Staying Relevant Without Burning Out + Resiliency with Wes Towers (Part 2)

Feeling the pressure to keep up without burning out? We sat down with Wes to unpack how to stay relevant in a fast-moving market by treating AI as a tool, not a trophy. From spotting real opportunities to building processes that scale, this conversation maps a practical path to resilience: clear vision, focused experiments, and recovery as a competitive edge.

We break down a simple filter for adopting new tech: if a tool advances your mission, adopt it; if not, it’s noise. Wes shares how his team evolves SOPs to match the rapid pace of AI and web development while avoiding “living in the weeds.” The solution is cadence—zooming out to check direction, zooming in to build, then zooming out again to measure impact. Along the way, we explore the “dark-to-light” exercise to turn industry risks into strategy, inviting teams to surface threats and design value where others only see obstacles.

We also challenge the nine-to-five myth and talk about flexible, season-based work that honors real life. Early calls across time zones balance with early finishes; family milestones become intentional choices, not afterthoughts. On growth, Wes reframes revenue as an imperfect but useful proxy for value delivered, especially for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. We touch on his book The Simple Manifesto, the rise of tangible learning, and his show Built Trusted Chosen for trade and construction pros looking to sharpen their edge. You’ll leave with practical steps: adopt AI with intent, document and delegate, invite your team into discovery, protect your focus, and treat rest as a lever for output.

The Quiet Gift: A Journey of Self Worth and Resilience is now available for download as an audible.  Check it out!

Transcript

Welcome And Purpose Of The Show

SPEAKER_00 0:06

All of us reach a point in time where we are depleted and need to somehow find a way to reignite the fire within. But how do we spark that flame? Welcome to Reignite Resilience, where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. We'll discuss the art of reigniting our passion and strategies to stoke our enthusiasm. And now here are your hosts, Natalie Davis and Pamela Cass.

AI’s Impact On Business Reality

SPEAKER_03 0:44

How has AI impacted how you do your business? And so it sounds like we figured out how to use it as a tool. And has it impacted it negatively at all?

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Our business is in its best shape it ever has, but that's not to say it will remain that way. I need to stay on my toes, as most businesses do. And particularly if you're working behind a computer, you need to think about what's changing and evolving and adapt to the tools that are available to you without losing your long-term vision as well. So if it facilitates uh what you're trying to achieve, then it's a good decision. But it otherwise you're just chasing the next shiny object. And so there's so many risks. I I'm concerned to a degree about the future of employment for a lot of people who are not entrepreneurial. You don't have to be a business person to be entrepreneurial minded. I think all of us need to have that mindset to think about what's changing, where's the opportunities? How do I position myself for those future opportunities? Because otherwise your career path might be left behind.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

That's a powerful piece. And it's not just AI, right? It's uh AI just happens to be the shiny thing right now. Like if we're not constantly in that place where we're staying ahead of the curve to make sure that we're relevant, not just today, but five years from now, is a key piece to have. And like you said, not just entrepreneurs need to keep this in mind, employees need to keep this in mind as well in terms of their future and what that looks like if they're working for companies.

Mindset Shift To Stay Relevant

SPEAKER_03 2:13

And I and I love, Wes, that activity you go through with your clients looking at the kind of, I'll say call looking at the dark side and then finding the light side. I mean, you could do that about any industry that you're in. So whatever industry you're in, making sure you're constantly looking at that negative piece of it to try to stay ahead because some people are like, I don't, I don't know what the next opportunity is. But if you're always looking at that dark side to find the light side, I think that's how you can kind of stay ahead of it.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah, 100%. There's I really do believe in that yin and yang type thing going on in the in the world. That's uh a philosophy I've really adopted of late. I think it's so true. Got to sort of be adaptable and understand both aspects, the dual kind of thing that's going on in a lot of ways.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

Well, and which is what I I love that that's why you kind of started that podcast, so that you could stay ahead of it, you know, have these conversations. And I think, I mean, we learn so much from the guests that we interview, and it's just like, oh my gosh, I didn't even think about that, didn't know about that. And so such a great way to kind of keep in front of it.

