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  3. FOUNDER #33. Your Entrepreneur Story is Your Superpower - Dodge Woodall
Dodge Woodall Network

29 May 2026 · 31m · 14 chapters

Episode artwork

FOUNDER #33. Your Entrepreneur Story is Your Superpower - Dodge Woodall

In short

The episode argues that telling your real business story is a top business tool—building trust, relatability, and visibility—while rejecting “perfect” or performative narratives.

Guests

Dodge (host; built five businesses over 28 years, exited two, runs three) and Marky Masters (co-host; described as a long-time podcast interviewer, with 350–360 sit-downs).

Key claims

Everyone has a story; share from the heart, not AI/copy-paste. Vulnerability (often addiction-related) helps people connect. Success isn’t proof of superiority—market fit and timing matter. Business growth is chaos and persistence, not a straight line. Keep showing up even when people mock you; visibility and lived experience build trust.

Notable examples

“Founder”/“Eventful Lives” format digging into “battle scars” (e.g., addiction, court/settlement issues). Joe Wicks and a friend (James Smith/Neutronic) filming despite low early engagement, later becoming successful. Dodge’s Bournemouth 7s flyering and festival scaling (3–4k to 30k), plus adding new revenue streams like dodgeball, CrossFit, VIP/VVIP, and glamping.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes.

Chapters

0:00

The Importance of Storytelling in Business

Dodge discusses how storytelling is integral to personal and business branding.

“That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's Name Your Price tool for years now.”
0:59

The Importance of Storytelling in Business

Dodge discusses how storytelling is integral to personal and business branding.

“Today's show, we want to look at a little bit of storytelling.”
2:32

Real Stories vs. Idealized Narratives

The conversation shifts to the value of authenticity in sharing business journeys and struggles.

“If you tell your story, we've got one life, Marky.”
4:48

Facing Challenges and Vulnerability

Dodge emphasizes the importance of sharing vulnerabilities and facing challenges in business.

“And then the thing is, some people might come in here and go, I don't really want to tell that bit.”
8:21

The Reality of Business Success

The hosts discuss the chaotic nature of entrepreneurship and the realities behind perceived success.

“Because we used to live in a world where it used to be about this kind of listen to business advice from somebody else telling you.”
12:39

Encouraging Authentic Expression

Dodge encourages listeners to express themselves authentically in their business communications.

14:01

Embracing Authenticity in Business

Learn the importance of allowing individuals to express themselves freely in business settings.

“I've got one here for you which is just picked up on something you said there Marky.”
17:07

The Value of Support and Encouragement

Explore the significance of supporting friends and community members in their business journeys.

“and a half years we've had some most amazing business guests on here simon squibb daniel Priestley, Barry Hearn.”
21:01

Visibility and Vulnerability in Entrepreneurship

Discover how being visible and vulnerable can enhance personal and business growth.

“that you can hopefully support your family and allow you to have nice holidays and nice food.”
24:08

The Journey of Building a Business

Understand the long-term commitment and adaptability required to grow a successful business.

“But that flyering is a prime example but little do they know that you owned the festival.”
Show all 14 chapters
28:00

Building Trust Through Storytelling

Learn how storytelling can help build trust and visibility in business.

“The first thing I would do is I'd get themselves on a podcast.”
29:38

The Importance of Being Real

Discover why authenticity and being real matter in personal branding.

“It may not be brilliant, but we have to get over ourselves and stop thinking we have to be the finished article because I guess...”
30:42

Embracing Your Journey

Understand the significance of sharing lived experiences without comparison.

“And be yourself and do all that authenticity.”
32:00

Embracing Your Journey

Understand the significance of sharing lived experiences without comparison.

“You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Insurance isn't one-size-fits-all. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's Name Your Price tool for years now. With the Name Your Price tool, you tell them what you want to pay, and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So, whether you're picking out your first policy or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy to see your options. Visit Progressive.com. Find a rate that works for you with the Name Your Price tool. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company & Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Welcome to Ask Dodge.

0:32I'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. I'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. Welcome back. Welcome back. Good to see you. Today's show, we want to look at a little bit of storytelling.

