Beyond Billables

Chris Kondou works alongside driven & passionate CEO's to build financial strategies and unlock business growth. He has lend his guiding hand across a wide range of industries, from professional services, to manufacturing & wholesale. 

Chris has recently embarked on his biggest challenge as founder of his own CFO Advisory firm, finding a new passion for business development & entrepreneurship.

On the show, we discuss the importance of challenging ourselves both in business and life, how to build a new business from scratch in your 50's, and even get a peak into Chris’ marathon training and his view on embracing forced discomfort.

On the show this week, we welcome Tim Whybourne, Managing Partner at Emanuel, Whybourne and Loehr, an investment advisory firm with offices in Sydney and Brisbane.  

EW&L have also been an ongoing Beyond Billables client for the last eighteen months. 

On the show we discussed Tim's career, how he and the team have grown EW&L, and the challenges all professional services firms face. We also discussed markets broadly and Tim's strategy 

Tim has more than 15 years’ experience at the sharp end of financial services and planning. His experience has been garnered from more than a decade in financial services including CommSec, FP Markets, UBS Wealth, and Morgan Stanley.

Aside from investments, we also discuss building strong client relationships, and tailoring to high net-worth clients.

Obviously, nothing discussed in the show should be taken as financial advice at all and all discussions were general in nature. 

Stefanie Costi is a speaker, writer and lawyer whose true passion lies in advocating for a safer and more inclusive future of work.

After an experience with bullying left Stef with workplace PTSD, she decided to share her story to help make a real difference.

Stef has delivered keynotes on workplace bullying, psychological safety at work and mental health at the National Press Club of Australia, the University of Technology, Sydney and Canva. She has also been a guest speaker at The College of Law Australia.

In this episode, we discuss navigating workplace bullying, creating a safe workplace for all, and of course reflect on Stef's personal journey.

In this week's Beyond Billables podcast I sat down with Devan King, founder of Ikigai Wealth. Devan has a fantastic story and shared his insights on business and life over the course of what was a very enjoyable show. Devan has a great philosophy that drives his business which I know will resonate with a lot of our listeners. 

Devan is a financial planner with over 15 years of industry experience. His career is marked by a significant achievement in building and subsequently exiting a successful wealth management business in South Africa.In 2016, relocating to Australia, and now doing it all again (but even better) with Ikigai Wealth. 

His extensive experience spans across various facets of the industry; including roles in corporate wealth management entities and boutique firms. This diverse background has equipped him with the skills to cater to a wide range of clients, from high net-worth individuals to ambitious young professionals and business owners.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of setting financial goals that will actually make you happy and pay off long term – and how to unlock those kinds of opportunities.

On the show this week, we welcomed back the always outstanding James d'Apice, founder of Gravamen, and 'Coffee and a Case Note'. Today, we answer one fundamental question I get a lot - can social media help you grow a real business?

For James, the answer is "absolutely"! As one of Australia's most prolific professional services content creators, James has been building a personal brand across social media for the last 5 years, and this ultimately has given him the ability to recently launch his law firm, Gravamen.

We discuss his motivations for launching the firm, what he hopes to achieve professionally and personally, and what he has learned in the first 6 months in business.

James spills many insights on social media for lawyers, and what he would do if he was starting out in 2024.

Aside from business, we also discuss our motivations as parents, trying to create businesses that fit with our family lives, and how the 'juggle' is a constant WIP.

In this episode of Beyond Billables, Mike engages in a candid conversation with Claire Styles, founder of C Legal and Co. Claire shares her journey of building a successful legal services business over the past two and a half years. The discussion delves into the key elements of her business development strategy, encompassing branding, social media, content creation, and marketing. As a solo entrepreneur specializing in asset protection and tax minimization for high-net-worth individuals and business owners, Claire provides valuable insights into the evolution of her brand and the lessons learned along the way.

The episode explores the importance of networking and relationship-building in the legal profession, with Claire emphasizing the significance of strategic connections over sheer quantity. The conversation also touches on Claire's transition to working from home and how it influenced the refocusing of her business. Listeners gain valuable advice on the delicate balance between personal fulfillment and business success, with Claire encouraging aspiring legal entrepreneurs to align their professional pursuits with their true passions. The episode concludes with a glimpse into Claire's exciting future plans and upcoming guests for Beyond Billables in 2024.

Business development can be a minefield. How do you become great at it? Which strategies work? Which don't?

On the podcast this week, we dive into key questions surrounding BD with returning guest Matthew Hollings, Director of Clients and Marketing at Sky Discovery. While this discussion is largely focussed on business development, we also discuss Matthew’s background in law, the industry of many of our clients.

Matt shares some unique insights on the power of having the right BD strategy; as well as habits and consistency that professionals at all levels can take onboard and implement to help them win more work.

As for Matt himself check out his bio below! 

Matthew has been a part of the legal industry for over 12 years. First, as a practising solicitor working in litigation for a large national firm. Second, working in-house for a large financial institution in its disputes team, before moving into the world of legal technology. Matthew has spent the last 9 years using his practical experience as a litigator to support lawyers with eDiscovery solutions that help them to collect, analyse, manage and review the increasing volumes and types of data related to their disputes, regulatory responses and investigations. Working in close partnership with their clients throughout the entire matter lifecycle, Matthew and his colleagues use their legal and technological experience to develop solutions that make the technical, practical and the complex, simple so that those legal teams can focus on the law, and their clients.

