​​Even with this background, I wasn’t prepared for what I found—I was naive. I had been used to working in large Blue Chip companies like Vodafone, O2, and T-Mobile, as well as smaller high-tech firms.

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Talk Insight Conversation Intelligence

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I was surprised by how transactional many companies were, and how little they seemed to understand about running a business, delivering great service, or engaging their staff. So I created Talk Insight Conversation Intelligence, with the help of customer service experts on my team, to assess incoming sales and service calls for opportunities to improve profitability. While Conversation Intelligence is now a big market, it didn’t exist back then.

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I also developed a sales and service training programme, which proved very effective in increasing the profitability of incoming calls. Interestingly, I recently learned that this programme is almost identical to Apple’s own coaching for staff welcoming customers in their stores.

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Then Covid hit, and my work with hotels, estate agents, and others—where Talk Insight had delivered great results—came to a halt. This gave me time to reflect. I realised that while I enjoyed business and project management, I had become heavily involved in sales and service training.

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I recognised another issue holding me back. I was more motivated by creating, solving, helping, and fixing than by making money itself. The vision of a big house, beach holidays, and fancy cars didn’t drive me, the internal motivation was missing. This was the wrong vision.

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Rethink What Matters Podcast

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During and after Covid, I became increasingly aware of sustainability and our 250-year journey since the Industrial Revolution. This led me into exploring economics, politics, and society. I read books on these topics and even began evening online studies towards becoming a Chartered Management Accountant.

 

I launched a podcast called Rethink What Matters (available on Apple, Amazon, and other platforms), where I interviewed over 30 fantastic people from around the world, including Graeme Cooper, as seen on Top Gear with Chris Harris. More recently, I started a newsletter called Master The Triple Bottom Line with 500+ subscribers.

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I started another podcast called 360 EcoBuild, however, none of this was generating income, which I now needed to focus on. For me, everything aligns around building businesses that are profitable, develop people, and help protect the planet—the Triple Bottom Line. This can be achieved when we put efficiency first in business. By becoming more effective and efficient, businesses can improve their margins, allowing them to invest in people and sustainable practices.

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Wrong Business Mindset

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On this journey, I’ve come to understand that most business owners don’t fully grasp how to run a business, and many of their suppliers and advisors don’t either. Most businesses are run to provide a living for the owner or with the hope of making a profit, but very few focus on creating an asset. I’ve seen how business owners get trapped thinking like employees rather than the investors and shareholders they are.

 

As a result, the vast majority of business owners eventually burn out, with their businesses either liquidating or being passed on.

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I address this in my Rostone Opex Change Framework, which focuses on five areas: Traits, Trust, Time, Talent, and Teach. Using this framework, I help create Triple Bottom Line businesses—businesses with improved profitability, communication, and sustainable thinking for better outcomes in terms of profits, people, and the planet.

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Holistic Launch Group

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My strategy now is to form a closed group of like-minded clients, allowing me to focus on their success while demonstrating the effectiveness of this change initiative.

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By operating their businesses as if preparing for sale, members of this group will enjoy improved margins, smoother operations, and increased business value. They will develop a clear, strategic business vision and achieve true success — building a business they can sell or step away from, even if they choose not to.

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