this is so good all right welcome
everybody to another hangout super
excited to be here talking about a
really important topic for me which is
how to stand out by standing up join by
my special guest longtime friend of the
channel CEO of sage Steven Kelley Steven
welcome back great to be back evidence
really a privilege middle part of your
channel and you are and me and a few
other people out there changing the
world I love it where where are you now
every time I talk to your somewhere else
so what country are you and now I’ll
tell you this week I’ve had an awesome
week I was down in Johannesburg and
maybe we’ll talk about it in the next
hour I was down in place called Soweto
which is the township and it’s basically
kids living in shacks and that was part
of the sage foundation and then I got
back here to London so we’re sitting in
front of London City here I live back
home cuz out in Canada as well so next
time we need to look each other up there
I love it I love it cool well you know I
want to get into this chat but but just
before you know I follow sage and all
the stuff you guys are up to and this
week my embossed exploded with all the
positive news that you guys been putting
out you know like my sage leaves the
stock market back into the black and
thirty-five percent increase in revenue
and all this stuff you guys are doing
well yeah but it’s all about doing you
know that’s the byproduct of everything
you do for customers you know that and I
know that and as entrepreneurs and all
the entrepreneurs out there on the
channel they know doing the right thing
by colleagues by customers in the
business producers outstanding results I
love it for further you guys who are
first time joining on a blab if you want
to ask the question you got to do / q
and then type your question I’ll show up
on the side ah Steven talking about
standing up so we have a story bout da
bus to share right i mean every year the
top guys around the world get invited to
davos to figure out how are we going to
better the earth and for most people
it’s like this is an honor be invited
and it’d be like a highlight of the
career and you’re saying i’m not going
to die bows i’m standing up I’m not
gonna go tell everybody why ah yes I
think we believe
you gotta have a really strong moral
compass and you gotta have a sense of
purpose and then I look at Davos and
they’re all I’m sure lovely people well
million people a lot of very rich people
but it then creating kind of a very
exclusive event and and I just SAT back
here at you before Christmas before the
holiday season and said what is da most
more than of just a talking shop and
then I just look to the people who live
i din and it’s all unit of politicians
the good and the grey and I thought hang
on a minute where’s the guys who drive
the economies around the world around
Canada around north america USA the UK
and is two-thirds of the jobs created
today are created by small and medium
businesses entrepreneurs business owners
you know working flat out seven hours a
week and who’s there voice in dallas
there is no voice there staring reality
Devils has made up all these lobby
groups big business and the guys who
really should be sitting at the table
saying these are the issues i want you
governments to change and listen to
because they’ll drive greater prosperity
for the countries and give us much
greater capabilities for the vulnerable
and things that really matter it just
wasn’t missing and then actually what we
did in the new year we did surveys of
hundreds of why I sheet thousands of our
customers and shock horror no surprise
only four percent of them thought the
devil’s was relevant four percent of all
our customers out there and the shocking
thing and maybe you’re not surprised by
this sixty percent of our customers
didn’t even know what DevOps was they
didn’t know exist World Economic Forum
Davos what is it so I kind of think you
know all the private jets and all the
exclusivity and the cocktail parties you
know our world your world my world the
people on this channels world is hard
work hard graft building something
special and we just made a plea and a
cry for help for the guys that Devils to
say listen to the guys that really build
the economies and put their issues on
your agenda and as part of that I
thought it would just be you know
completely you know sad and totally
inappropriate and incongruent if I was
to be a ten
there I said no I don’t want to go and i
called it out and i think some things in
life you’ve got to just consistently
live your values do the right thing and
kind of stick to what you believe is the
right thing and authenticity is
everything and davis was just an example
of that and actually I’m sorry I just
gone because then that was last week
Davos this week through the sage
foundation you know safe foundation just
blows me away almost brink of tears runs
down in sweat oh where they saw the
freedom charter in 1955 in South Africa
they had Ryan Serhan 1976 and there’s
just all these amazing kits that 60 of
our volunteers in sage have built a
library for these kids to go and you
know Nelson Mandela said dealer
basically be education is the only way
out of poverty and it was just a walking
talking living example of how to make a
difference in the community that really
matters and gives our communities great
out for the future and you know I have
and I love kids anyway but seeing these
like 45 year old little kids run it up
and if you follow me on Twitter Esteli
CEO there’s a little video these kids
singing to me and it just broke your
heart on a you know I just I come in do
loads of meat and see those and
customers and gets a widow and this just
I had a big tea room I and I just felt I
felt hugely proud about the colleagues
in sage in this one Joanne vanderwal and
all the people who have actually done
made a difference down their paint a
library kit in the library out and
bringing kids aboard and giving them
hope and we met her granny’s just
amazing this granny cuz the mum and dad
had gone and she had a seven-year-old
who was coming to the after school care
and coming to the library and she said
you know she just dreamed of a grandson
being a doctor one day and you know
sadly you look around this a shantytown
there’s no sanitation no running water
Wow if he makes to be a doctor and we
just we just feel if we just change one
life that would be awesome so I kind of
think that was talking big talking
exclusive kind of let’s get real let’s
get authentic and let’s really make a
difference I love it up you know I’m a
little choked up
a little bit tear my I justice in the
story i love it i mean everyone in the
comment or chewing you 12 that’s awesome
no it’s great i even been like lots of
words man just mad respect for what
you’re doing there it’s great most of
this call i was dedicated to you guys
answering your questions i mean Stephen
here has dedicated his time to hop on
with you and help you build your
businesses so I know a bunch of
questions already came in and for those
who asking questions in the chat just
put a /q in front of it and I’ll pop out
so we can we can highlight it the first
point came in from Randall how do you
make a statement that causes people to
think without getting them angry with
your position I think you have to stun
and even if I was actually when I
started a Californian startup we spend
time right from the get-go thinking
about you know how do we delight
customers happily come out with
something innovative muni but also what
are the values we want to live buying
the company and the key key message
today actually evidence is that the soft
stuff is hardcore it’s the hard stuff
you know it’s easier to talk about
values it’s all it easy to the wet take
another crazy example n rock 2000 their
values was communication respect
integrity excellence Wow read about wake
up so I think the thing is then when you
take a stand back to your question it’s
got to be congruent and consistent with
your values so you know if we got so
many great customers doing ethical
products we got customers doing really
good health food Gemma price supermarket
just creates clean delicious food with
no chemicals and that’s kind of cool to
the values of the product that she’s
created so when when you see issues out
there that you think wow it breaks my
heart is inconsistent and it is just
it’s a breach of my bunny ilysm and
deviates us from our moral compass then
you got to put your hand up and call
them out and and it’s the final thing
I’ll say everness i would encourage
everybody and you’re like this that’s
why i love you remembered a minus one
when you started
business when you’re sitting there put
your business plan together remember the
anger the passions the dreams you have
that the thing how you wanted to change
the world for your products with your
service and how you knew you could be
better than anywhere else and you’ve got
to remember those and rekindle those
dreams because because that’ll keep you
strong I love the passion man I love
like you pound the table and the camera
shakes cuz you got a laptop it’s great i
love it I you know for me for this one I
think intent trumps everything I don’t
think you should go out and purposely
try to offend people with your statement
in your vision what you’re trying to do
but I also don’t think like you should
try to avoid making people angry I feel
like no matter what you do someone’s
going to get angry someone’s going to
get upset and if nobody’s upset with
what you’re doing and you’re playing
life so safe that you’re not standing
for anything important you know I’m sure
by Stephen not going to die val is there
are some people who are angry about that
but it wasn’t his intent to just make
those guys upset he’s trying to do
something positive and so I think the
intent Trump’s and not to worry so much
about the people who are hating on you
and saying that you know this is a bad
message so I don’t worry about angering
people because I know that the intent is
always positive jiraiya’s yep yeah you
know you and I you probably couldn’t
meet more passive nice big where we’re
very passionate we never want to make
people angry but we on some issues you
have to take the stand you have to have
a really strong moral compass and antsy
you know they’re there is a right path
there and what’s what’s going to mean
what’s your most important value no for
me to believe it’s on the wall I believe
in people believe in entrepreneurs
what’s the most important core value to
Stephen Kelly I guess sort of in my life
which is part of this is define the
cynics um and and the core values for us
is everything I start with this is
follow your dreams live your dreams I
don’t let anybody tell you that you
can’t do stuff because it comes back to
believe actually if you believe and when
you build a company start from the
get-go
to say what do we really stand for what
are our bandages and how do we live them
so even when we recruit the next five
people they’re going to be people who
share those values with us it’s very
important in terms of I’m sage and I’m
just pretty influential in this but the
team did the work is our kind of five
core values that we call out we built
into recruitment performance management
the way we are and and if anybody
misbehaviors against these just call it
out obviously customers first customers
for life that’s absolutely critical but
then other things like velocity
innovation and then these are pretty
bold things making a difference you know
making a difference to collies customers
all stakeholders communities in which we
operate and also a really simple thing
to do the right thing always do the
right thing because I think with all
these things like trust you know know
when you’re on building businesses with
your customers trust at she takes months
and years to build but literally one
little screw-up and dissipate that trust
I see like up customers for life and
then under would be to get those
customers for life we need to innovate
we need to do the right thing we need to
support them is that like the main
mantras customers for life and then how
do we go to accomplish that where do you
see them as separate pillars that you’re
all working on that they’re all five
pillars but they are totally integrated
and and it comes down to then so we have
got three million businesses out there
using our technology in the UK where I
am now fifty-four percent of all
businesses pay their people pay their
employees using sage so what a
responsibility in effing scrub well they
can’t pay their mortgage and then puts
us in the spotlight of responsibility
and that’s a great feeling i really love
that feeling so the customer obsession
is part of everything we do and part of
that Evan what does it mean you know any
customer can tweet many email me anytime
night or day we’ll jump on that the
speed of light will put a team of you
know crack team a hot team in there to
resolve any problems because I
you know as well not every day is a
perfect day when you got three million
customers so you’ve got to say when
stuff goes wrong we’ll we won’t argue
about it we’ll just fix it just fix it
will mayo and I’ve witnessed that
firsthand and they’re in the actions
that you’ve taken in your team and how
quickly things and get done by just
sending a quick message a quick tweet I
love it um Damian’s writing in there’s
so many good causes out there Steven
what’s your criteria for selecting what
the Sage Foundation will support maybe
look like high level like what why did
you write a foundation because that’s
core to your heart and then diving in on
