Working On It

In this week's episode of Working On It, entrepreneur and wealth educator Rob Moore breaks down the realities of authentic personal branding and why navigating social media criticism is a mandatory part of modern business.
Rob and Brad dive into the urgent need for financial literacy outside the traditional education system, the incoming wave of AI disruption across all sectors, and why self-investment remains the ultimate safety net. Emphasizing practical parenting and leading by example, Rob offers a no-nonsense look at why ditching hero worship, adapting to new technologies, and building your own independent financial knowledge base are the blueprints for long-term freedom.
Key Takeaways
Authenticity on social media inevitably invites criticism, but triggering an emotional response is essential for building a genuine, highly engaged audience.
The rapid rise of AI will massively disrupt traditional white-collar and administrative roles, making immediate adaptation and up-skilling non-negotiable to avoid being replaced.
The traditional school system completely fails to teach financial literacy; true wealth generation requires independent education in investing, taxes, and emotional management.
Parenting the next generation of entrepreneurs requires showing rather than telling, demonstrated by helping kids build real-world businesses instead of just lecturing them.
True financial security comes from recognizing that the best asset class is your own knowledge and taking actionable steps to continually invest in it.
Episode Quotes
"emotions create response. So if no one has an emotional response a trigger, to your content, they're not going to comment."
"if you don't ride the wave of AI you're going to drown. That is a fact."
"You don't get what you want, you get what you are."
"the best investment you can make is in yourself... your knowledge plus action will probably make you more money than any passive asset class."
VALUABLE RESOURCES Follow Rob's new podcast, Cars and Money
HOST BIO Brad Staines is a founder in the thick of it - but by design, not by default. As the face of Aquamark Cleaning, he’s built a multi-million-pound operation with 30+ team members, strong systems, and a culture that gives people space to grow.
He’s still involved in the business a couple of days a week - but only doing the parts he genuinely enjoys: building relationships, growing the brand, spending time with the team, and spotting new opportunities. The day-to-day grind? That’s been handed over to a structure that runs without constant firefighting.
Brad’s also found his rhythm outside of business - with a deep commitment to physical and mental training. Whether it’s strength work, early morning runs, or cold plunges, he’s a believer that how you show up for yourself shapes how you show up as a leader.
Working On It is where he brings it all together - growth, grit, and getting better every week.

Aaron Knightley reveals why making more money doesn’t always make you happier, how to escape the 9–5 & why he believes AI could replace 10M jobs within the next two years.

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradstaines10/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradstaines/

We Cover:

00:00 What’s the Worst Advice About Making Money Online?

01:38 What Made You Leave Your 9 to 5?

03:40 How Do You Start a Business When You Don’t Know What to Do?

06:15 What Does It Really Take to Escape Financial Struggle?

08:37 How Do You Know When You Have Enough Money?

12:14 You Know What to Do, So Why Don’t You Do It?

12:32 What Is the Biggest Lesson About Health and Longevity?

16:40 Do You Really Not Have Enough Time?

17:25 Why Do So Many People Hate Their Jobs?

19:07 How Much Money Is Actually Enough?

20:41 What Is Your North Star in Life?

21:54 Are You Living Your Own Life or Someone Else’s?

28:37 What Skills Will Protect Your Career From AI?

31:38 What Is Exit Nine and How Does It Work?

34:21 How Do You Achieve Time and Financial Independence?

35:30 How Much Money Do You Actually Need to Retire?

40:18 Why Repetition is the Key to Success?

41:03 How Did You Grow to 2,600 YouTube Videos?

47:10 How Do You Grow a Social Media Account From 200 Followers?

49:00 What Does It Take to Succeed in Business?

52:25 Ai Could Replace Millions of Jobs in the Next 2 Years

59:15 What’s the Best Money You’ve Spent on Business?

01:02:37 If You Want to Be Wealthy & Happy,...

01:05:40 Things I Wish I Knew in My 20s (Motivational Advice)

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In this candid conversation, serial entrepreneur Aaron Knightley shares how becoming a father at 20 and navigating workplace toxicity propelled him to break out of employment and build multi-venture success in logistics, tech, and online education.

Aaron breaks down the mechanics behind his logistics startup HODL and operational platform Exit 9, while revealing why massive content volume and disciplined self-investment are non-negotiable for modern business growth. Emphasising life balance over endless hustle, he offers a no-nonsense look at why knowing your financial "North Star," keeping family first, and moving before the AI shift reshapes the workforce is the ultimate blueprint for long-term freedom.

Key Takeaways

True freedom comes from defining your precise financial "North Star" and knowing when enough is enough rather than endlessly chasing higher figures.

Building a sustainable online brand and securing your business requires relentless consistency, high content volume, and clear positioning.

The rapid rise of AI and changing digital landscapes make up-skilling and creating proprietary assets urgent necessities for anyone still relying on a traditional job.

Entrepreneurial success is meaningless without prioritising personal health, mental well-being, and irreplaceable time with family.

Episode Quotes

"What they don't know, they can't destroy."

"If you don't know your North Star, and you don't work back from that, how do you know what vehicle you're going to use?"

