Rise and Shine: Your Daily Dose Of Business Tech Inspiration

Running a small business through 2025 meant navigating constant tech changes, from AI becoming mainstream to evolving security threats. If you kept showing up, kept learning, and kept making decisions despite the noise, you have built something valuable. In this episode, Charly covers:✅ Why filtering out shiny new tools and asking better questions shows real business maturity📌 How small habits like weekly backup checks and monthly password reviews compound into major protection🛡️ The difference between chasing perfection and building resilient systems that recover when things go wrong📌 What is coming for Rise and Shine in 2026, including the new Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule with themed episodesBook a Free 30minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me(1 per person only)***Follow us:Locals: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.comRumble: https://rumble.com/askcharlyleethamOdyssey: https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4YouTube: https://youtube.com/askcharlyleethamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/askcharlyleethamTwitter: https://twitter.com/yourbizmgrInstagram: https://instagram.com/ask_charly_leethamLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlyleethamLinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ask-charly-leetham/Spotify: https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/rise-and-shineApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ask-charly-leetham-online-105944212/Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/662f1e44-115d-4094-862b-efe9307e0df4/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-managerMusic and Credits to:Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons."Paradise Found"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

The end of the year creates a natural pause, but your digital systems keep running regardless. Tools, automations, subscriptions and workflows continue by default, even when the circumstances that created them have shifted entirely. In this episode, Charly covers:✅ Why temporary tech solutions often become permanent by accident📌 How unfinished decisions create background fatigue and overwhelm🛡️ The difference between ongoing maintenance and finite closure work✅ Why fewer inherited systems make January decisions simpler📌 How to identify one thing that served its purpose and end it cleanlyBook a Free 30minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me(1 per person only)***Follow us:Locals: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.comRumble: https://rumble.com/askcharlyleethamOdyssey: https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4YouTube: https://youtube.com/askcharlyleethamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/askcharlyleethamTwitter: https://twitter.com/yourbizmgrInstagram: https://instagram.com/ask_charly_leethamLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlyleethamLinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ask-charly-leetham/Spotify: https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/rise-and-shineApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ask-charly-leetham-online-105944212/Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/662f1e44-115d-4094-862b-efe9307e0df4/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-managerMusic and Credits to:Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons."Paradise Found"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

Have you ever received a notification that looked like your tech was hurling abuse at you? A friend of a friend sent Charly a screenshot of their Apple Fitness notification displaying what appeared to be profanity, and the mystery needed solving. In this lighthearted Boxing Day episode, Charly explains what personalisation tokens are, why they sometimes fail spectacularly, and how to avoid embarrassing automation mishaps in your own business communications.In this episode, Charly covers:✅ What the mysterious %@ symbol actually means in app notifications📌 Why personalisation tokens break and display placeholder text instead of names🛡️ The importance of testing automations with varied name formats including hyphenated, accented, and long names✅ A classic QA testing joke that every tech person will appreciate---Book a Free 30minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me(1 per person only)***Follow us:Locals: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.comRumble: https://rumble.com/askcharlyleethamOdyssey: https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4YouTube: https://youtube.com/askcharlyleethamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/askcharlyleethamTwitter: https://twitter.com/yourbizmgrInstagram: https://instagram.com/ask_charly_leethamLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlyleethamLinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ask-charly-leetham/Spotify: https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/rise-and-shineApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ask-charly-leetham-online-105944212/Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/662f1e44-115d-4094-862b-efe9307e0df4/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-managerMusic and Credits to:Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons."Paradise Found"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/

It's Christmas Eve, so Charly is taking a break from the usual tech tips to bring you something special. If you've ever wondered what would happen if the classic Christmas poem met the world of IT, wonder no more. In this festive episode, Charly performs a tech-themed retelling of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, complete with firewalls, backups, SSL certificates, and a very special visit from Saint Nick the sysadmin.In this episode, Charly covers:✅ A fun, festive tech parody perfect for sharing with your team📌 Why even Santa needs strong passwords and two-factor authentication🛡️ A lighthearted reminder that your backups and firewalls should be sorted before the holidays✅ Season's greetings from the Ask Charly Leetham teamMerry Christmas from Charly and the team!---Book a Free 30minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me(1 per person only)***Follow us:Locals: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.comRumble: https://rumble.com/askcharlyleethamOdyssey: https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4YouTube: https://youtube.com/askcharlyleethamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/askcharlyleethamTwitter: https://twitter.com/yourbizmgrInstagram: https://instagram.com/ask_charly_leethamLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlyleethamLinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ask-charly-leetham/Spotify: https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/rise-and-shineApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ask-charly-leetham-online-105944212/Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/662f1e44-115d-4094-862b-efe9307e0df4/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-managerMusic and Credits to:Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons."Paradise Found"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licensesCredits:Music by Sound Music from Pixabay - for Christmas Eve WhispersSound Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lp-studio-music-44167907/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=439856Pixabay: https:// pixabay.com

Many small business owners spent 2025 chasing the latest tech trends while the boring fundamentals quietly kept their businesses running. In this year-end review, Charly reflects on what tech actually delivered results, what disappointed, and the valuable lessons learned along the way.In this episode, Charly covers:✅ Why properly configured backups, DNS, and regular updates remained the unsung heroes of business tech throughout 2025✅ Tools that delivered on their promises, including password managers and email authentication systems like SPF and DKIM📌 The disappointments of the year, from AI overpromises to platforms prioritising their interests over users🛡️ Why building your business on rented land remains a significant risk and what preventable failures taught us📌 The key insight that consistency beats perfection, and why systems and processes matter more than perfect technologyBook a Free 30minute Breakthrough Session: https://askcharlyleetham.com/book-me(1 per person only)***Follow us:Locals: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.comRumble: https://rumble.com/askcharlyleethamOdyssey: https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4YouTube: https://youtube.com/askcharlyleethamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/askcharlyleethamTwitter: https://twitter.com/yourbizmgrInstagram: https://instagram.com/ask_charly_leethamLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlyleethamLinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ask-charly-leetham/Spotify: https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/rise-and-shineApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-manager/id1659738721iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ask-charly-leetham-online-105944212/Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/662f1e44-115d-4094-862b-efe9307e0df4/ask-charly-leetham-online-business-managerMusic and Credits to:Paradise Found is covered under Creative Commons."Paradise Found"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/licenses/