the question yeah I think um so safe
foundation the essence of what is just
to explain to all the guys out there
evan is we’ve got this concept of two
plus two plus two so we will give to any
charity will donate two products to
allow them to help them run their
business would be more efficient we’ve
effectively got two percent of our free
cash flows we generate go into the
foundation to make grants which I’ll
come back to how we actually just review
those and the final piece which really
captures the heart of our colleagues is
we do two percent paid by sage
volunteering so five days a year but any
of our colleagues around the world so
you know we’ve got 2,000 people down in
South Africa that’s 10,000 person days
every year you know 50-person years
where our people are going into the
community to either teach to work in a
hospice to build schools to build
libraries now within the grand part of
the foundation what we believe in which
is uh Nicole is its back to our values
our values all about is being a voice
and a champion of entrepreneurs so the
best of the projects we like to see
coming into the foundation is where you
either kind of have young kids who have
gone off the rails and need to be
retrained or e skilled where they want
to have an opportunity to grow business
startup business and we can work with
charities around that and we’ve done it
with this something in the UK called the
Prince’s Trust where for 250 kind of
vulnerable
young girls and boys it was a retraining
program to be getting start their own
businesses and then we support that with
mentoring and all those sort of things
so the sweet spot o sage foundation is
around kind of entrepreneurs
disadvantaged people and she were the
young or old to allow them to basically
get out there and have an opportunity to
follow their dreams and start businesses
that phase and i doing maybe i will
friedle for a while that you you want to
solve the global economic issues make
more entrepreneurs and let’s support
them and build them up and give them the
mentorship and training ideas and
motivation to make it happen and i love
that you’re putting in the dollars and
the main hours and the resources to make
that vision happen globally it’s awesome
I love it I love it ah okay Evan just on
that is everybody says well isn’t this
kind of a big overhead a big company
sort of thing you can start this when
you got three people and everybody says
you know should we have values what have
we wait till we get to a hundred people
and then we’ll spend time we’ll get
consultants in to do don’t get
consulting you know what your heart
tells you you know when your values are
you know is why you have a passion to
starting business you know I guess the
DNA of what you want your people to be
like and and I aren’t afraid to do it
over with you get the team in get a
couple of beers in create a beer or a
couple of bottles of wine and see what
do we want to be famous for what are the
value when people say about sage people
or whatever the business is what do we
want people to tell all their friends so
they become raving fanatics of our
business and it’s simple and then you do
that and it kind of gives you a really
good foundation stone for growing your
business so it’s not a big company thing
this is I’d say this is a real the
essence of this is is relevant to the
smallest business even with one or two
people and and the truth point the proof
of the pudding in terms of saying the
soft stuff is the hardcore interest
enough the companies that have a mission
and live that mission the data says
they’re nine times more likely to have
high customer satisfaction so you know
this is a
complete game changer I think and it
should be part of the DNA and how you
you guys build your companies and
achieve success and stinky I love some
customer someone who has a big company
and a lot of people on their team I
think a lot of people in big companies
they couldn’t list off the 15 core
values that their company has and so
they’re not really living it I think
entrepreneurs you know we’re smaller we
started this because of a reason we
didn’t just go take a job and so we
connect with that message and it’s
awesome to see people like you who are
leading big companies also sharing that
kind of same passion to make a
difference and actually have a real
impact not just you know make returns
although oh hey you’re making great
returns to as my email is getting lit up
so it’s great to see that there’s that
that result there as well rise online
wrote in the comments hashtag preach
this is the most positive value focused
integrity field blab I’ve ever been on
so you’re making you’re making history
here on blab 2 a.m. and i’m going to ask
you a question so I kind of think
everybody the guys on this channel
they’re all great guys high integrity
during the right thing entrepreneurs
working 70 hours a week the question
with these is how we bring this to life
how do we walk the talk how we
operationalize this you’ve obviously
been on to know I’ve started businesses
um what what really practical advice
would you give to the guys out there on
the girls out there around how do you
land this stuff whether you’re free
people 20 people scared yeah I think
this is a challenge we answer honor
because because you know we’re
especially the solo person you’re
working 80 hours a week you’re doing
everything you’re the janitor to the CEO
and I think a lot of entrepreneurs do
feel the responsibility to give back in
the heart to get back is how do i how do
I manage this because I still need to
survive myself and pay the bills I think
to take a step back one you have to make
sure that you’re actually still around
like you have to make sure you have a
real business you have to make sure that
you can make money and pay the bills
because it’s great just do volunteer
work for charities but then you’re going
to be out of business and if you can
step up and build a bigger business
gives you more time to be able to invest
in companies and in charities and in
projects that you’re passionate about
but you don’t have to wait until you
have a hundred employees to do it right
simple things like taking a day out of
the month and volunteering for a cause
that you believe in or joining a blob or
hang out or making a video on something
that you feel passionate about you can
do right now it doesn’t have to take an
insane amount of time and I think for
entrepreneurs you want to tie the reason
like you said to starting day minus one
right the reason why you started this
and make it part of your you’re selling
factor that’s why you no call this
course selling is something that my onyx
is familiar with but most people sell
the features of what they sell and then
the benefits of what they sell but the
next step up is selling the core right
by standing for something important and
living that not just it’s a it’s a story
that you keep to yourself of why you’re
doing it by making it public sharing it
on your website using it to recruit team
members and media and customers then
that gives you positive momentum it
allows you to keep going and doing more
of it what I think too many entre cars
have it but they just keep it to
themselves and they don’t share it and
then when you look at their website and
marketing materials it just looks like
another landscaping company or another
software company or another whatever but
they have it to just not bring it out
because they’re too afraid to stand up
and so stand up stand up for what you
believe where they make it known tell it
everywhere and get people excited I love
it okay that’s great Gail is writing in
a love it too we have an anti-aging
cream business that we tried several
years ago to advertise he’s basically
doing a whole bunch of stuff she tried
advertising trade shows she’s trying to
do it in social media but she’s not
getting any luck within the context of
this now values how can she promote this
business of hers to start getting some
results in social yeah I think I don’t
know the specifics the thought but let
me never take its tab I think with Nancy
aging cream you know obviously what it
would offer is what’s the benefit
and it’s all about well then it’s all
about I guess self-confidence and self
you know I have and I look at you and
I’m an old guy you’re a young guy you
got all the Edit though if this products
could like me all the guys and gals
around the world said actually it will
look after my world being looked after
my skin it reduces extra allergies all
those sort of things then yeah I like
that and I think the way to do it is
with all these things kind of start
small build a community of fans and then
kind of go and through social you can go
awesome and then with tryouts like
anti-aging creams you know the website
is your shop window on the world but how
you do it i think is it’s all about kind
of social referrals and these things do
go buy recommendation and you know
things like aging create beauty products
is a fantastic market where
recommendations and referrals are create
viral success and unless so start small
maybe go out to community of friends in
your village test drive the product come
up with a few references to a few video
clips of how it’s made a difference
their life put it online open up a kind
of web store and i think yeah i think is
a tremendous orlando could you trying to
get it on twitter and it’s not having
luck i think if we were to look at your
twitter feed it would probably just
super promotional and spammy right
there’s no value there there’s no story
there’s no core you know stand up for
something around aging that’s important
to you I think how do you sell in social
most people do the wrong thing they’re
just broadcasting all the time pushing
out coupon codes or whatever nobody pays
any attention we’re how you should do it
is look at this this is an example right
now we are social selling right now
through our values even though i’m not
talking about any products Stevens not
Stevens not coming on in saying hey you
guys need to go by sage software it’s
the best thing for your business and
wait there’s more if you do it right now
on this hangout you’re going to get ten
percent off your first month right you
know if he were doing that you guys
would all take off right and i would
probably hang up to he’s coming on and
giving value right he’s talking about
what he’s the one
with the librarian in Davos and trying
to help you like he’s got 15,000
employees to worry and about and he’s on
here chatting with you trying to help
you grow your business because he cares
because this is something that’s
meaningful to him right and something
that meaningful to me too why am i
spending my time because I want to help
you guys out too and so if you think
about it though the next time that you
need accounting software right you’re
all entrepreneurs or you’re going to
start your business when you need
accounting software who’s the first
company you’re going to go to write its
sages business to lose because of all
the value that steven has given you to
help your business and that and that’s
how it works and you see the results is
companies are exploding leading the
stock market back to the black and I
think that’s how you do it you want to
sell on social that’s the key right
start sharing your passion start
providing value start being the expert
don’t just talk about your anti-aging
cream because that’s a commodity that I
can buy in a lot of places make me have
a reason to want to buy from you because
I know you’d like you trust you and
you’re the first person I’m going to go
to you have to then lose my business
because I love you so much with
everything that you’re putting out
that’s how you win social and that’s how
you make sales to not just spamming out
links I got fired ads you read your
story your emotional story yeah you
almost made me cry on my own show
Stephen you know who one day will go to
UM sound that for well we could go to
loads of these projects around the world
you know where there’s blood kind of
victims upper north of England who banks
out in the USA just thought I’d do it I
will not tell you one of these traitors
and we’ll do it together okay next one
Julie I think it’s a process in knowing
who we are and offering something that
resonates from an inner place and born
of a deeper meaning my question is about
the process do we muddle around and keep
it at one idea or try out a few how do
we keep track so we can measure what is
working or not you have any tips or
tools from Julie
it’s a great coach nothing and I do
think you’re right and it comes back to
what Evan said I believe great companies
are companies with a heart so when you
start on D minus one you know what is it
you really believe it what is your
passion what sets kind of true north on
your moral compass and that’s something
that will stay with out through your
business career and then what’s your big
idea what what’s the execution plan and
then what I’d say in terms of how you
execute the business I always say this
too I’ve been I mean a lot of startup
business and angel investor I’d say if
you’ve got a clear proposition clear
value proposition clear strategy you
know just take the first step great
words of Martin Luther King on you know
if you’re trying to climb a giant
staircase just take the first step then
take the second step then take the third
and and always think about you know one
of our core values velocity I tell guys
to do the right thing customer first but
guaranteed will make those mistakes so
fail fast learn from those failings try
something different do loads of course
correction so I keep it in your head you