Turning Risks Into Opportunities

SPEAKER_01 3:16

And you always know when you've made, in my opinion, you you know you've made a great decision when you're excited by it and you don't mind doing the extra hours. Like, for example, being on the opposite side of the world, sometimes I'm doing calls at crazy hours of the morning. And but I love it. I'll get up super early. If there's someone super exciting to get on the call, I'll get up at you know, four four o'clock in the morning and be ready for them. I might be looking a little bit uh underwater. That's okay. We get through it.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

There's there's no sunshine, and yeah, exactly. It's dark out, but you're showing us, yeah. Absolutely. I think that's a huge piece. Wes, just on the AI piece, in terms of how you are uh constantly assessing your business. Are you using this as an opportunity as well to really reconfigure your own value proposition for your clients and prospective clients to let them know we're embracing it, right? We're not intimidated by this tool. It's available, and we're going to now incorporate it into your experience that you have with us.

Process, Team Input, And Rapid Tools

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's always been evolving. And certainly even with the background things, the way in which we build websites, it's evolved a lot. We've got standard operating procedures. I've always been super diligent to have process for everything. So no matter who picks up a project, they can take it on. If someone's away for sick, for example, you know, someone else can pick up the pieces and it's super easy to keep going because we follow the same process. But that's all been evolving so fast now because the the tools change so fast. So I'm fortunate that my team are really technical people as well. So I've leaned upon them to bring their insights. And so where I it was initially a a bit of a worry that things are changing so fast, how how on earth are we going to keep on top of it? But I opened up the doors to the team to bring insights. And I I think it's uh kept them engaged and more excited about it as well because they're a bit techy and geeky. So uh it's an opportunity. So turn turn the threats into opportunities is always uh it's always a helpful thing if you can do that.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

But not so much so that it became a distraction, like you actually created the space for creativity and solution.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Yeah, yeah, I think so. It's that it's always a tight rope, it feels like in that middle part where you know the tight ropes are kind of tight on the ends, but when you get to that middle bit, it's uh swaying a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

So I like to reference it as like getting into the weeds, right? Like it's like, okay, we've gotten way into the weeds, let's bring it back up. We're just talking concept. Like, what are we what are we working on? Yes, yeah. You can start geeking out and get way into the weeds, and and you don't want to stay.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

But I've I've learned because there's so much to to do or potential that you could work on or do, I've really over the last few years as well, figured out that I I've got to take time out as well. I can't just be snowed under in the work all the time. The more refreshed I am, the better focused I am, and the more productive I am in the hours that I that I do uh work in the business. So it's kind of a it's a it's a trap sometimes. You feel as though you go if you do more, you'll get more out, but that's not necessarily true.

Rest, Productivity, And Boundaries

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Yeah, I think that's something that entrepreneurs and people in leadership forget, that little key detail. And you know, we work with a lot of realtors and a lot of high-producing realtors, and they're their business is great, they're successful, but if you looked at the other side, their well-being, their relationships, it's like not so not so good. So, what are some of the things that you do to make sure that that is part of your daily life?

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Just regular things. I make sure I get to the gym most days and and those sorts of things, just to freshen up. It's handy because it's just around the corner. Yeah, just just these sorts of things and making sure if I do start super early, which I do sometimes because of the podcasting, I I finish finish early. So give myself permission to to wrap up the day early. You know, as a young business person, I probably I I probably didn't. I had even if I started early for something, I would still work till five o'clock because you kind of train or 5 30 something, you know, because you kind of train, that's when the workday finishes, but it doesn't need to. You know, who's who who made that rule up? It wasn't wasn't me.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

Corporate America or corporate wherever made that that rule, eight to five, nine to five, whatever, whatever that is.

Flexibility Beyond Nine To Five

SPEAKER_01 7:56

It's such a it's an arbitrary thing, isn't it? So nine to five, whatever it is in in your part of the world. How on earth is it possible that everyone's role takes nine to five magically uh Monday to Friday? Crazy, crazy things like that.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

I like that. Breaking that arbitrary barrier. I am I'm so glad that that's you've given yourself permission to do so. That but you're right, the younger version of me would not have done so, right? It's show up at eight, stay until six, because that's what you do.

