Why sleep is still the ultimate luxury. And: what simplification teaches us about better business

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneurs

Episode: Why Sleep Is Still the Ultimate Luxury. And: What Simplification Teaches Us About Better Business
Host: Tom Edwards (Monocle)
Date: January 28, 2026

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Overview

This episode of Monocle’s The Entrepreneurs explores the enduring value of sleep as the “ultimate luxury,” examining how craftsmanship and a commitment to quality in the high-end bedding sector are evolving to meet today’s discerning customers. It then pivots to a conversation about the power of simplification in business and leadership, highlighting how stripping away complexity can create a greater sense of purpose and stronger organizations. Featuring Alastair Hughes, Managing Director of Savoir Beds, and Farah Ragheb, founder of the leadership consultancy The Simplified Model, this episode delivers rich insights into the connection between wellbeing, craftsmanship, and business clarity.

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Featured Segments

1. Savoir Beds: The Craft and Business of Luxurious Sleep

Guest: Alastair Hughes, Managing Director, Savoir Beds
Interviewer: (likely Fernando Augusto Pacheco)

The Legacy of Savoir Beds

• Savoir Beds originated with the Savoy Hotel in 1905, brought to life by impresario Richard d’Oyly Carte, who set new standards for luxury and innovation in hospitality.
• The ambition was to create the best hotel bed possible, a tradition that continues today.
• “It was the first hotel to have all electric lights... hot and cold running water in all the bathrooms... the first to have what was called, at the time, ascending rooms running 24 hours, so elevators. And that changed the hotel upside down.” — Alastair Hughes [02:23]

Passion: The Soul of Luxury

• Passion from both maker and consumer fuels the high-end bed market.
• Clients range from high-profile celebrities to individuals prioritizing sleep above all else, sometimes investing more in their bed than their car.
• “People certainly get passionate about our product because it can change their lives so significantly.” — Alastair Hughes [08:15]

Craftsmanship Versus Scale

• Savoir handcrafts fewer than a thousand beds per year, driven by a focus on excellence rather than volume.
• Each bed is benchmade by a single craftsperson, who signs their work for the client, emphasizing personal responsibility and pride.
• The company is not averse to technology—machines are used where appropriate—but craftsmanship remains core where machine work is inferior: “Craft is never for craft's sake. If a machine can do it better, let the machine do it. But there are certain things that can't be done easily by machine.” — Alastair Hughes [06:44]

Customer Approach and Global Markets

• Education is crucial: Hughes encourages customers to take mattress-buying seriously, offering advice on posture, sleep habits, and the importance of truly testing beds.
• The US is Savoir’s primary international market, with showrooms in New York, Paris, Germany, and Asia.
• “It's easy to forget that everyone gets very excited about Asia...but actually, it comes down to it, the US is [still] the biggest luxury market in the world.” — Alastair Hughes [11:45]

Growth & Collaborations

• Savoir is eager to expand further, with upcoming entries into California and the Middle East and possible plans in Italy.
• Anticipated collaborations, such as one with designer Oswald Boateng, energize the team and blend worlds of skill and creativity:
  • “The best collaborations come from people who are into the craftsmanship. He must have visited the bedworks in London five or six times now...He just brings great life and energy and people feel special and the bed will be very special.” — Alastair Hughes [14:14]

Highlights & Notable Quotes

• “Tom Ford actually, when asked what his greatest luxury was, he said it was sleep.” — Alastair Hughes [05:31]
• “You don't need a sleeping pill, you just need a good bed.” — Interviewer [09:14]

Important Timestamps

• Savoir’s history & origins: [02:04–04:47]
• Craftsmanship philosophy: [06:03–07:08]
• Customer perspective: [08:01–09:35]
• Global expansion & growth: [11:20–13:07]
• Collaboration with Oswald Boateng: [14:10–15:19]

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2. Leadership & The Simplified Model: Cutting Through Organisational Complexity

Guest: Farah Ragheb, Founder and Director, The Simplified Model

The Need for Simplicity

• Ragheb observes that unnecessary complexity hinders organizational effectiveness; simplification creates space for value, focus, and genuine impact.
• “We have gotten really good at being busy, being busy. We want too much, we want to do it all...and because of that it leads to things not being simple and quite complex.” — Farah Ragheb [17:08]

Culture, Mindset, and Reception Across Markets

• The appetite for simplification is less about geographic region and more about mindset and cultural openness.
• Paradoxically, societies with high trust or spiritual grounding may be more or less receptive than presumed.
• “...in regions where people have more faith, this becomes something that is easier to lay down...when you're connected to yourself in that way, you let go of a lot of the things that clutter your mind.” — Farah Ragheb [18:06]
• Nordic countries are cited as examples where simplification meets a surprisingly strong need due to stress, despite their reputation for happiness.