need to kind of separate the moral
compass the sense of purpose into the
essence of why are they DNA and then the
strategy where you operationalize into
execution plans you need to be really
agile be prepared to change it course
corrected see what works do more than
love it now you know I have a problem
with this question in that I think uh
just this is something from the heart
and you’re trying to you’re trying to
rationalize it with your head you’re
trying to make it logical you know
you’re trying to measure it and it’s
like how do you measure love right like
how do you measure doing the right thing
right when does that pay off if ever
right sometimes you do the right thing
and it costs you but it’s still the
right thing to do it’s still something
that you should actually go out and do
and so I think just I don’t know the way
the question is phrased just doesn’t sit
well with me uh you know Steven says I’m
not going to go to Davos because it’s
not the right thing to do for what I
believe in you know maybe that’s not the
logical thing to do right like maybe he
could go there and meet a lot of people
on a
creates connections with the business
and so maybe this it’s a negative roi
but it’s it feels right right and so how
do you quantify that or measure it or
their tools for it I don’t know that
that I have an answer for you apart from
this is a matter of the heart and heart
always comes first to the big decisions
and then the head helps you make the
little ones yeah Evan on that couple of
things I think um I think you’ve really
right building on what you said about
Devils um I called it out because i want
the issues wrong from those be
represented now I back to kind of the
first question I don’t think it’s good
for us just to be negative you know that
serves no purpose you’ve got to present
an alternative that’s really positive so
we’re actually now looking at how do we
get the entrepreneurs agenda into that
room and all the cocktail bars in
Switzerland in Davos you know is there a
role for Adamas for the great
entrepreneurs in what ah so we’re
thinking about what we need to do to
fill that vacuum or get the guys who
kind of a responsible for that loss the
World Economic Forum to really care
about the guys that the true heroes of
the economy the other thing I think it
would probably say is easy Duty back to
your question to build great values when
companies are doing well and you grow in
and all that sort of stuff but the real
test comes when you hit the rocks
something doesn’t go well we don’t make
your numbers like that grow or you get a
problem with a product phase shift and I
think that’s really where you have to
come back to you I’ll give you a
director example I was a part of a
startup company back in California 97 I
ended up CEO there sadly when we hit the
rafters in the tech boom crash in what
2000-2001 we had to lay off some of our
folks friends we have to you know I had
these guys advice my backyard in a
summer party with their kids and their
husbands and wives girlfriend for trends
but it was really important we sat down
and I told the executives in an
executive meeting with honestly deep
sorrow that we’re gonna have to lay some
more colleagues off and I
said I would lack integrity if we’re not
sharing some of that pain so we in that
meeting decided that the executives
would take a twenty percent haircut on
their salaries compensation so I came
out of that meeting with a commitment
from all my executives including myself
will take the twenty percent haircut
will reduce our salary and there’s a
public company by that time it’s all
announced aboard barling and stuff but
the congruence of what we were doing
because we were sharing the pain with
our colleagues it made actually the
process much higher integrity forwards
and catches on to our bodies a great
example and speaks to the main that you
are so uh thank you thank you for
sharing that I love it um we have a call
in from from Mauritius one of the cool
things about blabbers you can have
people call in merp now let’s see what
she has to say marisha was the first
person to confirm that she was going to
join us oh you’re sideways your oh my my
sideways your sideways better there you
go Marie she was the first person to
join and say she was gonna watch this
show so because when I see any time I
see that Evan and Stephen are going to
collab I’m gonna be the first one on it
I love it so so Wow quick quick intro
and then what question you have yes okay
well I’m marisha also reishi from rishi
cup TV i guess i’m going to make sure
that this phone is held right um yeah I
love this topic and I guess my question
might be slightly tied to julie’s I’m
not sure if I really fully got um what
she was asking but my question is
specifically around navigating not so
much when your values change um because
are you still there and I’m not seeing
you okay Bri okay Evan gone he’s
probably done for a coffee babe okay all
right love this technology so much thank
you good so basically the mono ideally
when you start your business you’re
going to have a clear set of your core
values
and so I’m wondering though if you’ve
ever navigated not necessarily when your
values change but when they refine and
when they focus and what I’m thinking
about specifically as an example is like
you know the oprah winfrey show it
started out doing a lot of kind of
shocked TV and more controversial
tabloid topics and then it’s at some
point right in the process she had a
value that just refined and she’s like
I’m not going to do any more shock TV I
want to only focus on content that will
bring light into people’s lives but
there’s a transition and that process
that I am wondering um if you can speak
to when you know when you are personally
experiencing that maybe change in
conviction how do you transition in a
way that not only just honors that
change in yourself but like honors your
customers honors your team and that’s
yeah that’s pretty much my question so
I’m yeah okay I will take this step of
that and Evans gonna come back on and he
will give you a kala on so that’s why
you go to hell um so I can’t think
generally 19 on Senate business evident
we had a great question for me she
basically said how is it when you’ve got
core values that things have to kind of
modify and shift and do cause breaks
around the valleys and you gave the
example of oprah winfrey who started off
kind of shock and horror and then you
kind of went much more sympathetic
around issues that matter to her and
changed if ever the whole brand of what
she represents or modified it didn’t
change it dramatically i think um what
I’d say murshid is is fundamentally
number one is typically i’d say most
businesses i look out there have the
same core values when they start as when
they’re 10 years old 15 years old 20
years old and the core values around
we call our integrity customers first
they’re never going to change what the
subtle nuance is of what problem you’re
solving for customers or why you’re not
going to board out apart from the
customers or product innovation that’s
going to changing the time and waiting
you know I’m just totally crazy and
challenge myself the team one of our
balances around sort of um sort of
revolutionising the business for our
customers so we should never sit still
we should never be happy with the status
quo but the core values never change and
I think it’s interesting I I just
interviewed someone Rossini roller at
sage and the other the other company he
was interviewed by contacting the name
is probably unfair but it was a tobacco
company and I just said well how come
you kind of interview with us where
we’re really passionate about our values
and our integrity and then you’re
interviewing the tobacco come you know I
you know people want to go and kill
themselves as their choice and I respect
that however where you’re going to spend
to that you know when you get a work
when you’re an entrepreneur you spend in
230 your conscience life Oh through
people you love colleagues you respect
customers that you’re going to make
raving fans and you’re going to make a
difference to the world and I think I do
think there for you know so call out i
think the Millennials guys like you a
much more conscious of that moral
compass and i think sadly in the past
people have compromised their moral
compass and and ended up working in
companies who had no heart so I I don’t
from a company point of view from the
entrepreneurs point of view I’d really
advise you that establish things that
will last the test of time in terms of
um and and then build them out yeah
Brandon around them have recruitment
when you do you let sit down and have
reviews you call them out their part
they become part of what you are and
then it returns and then as the market
change the opportunity changes as you
evolve and you kind of grew up then you
can take a bunch of wherever you see
and that but the call bonnie is always
obviously yeah yeah I am a marine I got
kicked I got myself kicked out of the
car uh okay so before you answer that
seem curious what what did the guy say
about the tobacco you know so you’d say
here we’re living our values we’re full
of you know we’re doing something
meaningful and then there’s tobacco what
was his response and what happened with
this guy well he said he was only they
basically had been with a company where
he was 50 years and he’d had no
interview practice so he was just using
as in and that’s probably the best
answer he could have given its on you’re
interested in working out of that
company then we should stop the end of
you now because they know we just miss a
line and is not near a bad guy or
anything i’m not going to be i am mighty
i’m not going to be some kind of
moralist it’s just different there’s
probably loads of companies you can go
for but this is a company / skew and a
noble cause supporting entrepreneurs and
that’s all we believe in and we’re very
clear about that when you tom has we
love it’s interesting story I like all
the little Stephen Kelly anecdotes and
stories good this is my favorite episode
so far to answer that question about
Oprah you know as you see Oprah evolved
I feel like she just became more and
more self-confident and more and more
trusting and who she was and not trying
to be what other people wanted her to be
right so you can do the shock-and-awe
campaign and and you know boyfriend
stabs girlfriend on air or whatever I’m
gonna get you some ratings but I feel
like that wasn’t truly her if you watch
Oprah she’s all about heart right like
Oprah really cares about people
genuinely like he lit it radiates but
her earlier stuff it’s very formal
almost corporate you know it’s like it
that true Oprah is not coming out and I
think I mean we have the ledger be able
to watch her over such a long period of
time you see her progression to becoming
much more comfortable being herself and
sharing that and I think as she shared
more
that’s what really got like the hard
core audience and that grew so big for
her right that’s why her influence
became so powerful is because she was
just honest and true to herself and then
shared that with the world uh where is
you know the people who followed her
that that shock style and she went off
and did something else those guys never
built that following right you just seen
coming on the seed like the latest jab
the latest stabbing the latest whatever
and then they’re off to see the next
show where they don’t develop that
intense relationship and so I think for
you when for the people watching the way
they get there faster is just have the
confidence to be who you are sooner and
Express that and I know it’s hard
because people judge you and you’re
going to get hater comments and i know
you do stuff on youtube and there’s
always going to be people who hate on
what you’re doing and that that can
sting in a bad way to the point we’re
like you don’t want to do anything
anymore but i think if you have the
skills and you have the ability to make
it a positive impact on the world then
you have the responsibility to do it and
and I know you do you have great talents
and I’ve seen some of your videos and
you know we’ve been connected for a
while I’m joining them all the hangouts
everything I just being more genuine
more you like raw uh your raw self and
trust that people will like that and not
worry about what other people are saying
um that’s if you watch Oprah in my
opinion that’s the evolution of Oprah
and that’s how she build up her audience
so you can do it to your raw self yay we
let final thing all over with I think
with service we absolutely league but
the thing about authenticity is also
vulnerability and I think over it
showing herself I think great leaders
just a very vulnerable at points in time
and that means people gravitate over and
her core mission and values is Evan
I think it’s been consistent right from
the get-go right to now awesome thank
you guys well thanks for calling in okay
uh okay ready Lucas is writing in how
can I promote quality health and home
care products and increase the awareness
for my customer base got some sorry my
customer base I guess still in context
of this values theme that we’re on how
do you promote quality health care home
care products and increase your customer
base awareness I think um yeah back to
your point it is almost like um the
products I think you’ve gotta look for
what is she trying to solve and I think
things like health care products home
care products there’s obviously a
massive market with us in Canada usl
globally but but it really is about what
does it give the people who are going to
