The wonderful thing about having lunch with a business coach is that you get free business tips as a side order.

That was just one of the reasons why I so enjoyed dining with Julian White, the 18th person I’ve met on my journey to have lunch with 500 strangers.

It also doesn’t hurt that Julian is a great bloke and great company.

One interesting fact about Julian is that despite being very smart, and despite the fact he would go on to build a very successful business career, Julian didn’t qualify for university (although he did get an MBA later in life). It shows that ‘school smart’ and ‘life smart’ are often two separate things.

Julian shared a lot of good business advice, but two pieces in particular stood out.

First, the owner needs to set up their business so it can function without them – otherwise they really have a job rather than a business.

Second, it’s vital to know your numbers – because if you know that Product A is delivering better profit margins that Product B, you can shift your focus from the latter to the former.

If you’re a business owner who wants to learn how to make your business more profitable, Julian’s your man.