The Spen & Nick Show

The wonderful people at The Poutinerie have given our audience a beautiful 20% discount. 

To get hold of the BEST POUTINE IN TOWN, head over to https://the-poutinerie.myshopify.com/ and add the offer code SPENANDNICK at checkout  

Covid-19 has decimated so many businesses. Hospitality and retail have been particularly hard hit.   But just because your business as usual has suffered, it doesn't mean there's nothing you can do.   

The Poutinerie was hit seriously hard during Covid. It was close to having to stop trading altogether, but they pulled through by shifting what they sell and how they sell it.   We talk about what they did to turn their food truck business to an online offering that sells out every week.   

Special thanks to Nikesh Ashar for his support on this one.

Over the last few months, I've has started getting a lot more inbound sales leads on LinkedIn which has been my goal for ages.  

In this episode, I share some really straightforward things you can try out that will put you in a much stronger position to get inbound leads too.  

1. 📢  • Headline - update your headline to include the keywords people are searching for that relate to your expertise or service i.e. business coach, innovation consultant, Lean Startup, business models, value propositions.  

2. 📝  • Content - try to create content as much as you can but don’t over think it. There are things that go through your mind all the time that other people will find super interesting, you just need to capture them in your Notes app and then post them on LinkedIn.  

3. 💻  • Webinars - do webinars regularly especially right now. That’s how you expand your network.  

4. 💌  • Personalised messages - after webinars, connect with everyone personally. Add a message to your connection requests and make them personal to the individual you are sending them to.  

5. 🗓  • Schedule time - Create a calendar entry in advance  so you have time to connect with everyone after a webinar and send them a message.  

What tips have you got for levelling up your LinkedIn game?  

 💬 Connect with us on 

LinkedIn: 

Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholashimowicz/ 

Spen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerayres/  

How to get inbound leads on LinkedIn without posting everyday(Don't forget to add a message to your connection request!)

It’s way too easy to get caught up worrying about the technology that you don’t actually use the tech for what it was design for - in this case sharing stories and hopefully useful information about business, innovation, design and learning.  

Spencer and Nick are both recovering tech/equipment addicts and they talk through their experience on this week’s episode.

Over the last few months, I've has started getting a lot more inbound sales leads on LinkedIn which has been my goal for ages.  In this episode, I share some really straightforward things you can try out that will put you in a much stronger position to get inbound leads too.  

1. 📢  • Headline - update your headline to include the keywords people are searching for that relate to your expertise or service i.e. business coach, innovation consultant, Lean Startup, business models, value propositions.  

2. 📝  • Content - try to create content as much as you can but don’t over think it. There are things that go through your mind all the time that other people will find super interesting, you just need to capture them in your Notes app and then post them on LinkedIn.  

3. 💻  • Webinars - do webinars regularly especially right now. That’s how you expand your network.  

4. 💌  • Personalised messages - after webinars, connect with everyone personally. Add a message to your connection requests and make them personal to the individual you are sending them to.  

5. 🗓  • Schedule time - Create a calendar entry in advance  so you have time to connect with everyone after a webinar and send them a message.  What tips have you got for levelling up your LinkedIn game?   

💬 Connect with us on LinkedIn: Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholashimowicz/ Spen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerayres/  (Don't forget to add a message to your connection request!)

Sir Ken Robinson shaped the thoughts & lives of millions of people.

Most widely known for his incredible TED talks, he inspired us to question the things we take for granted. For some people, like Spen, he not only inspired new thoughts, but also action. 

We’re doing business model breakdowns of some of the most successful businesses to see what we can learn and apply to our businesses.

This week we look at Gousto, the meal kit service and explore what makes their business so special.

Great ideas are hard to come by  

They're even harder if you're waiting for them to come to you.  

 "An object at rest will remain at rest unless a force is acted on it" - this is as true for ideas as it is for physical objects.   

So how do you create great ideas? Get into the habit of generating loads of them, all the time.   Most of them will be rubbish, so bin them. But some will come back, recycle them and turn them into something great!  

If you prefer YouTube, don't worry we've got you covered - https://youtu.be/qe2wl03_CFQ

Where do you come up with your best ideas? 