The Simplified Model in Practice

• Initial work starts with a behavioral assessment through conversation, uncovering what actually drives leaders’ decisions and leadership styles.
• The process identifies dominant and hidden traits, as well as potential gaps or mismatches between role and maturity.
• “You can be a leader of a massive company, but your immaturity level cannot match that...Who are you under pressure? Who are you when things don't go your way? And that's where immaturity and maturity start to come up.” — Farah Ragheb [21:18]
• Mindset (“inner game”) drives success and is reflected outwardly as effective, wise, confident leadership.

Overcoming Barriers & Demonstrating Value

• Real change only occurs when individuals are ready: “Trying to change someone who doesn't want to change, forget that, it's not happening.” — Farah Ragheb [24:02]
• Long-term business impact is rooted in leaders’ clarity and presence. Burnout and insecurity undermine legacies and shareholder value.
• Ragheb draws a direct connection between mindset and business outcomes: “You don't build legacies on hesitation and insecurity and low confidence ...the one red thread that I saw that differentiated the successful from the not is their mindset and their inner game.” — Farah Ragheb [26:02]

Scaling Without Losing Substance

• Growth is mapped not as boundless expansion, but as careful, quality-driven scaling: new offices, developing coaches, protecting the integrity of the transformation.
• Overflowing interest from coaches and mentors to join or license the Simplified Model, but Ragheb remains protective of quality.

Notable Quotes

• “Every single leader wants to feel confident, ...calm, ...presence and influence. Nobody wants to feel stressed, ...burnt out, ...scared in the role that they’re in.” — Farah Ragheb [19:52]
• “The most exciting part for me is the inner game. When you have insight into a leader's inner game, their values, …you start to see that reflected in their outer game.” — Farah Ragheb [22:42]

Important Timestamps

• Simplicity and complexity: [16:11–17:28]
• Cultural adaptation & Nordics example: [18:06–19:23]
• Start of the Simplified Model process: [21:18–22:42]
• Impact of mindset & legacy: [26:02–27:20]
• Thoughts on scaling the consultancy: [28:05–29:14]

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Memorable Moments & Soundbites

• “You don't need a sleeping pill, you just need a good bed.” — Interviewer [09:16]
• “Craft is never for craft’s sake….But there are certain things that can’t be done easily by machine. Laying horsetail, for example, one of our most important raw ingredients—no machine does it.” — Alastair Hughes [06:44]
• “We have gotten really good at being busy, being busy.” — Farah Ragheb [17:08]
• “You don't build legacies on hesitation and insecurity and low confidence. … The red thread that differentiated the successful from the not is their mindset and their inner game.” — Farah Ragheb [26:02]

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Conclusion

This episode offers a compelling argument for embracing quality—whether in the material world of luxury beds or the intangible discipline of leadership. Slow down, simplify, and invest with passion into what matters, be it a good night’s sleep or organizational culture. The ultimate luxury? It may not be an object at all, but rather peace of mind and purpose achieved through thoughtful decisions.

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Transcript

[Alastair Hughes]

Foreign.

[Tom Edwards]

Hello and welcome to the Entrepreneurs on Monocle Radio. The show all about inspiring people, innovative companies and fresh ideas in global business. On today's program, we're taking stock of a whirlwind start to 2026. We'll meet two leaders who share a deep belief in rest and the business advantages that come with slow down to move forward. First, we'll get under the proverbial sheets with the man behind a century old British bed maker whose craftsmanship has supported, literally supported, figures from Winston Churchill to Marilyn Monroe.

[Alastair Hughes]

Passion is incredibly important to any luxury product and it's one of the defining features. I think there has to be passion both from producer and the client. People certainly get passionate about our product because it can change their lives so significantly.

[Tom Edwards]

And later we'll meet a global strategist, helping founders and executives tap into their full potential by addressing the recurring issue of organizational complexity.

