Ask Dodge #4: Beware of Energy Vampires in Business

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1:17The Blue Signature Air Purifiers by Blue Air quietly remove airborne pollutants, odors, smoke, and allergens, supporting deeper sleep, better recovery, and clearer focus. It's the most customizable air purifier you can get, with exclusive accessories designed to fit your space and your style. Visit blueair.com and use code SIGNATURE30 to elevate your wellness routine. Welcome to Ask Dodge. I'm an entrepreneur who's built five businesses over the last 28 years, exited two of them and still running three today. On this show, you'll get straight talking, real business chat with no fluff. I think we're going to help thousands of people in business.

1:54I've got my good mate with me, Marky Masters, who's going to be the co-host of the show. Dodge, looking forward to this. If there's something you guys want us to answer, send your questions to askdodge at dodgewoodle.com. I hope you enjoy, everyone. Hello, welcome back to the show. How are you, Dodge? All right. Very good, mate. Looking forward to this week's one. Thank you, everyone, for sending in your inquisitive little questions for Dodge and myself to pick up. Yeah, it's fantastic. You put the little bat signal out there and people step up and say, I've got something. So what's this episode for?

2:30Yeah, this is episode four. So all the questions are starting to come through now. So you know it's working. I think people, from the things that people have linked me in on LinkedIn or tag me on LinkedIn or send DMs and say, really enjoy this style of podcast. So like anything in business, mate, when you get feedback, it's a beautiful thing because you actually know you're on the right line. Yeah. Yeah, it's been lovely. So coming to feedback, so as we said, we put it out there. So if you do have a question, might as well do this now. Send a question to askdodge at dodgewoodle.com and then Dodge and myself will pick up and that's what we want to do.

3:05We want to narrow that gap between broadcaster and audience. So what we're saying to you listening now is come and join in with us. This is the role that this serves for us. So come and join in with us. And if you've got something to ask, let's make your scene. Let's help you feel seen. There's no silly questions, Mark. Like there's no silly questions. If you're starting off in business and you don't know what to do, just fire in a question. Or if you might have been running a business for 10 years and you've got a moat around your business, but you're stuck on marketing, and you're stuck on creating a brand or social media or whatever, or hiring or firing, just ping the questions in, mate.

3:38There's no silly question. There's no right or wrong, and we'll just answer it how we feel best. That's a good way to put it out there. So let's do it. Let the dog see the rabbit, everybody. Here we go. Eyes down.

3:54So hi to Rick. Rick Kumar from Moda Consult. Oh, in the big smoke in London. Moda is a recruitment consultancy. So thank you so much, Rick. Rick asks this from listening to recent shows as well. So Rick, straight to it. When you're on sales and you put the effort in to support and to help people and then they treat you as a commodity, what's your advice? Let me just pick this up to set the scene. So Rick's saying, well, if you're putting the effort in to help someone and they are a bit dismissive and they start to kind of take a little bit more than take advantage of your goodwill and your kindness as well, what's your advice?

4:42This is about people that sap your time and energy and want and take. Oh, mate, get rid. Next. Next question. Short show. No, I'm not a big fan of people who zap energy. I'm very much about protecting my energy at all costs, whether you're going out or you decide to say no to stuff or just you've got to protect every single angle. If there's zappers out there, energy zappers, energy vampires, whatever you want to call them, run a million miles and stay away. But I'm guessing, is he talking internally in business here that he's actually having to work with people in his sales team who are zappers and who are clients.

5:25The clients, they're in sales and they have people that you're working with. You're doing a good job. This is about when you give value to people. This is all about when you give value. No, being generous. Being generous with someone. There's only so far you can be generous, mate. We're all generous with our time and generous with what we can give back and help. If you're not getting anything in return back for that, even just a thank you, I appreciate that, mate, or thanks for the heads up on that, or can I ask you another question or anything I can do to help you in return? That's what it's all about.

5:53And if you're not getting that back and you've really tried to get that back, you're still not getting it back. I'll just, next. Because then it becomes a one-way street, isn't it? And I guess that's not a good place to be. No, not a cool place to be. And I'm thinking of this from Rick's question, is that it is good to be generous and to give our insight, shall we say. Imagine if someone asked, what are you that said, you've said as well, someone says, can I have a piece of your bit? your time or someone asks that can i ask no no people say can i pick your brain can i pick i can't stand that saying people come through on linkedin can i pick your brain and take your coffee i hate coffee never tried it so that's losing on that one and picking your brain just sounds not nice does it it's uh yeah so it's all about we can be uh this thing of generosity and helping people as we can but we can't be endless with labor that's the kind of way we can't just because then you just become drained by it all, don't you?