use those clothes how does it make their
life better how does it meet their
health better and appeared in today and
then I don’t know if you again back to
Evan point if you could find say some of
your buddies who’s a bit of a kind of
leader or a doctor or someone who’s an
industry trusted advisor to start talk
about the issues and and then you create
the issues and you come in and your
products one of the solutions around
that so I think it’s more about um and I
just look at some of our cousins and
what gem has done with kind of the
massive health food business business of
like five million dollars turnover from
nothing few years ago cells across 33
countries she had some kind of focus
just on product sales she’s really
focused on beautiful product delicious
products free of chemicals and and
there’s a lot of people like all of us
probably on this um on this plan we’re
actually yeah we we buy that because
he’s helping us to eat well be healthy
and have a more kind of holistic you of
ourselves I would say you know your
competitive advantage is your story your
values why are you doing this in most
markets you have it’s a commodity right
like health care and home care products
is tons
it’s so there’s there might be some
product differentiation but the way to
stand out is your story right make me
feel something that’s as an entrepreneur
it’s riskier to go with you because
you’re the you’re the newer kid on the
block why would I go with an
entrepreneur when I can buy from a safe
established company it’s because of the
story because of the values that you
have as an example some guy who called
in had a lawn care service right so he
mowed lawns and took care of your
flowers all that stuff and I said well
you know why should I that’s a hard
business right like I could go to my
next door neighbor who’s got a high
school kid and say hey here’s 15 bucks
mow the lawn right so how are you going
to compete when you’re charging three
times that much and that was his
challenge and I said well why do you why
did you start this business because when
I was young I spent hours every week out
there with my mom and we you know move
belong together and we did all the
potting the flowers and we did all the
landscaping together and I started this
business because it you know reminds me
of her it’s paying tribute to her and I
treat everybody’s lon like it’s my
mother’s line and right there like you
feel the passion in his voice and you
know it’s not just a marketing thing I
would pay that guy two or three times as
much then the high school kid down the
street because I feel like he cares more
than the other person and then he’s
going to do a good job on my lawn right
and so that’s what you need to do for
your business to right why do you care
so much about home and health care
products why is it important why are you
starting this thing you know if you can
tap into that and for all entrepreneurs
watching right you tap into that story
and you share it make me feel something
on an emotional level like Steven maybe
almost cried the start of this episode
right you want to do that just genuinely
telling your story and that’s going to
attract the right customers to you okay
what’s grave none Evan I tell you I just
visualized for a minute sitting in there
looking out of the yard and seeing these
kind of beautiful lines and stripes on
the Lord and you know that he did you
all
it’s like well it’s used don’t give me a
reason to to see how you’re different
then I’m just going to compete on price
I guess I’m gonna go with the cheaper
guy because I see it as a commodity so
your job as an entrepreneur is to show
me why it’s not a commodity and the
caring and the values is a huge part of
that yep yeah absolutely and it’s part
of the brand’s right you know Hogan’s in
the topic maybe four different blab
basic build and and you’re right emotion
trust the star rd for a de Thea and
working out that okay price talk about
pricing strategy what is a pricing
strategy for a new product how can you
convince the clients that your price is
right I think well simply sort of
question its you gotta have
differentiated you’ve got to have at the
end the day I think you have to believe
your product you have to leave your
mission and that’s kind of what this
blebs that we should probably do another
one around some of these topics around
brand pricing but with it without a
doubt again price in part of execution
and obviously it’s party pricing
strategy so with that sort of thing test
drive it you know test drive they even
start talking to friends what price
would people feel comfortable with test
it put it on the web if you’re not
getting it right or know how to change
it but but I think a lot of a lot of
businesses when they start worry too
much about price and it’s not the right
thing to worry about the right thing to
worry about is why would someone have a
compelling need for this product or
service why could I be very different
from anyone else and then honestly price
although that’s a sign that’s good it’s
a good punch to the stomach kind of
realization moment I would add that I
think a lot of entrepreneurs underpriced
themselves a lot of entrepreneurs just
don’t believe that they’re worth more
and it’s stepping up to realize that hey
I’m adding value and and starting to go
after more ideal clients because you get
stuck in these like low paying clients
and low budgets and that starts to
affect your soft forth I feel like this
is all you can do where you could charge
more it’s just about offering more value
to the right clients and so it’s common
when you start off a business you’re
taking whoever you’re trying to figure
it out but as you grow you want to think
about how can I provide more value to
better clients so you can increase your
prices and you know chase your dreams
make them whether if you want to make
interesting interesting thing ever
actually are on some of the sort of
conferences we run for entrepreneurs
weird think you know should we actually
wave all the registration fees and put
that money into the sage foundation so
you argue you know is our conference
Laurens been someone else you’re humble
who cares we want to build the best
conference with the best value for nerds
and then to really reinforce that point
actually if we said all registration
fees go to the Sage Foundation get a
charity it just changes the game again
and I think I think you’re right if it
breaks my heart when I see entrepreneurs
pricing products too low because there’s
will do it there’s that down moment
about you know if I priced it too high
they won’t come but if you’ve got the
right product for the right idea and
you’ve established the need well then
siege summer is a pretty ass over and I
had the luxury to go last year and this
year Chicago ray I’m excited okay so
next question was hockey most raising
startup capital I know we talked about
this last time on our session was about
raising capital how do values play into
raising capital so I know you’ve been in
angel investor and maybe in your
startup’s that you’ve done as well how
does how does values play into raising
money for a company i think is
fundamentally you know and i work few
things early stage the best the best
activity seventy percent of our our
customers have actually self-funded
their businesses lagega and we’re we had
a hangout on this and you’re absolutely
right you know it’s about you don’t want
to raise too much you don’t want to give
away the equity and actually you really
want to build something sustainable
a good way to start that is probably
friends and family angel investors they
will be totally totally ready absolutely
to listen to what are the values of the
business because again companies with
great values as I said tend to have nine
times better customer service you know I
said at the beginning the soft stuff is
hardcore there’s no no surprise some of
the best companies in the world and some
of the best entrepreneurs in the world
and really strong valleys and I think
you know there’s a direct correlation
between the values and success so if I’m
an angel investor I want to see yeah I
want to see the business banner want to
see the market demand I want to see it
strategy I want to see probably is
something that doesn’t have to be
science it doesn’t have to be warm piece
but it just like a three years of a
projection on business plan about what
we can do with loans are kind of
mitigation if if the execution doesn’t
go right see sometimes takes longer to
achieve anything but part of that is the
values and the values of the executive
the founder and what they want to do and
how you know I’m really back to Evan if
someone comes to move with a proposition
that kind of makes sense and then they
actually touch my heart and say I’m by
the way we’re going to change the world
or we can do something really
spectacular you’ve got all is and and
then next phase if you want to go into
the world of BC’s venture capitalist
yeah I’ll be honest these guys can say
you’re spinning and this you could do
another old blab about how to walk money
frequencies but I’d say to do it on your
terms don’t do all these crazy
restrictive covenants all that give them
given basie do do something that would
fit two or three run a little beauty
parade never just go with one and you
will self so late and a lot of thats the
chemistry of the individuals and some
VCS are kind of hands off some VCS are
really in your face so you’ll find very
quickly because it’s all about the
chemistry and what will work for your
business and allow you to be successful
so what I’d say is again brownies are
the absolutely
the study of business right through
different phases of funding should be
something that is front and center and
potty business that you’re proud of that
you haven’t kind of got in the
background draw the answer is bringing
out there front and center and obviously
a part of that will always be around
customers and colleagues and how you
treat us all of it I mean the only thing
I got to daddy is a you need to be
selective as an entrepreneur to as to
which angel investor you bring off but
you need to test their values not just
worried about them testing yours you
don’t want just money you want somebody
who can help you but also who believes
in the same thing that you believe in
you know if your investors into a lot of
underhanded stuff that you don’t agree
with that’s not going to be creating
long-term relationship and so it can
suck they’ll have to walk away from a
deal because you need the money to grow
but you don’t want to get married to the
wrong person it’s just it’s just not
worth it so so have good standards for
yourself too and not just accept any any
investor any employee any partner any
supplier because you’re in a crunch you
want to make sure you get the right
person on board and we did yeah I am
when women to start up in California
again we went to a customer in the
retail sector oh man this customer
brutal and and that you know the classic
games of the business people are not
allowed to talk to the procurement
people you’ve got to deal with a
procurement people business people can’t
get even if the business people want
your product and these procurement guys
they didn’t care they have no soul no
heart we stepped wasted guys if that’s
the way you want to do business then
there’s probably lots of other people
out there who want to work under your
terms but that’s not the way we want to
do it and you’ve got to step away from
this and in the long term you know
you’ll be better off at the time it
hurts and you know monkey revenues for
that period they hurt but it would fall
cast a deal and it didn’t happen didn’t
materialize but we step back and said
actually know if that’s the way of this
customer and then ironically six months
later they tried it for another supply
the project crashed and burned the
business one you guys back in and will
do on your turn
some will be part of the price of it 11
oh I know we’re watching up against the
clock you’ve received almost 4000 high
fives for everything that you’ve you get
the fist bump there there you go you
just cross forth as it yeah there you go
there you go this is a series we’re
going to continue um for this is going
to be uploaded to the YouTube channel 2
we’d love to know what topics you want
us to cover next in future editions so
you can leave a comment below and we’ll
collect those and figure out what we’re
going to do for the next session I know
still a lot of questions that we were
able to get to so I apologize for that
but time does fly Stephen uh people want
to reach out to you or learn more about
the progress you working on now you
mentioned the foundation what’s the best
way to be able to connect with you and
learn about what you’re up to come true
anyway anybody wants to reach out to has
come through tweet email and stuff like
that and also in terms of the website
learn about us also stay tuned to this
don’t think Evan you know love i love
being part of this because we talk about
stuff that the audience out there cares
about and in a little way if we can meet
businesses across canada USA and Europe
and all over the world more successful
and learn from some of our mistakes
you’ve got lots of things wrong loads of
things wrong you got a lot of stuff
wrong um but when we put that into
context if the guys out there can learn
from us and our mistakes and what was
well then you know it’s just fantastic
to participate it’s none I thank you
ever passing your facial Jersey watching
and we’ll see you soon have a great day
thanks guys have a great day