1:03We don't need storytelling as something to show off, or we have to listen to Dodge and myself talk about story arcs and heroes' journeys. How does throwing little Dodge stories form part of your business world and life? You love a little story, don't you? I love a story, mate. I love telling stories. You've got to remember, everyone's got a story. like you know we host a podcast Eventful Lives or I'm getting people on who've got stories everyone's got a story but some people feel they probably haven't got a story oh yeah what if they say people just say I don't and I know people that have said that I haven't got anything to say I want me out help me out help me out boy I've got a story sorry to tell you but what about those people that say that but people have because they just don't believe in themselves they don't believe they've got a story actually hold on let me sit down 5-10 minutes that's a brilliant story bring out the best in you if you want to be out there and you I don't know we're obviously talking this is a whole business show but actually tell your story but tell it from the heart don't whack it into chat GBT and conjure it all up and then copy and paste and whack it on just tell it from the heart don't worry what other people think bang it out there people want to see character people want to see people want to see substance people want to see personality People want real.

2:25And then people, that is your character. That's how you got brought up. And if you don't tell your story, that's okay too, if it's not for you. If you tell your story, we've got one life, Marky. We've got one life. You've got to live your life as if you're writing a book. You know, if you're 40 years old, like you're halfway through, 38, you're halfway through your life. Do you know what I mean? So the reality is you've got 29 ,000 days on earth if you're lucky. Average. You know, Why waste a day of being shy about telling your story? If you're trying to tell your story and you've got a business, people want to know the person and the story behind the business on why they created a business to solve a problem.

3:08That's normally what it is. It's normally something that really pays you off about something that you want to go, do you know what? I'm going to grab that. I'm going to make it better. That's the easiest way to do business. But people want the story behind it. Where did you grab? What did you do? what made you think that how much money did you invest in it did you have you lost that anything have you lost have you had court cases just tell it even if I had to say a court case yeah but in business Mark court cases do happen court cases do happen someone you know I'm not saying it goes to court but an out of court settlement or a or there's a there's a letter oh shit sorry I apologise I didn't realise that branding was too close to your branding it happens all the time and I guess it's But no one talks about this side.

3:53No one talks about it. And that's why we've got the show called Founder. And I wanted to create the show called Founder because I wanted real founders on, real entrepreneurs who have got battle scars in business and aren't afraid to talk about it. Where I think people just want to tell the perfect side of building a business just from an idea and investing all your money into it and taking all the risks and all the sleepless nights and hiring people. And then those hires are wrong. Then you've got five people. then you're dealing with HR and then you're dealing with it. It's constant. It's constant.

4:26So people are coming on and telling their story on Founder. We're digging deep. What actually happened then? Because it's not all plain sailing. The amount of founders I know and wealthy people I know, I've got to a point where they could have lost everything in one day going, this is make or break. And all of a sudden, the ones that are successful are the ones who have been persistent and showed up every day and keep going and keep going and keep tweaking and keep tweaking. And then something normally pops. does this make them really relatable because you've listened to someone not necessarily put their heart on the line but how have you found that that's a great proof in person where you have someone telling these stories that someone that you may not know to how you feel at the end what as a host yeah as a host does your opinion of somebody change like you're listening to them is like oh I didn't know that or just to be like oh you're a straight up person yeah well I know straight away I've done 350, 360 sit downs for an hour and a half of people across the podcasts.

