The 5/25 Rule...

The 5/25 Rule...

Author: John Lamerton & Jason Brockman | Ambitious Lifestyle Business Owners March 30, 2025 Duration: 7:09

This year, I'll be celebrating 25 years of running small businesses.

In those 25 years, here are the 5 things that made the BIGGEST difference:

1. persevering (and iterating) until I found a model that worked.

2. Starting a mailing list.

3. Investing in paid advertising. (Google Ads in 2002, FB Ads in 2013, Amazon Ads currently run my coaching business)

4. Focusing on ONE thing. "Deep work" days and stacking up weekly "one things".

5. Putting retention first. focus on growing returning visits, increasing lifetime value, and truly putting retention first for every business.

The One Percent Club doors are NOW OPEN - until 9pm on Monday 31st March


Hosted by John Lamerton and Jason Brockman, who are themselves ambitious lifestyle business owners, the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is built on a practical, sustainable premise. It moves beyond the exhausting hustle culture to explore how consistent, manageable improvements lead to significant growth. The focus is on actionable strategies for attracting more customers and increasing revenue, but crucially, without simply trading more hours for dollars. Each conversation digs into the systems, mindset shifts, and marketing approaches that allow you to build a business that supports your life, not the other way around. You'll hear from the hosts' direct experience and from a variety of practitioners who prioritize efficiency and freedom. This isn't about theoretical fluff; it's about the real, incremental tweaks you can implement to create a more resilient and profitable operation. Tune in for a candid discussion on working smarter, where the goal is a thriving business that affords you the time and energy for the things that matter most. The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast offers a refreshingly honest take on entrepreneurship, proving that ambition and lifestyle don't have to be opposing forces.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast
Podcast Episodes
"I fell off a roof - and fixed my business..." [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:00
In September 2018, Driving School trainer Dave Foster fell off a two story building. As he was falling through thin air to the cold concrete below, his life flashed before his eyes - and he had an epiphany. Until that mo…
"Stay off drugs and don't eat lollipops from Florida" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:01
I recently came across my all-time favourite review of my book Big Ideas... for Small Businesses - from my ten year old son. He's 16 now, so it really made me chuckle to see what the younger version of him made of a book…
The 5-teabag Rule... 🍵 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:21
How do you make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day? By creating an easy-to-follow (and hard to forget) routine, of course! Taking a leaf out of my own book Routine Machine, I've created the "5 teabag rule", to mak…
"I'm sorry, that price is for new customers only" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:51
"I'm sorry, that price is for new customers only" A guaranteed way to get my blood BOILING... 😡 In this snippet from my forthcoming book Retention First, I share the story of a completely fictional broadband company, cal…
My "favourite" 1-star reviews... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:49
Some of my "favourite" 1-star reviews: "smug look at how awesome the author is" "no help for small business owners unless they're already millionaires" "my god you have to wade through an awful lot of pointless rambling…
Miracle Morning? 5am Club? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:25
Here's what happened when I tried to get up at 5am and follow Hal Elrod's "miracle" morning routine: It'd take a miracle for me to follow it again! THE morning routine doesn't matter. What matters is that you HAVE a morn…
"It's ALL about time happiness..." [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:30
Time happiness is about enjoying your work and life. It's essential to be proud of what you do, and understanding what makes you tick is crucial for happiness. In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast,…
"Don't work, Don't Earn"? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:16
A few weeks back, I had my left knee sliced open, and was signed off work for two weeks. Upon being handed my sick note, I laughed out loud. Because I run my own business. "If I don't work, I don't earn" Only that's not…
The danger of thinking TOO small... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:56
Not long after I started my first business, I was interviewed by my local newspaper. It makes me cringe to read it today: I genuinely don't recognise the person I was back then. I was thinking WAY too small. And 24 years…
Vision Boards: Woo-Woo or Science Backed? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:08
Do you use vision boards? Are they "woo-woo", or a scientifically-proven way to make achieving your ambitious lifestyle business goals more likely? I'm VERY much in the second camp. Here's why... (btw, the One Percent Cl…