Rob Dance

CEO & Founder of ROCK.

I started my business with just £1,000
 
(I bought a cheap van, a laptop, and a desk)
 
Today, we operate internationally
Today, we hire over 100 of the brightest minds
Today, we're an 8-figure business, on our way to 9
Today, we're launching several new start ups
Today, I work with some of the most gifted people in the world
 
But what you don't know is:
 
20 years ago, I failed my exams and dropped out of school
17 years ago, I really struggled to write a full sentence
15 years ago, I was too scared to make phone calls

So now I'm sharing my journey with you.
Daily insights to help anyone.
Let's goooooooo 🚀

CEO & Founder

After 15 years of growing my business, I realised something FUNDAMENTAL was missing.

Our unique culture and innovative ways of managing our people has always been a TOP priority for me.

So much so, I have never found the perfect software platform to manage our people operations and help my team remove the day-to-day noise so they can focus on our mission.

Then, one day, it struck me: I NEED to create this myself to help other businesses!!

And so, Ware was born.

Launching in 2025, Ware promises to transform how you build your culture and genuinely empower your team.

Ware. Everything is.

A reminder for anyone who needs it:

(You deserve better)

Stop giving 100% to companies that treat you like you're replaceable.

If you're always:

- Staying late
- Pushing hard
- Hitting targets

And you’re still getting ignored - it's not your fault.

You're not unmotivated.
You're undervalued.

A company that appreciates you will show it. They’ll:

1) Recognise your contributions and effort.
2) Listen to your concerns and act on them.
3) Respect your boundaries and work-life balance.
4) Promote from within instead of overlooking internal talent.
5) Support your career growth with training and opportunities.
6) Make staying feel like the right choice, not your only choice.
7) Pay you what you’re worth, not what they can get away with.

Loyalty is a two-way street.

If they can't meet you halfway, don’t feel guilty for pulling back.

Protect your energy.
Know your worth.

The right workplace won’t make you question it.

Do you agree?

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Stop giving 100% to people who give you 10%. Rob Dance

Confidence in leadership isn’t about always having the answer

It’s about this…

Trusting yourself to figure things out - even when nothing feels certain.

Too many leaders think they need to seem perfect. 
But that’s not where respect comes from.

Respect comes from how you handle pressure. 
From how you respond when things go wrong.

The best leaders?

→ They ask for help. 
→ They admit when they’re unsure. 
→ They build teams that challenge their thinking.

So if you want to lead with confidence, try this:

1. Listen more than you speak.
2. Let your actions do the talking.
3. Be willing to be wrong - honesty builds trust.
4. Surround yourself with strong, honest voices.
5. Stand by your decisions, especially the tough ones.
6. Trust yourself to figure it out - not to have it all figured out.

You don’t need to feel “ready.”

You just need to trust that you’ll handle what comes next.

Do you agree?

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Confidence is knowing you’ll figure it out, not knowing all the answers. Rob Dance

Someone else’s success is not a threat.

It’s proof.

Proof that progress is possible.

When I see someone win… 
I don’t feel smaller.

I feel reminded.

If they can do it, so can I.

As Justin says, too many people sit back:

- Judging
- Comparing
- Secretly hoping someone slips up

That mindset builds nothing.

Because clapping for others shows strength.

It shows confidence. 
It shows security.

So if you’re in a waiting season, use it.

→ Study what works 
→ Improve your skills 
→ Stay consistent

There is no weakness in celebrating someone else’s win.

Only insecurity makes it feel that way.

Do you agree?

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Until it’s my turn, I will keep clapping for others. It’s just that simple. Rob Dance and Justin Wright.

Respect should never depend on a job title.

No one needs to know someone’s:

- Salary
- Position
- Qualifications

To treat them well.

They are human. 
That alone is enough.

I see people switch their tone based on who stands in front of them.

And that shift says more than any CV ever will.

Character shows when there is nothing to gain.

So if you want to grow as a leader, practise these daily:

1. Say thank you
2. Keep eye contact
3. Show basic respect
4. Greet everyone properly
5. Listen without interrupting

These actions cost nothing.

But they build trust faster than any title ever will.

Do you agree?

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Make it a habit to respect people without knowing their qualifications, title, or position. Rob Dance

This isn’t meant to feel good…

(But it’s how we grow)

As Justin Wright pointed out - it’s discomfort that takes you far.

Yet too many leaders avoid disagreement.

They see silence and call it respect.
They chase harmony instead of honest thinking.

But great leaders do it differently:

→ They listen with calm.
→ They speak with purpose.
→ They invite challenge, not just compliance.

