

Owner To Owner Podcast
Michael Kerr
Owner to Owner is the boldest business podcast for Australia’s SMEs. Host Michael Kerr gets raw and real, talking to business owners like you. Exploring the everyday struggles they face and the different pathways they tread to success. Forget the slick stories of tech titans and out-of-reach solutions from people who’ve never put their hopes and livelihood on the line. Owner to Owner dives into the wins and losses, pitfalls, luck and moments that made a difference.
You’ll find grit, laughs, maybe a few tears and hard-won lessons only available from others who’ve been where you are—whatever your stage of ownership.
Every business owner has a compelling story to share. Join us to listen and learn.
You’ll find grit, laughs, maybe a few tears and hard-won lessons only available from others who’ve been where you are—whatever your stage of ownership.
Every business owner has a compelling story to share. Join us to listen and learn.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 14, 2021 • 28min
Diana Sargeant from rosesalesonline.com.au on turning the worlds favorite flower into a business
Diana & Graham Sargeant run www.rosesalesonline.com.au, a leading destination for the #roselovers across Australia. The business started unexpectedly while on their honeymoon. It's always been a #familybusiness, built around #familyvalues and #parenting and sharing the love for what is the #worldsfavoriteflower in a #sustainable, caring way for the #environment.In our freeflowing and open discussion Diana talks about; starting at Kilmore back in 1986starting out of a small cottage with kids at home and being a #stayathomemummaking a visit to the world rose convention, entering a miniature rose that unexpectedly won the Australian award for miniature roses - the #traceywickhamrose that really kickstarted the businessfrom there building gardens around the cottage leading to people stopping because they knew that we were doing something there and they would ask, you know, can we buy this and can we buy that?reallising when there's obviously a business in thisdealing with council and with neighbours who didnt want change and having a #waroftherosesturning this negativity into an enormous amount of really good publicitygetting nominated to go to America on a rotary program (Business Program) for women, and the incredible impact this hadgoing away as a #youngmum from my kids and husband for five weeksgetting priorities sortedremodelling the business to suit their lifestyleopening the second nursery cafe in Victoriawriting a bookcreating a newsletter, converting it to an email which nows goes to 10K subscribers every Thursday @ 10am#contentmarketing, sharing knowledge and #educatingcustomersthe rose that went missing for 21 days in the post but survives in her garden to this dayhow #aupost came to the rescue - going direct to the top in Australia Post, punching out an email to Christine Holgate on a Saturday and getting a personal that Saturday evening (the absolute honest truth)10 years on #3cr community radiothe transformation from a traditional horticultural business to an online businessbecoming renowned across the country for your wealth of knowledge about all things rosesthe booming rose industry#grasgarblethe avalanche of people moving into gardening because people have tapped into something that they really like - connecting with the soil, connecting with themselves, feeling really good about this gardening thing - it's not going awaywww.kerrcapital.com.au@silkiesrosefarm
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 13, 2021 • 28min
Sam Marwood from cultivatefarms.com on farm matchmaking
Sam Marwood co-founded www.cultivatefarms.com which is a matchmaking service for retiring farmers and aspiring farmers and investors. Through this they are making ownership possible for the next generation.It started because Sam's dreams of ownership were squashed when his parents said no, you're not getting the farm. In the discussion we cover;#smallscalefarmsthe hidden dream of people working in skyscrapers who would love to own a farm and be a farmerthe process of matching those farmers and the importance of making sure your values are aligned, and getting to know each otherthe growing number of retiring farmers out there who want or need to share ownershipthe role of investors in #localfarmsthe 80K farms out therehow the process of matching can be an amazing Lifeline to give retiring farmers the opportunity to 'age on farm', stay and be part of their legacy, even when they are slowing down a bitbringing in or keeping young families in the community, their pathway to ownership and building their wealththe prevalence and complexity of #legacyhow they are educating farmers on other optionsdealign with the many farmers out there whose families don't want the farmgiving new hope to farmers that they can stay on their farm and realize their legacy, even when their kids don't want itthe relief for some kids he's heard so many times because "my parents really want us to have the farm and we just don't want it. We just can't figure out how to tell them that!"#farmproductivitythe age of farm farmers getting older with the reality that as you slow down you're probably not pushing the farm from a productivity point of view, or even an environmental perspective#agtech#startuphow farmers across Australia are all entrepreneurs who will jump on opportunities as they see they're useful and, and viable#goondiwindi#sharefarming#businesspartnership#corporatefarmownership#familyfarms#regionalcommunities#landmanagement.www.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 12, 2021 • 28min