6:51Imagine now, because we've all probably been there over the years when people can effectively be tyre kickers, and it's like, where's this leading? Just to another hour? Anyone listening out there who's working with people, whether you're working in the corporate world or whatever, if there's people out there who drain you, and I'm sure anyone listening to this will know that there'll be people around you who do make you feel like that. You've just got to stay away. Get your head down and just stay away. Because we don't want to be all the time available, do we? No one wants to be working with someone or a client or someone, you know that you've put your stool out, that you're available.

7:25Painful, mate. Nights, weekends. Painful. Next question. Next one. That was a high to start with, wasn't it, eh? It's like, right, here we go. Here we go. Friend of the show. We can start that already. Friend of the show. Friend of the show. Who's that? So, Phil Agnew has Nudge Podcast, One of the country's biggest podcasts that is out there with Nudge. So thank you, Phil. When you're building a business without any outside investment, what should you get right first so you don't burn out or spread yourself too thin? A couple of things. Here we go. I'd go, the first thing there is know your numbers.

8:15know your numbers too many people go into business haven't got a clue about the numbers how much things cost how much it costs for office space how much it is for staff how much it is for pensions on top how much is for national insurance how much it is for that all these things that you don't if you don't know your numbers you're not you don't know what it is to get to a point where you need to break even and like i always say make sure you break even and everything else is a bonus if you go out there saying i need to earn under a grand and i'm gonna i'm gonna put it out there I'm going to run 250 and it doesn't happen I like working the other way everything's a bonus and it just makes it very optimistic and it makes it more fun so definitely knowing your numbers When you did festival year 1, 2, 3 did you do everything?

8:58I tried to, I tried not to no because I don't like doing everything but when you are launching a business you are juggling 3 or 4 people's jobs quite easily the question there, I don't know what the full question but it was about start-ups wasn't it Yeah, so when you're a business, it's just you. When you've got – there isn't any investment. You're a startup. It's you trying to build it. So you're not kind of ended up becoming an absolute shell of yourself after year one. You have to delegate. You have to delegate. But it comes down to finding in year one, do you have any staff? Maybe not. Maybe you've got a mate helping you.

9:32Maybe you've got a business partner. You do have to delegate. If you've got a business partner, make sure that business partner's got a different skill set to you. you know you need someone who can market the brand and market the business and promote the business you do need someone who's sales you do need then to look to someone who in that you know there might be someone who's good at operations operation everything goes through them all the emails go through them they make sure that everything's paid and it's all tidied up and yeah if you're doing a startup startups are difficult what's be the best thing what's the biggest help when it comes you mentioned delegation yeah what the most important things that for you or that you would suggest to someone else are the biggest things when it comes to delegation?

10:12Just making sure that people know, people can do the stuff that you're not good at. That's what I do. When it comes to delegation, just make sure that that person there is going to go and do those things that I'm no good at. You know, to take that pressure off me because you are juggling, you are literally juggling eight or nine or 10 things plus, maybe 12, 13, 14 things. You know, it's easy to put the category of marketing or category of sales, but actually within that there's four or five. Within sales there's four or five things. And if you are on a startup business, you are literally trying to create a business culture.

10:46You're trying to pick up the phone. You're trying to reply to people. You're trying to be on social media. You're trying to open doors. You're trying to send messages to people. You're trying to run a LinkedIn account. You're trying to do Instagram. You're trying to pick someone wants to do a deal with you and you've got that bounce in the background. Like you've literally, there's no balance. what's your strengths would you say your your people hiring people uh leadership so the ideas and everything yeah and uh yeah put my neck on the line yeah and this is yeah this is what but i need help with everything around it because that's the thing the help is what is what won't pull it together all the help around me is what pulls it together i can lead from the front in leadership and the creative side of me which i love the ideas the creation this is where we're going and you're then getting people on board you know and part of being a entrepreneur you're constantly persuading you're constantly persuading you're persuading that this idea is going to be great and you're persuading people to come on board who might are thinking looking and going so i'll take that risk and go and work for dodge you know you're constantly persuading and taking people on a journey with you and the more that you're doing it you find those areas that other people help and support the more it frees you up i guess you always talked about as well like i enjoy doing all this i kind of enjoy getting up every morning and see what's going to happen but the more that you can hand out and find support and help is that the more it frees up yourself to have enjoyment and the drive that definitely you always want definitely there's nothing there's never it's been a long time since i had to do stuff i didn't want to have to do like there's a long time since i've gone right i god i need to do those things but i'm no good at those things it's been many decades since then because i'm lucky to put people in place I just love hiring people I love giving people opportunities I love seeing the best in people I love inspiring people I love bringing people on board and giving them the freedom and let them run with it you know but I am you know as a as a juggling three businesses I am I give people a lot of freedom but I've got really high standards and people know this high standards there and you know it's about the attention to detail where people think oh no it's not about attention to the no i want that i think something's being designed or it's being presented on behalf of our company we look at any of our brands our level of our level of um attention to detail is is off the charts and it's really important to us because your brand is something that you build and protect over years you know business does come and go but a brand is going to stay like if you are in trouble in certain times of the 10 20 years whether it's brexit whether it's a pandemic whether it's what's going on with the government now whatever it may be you You've got to protect your brand like it's a diamond, a shining diamond, and you protect it and you shine it and you polish it.

