One idea to Build your Business, one idea to Scale your life. Every Wednesday.

Welcome to Winformation Weekly. My 13 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m, and the life that goes with it. All wrapped up, in one winning weekly email.

Simon Says

Winformation this week...

One thing you can always count on with Winformation is honesty. I don’t just share the wins, I talk about the struggles too. 

And honestly? 2025 has been tough. 

So many things haven’t gone to plan. Balancing a young family, supporting parents who aren’t well, and let’s just say my social life is pretty much non-existent. 

I’m not sure about you, but for so many people I’ve spoken to, it’s been the same. 

Even 12 months ago, I’d see those “be kind to yourself” Instagram captions and feel my blood pressure rise. 

"You've been kind to yourself your whole life that’s why you are where you are!" I'd think. 

But this year? Something’s shifted. 

I’ve done a deep dive into methods for managing stress and worry, and in this week’s One Idea to Win in Life, I’m sharing what I’ve found. 

If you’re active in the business and entrepreneurship space on social media, you’ve probably seen a lot of Daniel Priestley lately. 

His three appearances on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO have racked up millions of views, and his most recent one — a heated debate with trader-turned-economist Gary Stevenson — is well worth a watch. 

I’ve also had some great conversations with Daniel myself, including an hour-long podcast with him. It’s fair to say he’s a genius when it comes to all things entrepreneurship. 

In today’s One Idea to Win in Business, I’m distilling five of Daniel’s top business lessons that I’ve personally learned from him.

One Idea to Win in Business

The 5 Huge Business Lessons I Personally Learned From Daniel Priestly

1. Become a key person of influence - Daniel is all about this idea, so much so, he wrote a book on it. Success isn’t about being the best; it’s about being well-known for delivering value in your niche. Build your personal brand, share your insights, and create opportunities by standing out.

2. Build assets, not just income – Trading your time for money as you progress past the early part of your career means you will only ever earn so much. Only so many hours in the week, right? Instead, create scalable assets — books, courses, intellectual property, automated systems — that generate income without constant effort.

3. The power of leverage - Growth happens faster when you leverage resources like partnerships, media exposure, and scalable products. Focus on activities that amplify your reach rather than relying solely on individual effort.

4. Play to your strengths – I've now heard this advice from probably 3 or 4 of my business mentors. Between them, they are worth £100m or more. Believe me, this is key. Do the bits inside your business you are good at (and enjoy is a bonus!) and just outsource the rest.

5. Create value, become wealthy – Customers and other businesses don't mind paying big invoices, when what they are getting in return is worth “more” than they pay. This is called creating value. If you become valuable, over time you will become wealthy. It’s very simple.

One Idea to Win in Life

How Self-Compassion Can 10x Your Productivity (Without Burning Out)

I’ve recently stuck some tools in a tool box I simply didn't think I would ever need. To win big in business and in life, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’ve come to a very tough conclusion recently, that your actions need to be sustainable. Here’s how I’ve learned how to be easier on myself.    

1. Show compassion. You might feel you already do this, but do you show compassion to yourself? It’s no good being at war with yourself, saying things like you’re not good enough, because guess what? If you do, then sooner or later you start believing that. Showing yourself understanding isn’t about no longer being accountable for your goals. It’s about forgiving yourself from any mistakes made and learning from them and coming back stronger. Life has many obstacles, don’t become one to yourself.

2. Reduce fear. According to author Dr Kristin Neff, an expert on self-compassion, the more we can accept who are, the better we are able to change, take calculated business risks and feel less anxiety about the possibility of failure. Given that change and risk are often what business is about, self-compassion is a vital tool.

3. Helping to grow. Self-compassion can assist in developing and growing your business. If you’re mindset is a kind one, then naturally that can make your business a better place to work and be. Team members can feel empowered to grow, rather than freeze in the fear of failure.

4. Set boundaries. For those who are parents, we need to set boundaries for our children. That way, they learn what is right and what is not. Strangely, as adults, we don’t set boundaries for ourselves. We really should. For example, an email has come in from that important client at seven in the morning. You don’t have to reply immediately. More broadly, you need to agree what your business’s boundaries are.

5. Have a day off, mate! But seriously, take time off. You need to do things other than work from time to time. You will come back refreshed and revigorated. Although I admit, to truly enjoy a break you probably do want to clear your inbox first. That may well eat into your boundaries, but when it’s all said and done, just try to be kind to yourself.   

Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!