It’s fantastic to be able to share these success stories from Compadres who have personally benefited from working with me and reinvigorated their businesses.
How the Compadres system has transformed lives.
If these success stories and endorsements have captured your interest, and you’d like to understand how we might work together to unlock your potential, please reach out to speak about how we might take your new idea of existing venture to the next level.
Biarta Parnham
Founder, Biased
Unpacking the Past: Life Before Compadres
Four years into owning my marketing and communications agency Biased, I found myself at a crossroads, feeling clouded about which direction to take the agency. I’ve built a great portfolio of clients, assembled a hardworking and passionate team, and delivered projects that filled me with pride. But the time had come to seek clarity on how, and where, to build on the foundations of the agency, while staying true to my values and ensuring long-term success.
I’ll admit I followed Clive on social media for a while before reaching out to him. While I had encountered several business mentors in the past, I noticed a common trend: few of them had actually owned or built businesses themselves. This realisation made Clive’s experience particularly appealing.
Embracing Change: The Compadres Journey
I was immediately drawn to Clive’s empathy, curiosity, and surprising vulnerability. As a fellow lifelong learner, he never shies away from thinking big while also delving deep to uncover the root causes of problems as they arise.
During our six-month collaboration, I’ve faced tough decisions typical of any business owner. Having someone to turn to when I’m stuck—someone who isn’t family or a friend—has provided much-needed perspective.
As we worked through my ‘Self-full’ story, both long-term and short-term, I began to paint a picture of the life I want for myself. This process has sparked broader conversations, both personally and professionally, about the future. It has opened my eyes to a realm of possibilities beyond the constraints of my everyday life.
The Dawn of a New Era: Celebrating Transformation
Clive’s patient guidance has helped me identify my blind spots and unlock my core motivations. By refining my vision, mission, and purpose, I’ve gained an invaluable framework for decision-making, significantly boosting my confidence in my choices.
Implementing Clive’s key principles, such as ‘Clear is kind’ and ‘Delegate to elevate,’ has transformed my approach to leadership and decision-making. These concepts have empowered me to overcome barriers I previously faced when dealing with difficult conversations, making me a more effective leader.
One of the primary reasons I sought Clive’s mentorship was my discomfort with business development. My natural inclination is to build deep connections based on mutual trust and respect, and the traditional notion of ‘selling’ often made me uneasy. Through our work together, Clive has helped me reframe this perspective. I’ve discovered tools to leverage my ability to connect with people and my passion for sharing their stories, turning what was once a source of anxiety into a strength.
Andrew Cornele
Founder, Undigital
Unpacking the Past: Life Before Compadres
Before diving into the transformative journey with Compadres, life as the Founder of UnDigital was a whirlwind of busyness, frustration, and a sense of feeling jaded. Juggling multiple responsibilities left us feeling burnt out and lacking direction. The constant struggle to find time for meaningful pursuits left myself and my Co-Founder, Kristen, feeling sometimes lost and overwhelmed. Wearing too many hats became the norm, stifling creativity and progress.
Embracing Change: The Compadres Journey
Enter Clive, the catalyst for change. Through Compadres, we both embarked on a journey of self-discovery and transformation. Clive’s guidance helped identify what was truly empowering us and what was merely a distraction. With newfound clarity, we revamped our systems and processes, allowing us to delegate tasks and elevate our focus on business ideas and growth. This pivotal step freed up precious time, enabling us to pursue our passion project. A Compadres workshop became the cornerstone for realigning our mission, vision, values, and goals, setting the stage for a profound shift in perspective.
The Dawn of a New Era: Celebrating Transformation
With the shackles of busyness and frustration lifted, we experienced somewhat of a metamorphosis. The gift of extra time paved the way for a deeper exploration of our values, purpose, and alignment. Armed with a new framework for decision-making, we can now navigate our professional and personal lives with intentionality and clarity.
“One of the best things you ever said to me was: the Andrew of today is carrying the Andrew from 10 years ago up the hill, and the Andrew from today is getting tired of it… let’s decommission Andrew 2013 so Andrew 2023 can accelerate to climb the hill.”
The ripple effects were: a revitalized appreciation for the existing UnDigital business, reduced stress, heightened focus, and a newfound zest for life outside of work. This has been a personal journey of fulfillment and creating a ripple effect of positivity and growth.
Anthony Challinor
Founder, VELOFIX
Unpacking the Past: Life Before Compadres
Our store Velofix has been operating as purely bricks and mortar since 2007. The landscape has changed, and thankfully we’ve been busy enough during that time. However, I was stuck and overwhelmed. After so many years in business, it’s natural to feel like you’re on the treadmill, perhaps bored. Sometimes self-doubt creeps in and stops your ability to get some tasks done. More recently, my ambition has been to take our business online and make it more visible, to service our loyal customer base and expand our reach across Australia.