Peter Hurst from roadiii.com on Aussie road trips
Peter Hurst from founded www.roadiii.com to showcase more of the great Australian #festivals, #culturalevents, #wineries and #distilleries that don't get the media limelight, are off the #beatentrack or are actually #huddengems.His mission is to challenge Australians to get out #ontheroad. He started www.roadiii.com about 3 years ago (and 2 weeks before Covid19).Originally trained as a #schoolteacher but spent 20 years working with companies including General Motors and NylexHe's also been heavily involved in #lifesaving around Australia. and his first small business (he's still got it) was Surf Safety Australia that supplies safety products to lifesaving clubs in Australia and overseas, particularly the UK. In our discussion we talk about;how Google driving him to distraction drove him to start #roadiiihow his design approach for the website was driven by wanting to spend more time more time on the road and less on the computerthe philosophy of his UX approach being to get people out into the regions to do road trips and to take in more than just the traditional tourism optionsmaking #holidays richer and more fulfillinglaunching 2 weeks before Covid19 and adaptingcombining something that's a passion of yours with a business (and a business that can be run on the road)lessons learnded - being open because you are never quite sure where opportunity comes frombeing a massive believer that a small business should be founded on passion and interesthow small business can be tough and very often it's that idea of 1% inspiration 99% perspiration. So if you're gonna work that hard, and soak up your spare time, you've got to love what you do.how his commercial experience also tells him that you've got to be pretty analytical as well and try to avoid wasting time and wasting moneyhaving a realistic expectation of what you want from that small businesswhy it doesn't have to be, you know, a million dollar a year business to be something that can be viable and enjoyable and sustainablegoing into business with a customer mindset, looking for things that you enjoy and that people want, then that's the basistaking small risks, and taking them one at a time, and understanding what you might lose.how three wins and one loss can give you a basis for building a business#smallbusinessheros#IanKiernan from @CleanUpAustraliaDay - an inspirational endeavor, shows you what's possible from an idea, shows you what's possible from a bit of perseverance and also a bit of support from those people that should support the creatives, the individuals that, try new ideas outAlso a secret admirer of the owners of the Sir George Hotel, and the Long Track Pantry in https://www.sirgeorge.com.au/ #Jugiong #NSW in the middle of amazing country, but surrounded by nothing but farms - incredible success out of a rundown hotelwww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 4, 2021 • 28min
Justin Costello from Costello Rural Real Estate on personal resilience
Justin Costello runs Costello Rural https://www.costellorural.com.au/ in Corryong, Victoria. It a second-generation family business. He grew up in Corryong, went away and then came back to take over the business from his father.In this episode he shares his personal experiences as a business owner and talks openly about his experiences of the Corryong fires in 2020. We cover;building business skills by doing #apprenticeships and #workplacements with several valuation companies and real estate businesses that actually turned the light on to take my education furtherhis exposure to really strong business minds and mentorsthe handover of the family businesshis desire to reset after 2020, a roller coaster year, with the fires and then COVID.using technology to help business ownershow when you talk about implementing technology, you have got to bring staff along with youthe level of preparation for disasters in small business owners in regional and community areas@agriweb as a platform to make asset lists and tasks to minimize risk and so that you know where your assets are, where your water points are for fire trucks and have those that equipment serviced regularlythe critical importance of communication and asking are you okay? Do you need anything?the role of the local lion's club, the rotary, the church in lifting and communicating on that higher level to make sure there is no one slipping through the gaps#communityspiritwww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 3, 2021 • 28min