The simple truth?
They want people who call out what’s wrong.

So if no one’s questioning you, it’s not a sign you’ve nailed it.

It’s a sign they’ve stopped believing you’ll listen.

Do you agree?

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Insecure leaders want only yes-people around them. Strong leaders want people who challenge their thinking. Justin Wright and Rob Dance

Here’s the truth:

Playing safe won’t make you happy.

If there’s even a slight chance something could improve your life…

Explore it.

- Don’t overthink it
- Don’t talk yourself out of it before you’ve even tried

Life is short.

Time doesn’t slow down.

And real happiness?

It’s rare.

It doesn’t come from staying where you feel stuck. 
It comes from movement.

Fear will always show up.

But that doesn’t mean stop.

It means you’re stepping outside your comfort zone.

That’s where progress lives.

→ Take the call
→ Book the meeting
→ Submit the application

Risk feels scary.
Regret feels worse.

Do you agree?

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If there’s even a slight chance at getting something that will make you happy, risk it. Life’s too short and happiness is too rare. Rob Dance.

Careers do not end because of:

- One rejection
- One bad review
- One missed promotion

They stall when effort stops.

Because growth belongs to people who stay in motion.

So if you are serious about career growth, focus on three things:

→ Upgrading skills 
→ Building strong relationships 
→ Asking for honest feedback

Then apply what is learnt immediately.

Progress does not reward pride.

It rewards people who refuse to stay still.

Do you agree?

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Nothing is over for someone who tries. Rob Dance.

Want to level up fast in your career?

Here’s how:

Sit beside someone who's already ahead.

Not to compete.
To catch their momentum.

When you’re around ambitious people, your mindset shifts.

→ You think bigger.
→ You raise your standards.
→ You stop making excuses.

And as Dora Vanourek puts it, it stretches you in ways you didn’t expect.

So ask yourself:

Is your circle fuelling your growth?
Or keeping you stuck?

Choose your company with intention.

It matters more than you think.

Do you agree?

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A reality check for anyone who needs it:

(You deserve better)

Loyalty isn’t a one-way street.

Too many workplaces expect it without giving anything in return.

But a company that values you will show it. They’ll:

1) Recognise your contributions and effort.
2) Listen to your concerns and act on them.
3) Respect your boundaries and work-life balance.
4) Promote from within instead of overlooking internal talent.
5) Support your career growth with training and opportunities.
6) Make staying feel like the right choice, not your only choice.
7) Pay you what you’re worth, not what they can get away with.

If they:

- Don’t value you
- Don’t invest in your growth
- Don’t try to retain you when you consider leaving

Take the hint.

Staying in a place that doesn’t value you will drain you.

Take your skills, time, and energy where they’re appreciated.

Do you agree?

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We’ve all had that one leader.

The one who:

→ Saw our potential before we did.
→ Stood by us when we doubted ourselves.
→ Pushed us forward - not with noise, but with quiet belief.

And as Reno Perry says, that kind of faith?

It stays with you.
It shapes who you become.

So here’s the real question:

Are you doing that for someone else?

Because someone on your team is waiting.

Waiting for just one person to say: “I believe in you.”

Be that person.
Be that leader.

Do you agree?

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Remember the leader who believed in you before you believed in yourself? Be that person for someone else. - Reno Perry and Rob Dance.

One of the hardest lessons to learn:

You cannot make someone change.

Sometimes you spend months trying to raise issues that are affecting the team.

- You give feedback.
- You offer suggestions.
- You explain the impact on people around you.

And still…
Nothing changes.

Why?

Because listening starts with awareness.

And if a leader cannot see the problem in their behaviour?
They believe they have no reason to change it.

Employees can raise concerns.

They can be honest.

They can explain what is happening on the ground.

But improvement only happens when a leader chooses to:

→ Listen
→ Reflect
→ Take responsibility

So remember:

You cannot force someone to hear what they are not willing to hear. 

Do you agree?

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Biggest lesson this year?

Stop over-giving to people who wouldn’t do the same for you.

It sounds blunt. 
It’s still true.

Too many of us pour:

- Time
- Effort
- Loyalty

Into relationships that give nothing back.

That isn’t kindness. 
It’s imbalance.

So I watch actions now.

Not words.

If someone values you, they show it.

→ They check in 
→ They make time 
→ They show up

The right people step up.

The rest drift away.

Do you agree?

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Biggest lesson I learnt last year was probably not to give so much of yourself to people who wouldn’t do the same for you. Rob Dance

If it isn’t said, it gets carried…

And that weight builds fast.

Silence feels easier.

- No tension
- No awkward talk
- No risk of upsetting anyone

But you pay for it later.

