Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, I interview Elisha Watson, the Founder, and CEO of New Zealand underwear label and social enterprise NISA. They employ women from refugee backgrounds with awesome sewing skills and make organic cotton underwear. Nisa aims to help refugee women start their new lives through interesting jobs and opportunities. Elisha Watson was a full-time lawyer and a refugee settlement volunteer in the Red Cross. During her time volunteering, she met awesome women who are skilled in sewing. So, she quit her job as a lawyer and founded Nisa in 2017. They had launched a crowdfunding campaign and dramatically reached their goal in just 2 days. Launched enterprise with 3 FTE and now has 12 FTE. They have been running the business for 4 years already and it was all possible because of the people involved in it. Elisha Watson humbly says "no matter how quick you're at learning things, it is almost impossible to replicate the level of experience and commitment of those who worked years in the industry." She's appreciative to those who have decades of experience in the industry who helped her work the business. This Cast Covers: How learning a skill leads to a successful business. Keeping a small business going in trying times is all about resilience. How close relationships with team members meant success. How success is about building a skill within the team. How the struggles of others moved her to provide opportunities. Providing meaningful and interesting work to employees from refugee backgrounds. The passion of welcoming new people and helping them start a new life. A business with a social and environmental mission. Additional Resources: nisa.co.nz bthechange Building Social Business By Muhammad Yunus Beginner's Pluck By Liz Forkin Bohannon ………………………………………… Quotes: "No matter how quick you're at learning things, it is almost impossible to replicate the level of experience and commitment of those who worked years in the industry."- Elisha Watson "What success looks for me is building up skills within a team rather than of my own." - Elisha Watson "Skill is something that must be acquired to be able to see whether the business was successful or not." - Elisha Watson "Growing a small business is also growing the team and treating them like a family." - Elisha Watson "When things go really wrong, have a good resilience to save your business." - Elisha Watson ………………………………………… Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Jo Violeta, the marketing manager and Co-owner of Violeta Finance. Violeta Finance is a family-owned business that helps people secure financing for home loans, mortgages, refinance, and property investment. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Jo Violeta manages Violeta Finance's Community Engagement and Brand Communications while her husband Carl Violeta is the Mortgage and Finance Broker. Jo Violeta used to work for the Australian Government, working in leadership training for Child Support Agency while her husband Carl used to work in the fashion industry, working as an agent between district manufacturers and retail stores. She supported her husband in starting the business in 2014 since she has no background in business. Their first year in business was difficult for them, they barely had clients and didn't have many settlements. However, after a year they've made 50% growth on their business and progress each year. They started the business without hiring people but at the moment, they're getting 3.5 FTE on the payroll and have four contractors doing virtual assistant work and marketing. The efforts and time they spent in their business resulted in more partnerships and they were able to help people achieve their property and financial dreams. Jo Violeta highlighted this "if you want to be successful, do things because you want to do them, not because you have to do them." This Cast Covers: Building confidence to build partnerships. Knowing clients and their values. Managing branding, strategy, and opportunity for clients. Ensure effective and active coordination. Empowering staff members to enjoy their role for the fulfillment of their dreams. The power of perseverance despite the odds. Helping families, small businesses, and all sorts of people make their dreams into reality. From a small business into a fast-growing company. The importance of time management when growing a small business. Additional Resources: The Marketing Agency Blueprint by Paul Roetzer The 1- Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib The Ultimate Entrepreneur Podcast with Jay Abraham Becoming a Digital Marketer by Gil Gildner ………………………………………... Quotes: "If you are wanting to grow and scale a business, you need some outside guidance, because you're in it, so you can't see it." - Jo Violeta "If you want to get results through people, you need to work in the spirit of reciprocity and really value your employees and offer flexibility." - Jo Violeta "Success is having choices. I do things because I want to do them, not because I have to do them." - Jo Violeta "To have effective marketing, you have to know your audience, loosen up and be yourself." - Jo Violeta "Believe in your companion, because everything will work if any two people show trust and keep on going." - Jo Violeta ………………………………………… Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Ben Amos, the Founder and Creative Director of Innovate Media; one of Queensland's most sought-after online video strategy and production agencies. He's also the founder of the Vlog Pod and Founder/Chief Digital Strategist over at Engage Video Marketing. Ben is passionate about working with clients to develop effective online video strategy within their niche and is driven to help other business owners and marketers understand the full potential for online video platforms within a wider business marketing strategy. He hosts the weekly Engage Video Marketing Podcast which explores the power of video to engage audiences to action and grow businesses. At the heart of everything he does, his core goal is to show people how to grow market reach and revenue in the real world by tapping into the power of online video marketing for their