Ben Lazzaro CEO Australian Made on the heavy-lifting Green & Gold Kangaroo
Ben Lazzaro is CEO of Australian Made Campaign Limited which administers the globally recognised Australian Made Logo. It's a very famous logo and a true mark of Aussie authenticity and has been around for 30 years. And right now it's more popular than ever and the opportunities for #SMEs are significant.Being Australian and making Australian products is generally a positive in most markets, including domestically, so when you're buying Australian made products you're getting products made to some of the highest standards in the world, and that's from a quality and a safety perspective. And in certain sectors that's never been more important than right now.Ben Lazzaro has a background in engineering, moved into doing marketing and communications for engineering and technical based firms and has been CEO since 2017 .In our discussion we talk about;How the Green & Gold Kangaroo does the heavy lifting because it is unique to AustraliaThe Australian Made Logo as a country of origin product certification trademark.How products are licensed to carry this brandThe criteria (set by Australian Consumer Law) and the laws that govern making a Made In Australian claimThe mechanics of the substantial transformation testThe cost of using the logo which is essentially 1/10 of 1% of the turnover of those productsHow the money raised gets pumped back into the campaign on compliance, auditing, things like that to protect the integrity of the brand, chase down misuse and the collective marketing campaignThe extremely pro Australian sentiment in the marketplace at the moment (which started as the COVID pandemic starts to take hold) and the reasons behind thisSaving jobsThe imbalance between local and imported products and over reliance on importsThe massive (400%) growth in applications to use the Australian made logoThe simple process for applyingHow small businesses use the logoThe 34 classes of goods in Australia that can apply to use the brandHow #KidsClub ( teaching resources on our website) is growing the understanding of the positive attributes associated with buying AustralianThe upside in Australia's clean great environmentEthical labor and sustainability.The research that found around 87% globally knew that this thing (the logo) meant there was an Australian produc and that even if they don't know our brands specifically, they know it's Australian, they know it's green and goldThe business opportunities and using the kangaroo in social media to grow a global audienceThe opportunities domestically with 99% of Australians recognising and 92% trusting products carrying the Australian Made Logo#manufacturingsovereignty #selfsufficiencyInvesting in our local manufacturing capability - something that is a positive outcome from Covid-19 for Australian manufacturing with that focus on sovereignty, and self sufficiency, potentially giving Australian manufacturing be a bit of a positive 'jab in the arm'The renewed focus from government, and a lot of funding, to generate manufacturing and manufacturing 4.0How smaller manufacturers that will benefit from the fact that we're going to invest in skills hereOpportunities in electric cars, electric busesHow Volvo Trucks in Queensland is turning out 60,000 trucks carrying Australian made logo with, I think, half a dozen sites out there in Waco, Brisbanewww.kerrcapital.com.auhttps://australianmade.com.au/#Australianmade #madeinAustralia#growninAustralia #productofAustralia#Australianmadelogo#thegreenandgoldkangaroo#globalconsumers #qualityproduce
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 2, 2021 • 28min
Blake Hutchison from flippa.com on smart ways to get digital
Blake Hutchison, CEO of flippa.com explains why it's critical that small business owners own their digital real estate. And he gives us a host of smart ideas to make it happen.Before being CEO @ www.flippa.com he ran www.luxuryescapes.com.au and worked in a senior role at www.xero.com.au (small business accounting software in the cloud).Flippa is a marketplace to buy and sell digital assets or digital real estate including #eCommerce businesses #contentsites #blogs, #fbabusinesses backed by Amazon #Amazonstores #Amazonassociates #contentsites #apps. All of it is #digitalrealestate. And all these assets can be bought or sold on #flippa.In our discussion we talk about;how important it is to be digitally up to speedhow without a digital presence today you are really limiting opportunities because it is the way that consumers, either business or in consumers, individuals, will now first engage with a brand and more often than not, it is their pathway to choosing a business be that the local cafe all the way through to the local landscape architect, all the way through to an Etsy shop selling handmade furniture. So, you have to