In this episode, Sam and Kate explore the five different types of small businesses—a framework Kate has been developing after nearly a decade of personal experience with different types of business owners. If you've ever felt like traditional business advice doesn't quite fit what you're building… you're not alone.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why traditional business models (like those from The E-Myth by Michael Gerber) don’t work for everyone.
• The five types of small businesses—and why knowing which one you’re building changes everything.
• The danger of following blanket advice that doesn’t align with your business type.
• Why you don’t have to scale, hire a team, or build a sellable company to be successful.
• How thought leaders, consultants, and solo entrepreneurs are playing a different game altogether.

Kate shares her "aha" moment after attending a seminar steeped in Gerber-style advice—and the honest conversation she had with a fellow high-performing consultant who felt completely alienated by it also. Together, Kate and Sam unpack the assumptions behind mainstream business support and why they don't always reflect the modern business landscape.

If you don’t know what kind of business you’re running, you don’t know which game you’re playing—and every type has different rules.

Which of the five business types are you building?
➡️ Tune in now to discover the model that fits your vision—and stop trying to squeeze into a framework that doesn’t work for you.

📩 Got thoughts or questions about today’s episode?
DM us on or email us. We’d love to hear where you see yourself in this model—and how it’s helped (or hindered) your growth.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows.
🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review if this episode resonated with you.

Connect with Your Hosts:

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

Sam Morris | Digital Systers 🌐 Website: https://www.digitalsysters.com/ 📱 Instagram: @sammorris.businesscoach

In this episode, Kate sits down with leadership expert and global Executive Coach Kim Lancer, founder of Tall Poppies Leadership, who is on a mission to help one million leaders lead confidently and "stand tall."

Growing up in Australia, Kim experienced firsthand how the country's notorious "Tall Poppy Syndrome" encourages high achievers to downplay their success. After spending most of her career overseas in the UK and USA—where this cultural phenomenon is less prominent—Kim returned to Australia determined to flip the script. She founded her business to help leaders embrace their achievements and develop authentic, powerful leadership styles.

Now Kim empowers executives across five continents to confidently own their success rather than hide it. Her signature "Know, Trust, Be Yourself" methodology is transforming leadership development by turning a culture of cutting people down into one that lifts everyone up.

If you've ever felt pressure to downplay your wins or shrink to make others comfortable, you'll enjoy this conversation.

Key Highlights & Takeaways:

🌍 From Exchange Student to Global Leadership Expert Kim's 20-year international career journey—from Dutch exchange student to NYC executive—shaped her culturally aware, human-centric approach to leadership development.

🎯 The Confidence Crisis in Leadership

• Why confidence is the most overlooked yet critical leadership skill
• How self-doubt ("Kevin," as Kim calls it) sabotages even high performers
• Cultural differences in confidence expression between Australia/NZ and US/UK markets

💡 The "Know, Trust, Be Yourself" Framework

• Know Yourself: Build genuine self-awareness through intentional reflection
• Trust Yourself: Learn to manage (not eliminate) self-doubt effectively
• Be Yourself: Leverage your unique quirks and strengths as leadership advantages

🌺 Tall Poppy Syndrome Decoded

• Why Australia and New Zealand struggle with celebrating individual achievement
• The business cost of cultural pressure to "stay humble"
• How leaders can "stand tall" without apology

⚖️ The Gender Confidence Divide

• Women acknowledge self-doubt more openly but may underestimate their capabilities
• Men often mask internal struggles behind confident facades
• Why both genders need safe spaces for authentic leadership development

🧠 Strategic Self-Awareness

• Tasha Eurich's research: 95% think they're self-aware, but only 10-15% actually are
• Self-awareness as competitive advantage, not just emotional intelligence
• Understanding your energy patterns, values, and impact on others

🚀 Leadership as Personal Growth

• Confidence as a developable skill, not fixed trait
• Learning to sit with discomfort and use it as fuel for growth
• Why sustainable transformation beats quick coaching fixes

Ready to lead with more confidence and authenticity?

Connect with Kim Lancer at Tall Poppies Leadership: https://tallpoppies.us/

Connect with Your Hosts:

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

Sam Morris | Digital Systers 🌐 Website: https://www.digitalsysters.com/ 📱 Instagram: @sammorris.businesscoach

What happens when you combine crocodile encounters, buffalo hunting, and a submerged 4WD on a broken bridge in the middle of an outback river - with business ambition? You get Angus Dicker's incredible journey.

Sam and I had so much fun in this episode! Angus Dicker is not your typical business owner. He’s managed to carve a life for himself in which he gets to do work he loves, in places where most people don’t go. From early beginnings in the military to becoming a Masters of Business graduate, Angus Dicker, owner of Home Filtration Systems, turned his love for the extreme outdoors into a unique business model. His company doesn't just provide clean water systems – they reach the places his competitors won't go in the remote corners of Australia. Which is perfect for Angus. Because adventure is his game and for him, the more remote and adventurous the location, the better. And luckily for him, all remote locations need clean water.

If you have an adventurous spirit and a love of autonomy, you’ll love this episode! You’ll hear Angus’ stories of outback adventure combined with business ownership. Angus shared how a random concrete driveway job ended in an unexpected mentorship, leading him to build a niche business that services remote communities across Western Australia. If you’ve ever dreamed of building a business that aligns with your values and thirst for adventure, this is for you.

Angus’s story is a masterclass in grit, growth, and unconventional entrepreneurship.

Highlights:

• From the Military to a Master’s Degree: Angus opens up about his unconventional academic path, overcoming educational gaps, and pushing through self-doubt to complete a Master of Business.
• Finding Business Clarity in the Mud (Literally): Discover how helping a mate pour concrete became the catalyst for launching his own company in the water filtration industry.
• Mentorship and Opportunity: The pivotal role that experienced mentors played in shaping Angus’s business approach and how one old-school entrepreneur helped unlock a new venture.
• Niche Market, Big Impact: How Angus carved a unique space by servicing remote and often overlooked communities, bringing clean water to places that desperately need it.
• Building a Business Around Adventure: Angus shares his love for the land, off-grid living, and how the ruggedness of remote work is exactly what fuels him.
• On Accountability & Autonomy: Real talk on the ups and downs of being your own boss and why Angus wouldn’t have it any other way.
• And Lots More!

👉 Like what you heard?

Subscribe to Thriving Business Podcast for more candid conversations with entrepreneurs who are doing business their way.

👉 Want to connect with Angus?

Check out Home Filtration Systems and learn more about their work in regional and remote water solutions. https://homefiltrationsystems.com/

Connect with the Hosts:

Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business

Website: https://katedejong.com/

Instagram: katedejong.inspiredbusiness

Email: kate@katedejong.com

Sam Morris | Digital Systers

Website: https://www.digitalsysters.com/

Instagram: sammorris.businesscoach