[Farah Ragheb]

You can be a leader of a massive company, but your immaturity level cannot match that. So who are you under pressure? Who are you when things don't go your way? And that's where immaturity and maturity start to come up.

[Tom Edwards]

This is the Entrepreneurs with me. Tom Edwards, You're listening to the entrepreneurs. Alastair Hughes is the managing director of Savoir Beds, the British bed maker born out of the Savoy Hotel and known for crafting bespoke beds. Fewer than a thousand each year in London and in Wales. Alastair caught up with our Fernando Augusto Psco here at Midori House to talk about craftsmanship, changing premium markets and why a great night's sleep remains perhaps the ultimate luxury. Fernando began by asking Alastair about the company's storied history.

[Alastair Hughes]

It really started with a guy called Richard d' Oyly Cart who was the, I guess, the Andrew Lloyd Webber of his day. In the 1880s, he was the impresario behind Gilbert and Sullivan and their operettas. He owned a couple of theaters in London, the Cambridge and the Savoy Theatre, and he traveled the world with them, made a lot of money and stayed in a lot of hotels, but thought he could do so much better. So he owned this bit of land by the Savoy Theatre and decided he would open a hotel there, which he of course called the Savoy. That opened in 1889 to great acclaim. It was a first in so many ways. It was the first hotel to have all electric lights. He had to build a power station to do that. It was the first hotel to have hot and cold running water in all the bathrooms. It was the first to have what was called at a time, ascending rooms running 24 hours, so elevators. And that changed the hotel upside down, because until then everyone wanted to stay on the bottom floor, whereas after that everyone wanted to stay on the top floor. The penthouse became the. So it was a truly innovative hotel. It had the world's best chef, Escoffier, and a young general manager called Cesar Ritz came in to run it. So this hotel opened in 1889 to massive fun fair and it was a massive success. He was big with celebrities in show business, which at the time was largely theater, of course, and very, very successful. In 1904, by which time his son was running the place, Rupert d', Oylicart, they decided to add two more floors and also decided to create. They thought that everything else is the best, but we need the best bed. So in 1904 they went about creating that. Lady Doyley Carte designed the ticking, the fabric that went on the bed. And the Savoy bed was created and went into the hotel in 1905, into every room. And guests loved it, just absolutely adored it. And eventually it was made, but originally by a small upholstery company called James Edwards that was then bought in house, because as the hotel grew, it bought Claridge's, it bought the Connaught, it bought the Barclay. They wanted to keep control and it was kind of there as an under the radar thing. So, you know, in 86, Liza Minnelli insisted on buying the bed, taking it home, the one that she slept on in the hotel, Frank Sinatra would only sleep on them. It had this great following, but it was a very niche thing. They didn't sell the beds anywhere else, they didn't do anything else with them. And it wasn't until in the late 90s, myself and my business partner in 97 were doing some work for Home House, the private members club in Portman Square. And Brian Clevas, who was the guy who founded that, was very keen to have the same beds that were in the hotel. He'd worked for Simpsons on the Strand, owned by the hotel, and wanted the same beds. And so we went to see the Savoy about that and they'd just been taken over by Granada. And we found out at that time that they actually wanted to sell the bed business. So rather than buying 18 beds, Stephen and I bought the business.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

That's fantastic.

[Alastair Hughes]

And that's when it came out of the Savoy hands, into our hands, and we named it. At that stage, we thought, we won't go with Savoy. Who knows? The Ritz might Want our beds. But we'll go with savoie, savoir faire.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

It's not that far from it.

[Alastair Hughes]

It's not that far from it. Exactly, exactly. So it was in 97 with, I always say, two and a half craftsmen. Two full time, one part time craftsmen. We started creating the beds we still make. Our best seller is still what we call the original Savoy bed. We call it the number two bed, which is just an amazingly wonderful perfect night's sleep. And that's what we're about, a perfect night's sleep. And all that brings. Because we all know what a great night's sleep brings to us, it is.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

The true luxury of it all. I mean, I think these days people care more about where they sleep more and more.

[Alastair Hughes]

Right, Absolutely. I think Tom Ford actually, when asked what his greatest luxury was, he said it was sleep. And I think there's a lot in that.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

Are you still at the Savoy?

