Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

It's beginning to look a lot like.. last year!

The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast 2025 Christmas special is here - and as usual, John and Jason are putting the world to rights (without getting political - honest!), summing up what's it been like running an ambitious lifestyle business for the past twelve months.

Cost of living crisis? ✅

High inflation a worry? ✅

Bad news coming in the Budget? ✅

Yep, the big themes this year are VERY similar to the big themes of 2024 - the "doom and gloom" isn't going away (other than on the ALB podcast, where, just like Morecambe and Wise, we aim to "bring you sunshine"!

Running a small business in the UK is tough right now. There's no getting away from it - unless you're looking to emigrate, of course - we talk about that once again in this episode, along with the power of surrounding yourself with positive, can-do people - something that we've done throughout the year, including our very first "Flamingos on Tour" event, in sunny Alicante in October.

As usual, we discuss our Book of the Year, and sum up our hopes and dreams for 2026 in ONE word.

The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts...

In September 2018, Driving School trainer Dave Foster fell off a two story building.

As he was falling through thin air to the cold concrete below, his life flashed before his eyes - and he had an epiphany. Until that moment, Dave was working 10-12 hour days every day in his business, and fully believed that "no one can run this business, except me."

Faced with being unable to work for six months, Dave had no choice but to remove himself from the day-to-day operations, and instead work ON his business.

And now, 8 years later, Dave has taken a "false exit" - running the business in an hour or two a day from his home in sunny Spain, after years of touring Europe in an RV.

In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, Dave implores anyone listening who says that "my business is different - and WON'T work without ME" to think again.

Do you use vision boards?

Are they "woo-woo", or a scientifically-proven way to make achieving your ambitious lifestyle business goals more likely?

I'm VERY much in the second camp.

Here's why...

(btw, the One Percent Club doors are open right now for our September intake. Click here for more info)

It's Chriiiiistmaaaaasss! We start this Christmas special episode by wishing Noddy Holder's Evergreen Asset (Merry Xmas Everybody) a happy 50th birthday.

We also dissect the rise of AI in 2023 (No, it's not coming for your job - but it IS going to change your job completely!), celebrate the return of in-person events, and explain how to listen to John's audiobooks for free.

We also end the year by looking at the boys' Books of the Year - including a "personality profiling" book that identified John as someone who is:

1. overly judgemental

2. has a lot of self-discipline

3. spends a lot of time thinking how to become a better person

4. likes routine

5. is really disappointed when other people don't do their part.

Yep, that sounds like John!

This episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast (and the 107 that preceded it) is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Nicky Thomas is the founder of The Growth Community, a networking group that promises "Real Community Business Networking", with relaxed, purposeful networking, and no membership sales pitches.

Nicky joined the One Percent Club 18 months ago, and as a result, grew her business by 75% in her first 12 months of membership. That huge level of growth doesn't come without a cost, however, and it's this cost that we talk about in today's episode - the price small business owners pay for growth.

This episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast (together with another 106 episodes from the back catalogue) is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Graeme Tennick is Chief Impact Officer at Tennick Accountants, where he isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves, and is on a mission to empower trades and professional services business owners who know the grind of long hours, minimal returns, and the frustration of hefty taxes.

The word "impact" runs through today's episode - Graeme talks about the impact of his father's forklift business on him as a young man, the impact of making a few wrong decisions (and more than a few right ones!).

As I implore readers of The False EXIT to "truly live and breathe" their vision and values, Graeme is doing just that - demonstrating how small business owners can impact their own lives, as well as those of their immediate family, team of co-workers, clients - and ultimately leave the world a better place.

How will YOU have an impact today?

I've got two pieces of time-sensitive information to share with you today - one involving an 82% discount, and on that could (literally) change your life.

But BOTH require some action in the next 8 days...

Never give up in business.

If there's one piece of advice that today's guest Alastair Imray embodies, it is this.

Alastair's business career began with no qualifications and no money but a determination to start his own business. Alastair has proven that hard work, determination, constant learning and never giving up has been the key to running a successful business.

Wearing a Nike "Just Do It" T-short, Alastair tells us:

• How he sold anything and everything - from ice cream on Bondi Beach, to items he found in dumpsters.

• Why you should never give up in business.

• How Michael Lieberman became a hero to Alastair.

• A few dozen of the business books that helped shape his success.

• How Alastair won a contract with his dream supplier - by refusing to take no for an answer!

• Exactly how Alastair removed himself from the day-to-day "on the tools" running of his business.

What's the best Exit Strategy for a Small Business? It depends...

In this summer-special podcast, John and Jason discuss their (many!) failed attempts to exit their small business over the years, including:

• Thinking they sold their company for £2m - only to get a Dear John email.

• John giving away 49% of his small business for free

• What happens when you abdicate rather than delegate.

• How to choose the right exit strategy for small business owners.

• Why "doing nothing" isn't really an option.

• How John and Jase discovered the "False EXIT" - and why they're glad they did!

Do NOT sell your business...

At least not until you've read John's new book - The False EXIT.

The False EXIT isn't a book about selling your business. It's a book about NOT selling your business - it's about keeping, rather than killing the golden goose.

The book is available NOW on Amazon (in Kindle, Paperback and Hardcover formats), with the Audiobook version coming in January 2024.

For the next 48 hours, there's some VERY special launch pricing, making the book as cheap as it will ever be. In John's words, "fill your boots! Buy 1 copy, 10 copies or even 100. Get one for clients, colleagues and people you vaguely like - anyone who needs to read this book."

In this episode, John practices his narration for the audiobook (only stumbling over the phrase "lugging buckets") by reading the introduction for us - enjoy!