Nick recently did a great Instagram carousel looking at where successful entrepreneurs did their biggest thinking. Check it out here - https://www.instagram.com/nickhimo/ ⁣⁣⁣ 

Then the other day, Spen realised where he comes up with ideas.  Listen to find out where & what you need to do when you think BIG  

Where is your favourite place to think big?⁣⁣⁣  

#ideas #businessideas #ideasmachine #instagramideas #instqgramcarousels #mba #altmba

Instagram is one of the best sources of inspiration and value.   

There are so many people doing awesome things, but there's so much noise too.   

Here are 5 people we love right now that we think you'll love too:  

1 - Dave Talas - https://www.instagram.com/davetalas/
2 - Dain Walker - https://www.instagram.com/dainwalker/
3 - Visualize Value (Jack Butcher) - https://www.instagram.com/visualizevalue/
4 - AJ & Smart / Jonathan Courtney - https://www.instagram.com/ajsmartdesign/
5 - Russel Brunson - https://www.instagram.com/russellbrunson/  

There are a few extras in the video, so go check it out!   

If you prefer Video, don't worry we've got you covered - https://youtu.be/du0O3Q_1dDo

#instagrambusiness #peopletofollow #designinspiration #innovationleaders #businessinnovation #trafficsecrets

We're influenced by everything around us.   

Some things influence us a huge amount, other things less so.   

Perhaps more importantly, some PEOPLE influence us enormously. We're not talking about social media influencers - but real people who have had a profound effect on us. Our values, beliefs, attitudes and outlook have been shaped by our experiences and our relationships. It doesn't have to be someone we know well or have ever met, but people who have affected who we are, how we view the world and what we do in it.   

On this week's show, we talk through some of the biggest influencers - who they are and what we learnt from them.  

But who have you been influenced by? Who's had the most profound effect on who you are?

We don't need to tell you that it's the strangest of times - that much is very clear & it's something we can't change.   

But what we can change is how we react and what we do during these times.   

In episode 18, we talked about things that you can do to come out of the crisis stronger than you went it and we've been reflecting on this and helping other people with this ever since.    

However, Spen felt there was more he could do, so he's looking to pivot his company Future Builders to being something that helps people to get back on their feet if they're work has been affected by Covid-19 or disruption more generally.   

In this episode, Nick uses his mastery of Value Proposition Design to help Spen articulate and create his value prop for the new incarnation of Future Builders.   As a spoiler, Future Builders will be all about helping people build things - business, apps, podcast series, media, prototypes, online shops etc. Basically, anything that includes tech, design & potentially business.   

This is very much an experiment, so please let us know what you think about the concept and this show.   

You can also watch this show on YouTube -  
https://youtu.be/Bqy8aCk_phE

Don't forget to subscribe, like and share

#valuepropositiondesign #valueprop #valuepropositioncanvas #futurebuilders #buildingbusinesses #covid19 #vpd #venturedesign

Note: This episode is best watched on YouTube - but if you're travelling or unable to watch, just listen - it's still great. 

You’re working from home because of this whole Coronavirus situation. And while it’s not the first time you’ve had to do Zoom calls for work, you know that your video conferencing game isn’t as strong as it could be, not by a long shot.  

Not to mention your face always seems to look red like you’ve just done too many home workout burpees.  

Add to that, you don’t know whether you should look at the camera lens directly or at the person on screen, your eyes shiftily dart between the two so you end up coming across all guilty like a kid with chocolate all over your face, saying "I don’t know who ate my little sister’s last Easter egg", but you’re fooling no one.  

And your virtual background…. let’s not even go there.  

Enough is enough, you decide to level up your Zoom game and you know exactly who to turn to.  

That’s right Spen and Nick. Those two handsome sons of a gun.   

And you’d be right to.   

They’ve just come fresh out of Zoom live in front of 170+ people and they have all the advice you need.  

So you pluck up the courage to speak to them and they share with you some priceless wisdom that opens you up to a whole new world of video conferencing possibility.  

It's simple, hearty, age-old advice but it changes everything.  

