October 10, 2025 • 12 mins
EPISODE 1: What Smart Growth Really Means (and Why Now Is the Time to Course Correct)
Welcome back to Season 4 of Smart Business Growth – and this time, Nicky's flying solo. In this personal and powerful episode, Nicky peels back the curtain on what it really means to grow smart – in business, in leadership, and in life.
As we approach the end of the year (and if we face the fact that 2030 is closer than we think), it’s time to pause and ask: Where am I heading? And is it where I want to go?
This episode dives into:
- The five truths of smart growth that every business leader must embrace
- Why listening to your intuition isn't fluff – it's a strategy
- How discomfort is your signpost for momentum
- The power of having good people around you (and honest feedback)
- And why your personal growth is always tethered to your business success
Whether you're a founder, a senior leader, or someone who's questioning the pace you're moving at – this is your invitation to reflect, recalibrate and choose growth on your terms.
Learn more about Nicky at nickymiklos.com
Grab The Growth Code™ here!
Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au
Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com
Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Hello, hello, and welcome toepisode one of season four Smart
(00:32):
Business Growth Podcast.
I am thrilled to be back foranother season.
And for those of you who'vebeen following along for a
little while, you'll notice thatit's just me.
There's no nest this season.
We've had some big changes inthe business, which of course
had a roll-on effect to thepodcast.
So it is just going to be meflying solo.
You'll be in my capable handsfor this season while we really
(00:56):
explore and dive deep intomoving away from transactional
sales to a more sustainable,future-proofing, smart business
growth focus.
We are, of course, going tobring a lot of conversations
around healthy hustle and how tokeep your hustle healthy and of
course leading with clarity.
In today's episode, to kick usoff, we are now moving into or
(01:19):
are into the last quarter ofthis calendar year.
Oh my gosh, I cannot believeit.
Yes, we are going to be in 2026soon.
Before we know, we'll be in2030.
I mean, there's lots of clientsand myself starting to think
about what that 2030 visionlooks like.
And that's really related tothe topic of today's episode
(01:40):
because I want to unpack andhave a conversation with you
around what does smart growthmean?
And really when I think aboutand reflect on this term and
this idea about smart growth, itreally transcends across
different areas of our life.
We need to grow our businesses,whether you are a leader, you
know, you're a part of a team,it's someone else's business, or
(02:00):
you're the business owner.
We still want to grow ourbusinesses in a smart way.
We want to grow our careers ina smart growth way.
And we want to grow ourselvesas humans, as individuals in a
smart growth way.
I mean, really, we could evenextend this to our health and
well-being, our relationships,every area of life.
But for today, let's reallyfocus on growth as an
(02:23):
individual.
You know, there's that thesaying, one of my favorites that
I learned from Joe Pane, whichis we can be green and growing
or ripe and rotting.
So which will you choose?
I know I'm going to choosegreen and growing.
And again, I want that to be mypersonal growth, my career, my
business growth.
And so as we are in this lastquarter of the calendar year, or
(02:43):
maybe it's Q2 of your financialyear, it's a great opportunity
to pause and reflect on whatactually matters to me.
Why am I doing what I'm doing?
What is the vision that I'mcreating this for?
Because our careers and ourbusinesses are the vehicle for
our personal why, our personalvision.
(03:04):
And that doesn't have to beworld-changing, awe-inspiring,
massively huge.
For some of us, maybe it is.
But also for some of us, itcould be really simple.
There's no rules on this to saywhat is right or what is wrong.
There is no such thing becauseit's right for us.
So when we think aboutreflecting on these questions,
(03:26):
when we think about our why, ourgoals, our vision, when we
think about the fact that ourbusiness or career is a vehicle
to achieve that, maybe it givesus the financial stability to be
able to achieve that.
We can get really caught up inactually not pausing and
reflecting on has my whychanged?
Have my goals changed?
(03:48):
Has the vision changed?
It might be that you're caughtin rapid growth of your
business, you're chasingambitious targets, your team are
growing.
It could be that you've hadcareer progression and you know
progressed role after role.
But when was the last time youreally paused to consider, is
this still what I want to do?
A, is the bigger picture stillwhere I want to head?
