The Business Elevation Show With Chris Cooper - Be More. Achieve More

Would you like to understand how to massively increase your probability of success when it comes to obtaining private equity funding for your business? According to my guest in the current economy, 99% of entrepreneurs pitching for private equity funding are not successful in getting any. This is not because investors no longer have the money to invest. It is usually because those pitching have never been given any proper Mentoring and as a result, their pitch is not up to scratch, investors are not convinced they fully understand their own business, nor is their business plan appropriate to get them to invest. On this show I will be talking to Jonathan Pfahl the founder and Managing Director of The Rockstar Group which helps entrepreneurs to create the BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE FOR FUNDING TO BE GRANTED. So far his clients have a 75% success rate. Join us to find out more about the practical ways to increase the probability of success when it comes to your Dragons Den moment!

Do you want to access confidence whenever you need it? According to my guest ‘77% of us believe confidence is the main component of success’. This is why it is such an important topic on this show. Confidence can literally make the difference between us realizing our full potential or not. However, even the most confident people all have low points and dealing with these is critical. My guest is confidence expert Seán Brickell, an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, trainer and author of the acclaimed Don’t Shoot – I’m Not Well! Confidence for when you really need it. Seán has been a network TV newsreader, the UK’s youngest ever network TV news correspondent and an undercover investigative journalist. We will be looking at scenario’s such as confident pitching, interviews, difficult conversations and people and even what to do if you are held at gun point! This show will help you, your business and might even save your life!

Ever dreamed of being a rockstar and touring the world? If so - you are not alone! My guest on this show achieved that very dream. Chris White is best known for - the saxophone sound of Dire Straits. His work with the band included the Brothers in Arms and Every Street World Tours, the On Every Street and On The Night albums, and the legendary Live Aid and Mandela concerts. We will be discussing practical lessons from his remarkable life in music, including acquiring mastery, dealing with challenging people, teams and managing nerves. Uncomfortable speaking in front of a small group? Then 1.9 billion viewers at Live Aid may put things into perspective! Or if you are away from family on business for a week or two then what must it be like to be on tour with your team night after night for 16 months? Do join us for a fascinating insight into the life and lessons learned while playing with Dire Straits and artists such as Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams.

Do you find yourself spending the greater part of your time dealing with the day-to-day and perhaps not getting ‘up in the helicopter’ enough to view the bigger picture? On this show we will be talking about how to focus effectively on the horizon. The intention being that after listening to this show you will have the inspiration to help you grow your business, improve your personal effectiveness, reduce your own stress through insights into how the top CEO’s effectively develop their businesses. Whatever the scale of your business this will be valuable. Our guest Roger Harrop, the CEO Expert is probably the most highly regarded and sought after international business growth expert in the world. Do join us to learn some top ideas that could help your pursuit towards ongoing profitable growth.

Are you wishing to advance your career? Or help others advance? Perhaps you have children or family members who could benefit from some words of wisdom? During this show I will be discussing career success with my guest Hilary Wilson who is an international keynote speaker, trainer and mentor. She also founded Wilson Associates Limited, the UK based development consultancy in 1989. During this time Hilary has worked with over 65 FTSE 100 companies, designed and delivered some 3750 bespoke career development programmes and facilitated over 5850 hours of coaching. Over the last 22 years, through observation, interaction and research of 55,000 executives across a vast range of organisations both in the UK and internationally, Hilary has identified the top critical success factors. She uses this to create workforces who really know how to manage their careers. If you want to help yourself or the career of others then join us for some provoking ideas, proven to improve career success.

For teams to win in today’s business climate they need both mental and physical fitness. On this show, we will take inspiration from a former professional boxer who now inspires individuals and teams to punch well above their weight. Billy Schwer won British, Commonwealth, European and IBO World Titles and has since built a successful business as an Inspirational and Motivational Speaker and Performance Coach. Having battled his way back from depression, divorce and even bankruptcy after his retirement from the boxing ring. Billy knows how to survive and thrive... and his messages have since helped many well known clients to transform company performance and results including improvements to their bottom line. Do join us on this show for what I am sure will be a fascinating and possibly business and life changing encounter!

Like a Usain Bolt do you attract opportunities into your life with your positive state of mind and results? Or are you one of the 'majority' who have more negative than positive thoughts and achieve more average results? On this show, I am delighted to welcome two extremely successful guests who will help us exceed the norm. Adrienne Lawler after a successful career as Anchor in the newsrooms of the BBC & SKY and co-host of a top daytime show on ITV (Everything Must Go!) now delivers outstanding events for the Corporate Sector. She is also Founder of iNewsU.com the next big thing in social media and a pioneer in good news. Tim Dingle also has an astonishing CV, a former headmaster of a top school, author of 24 books on a variety of educational topics, has senior positions on various educational and sporting board, speaks internationally and owns a successful comedy venue. Expect a highly thought provoking show that if the insights are applied, could change your results forever.