This is what they say:  
1. 🏡 Prepare your surroundings - a plant, some books and tidy space go a long way.
2. 💨 Breath - it’s a great way to help you stay calm and overcome the nerves.
3. 🔍 Focus on your audience - it’s about them not you. Just try to bring them value.
4. 💬 Interact with your audience - encourage people to engage using the chat box.
5. 🥇 People want you to win - don’t be afraid to be your authentic yourself.
6. 🧙🏻‍♂️ Magic happens in the Q&A - make sure you leave time at the end for questions.
7. 🏔 Set a challenge - get people to agree to apply something they learnt after the session.
8. 🎥 Record it - document it and share it with your participants and maybe post on socials.
9. ⏸ Don’t be afraid to pause - it gives you and the audience time to think and reflect.  

You apply what they say the next day and everyone on your call immediately starts complimenting you.  You’re so happy you go back to Spen and Nick’s YouTube channel and subscribe. (You even click the little bell icon AND give the video a like.)  

Then, you go to their other social pages and follow there too:  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spenandnick/
Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-spen-nick-show/id1488379880
Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/5DRQpB2g4V3XM8o6fMKh1W  

#videocalltips #zoomtips #videoconferencingtips #howtodozoom #workingformhome #wfh #zoomlivetips #howtodozoomlive #howtodovideocall

Designers design! This is the best advice Spen has received in years!  

Guess who gave it to him? Nick of course!   Here's the story about how Spen overcame his limiting beliefs and became a designer.

'I’ve wanted to be a designer for so many years. But I never had the confidence to call myself a designer  Designers always seemed so cool! They take a problem and through some kind of magic they design beautiful experiences & products.   I’ve dabbled in design for years too. I even taught it around 10 years ago.   But I’ve never considered myself a designer because I’ve never had a job with the word designer in it. I guess I had imposter syndrome and definitely a limiting belief around it.   I mentioned this to Nick sometime ago and his advice - “designers design”. He made me realise that the act of designing is what makes you a designer not a job title.   So I set out to design. Every. Single. Day.   I now spend most of day designing - art, apps, experiences, learning, media...'

How do you stay focussed and productive through these crazy days we’re going through?  That was the question I asked Spencer this morning and oh my goodness did he deliver.  Just to give you some context, Spencer is the most productive person I know. He has that ability, at will, to switch from human levels of productivity to what can only be described as level 10,000 super human productivity.  Not only that, he always seems to remain calm and make things look effortless even in the most challenging situations. He is the perfect war time CEO.  

Spencer gives his top 6 tips for super human productivity in tough times.  

1. Prioritise ruthlessly - one priority not many 

2. Focus on shipping - done is better than perfect - if you think it will take a day, find a way to do it in two hours and ship it if it’s close enough. 

3. Chunk your time - Spencer likes to work in 2 hour time slots. 

4. Reward yourself - Give yourself something to look forward to after each slot. 

5. Visualise your work - Think through each step of the process in your mind before you begin so have a clear plan of what to do. 

6. Only do stuff you enjoy - enjoyment is not the same as fun. You can still do hard things and the enjoyment can come from the feeling of overcoming a difficult challenge.

Ever since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, there have been some incredible stories about human endeavour, resilience, compassion and innovation.   Whilst the pandemic is the worst thing to have happened to human civilizations in generations, there has been a glimmer of hope about what we can achieve when we come together for the greater good - for the good of humankind.   

We zoom in to the story of innovation to uncover what we can do in the future to ensure we learn from the hard lessons of this time and don't fall back into a state of apathy and unnecessary battles to get shit done!  We also take a fleeting look at how a range of capabilities can reap huge rewards and whether there is such a thing as 'diversity of self'..?  If you enjoy this wide ranging conversation, please like, share and subscribe.

Some businesses are in a better position to weather this storm than others.  But what sets them apart? And how can we apply what they do to our businesses?  

On this week’s episode of The Spen and Nick Show, we break down 4 key business model mechanics that will help you get through this crisis. 

💵 Key resources = cash 

🔁 Model = subscription-based 

🔒 Relationships = locked in 

💸 Structure = Minimise fixed and flexible costs  

What do you think?

