Welcome to The Career Advantage Show
I am your host, Tony Pisanelli
On this show, we dive deep with our guests to uncover real stories, practical insights, and proven strategies that will help you reclaim your career power, navigate transitions, and design what’s next with confidence.
My very special guest today is John North ...
Transforming Entrepreneurs through Cutting-Edge Publishing and Software Solutions...
John North is a 9 Time #1 Best Selling Author (Amazon,USA Today and Wall Street Journal) multifaceted and seasoned entrepreneur, boasting a robust background in Accounting, Banking, Business Management, Finance, Personal Development, IT, Software, and Strategic Marketing..
As the CEO of Evolve Systems Group, John has earned a reputation as a serial entrepreneur by spearheading numerous innovative products and services aimed at empowering business owners and entrepreneurs.His diverse ventures focus primarily on Book Publishing and Software Systems, which are designed to make a tangible difference in the lives of entrepreneurs.
Fueled by a passion for enhancing the marketing intelligence and strategies of business owners, John consistently pushes the boundaries of what's achievable in today's fast-paced world. He is widely acclaimed among his contemporaries for his inventive and highly creative approach to problem-solving.
Transcript
Tony Pisanelli: Welcome to the Career Advantage Show, where we help you reclaim your career power and design your working life on your terms. I’m Tony Pisanelli, and each week I sit down with leaders who’ve faced career-defining moments—devastating job loss, burnout, stagnation, even workplace harassment—and turned those challenges into bigger opportunities. You’re listening to the Career Advantage Show. I am your host, Tony Pisanelli.
My mission is to help professionals reclaim their career power and design a working life on their terms. Today’s special guest is John North. Welcome, John.
John North: How are you doing?
Tony: Great, thank you. John, you’re a best-selling author.
John: Yep—nine so far.
Tony: And a seasoned entrepreneur. You worked extensively in finance and banking. How did those early days shape what you do today?
John: The funny thing about working in a bank is they make you follow a process. You can’t just do whatever you want. You balance the cash a certain way, speak to customers a certain way—everything has a process. That gave me a solid grounding in systems. Handling customer complaints was another big one.
The bank also kind of convinces you your skills are only useful there because they trained you. What I realised was those skills—trustworthiness, keeping confidences, operating professionally—are incredibly valuable in the broader marketplace. I joined the bank at 15, so I got an education in how business actually works that school never gave me.
Tony: Can you pick one defining moment in your banking career that you still carry today?
John: I worked in the bank for about 12 years. Toward the end I was building a side business. I’d landed my dream role—one of the youngest manager’s assistants in Queensland, a couple of years earlier than the age-based system would normally allow. The trouble was I didn’t get my dream manager.
He was terrified of lending money. As a commercial lending manager, he wouldn’t lend. He was always checking, second-guessing—drove me mad. We called him “Bladders” because he behaved like an old woman, writing the address on every side of a parcel “just in case.” In the end I quit and started my IT business.
People say you join for a manager and you leave for a manager. As the manager’s assistant, I spent 90% of my time with him. If you can’t work with that person, it’s untenable. His focus was: no risk, don’t lend, refer everything up so it’s not on him. That’s not banking—that’s career protection.
Tony: So the bureaucracy got to you?
John: The people did. I’d had my share of bad managers; he was the worst for me because he blocked the very work we were meant to do.
Tony: For someone listening who feels constrained in their job and is thinking about jumping ship—what’s the number one piece of advice?
John: Stack as much cash as you can before you start. Cash flow is the single biggest stress in business. Whatever number you think you need, double it—you’ll burn through it.
With less money, you’re more likely to take misfit clients. That creates more problems. If you’ve got cash, you can be fussy. The more successful you get, the more often you say “no.”
Two more tips:
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Make the reserve a little hard to access—so you have to think before tapping it.
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Pay yourself first. Don’t live out of the business. Put yourself on a wage and manage your personal life separately, then gradually increase it to apply healthy pressure to sell.