5:24I know straight away. And then the thing is, some people might come in here and go, I don't really want to tell that bit. They're not telling it. I dig a bit deeper. And all of a sudden, they feel really comfortable and they go, you know what, I'm going to tell it. And that bit there, Mark, is the key of them going, I've held that away from everyone. Does anyone need to know that? Oh, I had a massive addiction. I'm just making something up here. I had a massive addiction while I was building this massive company it was worth 200 million pounds but I was I was using drugs and drink and partying and binging but I was on the front it was all lovely because I was seen as this CEO or founder or whatever actually let's break that bit down what nearly broke you then I lost my relationship I'm not saying me I lost my relationship with my kids or my wife she's not listening like someone might be saying that I lost my relationship there or I was really unreasonable there and I did a deal there and it wasn't correct people want to know the real side of business and there's a lot of podcasts out there who do the front side of business but don't get to the nitty gritty mine here is getting to the nitty gritty and finding out what actually happened on that journey to get to where you are today because you are not the same person you are when you started your business to when you are building your business in year one when it's a lovely idea and year two you're building product market fit to see does it fit what I'm building now whether it's a service or I'm building something to sell and then you try then the next step is you're trying to then sell this thing while juggling all the marketing all the sales while trying to run a business trying to build a culture within your business hiring people and then you've got to get rid of people like you're doing all of that on top of while maybe you've got a family at home and you've got all these financial pressures you haven't paid yourself for three, four years.

7:10So actually for you to get to a point where you go, I've actually got something that is selling. Yeah. Now when something's selling, you know it works. But a high percentage of the time when you're selling something, normally it's just a pivot and all of a sudden you'll be selling something completely different because you've just found something because you had some curiosity with some people in a live event or being out somewhere having a chat and going, oh my God, I've just got an idea. I spoke to these people. I'm taking a different trajectory on my business now. And then you're trying to build this up to then scale the business so you can actually take profit at the end of the year out of it because a lot of businesses there are just paying staff and lucky to pay themselves a salary.

7:46But actually a real, real business that you're taking a lump sum of at the end of the year. What you're talking about is you're doing something that's real. You're doing something where you are in the middle of it all and when you look around you probably don't see it. But what you're doing is building this scrapbook over time. You're talking about that, the time it does take to make the profit, but the time it does to build a reliable team behind you, all this becomes part of the narrative, the story. Because a lot of the time, it's not about when the sun shone because you sold or because it kind of gave you that unbelievable return.

8:21That's the story. Because we used to live in a world where it used to be about this kind of listen to business advice from somebody else telling you. Boring. But are we getting now to that point? Boring, mate. People have had enough of that. People have had enough of that, Marky. Oh, yeah, I've sold my company for 22 million. oh great great on the front actually let's get this i want to find out i want to find the detail why is that why is that why has that why doesn't that have a place anymore you know that old school kind of thing that went with it and here's your advice and you need to do this and you need to because everyone's doing it market everyone's doing this everyone's a business guru or a founder or an entrepreneur guru and these are the steps you the 10 steps you must take to do it's like bloody hell bore off no mate let's get this get this is what happens it's not a straight line that people think it is to become successful in a business it's all over the gaff it's chaos if you are if you have your mind in a way that you are enjoy the chaos and you feel comfortable with the chaos and all the crazy stuff that's happening you're in a really good position if you can't handle the chaos and the pressure you'll know won't be in a good position because it takes time to break through to get to a business model that actually works does that then become a good way to articulate and share.

9:34Remember that thing you were saying when you're in the middle and it is chaos. Would you say that's a good time to share it or whatever it is that you're going through? If you're comfortable in yourself, share it. But you might not. There's a lot of people who don't want people to see any weakness in you. It's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to be weak. And I tell you now, anyone listening out there and you show vulnerability and just the cards on the table, I guarantee everyone around you is like, will warm to even more because you're not putting on the front that I can have someone in here Mark you're talking about business we're going down the business going to business I know they're just putting a shield around them I know that and it's my job as a host to break down that shield and and help them when does that happen by the by the way how when does that moment happen or can you see that happening is this by you just prodding away a kind of particular part where you know that they are going to let the shoulders down a little bit and then be a bit more open when do you when does that part there's no set part when i'm here i just sense i can pick up on words i can sense on body language i can sense on people intelligence which we no one talks about and it's something that i talk about a lot i just know when someone's holding something back and when they release what they're holding back one they're like oh my god i've just told the whole country now it's on a podcast there's no hiding from this now they leave here thank you so much for getting out of me i've been holding that back for 10 15 years didn't anyone to know about that okay so just lay your cards on the table it's so much i'll tell you what it is refreshing and i guarantee you people around you will want to work with you once they know your cards once you've laid your cards on the table has that happened with guests as well they can say that it's because they were open about something of course lots and normally it's to do with addiction okay yes normally do addiction mark because we're a population I've addicted to sugar addicted to social media I'm really thinking the words I'm like older know your audience know your audience but it could be addiction to drugs to drink to sex to eating to social media to your phone whatever addiction it is but normally what I found over the years is that functioning alcoholics and I don't like the word alcoholic because you people do put it into a category that it's a a bottle of vodka or something yeah tugging away that no one can see but actually alcoholism is that when you yeah you're addicted but people are there's a lot of functioning alcoholics out there who are on the front running a big successful business but behind the scenes they may be broken and i've had a lot of conversations with people who are genuinely broken and just need help and then what happens is when you are broken on the front, you're earning all this money, it's all great.