Narcos is great - at least Nick says it is. 

But have you ever thought about the business model for Narcos?  

No nor me (Spen) but it's the kind of thing Nick does for fun.   And here it is, a business model canvas for the Mexican cartels in Narcos.   

Disclaimer - we do not condone or endorse narcotics smuggling as a viable business model to move in to.

We're going through some tough times right now and we need to recognise that for sure. 

At the same time though, we need to be thinking about the positives and looking at ways we can move forward with our businesses.  In this video, Spencer and I share some tips for how to overcome a crisis.  

1. 📞 Contact existing or old clients
2. 🙂 Make new connections on LinkedIn
3. 🎥 Create video content
4. 📝 Make an online course
5. 👥 Offer one to one services
6. 📧 Get set up with remote working platforms
7. 📷 Buy 1080p camera
8. 👨🏻‍💻 Do free work for struggling companies/individuals
9. 🧘🏻‍♂️ Well being - journal, meditate, go outside, exercise, breath
10. 📚 Do something you would never have time to do other wise  

It's not perfect, I'm sure you'd have some suggestions too. What one are you going try out?

Mental models are simply a way of thinking.  

We can choose to view a situation from a number of different perspectives, but we must understand the different models that we can use.   

In this episode, Spencer introduces some of his favourite mental models.   What's your favourite?

This is a short episode all about Sticky notes. It's actually better watching on YouTube, but listen if it's easier for you. 

Sticky notes are the essential tool of designers, innovators & so many other people.   

But do you know how to use them like a pro? 

You might think you do, but I guarantee you will pick up something in this show that will take your sticky note game to the next level.  What are you waiting for...?

Innovation Consultant seems to be the hottest new job role around at the moment. 

But what does an innovation consultant really do?  We’re not too sure either... joke! 😂  

We do ...kind of. In this episode of The Spen and Nick Show, Nick talks us through his personal experience and understanding of what an Innovation Consultant is in 2020.  

Don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to our channel for business, innovation and learning wholesome goodness.

Spencer makes the case for the most important thing to learn in 2020 - Product Thinking.   

Product Thinking... WTF is that?!   

Well, listen and find out!

The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is something many of us have heard of and maybe dismissed as not that useful.   

And it’s not when it’s not understood or used well  

But when used properly, it’s an incredibly powerful tool to help understand your business so much better.   

Nick walks Spen through the BMC to help really understand what Future Builders is and what it could become.

It's that time of year when we look back at the last 12 months and think about the next 12.   

Retrospectives, resolutions, goals & objectives 

We discuss how we view this time of year and what we're planning in 2020.   

Let us know what you're planning in 2020 and beyond.

T'was the night before Christmas Eve, but we're still working! This was such a good show to record and we really hope you enjoy it.   

Nick talks about John Cleese's view on Creativity and askes Spen another tough question - Name your 3 most impactful influencers!  

Please like, share and subscribe - we love doing this, but we also really love your love, so don't be shy give us you love!   Happy Christmas!

It's getting close to the end of the decade, but that also means the start of a new one.
To mark the New Year, this week we talk about starting new projects, business and products. 

We also talk about some amazing concepts from the book Good to Great by Jim Collins - the Hedgehog Concept and the Bus Concepts.

As always, you can check out other things we're doing on Instagram & LinkedIn, or watch this in full & glorious HD video on YouTube. 

This week on the Spen and Nick Show we talk about Jobs To Be Done theory.
This the concept that best describes the reasons people buy products & is essential when looking oto create a new product or market something that exists. 

This week talk about the importance of having a growth mindset for leaders and how to get your team to also have a growth mindset.

Also Nick shows off his white walls! 

Episode 2 of the Spen & Nick Show. 

This week we talk about where we're entrepreneurs and what really is an entrepreneurial mindset.

Get in touch on Instagram @nickhimo @thespencerayres

We talk through our first thoughts on the new book Testing Business Ideas by David J Bland and Alex Osterwalder, how creativity is a muscle you need to train in order to become better at it and how & why we're looking to increase our media output. 

Check out how it going for us on Instagram - @nickhimo & @thespencerayres