Chris Beard

01/09/2026

Try changing the question.

Instead of:

"How can I possibly take a day away from the business?"

Ask:

"Why can't my business operate for one day without me?"

Completely different question.

And potentially a much more useful one.

If decisions, customers, staff and momentum all depend on you being there, taking time away isn't the real problem.

Owner dependence is.

And the longer you leave that alone while the business grows, the heavier it usually gets.

31/08/2026

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗼’𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶

There is something strangely appropriate about the way Martin Anfosso, owner of Fleur de Fungi found his way into mushroom farming.
It wasn’t through a carefully mapped-out business plan, a lifelong obsession with fungi, or even a burning desire to become an entrepreneur. It started with curiosity.
Curiosity about living things. Curiosity about production. Curiosity about what was happening at a microscopic level... 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋 𝘔𝘖𝘙𝘌 https://www.rfr.bz/f1fbf1323

There is something strangely appropriate about the way Martin Anfosso found his way into mushroom farming.

30/08/2026

"I don't have time to work on the business."

I understand it.

I also think it's one of the biggest warning signs an owner can give me.

Because when exactly is this magical spare time supposed to arrive?

After the next busy period?

After you hire someone?

After Christmas?

Once things settle down?

The day to day will consume every hour you give it.

Yellow Time has to be deliberately protected.

Sometimes you don't create Yellow Time because the business is under control.

You create Yellow Time so you can start getting it under control.

28/08/2026

Try this with last week's calendar.

Put everything you did into one of two buckets.

Running the business.

Or:

Improving the business.

There isn't a correct percentage.

Running a business obviously requires operational time.

But if virtually everything lands in the first column, that's worth paying attention to.

Because another week will come along.

Then another.

Then another quarter.

And you can become incredibly good at running a business you've never created enough time to improve.

That's where Yellow Time starts.

27/08/2026

Here's a useful exercise for business owners.

Look at last week's calendar and divide it into two buckets:

Running the business.
Improving the business.

Don't worry about what the ratio "should" be.

Just look at what it actually is.

Because if every week is customers, staff, emails, problems, approvals and putting out fires, something important gets squeezed out.

The future.

Try it.

You might be surprised where your week actually went.

27/08/2026

I highly recommend Encompass Safety if you are after training. 🙌

Onsite first aid training. Practical. Compliant. Built around your roster.

Best fit:
• you want hands-on delivery and assessment
• you’ve got day and night, shift staff
• you want people to leave confident, not just “certified”

Not for:
• cheap tick-and-flick training

Common pushback I hear: “The duration of the course is too long.”

My honest answer:
We don’t rush it just to tick a box. We make sure your staff have enough time to develop or refresh the practical skills required for when your workplace needs it in an emergency.

26/08/2026

Being busy feels productive.

And that's what makes it dangerous.

You can spend an entire week answering questions, fixing problems, talking to customers, following people up and making decisions.

Plenty happened.

But did anything actually change?

Did the margins improve?

Did the team become less dependent on you?

Did you fix the recurring problem?

Did you make the decision you've been avoiding?

Did the business become stronger?

There is work that keeps the business moving today.

And there is work that improves the business tomorrow.

You need both.

The problem is when today gets 100% of your attention and tomorrow gets whatever happens to be left.

Usually nothing.

25/08/2026

Busy can be deceptive.

You can finish the week absolutely knackered and still have done very little to improve the business.

Customers got looked after. Problems got solved. The team got answers. Things kept moving.

But did the business actually move forward?

That's why I call Zone 3 the Deception Quadrant.

It feels productive because you're needed everywhere.

The danger is spending so much time running today's business that nobody is building tomorrows.

Where did most of your time go last week?

20/08/2026

The Bottleneck Review is designed for owner-led businesses where growth is creating more complexity, but the owner still cannot properly step back.

It is a good fit when revenue is moving, the team is growing and important decisions still come back to you.

It is not designed for businesses chasing shortcuts, done-for-you support or a quick motivational fix.

A common objection is, “I know I need to work on the business more... I just don’t know where I’m supposed to find the time.”

The truth is, most owners do not suddenly find more time later. The business usually becomes more dependent on them as it grows.

The review takes fifteen minutes and gives you clarity on where to start.

Request The Bottleneck Review here:

https://www.rfr.bz/f6264af12

19/08/2026

“We can sell more, right?”

We hear it all the time.
More leads. More calls. More activity.
And then… margins slip.
Decisions stay reactive.
The owner’s still stuck in the weeds.

That’s the problem with the sales push.
It feeds the top of the funnel, but it doesn’t fix your numbers.

You don’t need more tips.
You need a plan for where profit leaks and why.

Our coaching maps the bottlenecks, then builds the systems to move them—so your business keeps running when you don’t.

Sign up and share the link: https://numbers.teachyourbusinesstofish.au/