[Alastair Hughes]

We're still in the Savoy. So we're in all the top rooms. So we're in the Royal Suite, of course, now, the Gucci Suite. Interestingly, Gucci, of course, worked in The Savoy in 1905, the first year we went in there. So he was bott washer. That's, I think, why the Gucci Suite is there now. But yes, we're still in there when they're all the Riverside Suites. So all the top rooms.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

And a company like yours is all about craftsmanship as well. And it's not necessarily about numbers as well. I think you sell, I don't know, perhaps less than a thousand.

[Alastair Hughes]

Yeah, literally just under a thousand. So if you think about it, I mean, I understand. I think that Hermes make about 4,000 Birkin bags a year. So it's a small number, a thousand. But we're always about making the best. That's what's most important to us. We're not about creating mass, we're about creating a fabulous product that should be the very best. Craftsmanship is a very important part of that. The materials we use are incredibly important because that's what goes in. We have a certain DNA in our product range that delivers what we believe to be the ingredients of a great night's sleep. And we focus entirely on those. So we're not put off by some expensive materials we use or other things. We're in that. That said, craft is never for craft's sake. I mean, craft needs to be for a reason. I don't believe needs to be good. Yeah, exactly. I mean, if a machine can do it better, I say Let the machine do it. But there are certain things that can't be done easily by machine. And laying horsetail, for example, one of our most important raw ingredients. It's great skill and there's no machine that does it and so we'll do that. But doing a CAD drawing and getting a CNC machine to cut some wood, now that makes sense. So we will work with technology, but stick to creating the very best.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

And are you very much based here.

[Alastair Hughes]

In the UK in terms of production? Absolutely. Every bed we make is produced in the uk, so we make round about half in West London, still literally five miles from where we're sitting in Park Royal. And then we also have a bed works. We always call it a bed works. We don't like to call it factory, but we have a bedworks in South Wales near Pontypree, just north of Cardiff. So we have two sites, but the principles are the same, which is that our beds are benchmade. One craftsperson makes one product for one client. So you're making a mattress, then, that is made for Mr. Smith and it is signed by the craftsman who makes it. Knowing who they're making it for, that's very important to us. And it also means that the craftsperson, it's not a production line. Things aren't flowing along at great speed. One person has all the skills required to make that bed and takes total responsibility for it. They have an interesting job and they're responsible and we get a great product.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

I have a question perhaps about your client. Are they a little bit like Liza in the sense that it is about passion? They say, you know what, I love software pets, you know, and so they're clients that you have for years now. So tell us, how's your kind of client?

[Alastair Hughes]

Yeah, I mean, we have. I think passion is incredibly. I mean, I think actually passion is incredibly important to any luxury product. Yeah. And it's one of the defining features, I think there has to be passion both from the producer and the client. People certainly get passionate about our product because it. It can change their lives so significantly. And we have clients who bought from us for years, partly because they have multiple homes, they have yachts, they have goodness as well. But also we also have clients who actually are not in the multiple home mult yacht world. They are just incredibly passionate about their sleep and they will spend more on their bed than they spend on their car because it matters to them. And frankly, they spend longer in their bed than they do their car. So while we, I would never pretend we create a cheap product of course we don't. But actually the people who buy it aren't all billionaires, you know what I mean? Some of them are much more normal inverted commons people, but who really need a good night's sleep and really want that and that matters to them more than other things maybe. So there's a little bit of priorities as well.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

Hey, avoid. You don't need a sleeping pill, you.

[Alastair Hughes]

Just need a good bag. Well, exactly.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

And I was going to ask you especially about mattresses because I think it's such an important decision. Even I bought a mattress like two years ago, but I really kind of tested things out because I know this will potentially change my life.

