Are you earning more but still feeling like you don't have any extra income in your bank account each month? We often assume that a bigger pay check guarantees financial security, but without the right strategy, lifestyle inflation, tax inefficiencies, and poor financial planning can quietly erode wealth.

This week, I'm joined by Lawrence Bearman, a financial advisor specialising in helping high-income Millennials keep more of their hard earned cash. We discuss how to manage wealth, optimise tax efficiency, and avoid the common money pitfalls high earners face.

Expect to learn:

02:03 Lifestyle Inflation: The Hidden Trap

03:15 Understanding Expenditure

04:42 The DIY Investor Dilemma

06:14 The Value of Financial Advice

13:29 Common Financial Challenges for High Earners

15:51 Tax Efficiency Strategies

18:57 Property Investment vs. Renting

23:05 The Emotional Side of Financial Planning

30:16 Finding Financial Balance

31:35 Avoiding Lifestyle Creep

33:39 End of Tax Year Planning

34:44 Understanding Pensions

39:41 Lawrence's Best Investment

45:26 Social Media for Financial Advice

49:59 The Role of AI in Financial Planning

55:04 Summary of Financial Tips

Discover Lawrence

LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-bearman

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

NOTE: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or tax advice. Any opinions expressed are those of the guest and host and do not constitute recommendations for specific financial decisions.

You should always consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment, tax, or financial planning decisions. Investments can rise and fall in value, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I sit down with Peter Wood, co-founder of The Graduate Guide, to discuss the biggest challenges facing university graduates in today’s job market.

With AI, automation, economic downturns, and the decline of traditional corporate careers, graduates are questioning whether a 9-to-5 job is still the best path.

We explore why the graduate job market is so challenging, how to stand out in a competitive job market, the importance of personal branding on LinkedIn, and how to leverage social media for career success.

Peter also shares his journey from history student to startup founder, offering insights on networking, breaking free from societal career norms, and finding opportunities beyond traditional corporate jobs.

If you're a student, recent graduate, or considering a career change, this episode will give you practical strategies to future-proof your career, land better job opportunities, and navigate today’s evolving job market.

00:00 Trailer

01:08 Challenges Facing Graduates

02:03 Navigating the Job Market

03:48 The Graduate Guide Mission

05:12 Corporate vs. Entrepreneurial Paths

08:04 Advice for Non-Traditional Career Paths

09:10 Building a Personal Brand

21:26 The Role of AI in Recruitment

35:56 The Power of Personal Branding

38:41 Building Your LinkedIn Presence

41:50 Balancing Career and Personal Life

45:47 Overcoming Social Pressure and Cringe

56:14 The Journey of Building a Business

01:00:20 Joining the Entrepreneurial Community

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this 50th episode milestone, I’m pulling back the curtain on what I’ve learned from the last 12 months launching and growing this podcast - and how these lessons apply to starting any business.

From dealing with imposter syndrome to experiencing the benefits of consistency and building a personal brand. I’ll also share the costs of podcasting, why networking is a superpower, and the real struggle of staying focused when opportunities are everywhere.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a content creator, or just someone who wants to level up, these 10 lessons will save you time, money, and frustration as you build your own path to success.

Expect to learn:

00:00 Introduction

01:21 Celebrating 50 Episodes: A Year in Review

02:21 Lesson 1: The Importance of Getting Started

04:02 Lesson 2: Embrace Imperfection and Progress

10:02 Lesson 3: Consistency is Key

11:54 Lesson 4: Managing Work-Life Balance

17:17 Lesson 5: The Power of Networking

22:48 Lesson 6: Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

28:30 Lesson 7: Building Your Personal Brand

36:51 Lesson 8: The Challenge of Staying Focused

40:39 Defining Success and Ambition

50:41 Lesson 9: The Cost of Running a Podcast

58:53 Lesson 10: The Reality of Burnout

01:08:08 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan is an e-commerce expert who turned his Shopify side hustle into a £5 million revenue business. In this episode, he reveals how he scaled his company, maximised profitability, and ultimately exited successfully.

The 5-Step Formula to Doubling Profit:

Most Shopify store owners focus on traffic and ads, but Dan shares his proven strategy for increasing profit margins - giving you more cash to reinvest in customer acquisition.

Accountant’s Guide to Running a Profitable Business:

With his finance background, Dan breaks down how to structure your business for sustainable growth, so you’re not just making sales—you’re building a long-term success story.

What Happens After a Successful Exit?

As an ambitious entrepreneur, what do you do after selling your business? Dan reflects on his journey and shares what he’d do differently if he started again.

Whether you're launching a store, scaling to six or seven figures, or planning your exit, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Don’t miss this masterclass in e-commerce success!

01:39 From Corporate Career to Entrepreneurship

02:07 Why Entrepreneurship?

03:16 Starting the Business

07:56 Scaling and Hiring

15:56 Understanding Unit Economics

19:00 5 Step Formula to Double Your Profit

47:33 Lessons Learned

48:29 The Waitlist Strategy

49:05 Balancing Profit and Growth

53:51 The Importance of Customer Experience

58:24 Resilience in Business

01:07:39 Future Ambitions and Projects

Discover Dan

Website - https://hellotmrw.io/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-mcclen

Double Your Profit Cheat Sheet - https://hellotmrw.io/pages/double-your-profit

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, entrepreneur Anthony O'Brien shares his experiences and challenges in building a successful business. He discusses the importance of surrounding yourself with a strong team, the concept of a fractional C-suite, and the struggles of managing cash flow and staff. He also talks about his personal motivations, the impact of ADHD on entrepreneurs, and the need for adaptability in business. Key takeaways include the value of hiring people better than oneself, the significance of failure as a learning tool, and balancing personal life with business demands.