(04:10):
And is this the right vehicleto help me get there?
Now, this is something thatearlier this year, if we go back
a few months, Ness and I, sofor those of you who don't know
Ness, Ness is the co-host ofseasons one to three of Smart
Business Growth.
And we had a business togethercalled Business Together.
And we had that business forabout four and a half years.
(04:30):
And earlier this year, we tookthe moment to pause to ask
ourselves these questions thatI'm now asking you to reflect
on.
And what we realized is thatactually the vehicle wasn't the
right vehicle for us anymore.
That our bigger picture goalsand vision had tweaked and
changed somewhat.
And so we need to make somechanges.
(04:51):
And the thing is that thisisn't always the easy thing to
do.
But when we lean into the toughdecisions, the big decisions, I
suppose, the challengingaspects, they are the points
that can create the biggestimpact.
A quick interruption to thispodcast episode.
I'm really curious, do you wantto close more sales in less
(05:11):
time?
If the answer is yes, which Ihope that it is, then you need
to get your hands on the growthcode.
It is going to give you threeproven frameworks and tools that
will help future-proof yourbusiness and scale with clarity.
All you have to do is head downto the show notes and click the
link below.
And so today I'm going to sharewith you five insights for you
(05:36):
to embrace, to take on, to makesure that you stay on track with
your own smart growth, whetherthat is within business, your
career, personal, or all three.
So let's get into it.
Insight number one is to listento your intuition.
Now, for some of you, thismight be a brand new concept.
For others, it might be ano-brainer.
(05:57):
This might be how you live yourlife and your business every
day.
Regardless where you sit, thisis your reminder to listen to
your intuition.
What I really learned,particularly this year, and when
I talk to and listen to expertsin this space, everyone says
the same thing that yourintuition is a whisper.
It will never be the loudestvoice until we ignore our
(06:18):
intuition to a point thatsomething big happens to get our
attention.
So we've got to dial in andcreate enough quiet and enough
pause and enough space to beable to hear our intuition.
Are we on the right path?
So that's insight number one.
Listen to your intuition.
Insight number two is to leaninto the discomfort, lean into
(06:40):
the challenging conversationsbecause making tough decisions
can be the gateway to momentum.
Making tough decisions can bethe gateway to momentum.
If we don't lean in and createchange based on what our
intuition is telling us, then wecan stay stuck and stagnant.
And that is not where trueimpact, momentum, you know,
(07:03):
achieving those bigger picturegoals and vision that you have,
that's not the space that thathappens.
So lean into discomfort,challenging conversations, and
make those tough decisions.
Insight number three, make sureyou have good people
surrounding you.
And by good people, it's aboutunderstanding that different
(07:24):
people around us play adifferent role.
You know, if you're leaninginto your hubby or your
girlfriend who's never run abusiness or doesn't understand
what it's like to be anexecutive leader and you're
asking questions or wanting thatsounding board on business, are
they the best person that cangive you that?
Potentially not, if that's nottheir experience.
They have a different role toplay for you.
(07:46):
Probably champion, champion youand tell you everyday idea is a
great idea.
Hopefully, they're not, youknow, being the negative, but
really think intentionally aboutwho am I surrounding my me with
and am I leaning into the rightareas to get the right
feedback.
You know, we want to make surethat we have people in in our
lives that are also willing togive us the mirror, hold up the
(08:07):
mirror and give us the feedbackthat maybe we don't want in that
moment.
So the good people around youthat are not just yes people.
That's insight number three.
Number four is rememberpersonal growth is directly
linked to your business growthor your career growth.
It astounds me every time, evenafter 10 years in business,
(08:28):
running my own business, 20years working as you know, sales
leadership roles.
Every time when I work onmyself, when I lean in, when I
trust my intuition, I lean intochallenging conversations, I get
really good feedback around me,I make tough decisions, I
invest in my personal growth.
Guaranteed there is growth inmy career or in my business.
(08:49):
So always remember thatpersonal growth is tethered to
your career and your businessgrowth.
And the fifth insight is thatour vision, our why is always
changing.
Now it might not changeexponentially.
