Owner To Owner Podcast

Theo Williams is a Director and CEO of www.localised.com which is a local business discovery tool and helps owners to buy from sell to, and partner with other owners.He works with government and locally focused corporates. to build and activate business owner communities and to build resilience and grow micro-economies.Localised was his first business. Six years on Theo talks to us about the ride and shares with us;How a move to the regions prompted the original idea for LocalisedThe stuff up's, the learnings, the successesThe pathway that led to finding the right product-market fit for the businessThe massive opportunity for local businesses to do more business locallyThe benefits to local communities from connecting local buyers and sellersThe evolution of the Localised platform How connection and networking are still so critical for small business ownersHow he is encouraging the takeup of digital technologies and services to build resilience in small businesses  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 

Andrea Roberts www.andrearoberts.com.au transforms places through original ideas backed by accessible strategic planning frameworks and the type of story-telling that moves people.She has worked across Australia from Broken Hill, to the northern rivers of New South Wales, to the Yarra Valley, to the Dandenong Ranges, the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, and now Adelaide.In this episode we chat to Andrea about;Her absolute respect for culture and environment as the pillars on which we all standHer sense that the current challenges are creating a greater sense of community and sense of placeHow this is impacting tourismThe way people travel and what they are looking for The need for authenticity in their experiencesHow we live in and engage with our communities The resurgence in interest in home gardening, and sharing and gathering in the streets and walking in the parksThe sense of community and really strong identity in regional Australia How to successfully engage all the stakeholders for change in local communities  The renewed need for collaboration vs competitionThe importance of brand and understanding what you as a business or place really stand forHarnessing the true emotional capacity of places to unleash latent potential   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 

Mark Horwood grew up in a farming family and so he understands life in the regions. He had been involved in a number of businesses before starting Captivate Connect https://www.captivateconnect.com/From Perth they now supply telephony and phone system to businesses right throughout the country. Mark thinks their success is down to "the big telcos not being that flash at giving good service". In this episode we discuss;How essential the phone still is to many regional businessesCustomer serviceWhy customers still value a human interaction via a phoneUsing 'on-hold' time to increase sales and create a  better customer experiencePractical ways for business owners to use telco to better run their businessesWhere and when 5G will be available in regional AustraliaHow Australia effectively led the world in on-hold messagingThe potential for using Artificial Intelligence in everyday small businesses 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 

Dave Strutton is an ex almond farmer in South Australia. Life was good and his business was doing fine but he felt a change was needed. He took on a Howard Storage World franchise https://www.hsw.com.au/.  It wasn't all smooth sailing, especially in the very early stages. Dave had to dig deep and rely on his well-honed business instincts to deal with those problems. He got through it all and ended up winning multiple awards for his franchise's performance.In this episode Dave talks about;How the almond farm started as a hobby and became a businessGetting all the family involved in developing the farm, which was a couple of hours out of AdelaideThe extension of the farm into a tourism ventureHis desire to move the family back to AdelaideDealing with the question of how he would make a living back in Adelaide - could be get a job or would he need to start or buy another business?How he happened upon the Howards Storage World franchise systemDealing with a catastrophe when the master franchisor went into liquidationWhat business skills and experiences he learned in almond farming that helped him navigate a new business, a new industry all while making  a major move with the family back to AdelaideHis personal business philosophyWhat skills he sees as the most critical for any small business owner  The importance of business systems and some of the advantages of the franchise model  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 

Bill lives & breathes small business. He takes us through his work as Executive Director of Small Business Australia https://www.smallbusinessaustralia.org/ which has a simple philosophy that he believes boils down to three things;To see things simplerTo see things fairer, andTo see things betterIn this episode Bill talks about;His own small business background, including the legendary Doctor Dog, founding fathers of the Melbourne street food sceneWhat he learnt at Harvard University that is useful to all small business ownersWhat small business owners can do to educate themselves and improve their business performanceHis top tips to survive challenges brought on by Covid19The importance of communicating with staff, suppliers, financiers and others important to the businessThe important role that small businesses have in local communitiesThe #buylocalcampaign recently launched by Small Business AustraliaWhere to find financial support for your small business and especially the new  traineeship opportunities https://www.smallbusinessaustralia.org/traineeship-opportunities/The "Five-step Small Business Survival Guide"The benefits of joining Small Business Australia https://www.smallbusinessaustralia.org/get-involved/ 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 

