The Paul Ippolito Outlook
Welcome to the latest edition of The Paul Ippolito Outlook.
I Read An Excellent Book Recently
“My Adventurous Life by Dick Smith” is a truly excellent book. Well written, and a great story from beginning to end. His bio that follows, says it all - “Dick Smith is the entrepreneurial businessman who founded Dick Smith Electronics, Australian Geographic, and Dick Smith Foods. A Companion of the Order of Australia, an Australian of the Year, and one of the National Trust's Living Treasures, he is an aviator who has flown five times around the world, including the first solo helicopter circumnavigation, and across Australia and the Tasman Sea by balloon.”
Personally, I found the story of his journey incredibly inspiring, especially his ability to balance entrepreneurial risk-taking with giving back to society. His life really does offer invaluable lessons on how to be a good person and a successful business leader. It really is well worth a look for anyone interested in entrepreneurialism, risk-taking, and making a positive impact on society.
What I also particularly appreciated was how he acknowledged the huge role of his wife Pip throughout, demonstrating genuine gratitude for her support and her constant active involvement. His detailed accounts of the struggles involved in starting his businesses, and in undertaking his adventures were both candid and sincere. He was forthright about the mistakes he made and the reasons behind them, which added a layer of authenticity to his story. Moreover, his focus on the financial aspects of his businesses and understanding when it was time to scale or step back, and then ultimately pursue what truly mattered to him is a valuable lesson for anyone in business.
We All Need To Know How To Market
I was listening to Gary Vee talk about how all businesses today need to be media companies first, then do what they do secondly. His point was threefold - produce organic social content regularly, know how to use AI to leverage it, and have a core platform to run it all through. His views in this 10-minute podcast were interesting and relevant, aligning with some of my own views on the importance of modern businesses being on top of their branding, marketing, selling, and AI utilisation in this new digital age. It inspired me to start creating a content calendar for our social media posts.
The ability to brand, market, and sell were only things I really paid close attention to when I started my own business, and even at that stage frankly, it was very hit and miss. Some things worked, others flopped - other times they worked and I couldn’t pinpoint why they did! I knew however and was told early on, quite wisely to just keep marketing and networking all the time, even when I was busy with work. This was good advice. However, in hindsight and as I said, it was often hard to determine what was my best ROI on it. I think it was because I was listening to too many well meaning but unqualified people! My advice to anyone going into business on their own is to really spend the time to understand how to do this stuff, what the latest trends in the attention economy are and to get professional advice sooner rather than later.
Discover Our New High-Performance Coaching Programs
We have been busy lately putting together a stack of high-performance coaching programs for you. They range in topics designed to help you excel, grow and alleviate the issues you experience every day as a professional.
Do You Feel Like An Imposter?
I knocked out a quick poll on LinkedIn the other day, asking if professionals ever stop believing they are imposters. It is still running, so I won’t reveal the trend just yet but it is definitely an issue for professionals of all walks of life. Around the same time, I came across a great podcast called The Great Pretender by Seth Godin where in it he rightly asks, “Whose validation do you want of your present and future?”. It is a bloody good question worth self reflecting upon. Self confidence and imposter syndrome are huge issues for professionals - they are by far the number 1 in my coaching practice over the years. Anyway once the LinkedIn poll concludes, I’ll share the results with you and provide some more analysis. In the meantime, Seth Godin’s podcast is well worth a listen for anyone grappling with imposter syndrome.
What Pain Point Are You Solving?
I have been spending a lot of time lately pondering this issue in relation to both the legal and advisory work I do for my clients. Providing them with peace of mind resonates with me a lot. I think that my unique value leveraged to them, is through the many and diverse years of experience I have (been there, done that - lived to tell the story) - I hope it is anyway.
A pain point is a specific problem that prospective clients are experiencing. Focusing on the specific problems your clients face and how you can alleviate them is crucial. It is to me at least!
I don’t think we spend nearly enough time as professionals considering what exactly it is we sell to our clients. Sales is not a skill set we often attribute to professionals in their education. Often, this is left until later when the professional decides to go into business or enters a managerial position.
Quite often, it is what the client tells us they think they want, rather than what we really should be doing for them, as they can't articulate their needs clearly themselves. Ultimately, we should all be thinking about and clearly articulating what pain points we are fixing for our clients—all the time.
Speaking honestly I think I am still a work in progress on this issue.
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Want A Better Work-Life Balance?
I recently asked some of my connections on LinkedIn what contributes the most to workplace and job satisfaction, and unsurprisingly, 48% of them said it was work-life balance. I think work-life balance is a huge issue post-pandemic, as many people struggle to manage their professional and personal lives more effectively.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, feeling that you can’t keep going? Tired of feeling like there's never enough time for yourself and loved ones? Is work sapping the goodness and joy out of you? Feel there are no boundaries anymore? In one of the latest coaching programs we have developed, we can help you achieve a better work-life balance. It is specially designed to address this pain point. We provide practical and realistic strategies to help you find harmony and integrate work and your personal life better. By doing so, we aim to reduce your stress and increase your overall satisfaction both at work and at home.
Join our program and take the first step towards a more balanced, fulfilling life.
You’ll receive a one-hour Zoom one-on-one session tailored to your specific needs.
Don't let the pressures of work overwhelm you—let us help you find the balance you need.
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A Newsletter Worth Receiving - Judge Scott Schlegel’s Insights
I wanted to share (again) an excellent resource that I think you’ll find incredibly valuable. I know I do.
Judge Scott Schlegel’s newsletter on Substack is a must-read—not just for lawyers, but for professionals across various fields. His insights are on point and full of common sense, especially when it comes to navigating the minefield of AI in professions like law.
His work draws out excellent analogies for me that are applicable to many other professions, making his content relevant and practical. I also find his insights realistic. As I said above, it’s a newsletter you won’t mind receiving.
Check it out here
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Regards
Paul Ippolito
Principal – Ippolito Advisory
Disclaimer - Paul Ippolito, the author of this newsletter writes in his capacity as the principal of business Ippolito Advisory and on behalf of Ippolito Lawyers Pty Ltd. This newsletter provides general information and is not professional or legal advice. No relationship is established by your use of this newsletter.