SPEAKER_03 8:25

Yes. Well, I think it's so important to be able to be comfortable adjusting that based on whatever season you're in in that moment. Because there's gonna be times when you have little kids and it's not gonna look the same. And then when your kids are older, it's not gonna look the same. And so all of these different parts of our lives that change if we try to keep it in that box of let's just say nine to five, you're not gonna, it's it's just not gonna work.

Family Choices And Real-Life Tradeoffs

SPEAKER_01 8:50

It's a key advantage of working for yourself is you've got that flexibility to adjust the times that you work. I mean, I'm I'm just so thankful that I took the time to do things with the kids when they were young, doing sports and so on. So I mean, I was coaching both sons in their basketball teams. Got to take my daughter to all the dancing and and so on. So I didn't miss, I don't I I can't, I don't think I missed anything of those sorts of activities, if I could help it. At one at one time I was coaching both sons and they both made the grand final.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

This is a really at the same time, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

And I was coaching, I was the coach of both and so which underway coach on the game day, and you know, I feel in mum or dad, and so that was a super difficult choice.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

Oh, yes, okay. Well, don't leave us hanging. Like, how did you not learn what you choose? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Yeah, the decision, yeah. The decision made itself in the end because there was one of the sisters of the my younger son, she was quite a good basketballer, and she was happy enough to fill in for his his team, uh my younger son's team. So she just took that one and and I took the other one. So I didn't have to decide between the two sons, you know, it was just that someone was able to facilitate one of them. So that was uh yeah, that was a a lucky, lucky thing that worked out.

Growth As A Proxy For Value

SPEAKER_02 10:12

The ability to be at whatever you choose, right? Like you get the opportunity to choose, but then that also turns into you have to choose everything unfolds at the same time. Resilience. Yeah, exactly. I love that. I love it. Well, Wes, the podcast is new, and that that just came out of you know your desire to continue to show up and continue to pour into other people. What else do you have on the horizon in terms of your life list of things that you'd like to accomplish and do and achieve the impact that you want to have? What does that look like?

Entrepreneurship’s Rewards And Realities

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Yeah, so as a business person, you're kind of always that's always a massive part of what you're up to. So just continuing to grow that and adapt that. As I said, that's never been more profitable. The last financial year was the best yet. And I hope to beat that, this this one. We close out financial years uh mid-year, so June. So yeah, so coming up to that. So that's just it's a kind of a funny thing. It's I mean, it's not necessarily about the money, but it's about the growth. So whilst everyone wants to make more money, why wouldn't you? But that makes no significant impact on my life, whether it's more or less, really. But the the growth aspect of it just means uh it's a measure, it's a it's an imperfect measure of how much value you you've brought to the world. So if you're able to serve more clients and you're pro providing value to them, well income follows that. Wealth follows uh value. So the more value you can produce uh in the world, the greater your likely profitability will be. In a roundabout, it's a crude measure, I know, because some career paths just don't get paid realistically what uh equivalent to the value they bring. For example, you know, some of the caring professions here in Australia. I'm not sure if it's like that in the other parts of the world, but you know, if you're a nurse, maybe then your pay isn't what it should be, or teaching, maybe the pay isn't what it should be. These sorts of things are outliers, but for the most part, and certainly working for yourself, it's value-based. So the more value you can bring, the more income you should uh see.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

That's from the go-giver directly. That's the the law of value, the law of yeah, the law of value. The law of value, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

Yeah, I've never read that. Is that a book? Oh, excellent book.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Yeah, and I think it really would resonate with you. Would resonate with the book. Yes, it's um The Go Giver by Bob Goldberg. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

I've heard of him, yeah, but I've not seen that book. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I'll definitely look for it.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