01:31 The Concept of Fractional C-Suite

06:30 Delegation and Building The Perfect Team

08:23 ADHD and Entrepreneurship

16:14 “The Hardest Year Of My Life”

20:02 Common Issues in Growing Businesses

32:49 Revenue vs. Profit: The Age-Old Debate

33:39 The Entrepreneur's Ego and Revenue Obsession

36:40 Challenges of the Current Year

37:52 Adapting to Change: Pivot or Perish

39:04 The Role of Luck in Business Success

41:09 Balancing Business and Personal Life

52:01 The Fear of Failure as a Motivator

Discover Anthony

Website - https://profici.co.uk/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-obrien/

Podcast - https://profici.co.uk/profici-podcast/

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam is the co-founder of A-Game and coaches high achievers to improve performance across multiple areas of their lives.

Adam share his own journey, from hitting absolute rock bottom, to building a successful business and helping others to achieve the same.

In this conversation we discuss simple strategies to improve your personal performance and relationships. We explore why many men suffer in silence, and discuss how better communication is the answer, but most importantly, how to do this effectively!

Adam also provides tips for how men can listen to their partners, something that many of us struggle with, which will lead to a happier and healthier relationship.

This was a pretty powerful episode and I’m so grateful to Adam for sharing his personal journey, but also providing some actionable takeaways for others to make small improvement in their lives.

Expect to hear:

03:49 Struggles with Validation and Comparison

08:34 Hitting Rock Bottom

14:04 Rebuilding and Finding Purpose

18:56 Starting a Business

26:25 The Power of Small Habits

30:14 Challenges and Growth in Business

41:10 Effective Communication

46:30 How To Listen To Your Partner For a Better Relationship

47:52 The 'Empowerment Dynamic'

55:54 The Power of Helpful Thoughts

01:03:15 Finding Purpose and Fulfilment

01:12:14 Practical Steps for Personal Growth

Discover Adam

Website - https://agameconsultancy.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-smith-high-performance-coach/

Instagram.- https://www.instagram.com/agameconsultancy/

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin Mason is the co-founder of Talent Mapper, a company he built to solve a problem experienced by millions in the corporate workplace: internal mobility.

Talent Mapper is a platform that uses data to match employees’ individual skill sets with the right job roles, and helps track career progression within organisations.

When Martin explained the concept to me during this conversation, it was a lightbulb moment. Having spent years working in large organisations, I’ve seen firsthand how common these challenges are - people struggling to find roles that align with their skills or facing barriers to internal progression. Talent Mapper addresses this head-on, helping companies retain talent while ensuring employees are in roles where they can thrive.

Beyond explaining how Talent Mapper works, Martin opens up about his journey as an ‘accidental entrepreneur.’ He shares how he developed his business plan, what it’s like to run a startup, and why he would never want to be a sole founder again.

This episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in entrepreneurship or navigating their career within a larger organisation.

Expect to hear:

02:10 Early Career and Shift to HR

05:51 First Entrepreneurial Venture

07:39 Building a Business Plan

15:32 Developing TalentMapper

26:57 Navigating Internal Career Paths

33:45 Empowering Employees in Startups

34:53 Challenges of Transitioning from Corporate to Startup

35:52 Building a Strong Non-Exec Board

38:43 The Importance of a Co-Founder

41:47 Making Yourself Redundant as a Leader

44:04 Future Plans and Ambitions

55:47 Addressing Homelessness and Prison Reform

Discover Martin

Website - https://thetalentmapper.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmason

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It wasn’t until I started working in the financial industry that I understood how essential investing was for building long-term wealth.

This week, I’m joined by Andrew Craig, founder of Plain English Finance and author of the must-read personal finance book How To Own The World.

In this episode, Andrew and I dive into how investing can serve as a powerful tool for wealth creation. We explore what it really means to invest in shares, the importance of starting early, why relying on the state for a retirement pension is risky, how inflation erodes your cash savings, and so much more.

Expect to learn:

03:19 The Importance of Financial Literacy

08:19 The State of Pensions and Future Challenges

11:47 The Power of Compounding and Early Investment

14:41 Government Policies and Economic Implications

26:38 Understanding Inflation and Investment Strategies

31:37 What It Means to Invest in Shares

37:09 The Misconceptions About Financial Markets

45:49 The Importance of Regular Investment

57:52 Future Trends

01:10:23 Comparing US and UK Economies

01:11:15 The US Advantage in Technology and Innovation

01:11:37 Challenges Facing the UK Economy

01:14:08 Historical Market Trends and Lessons

01:25:20 The Importance of Supporting British Companies

Discover Andrew

Website - https://plainenglishfinance.co.uk/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCME6xVzdcA7q_RfhRaRIkPA

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcraigpef/?originalSubdomain=uk

Books - https://plainenglishfinance.co.uk/books

Get In Touch

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.