John Counsel is the founder and CEO of The Profit Clinic, based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He's also the founder of the Income Security Network, which helps individuals and families reduce debt, control spending, create multiple income streams and build wealth.

John graduated with honours from Melbourne High School in 1963 and subsequently attended Toorak Teachers College (now part of Deakin University), Monash University, Caulfield Institute of Technology (now part of Monash University), Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (now part of Monash University) and RMIT University.

While studying at Monash University, John joined forces with several other students to found Australia's first rock music magazine in 1966, leading to a lifelong interest in publishing and visual communication. His professional music career had begun in 1963 as lead singer, guitarist and songwriter with a popular Melbourne folk trio, infamous for its twisted humour, originality and anarchic musical style, and a large, fanatical following that folk venue owners found exceedingly attractive.

He began his career as a teacher in the mid-late 1960s before moving into the graphic communications industry in 1970.

In ensuing years, John's career covered marketing, advertising, sales, media (including country press), publishing, public relations, creative and technical services, strategic planning, consulting and training. During these years he worked for organisations of all kinds and sizes, as well as in his own small businesses, often at the same time.

Authoritative

John has been an academic, lecturing at universities and tertiary colleges in marketing, advertising, graphic design, organisational behaviour, professional practice management and production. He's also an occasional sessional lecturer in MBA and Master of Education programs and a regular speaker at business conferences.

John is the former Moderator of I-Sales Digest, the Internet's leading business discussion list for professional marketers and sellers from 1995 through 2003, published daily Monday through Friday by Adventive.com. It was mandatory reading in the marketing departments of most Fortune 500 companies and Ivy League business schools. He succeeded the inimitable John Audette, the founder of I-Sales Digest and Adventive.com, and a true Internet pioneer and legend, in April 2002, relinquishing the position in April 2003 orior to its acquisition by Andrew Bourland, founder of Clickz.com, and reborn as the MarketingVox blog.

Advertising industry success

John has been a creative director, copywriter, art director, production manager and strategist with several Melbourne advertising agencies, and runs his own marketing and advertising consultancy, working mostly as a specialist strategic and creative "trouble shooter" for other agencies. His work would be familiar to most people in Australia. He's been an outspoken advocate for intelligent branding strategy, and for the integration of strategic, creative and production functions since the early 1970s.

Small business experience

For nearly three decades, John has established and operated small retail, manufacturing and service businesses in Melbourne and country Victoria. This unusual blend of skills and first hand experience makes him uniquely qualified to advise small business in the areas of strategic planning, marketing and communications. Added to John’s professional background, years of performing as a comedian in his own theatre restaurant company, plus his keen grasp of human psychology, make him an entertaining, provocative seminar speaker and workshop leader.

John was a Founding Advisor at www.smallbusiness.com under the nickname "profitclinic".

Author and commentator

John created The Small Business Adshop in 1987. This unique self help concept enabled small business advertisers to achieve fast, measurable, profitable results from their own ads. He has been advertising columnist for magazines including Enterprise, Australian Small Business & Investing, Dynamic Small Business, Australian Business & Money Making Opportunities, Small & Home Based Business Income, Money Maker's Monthly, Upline Journal and more. He's the author of three best-selling books in their fields, including the fastest-selling small business book in Australia during the 1990s. He has three more titles due for release during 2008-2009, including, for the first time, US editions of each. His work is also used at several US universities and military academies.

Growing recognition and recommendation

John’s high leverage approach has been featured by Business Review Weekly, Choice, Australian Small Business and Investing, Enterprise, the Newspaper Advertising Bureau of Australia, News Limited Suburban Network, The Small Business Letter, by government advisory agencies in several states, by State Small Business Associations, and his acclaimed self help program, "How to Turn Your Ads into Money!", has been used in colleges, ad agencies, media organisations and industry short courses.

Simple, powerful solutions for small business

John creates high leverage training and personal and team development programs, advises on marketing strategy, positioning, product development, product identi- fication and market communications. He also writes regularly for direct selling industry magazines such as Upline® Journal, Money Maker’s Monthly and Australian Business and Money Making Opportunities. He is highly regarded in the industry for his ability to unmask questionable practices and trends and to offer reliable, practical solutions. John has also had a regular weekly segment on New Zealand’s innovative business broadcaster, Radio Liberty.

Innovative ideas that work!

John is a leading designer of personal organiser systems, with products in 14 countries (including two of the largest sellers in Australia). His book, "The Beginner’s Guide to Making Money in Low-cost, Home-based Businesses… No Risk!", is published in three languages and his more recent book, "What You Should Know About MLM Before You Join!" is also in foreign editions. His book, "Don’t Go Into Small Business Until You Read This Book!", has been a prescribed text for business degree courses and MBA programs at universities in the Asia-Pacific region and was the fastest-selling small business book in the region from 1996-1999.

Other lives

John and his wife, Lynne, are the parents of five adult children and have seven grandchildren.

In his spare time, John writes musicals for kids — for schools and for amateur and professional theatre companies. Click here to view an example. John and Lynne are the executive directors of the Children's Theatre Company of Victoria and the Lunatic Fringe Company (theatre restaurant comedy productions, now in hiatus).