"I learned to scale my business at the poker table"
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Release Date: 05/06/2026
How to Deal With a TOXIC Business Partner
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Watch this episode on YouTube: Join John and Jason in the One Percent Club: Watch our interview with Gary about sacking his business partner: Dealing with a toxic business partner is exhausting. Learn how to manage the situation without destroying your company. When your co-founder constantly vetoes decisions, treats the company account as a personal piggy bank, or simply refuses to pull their weight, the situation quickly becomes unsustainable. Many founders ignore these warning signs until it is too late, but letting partnership problems fester is a fast track to resentment and...
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What Have You Actually Achieved Today? The 80/20 Principle for Small Businesses.
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Are you wasting time on tasks that do not move the needle? Learn how to apply the 80 20 principle to focus on what actually matters. Most business owners treat every daily activity as equally important, but this approach rarely leads to growth. By identifying the few inputs that generate the majority of your output, you can stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress. This episode explains how to audit your daily workflow to ensure you are prioritising the right areas for your company. We look at why focusing on impactful tasks is the most effective way to improve your overall...
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He Built A £1.2m Business. Then It All Fell Apart.
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Join Ben, John and Jason in the One Percent Club: How does a £1.2m business simply collapse? We look at why the Hedgehog Concept is vital for avoiding failure. During this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business Podcast, we examine the reality behind building a successful company. One of the biggest reasons for business failure is losing sight of your core purpose, which is why we break down the Hedgehog Concept. It is a framework that forces you to align your passion, what you can be the best at, and your economic drivers. Without this alignment, your marketing and operations...
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"Working 80 hours a week nearly KILLED me..."
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
How do you work less without your business falling apart? In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton and Jason Brockman speak to Paul Miller about burnout, delegation, business boundaries, trusting your team, and how small business owners can stop being the central point of everything in their business. Paul’s wake-up call was not subtle. After years of working 70 to 80 hours a week, carrying too much responsibility, and being the person everything revolved around, he ended up in hospital. Twice. The first time was meningitis. The second time involved waking...
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6 Small Business Lessons I Wish I’d Learned Sooner
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
In this episode: 0:00 - Introduction 1:04 - Prospects Need to Hear the Same Thing Many Times Before Buying 3:18 - Energy Management is Better Than Time Management 8:42 - People Don't Care What You Do - They Just Want The Results 10:51 - YouTube is an Evergreen Asset 17:51 - The Power of Reflection 24:10 - Respect The Audience's Time (From the Very First Second) What are the small business lessons that actually make a difference? In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, small business owners John Lamerton and Jason Brockman share their 6 business lightbulb moments from...
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"A Sale Isn't a Sale Until The Invoice is PAID..."
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Get the Late Payment Calculator: Find out more about the One Percent Club: In this episode: 0.00 - Introduction 1.04 - What impact does late payment have on small business owners? 2:59 - A sale isn't a sale until the invoice is paid 6.11 - Charging interest on late payments 10.41 - Prevention is better than cure 14.26 - You're not in the wrong to ask for your money! 16:22 - Will the Small Business Protections (Late Payments) Bill actually help small businesses? 18.22 - Paying tax on "profits" you haven't actually received! 20.15 - Sacking off work for a Friday afternoon at the...
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"I spend MONTHS outside of the UK - thanks to these 5 steps..."
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Craig Jukes spent 37 years in corporate life. Then, on a flight home from a holiday Kefalonia, Craig had one of those moments. Not a “quit your job tomorrow and go and live in a hammock” moment. A PROPER lightbulb moment. 💡 He realised he didn’t want retirement to be some vague, far-off prize at the end of another decade of work. He wanted freedom NOW. Freedom to work from anywhere. Freedom to travel. Freedom to spend the grim UK winter somewhere that didn’t require a big coat, central heating, and emotional support biscuits. He didn’t just dream about it. He designed it. Craig...
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"I learned to scale my business at the poker table"
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Sep Frijia describes himself as a poker player in an entrepreneur's body. Last summer, he was stuck at mediocrity in both his poker and business pursuits, but he decided to flip the script. By shifting his focus to long-term purpose rather than short-term wins, Sep transformed his approach and outcomes. He studied the game-changing strategies of blueprints, reflection, and incremental progress, applying them both at the poker table and in his business. His mindset evolved from chasing immediate results to playing the long game, becoming unapologetically all-in on his purpose and trusted...
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"I've edited more than 250 books.. and now written my own!"
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
Jill French is a book coach and editor, who has edited more than 250 books, for fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoirs. And now she's written her own book too - a book that languished at the bottom of her to-do list for years - until she joined the , and made it happen. Jill leaned into the to help make this process easier - she used weekly accountability calls to maintain constant, never-ending progress towards the huge goal, and deal with any road blocks that stood in her way. She attended regular Coaching Calls - and always found a nugget or two to implement (and/or add to her Could Do...
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"I thought getting customers was everything - I was WRONG..."
Ambitious Lifestyle Business | The UK Small Business Podcast That Features REAL Business Owners
A few years ago, John Lamerton was caught up in the relentless pursuit of new customers, constantly refilling a leaky bucket - promising the world but losing clients just as quickly as he gained them. Frustrated by the constant chase, he had a lightbulb moment: focusing on retention and obsessing over existing customers was the real key to unlocking sustainable growth - and profits. He shifted his mindset from acquisition to lifelong value, investing in his current clients and rethinking what business success really means. This intense focus transformed his business, boosting profits by...
info_outlineSep Frijia describes himself as a poker player in an entrepreneur's body.
Last summer, he was stuck at mediocrity in both his poker and business pursuits, but he decided to flip the script. By shifting his focus to long-term purpose rather than short-term wins, Sep transformed his approach and outcomes.
He studied the game-changing strategies of blueprints, reflection, and incremental progress, applying them both at the poker table and in his business. His mindset evolved from chasing immediate results to playing the long game, becoming unapologetically all-in on his purpose and trusted decision-making.
This journey culminated in winning his poker league, a trophy, and the One Percenter of the month award - proving that sustained effort and clarity can lead to unstoppable success. (Read more about how the One Percent Club can transform your approach here)
Want to learn how Sep’s mindset and strategies can help you level up? Tune into the latest episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast - available wherever you listen!