everybody to another hangout super
excited to be here talking about a
really important topic for me which is
how to stand out by standing up join by
my special guest longtime friend of the
channel CEO of sage Steven Kelley Steven
welcome back great to be back evidence
really a privilege middle part of your
channel and you are and me and a few
other people out there changing the
world I love it where where are you now
every time I talk to your somewhere else
so what country are you and now I’ll
tell you this week I’ve had an awesome
week I was down in Johannesburg and
maybe we’ll talk about it in the next
hour I was down in place called Soweto
which is the township and it’s basically
kids living in shacks and that was part
of the sage foundation and then I got
back here to London so we’re sitting in
front of London City here I live back
home cuz out in Canada as well so next
time we need to look each other up there
I love it I love it cool well you know I
want to get into this chat but but just
before you know I follow sage and all
the stuff you guys are up to and this
week my embossed exploded with all the
positive news that you guys been putting
out you know like my sage leaves the
stock market back into the black and
thirty-five percent increase in revenue
and all this stuff you guys are doing
well yeah but it’s all about doing you
know that’s the byproduct of everything
you do for customers you know that and I
know that and as entrepreneurs and all
the entrepreneurs out there on the
channel they know doing the right thing
by colleagues by customers in the
business producers outstanding results I
love it for further you guys who are
first time joining on a blab if you want
to ask the question you got to do / q
and then type your question I’ll show up
on the side ah Steven talking about
standing up so we have a story bout da
bus to share right i mean every year the
top guys around the world get invited to
davos to figure out how are we going to
better the earth and for most people
it’s like this is an honor be invited
and it’d be like a highlight of the
career and you’re saying i’m not going
to die bows i’m standing up I’m not
gonna go tell everybody why ah yes I
think we believe
you gotta have a really strong moral
compass and you gotta have a sense of
purpose and then I look at Davos and
they’re all I’m sure lovely people well
million people a lot of very rich people
but it then creating kind of a very
exclusive event and and I just SAT back
here at you before Christmas before the
holiday season and said what is da most
more than of just a talking shop and
then I just look to the people who live
i din and it’s all unit of politicians
the good and the grey and I thought hang
on a minute where’s the guys who drive
the economies around the world around
Canada around north america USA the UK
and is two-thirds of the jobs created
today are created by small and medium
businesses entrepreneurs business owners
you know working flat out seven hours a
week and who’s there voice in dallas
there is no voice there staring reality
Devils has made up all these lobby
groups big business and the guys who
really should be sitting at the table
saying these are the issues i want you
governments to change and listen to
because they’ll drive greater prosperity
for the countries and give us much
greater capabilities for the vulnerable
and things that really matter it just
wasn’t missing and then actually what we
did in the new year we did surveys of
hundreds of why I sheet thousands of our
customers and shock horror no surprise
only four percent of them thought the
devil’s was relevant four percent of all
our customers out there and the shocking
thing and maybe you’re not surprised by
this sixty percent of our customers
didn’t even know what DevOps was they
didn’t know exist World Economic Forum
Davos what is it so I kind of think you
know all the private jets and all the
exclusivity and the cocktail parties you
know our world your world my world the
people on this channels world is hard
work hard graft building something
special and we just made a plea and a
cry for help for the guys that Devils to
say listen to the guys that really build
the economies and put their issues on
your agenda and as part of that I
thought it would just be you know
completely you know sad and totally
inappropriate and incongruent if I was
to be a ten
there I said no I don’t want to go and i
called it out and i think some things in
life you’ve got to just consistently
live your values do the right thing and
kind of stick to what you believe is the
right thing and authenticity is
everything and davis was just an example
of that and actually I’m sorry I just
gone because then that was last week
Davos this week through the sage
foundation you know safe foundation just
blows me away almost brink of tears runs
down in sweat oh where they saw the
freedom charter in 1955 in South Africa
they had Ryan Serhan 1976 and there’s
just all these amazing kits that 60 of
our volunteers in sage have built a
library for these kids to go and you
know Nelson Mandela said dealer
basically be education is the only way
out of poverty and it was just a walking
talking living example of how to make a
difference in the community that really
matters and gives our communities great
out for the future and you know I have
and I love kids anyway but seeing these
like 45 year old little kids run it up
and if you follow me on Twitter Esteli
CEO there’s a little video these kids
singing to me and it just broke your
heart on a you know I just I come in do
loads of meat and see those and
customers and gets a widow and this just
I had a big tea room I and I just felt I
felt hugely proud about the colleagues
in sage in this one Joanne vanderwal and
all the people who have actually done
made a difference down their paint a
library kit in the library out and
bringing kids aboard and giving them
hope and we met her granny’s just
amazing this granny cuz the mum and dad
had gone and she had a seven-year-old
who was coming to the after school care
and coming to the library and she said
you know she just dreamed of a grandson
being a doctor one day and you know
sadly you look around this a shantytown
there’s no sanitation no running water
Wow if he makes to be a doctor and we
just we just feel if we just change one
life that would be awesome so I kind of
think that was talking big talking
exclusive kind of let’s get real let’s
get authentic and let’s really make a
difference I love it up you know I’m a
little choked up
a little bit tear my I justice in the
story i love it i mean everyone in the
comment or chewing you 12 that’s awesome
no it’s great i even been like lots of
words man just mad respect for what
you’re doing there it’s great most of
this call i was dedicated to you guys
answering your questions i mean Stephen
here has dedicated his time to hop on
with you and help you build your
businesses so I know a bunch of
questions already came in and for those
who asking questions in the chat just
put a /q in front of it and I’ll pop out
so we can we can highlight it the first
point came in from Randall how do you
make a statement that causes people to
think without getting them angry with
your position I think you have to stun
and even if I was actually when I
started a Californian startup we spend
time right from the get-go thinking
about you know how do we delight
customers happily come out with
something innovative muni but also what
are the values we want to live buying
the company and the key key message
today actually evidence is that the soft
stuff is hardcore it’s the hard stuff
you know it’s easier to talk about
values it’s all it easy to the wet take
another crazy example n rock 2000 their
values was communication respect
integrity excellence Wow read about wake
up so I think the thing is then when you
take a stand back to your question it’s
got to be congruent and consistent with
your values so you know if we got so
many great customers doing ethical
products we got customers doing really
good health food Gemma price supermarket
just creates clean delicious food with
no chemicals and that’s kind of cool to
the values of the product that she’s
created so when when you see issues out
there that you think wow it breaks my
heart is inconsistent and it is just
it’s a breach of my bunny ilysm and
deviates us from our moral compass then
you got to put your hand up and call
them out and and it’s the final thing
I’ll say everness i would encourage
everybody and you’re like this that’s
why i love you remembered a minus one
when you started
business when you’re sitting there put
your business plan together remember the
anger the passions the dreams you have
that the thing how you wanted to change
the world for your products with your
service and how you knew you could be
better than anywhere else and you’ve got
to remember those and rekindle those
dreams because because that’ll keep you
strong I love the passion man I love
like you pound the table and the camera
shakes cuz you got a laptop it’s great i
love it I you know for me for this one I
think intent trumps everything I don’t
think you should go out and purposely
try to offend people with your statement
in your vision what you’re trying to do
but I also don’t think like you should
try to avoid making people angry I feel
like no matter what you do someone’s
going to get angry someone’s going to
get upset and if nobody’s upset with
what you’re doing and you’re playing
life so safe that you’re not standing
for anything important you know I’m sure
by Stephen not going to die val is there
are some people who are angry about that
but it wasn’t his intent to just make
those guys upset he’s trying to do
something positive and so I think the
intent Trump’s and not to worry so much
about the people who are hating on you
and saying that you know this is a bad
message so I don’t worry about angering
people because I know that the intent is
always positive jiraiya’s yep yeah you
know you and I you probably couldn’t
meet more passive nice big where we’re
very passionate we never want to make
people angry but we on some issues you
have to take the stand you have to have
a really strong moral compass and antsy
you know they’re there is a right path
there and what’s what’s going to mean
what’s your most important value no for
me to believe it’s on the wall I believe
in people believe in entrepreneurs
what’s the most important core value to
Stephen Kelly I guess sort of in my life
which is part of this is define the
cynics um and and the core values for us
is everything I start with this is
follow your dreams live your dreams I
don’t let anybody tell you that you
can’t do stuff because it comes back to
believe actually if you believe and when
you build a company start from the
get-go
to say what do we really stand for what
are our bandages and how do we live them
so even when we recruit the next five
people they’re going to be people who
share those values with us it’s very
important in terms of I’m sage and I’m
just pretty influential in this but the
team did the work is our kind of five
core values that we call out we built
into recruitment performance management
the way we are and and if anybody
misbehaviors against these just call it
out obviously customers first customers
for life that’s absolutely critical but
then other things like velocity
innovation and then these are pretty
bold things making a difference you know
making a difference to collies customers
all stakeholders communities in which we
operate and also a really simple thing
to do the right thing always do the
right thing because I think with all
these things like trust you know know
when you’re on building businesses with
your customers trust at she takes months
and years to build but literally one
little screw-up and dissipate that trust
I see like up customers for life and
then under would be to get those
customers for life we need to innovate
we need to do the right thing we need to
support them is that like the main
mantras customers for life and then how
do we go to accomplish that where do you
see them as separate pillars that you’re
all working on that they’re all five
pillars but they are totally integrated
and and it comes down to then so we have
got three million businesses out there
using our technology in the UK where I
am now fifty-four percent of all
businesses pay their people pay their
employees using sage so what a
responsibility in effing scrub well they
can’t pay their mortgage and then puts
us in the spotlight of responsibility
and that’s a great feeling i really love
that feeling so the customer obsession
is part of everything we do and part of
that Evan what does it mean you know any
customer can tweet many email me anytime
night or day we’ll jump on that the
speed of light will put a team of you
know crack team a hot team in there to
resolve any problems because I
you know as well not every day is a
perfect day when you got three million
customers so you’ve got to say when
stuff goes wrong we’ll we won’t argue
about it we’ll just fix it just fix it
will mayo and I’ve witnessed that
firsthand and they’re in the actions
that you’ve taken in your team and how
quickly things and get done by just
sending a quick message a quick tweet I
love it um Damian’s writing in there’s
so many good causes out there Steven
what’s your criteria for selecting what
the Sage Foundation will support maybe
look like high level like what why did
you write a foundation because that’s
core to your heart and then diving in on
the question yeah I think um so safe
foundation the essence of what is just
