G’day Blackboarders –

Yes, I have to confirm that the rumours are true. I am indeed the best looking business advisor currently servicing Asia-Pacific (and I believe I’m in the Top 5 serving Africa).

HOWEVER, I have NEVER used my ridiculous good looks to win business. Instead, all of my clients have invested with me and my team because of the comprehensive business system we bring to their operations.

Since 2016, we’ve called this “The businessDEPOT Way” and we have now released 134 episodes (more than 12 hours of material and 100,000 spoken words) detailing how the system can be applied to businesses of every size and at every point in their business lifecycle.

As the finale, our focus this week had to be a little special, and I think it is … how you can take your expertise and develop your own strategic frameworks, the sort of thing that can go up on a Blackboard (or a Whiteboard! or even PowerPoint!) to help create excitement and change for your team and your clients. You can jump ahead and watch this week’s episode here – think of it as a guide to taking the Blackboard with you, forever.

Rather than carrying on with less valuable content for the sake of it, we have decided today will be the final NEW episode of Blackboard Fridays. But that’s not the end of your business journey:

  • You can sign-up here to continue the journey, receiving your regular Friday morning insight as we remind you of our greatest hits (ie, all of them)
  • That link is also perfect for sharing with friends. Has every business owner in your network chosen their favourite episode? If not, post that link and start a conversation
  • You can rewatch every episode anytime here. In fact, I recommend you do so – both you and your business have changed since Episode 1 in 2016, and so topics that didn’t originally apply may now be the exact solution you’re seeking
  • Watch this Space for the next businessDEPOT program, which will leverage all of our 12 guest presenters and more across a range of multimedia and live events

In addition to this week’s episode, we’ve included a bonus video update about the Advisory team at businessDEPOT. Stay tuned as our team evolves, in particular:

  • Bookmark our new Head of Advisory Anna Chipperfield as the central point for any and all of your business questions – even (especially?) if you don’t know what you don’t know
  • Get to know our other specialist advisors, including Brad Dean, Andrew Holmes, and John Knight who can bring their range of expertise into your business
  • I will end my formal role within businessDEPOT next week, and my new email address is jacob@jacobaldridge.com. Make sure we’re connected on LinkedIn as I share the exciting year ahead of me – coaching founders and clients remotely while traveling the world with my beautiful family (my calm and happy 3-month-old daughter has 12 flights booked before her first Christmas!).
  • You will also still see me around at businessDEPOT, as I continue to be a member of the businessDEPOT Collective working closely with all our team members to ensure businessDEPOT is the one place you can always go for business advice, whatever you may need

After 134 episodes, I want to particularly thank 3 people, the crack team at businessDEPOT Marketing. Tys Cobb for creating the concept of Blackboard Fridays and making it happen (including the first 5 episodes that he promised were a test, until he sent them out to such great feedback that we had to carry on!). Pia Rees-Rogers, for taking on the production baton and ensuring we never missed a beat.

And most of all the invaluable Celina Streegan. I think Celina is the only person who has watched every episode (I certainly haven’t), and when that involves editing, subtitles, post-production, and email marketing it means for every 5 minute episode you watch, she has spent close to 5 hours perfecting things. Our hosts get the glory, but Blackboard Fridays is Celina’s (and Tyson’s and Pia’s) program most of all.

As an individual whose purpose is to help catalyse change in others, hosting Blackboard Fridays has been a great joy and privilege. What I love most is how this will live on for many years, a power for change available to those who wish to use it.

Please continue to enjoy!

Jacob Aldridge