[Alastair Hughes]

Right, you're very unusual because I think most people don't take the time to buy online. No, no, exactly. It's crazy. And yeah, yes, you get the 60 day money back or whatever, but actually it's a faff to send it back and deal with it. You're much better to really think about what you need and to go and try a bed properly and try in multiple locations, not just one. And keep in mind that 10 minutes on the bed is not quite the same as sleeping on one. So you really want someone there who can give you some advice and suggest, well, how is your body? We call it body posture. How is your body looking on the bed? How do you normally sleep? You know, it's incredible how many people go and they're like they're on a coffin. Do you know what I mean? But that's not how they sleep. They sleep on their side or their front and yet they go and test it on their back or whatever. Or worse still, they just go and prod it and say, oh, that's too soft. So it's really important to understand that and understand that your preconceptions may not be right. A lot of people still think, oh, a firm bed's good for me, that's what I should have. When nothing could be further from the truth. You need the right bed for you. Your partner might be twice your weight. You will not need the same thing. Are you going to have something different, each of you on your side? Is that what you need? What was required? What are the materials in there? How do they breathe? How's that going to make my temperature? There's lots of things to consider and testing is incredibly important. So yeah, and it's not something that should be a five minute thing, it's not something that should be online in my view. It's something where you should invest a little bit of Time and go to a few places, try out a few different things, speak to the people selling them. It will hopefully help you and whatever level of the market. And this doesn't matter if you've got, frankly, 500 pounds to spend, 100 pounds to spend, or 50,000 pounds to spend, it's worth going through that process.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

And that's what I was going to ask. Of course. You have, I believe, three showrooms here in the uk.

[Alastair Hughes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. In London we have three.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

Where else in the world? Because I know you have a strong base here in the uk, but where else in the world do you sell?

[Alastair Hughes]

Our biggest market is actually in the us and we base that out of two showrooms in New York. So we've got a showroom downtown in Green street, in Soho, which is beautiful. And then we've got a showroom uptown. We're actually just moving that. We're moving to 200 Lexington, which is a beautiful location. So we're looking at the moment to open. I'm just looking at stores in Los Angeles. So, yeah, the States is very big for us. It's important, I think, for a smaller brand. You always have to remember that the US remains the biggest luxury market in the world. It's easy to forget that everyone gets very excited about Asia, which is important, but actually, it comes down to it, the US is important. We also have a showroom in Paris and. Which is very beautiful, on Fullborgs, on Array, which is lovely, gets us very well into the European and yacht market. We've got a couple of smaller showrooms in Germany, in Dusseldorf, in Berlin, and then we have showrooms in Asia. So we have in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and so forth. And so we've got a good range, but the most important market for us, UK is very important, but the US is the biggest one. And then Europe follows.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

I agree, sometimes people forget, but the US is still number one in luxury. I mean, it is what it is.

[Alastair Hughes]

It is what it is. Yeah. I mean, it's kind of. It's just there. And I think particularly, I mean, less so now, because people are maybe less excited about Asia at the moment, because times are a bit tougher there. But, you know, five, six years ago, people were going mad on Asia, when actually still the US was, it's the strongest place for luxury. So for a brand that isn't so big, that's an easier place to go and do it. And, yeah, we have a lot of commonality. It's different. No one can pretend the US is the same as the uk, it's not. Language is not everything, but we do have quite a lot of cultural connections.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

And it works for 2026. For your business, are you excited? Are you looking for places for growth or continue what you do best?

[Alastair Hughes]

Looking into. Well, we will always. We always continue what we do best, but we're excited for growth. I mean, our thousand beds a year is not. That's not because we think 1,000 beds is the most we could possibly do. We could make 2,000. We could, yeah. We constantly training craftsmen and women. We're constantly bringing people on so we can grow. That's fine. But I'm excited for new place. I'm excited to be introducing Savoy to new markets. As I say for us, Los Angeles next year, I think, will be a very big one. We've been looking at California for a while. I'm super excited to be there. And then also looking at other markets where we currently serve from London, you know, areas of the Middle east where we serve from London, but we could probably do more. So certainly that's a thing. And then you look at some of the European countries, we're not in Italy at all. And you kind of think, well, Milan from, for example, it's having a big time at the moment. Could there be something there? So, look, I'm always full of excitement and opportunity and seeing opportunity to do things and also excited about other things, sort of collaborations we're doing. We've got a very exciting collaboration at the moment which will be coming out very soon with Oswald Botang, which I'm, you know, I'm really looking forward to. So there's always things happening, you know, you want to. You've got to keep life exciting.

[Tom Edwards]

Right.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco)]

Well, what can you tell us actually about this collaboration?

[Alastair Hughes]

Absolutely nothing.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

Oh, okay.