He's got the Go Giver, he's got a few of them in that series, but the Go Giver's a red red cover. Definitely read that. You will love it.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Yeah, ah, cool. Yeah, definitely well.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Checking to see if I had it out. I don't have it near me. I just have it in my near me. Definitely put it on your reading list if you've not read it. Easy read, it's a a couple hundred pages, it's not long at all. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Yeah, I listen to audio. I listen to the books. Yeah, that's it. And it's I think it's on Audible.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

It's it is on, yes, exactly. But I think, Wes, what you explained, we're experiencing the same thing here, right? Like a lot of our service industry workers are not they're in a space where they're not earning what they're delivering in value, right? Like the compensation doesn't align. But when you're talking about like business owners and entrepreneurs or solopreneurs, even, I think that equation is pretty accurate. It's pretty spot on.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

It's part of the benefit of working for yourself and another benefit. There's so many benefits working for yourself. But it's not for the week.

SPEAKER_02 13:34

I was gonna say, I know we talk about entrepreneurship here uh quite a bit, and it is definitely not for the weak, but it is well worth it. I don't know if we stress that enough. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Books, Podcasts, And Tangible Learning

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Yeah. I don't think I could go back to working. Yes, nine to five. I don't think I could.

SPEAKER_01 13:53

There's a uh a podcast here in Australia. The guys call it unemployable because they're you know they're self-employed, you know, entrepreneurs. Self-employed, yes, unemployable.

SPEAKER_03 14:02

We are unemployable. They would not like they would not like us.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Never fit into a normal corporate job. I I was lucky, I never worked in a massive, you know, corporate cubicle sort of life. It was all smaller businesses, so you kind of always saw the benefits and the value that clients were seeing. But you know, I can't imagine ever working in a cubicle and and not seeing any tangible results for what I'm producing. That would be tough.

SPEAKER_02 14:29

I've been there and I don't think I've I've been there too, and yeah, it's needed. Right, you see your cog. That's it, right? Like you're focused on that one spoke in the entire system, and that's it. Your cog is your only focus, and you never see the bigger picture. And there is some reward in seeing and understanding how the sausage is made and the actual sausage itself when it's all said and done.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Oh, I'm wired, but they as you say, there's different people are wired different ways. Yeah, we need those, we need those people too. Yeah, yeah. I'm thankful there's people who uh do those those sorts of roles because it means I don't have to.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

Exactly. The world continues to go around. We can have conversations like this where it's back to the future, where you're in tomorrow and we're in today.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah, no, here is to the weekend for me, so unfortunate though. Yes, you're so much closer than us.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

Oh my goodness. Well, Wes, this has been amazing. I would love to give you a few moments if you have words of advice, tools, or any strategies that you want to leave with our listeners. I mean, because we've talked about so much your personal journey, the business, the marketing and branding and AI. We've we've gone in so many directions. I'd love to just give you a few moments if you have some inspiring words for our listeners today.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Yeah, look, I'd love anyone obviously trying to build an audience on the podcast. So if anyone's in the trades and construction, please do uh jump on and have a have a listen. Uh oh, the other thing too, people might be curious to see. I wrote a book. Did we talk about? We didn't, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

We didn't know we did not, and we are going to. We're gonna glaze over that.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

We're probably brushed over that. Yeah, no, so that's uh you can get that everywhere, Amazon. And it's a really weird thing. So for it's been out quite a while now, and for the most part, it was the e-books and so on for a long, long time. But of late, it's changed. More people are buying physical books, or at least for my book, that's uh anecdotal evidence. But it it feels as though to me the world is moving, wanting more of a tactile something, something tangible and real. I think that's uh true in all aspects of life right now. So the book is probably just a reflection of that. More people are buying the physical than the digital.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

So and it's the simple manifesto, is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Is that what uh Yeah, yeah, it's the simple oh yeah. So some people will be listening to this podcast whether they won't see the video. But the simple manifesto, Amazon, every every good bookshop you can get it in as well, order it in. Yeah, so uh get that. It's uh all marketing principles, save time, produce income, and a whole bunch of stuff we've actually spoken about today is covered in there too.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

We can put the link for the uh to purchase it on Amazon in the show notes. Yeah. Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

