The information to Win in Business, the information to Win in Life, all wrapped up in one winning, weekly email. Winformation Weekly.

My 14 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m as well as the life that goes with it.

No ads. No affiliate links. No BS.

Simon Says

Winformation This Week...

“We all have the same 24 hours,” Molly Mae famously said once. And technically, she’s right.

But I can tell you from experience, there are very different versions of those 24 hours.

9 years ago, I lived alone in a flat overlooking the Solent. No kids, no partner, no real responsibilities outside work. A company of around 25 people.

Going to work on Friday morning and coming home Saturday afternoon happened more often than I care to remember. Fast forward to 2026 and life looks very different.

Two young boys. After school and weekend clubs, family responsibilities. A wife, an aging parent. And two businesses... one with more than 110 people in it.

My spare time has dipped quicker than my stress levels have risen.

And yet…we still live in a world where entrepreneurs online tell you to “just work harder” as though everyone has identical circumstances. The market might not care that you have children, responsibilities or people relying on you…but your family should.

So how do normal people still create time for deep, meaningful work without sacrificing their entire lives in the process? In today’s One Idea to Win in Life, I’ll show you the practical systems I’ve developed to carve out real focus in the middle of a real, messy life.

We are in the middle of AI obsessed conversations when it comes to entrepreneurship. Call me a dinosaur, but I think the future will still require business operators and founders to be able to hire and retain good people. AI is a tool that will be used by humans.  

And judging by the number of emails I get from you each week, this is the bit so many businesses are struggling with right now. 

“How do we find good people?” 
“How do we stop losing them?” 
“How do we build a team that actually cares?” 

So, because so many of you have asked, today’s One Idea to Win in Business is a little different. 

I’ve put together a new mini guide called: 

Build a Business People Actually Want to Work For 

(Still not fully sure whether that makes it an e-book, PDF or just me typing aggressively into a laptop for 2 hours straight)...but I have produced it for you anyway!  

One Idea to Win in Business

Something to Nail Your Hiring

How to Build a Business People Actually Want to Work For

We are the Sunday Times Business Employer of the Year 2025 and the Investors in People Employer of the Year 2023. This wasn’t an accident. It was years of developing our business to serve the people we hire. A happy team looks after happy customers. A happy customer looks after the revenue.  

I have created a PDF that I think could be one of the most valuable I have ever created for you. The reason I wanted to create it is simple. 

The business world feels obsessed with AI right now, but the companies that really win over the next decade will still be the ones that attract, develop and keep good people. 

Because behind every bit of software, automation and process… there are still humans making decisions, solving problems and dealing with customers. 

And I don’t mean people staying because the wages land on time or because they’re stuck there until something better comes along. I mean people who genuinely buy into what you’re building. Where the employee wins, the employer wins, and the business moves forward together. 

That’s what this guide is about. 

It’s available now totally free in the Victory Vault, but for ease can be viewed here.

Let me know what you think, let’s go. 

One Idea to Win in Life

Something to Improve Your Focus

Deep Work for “Normal” People - How Busy People Still Build Great Things

Whilst I NEVER begrudge anyone’s success (especially self-made people like Molly Mae or Steven Bartlett) I think a little reality check is in order. I was watching one of Steven’s blog things the other day. To write his book he travelled to South Africa and spent 12 hours a day for like 10 days straight with the most incredible view to bang out his best seller.

Cool.

What about normal people like me and you? We open our laptop to find a 5-year-old has knocked their drink all over the keyboard. And the time you promised yourself you would finish that important task was cut short because the “after school football” has been cancelled because it's raining. Life happens. Every day.

So, these are the steps I have taken over the years to find the silence and the time in which to grow a business from scratch into a £100m organisation, outperforming other businesses run by people with far fewer distractions.

Schedule the time. Nothing happens in a busy life if you aren't intentional with it. If you don’t fill your calendar with things that are important to you, other people will fill it for you...with things that are important to them. Put your stuff in first and let others book around it.  

