#91 - Nigel Botterill - CEO Entrepreneurs Circle

Overcoming Adversity: The Accidental Birth of Entrepreneurs Circle with Nigel Botterill

Adversities can either break or make you. They can bring out your worst, but they can also lead you to become the best version of yourself. The choice is entirely yours. One thing’s certain: avoiding the issue will not bring you success. 

In this episode, Nigel Botterill talks about his journey and how he ‘accidentally’ built Entrepreneurs Circle. He shares how he overcame losing £600,000 of his business’s funds to build a business that has made dozens of millionaires. Nigel also lets us in on the importance of using a values-based approach to business decisions and keeping your staff aligned with your vision. He then shares the 90-minute morning habit that makes his personal and business success possible. 

Tune in to this episode to learn how you can turn life’s adversities to personal and business advantage!

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Discover the power of overcoming adversities. 
2. Learn the importance of a values-driven approach to adversities. 
3. Find out how to use your time properly for personal and professional success.

Resources 

• Botty’s Rules: Success Secrets of the Business in the 21st Century by Nigel Botterill
• Get your early bird ticket now to the Getting & Keeping Customers Convention 2023 on 2-3 October 2023 at The ICC, Birmingham UK. 
• Join the Entrepreneurs Circle and discover how you can get more customers, make more sales, and grow your business!
• Learn more about Entrepreneurs Circle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |  YouTube
• Connect with Nigel: LinkedIn | Twitter 
• You’re Better than you think you are by Angela Cox
• Always Enough Collective with Angela Cox
• Coaching with Angela Cox
• Listen to The Mindset Mentor Meets

Episode Highlights

[03:09] Getting to Know Nigel

• Nigel is a business growth expert in the UK. 
• He is the CEO and founder of the Entrepreneurs Circle 
• He is also the author of Botty’s Rules, which sold over 100,000 copies in 2012. 
• Outside his business, Nigel is a husband and father of four. 

[05:40] Nigel’s First Proudest Moment

• Nigel’s first proudest moment is winning the Wind Cup. It’s the first trophy he won as an aspiring football player.
• Growing up, he wanted to be a professional football player. He was so proud when he was invited to the Saturday soccer at his primary school. 
• Experiences like these shaped him as he grew to do bigger and better things. Now, he helps other people become entrepreneurs. 

[08:42] The Beginning of Entrepreneurs Circle

• The Entrepreneur’s Circle was created in 2010 through an accident. 
• After losing his business to the economic turndown in 2008, Nigel wanted to help other franchisees prepare for challenging times through recession training.
• His team mistakenly sent a video meant for the franchisees to the franchisees’ customers.
• After seeing the learning gap and ‘appetite’ of the email recipients, Nigel offered training for the customers of the franchisees. 
• The Entrepreneurs Circle now has over 1,000 members from all over the world who are living more fulfilled, more comfortable, and happier lives.

[15:14] Nigel’s Second Proudest Moment

• All businesses need a team that works together towards the same goal. The biggest challenge is building and keeping the team. 
• Nigel is grateful and proud that he could do this with his team at Entrepreneurs Circle. 
• His team’s dedication energises and inspires him.

[19:31] Making the Most Out of Life

• Attack every day with gusto and find things that energise you.
• Life is too short to spend it doing things that do not make you feel better about yourself.
• Always be prepared so you can overcome adversity, including those that are not of your own doing.
• Nigel used to work for large corporations and abide by policies and decisions that did not align with him. 
• Having his own business allowed him to ‘do things the right way.’ Money will flow if your business is doing the right thing.

[22:58] Nigel’s Third Proudest Moment

• In 2015, Nigel’s business lost £600,000 to a ‘systematic management of accounts and bookkeeping.’ 
• This forced him to take the Entrepreneurs Circle to a Creditors Voluntary Agreement (CVA).
• CVAs often end in the company closing and people losing money. However, with hard work, Nigel cleared the CVA a year early. 
• Nigel considers the exit certificate as his single proudest moment as a business owner.
• He displays the exit certificate in his office as a reminder of his triumph.

[31:42] Lessons from Major Adversities

• Major adversities will change you for the better and teach you the biggest lessons. 
• Doing the right thing and using a values-driven approach to any adversity will create trust between you and your clients. 
• The only way out is through. 
• No matter how empathetic you are, you can never understand a situation as well as somebody who experienced it.

[33:22] Business and Numbers

• You can never avoid numbers as a business owner. 
• Any business owner can learn to drive their numbers with focus and guidance.

[34:58] Nigel’s Secret to Success 

• The secret to success all comes down to how you use your time. 
• People have built businesses bigger than themselves by spending time on the right things. 
• Get away from the daily tasks and work on moving the business forward.
• Mistakes are normal. Just make sure to spend enough time on the things that will make a difference.
• Nigel uses the first 90 minutes of his day to do things that will make his business more successful and move him and his family to where he wants it to be.

5 Powerful Quotes

[16:11] ‘There's not a business that's traded that can't generate an extra 10 or 12 grand a margin in the next 12 months if the business owner really wants to do it.’

[20:12] ‘Life is really short to spend it doing things that don't make you feel better about yourself.’

[22:34] ‘[When] you do the right things, the money then flows.’

[31:27] ‘There are many things in life that impact you and shape you, and we are who we are and what we are to a large extent because of [these things].’

[32:43] ‘No matter how empathetic you are or how much you try, if you’ve never actually had to face the situation, you can never understand it quite as well as somebody that has gone through it.’

About Nigel

Nigel Botterill is the founder and CEO of Entrepreneurs Circle where he mentors UK business owners and entrepreneurs to grow their business dramatically. Since 2010, he was able to start nine brands from scratch and grow them into million-pound businesses within a few years. 

He also authored the Sunday Times bestseller Botty’s Rules in 2011, which became the biggest selling business book of the year. Outside his business, Nigel is a family man. He is a husband to his wife, Sue, and a father to his four kids. 

You can learn more about Nigel on his LinkedIn and Twitter. 

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To meeting inspiration,

Angela