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The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship: income boasting, hustle culture and toxic sales tactics

Season 6, Ep. 30

Welcome back lovely listeners and we are getting into the swing of season six with what we hope is a pretty dynamic episode.


What if the hustle culture, so often glamorised and idolised as the only path to entrepreneurial success, was in fact a toxic trap? Leading you down a path to imposter syndrome and burnout? Imagine a business landscape where worth isn't defined solely by the latest ‘big numbers’ of the income-boasting hustlers, but by something much deeper and more sustaining? That's the world we'll take you into during this intense discussion.


We'll confront the problematic behaviour associated with overcharging and its correlation with imposter syndrome. We'll delve into the importance of rest cycles and the necessity of maintaining integrity within our craft. And, we'll scrutinise the damaging effect of striving for unrealistic goals, exposing the often overlooked connection between money mindset and susceptibility to manipulation.


Lastly, we'll shine a light on the often unspoken aspects of entrepreneurship - resilience, innovation, and empowerment. These are the factors that can truly navigate you through the challenging journey, while maintaining your sanity and fostering sustainable growth. We won't promise you 'get rich quick' schemes, instead, we'll encourage you to listen to your intuition, trust your discernment, and to be kind towards yourself as well as others. So, tune in to this no-holds-barred discussion, it's time to debunk the toxicity of hustle culture together.

We really hope you enjoy the episode, do let us know how it lands and as ever, thanks for listening.

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