{"podcast":{"title":"The Better SMB Podcast","slug":"the-better-smb-podcast-7059551","podcast_index_feed_id":7059551,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6226633/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-better-smb-podcast--6226633","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/14cd7f93a65c46debcde9a3761caf5b6.jpg","author":"David Altena","episode_count":38,"summary":"Join hosts David Altena and Rob Bull as they delve into the subject of small and medium- business productivity in New Zealand. With a focus on driving operational excellence and business improvement, The Better SMB Podcast is your go-to resource for strategies, insights, and success stories from the front lines of the SMB sector. Despite New Zealand’s historical challenges with productivity compared to our OECD peers, David and Rob are on a mission to turn the tide. Tune in to discover actionable tips, expert interviews, and innovative ideas that will help your business thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, The Better SMB Podcast will equip you with the tools you need to enhance productivity and achieve your business goals. Connect with us on LinkedIn: @DavidAltena and @RobBull","last_synced_at":"2026-07-16T12:19:57.070175+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-better-smb-podcast-7059551"},"episode":{"title":"Scaling with Purpose: Ray Everest on Leadership, Innovation & Impact","slug":"scaling-with-purpose-ray-everest-on-leadership-innovation-impact","published_at":"2025-12-29T08:24:25+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-better-smb-podcast-7059551/scaling-with-purpose-ray-everest-on-leadership-innovation-impact","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-better-smb-podcast-7059551","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/scaling-with-purpose-ray-everest-on-leadership-innovation-impact--69237515","audio_url":"https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69237515/bf75583a_c949_98d6_119d_e430ac9fbc01.mp3","summary":"In this episode of The Better SMB Podcast, hosts Rob Bull and David Altena sit down with Ray Everest, educator, entrepreneur and co-founder of Future Focus, to explore what it takes to build a business that thrives without you. From humble beginnings in Tokoroa to leading six early learning centres in Papamoa, Ray shares his journey of scaling with purpose, removing ego from leadership, and creating deep societal impact through innovation. Ray’s story is one of resilience, vision and continuous improvement. He discusses how he and his wife Courtney built Future Focus from the ground up, the importance of leadership development, and how their new AI-powered platform, Auro, is transforming early childhood education by helping teachers intervene earlier and more effectively with children needing behavioural and learning support. Whether you’re an SMB owner, educational leader or someone passionate about building high-performing teams, this episode is packed with insights on sustainable growth, leadership behaviours, and creating scalable impact. Highlights: How Ray scaled Future Focus to six centres in seven years with over 120 staff supporting 550 children Why removing your DNA from the business is key to sustainable growth The genesis of Oro, an AI-driven platform set to revolutionise early learning support and the education industry Ray’s leadership philosophy: empowering people to exceed expectations and make mistakes safely --------------------- The Better SMB Podcast is sponsored by SetSeed , the all-in-one platform that redefines what a website can be. Smart, secure and AI-tailored to reflect your brand. No plugins, no patchwork, no problems. Just world-class software and support in one subscription. Discover more at setseed.com --------------------- Connect with R…","meta_description":"In this episode of The Better SMB Podcast, hosts Rob Bull and David Altena sit down with Ray Everest, educator, entrepreneur and co-founder of Future Focu…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3733,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-better-smb-podcast-7059551/episodes/scaling-with-purpose-ray-everest-on-leadership-innovation-impact/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-better-smb-podcast-7059551/scaling-with-purpose-ray-everest-on-leadership-innovation-impact.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}