Maybe it doesn't change for anumber of years, but we have to
check in because oftentimes ourphase of life, our phase of
(09:13):
business, it depends on what'sgoing on for us.
But that big thing that we'reshooting for, or as I said at
the beginning, the vehicle toget us there often changes.
And if you don't pause andreflect on what is that big
outcome I'm still going for andwhat's the vehicle that's
getting me there.
And if that does change and youhaven't found that out, you
(09:34):
really start working towardssomething that doesn't even
matter to you anymore.
The amount of conversations Ihave with people where that big,
juicy, audacious goal hasactually changed and they
realize that's not what theywant anymore.
It's something different.
We have to remember to check inso we can course correct.
So they're the five insights.
Listen to your intuition, leaninto the challenging, tough
(09:57):
decisions you need to make.
Make sure you surround yourselfwith good people that will give
you honest truth when you needto hear it.
Personal growth is connected,tethered to your business and
your career growth.
And the vision and the vehiclesometimes will change.
So keep checking in.
So, as a finishing point here,what I really would love for you
(10:18):
to do is to really answer thesethree questions.
And this is gonna help you lookat those insights and see if
anything needs to change.
Of course, hearing those fiveinsights, your reaction to those
is gonna give you some feedbackas well.
If there was an area youweren't sure about, if you got a
bit of a icky feeling, if youfelt defensive, all of those
emotions are feedback on wherewe need to look.
(10:40):
But as a closing statementhere, ask yourself, where am I
heading?
Think about 12 months' time.
Whether you're listening tothis at the end of 2025, in
2026, but whenever you'relistening to it, in 12 months'
time, where am I heading?
Then ask yourself, where do Iwant to head?
There could be a difference.
Where am I heading?
(11:01):
Where do I want to head?
And the third question is, do Ineed to course correct?
Do I need to course correct?
This is your moment to makesure that the direction you're
heading in is actually thedirection you're intentionally
wanting to go.
And it doesn't mean that it'sgood or bad.
It just means that it'ssomething different.
(11:21):
This has been the personaljourney that Ness and I have
been on this year, which hasbeen amazing and also filled
with all of the differentperspectives, emotions,
challenges.
And we've been able to navigateit together.
So we now have again been ableto go, it's a different vehicle
for a different vision thatwe're shooting for.
(11:42):
I hope and I trust that thisepisode has been of value.
I'd love to hear from you whatyou've taken away and what the
answers to your questions were.
Were there any realizationsthat you had?
You can check out all the linksin the show notes below.
Catch me on all the usualchannels, and I really look
forward to speaking with you andbeing with you in the next
episode.
Hello, hello, and welcome toepisode one of season four Smart
(00:32):
Business Growth Podcast.
I am thrilled to be back foranother season.
And for those of you who'vebeen following along for a
little while, you'll notice thatit's just me.
There's no nest this season.
We've had some big changes inthe business, which of course
had a roll-on effect to thepodcast.
So it is just going to be meflying solo.
You'll be in my capable handsfor this season while we really
(00:56):
explore and dive deep intomoving away from transactional
sales to a more sustainable,future-proofing, smart business
growth focus.
We are, of course, going tobring a lot of conversations
around healthy hustle and how tokeep your hustle healthy and of
course leading with clarity.
In today's episode, to kick usoff, we are now moving into or
(01:19):
are into the last quarter ofthis calendar year.
Oh my gosh, I cannot believeit.
Yes, we are going to be in 2026soon.
Before we know, we'll be in2030.
I mean, there's lots of clientsand myself starting to think
about what that 2030 visionlooks like.
And that's really related tothe topic of today's episode
(01:40):
because I want to unpack andhave a conversation with you
around what does smart growthmean?
And really when I think aboutand reflect on this term and
this idea about smart growth, itreally transcends across
different areas of our life.
We need to grow our businesses,whether you are a leader, you
know, you're a part of a team,it's someone else's business, or
(02:00):
you're the business owner.
We still want to grow ourbusinesses in a smart way.
We want to grow our careers ina smart growth way.
And we want to grow ourselvesas humans, as individuals in a
smart growth way.
I mean, really, we could evenextend this to our health and
well-being, our relationships,every area of life.
