Emma Mills

25/09/2025

10 hours a week. That’s what one CEO reclaimed in just 30 days.

Here’s what changed:
👉 Their inbox was no longer a distraction, it was triaged and managed.
👉 Their diary wasn’t reactive, it was designed for impact.
👉 Their leads didn’t sit cold, they were followed up and booked in.

The result?

10 hours back, every single week.

That’s 40 hours a month.

Almost 500 hours a year.

But here’s the real magic: those hours were reinvested in growth activities - strategic partnerships, team leadership, and planning the future.

Time is money. But more than that, time is freedom.

When you reclaim it, you create both growth and enjoyment in your business.

♻️ Share this with a business owner who needs their time back.

👉Follow Emma Mills for real-world stories on how outsourcing creates freedom and focus.

01/02/2025

31/01/2025

🎙️ Episode 20 is out NOW🚀

Have you ever looked at another business owner and said 'God how did they do that?!'

Mark Mills OBE is one of them for me.

He grew Cardpoint from 0 to £100 million in revenue from 2000 to 2006 with 20 million in EBITDA.

This week on Focus on the Fun Stuff, I sat down with Mark to unpack how he did it.

But his success story isn’t just about boardrooms and big exit deals.

It’s packed with game-changing lessons for anyone looking to grow their business and actually enjoy the journey.

💡 Here’s what you’ll take away from this episode:

✨ How to stay creative and keep finding inspiration, even when you feel stuck
✨ Why listening to your customers is one of the smartest things you can do
✨ The secret to getting your team fully on board, productive, and focused on growth
✨ Why getting your business model right is the difference between thriving and failing—and why higher barriers to entry might actually help you

And here’s a fun one… Mark once had the opportunity to bring a HUGE coffee chain to the UK—can you guess which one? ☕ Listen to find out!

🎧 Tune in now: Link in Bio!

Hit play during your commute, your workout, or while kicking back with a coffee and a kit kat (trust me, it’s fitting for this episode!).

Let me know what you think in the comments! 👇

29/01/2025

Ever missed a promising lead, forgot to follow up with a great connection, or simply didn’t have time to nurture a potential client? You’re not alone—I’ve been there too.

Back in 2020, I was overwhelmed, juggling too many priorities, and dropping the ball on something crucial: Following Up.

Leads were coming in, but without consistent follow-up, I was losing opportunities left, right, and center.

Everything changed when I made the decision to delegate the follow up.

I got over myself that only I could do it.

And the impact was big.

More sales off less leads

💡 Here’s the 3C Framework we still use today:
1️⃣ Capture: Log every lead in one central system (a CRM, spreadsheet, or even a notebook). Missed opportunities often start with scattered information.
2️⃣ Connect: Systemise your follow-up. Use automated reminders, email sequences, or task lists to ensure consistent communication.
3️⃣ Commit: Follow up until you get a clear yes or no. Consistency is key—it’s not intrusive, it’s good business.

When follow-up becomes automated and consistent, it frees you to focus on the fun stuff—new offers, relationships, or even a bit more free time.

Don’t have the time or resources to make this happen? That’s where MiPA can step in. We’ll handle your follow-up, so you can reclaim your time and grow with ease.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now to learn more! https://kite.link/Solo-Follow-up

What’s your biggest follow-up struggle? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to help! 👇

28/01/2025

The Small Change That Transformed My Business

🎧 Listen now: https://kite.link/Solo-Follow-up

A few years ago, I was juggling everything, frustrated by missed opportunities, and wondering why my business wasn’t growing.

Then, in 2020, the pandemic forced me to make a decision on how I was handling inbound lead flow

The result? In the following year, our sales increased by 20%… from 20% fewer leads. 💥

In this week’s episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, I’m sharing exactly what that trick was, plus a simple framework to help you make the same changes we did at MiPA.

