In this episode I chat with Rael Bricker, a seasoned business owner living in Perth, Australia. He starts with the essential aspect of prioritizing sales over marketing for entrepreneurial success and discusses how integral sales skills are in the business world. Rael also provides valuable strategies on becoming a successful public speaker, emphasizing the importance of having a compelling message and effectively structuring presentations. The conversation transitions into practical AI tools for business productivity. Wrapping up, Rael emphasizes the significance of resilience, embracing change, and focusing on solution-oriented thinking for business growth.
00:00 Introduction to the Small Business Sweet Spot
00:26 A Personal Insight on Life in Perth
02:31 The Importance of Sales Over Marketing
07:55 The Journey to Becoming a Professional Speaker
17:15 Building Resilience and Positivity in Business
21:04 Personal Reflections
21:27 Starting a Business – From Fluke to Success
21:54 The Flaws of Consulting Firms
22:25 Winning Contracts and Seizing Opportunities
23:28 The Evolution of a Mortgage Business
24:11 The Importance of Passion and Flexibility in Business
25:46 Embracing Emerging Technologies
27:36 Practical AI Tools for Entrepreneurs
31:10 The Future of Work and AI
36:16 Give Up Control to Gain Control
Rael Bricker’s Website – Access Rael’s free resources, blog, book download, and more
Excellence Podcast – Rael’s podcast featuring interviews and insights on business excellence
Otter.ai – AI-powered voice transcription tool Rael uses for writing and productivity
Lumen5 – AI video creation platform for turning scripts into marketing videos
There’s an AI for That – Directory of AI tools across different industries and use cases
ChatGPT by OpenAI – AI writing assistant used for productivity and content creation
Google Alerts – Tool to track topics, keywords, and industry news for blog or content ideas
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When people think about Australia, most imagine the East Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, maybe Brisbane. But today, I want to take you to the West Coast, specifically Perth, where my guest Rael Bricker has been living for over 25 years.
Perth has grown massively in that time, from a quiet city of 900,000 to a vibrant, coastal hub of 2.4 million people. It sits right on the Indian Ocean, with 60 kilometers of stunning beach. And the lifestyle? Think morning walks along the sand, ocean swims before work, and 30-minute commutes max… yes, really. Rael’s office is five kilometers from the beach. His house is ten. The city is built for movement, wellness, and connection with nature.
And while that kind of lifestyle sounds idyllic, and it is, Rael also brings a powerful business philosophy to the table that many of us in the entrepreneurial world need to hear…
Sales over marketing.
What Does “Sales Over Marketing” Mean?
Rael breaks it down like this… You can have all the branding, logos, and SEO in the world. But if you can’t sell, if you’re not showing up with the mindset that you are, first and foremost, in the business of sales… your business will struggle. Period.
That doesn’t mean marketing doesn’t matter. In Rael’s mortgage business (which he’s been running for over two decades), marketing is constant. His team sends out birthday cards (yes, handwritten and mailed!) to over 14,000 clients. Newsletters go out after each Reserve Bank announcement, and there’s always a pulse on customer communication. But none of that replaces the need for closing actual sales.
If you’re an entrepreneur, your ability to sell matters more than your color palette. The best branding can’t replace a strong sales call or a clear value proposition.
What’s the First Step for Aspiring Speakers?
As someone who’s been speaking since age 15, Rael knows the difference between just being on a stage and truly connecting with an audience. When people approach him and say, “I want to be a speaker,” the first question he asks is:
“What’s your message?“
Not your story. Your message. What are the lessons you’ve learned that others can apply in their life or business?
Once you’ve got that, you need to hook your audience fast. Rael spends time coaching speakers to nail the first 90 seconds (and the final 90) because those are the most memorable. The middle of the talk can evolve, but the beginning and end are what people carry with them.
And when it comes to nerves? They never fully go away. That’s a good thing.
“If you’re not nervous, you’re not respecting your audience,” Rael says.
Fear isn’t something to eliminate, it’s something to manage.
Business Isn’t About Perfection – It’s About Action
Rael’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t exactly linear. He and his partner started their first business (an education consultancy) at 26, fresh out of MBA programs, teaching people how to run businesses before they’d even run one themselves.
It worked.
Not because of flawless spreadsheets or perfect plans, but because they started. Rael’s philosophy is grounded in momentum — Dive in, adjust your course as you go, and trust your instincts. Planning is important, but over-planning is a trap. “If entrepreneurs come to me with 27 spreadsheets,” he says, “I tell them that’s 26 too many.”
Resilience Is Foundational
Whether you’re facing big life shifts or business pivots, resilience is key. But not in the rah-rah, motivational poster kind of way.
Rael focuses on solution-based optimism, a practical, forward-facing mindset. Instead of dissecting what went wrong, he asks: What worked? How can we do more of that?
This is the same approach he teaches in corporate settings. Skip the “BMW meetings” (bitching, moaning, whining), and focus on mapping your future. Use the tools available, like Google Maps does. You don’t need to input your past. You only need to know where you want to go.
AI for Productivity, Not Perfection
Rael’s also at the forefront of AI and how it’s changing small business. But he’s not talking about the deep tech jargon. He’s talking about how you, a small business owner or creative entrepreneur, can use AI right now to save time, make better decisions, and stay visible to your audience.
Some of his favorite tools include:
- ChatGPT for blog writing and content creation (yes, even this blog post is built from the audio transcript of this episode, with personal adjustments).
- Otter.ai for transcription. He’s written entire books while walking his dogs and talking into his headphones.
- Lumen5 for creating video content from scripts in minutes, complete with music and stock video footage.
His AI workshops, like the “Embracing Emerging Technology” series, are all about helping entrepreneurs use tech for productivity, not perfection.
The Takeaway
Give up control to gain control.
This was almost the title of Rael’s book Dive In. And it’s the heart of what he teaches.
Entrepreneurs tend to want to do it all. But if you want to grow, you need to let go. It means hiring people, trusting them, and letting them learn, even if they make mistakes. That’s how teams grow. That’s how businesses scale.
If you want to connect with Rael, get a copy of his book, or explore the tools he recommends, head to raelbricker.com. You’ll find free downloads, links to his podcast Excellence Podcast, and more resources to help you build a better, more resilient business.