But for today, let's reallyfocus on growth as an
(02:23):
individual.
You know, there's that thesaying, one of my favorites that
I learned from Joe Pane, whichis we can be green and growing
or ripe and rotting.
So which will you choose?
I know I'm going to choosegreen and growing.
And again, I want that to be mypersonal growth, my career, my
business growth.
And so as we are in this lastquarter of the calendar year, or
(02:43):
maybe it's Q2 of your financialyear, it's a great opportunity
to pause and reflect on whatactually matters to me.
Why am I doing what I'm doing?
What is the vision that I'mcreating this for?
Because our careers and ourbusinesses are the vehicle for
our personal why, our personalvision.
(03:04):
And that doesn't have to beworld-changing, awe-inspiring,
massively huge.
For some of us, maybe it is.
But also for some of us, itcould be really simple.
There's no rules on this to saywhat is right or what is wrong.
There is no such thing becauseit's right for us.
So when we think aboutreflecting on these questions,
(03:26):
when we think about our why, ourgoals, our vision, when we
think about the fact that ourbusiness or career is a vehicle
to achieve that, maybe it givesus the financial stability to be
able to achieve that.
We can get really caught up inactually not pausing and
reflecting on has my whychanged?
Have my goals changed?
(03:48):
Has the vision changed?
It might be that you're caughtin rapid growth of your
business, you're chasingambitious targets, your team are
growing.
It could be that you've hadcareer progression and you know
progressed role after role.
But when was the last time youreally paused to consider, is
this still what I want to do?
A, is the bigger picture stillwhere I want to head?
(04:10):
And is this the right vehicleto help me get there?
Now, this is something thatearlier this year, if we go back
a few months, Ness and I, sofor those of you who don't know
Ness, Ness is the co-host ofseasons one to three of Smart
Business Growth.
And we had a business togethercalled Business Together.
And we had that business forabout four and a half years.
(04:30):
And earlier this year, we tookthe moment to pause to ask
ourselves these questions thatI'm now asking you to reflect
on.
And what we realized is thatactually the vehicle wasn't the
right vehicle for us anymore.
That our bigger picture goalsand vision had tweaked and
changed somewhat.
And so we need to make somechanges.
(04:51):
And the thing is that thisisn't always the easy thing to
do.
But when we lean into the toughdecisions, the big decisions, I
suppose, the challengingaspects, they are the points
that can create the biggestimpact.
A quick interruption to thispodcast episode.
I'm really curious, do you wantto close more sales in less
(05:11):
time?
If the answer is yes, which Ihope that it is, then you need
to get your hands on the growthcode.
It is going to give you threeproven frameworks and tools that
will help future-proof yourbusiness and scale with clarity.
All you have to do is head downto the show notes and click the
link below.
And so today I'm going to sharewith you five insights for you
(05:36):
to embrace, to take on, to makesure that you stay on track with
your own smart growth, whetherthat is within business, your
career, personal, or all three.
So let's get into it.
Insight number one is to listento your intuition.
Now, for some of you, thismight be a brand new concept.
For others, it might be ano-brainer.
(05:57):
This might be how you live yourlife and your business every
day.
Regardless where you sit, thisis your reminder to listen to
your intuition.
What I really learned,particularly this year, and when
I talk to and listen to expertsin this space, everyone says
the same thing that yourintuition is a whisper.
It will never be the loudestvoice until we ignore our
(06:18):
intuition to a point thatsomething big happens to get our
attention.
So we've got to dial in andcreate enough quiet and enough
pause and enough space to beable to hear our intuition.
Are we on the right path?
So that's insight number one.
Listen to your intuition.
Insight number two is to leaninto the discomfort, lean into
(06:40):
the challenging conversationsbecause making tough decisions
can be the gateway to momentum.
Making tough decisions can bethe gateway to momentum.
If we don't lean in and createchange based on what our
intuition is telling us, then wecan stay stuck and stagnant.
And that is not where trueimpact, momentum, you know,
(07:03):
achieving those bigger picturegoals and vision that you have,
that's not the space that thathappens.
So lean into discomfort,challenging conversations, and
make those tough decisions.
