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Thriving Business

Thriving Business

By: Dr Kate De Jong & Sam Morris
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THRIVING BUSINESS

Business Insights to Help You Grow Your Business with Ease

We’re two seasoned business owners — Sam Morris and Kate De Jong — sharing our nearly thirty-year combined experience of starting and growing service-based businesses from the ground up. We so many small businesses struggling or falling prey to expensive promises of quick fixes or silver bullets. Both of us know what it REALLY takes to start and grow a business, we've done it many times over and we've got the blisters to prove it! We’ve joined forces to share our knowledge and experience so you can find the easiest path to success, doing it your way, and most importantly — staying true to yourself.

© 2026 Thriving Business Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Ep #10 | Stop Winging It: How to Design a Business Model That Gives You Revenue, Freedom and a Life

    Ep #10 | Stop Winging It: How to Design a Business Model That Gives You Revenue, Freedom and a Life
    May 20 2026
    Send a question or message to Kate & SamWelcome to Episode 10 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the first episode of Quadrant 3: Grow Smart | Capacity!Most business owners start with a skill or a product, not a model. They figure it out as they go. And if you don't design your model intentionally, your business will design itself, and it usually designs itself into something that consumes your life.In this episode, Kate and Sam get honest about the difference between accidental growth and intentional design, and why getting clear on your business model is the single most important thing you can do to create sustainable revenue, freedom and a business you actually love running."If you don't design your model, the business will design itself, and it usually designs itself into something that consumes your life."In this episode, you will learn:Business model vs business plan vs business structure: Why these three terms are not interchangeable, and what each one actually means for your businessThe fragmented model trap: Why having multiple revenue streams that don't talk to each other creates chaos, exhaustion and a business that's almost impossible to scale, and how to fix itIntentional vs accidental growth: Why accidental businesses are usually chaotic and exhausting and the simple questions to ask yourself to design something that actually worksScale is a choice, not an obligation: Why 10x growth isn't the right goal for everyone, and how to design a business model around the lifestyle, freedom and revenue that actually lights you upReverse engineer your profit goal: How to start with the number you want in your pocket and work backwards to figure out exactly what your business model needs to look like to get you thereThe product spiral, not the product ladder: Why Sam has banned the term "product ladder" and why a spiral or loop model that keeps clients circling through your offerings is far more powerful than a linear funnel with a dead endRecurring revenue as a non-negotiable: Why the businesses that are valued the highest, and feel the most stable to run, are the ones with subscription, membership or retainer income baked into their modelThe Matt Church cluster methodology: How launching one cluster every three to six months, one market, one problem, one method of delivery, and assuming 50% will fail gives you the freedom to experiment without betting everything on one ideaZone of genius as a design parameter: Why your business model should be built around the work that puts you in your zone of genius, not just the work you can do or the work that pays wellBusiness should be boring: Why repeatability and predictability are the foundations of freedom, and why the excitement should come from your life, not your businessKate and Sam also share personal stories about the moments they realised they were operating outside their zone of genius, why the Revenue Breakthrough Workshop felt so energising compared to a day of back-to-back one-on-one sessions, and why the question "what is your end game?" is one of the most important questions every business owner needs to answer.Coming Up Next: Episode 11 To hire or not to hire? How to build a strong team, make smart hiring decisions, and create a business that doesn't depend entirely on you.Join the Workshop: Kate and Sam are hosting Grow Smart: Scale with Ease on Wednesday 24th June, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST, What is it?90 minutes of live profitability coaching. Every participant walks away with a personalised report. Bring your business model questions, this workshop is the perfect place to get Kate and Sam's eyes on your model live.🐦 Early bird: $49 (until 10 June) | 🎟️ LIVE: $89 | 🎧 Replay: $49👉 Register hereAnd save the date! Bali Business Retreat: 27 August – 1 September 2026. Secure your spot with a $200 deposit. Reach out directly to lock in your place.00:00 Podcast Welcome01:57 Quadrant Three Begins02:36 Model Plan Structure04:55 Scattered Offers Trap10:34 Designing Intentional Growth14:04 Reverse Engineering Profit17:26 Evolving Zone Genius20:24 Joyful Work Choices23:13 Group Work Momentum24:12 Scaling Group Coaching25:23 Small Rooms Big Results26:12 Who Your Room Is For26:56 From Courses To Coaching27:57 Business Model Takeaways31:14 Boring Business Wins32:38 Predictability Beats Panic35:40 Growing Teams With Purpose40:15 Recurring Revenue Flywheel42:52 Clusters Not One Niche45:45 Workshop Invite And Topics47:02 Product Loop Not Ladder48:50 Wrap Up And Next StepsConnect with Your Hosts:Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.comSam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.comThriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/
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    49 mins
  • Ep #9 | Systems Before Staff: The Smart Way to Outsource, Delegate and Hire

    Ep #9 | Systems Before Staff: The Smart Way to Outsource, Delegate and Hire
    May 8 2026

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam

    Welcome to Episode 9 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the final episode of Quadrant 2: Keep More | Profitable Operations!

    You can't outsource chaos. Before you bring anyone into your business, you need systems, clarity, and a clear understanding of what you're actually handing off. In this episode, Kate and Sam get practical about the smartest way to automate, delegate, outsource, and hire — in that order.

