Out of office

Need some advice, motivation or feel stuck in your career? Consider this your monthly pick-me-up dose of business inspiration

The influencer we follow for key business advice

Sara Blakely

Sara Blakely is a businesswoman and philanthropist, known for being the founder of Spanx, a company which sells shapewear and clothing in over 50 countries. She started out as a fax machine salesperson, a job in which she was quickly promoted before one day deciding to cut the feet off her pantyhose as she hated the way hosier looked with open-toe shoes. But she liked the firming effect that wearing pantyhose under her clothes had. From there, she researched and developed her idea further which later evolved into Spanx, and the company took off due to Sara’s creative marketing ideas and determination.

Sara appeared on the cover of Forbes in 2012 for being the youngest self-made female billionaire, and she founded the Sara Blakely Foundation to help women get a better education and entrepreneurial training. She continually supports female-run businesses and has had cameos in popular TV shows such as Billions.

Podcasts

The podcast we listen to for keen insights into the business world

Working Hard, Hardly Working

Working Hard, Hardly Working is a podcast hosted by Grace Beverley, an entrepreneur who started two successful businesses by the age of 25. Grace moves away from the typical business-podcast rhetoric as she investigates what is going on behind the scenes in successful businesses. She investigates how successful businesspeople got to where they are, what mistakes they made, and what their key advice is.

With new guests each week, this podcast explores topics ranging from how to get started in business to the impact of social media on success. Grace interviews guests from business backgrounds of a wide variety, including self-starters, managing directors and founders, who share their honest stories and tips on how to find the right work and home balance and how to be successful and fulfilled in your career.

Must-listen episode: Episode 15 – Why Stress is Your Superpower, and How to Cut Out The Bad Bits

The podcast we tune into for advice on entering the franchise industry

The Franchise Founders Podcast

The Franchise Founders Podcast is hosted by Dan Claps and Christian Dadulak and is a must-listen for anyone looking to buy or build their business across a variety of industries. Dan has extensive experience in the franchising space having started his career in the industry in 2014 and going on to found multiple successful companies. Christian is a successful franchise consultant who provides entrepreneurs with a methodical approach to business approach.

On this podcast, the pair interview hundreds of successful business owners who share their stories about their journeys in business. Guests range from entrepreneurs and franchisees to business titans and CEOs, and they cover exciting topics such as how to scale fast and make sound decisions that lead to success.

Must-listen episode: Building a 30+ location multi-unit empire

Books

The book we read for key info on becoming a franchisee

The Franchising Handbook: How to Choose, Start and Run a Successful Franchise

Carl Reader is a successful business owner, having scaled his company to achieve a multi-million turnover at a young age. He is also the affiliate chairman of the British Franchising Association and is the head of franchising and director at D&T Chartered Accountants. His expertise and knowledge in the franchising industry gave him the tools to write The Franchising Handbook, a book which details the franchising process for business owners.

In this book, Carl delves into what it takes to start a franchise and ensures potential franchisees have all the information they need regarding the process. With key advice and insights from key people within the franchising industry, The Franchising Handbook is an essential read for anyone wanting to approach a franchisor or buy a franchise.

The book we read for business funding information

The Six Secrets of Raising Capital: An Insider’s Guide for Entrepreneurs

The Six Secrets of Raising Capital offers key capital-raising information that is essential for all entrepreneurs looking to get started and find funding. Bill Fisher was a banker in Silicon Valley in the 80s and founded several successful companies, accessing the capital markets to build strong business models for over 25 years.

This book details the six traditional steps in the process of raising capital for your business, looking at each step in great detail and exposing critical aspects of insider knowledge to help people with less experience. Combining science with valuable insights from world leaders and practical plans for action, this book is an essential overview of what you need to know in order to achieve success with your business and provides you with the knowledge you need in order to get the most out of your investor.

The book we read for learning to franchise successfully

How to Franchise Your Successful Business: A 4-Phase Guide to Business Expansion

Jason Anderson is a franchising expert and has helped to develop and sell over 100 franchises since 2012. In this book, he provides expert advice to readers and explains how to franchise your business successfully. This guide will teach you the steps you need to take in order to become a franchisor and all of the information that this process entails.

How to Franchise Your Successful Business explores what franchising means and how it can be a lucrative business opportunity, as well as the pros of franchising and how much it can cost to get started. Jason delves into the four phases of franchising and explains the laws and regulations of the process, as well as providing key players in the industry that are essential to know.