From startup to ASX-listing, and lessons along the way

This episode is a discussion with Brett Kelly – founder and CEO of Kelly Partners, speaker, and author of 4 best-selling books. We talk about what it takes to succeed in business from somebody that has taken a company from startup to being listed on the stock market, and the lessons along the way.

SHOW NOTES

• 00:00:05 Brett’s Introduction to The Growth Manifesto Podcast
• 00:00:32 Brett tells us about his journey to forming Kelly+Partners
• 00:03:45 Brett talks about how his father helped guide him into writing his book “Collective Wisdom”
• 00:06:07 Brett’s ultimate inquest is “People and why they do what they do” which led him to write his book titled “Universal Wisdom”
• 00:08:05 Brett learned that the people at the very top are generous with their ideas, they’re comfortable with who they are, and they’ll help lift you up
• 00:08:45 Brett’s interest on how the world works and experiences in life eventually reflected on how he started his business
• 00:11:02 Brett talks about how the support of his wife had a big impact on the early stages of his business
• 00:12:07 Brett discusses “status anxiety” and how it affects most Sydney-siders
• 00:12:47 Brett tells us about the “Careful management of Capital” that he had to do at the start of his business
• 00:14:57 Brett believes that to manage your business, you need to have a supportive wife, you need to know how to manage your capital, and you need to know how to grow yourself
• 00:15:15 Brett’s tells us his model for how to build a business
• 00:16:10 “The Walmart Strategy” – Go where other people don’t go and grow where other people don’t notice.
• 00:18:19 Brett tells us what made him put his business in the Stock Exchange
• 00:20:11 Brett believes we’re going into an unprecedented era of transparency and believed that going public would be the best way to attract the best talent to their company
• 00:20:41 Growing a great business is what drives Brett
• 00:21:45 How has the quest for growth changed since Kelly+Partners went public?
• 00:22:31 “Thinking is the hardest work in the world and that’s who so few people are doing it properly” – Henry Ford
• 00:24:13 Brett gives us some advice on how to stay more focused through planning
• 00:26:43 A private business is most affected by the attitude of the founder and growing businesses are led by growing people.
• 00:28:40 What are some of the biggest changes Brett has seen in business over the years and how is he adapting?
• 00:31:00 Brett believes that the biggest change that businesses can make today is mastering the fundamentals
• 00:32:56 The biggest change that most business owners deal with right now is superficial changes in their customers and their employees versus the reality of who those people are
• 00:36:17 According to Brett, the Internet is the biggest game in town but not in the way that people think
• 00:37:22 Brett explains why he doesn’t like to jump on the bandwagon of the view that the world is changing much more now than it ever has
• 00:38:32 Brett tells us what he thinks the economy’s going to be like in Australia after the pandemic and if it’s possible to go into an economic depression
• 00:44:01 Brett tells his clients that you should always prepare for a depression and work for a recession. Be pessimistic in the short term and be optimistic in the long term.
• 00:47:25 Brett is hopeful that when a solution is found and that everyone’s mood steps up, the economy will reflect that as well
• 00:47:52 What can businesses do right now to be pessimistic in the short term and be optimistic in the long term?
• 00:50:20 Don’t spend on anything you don’t need. Make sure you know what the payment terms are with the clients you’re dealing with. Don’t pull back on marketing.
• 00:53:01 Brett explains why CEOs should have an investors mindset.
• 00:54:32 Brett’s advice to people that are looking to cut costs, be pessimistic, and investing in marketing?
• 00:58:45 How many hours is Brett working during the days of coronavirus?
• 01:00:43 Brett tells us how much he loves to help people and his business gives him a vehicle to do that so he never feels like he’s working.

LINKS

• Brett Kelly on LinkedIn
• Brett Kelly’s Website
• Brett Kelly’s Books
• Kelly Partners Group Holdings Limited

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You’re listening to the 2020 Marketing Series on The Growth Manifesto Podcast, a Zoom video series brought to you by Webprofits where we talk about how to drive business and marketing success through the rest of 2020.

Hosted by Alex Cleanthous.

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