[Alastair Hughes]

No, no, no, I can't. No. I mean, Oswald's amazing guy and comes at life with great passion. And what I love. I won't tell you too much about the bed, but what I love about collaborating with someone like Oswald is. Yeah, the best collaborations come from people who are into the craftsmanship. He must have visited the bedworks in London five or six times now. He loves to see the craftsmen, he loves to talk to them to see what's possible to make things happen. And when you get that kind of. Do you know what I mean? Your brain works in that way as his does. I mean, he comes. Comes from that background. So for him, picking up a pair of scissors, great. Do you know what I mean? And that is amazing. And I love that passion and that's also fabulous. Not just for we'll get a great bed out of it, that's wonderful. But also our craftsmen, men and women, get a huge kick out of someone like him coming around. He's larger than life. He just brings great life and energy and people feel special and the bed will be very special. It's absolutely amazing, I can tell you. It's got some really amazing leather and it's a fascinating shape. But yeah, looking forward to getting that out there. And it's just amazing energy. I love it.

[Tom Edwards]

That was Alistair Hughes, the managing director of Savoir Beds, talking to Fernando Augusto Pacheco. You can find out more about the business by heading to savoirbeds.com. You're listening to the entrepreneurs. Farah Ragheb is the founder and director of the Simplified Model, a leadership consultancy that helps businesses and executives build legacies that are as personally rewarding as they are professionally successful. A trusted strategist and advisor with more than two decades of experience, Farah has guided leaders across more than 20 global markets. She stopped by Midori House to discuss the method behind her approach. I began by asking Farah why simplification has become such an urgent priority in modern leadership.

[Farah Ragheb]

For the last two decades almost, I have been working with leaders all over the world and within organizations from startups to middle sized to international, you name it. And one pattern that kept coming up is just how complicated things were when they didn't really need to be. And so what happens when you go into these ecosystems of leaders and employees and managers and all these people ultimately trying to create something and make an impact and create value, and then you take away the complexity and what we found through that is when you go simple and you make things simpler, things are just more smooth, you have more free time, you have space to really think about what you're doing and why you're doing it. And therefore the Simplified Model now I.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

Guess this is your skill, right? That sounds exactly what you say it sounds like it does on the tin. It sounds simple, it sounds intuitive. Why is that not the way it works then?

[Farah Ragheb]

I think it's not the way it works because we have gotten really good at being busy, being busy. We want too much, we want to do it all. We want to be part of several industries, we want to offer several services, we want bigger bites of a market and because of that it leads to things not being simple and quite complex.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

And if we look at the success of the Simplified Model, other markets, if we look at, say in Denmark, for example, or out of Copenhagen? Is that a market that was more tuned into some of these narratives already, and so it was kind of easier in quote marks for these ideas to take root there? Or is that just a market where people, business leaders included, are more receptive to genuine innovation, including stuff that might knock people quite uncomfortably out of their lane? Why does it take root more readily in a market like, say, Denmark or the kind of the Nordics or the Scandies, say, than Western Europe or across the pond or whatever it might be? Are places more ready for these kind of ideas than others?

[Farah Ragheb]

When I look at where this is more readily, you know, kind of where the land is primed for it, I feel it's less about region and more about the culture and mindset of that space. So, for example, in regions where people have more faith, this becomes something that is easier to lay down, because when you have a spiritual center and when you're connected to yourself in that way, you let go of a lot of the things that clutter your mind and the things that weigh heavy on you, because in what you do, there's trust in some. Something greater than you. So when you look at somewhere like Denmark where spirituality is not really something that is very much present, there is stress, there is burnout, there is overwhelm. And you would think, what? But that's the happiest place in the world, right? But because of the total reliance on oneself without any belief of something greater also holding you and guiding you, there is a lot of stress in that. So bringing this to them actually has been very refreshing and has been very enlightening for many of the leaders, particularly the ones who are ready to accept that, you know, if you take care of your mind, if you take care of your inner game, you can drive more success. And so I really believe it's more about the mindset of a region and their culture and traditions and faith level versus anything else, really.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

So then we parachute into a market like the United Kingdom, where you and I are sat today and listen, our audience is global. I'll remind you of that. But come to the United Kingdom, a market with all kinds of complexities. I'd say a much lower level of, say, social capital than our friends in Denmark, probably much lower levels of trust, broadly, whether that's in corporate entities or in state entities or in one another. And yet you have a great confidence that this model will also work here.

[Tom Edwards]

Why?