90 minute time blocks. It’s amazing what you can achieve with an hour's deep work. But for me, an hour's output needs a 90-minute time block in the diary. 15 minutes to get your head in the game, 30 minutes smashing it out. A 5-minute break (which stats show is needed) then 10 minutes (at least, if the research is correct) to reengage your brain, before a final 30 minutes all in. Be kind to yourself, give yourself the extra time. 60 minutes needs the extra 30 around it.  

Unbalanced results require an unbalanced approach. Succeeding in business is highly unlikely. That’s not my opinion, the data tells us so. It’s not impossible, but it is hard. To create a business that turns over £1m a year, the chances in the UK range between 1-4 out of 100. To achieve this very unbalanced result, sometimes does require an unbalanced approach. This is a handy stat, when discussing the need to work a bit longer sometimes with your partner or loved ones... 

Pre-warn loved ones. Sharing your intentions and your calendar with your partner and kids (if they are old enough to understand) pre-empts every guilt trip that can be sent your way.  

“Where do you need me to help tomorrow? What do you need from me and when?”  

“Ok, cool – I have the usual work routine tomorrow, but on Thursday I need an extra 90 minutes when the kids are in bed, ideally at this time”.  

Simple, open conversations really do help you carve out the time and focus guilt free once the time comes. Remind them of the big vision outcome you are aiming for, it makes the sacrifice more palatable. 

Transitional tasks. One day a week I work from home. Mainly because I want to take the boys to school. That probably sounds small, but to me it matters a lot. I’m very aware these moments won’t last forever. One day they won’t want dad walking them through the gates anymore. 

The school is only five minutes from our house and my home office. Perfect setup, you’d think. But I started noticing something weird.  

On the days I worked from home, it actually took me longer to properly get going mentally than when I drove 25 minutes into the office. 

Why? I was at my desk earlier. I had more time. Less travel. More efficiency. 

But then I realised, not driving 25 mins after the drop off was the problem.  

That time in the car cleared my head. It gave my brain time to move from packed lunches, PE kits and missing jumpers… into work mode. Walking back into my office five minutes after the school drop meant my brain never really changed gears. 

You need transitional tasks when switching between family and work. You are becoming someone different in that moment. It can take 15 minutes to transition.  

Define the outcome. Before you smash into your tasks, define what good would look like and what great would look like. Once you have achieved this outcome, relax. You can return to the mad family life knowing you have moved the needle.  

Be where your feet are. I love this short sentence. It’s a great reminder. Be where your feet are. If you are busy with your family, be in the room. If you are sat in silence about to really move the needle on your business, be at the desk. We spend so much of our lives in work mode at the theme park, and wondering what we are doing on Sunday whilst sat at the desk. Be present, get it done.  

Schedule to energy, not time. Ok, ok, this one is a bit “Steven Bartlett”. Apologies! Maybe you only have between 4-5pm during the kids swimming lesson to answer your emails in a hot public pool with the laptop balanced on your lap. Not ideal, but fine.  

But if you can, try and match tasks to how you typically feel throughout the day. I save my creative work, decision making, and stuff requiring my brain for 9-12 when my energy is high. After that? I schedule the meetings. When my energy is lower, I feed off the energy of others. After the meetings, I have very little left, so I’m on robotic tasks. Sorting my calendar, emails, and quick small, painless decisions.  

The goal isn’t to become this optimised output machine. But the reality is you are probably running a company where at least one of the competitors is someone without as many life pressures. You have to find concentrated work time. You have to be able to compete.  

Win or Wonder?

Ask Me a Question…

No matter where you are on this mad journey. Starting out, scaling up, or somewhere in the messy middle feel free to ask me anything.

Business, life or mindset, I read and reply to every question. The best ones will get featured in future editions of Winformation, with your permission of course!

To ask, just hit “reply”, type your question and send. That’s it. No forms. No fuss.

Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!