 7 — pricing for profit, why you're leaving money on the table, and how to price based on value rather than time. 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    45 min
  6. Ep #5 | Sell with Ease: How to Turn Conversations into Clients Without the Ick

    MAR 30

    Ep #5 | Sell with Ease: How to Turn Conversations into Clients Without the Ick

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam Welcome to Episode 5 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the final episode of Quadrant 1: Revenue Generation! If the word "selling" makes you cringe, you're not alone. In this episode, Kate and Sam get honest about their complicated relationships with sales and how reframing selling as serving completely changes the game. "People don't mind being sold to, they just don't like being sold to poorly." In this episode, you'll learn: Why selling is actually serving: How shifting your mindset from "closing a deal" to "solving a problem" transforms every sales conversation — and why curiosity is the only attitude you need to bring.Emotional intelligence in sales: Why active listening and reading the room matters far more than any sales tactic or script.Why non-attachment is your secret weapon: The less attached you are to the outcome, the more people want to work with you.How your foundations do the heavy lifting: When your identity, offer and marketing are aligned, sales becomes a natural conversation. Low conversion rates are feedback that something earlier in the process needs attention.The golden rule: Follow up. Why so many sales are lost simply because people don't follow up, and why you should always leave a voicemail.How to handle ghosting and "no" professionally: Why your reaction to rejection tells potential clients more about your character than almost anything else.The power of post-purchase nurturing: Why what happens immediately after someone pays you is just as important as everything that came before.Retention over acquisition: Why a repeat customer is far more profitable than constantly winning new ones.This episode wraps up Quadrant 1: Revenue Generation.  Next up, we'll be entering Quadrant 2 of the Thriving Business Wheel: Keep More | Profitability. JOIN OUR UPCOMING WORKSHOPS and get all your questions answered LIVE 👉 thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/workshops 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    43 min
  7. Ep #4 | Marketing that Works: How to Get Your Offer in Front of the Right People

    MAR 26

    Ep #4 | Marketing that Works: How to Get Your Offer in Front of the Right People

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam "Marketing is the communication bridge between your business and your potential customers." In this fourth episode of the Roadmap to Business Success series, hosts Kate and Sam explore the next layer in the Revenue Generation quadrant of the Thriving Business Wheel: Marketing Strategy.  Now that you've nailed your business identity and crafted your irresistible offer, it's time to take it to market. But marketing is one of the most misunderstood, and misused, areas of business. In this episode, Kate and Sam cut through the noise and give you a practical, grounded framework for marketing your business without burning out or burning through your budget. In this episode, you will learn: Why foundations come first: If you haven't nailed your business identity and your irresistible offer, your marketing will struggle, no matter how much you spend. Kate shares the story of a client who spent $60,000 on a failed marketing campaign without a single sale, and exactly what went wrong.The three channels of marketing: Traditional (TV, print, letterbox drops), relational (networking, referrals, strategic partnerships), and digital (social media, SEO, email), and why you should never rely on just one.The truth about social media: Why organic social media posting builds visibility and brand awareness but rarely converts to sales on its own, and what to do instead.How to choose the right platform for your business: LinkedIn for B2B and professional services, Instagram for visual brands, Facebook for community-based businesses, and TikTok for reaching younger audiences. Sam shares a practical tip: start with the platforms you already use and understand.Inbound vs outbound marketing: The difference between pushing your message out (social media, ads) and drawing customers in (SEO, Google Business Profile, AI search), and why both matter.Getting found by AI: Why SEO is still the foundation of AI search, and how Sam's brand-new business was recommended by AI simply by being specific and optimising the basics.The power of email marketing: Why the money is still in the list, why you own your email list in a way you'll never own your social media following, and how to build a list that actually converts.Lead magnets and list building: How a free quiz, ebook or guide can bring in new subscribers consistently, even years after you create it.Email open rates and list hygiene: What good open rates look like, when to clean your list, and why you should never be offended by an unsubscribe.Sam's closing framework: Why marketing must be a multi-pronged approach. Choose one channel from each of the three categories and build from there.Kate and Sam also discuss the rapidly changing landscape of AI search, why "AI junk" is flooding social media and how to stand out, and why just having the tools (AI, Canva) doesn't mean you know how to use them effectively. Join the Workshop: Kate and Sam are hosting their Revenue Breakthrough Workshop on Wednesday 15 April — a live Zoom session where you c 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    45 min
  8. Ep #3 | Craft an Irresistible Offer and Watch Your Revenue Generation Soar

    MAR 20

    Ep #3 | Craft an Irresistible Offer and Watch Your Revenue Generation Soar

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam In this third episode of the Roadmap to Business Success series, hosts Kate and Sam explore the second part of the revenue quadrant: how to craft an irresistible offer. Described as the "engine" of your revenue generation model, an irresistible offer is about providing a compelling solution to a problem that people feel compelled to say "yes" to. In this episode, you will learn: The Power of Specificity: Why your offer must solve a very specific problem for a very specific person to be effective.Selling the Transformation: Shifting your focus from "what you do" to the result the client achieves at the end of the process.Establishing Bulletproof Credibility: How to use social proof, Google reviews, and even "borrowed credibility" from mentors to build trust with sceptical buyers.Pricing for Value, Not Time: Why slashing prices is often the wrong move and how to price based on the emotional and financial value of the outcome.Risk Reversal: Using guarantees to shift the responsibility from the customer to the business owner, making the purchase a "no-brainer".Productisation and the Rule of Three: How to bundle services into three tiers to suit different needs and budgets without causing "choice paralysis".Genuine Scarcity and Urgency: How to use limited numbers or real deadlines to motivate potential clients to act now.Kate and Sam also share their philosophy of "selling before you build," explaining how delivering a service as you develop it allows for vital market feedback and prevents the heartbreak of a "flat" launch. Join the Workshop: If you need expert eyes on your offer, Kate and Sam are hosting a workshop on the 15th of April to help you tweak and optimise your strategy for maximum impact. To learn more about our workshop and retreat dates, go here: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/workshops  Next Week: Tune in for the next episode where the discussion moves to taking your offer to market and the mechanics of marketing and sales. 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 Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website:   https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    50 min
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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
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Thriving Business
  • Show Website
    Thriving Business