to explain to all the guys out there
evan is we’ve got this concept of two
plus two plus two so we will give to any
charity will donate two products to
allow them to help them run their
business would be more efficient we’ve
effectively got two percent of our free
cash flows we generate go into the
foundation to make grants which I’ll
come back to how we actually just review
those and the final piece which really
captures the heart of our colleagues is
we do two percent paid by sage
volunteering so five days a year but any
of our colleagues around the world so
you know we’ve got 2,000 people down in
South Africa that’s 10,000 person days
every year you know 50-person years
where our people are going into the
community to either teach to work in a
hospice to build schools to build
libraries now within the grand part of
the foundation what we believe in which
is uh Nicole is its back to our values
our values all about is being a voice
and a champion of entrepreneurs so the
best of the projects we like to see
coming into the foundation is where you
either kind of have young kids who have
gone off the rails and need to be
retrained or e skilled where they want
to have an opportunity to grow business
startup business and we can work with
charities around that and we’ve done it
with this something in the UK called the
Prince’s Trust where for 250 kind of
vulnerable
young girls and boys it was a retraining
program to be getting start their own
businesses and then we support that with
mentoring and all those sort of things
so the sweet spot o sage foundation is
around kind of entrepreneurs
disadvantaged people and she were the
young or old to allow them to basically
get out there and have an opportunity to
follow their dreams and start businesses
that phase and i doing maybe i will
friedle for a while that you you want to
solve the global economic issues make
more entrepreneurs and let’s support
them and build them up and give them the
mentorship and training ideas and
motivation to make it happen and i love
that you’re putting in the dollars and
the main hours and the resources to make
that vision happen globally it’s awesome
I love it I love it ah okay Evan just on
that is everybody says well isn’t this
kind of a big overhead a big company
sort of thing you can start this when
you got three people and everybody says
you know should we have values what have
we wait till we get to a hundred people
and then we’ll spend time we’ll get
consultants in to do don’t get
consulting you know what your heart
tells you you know when your values are
you know is why you have a passion to
starting business you know I guess the
DNA of what you want your people to be
like and and I aren’t afraid to do it
over with you get the team in get a
couple of beers in create a beer or a
couple of bottles of wine and see what
do we want to be famous for what are the
value when people say about sage people
or whatever the business is what do we
want people to tell all their friends so
they become raving fanatics of our
business and it’s simple and then you do
that and it kind of gives you a really
good foundation stone for growing your
business so it’s not a big company thing
this is I’d say this is a real the
essence of this is is relevant to the
smallest business even with one or two
people and and the truth point the proof
of the pudding in terms of saying the
soft stuff is the hardcore interest
enough the companies that have a mission
and live that mission the data says
they’re nine times more likely to have
high customer satisfaction so you know
this is a
complete game changer I think and it
should be part of the DNA and how you
you guys build your companies and
achieve success and stinky I love some
customer someone who has a big company
and a lot of people on their team I
think a lot of people in big companies
they couldn’t list off the 15 core
values that their company has and so
they’re not really living it I think
entrepreneurs you know we’re smaller we
started this because of a reason we
didn’t just go take a job and so we
connect with that message and it’s
awesome to see people like you who are
leading big companies also sharing that
kind of same passion to make a
difference and actually have a real
impact not just you know make returns
although oh hey you’re making great
returns to as my email is getting lit up
so it’s great to see that there’s that
that result there as well rise online
wrote in the comments hashtag preach
this is the most positive value focused
integrity field blab I’ve ever been on
so you’re making you’re making history
here on blab 2 a.m. and i’m going to ask
you a question so I kind of think
everybody the guys on this channel
they’re all great guys high integrity
during the right thing entrepreneurs
working 70 hours a week the question
with these is how we bring this to life
how do we walk the talk how we
operationalize this you’ve obviously
been on to know I’ve started businesses
um what what really practical advice
would you give to the guys out there on
the girls out there around how do you
land this stuff whether you’re free
people 20 people scared yeah I think
this is a challenge we answer honor
because because you know we’re
especially the solo person you’re
working 80 hours a week you’re doing
everything you’re the janitor to the CEO
and I think a lot of entrepreneurs do
feel the responsibility to give back in
the heart to get back is how do i how do
I manage this because I still need to
survive myself and pay the bills I think
to take a step back one you have to make
sure that you’re actually still around
like you have to make sure you have a
real business you have to make sure that
you can make money and pay the bills
because it’s great just do volunteer
work for charities but then you’re going
to be out of business and if you can
step up and build a bigger business
gives you more time to be able to invest
in companies and in charities and in
projects that you’re passionate about
but you don’t have to wait until you
have a hundred employees to do it right
simple things like taking a day out of
the month and volunteering for a cause
that you believe in or joining a blob or
hang out or making a video on something
that you feel passionate about you can
do right now it doesn’t have to take an
insane amount of time and I think for
entrepreneurs you want to tie the reason
like you said to starting day minus one
right the reason why you started this
and make it part of your you’re selling
factor that’s why you no call this
course selling is something that my onyx
is familiar with but most people sell
the features of what they sell and then
the benefits of what they sell but the
next step up is selling the core right
by standing for something important and
living that not just it’s a it’s a story
that you keep to yourself of why you’re
doing it by making it public sharing it
on your website using it to recruit team
members and media and customers then
that gives you positive momentum it
allows you to keep going and doing more
of it what I think too many entre cars
have it but they just keep it to
themselves and they don’t share it and
then when you look at their website and
marketing materials it just looks like
another landscaping company or another
software company or another whatever but
they have it to just not bring it out
because they’re too afraid to stand up
and so stand up stand up for what you
believe where they make it known tell it
everywhere and get people excited I love
it okay that’s great Gail is writing in
a love it too we have an anti-aging
cream business that we tried several
years ago to advertise he’s basically
doing a whole bunch of stuff she tried
advertising trade shows she’s trying to
do it in social media but she’s not
getting any luck within the context of
this now values how can she promote this
business of hers to start getting some
results in social yeah I think I don’t
know the specifics the thought but let
me never take its tab I think with Nancy
aging cream you know obviously what it
would offer is what’s the benefit
and it’s all about well then it’s all
about I guess self-confidence and self
you know I have and I look at you and
I’m an old guy you’re a young guy you
got all the Edit though if this products
could like me all the guys and gals
around the world said actually it will
look after my world being looked after
my skin it reduces extra allergies all
those sort of things then yeah I like
that and I think the way to do it is
with all these things kind of start
small build a community of fans and then
kind of go and through social you can go
awesome and then with tryouts like
anti-aging creams you know the website
is your shop window on the world but how
you do it i think is it’s all about kind
of social referrals and these things do
go buy recommendation and you know
things like aging create beauty products
is a fantastic market where
recommendations and referrals are create
viral success and unless so start small
maybe go out to community of friends in
your village test drive the product come
up with a few references to a few video
clips of how it’s made a difference
their life put it online open up a kind
of web store and i think yeah i think is
a tremendous orlando could you trying to
get it on twitter and it’s not having
luck i think if we were to look at your
twitter feed it would probably just
super promotional and spammy right
there’s no value there there’s no story
there’s no core you know stand up for
something around aging that’s important
to you I think how do you sell in social
most people do the wrong thing they’re
just broadcasting all the time pushing
out coupon codes or whatever nobody pays
any attention we’re how you should do it
is look at this this is an example right
now we are social selling right now
through our values even though i’m not
talking about any products Stevens not
Stevens not coming on in saying hey you
guys need to go by sage software it’s
the best thing for your business and
wait there’s more if you do it right now
on this hangout you’re going to get ten
percent off your first month right you
know if he were doing that you guys
would all take off right and i would
probably hang up to he’s coming on and
giving value right he’s talking about
what he’s the one
with the librarian in Davos and trying
to help you like he’s got 15,000
employees to worry and about and he’s on
here chatting with you trying to help
you grow your business because he cares
because this is something that’s
meaningful to him right and something
that meaningful to me too why am i
spending my time because I want to help
you guys out too and so if you think
about it though the next time that you
need accounting software right you’re
all entrepreneurs or you’re going to
start your business when you need
accounting software who’s the first
company you’re going to go to write its
sages business to lose because of all
the value that steven has given you to
help your business and that and that’s
how it works and you see the results is
companies are exploding leading the
stock market back to the black and I
think that’s how you do it you want to
sell on social that’s the key right
start sharing your passion start
providing value start being the expert
don’t just talk about your anti-aging
cream because that’s a commodity that I
can buy in a lot of places make me have
a reason to want to buy from you because
I know you’d like you trust you and
you’re the first person I’m going to go
to you have to then lose my business
because I love you so much with
everything that you’re putting out
that’s how you win social and that’s how
you make sales to not just spamming out
links I got fired ads you read your
story your emotional story yeah you
almost made me cry on my own show
Stephen you know who one day will go to
UM sound that for well we could go to
loads of these projects around the world
you know where there’s blood kind of
victims upper north of England who banks
out in the USA just thought I’d do it I
will not tell you one of these traitors
and we’ll do it together okay next one
Julie I think it’s a process in knowing
who we are and offering something that
resonates from an inner place and born
of a deeper meaning my question is about
the process do we muddle around and keep
it at one idea or try out a few how do
we keep track so we can measure what is
working or not you have any tips or
tools from Julie
it’s a great coach nothing and I do
think you’re right and it comes back to
what Evan said I believe great companies
are companies with a heart so when you
start on D minus one you know what is it
you really believe it what is your
passion what sets kind of true north on
your moral compass and that’s something
that will stay with out through your
business career and then what’s your big
idea what what’s the execution plan and
then what I’d say in terms of how you
execute the business I always say this
too I’ve been I mean a lot of startup
business and angel investor I’d say if
you’ve got a clear proposition clear
value proposition clear strategy you
know just take the first step great
words of Martin Luther King on you know
if you’re trying to climb a giant
staircase just take the first step then
take the second step then take the third
and and always think about you know one
of our core values velocity I tell guys
to do the right thing customer first but
guaranteed will make those mistakes so
fail fast learn from those failings try
something different do loads of course
correction so I keep it in your head you
need to kind of separate the moral