13:31And then you try to build that brand. And for me, I try to build brands that get to 10 years, 7 years, 8 years, you know, because it takes a long time to break the back of a business to actually start earning profit. Along that journey, you're constantly tweaking, tweaking, tweaking. It might be the brand in colours. It might be your culture. It might be your infrastructure of your staff set up with your management level or your director's level or whatever it may be. And you're trying to make, I'm constantly trying to make everyone who works for me over the years happy. And as well as that is to ramp up the areas that you care about.

14:06Good example. Here's proof. Here's a case study. So if you're listening to this show and you're on Spotify, please don't think that the replies to anyone that sends a comment is from someone you don't know it's from us yeah yeah and i think like that's a really good point in fact marky like anyone listening out there like we don't want anything from you apart from pinging in questions that might be able to help all we want is some like 20 seconds just to write a comment on spotify whether you like liking these conversations because if we don't get feedback we don't know and the only way we can get feedback is by Spotify.

14:43So it literally doesn't take long at all. Just these are the reasons why I like it, lads. Or even you could ask a question on there. Because it helps then you're seeing each other, isn't it? It's this two-way thing that we're working hard on here to help each other be seen. And these questions now from Rick and from Phil kind of give the nod to those people that are a part of this with us because it works both ways then, isn't it? It's respect. Good way of putting it. It's just respect, Mark. If someone goes out of the way and leaves a message, I'd like to go back and we'll reply. Just out of respect.

15:17Simple thing. So listen, Phil, if you listen as well, so I guess what Dodger's talking about here, the goal when you're building something early on is not to do everything. And you just have to find a few things that keeps the business alive without it breaking you. Good question. Good question there. Good question there, Phil. Also, there's no work-life balance when you're on a startup. there's zero work life balance it doesn't matter what anyone says there's no work life balance how did you come to then just saying it's life at what point is that because you've always been like that it's always been like that because I've never like I said I've never been employed so I don't know what it's like to finish at five o 'clock I don't know what it's like to start at nine o 'clock I don't know what it's like to drive to work in rush hour like I work from my mobile and I work from my kitchen even though we have beautiful offices and great teams I just don't like being in offices I don't like driving from here at five o 'clock in an afternoon I don't like the thought of driving in traffic.

16:10So those simple things for me, you know, have played a huge part. And they're wins to me. If I haven't got to travel, that's a win. Next question. Third question. I met a lovely person on holiday last night. Right. Here it is. It is. But you could be asking, couldn't you? They could be asking. I have a rash. But it's how you... We're here to help. We're here to help. We're here to help. hey guys we've been running this podcast now for five and a half years we've had some most amazing business guests on here simon squibb daniel priestly barry hearn the list just goes on and on from billionaires to people who've built brands if you want to come on the podcast and talk about your business and sit here with me in the studio and tell your story go check out dodgewoodall.com forward slash guest and check out the three minute video we've also left the link below as well right next question on one of our shows dodging myself we looked at the world of events and building something that people come and feel a part of so thank you here to Liz Hutchings from Total Guide Liz has her events as well and asked this question she says everyone says events are hard work so why are live experiences still one of the best things a business can invest in.

17:33Events are tough. Events are tough. So why is it that creating an event, a live experience, is such a really good thing a business could invest in? I think it's one of the most important things businesses could invest in is having someone putting on events on behalf of your business if you're a big business. You see a lot of businesses these days are putting on these mini festivals at the end of the year for all their staff. They might have different operations around the country. I think it's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful because, listen, you're working with someone, going to a live event and you can have a couple of beers with someone and there's some music being played.

18:11There's a band on or you're bringing people together in a theatre because someone's speaking on stage. It's not a better feeling. And what we've lost is that connection over the last five years. And I think as well that when you talk about connection as well is what you're doing from a business perspective is that you're moving people to feel attached to something, isn't it? Like there is a date in the diary and I'm going to this event, this work event here. And people go and get dressed up. Yeah. Go home and they make it. Instead of just going home and normal and get your comfies on and have a bite to dinner and watching Netflix or watching a bit of sport and going to bed, it's actually, oh, I've got something on on Wednesday night.