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

Why is that fair? Tell me, tell me about that.

[Farah Ragheb]

I have absolutely no doubt. And it's because, to be completely frank, what we're Teaching is incredibly human. It's something that speaks to not ethnicity, not country, not region, but rather speaks directly to humans and at the soul level. And I say that from the sense, a practical sense of every single leader wants to feel confident, Every leader wants to feel calm, Every leader wants to feel that they can have presence and influence in what they do. Nobody wants to feel stressed, nobody wants to feel burnt out, nobody wants to feel scared in the role that they're in. And most definitely, the word imposter syndrome comes out so often in conversations with clients, which I believe is an illusion, actually. So I believe that this teaching and this perspective will definitely hit home in the uk because in the uk, people are moving fast. You know, it's just, it's go, go, go. And when you can offer someone in vibrant, fast London, would you like to slow down? What do you think they'll say?

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

I suspect they might say very much so, yes. And can you help me? Let's look then at the mechanics. Let's look at the nuts and bolts. Farah, because we've talked a little bit in this more slightly abstract way about, I guess, the backdrop, the problem, the challenge, and why the model. But what is it? Let's interrogate it in more detail. I guess I can't get you to reveal every inside secret. Some of it must stay behind the great paywall in the sky. But tell us a little bit about, you know, a leader comes to speak to you or their team approaches you, what does the process look like?

[Farah Ragheb]

Yes, absolutely. So when a leader comes to us, usually the first steps is that I do a behavioral assessment, and that is through a conversation. And what that really empowers me to do is to just build rapport with that client and understand what's going on with them, how are they thinking, how are they taking decisions? And it's incredible that no matter what seniority of leader or, you know, this can be a senior leader at like a globally recognized organization that doesn't know what drives their decisions, doesn't know what inspires them, doesn't know their leadership style, doesn't know what their inner game even looks like. And so through just a conversational process, I'm able to get some insight about what's really driving them. And then after that, there's an assessment that I run that allows me to understand what are the dominant traits in them. So each ofUS has nine traits in US and what is more natural and dominant for them. And then we start to look at what are their hidden strengths, what are some gaps in Them, how mature are they as leaders? I think that's quite a big one. You can be a leader of a massive company, but your immaturity level cannot match that. And when we say immature or mature, it's how likely are you going to stand in your way or drive your success when things don't go your way? So who are you under pressure? Who are you under challenge? Who are you when things don't go your way? And that's where immaturity and maturity start to come up. So just looking at those two things gives me an insight into their mindset patterns and what drives their thoughts and drives the way they are. What is their automatic modality? Each and every single one of us wakes up in the morning and just does. We have no. We're not really thinking, am I doing the same as yesterday? What are the thoughts I'm nurturing today? Am I going to be angry again today? I'm going, you know, what are you each day? And the most exciting part for me is the inner game. And I love that because when you have insight into a leader's inner game, their values, their beliefs, their thought patterns, their references, their emotions, you start to see that reflected in their outer game. So that's usually what we get started with. And it's insightful enough to just create, see the changes in them quite rapidly.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

It's funny because you allude to this idea, I guess, that one sort of learns more when things aren't going well. It's a cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason. It's often true. Is that the same, you know, in your work then, as a strategist, as an advisor, do you get more out of a more challenging interaction with someone where maybe there are greater barriers to get into that kind of inner story? Maybe they're more reluctant or recalcitrant for some reason. Is that more interesting as a case study for you or is it like a lot of work is the best ones where it just flows very naturally and it's, you know, what you need to do. They buy in straight away or I guess I don't know. What's the best project for you?

[Farah Ragheb]

I mean, it's a beautiful question. And I think from my experience of working with just so many kinds of leaders, every single human being, you just start to realize is such like a wonderful complexity. Right. And so whether it's somebody that you know has had some really bad habits in how they think and how they move and how they lead and how they decide, of course it's challenging. But what we are doing is ultimately just showing them their own habits in a way that they have that awareness over them. The fact that they're even here and that they showed up means that they're ready to have self development, they're ready to change, they're ready to level up. And therefore that kind of not takes away but makes that challenge a bit softer because they're ready and willing, but trying to change. Someone who doesn't want to change, forget that it's not happening. You cannot. People have to show up and be ready. And then other clients who you know, are just this incredible driven growth mindset excited and just want to have you by their side to go bigger and greater. That's also exciting because their energy fuels you as much as your teachings fuel them. So it's very like reciprocal in that way. So I think in both instances it's a beautiful insight into the world of human beings.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