business. In this jam-packed 20 minute episode, Ben will teach us how we can use video marketing at the right time and in the right way to effectively reach our target audience and generate sales. So don't miss out. This Cast Covers: From teaching film, media, and drama to owning a successful video marketing agency. Understanding what it means to do video marketing strategically so you can get results. Working with small, medium, and large-scale businesses. How video is at the center of so many ways of reaching and communicating with people. The ease of creating videos for marketing in comparison to other forms of marketing content. Using video to bring high touch back into a high-tech world. Why small business owners should use video not just for marketing but also across the full customer journey. Some of the mistakes people make when they're doing video marketing. Applying video marketing practically while continuously seeking self-development information on it. Creating content for your target customers in a way that provides them value. YouTube versus Vimeo - The pros and cons of each in relation to small businesses. Knowing your audience first before building your marketing strategy. Additional Resources: Engage Video Marketing Innovate Media Vlog Pod Engage Video Marketing Podcast They Ask, You Answer By Marcus Sheridan Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Jacinta Gulasekharam, the Co-Founder of Dignity New Zealand (NZ), a social enterprise with a mission to deliver period equity and has created access to 32,000 sustainable period products. Dignity operates a "Buy one, give one" model for period products where corporate partners provide sanitary items in bathrooms, and Dignity NZ donates the equivalent number of boxes to those without access to them. To date, Dignity has donated more than 29,000 boxes of period products to 130+ schools, youth organizations, and women's support groups across New Zealand, supporting over 37,000 women. Jacinta led the Positive Periods campaign which resulted in the government committing to free period products for students in NZ. She's the Partnership Manager at FlexiTime, supporting their partners and enterprise clients. She's a First Foundation mentor and lends her experience to grow the startup ecosystem. She's also an Edmund Hillary Fellow, Women of Influence Young Leader Finalist 2018 and 2020, and Sustainable Business Network Change Maker Finalist 2020. Jacinta and her Co-Founder launched Dignity in February 2017 when they were just 21 after they came up with the idea for the social enterprise the year before while at a business boot camp. In the beginning, they were the only part-time employees as they worked in other full-time jobs but eventually, they hired two part-time employees. Later on, Jacinta took on the role of general manager full-time for six months and then hired someone else to take on the role. Jacinta believes that the hardest thing in growing a small business is believing in yourself and being the person that has to lead and take charge and that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "Believe in yourself and go for it" Join me and Jacinta as we dive into her impactful small business ownership journey. This Cast Covers: Providing organic period products to women in different workplaces. Attending the business boot camp where she and her co-founder came up with the business idea. From 10 boxes when they were starting out to the 3,000+ boxes they do today with 37,000 people impacted. The joy of hiring people to help with their operations. Being an impact organization and building all their goals on that. How powerful email newsletters are as a marketing tool. Funding the business from their corporate partnerships and selling packages. Hiring a sales coach to help them figure out their target market and build a better sales strategy. From hand-delivering products to Ubering them, to then having a storage unit and a courier company. The success of creating something out of nothing that people buy and use. Getting through the challenge of navigating the effects of the pandemic. Why every small business owner must know and understand their business's financials. The importance of having regular meetings with the team to talk about the business and each team member personally. Why achieving work-life balance is all about boundaries. Having a board of directors helping with the growth of the business. Being comfortable with being the person to lead and take charge as a small business owner. Additional Resources: Dignity New Zealand (NZ) The Ride of a Lifetime By Bob Iger Masterclass with Bob Iger Canva Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Simon Smallchua, the Co-Founder at Harvey, a strategic marketing team and certified B Corp that helps conscious businesses grow, that is, businesses who are positively impacting one or more of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They create marketing strategies, implement and manage them, develop content, crush data, build websites and tailor messaging to get businesses where they want to be. Simon got his first taste for business at age 9 and by age 19, he had started his own digital agency, helping small businesses set up their brand and digital marketing. He grew it to a team of 10 with 130 clients and sold it in his 20s. He then joined Melbourne-based agency Isobar as a marketing strategist and over eight years helped build the agency's capabilities in analytics, social and experience design, and helped grow the team from 60 people to 350. Making the jump from agency to client-side, he headed up a global marketing team for a high-growth software and data company where he spent his days growing their US customer base. His wife started Harvey in 2019 and Simon joined her soon after. In their first year, they made $300,000+ in revenue and doubled it in 2020 despite the pandemic. They always make sure they spend 10% of their time managing the business and 90% working with their clients and make a point of donating 5% of their revenues to charity. Simon says the hardest thing in growing a small business is balance and that the one thing he would tell himself on day one of starting out