18:48I've actually got an event to go to. I'm looking forward to this. And people will shout change, a little spring in their step, go and have a couple of beers or a soft drink or whatever. and they're meeting new people. I can't tell you how nice it is for me personally when I meet new people. I just want to pick up on this. You just triggered a thought there. Like there's a day in the diary, you get dressed up, you know there's something there to look forward to. We had an event recently and a lady came for the first time, a lady called Ashley Dodd. And Ashley said, this is the first time I went to this event, but when I normally go to work events, predominantly it's men and you'll see men dressed in suits.

19:28But I come to this event and it was colour, whether it was wearing trainers or something colourful. I just picked up on something there about it becomes an occasion. So rather than looking at something as an awareness-raising exercise, whether it is a lunch or a dinner, whatever, for businesses, everything else, is that you're making something that people can feel a part of, isn't it? They just enjoy it. Well, I like about it. I'll go back now. I was obviously in the nightclub world for 10 years and the festival for the last 19 years, but actually in the nightclub world in the early 90s, you had a sort of late 80s, early 90s, you had a problem in the UK where it was very divisive.

20:08and all of a sudden the rave scene came about. The rave scene came about and when all of a sudden everyone would get together, whether you were black, white, Chinese, whatever religion you are, people would come together and it would be the music that would bring everyone together. The music that you are walking to a club or to a rave, an outdoor rave, all of a sudden, you're immersed in this music that everything is forgotten, that you're just there to get into this beautiful place of happiness, of dancing and smiling and chatting to the person to your right and chatting to the person to your left and someone's having a drink sat down over there and you're going to have a chat.

20:53Like that was just game-changing. And I feel, I don't want to get into this political thing now, I feel like the way the world is at the moment, I think people are crying out for connection and music and dancing Who dances these days? Who goes and dances? Who's got music going on? Who's going to house parties? Where are house parties gone? House parties are gone. I remember growing up, it was all about house parties. All about it until, God knows, five, six years ago. It was all about house parties and people coming together to have fun and put smiles on their faces over a few drinks. Now you have your friends round and you have dinner.

21:30I discovered last year. I do like having dinner parties, though. What did I discover? What's the thing where you melt cheese over your... Over your what? You know when you go skiing? I discovered it. Fondo. Cheese fondue. No, not fondue. The other thing, when you grill your cheese and you pour it over your potatoes. Oh, raclette. Yeah. I only discovered that last year. Yeah. Isn't that crazy? All these things in our lives that you never knew. Yeah. I'm a big raclette fan, not a big cheese fan. I like the meat fondues. Well, if you're a fan of any cheese, why don't you let Dodge and myself know as well?

22:00We and Dodge will comment and reply back to somebody likes camembert. I can't stand. You know you go to a restaurant and someone brings out that stinking cheese. like you wouldn't go near that if you didn't know it was a cheese you wouldn't go near the smell you'd be like man that's horrible some people are like right i like the real big smelly one and eating it yes please are you a cheese what about the cheese uh cheese fan who isn't these days but i can't eat cheese that's one of the things that one of the intolerances that i have come back let me finish this thing up because we were talking about that you were talking about this lovely the lovely feeling of going to something when there's other people there when you feel a part of it because it makes us realise that people rarely remember another blimmin Instagram or LinkedIn post that you made.

22:39It's getting boring. But they're going to remember being in the room. I agree. They're going to remember the time that they spent with other people. Like my mum always said to me, it's not what you say to people. People always remember how you made them feel. And that is so true. Why would you not go and give someone a nice compliment? Yeah. Why would you not just, even another bloke, mate, you're looking well. You've been down the gym. You're training well. You look cut. Well, you're looking fit. Like I said to you today, Mark, you're looking well. mate. There's nothing better than someone giving you a nice compliment.

23:05It doesn't cost anything. Yeah. And it's this proximity of being around other people. So if you're listening to this and thank you for that question is that if you are thinking about putting on an event or for your business it can open up a lot of doors can't it? Or just that thing of just a joyful occasion. Work can still be joyful but it can still open to something else. That's how we do it everybody. So if you got a question or something that you're trying to figure out or work on throw them over to Dodger myself and give them a go and we hope that there's something there that may trigger a thought for your side because this is the right way to do it isn't it?

23:47Yeah hopefully it's going to help people and make people go oh I've got a question but like you said earlier write the question give us your feedback on Spotify if you're listening to this leave a comment on Spotify and underneath the comment leave a question as well. See, that's what we're doing, everyone. We're making this online party for all of us to feel a part of. Yeah, there you go. Dodge is, I'm bringing the sausages. Dodge is bringing the tunes. What are you going to bring? Quality. Right, we'll see you in the next show, everybody. Nice one. Thank you, Dodge. Cheers, guys. Cheers, Marky.

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