Farah, let me ask you about short termism because often when I speak to leaders of businesses, you know, they'll talk about the legacy they want to leave personally on the company that they've led and shaped. But they also are very invested in what's the legacy of the business. This bigger entity of which they're just one representative, one custodian if you like, is that challenging? If a leader, they buy into the methodology, they have a productive session or suite of sessions, but then they say, how do I tell my shareholders or the board that this is going to deliver value for the business going forward? Maybe I'm out the door. What are we leaving behind? Is that ever, is there ever a tension there about that longer term kind of value proposition for the business or actually, once they've seen the benefits, are they able to articulate that longer term value proposition quite readily? Tell me about that.

[Farah Ragheb]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, think about it. You have a leader that is stressed and overwhelmed and burnt out. They're insecure, they have no confidence. Would you trust them to run your business? You know, and then all of a sudden this leader comes forward with more clarity, more groundedness. They're bringing more wisdom into their leadership game. They're able to trust the decisions that they want to take. That's a leader I would trust my business with. And those are the leaders that build legacies. You don't build legacies on hesitation and insecurity and low confidence. One stat that I really dislike and I would love to change is the stat of 90% of startups fail. And how long have we been saying that for and why isn't it now with all this technology and advancements and tools and resources, that stat is still the same. And in my work across 22 global markets, from Asia to Middle east to North America, Europe, Scandinavia, working with all kinds of leaders, the one red thread that I saw that differentiated the successful from the not is their mindset and their inner game. You know, when you have that mindset that can help you push through, help you have resilience, help you stay grounded, help you stay agile and adaptable. That is the formula of legacy builders. So you can definitely see it in impact and you can definitely articulate it as well.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

And I suppose with all of that experience and with success in all these different markets, you've got the case studies, right? You've got the use cases to show the merits of your work. Let's throw things forwards then. So the simplified model, it expands. It's obviously very personal to you and your own character. You can see the model is imbued with your qualities and character. So as you look to scale and become more successful and I guess work with more people in more markets, that is going to exert pressures on you in terms of capacities and all the rest. So how do you retain the confidence that you can grow, you can continue to hit all of those key kind of touch points, client by client, as the business scales? That's a question I often ask on this program. But what does that successful growth story look like as we look ahead? And you can pick any time horizon you want.

[Farah Ragheb]

Yeah, it's a great question. And obviously, when you're running an organization, you always think about scalability, right? And what does that look like? And sometimes scalability doesn't have to be this massive global multinational company. And I say that because a lot of my clients that come to me that are backed by investors will say I need to scale and they want me to go as big as possible. But that doesn't always work for every business. And I think for us, the main, you could say baseline is how do we sustain quality and how do we sustain that transformation for each leader we work with? And so scalability for us is perhaps having an office in London, perhaps having an office in Copenhagen, maybe, you know, where people are most stressed, maybe one in New York, and actually teaching fellow coaches or mentors how to adopt this, that we teach and just have them also take the lead in their market. And we actually get an overwhelming number of requests for that, like, can you teach us the simplified model so we can also coach in that. And I haven't done anything with it yet, but I can see that it's something that keeps inching closer, which ultimately is feeding that bigger goal.

[Tom Edwards]

That was Farah Ragheb, the founder and director of the Simplified Model, and you can find out more and book an advisory conversation with Farah by heading over to the simplifiedmodel.com. And that is your lot for this episode of the Entrepreneurs. We'll be back at the same time next week. The program's produced by Laura Kramer with audio editing by Jack Dewars.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

My thanks to them as always.

[Tom Edwards]

You can listen again and find out [e-mail] whilst you're there. Why not get for yourself or a loved one a subscription to Monocle Magazine. That way you or they will be reading more about better businesses every month. You can always also follow us and catch up with the archive wherever you get your podcasts.

[Interviewer (possibly Fernando Augusto Pacheco or another host)]

If you'd like to get in touch.

[Tom Edwards]

With the team, do email Laura on lrkonical.com I'm Tom Edwards. Goodbye and thanks for listening to the Entrepreneurs.