💡 Take 20 with me and you’ll learn:
✨ The small but critical change that turned missed leads into consistent wins
✨ How to free yourself from doing everything while still growing your business
✨ A 3-step framework to generate more sales from fewer leads

Don’t let opportunities slip through your fingers like I did.

Have you experienced that “too much to do, too many missed chances” feeling? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your story.

Em x

24/01/2025

Do you ever feel like following up is one of the things standing between you and more sales, stronger relationships, and smoother business growth?

You’re not alone and I’ve been there too.

In this week's solo episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, I’m spilling all of the secrets about mastering Follow Up - not just in business but in life too.

I’m sharing how I turned this often-overlooked task into one of my business’s most powerful tools.

💡 Here’s what you’ll get:
✨ How I overcame my own Follow Up struggles and created a system that works
✨ The 3C Follow Up Framework: Capture, Connect, Commit (so simple, but SO effective)
✨ Tips for making Follow Ups meaningful, not awkward, and adding real value to every interaction
✨ My journey from missed opportunities to turning leads into loyal clients—even years later
✨ Tools and systems to streamline your process, whether you’re a spreadsheet warrior or CRM enthusiast

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the Follow Up process or worried about letting opportunities slip through the cracks, this episode is for you. Let’s turn Follow Up into your business’s secret weapon!

🎧 Tune in now and level up your Follow Up game: https://kite.link/Solo-Follow-up

What’s your biggest Follow Up struggle? Drop it below—I’d love to help! 👇

21/01/2025

On this week’s episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, I sat down with Mark Burgess to unpack the power of trusting and empowering your team. If you’ve ever struggled to let go of the reins, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you step back and let your business thrive.

Here are a few game-changing ideas we explored:
✔️ Define core values: Make them non-negotiable and use them to guide hiring and performance.
✔️ Communicate outcomes, not tasks: Focus on what needs to be achieved, not how to do it.
✔️ Delegate and trust: Resist the urge to micromanage. If someone says it’s ready, let it go.
✔️ Embrace mistakes as growth: Mistakes will happen—use them as teachable moments.
✔️ Invest in development: Encourage your team to grow with training, podcasts, and courses.

Remember: empowering your team isn’t just a gift to them. It’s a gift to your business—and to you.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Mark Burgess now! https://kite.link/Mark-Burgess

With all that in mind… What’s one thing you could let go of this week? Let me know in the comments!

20/01/2025

What does being a “great leader” mean to you?

When I first started MiPA, I thought it was all about being “hands-on.”

Involved in everything.
Every chat, every meeting, all the messages

Sound familiar? If my team had a problem, I’d fix it.

If a customer needed extra attention, I’d step in.

If a project needed reviewing, I’d approve it.

But here’s the thing: being involved in everything doesn’t scale.

Instead, it creates bottlenecks, burns you out, and holds your team back.

The real turning point for me was realizing that empowering my team didn’t mean losing control.

It meant trusting the people I’d hired and equipping them to succeed.

I recently sat down with Mark Burgess on Focus on the Fun Stuff, and he shared a hilarious (and relatable!) story about learning this lesson the hard way…

Listen to Mark’s insights and his hilarious story on the latest episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff—link here: https://kite.link/Mark-Burgess

What’s one thing you could delegate more in your leadership role?

Let me know in the comments! ⬇

17/01/2025

Are you guilty of being a bit of a micromanager?

You know the kind where you give a task to your team, they don’t do it exactly as you imagine it and they’re not mindreader…. So you tell them off, take it back and then wonder why you’re stressed and overwhelmed?

All the while your muttering to yourself its quicker to do it yourself? (Stressed business owner chat)

Well this week I sat down with Mark Burgess.

He had exactly the same problem but he solved it. He never took back a delegated tasks ever again.