in business is, "Take your time and grow slowly" Get ready for some world-changing inspiration that may make you wanna be more impact-driven with your business. Enjoy! This Cast Covers: Operating as the dedicated marketing team for impact-oriented and conscious businesses. The great opportunities that come with focusing a business on one area of expertise. Being the jack of all trades of marketing for businesses and how they eventually move out so the businesses can manage their own marketing. The career and entrepreneurial journey that led him towards starting Harvey. How things changed when they decided to focus on impact. Initial focus on keeping their team at only the two founders so they could stay close to their clients. Building relationships, mastering wealth building, and why happiness is not about money. Aiming at moving his time to be three to four days a week of work so he can work on more impactful projects. Being clear on your difference and niche, and tailoring everything to your target market. The beauty of a consulting business: Funding their business from savings but sustaining it purely from project revenue. Lessons he learned about cash flow from hiring the wrong people. Juggling long workdays and dealing with the times when he drops the ball on a project. Having clarity on where they deliver value so they can charge correctly for a product or service and not overdoing it. Why small business owners should master prioritization versus urgency. What B-Corp's are really all about. The importance of building a culture founded on trust and authenticity. Additional Resources: Harvey Screw Business As Usual By Richard Branson Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Kaila Colbin, the co-founder of Boma Global and the CEO of Boma New Zealand. Boma is a global network of local partners offering transformational learning experiences to help us be more intentional and intelligent about the future we're creating. Kaila is also a co-founder and trustee of the non-profit Ministry of Awesome and has served on many boards, including as Chair of the Board of the New York-based Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts and Deputy Chair of ChristchurchNZ and CORE Education Ltd. She spearheaded the hugely successful SingularityU New Zealand and Australia Summits, introducing more than 2,500 people to exponential technologies and their impact on humanity. After training with Brené Brown, Kaila became a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, and has worked with hundreds of people to increase courage as a core competency. She is also a certified ExO consultant, a Climate Project Ambassador who trained with Al Gore, and a Project Management Professional. She is a renowned national and international public speaker, sought after by corporates, government agencies, industry groups, and more. Before co-founding Boma, she spent 10 years running TEDxChristChurch, one year running TEDxScottBase in Antarctica, four years at SingularityUniversity before bringing it to New Zealand. They publicly launched Boma in mid-2018 when she was 45. They started with three full-time employees and now have eleven. Globally, they started with Boma New Zealand, Boma France, and Boma Germany. They have since grown to ten country partners as well as added many more partners in other areas of the organization. Kaila says the hardest thing in growing a small business is keeping the faith and shares that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "Be patient and give yourself grace" If you really wanna learn how to succeed in growing your business, this is one episode you won't wanna miss. Enjoy! This Cast Covers: Helping people be more intentional and intelligent about the future. Revenue generation: Fees people pay to attend their program, sponsorships, and ticket sales for their events and now working on creating packages. Working with global organizations that are changing the world. From in-person delivery of services to going online since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Training with Brené Brown to be able to help people increase courage as a core competency. Growing from three team members to eleven, and from three country partners to numerous more partners in different areas. Why every startup small business owner must embrace hustle and opportunism. The pride of achieving a Net Promoter Score of 75 and the challenges that come with raising capital. Getting venture capital funding for Boma Global and the individual funding that goes into the different Bomas globally. Building the kind of leaders that the future needs. The importance of small business owners understanding what it means to have unearned revenue. Learning to have more patience with her team and create more space for them to grow. What she enjoys most about growing a small business. Embracing forgiveness in order to achieve resilience in business. Explicit and intentional culture versus emergent and by-default culture. How having a family made her a more effective leader and helped her attain some work-life balance. Additional Resources: Boma Global Boma New Zealand Dare to Lead™ Built to Last By James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras Good to Great By James C. Collins The E-Myth By Michael E. Gerber Dare to Lead By Brené Brown Dare to Lead Podcast Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Joe Cook, the Co-Founder, and general manager of Adelaide-based Riot Wines, the only business in Australia that exclusively sells wine in kegs and cans. Joe started out working for Keg Star, a keg rental business that grew fast in Australia and expanded into New Zealand and the UK. While they were researching the market potential in the US for Keg Star, they came across wine on tap and decided to launch it in Australia because no other wine business was doing it. Keg Star was sold before they could do that so he and his co-founder, Tom O'Donnell (The Winemaker), started Riot Wines in 2016 to implement the idea. Combining investments from a few friends with their own personal funds, they started by producing 14,000 liters of wine in 2017, and by March 2021 they expect to produce 1 Million liters. Due to the