AI is changing the SEO game forever.

Is your business ready? Today on the show, I chat with James Banks, Founder of Rankmax.AI. Rankmax is an AI SEO business that assists enterprises looking to leverage the power of AI, and ultimately grow website traffic.

Having worked in the industry for 15 years, James recognised the huge changes AI was bringing which drove him to launch Rankmax in 2023. Today, we dive into everything you need to know about AI, SEO, content and how technology is shaping search engine optimisation.

If your business utilises SEO to generate leads, this is a must listen. More than a business discussion, James also opens up in candid detail on his journey as an entrepreneur. He shares about some of the incredibly tough times that have shaped him as a leader and the pursuit of happiness in business that led him to this point.

https://www.rankmax.ai/

In this week's show, Mike dives into the  "Net, Lure and Spear" marketing framework as a way to make better decisions on where you invest your marketing, BD and content investments. 

Mike dives into the significance of distinguishing between these three elements when investing time and resources in marketing your business. Net fishing involves broad messaging and brand building, creating a lasting impression. Lure fishing targets specific industry problems with tailored content, while spearfishing is highly focused on individual relationships, often involving personalized communication.

Mike emphasizes the importance of making clear decisions regarding where to allocate time and money within these elements. 

On this week's show I sat down with my friend and incredibly successful online business strategist Steph Taylor. Steph helps service-based business owners build profitable and sustainable online businesses that continue to grow even when they’re offline. 

This was a great discussion on Steph's business journey, what's worked and what hasn't, and how she has managed to find success. Steph and I worked together for 2 years, so it was great fun to revisit that time, reflect on her journey and hear all her insights on online business. From business to mental health, this is a great discussion on business and life. 

In 12 months, Steph took her online business from $100K to $1 million, and the best bit? This
didn’t come with the trade-off of more hustle and more time. In fact, by creating a solid online
business and sales engine, she was able to take weeks off to hike around the outback with a
tent on her back, and be off the grid for a month in a camper van with her furry best pal, Archie.
By leaning on strategy over tactics, value over the hard sell, and longevity over quick wins,
Steph believes that a successful online business shouldn’t feel like you’re pushing an elephant
up the hill, but instead should feel fun, flowy, and fulfilling.

Through her podcast Imperfect Action that’s clocked over 2 million downloads and in supporting
over 4,000 paid students and counting, Steph today teaches online businesses how they too
can create financial, choice, time, and location freedom through her framework that blends
strategy, content, sales, systems, and mindset.

This week, Mike sits down with founders of Oh My Digital, Kaitlyn Gillies & Hayley Peters to chat all things business evolution! Katy & Hayley are a dynamite duo that have grown their agency through hard work and a commitment to constant evolution. We discuss their history, how they tackle the big issues that all business owners face, and how those issues impact on them personally. Join us for a deep-dive into the reality of running an agency, the personal toll of owning a business, and how embracing constant change can help (in all aspects of life).

Oh My Digital are your marketing cheerleaders. We help passionate brands kick marketing goals, backed by a #cheersquad of besties, whether you're a rookie, a pro or anywhere in between! We will educate, inspire & empower you to demystify your marketing once and for all (and have a lot of fun along the way). We offer DIY and done-for-you options, so your brand can grow with us - whatever stage you’re at! We love a good 2000s throwback movie, Friday night cosmos & helping businesses grow with no BS digital marketing advice and strategy.

On the first interview show this year Mike spoke with Dominic Woolrych, Co-founder of Lawpath Australia's number one online legal platform that has helped over 400,000 small businesses across Australia and the US. On the show we discussed Lawpath and Dom’s journey, how they have scaled the business and some of the big questions business owners have to grapple with. Dom shared openly about the challenges of being a non-technical founder, how he has developed as a leader and how he manages it all. More details on Dom’s bio can be found below!

Dom’s mission is to transform and digitalize the legal industry to make it accessible to all small businesses and show lawyers that there are many non-traditional opportunities in the legal sector. Dom is on the advisory board and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology and a director of the Australian Legal Technology Association (ALTA). In 2022, Dom became the finalist at SmallBiz Week Young Hero Awards in the Young Innovator category and was voted the top 20 University of Technology Alumni.

As a young entrepreneur, Dom first cut his teeth as a commercial lawyer at Minster Ellison, Australia's largest law firm, where he realized that only a select handful of businesses could afford top legal advice. This experience and his subsequent work representing vulnerable people through Legal Aid gave him the insights and skills needed to disrupt and revolutionize the legal industry. Together with his co-founder Tom Willis, he witnessed how other industries moved their services online and applied this principle to the legal sector. With the automation of tasks and cutting-edge technologies (including AI), he bridged the gap and made gaining legal advice accessible to everyone, especially small businesses. Dom's vision is to continue to build his digital platform and help small businesses globally to access legal support at a fraction of the traditional system's time, cost, and complexity. Today, Lawpath is recognized as one of the top 10 legal start-ups in Australia and the top 50 globally. It is the fastest-growing online legal platform with over 400,000 small business users and has started 5 percent of all companies in Australia.