be onlinehow digital is now more accessible than ever before to consumerswhy it is also a lot easier than ever before for first-time digital entrepreneurs to either get started or to accelerate growth in their business through a first-time digital presence. And that is because everyone from #Google to #Facebook to #Amazon to #ATT, #YouTube to #WooCommerce to #WordPress have made these platforms readily accessible at a good pricewhy it makes sense for an offline traditional #rick-and-mortar or #servicebusiness to acquire a small digital asset to complement their #useracquisitionwhy your website is your best way to appeal to people who have never heard of you, and then advertising channels like Facebook and Google are your best and most cost-efficient way to get people to that website and then funnel them through to your brick-and-mortar offering and so what that boils down to is #audiencetargetinghow and when to best use the following 3 #platforms which are all affordable and available to anyone. And you do not need to be too technically savvy to get any one of those up and going.#Shopify if you are looking to trade online, or#Squarespace if you are looking to just have a footprint online that people can move to and find out more about your business address, your phone number, a little bit about what you are servicing, and what you provide, or#WordPress to set up a blog if you are going to write some columns and about the services you providethe good news for the less #techsavvy - you can outsource that work to someone very very cost-efficiently and you can do that through platforms like #Fiverr #Elance #oDesk and other platforms like themwhy you should study your #competitors to help with running your business and getting the best #ROI on your outsourcing investment by #stackranking the ones that you think are best and the ones that you think best represent what you are trying to achieve. Drop those by way of a brief onto one of these freelancing platforms and get someone to deliver that for youacquiring customers with budgets as low as $10 a day on a Facebook or Google to see what works for youhow to buy the right #digitalassets by using tools like the #SEMrush module on www.flippa.com - it helps to assess domain authority in the eyes of Google i.e. is it a credible website, getting credible traffic and with credible trafficthe value of #organictraffic where people want to read the contentwhy you absolutely want to own your own real estate. Facebook is a great engagement platform, but it is not yours. You do not own it. The quicker you can get a customer from that environment into your own, the better off you will be long-termkey trends in the buying & selling of digital assets;why you are better off buying than you are starting. With the failure rate of a startup so high you can assess the success of a business that has a trading history, so therefore it it can be a safer opportunity for many people.#unemployed looking to get into the digital economy for the very first time#sophisticatedinvestors entering the space to buy micro assets - @blakehutchison has never seen anything like it! #privateequity and other #sophisticatedinvestors are amassing and aggregating small digital assets. So they are no longer looking for things that are $5, $10, $50, or a hundred million dollars to buy. Many of them are buying supporting businesses to bolt on to existing assets.www.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jun 30, 2021 • 28min
Hunter Leonard from Silver & Wise on ageism and missed opportunities
Hunter Leonard talks to @smallbusinessbanter about how and why he started www.silverandwise.com.au.In the episode we cover;The ageism brick wall and the frustration of a job searchThe different ways Western and Eastern cultures value their eldersWhy it's time for mature aged workers to take control and how, even if they may not see it clearly, that they have value to addThe need to improve self awareness to help identify and better promote your 'hidden' value and skillsWhy finding your purpose is so critical and how it can lead to being happier and healthierThe upside of adopting a 'small business owner' mindsetResearch from the https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/age-discrimination which Hunter has analysed. In summary he says that major barriers start to appear for people in the 45 to 50 year age group, and worryingly even earlier for womenHow the gig economy and freelancing are outstanding opportunities to build an income around a lifestyleWhere starting up or buying an existing business fits in to the 'self employment' pictureThe weird and wonderful assumptions made about mature aged peopleAnd I said, well, I do not really care what age they are, as long as they can do the job. And they're interested in being part of ours, our group.www.smallbusinessbanter.comwww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jan 8, 2021 • 28min
Mick & Mat from thevillageco.com on using tech to 'keep more money in the local village'.