12:17But actually deep down, are you happy? Are you happy with home life? Are you a good dad? Are you a good husband? Are you a good wife? Are you good to people around you? And that's the bit for me that I like to get into because you do, as a host of Founder or Eventful Lives, you are there for to listen. And I understand if someone else, whether if they're not a guest or just somebody listening is that when you mention that the way they can open up and talk about something then that becomes so much more easier isn't it than if you're doing something as opposed to doing something that's forced if all you're doing is there to impress and to pretend to everyone that you're living the best life ever whereas the freedom that comes from being comfortable with your with yourself yeah what makes a story feel real let's put it this way imagine someone there is happily posting away on somewhere like linkedin what would you say is what makes a story feel real versus something that feels forced or performative when it's real in my eyes when it's real if i'm reading someone and seeing a photo and a nice write-up and it's real okay i know straight away yeah that's real i like you whoever you are i like you i'll leave a comment or leave a love heart or whatever i like this and more people should do that and i'm not sure enough people write real and i find it a shame that because they're employed they can't write real okay and any boss out there if you want your business to grow let your team be real and don't restrict them and don't hold them back and don't be going oh you can't write that because you're working for me no let them be them so it's just by giving somebody the freedom to express themselves in a way that doesn't not to the detriment of the business but in a way that lets them share who they are yeah and i guess you kind of pick up that i think the thing we say that's real when you know that our camera reels are probably our greatest thing on our phones to show who we are and whatever parts of our life rather than thinking that the answer is creating a made-up picture via some AI tool is by knowing that that storytelling is always there via our camera reel and what's happened over the years.

14:45I've got one here for you which is just picked up on something you said there Marky. Don't be fooled that people who have sold their company for a fortune or any better than you.

14:59They're good, but it doesn't mean they're better than you, whether they sold for 1 million, 5 million, 100 million. They're good. Obviously, they're good at what they've done, but they've found the right market. It doesn't mean they're better than you. It doesn't. We're all the same. We're all working out as we go along. You could have an amazing business, and you put exactly the same graft in your industry as someone who's found an industry that may be more lucrative and they end up selling it for a million or two million, three million and you're still grafting them away and you can't make this bloody thing work, doesn't mean that they're better than you just because they sold.

15:37They found something that's worked in the right product in the right market and bang, done. Congratulations. As you're doing it, you may be building something and thinking, I can't get over this 500 grand turnover mark. This is bugging me. Next year, we'll look to hit 750 I can't get over 750 this is bugging we're still stuck on 550 or 500, 600 it might be that the market is telling you that it's not there there is a time and a place that you can go do you know what this isn't actually working for me to take profit out of this and make it worthwhile that I can take a dividend at the end of the year where I get a lump sum into my bank account sometimes you've just got to go do you know what it's not right but the lessons you learn on that journey are worth a million dollars and that's when you see people building something going they've taken a massive pivot and started something fresh and then they've gone boom because they're using the same skill set but they've just found they found a product that really really works and that made me think as well is that you're not running somebody else's race if it's somebody you're you can't live somebody else's story if you've got someone that you're saying there has done really well or they've succeeded or or that you think they're in a better place than yourself but it's pointless if we're looking up to somebody else that is not relatable to us because i guess that's even i guess now it's even more blinkered isn't it to just look at or even more distracting because we know the platforms that are there and how we use them are tuned into looking at somebody else's better life when we are on instagram or linkedin because that's what the algorithm rewards 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 Priestley, Barry Hearn.