capital-intensive nature of the business, they did two cash raises in year two from high net worth individuals. A year later, they were acquired by Carlton & United Breweries and stayed on to help with the operations. Joe and Tom were the only full-time employees when they started out and three years in, they had grown that to 10. Joe says the hardest thing in growing a small business is cash and resilience, and that the one thing he would tell himself on day one of starting out in business is, "Keep punching no matter what" Stay tuned and make sure you take notes as Joe shares his great wisdom with us. This Cast Covers: Their huge differentiator in the traditional wine market and why they don't have a market in the festivals and events space. The tons of research they did in the US wines market to come up with their own innovative way of packaging their wine. From working for a keg rental business to starting his own wine on tap business that naturally evolved into wine in cans. Producing 14,000 liters of wine in their first year and the expected production of 1 Million liters by March 2021. Growing from the two co-founders only to the current ten full-time employees. Buying grapes from local growers and making their own wine from scratch to ensure that they keep to their core pillar of not putting too many preservatives in it. Successfully exiting the business and looking forward to ordering Riot from a bar 25 years from now. The challenges they had trying to figure out their target market. Why their product has lower preservative, lower sugar, and is more sustainable. Saving 23,000 glass bottles from landfill: The positive environmental impact of their packaging choice. Funding the business with investments from himself, his co-founder, a few of their friends, and a year later from two cash raise. Exiting the business three years later and enjoying the cash in. Embracing potential competition in the wine on tap industry. Understanding the heartbeat of the business by focusing on being more informed about the numbers. Developing and maintaining objectivity when running a small business. Understanding that culture is intentional in order to get it right. Work-Life balance: Drawing a line between when one is working and when they're not, and the challenges that come with it Lessons learned from the acquisition process they went through. Additional Resources: Riot Wines Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Vivian McKinnon, the Founder and Managing Director of Hydro-Ease, Northern Ireland's only dedicated floatation centre. She is also the founder of Wellness Consultant and the regional coordinator for SMART Recovery UK. Vivian is committed to reducing the impacts of trauma and related symptoms using the latest approaches in neuroscience in unison with floatation therapy, developing Reconnection and Floatation Therapy (RAFT) her own unique approach to healing. An inspirational and creative therapeutic practitioner, an authentic and engaging trainer and international Public Speaker Vivian firmly believes RAFT is the perfect antidote to our modern frenetic world. Having almost three decades of lived experience of adverse childhood experiences, trauma and addiction she was introduced to floatation for the first time in 2004. After having a very profound and enlightening experience she was keen to understand what had taken place. When the owner/operator of the float center could not provide the answers she sought she decided to find out for herself, this saw her returning to education and training alongside some of the most fascinating minds in the world of the modalities she has studied. Working with leaders to vulnerable and disengaged young people throughout the Charity and Voluntary, Public and Private sectors across Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 2004, she came across floatation when she was in recovery from trauma, addiction, and seriously compromised mental health going back to her childhood experiences. When she moved to Northern Ireland she realized there was no floatation center and so decided to open one in September 2015 and within the first six months their turnover was £24,500. In 2016, their annual turnover was £60,000 which more than doubled to £126,000 in 2020. She started out as the sole full-time employee and currently has 6. Vivian feels the hardest thing in growing a small business is keeping in the present, and says that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "You've got this. Get in there and smash it, girl!" Get ready for some small business ownership inspiration. Enjoy! This Cast Covers: Offering trauma recovery for 40% of people in Northern Ireland who live with the impact of trauma from the legacy of past troubles. Combining 25 centimeters of body temperature water and half a tonne of Epsom salt to help people recover from trauma. Her history with trauma and how she transitioned from the charity and voluntary sector to start Hydro-Ease. The lifestyle changes that have over time caused increased trauma in our bodies. £0 to £24,500 in the first 6 months and doubling it to £60,000 in annual year: Hydro-Ease's growth trajectory. Growing from being recognized as a commissioned service by the Department for Health and the Health and Social Board. Moment of success: Standing on stage at the 16th Annual Mental Conference and giving a lecture on mental health. Thriving in marketing by understanding your audience, finding out where they are and using that to target them. Combining her savings and some personal debt to fund the business. How managing the fast growth of the business challenged her. Working with anyone she wants and knowing that she doesn't have to do everything in her business. Vivian's core hiring tip for small business owners: The person who does best in an interview isn't always the best person for the job. Continuous engagement with employees and embracing their ideas for the business. Why every small business owner should work on their mindset to grow their business. Additional Resources: The Tipping Point By Malcolm Gladwell The E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Mark Horstman, the Co-Founder of Manager Tools LLC, a management