Insight number three, make sureyou have good people
surrounding you.
And by good people, it's aboutunderstanding that different
(07:24):
people around us play adifferent role.
You know, if you're leaninginto your hubby or your
girlfriend who's never run abusiness or doesn't understand
what it's like to be anexecutive leader and you're
asking questions or wanting thatsounding board on business, are
they the best person that cangive you that?
Potentially not, if that's nottheir experience.
They have a different role toplay for you.
(07:46):
Probably champion, champion youand tell you everyday idea is a
great idea.
Hopefully, they're not, youknow, being the negative, but
really think intentionally aboutwho am I surrounding my me with
and am I leaning into the rightareas to get the right
feedback.
You know, we want to make surethat we have people in in our
lives that are also willing togive us the mirror, hold up the
(08:07):
mirror and give us the feedbackthat maybe we don't want in that
moment.
So the good people around youthat are not just yes people.
That's insight number three.
Number four is rememberpersonal growth is directly
linked to your business growthor your career growth.
It astounds me every time, evenafter 10 years in business,
(08:28):
running my own business, 20years working as you know, sales
leadership roles.
Every time when I work onmyself, when I lean in, when I
trust my intuition, I lean intochallenging conversations, I get
really good feedback around me,I make tough decisions, I
invest in my personal growth.
Guaranteed there is growth inmy career or in my business.
(08:49):
So always remember thatpersonal growth is tethered to
your career and your businessgrowth.
And the fifth insight is thatour vision, our why is always
changing.
Now it might not changeexponentially.
Maybe it doesn't change for anumber of years, but we have to
check in because oftentimes ourphase of life, our phase of
(09:13):
business, it depends on what'sgoing on for us.
But that big thing that we'reshooting for, or as I said at
the beginning, the vehicle toget us there often changes.
And if you don't pause andreflect on what is that big
outcome I'm still going for andwhat's the vehicle that's
getting me there.
And if that does change and youhaven't found that out, you
(09:34):
really start working towardssomething that doesn't even
matter to you anymore.
The amount of conversations Ihave with people where that big,
juicy, audacious goal hasactually changed and they
realize that's not what theywant anymore.
It's something different.
We have to remember to check inso we can course correct.
So they're the five insights.
Listen to your intuition, leaninto the challenging, tough
(09:57):
decisions you need to make.
Make sure you surround yourselfwith good people that will give
you honest truth when you needto hear it.
Personal growth is connected,tethered to your business and
your career growth.
And the vision and the vehiclesometimes will change.
So keep checking in.
So, as a finishing point here,what I really would love for you
(10:18):
to do is to really answer thesethree questions.
And this is gonna help you lookat those insights and see if
anything needs to change.
Of course, hearing those fiveinsights, your reaction to those
is gonna give you some feedbackas well.
If there was an area youweren't sure about, if you got a
bit of a icky feeling, if youfelt defensive, all of those
emotions are feedback on wherewe need to look.
(10:40):
But as a closing statementhere, ask yourself, where am I
heading?
Think about 12 months' time.
Whether you're listening tothis at the end of 2025, in
2026, but whenever you'relistening to it, in 12 months'
time, where am I heading?
Then ask yourself, where do Iwant to head?
There could be a difference.
Where am I heading?
(11:01):
Where do I want to head?
And the third question is, do Ineed to course correct?
Do I need to course correct?
This is your moment to makesure that the direction you're
heading in is actually thedirection you're intentionally
wanting to go.
And it doesn't mean that it'sgood or bad.
It just means that it'ssomething different.
(11:21):
This has been the personaljourney that Ness and I have
been on this year, which hasbeen amazing and also filled
with all of the differentperspectives, emotions,
challenges.
And we've been able to navigateit together.
So we now have again been ableto go, it's a different vehicle
for a different vision thatwe're shooting for.
(11:42):
I hope and I trust that thisepisode has been of value.
I'd love to hear from you whatyou've taken away and what the
answers to your questions were.
Were there any realizationsthat you had?
You can check out all the linksin the show notes below.
Catch me on all the usualchannels, and I really look
forward to speaking with you andbeing with you in the next
episode.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.