Are you using social media effectively to connect to customers? With ever increasing bandwidth, audio and video has created richer ways to deepen the engagement with online customers. This show will explore how you can sell effectively to the new generation of online buyers and the importance of aligning your content and online technology to your sales and marketing strategy. My guest Frank Furness works across 52 countries motivating and engaging audiences around sales, technology, social media and goal setting. He has 72 websites marketing products, has clients that include the British Olympic team and a You Tube channel watched by millions. Join us for what will be an exceptionally informative show that will help you to improve your client connection with the help of the social media revolution.

Are you looking to reach new heights of achievement and wondering how to get the best out of yourself and others on your journey? Or perhaps you have already achieved everything you set out to do and are wondering what comes next? Cathy O’Dowd is the first woman ever to climb Mount Everest from both North and South sides and therefore knows more about reaching new heights of achievement than almost any other. With a desire to achieve more she continues to find new ways to challenge herself both physically and mentally, whether planning a new adventure or sharing her fascinating experiences as an internationally acclaimed speaker and author. It is therefore a great pleasure to be talking to Cathy live from Andorra in the Pyrenees about how and why we should be reaching out for new challenges. She will also share her experiences about getting the best from people, while operating under acute pressure. Do join us for what will be an incredible show.

How many different brands are you exposed to on a daily basis and how does your opinion of them differ? For those brands you have a good feeling towards is it not true that you are more likely to engage, aspire or purchase that brand? Have you therefore considered that people are also brands and based upon the impressions and interactions people have with YOU, their desirability to associate or buy your services will also vary enormously? Our guest on this show is Lesley Everett an internationally acclaimed professional speaker and expert on personal branding and perception management. During this show we will discuss the key components of personal branding as set out in Lesley's Walking TALL philosophy which she has so far shared in 20 countries across 4 continents. Listen to this show and learn how to build your personal brand to achieve far more.

It’ s a tough business environment right now. Yet while some struggle there are many that are thriving. Of course you need to keep an eagle eye on cash flow, that’s a given, but now more than ever, highly effective sales & marketing strategies are essential for success. On this show you’ll learn how to get champagne results on a beer budget, including the effective use of social media. Our guest on this show is the perfect person to help us. Steve Clarke went from a school leaver aged 16 with no qualifications to leading businesses in the UK and US and selling his last start up (one of the fastest growing business in the UK) enabling him to retire at 45. He’s now a mentor with The Entrepreneurs Business Academy led by former BBC Dragons Den entrepreneur James Caan. He also runs sales mentoring and masterclass programs, is author of ‘How to Thrive Not Just Survive’ and an international keynote speaker. Listen to this show and pick up great ideas that could help you thrive not survive.

Ever experienced a time when life looked great, only for a sudden change to occur and your perspectives were changed forever? For some of our show guests this has involved recovering psychologically and financially from business failure. In April 2006, Peter Roper became a bestselling author. Outwardly life looked fabulous but in just a few short months, through a combination of some poor choices and perhaps bad luck, Peter had to start again from scratch. Turning failure into success he wrote 'Running on Empty' to share his experiences and to donate the profits to a charity close to his heart - 'The Samaritans' . In this show Peter will be brutally honest about the challenges he faced in business, the effect it had and, more crucially, what to do if you face the same situation. He will share the the must know conclusions that he has drawn from his experiences and the Golden Rule he applies to business in this decade.

Our guest on this show would humbly say we are all just ‘ordinary people’. However, how is it that some people are able to unlock their potential to achieve the most extraordinary results? In doing so they also learn the ability to help other ‘ordinary people’ realize their incredible potential. Kevin Gaskell's achievements transcend several worlds. Exceptional results in business, adventure and sport. When I saw Kevin speak, I was captivated by the wisdom he had to share and had to invited him on this show. It is not often that you meet someone credited with leading the transformation of motor brands such as Porsche and BMW. Then went on to found a dotcom which quickly became a market leader and concurrently led a business to a $500 million sale. He has also played international cricket and walked to both North and South poles. Ordinary no but made from the same stuff - yes! Do join us with pen and paper at the ready for what I expect to be an incredibly insightful experience.