Mick, Mat and all of the management team sort of got tired of the corporate lifestyle. The thought "how do we come out and actually live our life with purpose and develop a company that excites us to get out of bed every day?". This was why The Village Co. www.thevillageco.com.au was born. It is now based in regional New South Wales. They are on a mission to create a positive future for local communities by combining creative people with the latest technology to design innovative solutions that disrupt the food service industry.Their Virtual Supply Chain (VSC) product is an artificial intelligence backed supply chain solution that enables small businesses to compete with big businesses.Right now, they are working in the retail butcher's sector. They have branded that platform Butchers United and are looking to unlock the value and the potential in the three thousand odd retail butchers around the country. Mick and Mat cover;Their planned disruption of the foodservice industryThe limitations for small farmers and producers of the incumbent, large business dominated supply chainThe future of local-to-local salesThe tech and logistic solutions they are developing to give small farmers and producers the confidence and support to grow their product salesThe extraordinary lengths they went to understand the retail butcher industry - they bought a butcher shop and ran it themselves to properly understand the challenges and opportunitiesMaking the most of the large amount combined infrastructure that small business owns through providing accessible techThe consumer lead move to 'shop local'How food provenance is reshaping buying habitsTheir program to link growers of indigenous products into their own logistic networkTheir own personal challenges in getting their start-up running and funded
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jan 8, 2021 • 28min
Mick Hase from SeventeenX Events on the opportunities for business with the UN SDG's.
Mick Hase runs 3 businesses. Common to all 3 is the importance of culture, connection, purpose, leadership and people management to create business models that inspire people to do good.As the founder of SEVENTEENx @seventeen_sdg he organises events that help businesses more fully engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. If you haven't heard of the 17 UN SDG's or don't fully understand the business opportunities they are creating them listen to our discussion as Mick covers;An overview of the SDG'sHow small business can play a part in tackling huge global challengesThe holy grail of having a purpose that lines up personally and professionally and that get's you out of bed each dayThe consumer led changes that are demanding businesses engage with consumers in new waysHow creating sustainable change is a real opportunity for us in businessThe opportunities in regional communities for community-driven outcomesCreating a better strategy through connection to things like the UN SGD's rather than chasing just the bottom line all the timeHow lot's of businesses are already working with the 17 UN SGD's but aren't conscious of itThe over-use of labelling of business types and business strategies that actually inhibit small businesses and entrepreneurs getting on with making an impactGreenwashing and MillenialsHis 3 steps to get you startedJump onto www.globalgoals.org to learn more about the Global GoalsPick off some 'low hanging fruit' - put some recycling bins in your office. Get rid of plastic where you can. Look at your recruitment strategy and make sure that you're bringing equality through your business. You will start to feel good about it and the snowball effect start thereFor anyone that is running a team, give it to your team. show them the goals. Tell them that you want to create some change and give it to them to empower them to go and make it happen within your business because the cultural change that you will witness in your business and the absolute ownership and the core values that will get created out of it and the willingness to really run with it from your team will absolutely flourish throughout the rest of your business and you will notice, you know, a more engaged, hyper-aware team will create results within their position description so to speak. So, give it to your team and let them run with it because it is such a great thing to watchExamples of small businesses working with the UN SDG'swww.b1g1.com/businessforgoodwww.bambuddhagroup.com (The Corporate Kindness Network)www.teaspoonsofchange.org (Activating and aligning business, education and government with the Global Goals)
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jan 7, 2021 • 28min
Rachel Power, owner of multiple businesses, on life and small business in Tasmania.
Rachel Power and her family moved to Tasmania a few years back and now own Waterfalls Café & Gallery http://www.waterfallscafe.com.au/, in the Mount Field National Park. They are just about to embark on a new venture - the Mount Field Retreat, a multimillion-dollar accommodation and conference center.https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/mount-field-national-parkShe admits it's a big step but knows also it's a game-changer for her local community.As a family they had started their first business, the Great Aussie Road Trip (a blog), while on a road-trip around Australia.The decision to move to Tasmania was an extension of the family's openness to another adventure in a place they all loved and thought had great potential. In our discussion with Rachel we cover;The story behind a round-Australia family trip and the creation of a family businessTraveling as a family and the opportunities that can bringWorking with family in small businessThe potential she saw in Tasmania and especially the Mount Field National ParkThe quick and instinctive decision to pack up and head to Tasmania, an how they all ruled out other places to move toBuying their existing businessTaking calculated risksThe early and ongoing challenges of running a regional business and the strategies used to overcome themLocal businessLocal arts and produceTasmanianCreating local employment and prosperity to keep regional towns viableThe upside of treechanges and seachangesThe upside of working with local artists and producersThe value of getting involved in local community groupsThe importance of collaboration between local businesses and local communities
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au