Unspoken words turn into stress.

Stress turns into frustration.

And frustration leaks into your:

→ Tone 
→ Energy 
→ Behaviour

Staying quiet does not fix the problem.

It stores it.

Do you agree?

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Remember: if you’re not saying it, you’re carrying it, and that gets heavy fast. Rob Dance.

Career growth is often misunderstood.

People expect it to be loud and obvious.

→ A promotion 
→ A new job title 
→ A big announcement that everyone notices

But most real growth is quiet.

Sometimes it simply looks like clarity.

Clarity about what matters at work. 
Clarity about what does not.

Real growth often begins with three things.

1) Clarity 
↳ Knowing what work truly matters 
↳ Deciding where your effort should go 
↳ Understanding the direction your career should take

2) Boundaries
↳ Setting limits 
↳ Protecting your time 
↳ Saying no to work that pulls you away from real progress

3) Better decisions
↳ Leaving environments that keep you stuck 
↳ Choosing opportunities that build real skills 
↳ Working with people who challenge you to improve

Career growth rarely arrives with applause.

Most of the time, it starts with quiet choices no one else sees.

Do you agree?

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Growth doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it looks like clarity, boundaries, and better decisions. Rob Dance.

I used to believe support was enough to change people.

If I encouraged them…

- Backed them
- Gave them time

They would step up.

I was wrong.

Because good intentions do not build culture.

Consistent behaviour does.

If someone talks about teamwork but gossips 
↳ Believe the gossip.

If someone promises change but repeats the same mistakes 
↳ Believe the pattern.

Culture weakens when leaders ignore red flags to avoid conflict.

It strengthens when behaviour is addressed early and clearly.

Do you agree?

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Business is Simple, it's Just Not Easy... Ready to Fire Your Boss?

I help self-employed people think and lead like CEOs
in their business and their life.

Most of the people I work with have made progress.
From the outside, things look successful.
Internally, something feels misaligned.

Not because they are failing.
Because the life and business they have built
no longer match who they are becoming.

I believe business is downstream of belief.

What you believe
→ shapes how you behave
→ determines who you become

When belief and behavior are out of sync,
no strategy fixes it.

At Atomic Business Coaching, my partner Tom and I work
inside a single conversation.

Two perspectives
→ intuitive
→ strategic

Working in real time.

That is how we help founders
→ stop being the bottleneck
→ step fully into the role of CEO
→ in life and in business

I do not sell hacks.
I do not share surface-level advice.

I share ways of thinking that create
→ clarity
→ grounded decisions
→ progress that feels whole

If you are self-employed, capable,
and sensing it is time to lead more intentionally,
we will probably have a good conversation.

Adam Thomas Hurd
Co-Founder, Atomic Business Coaching
www.BeThe.CEO

Adam Thomas Hurd

I’ve been thinking about sales a lot lately. 


ADAM'S THOUGHTS: 

Many of our clients are finally moving from being the practitioner in their business… to being the owner. 

And what that usually means is they have to delegate sales. 
Not all of it, but some of it. 

As I’ve reflected on my two-plus decades in business, I’ve realized something interesting. I’ve done sales in almost every form imaginable: 

- Face-to-face. 
- Networking events. 
- Seminars. 
- Cold calling. 
- Social media outreach. 
- Advertising. 
- Hiring salespeople. 
- Lead magnets. 
- Email campaigns. 

And here’s the cool part: 
They all work. 

The problem isn’t the method. 
The problem is what people do when they decide to delegate it. 

When they’re about to spend money hiring someone… 
Or invest in advertising… 
Or launch a campaign… 

They stop doing what built the company in the first place. 
They shut off the engine that’s currently running — in order to build a new one. 

ADAM'S LESSON:

If you’re going to transition sales to someone else or to another channel, you must first know your numbers. 

Sales has always had a cost, even when you didn’t see it. 
If you’re spending money on ads, that cost is obvious. 

But if you’ve been doing it yourself? 
That’s sweat equity. And that has a cost too. 
Let’s keep the math simple. 

If you make $250,000 per year, divide that by 2,000 working hours. 
That’s $125 per hour. 
If you spent: 
- 10 hours prospecting 
- 5 hours in sales appointments 
- 5 hours closing 
That’s 20 hours in a month. 

20 hours × $125 = $2,500. 
So you “spent” $2,500 on sales that month. 

If your product is $2,500 and you sold one, you broke even on your time. 

Sell two? You’ve generated margin. 