Absolutely. I love that. The simple manifesto. And what so I um we have a few moments I want to quickly touch on this because I we've just gone through this process of authoring a book. So that journey, what prompted you to take on the task of writing a book? I don't know if it's something that you loved, if you hated it, or if you would do it again. So walk us through that journey and that experience.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Yeah, well, just someone was saying to me, Oh, you I really love your blogs. You should you should write a book. And it just came from that. I said uh love your blog. And so I thought, oh yeah, maybe I'll I'll have a have a go at that. It was it's a completely different thing to writing a blog though, because a blog, you know, it's just a short piece and you haven't got to think about how it ties into everything else. I found it really difficult to get uh the flow into some sort of format that that made sense and not to the repetition, it was really difficult because blogging so many years, you know, it doesn't matter if you cover the same topic a little bit. So yeah, it was a great learning. As I said, I love growth. So I just did it in patches of of time as well, where when I felt the the spirit move, I suppose you might say the uh the motivation was flowing at different times, or you know, I had more time here and there. So I I did it over probably took a couple of years to to flesh it out, and so um I do it different. It was before AI, so it would probably be a little bit easier now to do it. So uh I wonder, yeah, it'd probably have different opinions in there too. For the most part, the opinions would all stay the same. It's just the the way in which I would have written it probably would would change.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

A little bit different. Yeah, love that. Love it. Well, thank you for sharing that. We will definitely tag the book in the show notes so that our listeners can grab a copy of that at the simple manifesto. And then you were talking about your podcast. If you want to again remind us the name of the podcast and what you cover on the podcast, so we can let them go over and check that out if they're interested.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Yeah, yeah, for sure. That'd be brilliant. Built trusted chosen is the is the show. And so it's on all the podcasting platforms you'd expect. Oh, and the uh company website. If people want a website, hey, I'm the guy.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

So yeah, uplift360.com.au. So uh you can book a strategy call with me there. Given a whole lot of call to action today. I feel a little bit self-promotional. Sorry about it.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

That's okay. That's what this is for. That's why we're here. So we want to give as much value as possible to our exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

So uplift 360 if you're looking for a website and some cunning edge advice in terms of website build-out, marketing, and branding, the simple manifesto, and then build, trust, and chosen.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

And if you're in the trades, so this is for people in the trades.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Yeah, that's right. It's probably if you Google me, you're probably a whole bunch of these things are sharp too.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

Well, I would imagine so, given your line of work. I would yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

Yes, that's mostly not my criminal record. No, there's nothing like that.

SPEAKER_03 20:17

That's a different podcast. That's a different show. We're not in that category, so you're good.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

No, this is great. I I love that you are continuing to have an impact on people in their lives and in their businesses and in different modalities. And that's where we are, right? If it's in written form, if it's in a if it's in a podcast, if it's you know, one-on-one consult and working with them directly. The need is there. So thank you for continuing to do the work that is helping so many around the world. This is great.

Show Closing And Listener Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Thank you. This has been a brilliant podcast. I can't wait to share it with my uh network.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

Absolutely. Absolutely. It has been an absolute honor to have you on. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, your personal story, your expertise with our listeners. We will make sure that we put your contact information in the show notes so they can get a hold of you. I think we have all of your social media handles. You're on every platform. So that's always good. So if you are looking for Wes, you can find him. He is searchable. Wes, thank you for spending the afternoon, your morning or afternoon with us today.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Thanks, Emily. Thanks, Mate.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

It's been brilliant.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

And in the future with us, I love it.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

It's been great. And for our listeners, if you are wanting to know more about what's happening in the world of Reignite Resilience, head on over to our website, reigniteresilience.com, find us on Facebook or Instagram, and then check out the video version of this podcast on YouTube. Until next time, we'll see y'all soon. Bye everyone.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Thank you for joining us today on the Reignite Resilience Podcast. We hope you had some aha moments and learned a few new real life ideas to fuel the flames of passion. Please subscribe on your favorite streaming platform, like or download your favorite episodes, and of course, share with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you. Seeing you again next time on Reignite Resilience.