    "Systems before staff. You cannot delegate chaos."

    In this episode, you will learn:

    • The automate → delegate → hire framework: Why this is the right order , and what goes wrong when business owners skip straight to hiring before foundations are in place
    • Zone of genius vs everything else: How to identify the tasks only you should be doing, the tasks AI can handle, and the tasks that need a human
    • How AI is replacing the need for a VA: How Sam used the Claude Chrome extension to build detailed standard operating procedures while she played games on her phone
    • Hire slow, fire fast: Why hiring should be a financial decision before a workload decision, and why desperation hiring almost always goes wrong
    • Write your job ad for culture, not just skills: How to attract the right candidates from the first line, including Sam's hidden keyword trick that instantly filters out applicants who lack attention to detail
    • Layla Hormozi's five C's: Compliance, clarity, culture, connection, and checkback, the framework Sam incorporated into her most recent hiring process
    • Give people responsibility, not just tasks: Why the best hires want ownership and autonomy, and how a long-term vision keeps them loyal

    This episode wraps up Quadrant 2. Next up — Quadrant 3: Grow Smart | Capacity.

    Join the Workshop:

    Kate and Sam are hosting Profit Unlocked on Wednesday 20 May, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST

    What is it? 90 minutes of live profitability coaching. Every participant walks away with a personalised report.

    🐦 Early bird: $49 (until 10 May) | 🎟️ LIVE: $89 | 🎧 Replay: $49

    👉 Register here

    And save the date — Bali Business Retreat: 27 August - 1 September 2026. Secure your spot with a $200 deposit. Reach out directly to lock in your place.


    00:00 Show Welcome
    00:30 Roadmap Recap
    01:49 Claude Extension Wins
    06:09 SOPs Before Delegation
    11:05 AI Reports Workflow
    15:07 Back to Delegation
    18:35 What to Outsource
    23:28 Hiring Lessons
    25:55 Hiring Framework Reel
    26:52 Five Hiring Elements
    29:33 Hire Slow Fire Fast
    30:36 Values Over Skills
    32:57 Write Better Job Ads
    35:07 Easter Egg Screening
    36:01 Job Market Reality Check
    39:11 Ownership And Incentives
    44:09 People Management Fit
    46:04 Key Takeaways And Next Steps

    Connect with Your Hosts:

    Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com

    Sam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/


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    50 mins
  • Ep #8 | AI for Maximum Efficiency: How to Automate the 80% and Focus on the Work Only You Can Do

    Ep #8 | AI for Maximum Efficiency: How to Automate the 80% and Focus on the Work Only You Can Do
    Apr 28 2026

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam

    Welcome to Episode 8 of the Roadmap to Business Success series!

    If you're only using AI for content creation, you're leaving the biggest gains on the table. In this episode, Kate and Sam dive into the AI tools they actually use in their businesses every day, and discuss how to shift from using AI to do more, to using AI to work less.

    "AI should handle the 80% of grunt work while you handle the 20% that requires judgment, relationships, and nuance."

    In this episode, you will learn:

    • Why you shouldn't be loyal to just one AI tool: Different AI platforms have different strengths, and the smartest business owners use multiple tools for different jobs.
    • Claude: Why it's Kate's go-to for content creation, critical analysis, data analysis, book writing, and coding tasks, including how she saved $10,000 in website costs by using Claude to write code herself.
    • Claude Cowork: Sam's introduction to the agentic side of Claude, how it can organise your entire filing system, build sales pages, and execute complex multi-step tasks on your behalf while you step away.
    • Gemini: How Sam uses Google's AI to automate payroll calculations, organise her inbox, add tasks to her calendar, and manage the chaos of a busy brain, all through its deep integration with Google apps.
    • Notebook LM: The hosts personal favourite for repurposing content. How to upload a podcast transcript or YouTube link and turn it into blog posts, infographics, slide decks, or even a new podcast episode, in your own voice.
    • REVE AI: The free image generation tool Sam uses to create AI-generated images of herself and Kate for podcast thumbnails and social media.
    • AI for website SEO: How to enter your URL into an AI and instantly get a plain-English audit of what's missing: H1 tags, meta descriptions, ALT tags and more.
    • The tells of AI-generated content: The words, phrases and structural patterns that immediately give away AI-generated copy.
    • Automation vs productivity: Why the real opportunity isn't doing more in the same time, it's doing the same in less time.
    • How to use AI to figure out what to automate: Why asking AI to review your regular tasks and identify what can be automated is one of the highest-value conversations you can have.

    Kate and Sam also discuss the evolution of AI since their first conversation about it in September 2023, why ChatGPT is no longer the only game in town, the rise of agentic AI, and how they've used AI to almost fully automate the production of this very podcast.

    Join the Workshop:

    Kate and Sam are hosting Profit Unlocked on Wednesday 20 May, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST.

    What is it? A LIVE 90-minute coaching session where you can bring your questions on AI systems, profitability, pricing and more.

    🐦 Early bird tickets available until Sunday 10 May for just $49 (live attendance)

    🎟️ Attend LIVE: $89

    🎧 Replay only: $49

    Grab your early bird ticket now!

    👉 Register here


    Connect with Your Hosts:

    Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com

    Sam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/


    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
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