17:13The list just goes on and on from billionaires to people who have 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. I saw this quote the other day or something. It was basically saying, support your mates. Support your mates who are trying to build a bloody business to get it off the ground so they can live a better life. And then you see people supporting random business people because it's cool to do that.

17:48And like and comment of someone you don't even know. Yeah. Support your mates. Go and write a review. Go and do something. Support them or big them up somewhere or like or do something. Because I guess you're seeing, you're encouraging your friends there to see your work. and it's that thing of joining in, the importance of joining in. Yeah. Because then you're trying to give somebody else. Then you can do it again because you know you've got your mates that are on side that are there to give you a boost when the next thing that you want to be, say you haven't never done a video before or that kind of thing because you think you look stupid when you hear the sound of your own voice.

18:25Well, how many times have you and I done it over the years when I've seen you do something and I've gone up my way and gone, Mark, fantastic, mate, we did there. That video you did there, well done, mate. Like, that's just a little boost. Do you know what I mean? Or I receive it from someone and you'll remember that person for life. It's not what you remember, what they said to you, it's how they made you feel. And making someone feel good about themselves, there's not a better feeling. That's a really good thing of encouragement and support. It's something that we do forget about, don't we? Because we're too busy doing our own thing.

18:56But sometimes when we let our guard down and want to share a side, that is not familiar. But sometimes all we need is that motivation and support from others to, a bit like you're saying, no, when I have a guest, I try and encourage them to show a side of themselves that is truly them. But as we're kind of recognizing here, this all takes time because no one wants to be seen as silly or no one. I know we're told to have a thick skin and balls to whatever everyone else says, but sometimes the hurtful things can stick. So it's about it's about this thing of vulnerability, this thing about vulnerability and being seen in front of others.

19:36Yeah. but we need to know that we do have friends on our side. Yeah. And you've got lurkers as well. You know, like people who are around you who will see everything you're doing and won't comment or whatever on your stuff. But then if you do stories, you can see everyone who's still watching what you're doing. Yeah. Do you know? So we're in this weird world that as creators or business owners or whoever, you can see who's watching you via the stories because you see all the names that are popping up. Do you know what I mean? It's a really weird world that you've got to try very hard not to get caught up in.

20:17Because at the end of the day, we all started on zero. We started on nothing. Whether you started on Instagram or I started on Instagram maybe five years ago or on YouTube three years ago, you start with zilch. And when you're starting with zilch and maybe there are young creators out there or business people who have just opened a restaurant and they're now doing a thing on their camera going, just open this restaurant. Da-da-da-da. And people look in and go, so you've got one like. So you've got two likes. My advice to people out there doing it, keep doing it. Keep doing it. And I can only speak on what I've done.

20:54All I've done is just keep doing it. Keep doing it. I don't care what people think. You're building something for you to give you freedom, to give you money, to give you a lifestyle that you can hopefully support your family and allow you to have nice holidays and nice food. That's really what all this comes down to. Can I pick up on that, what you're just saying there? Is it important, as you said there, restaurant, whatever, you're showing the videos and what it looks like, is it important that we need, if you're the owner, that you have to be in the front of that camera? Is it important to be seen?

21:24I think so. In my opinion, 100 % yes, if you want to take your business to the next level a lot quicker. I guess as well, the simple things, work. I remember seeing videos from you of like, it was a sunny day and you're just outside. But someone who's seeing that is like, oh look, there's a bit of greenery there and trees there. And that's alright, isn't it? It's alright that it doesn't have to be a film crew, anything else that goes with it. That's right. It's how we get over ourselves or try and build that sense of self-confidence. Let people see the real you. What's the worst that can happen?

22:00What's the worst? Nothing. Your mate's laughing. Prime, I tell you it was a Prime, a friend of mine, James Smith, he's written two, three books, he's got a wonderful drinks company called Neutronic, I think it was a Neutronic. Right. When he, he used to come to Bournemouth 7s as a young lad in his 20s, party and drinking, da da da, he was saying, he was one of the first who would speak on camera and he would get no likes, he would get no, he would get one like or one da da da, and then he knew his mates were taking the mickey out of him. He just carried on. Look at him now. Multimillionaire. Real.