consulting firm that regularly provides consultancy and training to managers in Fortune 1000 companies around the world. He also co-hosts a podcast also called Manager Tools, which has millions of downloads a month and has won tons of awards, being named the world's best business podcast. Mark is an incredibly accomplished business leader and personality. He is a United States Military Academy graduate (West Point) and former US Army officer. He was previously a manager and executive in sales and marketing at Procter & Gamble, and has been coaching and training managers and executives since 1988. He came on the show to talk about the behaviors that matter when it comes to being a good manager and delivering the expected results at all times. He says the hardest thing in management for a small business is deciding to spend time on management issues and internal issues, and that the one thing he would say to a small business owner who is starting out in their growth journey is, "Focus on customers. It's all customers" Please listen to enjoy all that Mark has to share! This Cast Covers: Working with other people and paying attention to their ideas to really succeed. His backstory: From the Military academy, serving in Hawaii, doing special forces work in South America, to killing it in sales at Procter & Gamble, and now coaching and training managers. The power of data and how it has enabled them to be the best at what they do. Focusing on changing the behaviors of individual managers to inspire change in companies from within. Leveraging employees' strengths instead of trying to fix their weaknesses. How managers can deliver great results by engaging in the right behaviors, developing trust, and talking to their people about their performance. Improving your management abilities by hiring better instead of hiring fast. The two main reasons for a manager to fire somebody. Doing over 12,000 interviews as a recruiter for big companies and organizations. Mastering the three powers in the workplace: Role power, relationship power, and expertise power. Why it's critical for every manager to be great at feedback. How powerful being a better manager can be for a small business. The importance of small business owners spending more time on developing a management structure. Some of the best management training programs that Mark would recommend. The correlation between success and being a nice and kind person. Focusing on customers and being conscious of the fact that all results happen outside a small business. Additional Resources: Manager Tools LLC The Manager Tools Podcast The Effective Manager By Mark Horstman The Effective Hiring Manager By Mark Horstman The Innovator's Dilemma By Clayton Christensen The Effective Executive By Peter Drucker Execution By Lawrence Bossidy and Ram Charan How to Win Friends and Influence People By Dale Carnegie Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Laura Bell, the Founder, and CEO of SafeStack Academy, a boutique cybersecurity company with a team that now stretches across New Zealand and Australia. With over a decade of experience in software development and information security, Laura specializes in bringing security survival skills, practices, and culture into fast-paced businesses and organizations of every shape and size. An experienced conference speaker, trainer, and regular panel member, Laura has spoken at a range of events such as BlackHat USA, Velocity, OSCON, Kiwicon, Linux Conf AU, and Microsoft TechEd on the subjects of privacy, covert communications, agile security, and security mindset. Laura started SafeStack from a shared workspace back in 2015, aged 30 and with just $300 in startup capital. The business is currently focused on its online educational platform, which they launched in July 2020. Five months in, they had about 4,000 learners and were generating $280,000 in annual revenue with expectations to reach $1 Million within a year. She was the sole full-time employee when she started the business and now has 8 full-time employees after peaking to seventeen a while back. Laura says the hardest thing in growing a small business for her has been trusting their journey to be different from other companies without focusing on what the other companies were doing. The one thing she says she would tell herself on day one of starting out is, "Believe in yourself more, be confident, don't sweat the small stuff, and don't let your anxiety get the best of you" Prepare to be blown away by Laura's small business growth wisdom. This Cast Covers: Cybersecurity consulting for growing businesses and those that may not have their own internal security team. Generating revenue from the consultancy services and online educational platform. Rate quitting her job to go out on her own and fix everything she couldn't fix before. Focusing on the online educational platform that they launched in 2020. From 0 to 4,000 learners within 5 months of being in operation and currently generating $280,000 a year in revenue which is projected to reach $1 Million. Giving time to ideas and opportunities that may not seem worthy in the present. Bootstrapping the business from the beginning and their current funding round. The valuable hiring lessons that Laura has learned over time and how it has positively impacted her business. Discovering that sales in cybersecurity are based on emotion and shared values. The power of being authentic to herself and finding confidence in her style of management. Navigating the roller coaster that is fast growth in small business. Overcoming challenges, continuous learning, and enjoying the flexibility that comes with being a small business owner. Scheduling your fitness time and health activities as if they are your most important client. Having success with hiring people who are outside her bubble and hiring through a recruiter. How she struggled with work-life balance in the beginning. Reading a lot on management, communication, and habits for her professional development. Additional Resources: SafeStack Academy Thinking, Fast and Slow By Daniel Kahneman Atomic Habits By James Clear The Gift of Imperfection By Brené Brown Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/