And today he told me how….. Marks had major challenges in his life. He’s a former drug addict turned Forbes-featured entrepreneur, best-selling author, and CEO of Iceberg Digital

🎧 Here’s what you’ll learn:
✨ The funny but powerful remark that made Mark step back and let go
✨ How he mastered delegation without fear or problems
✨ Practical tips to stop doing it all yourself and focus on the big picture
✨ A simple strategy to keep your team connected, spot issues early, and streamline operations

Pop this on at the gym, during your commute, or while taking a well-deserved coffee break, and let’s get you delegating like a pro.

🎧 Listen now! https://kite.link/Mark-Burgess

What’s the first thing you’re going to delegate after hearing this episode? Let me know in the comments! 👇

14/01/2025

Running a business isn’t always fun. In fact I've had many times over the past 16 years where I've wondered when the fun went and when it was coming back!
You know when the passion you had when you started can feel buried under all the cogs?

This week I chatted to Joy Zarine on Focus on the Fun Stuff and it was SO REFRESHING.
Joy is a bestselling author, customer experience expert and the QUEEN of branding! (I know because we've worked together for the past 4 years :))
Joy is my favourite straight talker and she shared how she reignited the excitement and purpose in her work by letting her curiosity guide her—and it transformed her business.

Here are her top tips for bringing the fun back in 2025:
✨ Make one bold move every week.
✨ Dedicate 20% of your time to dreaming, experimenting, and thinking big.
✨ Picture yourself in your 90s—will you look back with pride or wish you’d dared to try something new?

Take a step back, imagine the life you want, and start building it—one small step at a time.

🎧 Listen to Joy’s inspiring story here: https://kite.link/Joy-Zarine

I hope it helps

Em x

13/01/2025

In the summer of 2024 I felt completely stuck in the weeds in my business and wondering where the excitement went.

I know how it feels to wonder why you started in the first place and that's why I'm so passionate about learning and sharing how you can Focus on the Fun Stuff in your business.
And in this week’s episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff, I had the pleasure of chatting with Joy Zarine, bestselling author and founder of DesignJoyandPrint.com, who shared how she transformed her work life from “just fine” to genuinely fulfilling.

Joy knows how easy it is to get trapped in routines, sticking with what you're used to instead of exploring what’s possible. But when Covid forced her to rethink her entire business, she embraced curiosity, stepped out of her niche, and found opportunities that reignited her passion.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll discover:
✨ Why “staying in your lane” might be holding you back
✨ How curiosity and bold moves can open up fresh opportunities
✨ Joy’s strategies for stepping back from the grind and focusing on the big picture
✨ A simple framework to help you rethink your business for 2025

💡 Joy’s advice:
Dare to dream bigger. Block out time to experiment. Take one small step toward your passion each week.

This episode is packed with inspiration and practical tips to help you shake off the monotony and rediscover the joy in your work.

🎧 Listen here: https://kite.link/Joy-Zarine

How are you planning to bring more excitement to your business in 2025? Let me know—I’d love to hear your ideas!

10/01/2025

✨ Feeling stuck in the day-to-day grind of running your business? ✨

If big ideas for growth keep getting pushed aside by fires to fight, or you’ve started 2025 dreading “more of the same,” then this week’s episode of Focus on the Fun Stuff is one you don’t want to miss.

I had an incredible chat with Joy Zarine—branding guru, opportunity-spotter, and all-around inspiration—about reigniting your passion for work and finding fresh, exciting ways to grow your business.

Here’s what you’ll take away:
✨ How Joy rebuilt her business after it was stopped in its tracks during the pandemic
✨ Tips for stepping back from the busywork and focusing on progress
✨ How to shake off fear and stop holding yourself back
✨ Why branching out from your niche might be your next big move
✨ And the hilarious funeral director name Joy came up with for herself (any guesses?! 🤔)

🎧 Have a listen here: https://kite.link/Joy-Zarine

I’d love to hear your thoughts—what’s one needle-moving idea you’re excited to work on this year?

Connect with Joy here:
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyzarine/
Website - www.joyzarine.com