22:37One of the best marketers there are in the world right now. Living a wonderful life. Not gone over the top buying all this crazy stuff. He's living with good food, training, healthy, and creating great content. But my point here is that there was a long period, I think, for two years where he was like, people are just laughing at me. Or another one. What's his name? Wicks. What's his first? Joe Wicks. exactly the same from Kingston from Richmond Joe from the flats but he my point is he was just down at Richmond Park every day filming he was saying the other day all his mates were taking the mickey out of him people around him going oh what's he going to do he's not going to do anything all of a sudden people always remember when the first time they met you and once you've become a success they will tell people the first time how they met you just hold that thought it's a real thought that is Marky like when you're building something whether you're listening out there and you're watching out there and you're building a company people may be taking the mickey but so what everyone's dealing with their own stuff in their own heads just keep doing turn up every day keep clapping for yourself because people aren't going to clap for you you've got to remember that as well as an entrepreneur as a founder people aren't going to be clapping to you until you've become a success but it might take you 7, 8, 9, 10 years to get to that success and then once you've got it all those people might have been taking the mickey are the ones again i knew he'd make it i knew she'd make it i knew she'd be a success and then they will tell people and show off to their friends about how they first met you or how they know you like that's a really important thing there i also think as well is that kind of help uh an advice of what you're talking about here is that as long as you what helps is when you know the role that you serve people yeah you were talking about that whether it's health or whether it's property or whatever it is is that helps build yeah what we're trying to accomplish because there's a reason for it as a prime example I used to go outside Twickenham Stadium on an international match 82 ,000 cap capacity everyone would walk from the station to their stadium when I launched Bournemouth 7s in 2008 9-10 I'd be out there flyering everyone that moved I'd get 80 ,000 flyers I'd be flyering everyone that moved I remember people saying to me oh Dojo you're a flyer you're on 3 quid an hour you're on 4 quid an hour 5 quid an hour you've got to take that they've not been horrible but they may be just thinking you're flyering that was the way to communicate for me to be able to promote Bournemouth 7s festival 19 years ago because there wasn't social media you could press buttons up there putting up posters and getting chased by security and they're pulling the posters down and you're getting around the corner and whacking them up again and that's part of the game, you know.

25:32But that flyering is a prime example but little do they know that you owned the festival. Little do they know that you're taking the biggest financial risk of your life of the money you've invested into it and then gambling your family house to put on this event, this festival. They don't know any of that. But the same people there we'll be saying I remember seeing him flyering down there fair play to him he was flying with a team of people down there every single home game do you know what I mean it's that and if you're happy to if you're happy to not worry about what people are saying and thinking and you shouldn't do when you're launching or growing a business you've got to do what you've got to do and you've got to be there every single day even the days you don't want to do it just keep showing up and that comes back down to the discipline and the willpower it's that thing of visibility isn't it is that because you're saying if this thing of storytelling it's not as though you started something because you did a course for two months and then you're kind of trying your hardest and then you just hit a cul-de-sac because you have you've run out of ideas there was a reason behind this it wasn't as though it was a guess as well it's something that is a shared experience that shows that this wasn't from a big corporate and you're showing that the hands made this if you don't tell the story because this is all about storytelling right if you don't tell the story people looking in like we're getting older say for 19 years in now there'd be 18 to 25 year olds coming to the festival thinking i must be some big corporate thing they don't know yeah the risk what it is to get to grow a festival from 3 000 4 000 people up to 30 000 people over the years and and trying to work it all out i'm trying to bring in different revenue streams and adding different sports to see if people would play dodgeball because your name's dodge and you you saw a video and you're like, why don't we create a dodgeball and we've brought in inflatable courts from China to see if people would play this dodgeball thing.