Sell three? Now you can: 
- Pay yourself 
- Cover expenses 
- Pay taxes 
- And potentially reinvest into a new sales channel 

But here’s where most people get caught: 
* They stop doing what works… before the new system is profitable. 
* They hire a salesperson for $5,000 per month. 
* That person closes three deals. 
And suddenly the owner is confused why they’re making less money than before. 

It’s not that the new system doesn’t work. 
It’s that they turned off the old one too soon. 

This is just math. 

You must understand: 
What it cost you to build the company you have 
And what it will cost you to build the company where you operate as CEO 

Delegation isn’t magic. 
It’s a financial transition. 



So here's my question for you this week:
Have you clearly calculated what your current sales process actually costs you... in time and money,  before trying to replace or delegate it? 

Comment and tell me what you figured out.
That’s all for this week. 
See you next Saturday. 

-Adam

P.S. Get on this newsletter mailing list here: https://lnkd.in/eP4Y6QGd

Business Coach to the Self-Employed | Helping business owners who are really just practitioners become the CEO in 10 Weeks | Upgrade your beliefs change your business.

Every day you’re training yourself how to lead.

Not in the big moments.
In the small ones.

Business is simple.
It’s just not easy.

Leadership isn’t forged in speeches.
It’s rehearsed in repetition.

Do you avoid the hard conversation?
Do you compromise the standard?
Do you follow through when it’s inconvenient?

Those decisions feel minor.
They’re not.

Your future leadership is being built
in what you tolerate today.

In what you delay.
In what you enforce.
In what you quietly let slide.

You don’t suddenly become a strong leader.
You practice being one.
Or you practice avoiding it.

And whatever you practice
compounds.

So be honest with yourself:

Who am I becoming
by the choices I keep repeating?

I’m Into: Human Behavior • Deep Conversations • Doing The Work | I Help Self-Employed People Go from Owning a Job to Owning a Business in 10 Weeks

If you don’t believe in what you’re building anymore,
you’ll call procrastination “strategy.”

Belief shifts first.
Behavior follows.

Problems don’t mean you’re off track.
They usually mean you’re playing at a higher level.
The question is how you respond.

You can be rich and miserable.
You can be broke and fulfilled.
The real work is building both... on purpose.

It’s not a scheduling issue.
It’s a leadership issue.
What conversation are you hoping time will handle for you?

Growth doesn’t end when you’re successful.
It ends when you decide you’re done becoming.

The work didn’t change.
The data didn’t change.
Your discomfort did.

Are you revisiting the decision
or avoiding the feeling?

Sunday Night Weekly Routine. 

Do you have one!?

I used to think good leadership meant explaining everything.

I was wrong.

At some point, explaining turns into defending.

And defending slowly erodes authority.

Business is simple.
It’s just not easy.

When you over-explain every decision,
every change,
every outcome 

you’re not clarifying.
You’re seeking validation.

Ownership doesn’t need constant explanation.
It needs consistency.

Consistency builds trust.
Consistency builds authority.
Consistency builds calm.

Explaining too much often signals doubt.
And doubt spreads faster than clarity ever will.

Strong leaders don’t hide.
They also don’t over-justify.

They decide.
They communicate clearly.
And they stand by it long enough for it to work.

So be honest with yourself:

Am I owning the outcomes...
or am I justifying them?

Some work makes you money.

Other work makes you the CEO.

Which one are you avoiding because the results aren’t immediate?

I help owners who build and maintain buildings install a CEO Operating System so they can think differently, lead differently, and grow the business beyond themselves.

Explaining too much isn’t clarity.
It’s often defending.
Are you owning outcomes or justifying them?

It’s rarely a capacity problem.
It’s a priority problem.
Leadership is choosing... even when it disappoints someone.

When revenue dips,
most founders go backwards.

We Sell harder.
Deliver more.
Work longer.

It works.
Temporarily.

Every time you default to technician mode,
you stabilize cash…

But you delay building the machine.

And that delay compounds.

Because the real shift isn’t more effort.
It’s more structure.

Not:
“How do I push harder?”

But:
“Why does this break when I step back?”

Pressure doesn’t reveal your skills.
It reveals your identity.

Are you the operator?
Or are you the architect?

Operators absorb pressure.
CEOs design systems that distribute it (to others).

So be honest with yourself:
When pressure hits…

Do I build the system?
Or do I become it?

If your business follows you home every night,
that’s not ambition.

That’s a terrible structure.

Give someone unlimited time and money…
they’ll build something complicated.

Give them $10K and two hours a day…

They’ll finally build something simple.

---

From Ep. 023 of the Be The CEO Podcast

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The Battle

Rob Dance

Adam Thomas Hurd

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The Battle

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