compass the sense of purpose into the
essence of why are they DNA and then the
strategy where you operationalize into
execution plans you need to be really
agile be prepared to change it course
corrected see what works do more than
love it now you know I have a problem
with this question in that I think uh
just this is something from the heart
and you’re trying to you’re trying to
rationalize it with your head you’re
trying to make it logical you know
you’re trying to measure it and it’s
like how do you measure love right like
how do you measure doing the right thing
right when does that pay off if ever
right sometimes you do the right thing
and it costs you but it’s still the
right thing to do it’s still something
that you should actually go out and do
and so I think just I don’t know the way
the question is phrased just doesn’t sit
well with me uh you know Steven says I’m
not going to go to Davos because it’s
not the right thing to do for what I
believe in you know maybe that’s not the
logical thing to do right like maybe he
could go there and meet a lot of people
on a
creates connections with the business
and so maybe this it’s a negative roi
but it’s it feels right right and so how
do you quantify that or measure it or
their tools for it I don’t know that
that I have an answer for you apart from
this is a matter of the heart and heart
always comes first to the big decisions
and then the head helps you make the
little ones yeah Evan on that couple of
things I think um I think you’ve really
right building on what you said about
Devils um I called it out because i want
the issues wrong from those be
represented now I back to kind of the
first question I don’t think it’s good
for us just to be negative you know that
serves no purpose you’ve got to present
an alternative that’s really positive so
we’re actually now looking at how do we
get the entrepreneurs agenda into that
room and all the cocktail bars in
Switzerland in Davos you know is there a
role for Adamas for the great
entrepreneurs in what ah so we’re
thinking about what we need to do to
fill that vacuum or get the guys who
kind of a responsible for that loss the
World Economic Forum to really care
about the guys that the true heroes of
the economy the other thing I think it
would probably say is easy Duty back to
your question to build great values when
companies are doing well and you grow in
and all that sort of stuff but the real
test comes when you hit the rocks
something doesn’t go well we don’t make
your numbers like that grow or you get a
problem with a product phase shift and I
think that’s really where you have to
come back to you I’ll give you a
director example I was a part of a
startup company back in California 97 I
ended up CEO there sadly when we hit the
rafters in the tech boom crash in what
2000-2001 we had to lay off some of our
folks friends we have to you know I had
these guys advice my backyard in a
summer party with their kids and their
husbands and wives girlfriend for trends
but it was really important we sat down
and I told the executives in an
executive meeting with honestly deep
sorrow that we’re gonna have to lay some
more colleagues off and I
said I would lack integrity if we’re not
sharing some of that pain so we in that
meeting decided that the executives
would take a twenty percent haircut on
their salaries compensation so I came
out of that meeting with a commitment
from all my executives including myself
will take the twenty percent haircut
will reduce our salary and there’s a
public company by that time it’s all
announced aboard barling and stuff but
the congruence of what we were doing
because we were sharing the pain with
our colleagues it made actually the
process much higher integrity forwards
and catches on to our bodies a great
example and speaks to the main that you
are so uh thank you thank you for
sharing that I love it um we have a call
in from from Mauritius one of the cool
things about blabbers you can have
people call in merp now let’s see what
she has to say marisha was the first
person to confirm that she was going to
join us oh you’re sideways your oh my my
sideways your sideways better there you
go Marie she was the first person to
join and say she was gonna watch this
show so because when I see any time I
see that Evan and Stephen are going to
collab I’m gonna be the first one on it
I love it so so Wow quick quick intro
and then what question you have yes okay
well I’m marisha also reishi from rishi
cup TV i guess i’m going to make sure
that this phone is held right um yeah I
love this topic and I guess my question
might be slightly tied to julie’s I’m
not sure if I really fully got um what
she was asking but my question is
specifically around navigating not so
much when your values change um because
are you still there and I’m not seeing
you okay Bri okay Evan gone he’s
probably done for a coffee babe okay all
right love this technology so much thank
you good so basically the mono ideally
when you start your business you’re
going to have a clear set of your core
values
and so I’m wondering though if you’ve
ever navigated not necessarily when your
values change but when they refine and
when they focus and what I’m thinking
about specifically as an example is like
you know the oprah winfrey show it
started out doing a lot of kind of
shocked TV and more controversial
tabloid topics and then it’s at some
point right in the process she had a
value that just refined and she’s like
I’m not going to do any more shock TV I
want to only focus on content that will
bring light into people’s lives but
there’s a transition and that process
that I am wondering um if you can speak
to when you know when you are personally
experiencing that maybe change in
conviction how do you transition in a
way that not only just honors that
change in yourself but like honors your
customers honors your team and that’s
yeah that’s pretty much my question so
I’m yeah okay I will take this step of
that and Evans gonna come back on and he
will give you a kala on so that’s why
you go to hell um so I can’t think
generally 19 on Senate business evident
we had a great question for me she
basically said how is it when you’ve got
core values that things have to kind of
modify and shift and do cause breaks
around the valleys and you gave the
example of oprah winfrey who started off
kind of shock and horror and then you
kind of went much more sympathetic
around issues that matter to her and
changed if ever the whole brand of what
she represents or modified it didn’t
change it dramatically i think um what
I’d say murshid is is fundamentally
number one is typically i’d say most
businesses i look out there have the
same core values when they start as when
they’re 10 years old 15 years old 20
years old and the core values around
we call our integrity customers first
they’re never going to change what the
subtle nuance is of what problem you’re
solving for customers or why you’re not
going to board out apart from the
customers or product innovation that’s
going to changing the time and waiting
you know I’m just totally crazy and
challenge myself the team one of our
balances around sort of um sort of
revolutionising the business for our
customers so we should never sit still
we should never be happy with the status
quo but the core values never change and
I think it’s interesting I I just
interviewed someone Rossini roller at
sage and the other the other company he
was interviewed by contacting the name
is probably unfair but it was a tobacco
company and I just said well how come
you kind of interview with us where
we’re really passionate about our values
and our integrity and then you’re
interviewing the tobacco come you know I
you know people want to go and kill
themselves as their choice and I respect
that however where you’re going to spend
to that you know when you get a work
when you’re an entrepreneur you spend in
230 your conscience life Oh through
people you love colleagues you respect
customers that you’re going to make
raving fans and you’re going to make a
difference to the world and I think I do
think there for you know so call out i
think the Millennials guys like you a
much more conscious of that moral
compass and i think sadly in the past
people have compromised their moral
compass and and ended up working in
companies who had no heart so I I don’t
from a company point of view from the
entrepreneurs point of view I’d really
advise you that establish things that
will last the test of time in terms of
um and and then build them out yeah
Brandon around them have recruitment
when you do you let sit down and have
reviews you call them out their part
they become part of what you are and
then it returns and then as the market
change the opportunity changes as you
evolve and you kind of grew up then you
can take a bunch of wherever you see
and that but the call bonnie is always
obviously yeah yeah I am a marine I got
kicked I got myself kicked out of the
car uh okay so before you answer that
seem curious what what did the guy say
about the tobacco you know so you’d say
here we’re living our values we’re full
of you know we’re doing something
meaningful and then there’s tobacco what
was his response and what happened with
this guy well he said he was only they
basically had been with a company where
he was 50 years and he’d had no
interview practice so he was just using
as in and that’s probably the best
answer he could have given its on you’re
interested in working out of that
company then we should stop the end of
you now because they know we just miss a
line and is not near a bad guy or
anything i’m not going to be i am mighty
i’m not going to be some kind of
moralist it’s just different there’s
probably loads of companies you can go
for but this is a company / skew and a
noble cause supporting entrepreneurs and
that’s all we believe in and we’re very
clear about that when you tom has we
love it’s interesting story I like all
the little Stephen Kelly anecdotes and
stories good this is my favorite episode
so far to answer that question about
Oprah you know as you see Oprah evolved
I feel like she just became more and
more self-confident and more and more
trusting and who she was and not trying
to be what other people wanted her to be
right so you can do the shock-and-awe
campaign and and you know boyfriend
stabs girlfriend on air or whatever I’m
gonna get you some ratings but I feel
like that wasn’t truly her if you watch
Oprah she’s all about heart right like
Oprah really cares about people
genuinely like he lit it radiates but
her earlier stuff it’s very formal
almost corporate you know it’s like it
that true Oprah is not coming out and I
think I mean we have the ledger be able
to watch her over such a long period of
time you see her progression to becoming
much more comfortable being herself and
sharing that and I think as she shared
more
that’s what really got like the hard
core audience and that grew so big for
her right that’s why her influence
became so powerful is because she was
just honest and true to herself and then
shared that with the world uh where is
you know the people who followed her
that that shock style and she went off
and did something else those guys never
built that following right you just seen
coming on the seed like the latest jab
the latest stabbing the latest whatever
and then they’re off to see the next
show where they don’t develop that
intense relationship and so I think for
you when for the people watching the way
they get there faster is just have the
confidence to be who you are sooner and
Express that and I know it’s hard
because people judge you and you’re
going to get hater comments and i know
you do stuff on youtube and there’s
always going to be people who hate on
what you’re doing and that that can
sting in a bad way to the point we’re
like you don’t want to do anything
anymore but i think if you have the
skills and you have the ability to make
it a positive impact on the world then
you have the responsibility to do it and
and I know you do you have great talents
and I’ve seen some of your videos and
you know we’ve been connected for a
while I’m joining them all the hangouts
everything I just being more genuine
more you like raw uh your raw self and
trust that people will like that and not
worry about what other people are saying
um that’s if you watch Oprah in my
opinion that’s the evolution of Oprah
and that’s how she build up her audience
so you can do it to your raw self yay we
let final thing all over with I think
with service we absolutely league but
the thing about authenticity is also
vulnerability and I think over it
showing herself I think great leaders
just a very vulnerable at points in time
and that means people gravitate over and
her core mission and values is Evan
I think it’s been consistent right from
the get-go right to now awesome thank
you guys well thanks for calling in okay
uh okay ready Lucas is writing in how
can I promote quality health and home
care products and increase the awareness
for my customer base got some sorry my
customer base I guess still in context
of this values theme that we’re on how
do you promote quality health care home
care products and increase your customer
base awareness I think um yeah back to
your point it is almost like um the
products I think you’ve gotta look for
what is she trying to solve and I think
things like health care products home
care products there’s obviously a
massive market with us in Canada usl
globally but but it really is about what
does it give the people who are going to
use those clothes how does it make their