Welcome back to the Beyond Billables podcast!

It’s been a hot minute and a lot has been happening, but we are excited to once again be making the show. In this first episode of the year Mike shares candidly on the evolution and growth of the Beyond Billables agency, the decision to put the show on hold during his wife’s cancer treatment and the excitement about being back in the podcast chair!

It wouldn’t be a BB show without insight on some key professional services strategies and in the second half Mike dives into the “Work on vs Work in” your business conundrum and shares a 5 step process to help owners, executives, and senior leaders work out what balance suits them.

From Associate in the Supreme Court to playing packed out comedy shows around the world, this week Mike caught up with the incredibly talented Josh Glanc just before Edinburgh Fringe! Josh shared openly about his journey in comedy and the real challenges anyone faces who embarks on a career in a creative field. We spoke about the impact of the pandemic, how he approaches his standup and the reality of getting work as a comedian around the world. This was a very personal, engaging chat with a hugely talented Australian who is destined for great things.

On the show this week Mike spoke with Law Firm SEO expert, Chris Dreyer, CEO and founder of Rankings.io.  Rankings.io is an SEO agency that specializes in helping personal injury law firms dominate first page rankings. This was a really interesting discussion on SEO, Content, niching down and the power of brand across everything law firms do. Chris also shared on his own interesting personal journey and how he built his brand through content and the strategies he helps clients implement. Mike also discussed the upcoming launch of Chris’ first book
called: Niching up: The narrower the Market, The Bigger the prize.

On the show this week Mike spoke with the brilliant Rob Dos Santos from Cape Town, South Africa! Once upon a time many moons ago, Rob was a lawyer, practicing Commercial and Corporate law. However, he had a higher calling in life to make films. So one day he decided to ditch the courtroom for the camera and live his dream of being a filmmaker. This was a great show exploring what it means to have passion for your work and the tough journey many people need to go on to find something they love to do. Rob shares candidly and with great humour about his journey and everything it has taken to make it work.

On the show this week Mike sat down with the one and only Clarissa Rayward, law firm owner, podcaster, author and known as the Happy Family lawyer! As well as being the host for the last 6 years of the Happy Lawyer, Happy Life podcast Clarissa is also the Owner of Brisbane Family Law Center, an accredited Family Law Specialist, Mediator, Collaborative Lawyer & all-around superhuman. Over the past 15 years, Clarissa has worked with thousands of families during separation and divorce. She specializes in assisting her clients in experiencing a dignified divorce - staying away from the Court process and finding sustainable agreements for the future.

• Clarissa published her first book, Splitsville: How to Separate, Stay Out of Court and Stay Friends in 2015 (4.6-star review on Amazon)
• Launched her podcast in 2016 the Happy Lawyer, Happy Life
• Happy Lawyer Happy Life: How to Be Happy in Law and in Life published in 2017
• Provides webinars and teaches courses to lawyers

On the show this week Mike sat down with Ryan Loerh, a partner at Emanuel Whyboune. Ryan has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, having worked for large retail banks, specialist investment firms, Macquarie Group and Morgan Stanley before moving to Emanuel Whybourne with its founders. Having previously studied law Ryan ended up embarking on a career in finance so it was a fascinating discussion on how he achieved this and what skills he learned in law school that helped along the way. Given the economic climate at the moment it was also a great chance to discuss inflation, interest rates and global markets and how someone like Ryan helps problem solve for his clients.

*** None of our discussion on this podcast should be taken as direct or implied financial advice of any kind and does not constitute personal advice to any person. The discussion may contain statements of opinion by the speakers which are a point in time evaluation current only at the date of publication and are not statements of fact or recommendations of any kind. To the extent permitted by law, neither the presenters or BB, employees or agents accept any liability whether arising in contract, in tort or negligence or otherwise, for any error or ommission in this podcast or for any loss or damage suffered by a recipient of this podcast or any other person acting in reliance upon the information or opinion in this podcast.***

On today’s insight show Mike reflects on what they don’t teach you in law school! Having worked in the industry for over two decades now in practice, in recruitment and in marketing what stands out for us is that young lawyers aren’t coming out of law school with some key skills that can help them over their career. Mike focuses in on three key issues around Client Experience, Communication and Business skills that all great lawyers need but that law schools (and many law firms own training and development) just aren’t providing.

On the show this week Mike had a great discussion with Rizwana McDonald, Founder of Foundd Legal. Riz started Foundd as a way to make all of that boring, scary, overwhelming legal stuff both accessible and affordable to entrepreneurs, creatives and designers, so they can have the best shot possible of creating a legal, lucrative, kick-arse brand and business. Marketing pitch aside, Riz has an excellent and unique story of resilience and perseverance. Having been pulled out of school by her family at a young age, Riz was able to ultimately find her own path into the law which has culminated in her very own thriving practice. A truly inspiring entrepreneur and business owner Riz story is for anyone who thinks they can’t make it.