Embracing Change: The Compadres Journey
Clive and his Compadres framework have provided clarity, assistance, accountability, direction, follow-through, and drive. Compadres is refreshing outlooks and generating ideas together on new opportunities, that are unseen, yet sometimes right in front of you. Our work together sparked a fresh direction and conversations that you are not having with yourself.
The Dawn of a New Era: Celebrating Transformation
We’ve now launched our online store; we have several other entrepreneurial projects and partnerships in the pipeline. We are looking at an exciting future of growing multiple products, services, and brands. I feel I’ve reinvigorated the drive I had back in 2007. The last few months, finally, have been some of the best on months on record.
Wayne Brown
Founder, Curative
Unpacking the Past: Life Before Compadres
I had previously tried online coaching programs and business networking groups, but I never felt satisfied. As a business owner, I faced all the same challenges other founders do: growth, procrastination, apprehension, fear, matched up to my ambition to make a difference. Feeling stuck, and like I was going around in circles. In the early months of 2023, my introduction to Clive Burcham was more than just a professional encounter; it was the opening of a door to invaluable insights and support. The recommendation came from a long-standing client, someone we’ve been in collaboration with for years. Little did I know that this connection would significantly impact both myself and the trajectory of Curative, our business. Our initial collaboration with Clive, stemming from a referral by Compadres, revealed more than just shared business interests. It uncovered Clive’s noteworthy success in a field closely aligned with Curative. Over the past year, Clive has become more than an advisor; he’s become a guiding force in navigating the intricate landscape of business challenges.
Embracing Change: The Compadres Journey
As my focus honed in on driving revenue growth and expanding our service portfolio, I confided in Clive about my apprehensions regarding sales. The profound discussions that followed were more than a mere exchange of ideas; they were a catalyst for transformative change. Clive’s wisdom transcended conventional business strategies, culminating in a seemingly simple yet profound concept — paper clips in a jar. It symbolizes not just an idea but a commitment to action and accountability, a principle that underpins the positive shifts he instilled in me.
The Dawn of a New Era: Celebrating Transformation
It led to Curative doubling our revenue, increasing profit by 150% year on year, and running out of office space within 3 months. With the pipeline issue resolved, we then began to work through the challenges of growth, including being able to get the quotes out to clients faster than the requests coming in … we also worked through resources issues, and refining processes to match a growing business. More than a consultant, Clive extended his sphere of influence to contacts, connections, and opportunities. His network became an extension of ours, opening doors and paving the way for new prospects. Clive doesn’t just offer advice; he holds me accountable for the changes I aspire to see within myself and Curative. As our business evolves, so do the challenges, and Clive adapts his support month by month. Be it a brief call or a deep dive into business intricacies during longer sessions, Clive is consistently present, offering not just solutions but a genuine commitment to understanding our business’s nuances. From recommending insightful reading materials and podcasts to providing constructive feedback, he extends a helping hand in diverse ways. In Clive, I’ve found not just a mentor but a true partner in the journey of personal and professional growth. He’s not just a consultant; he’s a steadfast ally, consistently helping me shape the narrative of success for Curative.
Nik Schiller
Founder, The Schiller Group
Unpacking the Past: Life Before Compadres
I’ve been in business for over a decade. I felt as though I’d hit a ceiling personally and professionally. Whilst we were making money, I felt overwhelmed with the pressures of staffing, systems, and processes. I also felt unhealthy because of the amount of work I was doing and not enough time with my family. In short, I felt as though we had grown as a business, but I’ve left myself and what was most important to me behind.
Embracing Change: The Compadres Journey
This is where Compadres came in, working with Clive. We defined my principles, values, and goals. And we looked at what wasn’t working. I had some amazing insight around where I was investing my time, some process and systems issues that we could change in the business, refocused attention to my health and well-being, and worked out a way to grow the business. It was a big reset for my life.
The Dawn of a New Era: Celebrating Transformation
12 months on, we’ve added 25% revenue but quadrupled our profit. Which is an incredible result. My new focus on my health and well-being can be measured by the fact that I ran a bunch of organized running events (with my wife). I’ve reinvigorated my interest in cycling, bought the beautiful next bike, and booked a family holiday to Europe (where I’ll get some cycling in of course). So I’m spending much more time with my family experiencing adventure and social events. We’ve redeployed money into investments that Clive had encouraged me to take on behalf of my family… (not as a financial advisor). I’m now looking at some offshore entrepreneurial ventures, and most recently we are revisiting a plan using a Compadres strategy and management framework to quadruple our revenue, and of course, increase our profit. Clive has also opened the door to some investment opportunities. This is a very exciting time in my business life and my private life. I feel reinvigorated, re-energized, and ready for the next big wave of challenges.