"You're either a creator and you have your head screwed on, otherwise there's this side of it where it's really dangerous: consumption, you validate against other people, you compare yourself."

"At some point, these people will go silent because they realise content isn’t optional—it becomes mandatory."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Aaron Knightley - https://www.aaronknightley.co.uk/

HOST BIO

Brad Staines is a founder in the thick of it - but by design, not by default. As the face of Aquamark Cleaning, he’s built a multi-million-pound operation with 30+ team members, strong systems, and a culture that gives people space to grow.

He’s still involved in the business a couple of days a week - but only doing the parts he genuinely enjoys: building relationships, growing the brand, spending time with the team, and spotting new opportunities. The day-to-day grind? That’s been handed over to a structure that runs without constant firefighting.

Brad’s also found his rhythm outside of business - with a deep commitment to physical and mental training. Whether it’s strength work, early morning runs, or cold plunges, he’s a believer that how you show up for yourself shapes how you show up as a leader.

Working On It is where he brings it all together - growth, grit, and getting better every week.

We Covered:
Chapters

00:00:00 From the Scottish Highlands to Hollywood
00:01:32 Is AI Really the Future?
00:02:29 How AI Will Disrupt Traditional Businesses
00:06:28 What Does Matt Actually Do?
00:09:09 The Business Mistakes That Nearly Broke Me
00:10:28 Riding 500 Miles for a £500 Tree Survey
00:11:56 The Moment I Knew I Needed to Change
00:12:43 How Drones Changed My Career
00:14:05 Spending £6,000 on a Drone Nobody Wanted
00:15:19 How I Ended Up Working on Hollywood Films
00:16:29 The Business Lesson That Changed Everything
00:18:13 Why Automation Became My Growth Strategy
00:19:21 How ChatGPT Changed My Business
00:20:04 Why Your Staff Shouldn't Use AI Directly
00:22:10 Stop Using AI for the Wrong Things
00:25:03 Why Mentorship Could Have Changed Everything
00:27:25 The Difference Between Learning and Taking Action
00:28:24 Why Speed Is a Superpower in Business
00:33:02 How I Help Businesses Implement AI
00:38:49 Where to Start With AI in a Trades Business
00:41:00 The New Way Customers Will Find Your Business
00:43:28 What Happens When an AI Sends You a Lead?
00:45:43 Automating Your Business Operations
00:47:43 Why You Should Build a Business to Sell
00:55:59 My Worst Business Decision
01:05:20 Why Accountability Changes Everything

Get help from me personally:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradstaines/

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In this episode, Brad sits down with Matt Harmsworth, founder of the ROVAR Group. Matt shares his journey from working as a tree surgeon in Surrey and making grueling motorbike commutes to flying drones over Hollywood film sets like James Bond and Transformers, before ultimately building a multi-million-pound environmental consultancy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Build an "AI Engine" Underneath the Business: Rather than using public AI models for surface-level tasks like basic web searches or content generation, business owners should break down internal operational bottlenecks and build custom, step-by-step AI workflows.

Speed of Implementation Drives Success: The key differentiator between thriving entrepreneurs and stagnant ones is the speed at which they take action on new insights, advice, and operational adjustments.

Prepare for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): As consumers increasingly rely on AI agents and voice assistants to search for services, businesses need to ensure their digital footprint is structured for AI crawlers rather than just traditional web browsers.

Strategic Hires Unlock New Milestones: Investing in high-leverage expertise such as a fractional CFO or an executive assistant provides the financial clarity and operational freedom required to scale without over-leveraging the business.

Fail Fast and Build Proprietary IP: Experimenting with internal automations inevitably leads to tools that don't get used. The goal is to fail fast, abandon what doesn't work, and retain the custom systems (IP) that give your company a distinct competitive edge.

BEST MOMENTS

"The smart thing here is not interacting with this as if it's a Google search engine... it's getting it to do stuff."

"My bedrock thing in AI consultancy is that you should build an AI engine underneath the business. Find where the bottlenecks are, and then sprinkle the AI fairy dust over the top."

"Comparison is the thief of joy, and the last thing you should be doing is looking at people that are further on than you and comparing yourself to them."

"Build a business to sell, even if you've got no intention of selling it."

"The most successful people I see are implementing straight after those masterminds... You're leveraging their experience, so you've got to take action on it."

HOST BIO

Brad Staines is a founder in the thick of it - but by design, not by default. As the face of Aquamark Cleaning, he’s built a multi-million-pound operation with 30+ team members, strong systems, and a culture that gives people space to grow.

He’s still involved in the business a couple of days a week - but only doing the parts he genuinely enjoys: building relationships, growing the brand, spending time with the team, and spotting new opportunities. The day-to-day grind? That’s been handed over to a structure that runs without constant firefighting.

Brad’s also found his rhythm outside of business - with a deep commitment to physical and mental training. Whether it’s strength work, early morning runs, or cold plunges, he’s a believer that how you show up for yourself shapes how you show up as a leader.

Working On It is where he brings it all together - growth, grit, and getting better every week.