Tim Hoopmann is a speaker for www.beyondblue.org.au, a national organisation that works to raise awareness about anxiety and depression, reduce the associated stigma and encourage people to get help.He became a beyondblue speaker because as a small business owner he struggled with his own mental health. He learnt ways to mange this and wants to share his stories of hope. In corporate life he initially lived a double life and this caused stress and anxiety. Being brave enough to come out, he wants to help others struggling in similar situations.In this epsiode we discuss;Tim's personal experiences as a small business owner with mental health issuesTim's personal mission to take what he had learned through that journey and share it with other peopleThe ongoing efforts to take away the stigma around mental healthIdentifying some of the common signals and triggers that may indicate someone has  mental health issuesHow owners and their family can deal better with the pressures in small business that can lead to later mental health issuesThe particular challenges faced by regional small business owners in recent pastThe value of support groups and networks for small business ownersThe critical importance of communicationThe support available for small business owners1800 512 348https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccessbeyondblue.org.au/get-supportcoronavirus.beyondblue.org.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 

Cactus Country https://www.cactuscountry.com.au/ was inspired by John's dad who while traveling in England saw the Chelsea flower show. When he came back to Australia, he came back with the vision of tourism being something that would eventuate in Australia. Everybody told him it would not work, especially given we are three hours north of Melbourne in the middle of nowhere. Everyone said 'you are mad'. So he was always on the back foot in a sense but got to prove everybody wrong. Probably in hindsight made him even more determined because I think he loves the challenge. He started with a quarter acre and bought a large collection from South Australia and traveled the world in the 50s collecting cacti and succulents, bringing them back to Australia at a time where there were no restrictions on what you could bring in. John described the last few years at Cactus Country as "nuts".  In the episode John talks about;The transformation from a cacti farm to a large tourism-based destinations businessThe day to day challenges of finding staff to run the businessHow the business managed and thrived during Covid19How they used social media and PR so successfullyHow they diversified their revenue streamsThe opportunities for collaborating with other businesses to the benefit of both businesses and the local economy and region https://richglenoliveoil.com/ and @Cafe3641The opportunities in social media for regional businesses @murrayfarmgatetrailThe dynamics of working in a family businessSuccession planning and transitioning from one generation to the next 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 

Jo Palmer saw an emerging opportunity to reshape the outsourcing industry. Where outsourcing had traditionally used offshore personnel Jo saw the opportunity to match highly skilled and underutilised  people based in regional Australia with local businesses needing help.She founded Pointer Remote Roles https://www.pointerremoteroles.com.au/ about 3 years ago.In this episode we cover;How the business idea came to her at a BBQ when she realized that I had all these very clever girlfriends who had married farmers and were not putting their skills and experiences that they had gained over their careers before moving to farmsHer own professional background and business experienceHow outsourcing helps businesses and business ownersThe difference in outsourcing locally vs offshoreHow local outsourcing helps local communitiesWhat work you should outsource and what you shouldn'tHow to go about working out what you should and shouldn't outsourceThe opportunities for living and working in regional AustraliaStopping the  'brain drain' from regional AustraliaWhat business owners need to do to make the most of outsourcingRunning a global business from anywhereWork flexibilityNew ways of workingNew ways of employing 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 

Matt Vitale is a co-founder of Birchal https://www.birchal.com , a leading Australian equity crowdfunding platform.Equity crowdfunding is a fast growing alternative source of finance for small business.In this episode we cover;Matt's professional career leading up to co-founding BirchalHis own hands-on experience as a small business ownerHow one of these small businesses led to Matt (and his wife) competing in the world BBQ championships in the USA What crowdfunding is How crowdfunding works Which businesses can take the most advantage of crowdfunding, and why businesses with a consumer-facing business model are  well placed to take advantageWhy customers are so important in the processThe process and timeline for raising crowdfunding What the owners of a business need to know and do if they want to raise crowdfundingWhat changes once you have some investors in the business 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 

James Grugeon is the founder of The Good Beer Co. https://thegoodbeerco.com.au/.Covid-19 heavily impacted the business but he found a way to adapt and thrive.The Good Beer Co. is a social enterprise that exists to create and sell good beers to fund and support good causes.It works with and supports award winning breweries and is committed to creating award winning and popular beers like;Great Barrier Beer for the Australian Marine Conservation SocietyPale Tale for RSPCA QueenslandLove Beer for the Australian Marriage Equality campaign,andGreat Get Together Pale Ale for the Jo Cox Foundation.In this episode we talk with James about;His personal background in business, charities and social enterprise, both in the UK and here in AustraliaThe history of The Good Beer Co.How to build partnerships between companies and social enterprisesThe critical role of  businesses, particularly for-purpose businesses, in tackling really thorny challenges like climate changeThe brilliant Australian craft beer industryHis latest campaign A Good Beer Always HelpsThis campaign supports the local  independent craft industry by gifting a case of 16 independent beers to essential workers including nurses, police, aged care workers and  many others who have been dealing directly with  the spread and impacts of Covid-19The struggle of bootstrapping a small businessSocial EntrepreneurshipCollaborations  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