Tony: The place I’ve burnt the most money is marketing. Agree?
John: Yep. You can blow a fortune there. Strangely, the cheapest marketing often works best—low-risk, guerrilla tactics. Referrals are gold, but you only get them if you serve the first client brilliantly. Do what you say you’ll do, keep the client number one, and protect the relationship. That’s straight out of banking—more accounts, happier clients, longer tenure.
Tony: Is it easier to keep an existing client than find the next one?
John: Absolutely. And you can sell more to existing clients. We’ve had authors do second and third books with us—one did four. That happens because the first job was done properly.
Tony: You help authors become best-sellers on Amazon. Is that what gives you the most joy?
John: Partly. As a kid, aptitude tests said “policeman or journalist.” I liked finding things out—so publishing scratches that itch. But the real joy is when a book sells and someone reads it—someone’s helped, maybe even changes their life. A book is also a legacy. And if you’re starting a business, write the book now. It becomes your marketing, your system, your processes—your proof of credibility.
Tony: You’re big on building assets. A book is a key pillar, right?
John: 100%. Think of renting vs owning. Social media is renting—they can evict you any time. Own your website. Own your content. Too many business owners build funnels and sites, then tear them down every six months and start again. Build on what you’ve built.
And don’t host your entire programme on platforms you don’t control. Running your whole community on Facebook? That’s… unwise. You can be locked out for months over a password reset. Same with course platforms—stop paying and your catalogue disappears. Own your assets.
Tony: So the core advice is: own and control your asset base?
John: Own your stuff and focus. Stop chasing shiny tangents that don’t fit your core. Learn to say no—even when the money is tempting. I started my publishing business with a free project (terrible idea—free clients are the least appreciative), then charged a little, then more, until we priced at the value we deliver. It took a year or two to get traction; now we’ve produced hundreds of books. Persistence, aligned to your core, pays.
Tony: So pick your core focus and stay with it—even through a bad month?
John: Ask: did you make a good decision at the start? Do you believe in it? Until you believe in it, no one else will. There has to be a market—or you create one—but keep it tied to your core. I’ve launched offers I thought were brilliant that landed to crickets. That’s fine if it still strengthens the main business.
Tony: How important is knowing your ideal client?
John: Vital—but you often learn it in market, not on a whiteboard. When I sold accounting software, I assumed the buyer was the bloke who owned the business. In reality, the decision-maker was often his wife doing the books. Once I started addressing her needs, sales moved.
Ask clients what they really want. With authors, I always ask: what do you want from this book? Some just want it published—no sales goals at all. Good to know before you map an elaborate marketing plan they don’t want.
Tony: In my case, it wasn’t just about the book—it was the business behind the book.
John: Exactly: the “why.” The money isn’t usually in the book—it’s beyond the book. For non-fiction, build the business in or behind the book. One client gave away thousands of copies at conferences—the book built instant credibility, and the services made the money.
Tony: Do years in organisational life translate into a consulting or speaking business later?
John: They can—if you’re thoughtful about it. You may not see it at 15, but your career builds capabilities you can package. Look at what you do now: what piece could you break off that you enjoy and others value? Don’t start a firm in something you already dislike—you won’t have the energy.
Also, be honest with yourself: if you wake up several days in a row dreading the work, do something about it. Change the business, sell it, or pivot. Nothing’s set in stone.
Tony: If someone wants to write or publish a book, or build and own their platform, how do they find you?
John: The best way is johnnorth.com.au—my personal site that links to everything I do. Whether you want to publish a book or build a platform, it’s all there. Connect on LinkedIn and I might even send you some books for free.
Tony: John, thanks for joining me and sharing the journey from banking to running your own business.
John: My pleasure. If listeners take just one useful idea and act on it, that’s a win.
Tony: There are definitely a couple of gems in there. Thank you.
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Too many smart professionals feel powerless at work—burned out, boxed in, and living by someone else’s rules. But here’s the truth: no boss, no company, no system owns your power. You gave it away—and you can take it back.
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