life better how does it meet their
health better and appeared in today and
then I don’t know if you again back to
Evan point if you could find say some of
your buddies who’s a bit of a kind of
leader or a doctor or someone who’s an
industry trusted advisor to start talk
about the issues and and then you create
the issues and you come in and your
products one of the solutions around
that so I think it’s more about um and I
just look at some of our cousins and
what gem has done with kind of the
massive health food business business of
like five million dollars turnover from
nothing few years ago cells across 33
countries she had some kind of focus
just on product sales she’s really
focused on beautiful product delicious
products free of chemicals and and
there’s a lot of people like all of us
probably on this um on this plan we’re
actually yeah we we buy that because
he’s helping us to eat well be healthy
and have a more kind of holistic you of
ourselves I would say you know your
competitive advantage is your story your
values why are you doing this in most
markets you have it’s a commodity right
like health care and home care products
is tons
it’s so there’s there might be some
product differentiation but the way to
stand out is your story right make me
feel something that’s as an entrepreneur
it’s riskier to go with you because
you’re the you’re the newer kid on the
block why would I go with an
entrepreneur when I can buy from a safe
established company it’s because of the
story because of the values that you
have as an example some guy who called
in had a lawn care service right so he
mowed lawns and took care of your
flowers all that stuff and I said well
you know why should I that’s a hard
business right like I could go to my
next door neighbor who’s got a high
school kid and say hey here’s 15 bucks
mow the lawn right so how are you going
to compete when you’re charging three
times that much and that was his
challenge and I said well why do you why
did you start this business because when
I was young I spent hours every week out
there with my mom and we you know move
belong together and we did all the
potting the flowers and we did all the
landscaping together and I started this
business because it you know reminds me
of her it’s paying tribute to her and I
treat everybody’s lon like it’s my
mother’s line and right there like you
feel the passion in his voice and you
know it’s not just a marketing thing I
would pay that guy two or three times as
much then the high school kid down the
street because I feel like he cares more
than the other person and then he’s
going to do a good job on my lawn right
and so that’s what you need to do for
your business to right why do you care
so much about home and health care
products why is it important why are you
starting this thing you know if you can
tap into that and for all entrepreneurs
watching right you tap into that story
and you share it make me feel something
on an emotional level like Steven maybe
almost cried the start of this episode
right you want to do that just genuinely
telling your story and that’s going to
attract the right customers to you okay
what’s grave none Evan I tell you I just
visualized for a minute sitting in there
looking out of the yard and seeing these
kind of beautiful lines and stripes on
the Lord and you know that he did you
all
it’s like well it’s used don’t give me a
reason to to see how you’re different
then I’m just going to compete on price
I guess I’m gonna go with the cheaper
guy because I see it as a commodity so
your job as an entrepreneur is to show
me why it’s not a commodity and the
caring and the values is a huge part of
that yep yeah absolutely and it’s part
of the brand’s right you know Hogan’s in
the topic maybe four different blab
basic build and and you’re right emotion
trust the star rd for a de Thea and
working out that okay price talk about
pricing strategy what is a pricing
strategy for a new product how can you
convince the clients that your price is
right I think well simply sort of
question its you gotta have
differentiated you’ve got to have at the
end the day I think you have to believe
your product you have to leave your
mission and that’s kind of what this
blebs that we should probably do another
one around some of these topics around
brand pricing but with it without a
doubt again price in part of execution
and obviously it’s party pricing
strategy so with that sort of thing test
drive it you know test drive they even
start talking to friends what price
would people feel comfortable with test
it put it on the web if you’re not
getting it right or know how to change
it but but I think a lot of a lot of
businesses when they start worry too
much about price and it’s not the right
thing to worry about the right thing to
worry about is why would someone have a
compelling need for this product or
service why could I be very different
from anyone else and then honestly price
although that’s a sign that’s good it’s
a good punch to the stomach kind of
realization moment I would add that I
think a lot of entrepreneurs underpriced
themselves a lot of entrepreneurs just
don’t believe that they’re worth more
and it’s stepping up to realize that hey
I’m adding value and and starting to go
after more ideal clients because you get
stuck in these like low paying clients
and low budgets and that starts to
affect your soft forth I feel like this
is all you can do where you could charge
more it’s just about offering more value
to the right clients and so it’s common
when you start off a business you’re
taking whoever you’re trying to figure
it out but as you grow you want to think
about how can I provide more value to
better clients so you can increase your
prices and you know chase your dreams
make them whether if you want to make
interesting interesting thing ever
actually are on some of the sort of
conferences we run for entrepreneurs
weird think you know should we actually
wave all the registration fees and put
that money into the sage foundation so
you argue you know is our conference
Laurens been someone else you’re humble
who cares we want to build the best
conference with the best value for nerds
and then to really reinforce that point
actually if we said all registration
fees go to the Sage Foundation get a
charity it just changes the game again
and I think I think you’re right if it
breaks my heart when I see entrepreneurs
pricing products too low because there’s
will do it there’s that down moment
about you know if I priced it too high
they won’t come but if you’ve got the
right product for the right idea and
you’ve established the need well then
siege summer is a pretty ass over and I
had the luxury to go last year and this
year Chicago ray I’m excited okay so
next question was hockey most raising
startup capital I know we talked about
this last time on our session was about
raising capital how do values play into
raising capital so I know you’ve been in
angel investor and maybe in your
startup’s that you’ve done as well how
does how does values play into raising
money for a company i think is
fundamentally you know and i work few
things early stage the best the best
activity seventy percent of our our
customers have actually self-funded
their businesses lagega and we’re we had
a hangout on this and you’re absolutely
right you know it’s about you don’t want
to raise too much you don’t want to give
away the equity and actually you really
want to build something sustainable
a good way to start that is probably
friends and family angel investors they
will be totally totally ready absolutely
to listen to what are the values of the
business because again companies with
great values as I said tend to have nine
times better customer service you know I
said at the beginning the soft stuff is
hardcore there’s no no surprise some of
the best companies in the world and some
of the best entrepreneurs in the world
and really strong valleys and I think
you know there’s a direct correlation
between the values and success so if I’m
an angel investor I want to see yeah I
want to see the business banner want to
see the market demand I want to see it
strategy I want to see probably is
something that doesn’t have to be
science it doesn’t have to be warm piece
but it just like a three years of a
projection on business plan about what
we can do with loans are kind of
mitigation if if the execution doesn’t
go right see sometimes takes longer to
achieve anything but part of that is the
values and the values of the executive
the founder and what they want to do and
how you know I’m really back to Evan if
someone comes to move with a proposition
that kind of makes sense and then they
actually touch my heart and say I’m by
the way we’re going to change the world
or we can do something really
spectacular you’ve got all is and and
then next phase if you want to go into
the world of BC’s venture capitalist
yeah I’ll be honest these guys can say
you’re spinning and this you could do
another old blab about how to walk money
frequencies but I’d say to do it on your
terms don’t do all these crazy
restrictive covenants all that give them
given basie do do something that would
fit two or three run a little beauty
parade never just go with one and you
will self so late and a lot of thats the
chemistry of the individuals and some
VCS are kind of hands off some VCS are
really in your face so you’ll find very
quickly because it’s all about the
chemistry and what will work for your
business and allow you to be successful
so what I’d say is again brownies are
the absolutely
the study of business right through
different phases of funding should be
something that is front and center and
potty business that you’re proud of that
you haven’t kind of got in the
background draw the answer is bringing
out there front and center and obviously
a part of that will always be around
customers and colleagues and how you
treat us all of it I mean the only thing
I got to daddy is a you need to be
selective as an entrepreneur to as to
which angel investor you bring off but
you need to test their values not just
worried about them testing yours you
don’t want just money you want somebody
who can help you but also who believes
in the same thing that you believe in
you know if your investors into a lot of
underhanded stuff that you don’t agree
with that’s not going to be creating
long-term relationship and so it can
suck they’ll have to walk away from a
deal because you need the money to grow
but you don’t want to get married to the
wrong person it’s just it’s just not
worth it so so have good standards for
yourself too and not just accept any any
investor any employee any partner any
supplier because you’re in a crunch you
want to make sure you get the right
person on board and we did yeah I am
when women to start up in California
again we went to a customer in the
retail sector oh man this customer
brutal and and that you know the classic
games of the business people are not
allowed to talk to the procurement
people you’ve got to deal with a
procurement people business people can’t
get even if the business people want
your product and these procurement guys
they didn’t care they have no soul no
heart we stepped wasted guys if that’s
the way you want to do business then
there’s probably lots of other people
out there who want to work under your
terms but that’s not the way we want to
do it and you’ve got to step away from
this and in the long term you know
you’ll be better off at the time it
hurts and you know monkey revenues for
that period they hurt but it would fall
cast a deal and it didn’t happen didn’t
materialize but we step back and said
actually know if that’s the way of this
customer and then ironically six months
later they tried it for another supply
the project crashed and burned the
business one you guys back in and will
do on your turn
some will be part of the price of it 11
oh I know we’re watching up against the
clock you’ve received almost 4000 high
fives for everything that you’ve you get
the fist bump there there you go you
just cross forth as it yeah there you go
there you go this is a series we’re
going to continue um for this is going
to be uploaded to the YouTube channel 2
we’d love to know what topics you want
us to cover next in future editions so
you can leave a comment below and we’ll
collect those and figure out what we’re
going to do for the next session I know
still a lot of questions that we were
able to get to so I apologize for that
but time does fly Stephen uh people want
to reach out to you or learn more about
the progress you working on now you
mentioned the foundation what’s the best
way to be able to connect with you and
learn about what you’re up to come true
anyway anybody wants to reach out to has
come through tweet email and stuff like
that and also in terms of the website
learn about us also stay tuned to this
don’t think Evan you know love i love
being part of this because we talk about
stuff that the audience out there cares
about and in a little way if we can meet
businesses across canada USA and Europe
and all over the world more successful
and learn from some of our mistakes
you’ve got lots of things wrong loads of
things wrong you got a lot of stuff
wrong um but when we put that into
context if the guys out there can learn
from us and our mistakes and what was
well then you know it’s just fantastic
to participate it’s none I thank you
ever passing your facial Jersey watching
and we’ll see you soon have a great day
thanks guys have a great day
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