Darcy Ogdon-Nolan

Darcy is a passionate entrepreneur and digital marketer from the beautiful Northern Rivers region of NSW, Australia. He thrives on the idea of ‘optimisation’ – always looking to improve processes, systems and routines on both a professional and personal level!

Where did the idea for The Bircher Bar come from?

I went through a bit of a personal and family crisis back in 2013, culminating in the decision to abandon my professional career and head off travelling for a year. During those travels I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted for my life and landed on wanting to launch something that brought together my values of health, freedom and community – and The Bircher Bar was born!

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

A typical day for me starts around 7am with a bit of light exercise and a quick breakfast. I fire up the laptop around 8am, check my priority list and it’s usually a half hour of email from there to start – only dealing with anything urgent. I now manage a small team that produces content for me so my role is primarily keyword research, content briefs, publishing, development and networking. I find productivity usually tapers off if I don’t take short regular breaks so I try to get up for a 5 minute stretch every hour where possible. Of course coffee is also a great help for productivity!

How do you bring ideas to life?

I try to bring ideas to life through good systems. Rather than be pulled in many different directions at the drop of a hat, I try to work to a plan that ensures new content and ideas are implemented consistently. I’ve fallen in the trap of reacting immediately to a new idea and find that it throws focus off and slows the general pace of the business down. When a new idea strikes now, I write it down and add it to the plan to be actioned when the time is right.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The current move towards more remote work is definitely exciting, albeit, on the back of a difficult time for many people. I think it allows for a much better use of time and resources, creates a much smoother workflow when done correctly and will present many more employment opportunities for people in areas that are ‘geographically disadvantaged’.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Regular breaks and movement. More time in front of the computer doesn’t always correlate with more productivity for me. I always find I’m more focused and effective when I schedule in 10 mins of movement every hour to hour and half. Whether it’s stretching, walking around or a small tabata workout – I always get way more work done after.

What advice would you give your younger self?

It’s super cliche, but, ‘trust the process!’. My younger self was far too easily distracted, particularly when things didn’t quite go as expected. As I’ve learned in business, most good things come from persistence and determination in the face of adversity. Stick with it, but be flexible and ready to pivot – don’t give up though.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

The outside skin of a kiwi fruit is the best part! Don’t judge until you’ve tried it, but be prepared to never eat them the same way again!

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Work from a daily priority list. Every morning the first thing I do check my ‘P3’ – or top 3 tasks – and plan my day accordingly. Every afternoon I write my P3 for the following day. Ever since starting this, I’ve become much more focused and productive, making sure I stay on top of the real ‘needle movers’ and not get caught up in reactive tasks.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Learning to outsource properly and to let go of feeling like I need to manage everything has allowed more growth than anything else. It’s impossible to scale while you’re trying to do absolutely everything required to keep your business growing. Identify the tasks that you can let go of and invest in the right talent to take them on.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

It’s hard to identify only ‘one’ failure, however, the most impactful one would have to be the ‘failure’ of my business as a wholefoods cafe, which has since led to a restructuring of the website to be a successful affiliate business. It took a lot of persistence, re-skilling and ego-bashing to make it happen but it’s been the best change in terms of lifestyle and financials. Being flexible on your original idea and vision can be very beneficial.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

‘Loo Reviews’ – an app where you can review public toilets based on safety, cleanliness and accessibility. Nothing is worse when you’re travelling than ending up at a dodgy and disgusting public toilet 🙁

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Reishi mushroom liquid extract. I’ve been taking it a half hour before bed and having the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. Amazing what sleep does for productivity and general happiness!

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Ahrefs. It is hands down the most valuable tool we use. It allows for all of our data-driven decisions surrounding keyword research and link acquisition which is the bread and butter of affiliate marketing.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz. Great concepts, simple to apply and has helped me through many tricky personal and business decisions.

What is your favorite quote?

‘You are the average for the 5 people you spend the most time with’ – David P Brown

Key Learnings:

• Surviving in business is often about being flexible and dynamic. Circumstance and environments change – those who can adapt will prosper.
• Surround yourself with good people and quality talent. If you are the ‘touchpoint’ for everything in your business, you are also the roadblock.
• Create systems and routines that make it easier to be productive and efficient. When good habits become automatic there are less decisions to make and more brainpower for creative thinking.
• Enjoy the challenges and the process! It should generally be fun and exciting!