Friend, have you ever felt like the world of technology and business is moving at the speed of light – faster than you can keep up? It's not just a feeling. It's a fact. This is the new age we live in, where information flows at us like a fire hose.
Are you wondering if what you're doing now will be obsolete in six months? Today's guest is here to help you future-ready your mindset and your business so you don't get left behind.
Meet Allister Frost: Author, former Microsoft leader, and specialist in change and transformation. Allister spent 20 years in the corporate world – 10 years at Kimberly-Clark working on brands like Kleenex and Huggies, and 10 years at Microsoft where he had a front-row seat to how technology is reshaping everything. He recognized that while tech companies live at the bleeding edge of change, many industries and entrepreneurs aren't thinking the same way – and they're at risk of becoming irrelevant.
The wake-up call: At Microsoft, Allister learned a line from Bill Gates (borrowed from Marshall McLuhan) that changed everything: "If something works, it's already obsolete."
This is the opposite of the old corporate mantra "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." And it's the mindset shift every entrepreneur needs to survive and thrive in today's world.
In this episode, you'll discover:
The lie of "future-proofing" – There's no such thing. That "future-proof" laptop from 10 years ago? Useless now. Instead of future-proofing, Allister teaches you to be future-ready – thinking ahead to inevitable changes and getting ahead of them so they fuel your growth instead of knocking you off course.
The Ready Already Growth Cycle – Allister's embarrassingly simple (but clever) five-step framework for staying relevant:
- Follow – Identify what you need to pay attention to (informed by your personal mission)
- React – Learn creatively about that thing, then decide if it's valid for your future
- Open – Challenge everything with childlike curiosity (Why do we do Monday meetings? Why paper invoices?)
- Surprise – Use bold imagination without self-censoring (computers will never beat human creativity)
- Tell – Share ideas with trusted people who respond with "Yes, and..." not "No, but..."
Your Personal Mission (North Star) – This sits at the center of everything. It's not your job title or company values – it's what you do in service of others. Allister's example: When given the "boring" job of managing email at Microsoft, he created the mission "I make the world better at email." That got him out of bed excited every Monday.
The downstream consequence question – If you do your job well, who benefits? Keep asking until you get to something meaningful. That sales spreadsheet you update? It might eventually lead to kids playing on a beach because their parents have financial stability. That's your real mission.
Why we resist change – It's biological. We fear loss of what we have. But Allister reveals the difference between dangerous and scary – most changes feel scary but aren't actually dangerous. We're literally the most change-capable species on Earth.
The "dog in a room full of squirrels" problem – Allister's boss would come to meetings with a list of shiny new things to chase. They wasted massive energy trying everything instead of doing one thing well. Be a steward of your energy. Focus on what matters to your North Star.
The three "superhuman powers" – Things humans will always do better than AI:
- Naive curiosity (asking "why?" like a 5-year-old)
- Bold imagination (non-obvious but valuable ideas)
- Brilliant human-to-human communication (making ideas better together)
Key insight: Entrepreneurs often pine for security, consistency, smooth operations. They build systems hoping one day it'll "just work." But here's the truth – if you're standing still while everything outside your business is changing, you're actually moving backwards.
Your grandparents could learn one skill and use it their whole working life. That world is gone. Now, the minute you say "This is how I operate and I'm not changing," you become obsolete.
The dangerous myth: "We'll put off this project until next year when we have the new system/after the merger/when circumstances are better." There will never be perfect circumstances. That new system you're waiting for? It'll be obsolete before you implement it.
The reality: The future will be harder than today. Change will be quicker, more disruptive, more uncertain. If you don't have a North Star – a reason to keep learning and growing – you'll rest on your laurels and get left behind.
Allister's book: Ready Already – Intentionally short (around 100 pages) because your future is too important to waste time reading a complex model. Quick read with simple exercises so you can start creating your future immediately.
The invitation: Stop waiting for stability. Stop hoping it'll "just work already." Plants are either growing or dying. Your business is the same. Embrace that we're human beings designed for evolution, not stagnation.
Everything can be improved. Someone somewhere has figured out a smarter way. Take "if it already works, it's already obsolete" not as a threat to your experience, but as an invitation to keep improving.
Connect with Allister Frost:
https://allisterspeaks.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisterspeaks/
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Lindsay Sutherland is a business consultant, speaker, and entrepreneur dedicated to helping business owners build companies that run with freedom, purpose, and profit. With over 20 years of leadership and sales experience in the automotive industry, Lindsay understands the challenges of growing a business that feels more like a burden than a blessing. After leaving corporate life, she co-founded Biz in a Box Solutions, a CRM and automation company that empowers small service-based businesses to streamline their operations and reclaim their time.
Her signature consulting program, The Clockwork Method, guides overwhelmed business owners through the process of systemizing, scaling, and stepping back into the true role of visionary leader. Lindsay’s approach blends practical business systems with faith-led alignment, helping entrepreneurs not only make more money but also create a business that supports their life — not the other way around.
As the host of The Freedom Entrepreneur Podcast, Lindsay shares strategies, stories, and mindset shifts that challenge conventional thinking and inspire business owners to grow without burning out. She also co-owned Off Grid Unlimited Installations, an electrical and renewable energy company in Idaho, where she lives with her husband and four children on their family farm.
Passionate about redefining success beyond hustle culture, Lindsay helps leaders build businesses rooted in clarity, sustainability, and freedom. Whether she’s speaking on stage, consulting with executives, or mentoring faith-led entrepreneurs, her mission is the same: to help people transform their business into a vehicle for purpose, profit, and lasting impact.
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The Clockwork Method
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