27:27And all of a sudden you've got under teams, you put underground on your bottom line. And then you might add something else. Then you might have CrossFit Games. Then you might add a VIP tent and a VVIP. And then you might add glamping because people don't want to camp. They want glamping. Like you're constantly improving and tweaking. But you have to be, like I've said before, you have to love what you do. you have to be obsessed you have to be relentless and you have to live and breathe it and and if you're happy to do that you've got a real high chance of being a success listening there made me think as well it also there is there to help build trust isn't it if like uh whether example from the festival or something we're trying to do off our own back is that the reason we're doing this is not to show off but it's trying to build trust in what we're trying to do over time isn't it from someone listening to say all i've done is if i'm a recruitment consultant i've told someone of how to get a job or of all i've done is post and tell people of how to write a cv but i know that this is the business that i started would be your what be your advice if someone wants to start to bring themselves like what you did with the podcast when you had the the festival is your advice to someone that is slowly thinking about putting themselves at the front rather than just talking about their industry?

28:47I will. The first thing I would do is I'd get themselves on a podcast. Oh, okay. Yeah, because this is a new world, Mark. This is a new world for people in the UK. In 2020, people didn't really understand what a podcast was, but now, I lay you money, a lot of high percentage of people are listening to podcasts and going, this is therapeutic. This is nice. I'm listening to what, an hour and a half someone's story? get to get people get put yourself out there so people know your story tell your story and doors will open put yourself at the front of your company right from the heart pick up the phone and have conversations with people rather than just hide behind email and hide behind everything's going on there and it just comes back down to being real and i guess as well you use the straight you use the platforms to your advantage in it's all you want to use it if he It says, look, I can do video.

29:39Great, I have a figure. I can write. It may not be brilliant, but we have to get over ourselves and stop thinking we have to be the finished article because I guess... No one is. Will we ever get there? No one's finished the article. The day you think you've made it, like, you can't stop at the winning line. The day you think you've made it, and that's why, as a prime example here, I know people who have built companies and sold their company. They then earn a load of money and they go, I'm going to go and set up another company. but a high percentage of people who set up the second company fail because the hunger's not there it's like if you're a boxer and you're sleeping in silk pyjamas you're going to get up at 5 o 'clock in the morning to go for a run when you know you've got a load of money in the bank it's the same thing but if you go into your next business if you sold a business and go into the next business and I certainly do I act as if I'm fresh and new and I'm working like I would do if I had nothing that's the way to build another company Let's start to round this up now because everything we've talked about, it can be a bit of a twee subject.

30:39And I'm glad we didn't get it when we talk about storytelling. And be yourself and do all that authenticity. You don't like that word. Imagine all that. Just be real. Don't like that word. Don't like it. It winds me up. When someone says it, I cringe. I think, oh, mate, they've heard that somewhere. They're just going to throw it in there. Again and again. Oh, God, yeah. So we didn't lean too much into the other big word, which is vulnerability. but the whole reason that Dodge and myself wanted to highlight this thing of storytelling is that it's there to show proof and the reason that Dodge and myself have talked about this today is to show what you've done and be alright and be alright trying to figure it out and don't compare yourself there'll be people who've done a lot more than you who cares let them concentrate on what they're doing stay in your lane this is all about lived experiences and being okay that we can share from our heart and what we believe in and what we stand for because the people are out there, aren't they?

31:36Judging by the listeners to the monthly listeners to your shows. Good, mate. If you've got a question that relates to what Dodge and myself have talked about today with a storytelling theme to it, send it to Ask Dodge at dodgewoodle.com. I'll see you, Dodge, on the next show. Yes, mate. Looking forward to it. Cheers, Marky.

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From the publisher

Every Friday Dodge gets interviewed by Co-Host Mark Masters (You Are The Media).


Dodge and Mark get into why telling your real story, the hard parts, the chaos, the moments you nearly lost everything - is the most powerful thing any business owner can do. Dodge talks about why people hold back, why dropping the front builds more trust than any polished post, and why the ones who just kept showing up even when people were laughing, are the ones who made it. A straight talking episode for anyone who thinks their story isn't worth telling.


This is Ask Dodge.


If you’re a Founder and would like to come on the podcast then you can apply on the link here 👉 DodgeWoodall.com/guest


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