Most people in business today would agree that you can ill afford to ignore the internet. Yet for those of us starting a business or in business our web presence and social media are a continuous process of learning and evolution. On this show,I am delighted to welcome two leading internet and social media experts. Graham Jones is a web psychologist and focuses on how people behave online and in particular how we can understand their behaviour so that we can engage with them better. He is also an award winning writer with 29 books to his name! Ant Hodges runs an agency focused on start ups with particular expertise in the use of social media and how it can be used for search engine optimization. If the internet is a focus area for you right now then you will be missing out on a lot of value if you don’t listen to this show.

Could you benefit from some practical, no nonsense business advice to help you get your business moving? If so, with this show you certainly came to the right place. Brad Burton started his networking business in debt and selling pizzas at the weekend. Fast forward six years and he is now MD of a major business network called 4Networking, a top motivational speaker and author of two highly rated and impactful business books 'Get off Your Arse' and 'Get off Your Arse Too'. Terry Cooper has led the development of Brad's business in the UK and Australia and is a perfect compliment, bringing significant international board level experience and a grounded passion for sales. Expect this show to bring great ideas and you guessed it by the book titles, inspiration and the challenge to ‘just get on with it’. Or in Brad’s words ‘Get off Your Arse’!

There is no doubt that the rate of change in the world is speeding up. The rules for success and failure in business are changing as revolutionary companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Virgin impact the world. Economies are in crisis and all industries are under enormous pressure. Yet for the business owner, learning to navigate potentially disruptive change could actually yield the greatest of opportunities. I am delighted therefore that internationally acclaimed expert on the changing world of work, Dr Graeme Codrington is joining us. Graeme is co-founder of TomorrowToday, a global firm of futurists, and speaks internationally to over 100,000 people in more than 25 countries every year! He is a guest lecturer at 4 top business schools including the London Business School, has 5 degrees, including a Doctorate, 4 best selling published books and wide ranging business experience. Don’t miss this show if you want to learn how to turn potentially disruptive change into your advantage.

Ever had self doubts about whether you can achieve your full potential in life? Perhaps you feel held back by your upbringing or have had some bad luck along the way? Maybe you have lost your job in the downturn or are struggling to bring in new clients into your business right now and are frustrated. Or perhaps you are juggling a heavy workload and can’t find the energy to do the things that would really make a difference. Whatever your situation, we can all learn something from Richard McCann. Richard had a childhood that no child should ever have to endure. Aged 5 he woke up to discover that his mother had been the first victim of one the world’s most notorious serial killers. Yet, after many trials in life, he turned his life around to become a best selling author and international speaker. Join us and hear about his remarkable life and how we can all benefit from his extremely inspiring iCan philosophy.

Influence is about our ability to have an effect on others. As nothing in this world of great significance is ever achieved by one person entirely alone then influencing skills are a critical success factor. In business they are essential to winning new clients, success at job interviews, influencing the media, building great network contacts etc. On this show we have two people who have experienced great success from effective influencing. Marianne Abib-Pech was Global Chief Financial Officer for Shell Aviation in her mid 30's and is currently writing a book for the Financial Times on corporate leadership. Andy Lopata according to the Financial Times is ‘One of Europe's leading Business Networking Strategists’ and is author of three highly recommended books on networking. On this show we will look at the key components of influencing and share some great ideas that will improve your ability to influence.

Self image could be described as the beliefs that we hold about what others think about us. Our self image can therefore be established by what we have taken on board from others or certain judgements we have made about our self. What is clear is that how we perceive our self image and how others choose to treat and perceive us has an incredible impact on our success in business and life. In this show we will be talking with self image expert Darrell Knoch. Darrell transformed his life from a very difficult childhood with low self image to a high flying entrepreneur, investor, real estate authority, coach, financier and author. Listen to this show and we will discuss how to build and protect self image to achieve exceptional business performance and personal happiness.

Ever find self confidence a challenge? You are not alone. The number one issue for 'Be More Achieve More newsletter subscribers when asked 'What is your main barrier to success' is self confidence. At times, everyone battles with it and if you are building a team their confidence is also essential to realize team potential. Intelligence helps, qualifications are useful, good looks are a bonus, but self confidence is your greatest asset. Many people focus on all the wrong things. They dwell on mistakes and see failure rather than chalking up setbacks to experience. To overcome adversity you need to employ tried and tested strategies. Expert guidance is on hand with two shows designed to help. On this show 'The Confidence Coach', international speaker and author Eilidh Milnes will join me to discuss how to employ personal tactics; to behave as if it were impossible to fail. I am confident this will be a brilliant show with free access to a fabulous pdf explaining Eilidh's strategies.