Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, I interview Jon Stagg, the Founder/Owner of Atlas Cafe, The Stagg, and Hobart Mountain Bike Tours, all based in beautiful Hobart, Tasmania. After years working in banking and IT, in a blanket in the Wimbledon Common in London, where the Wimbles live, Jon and his wife decided to move back to Tasmania for more space and a better lifestyle soon after their first child arrived. In 2002, aged 32, they bought a small cafe restaurant in Hobart and sold it five years later. After a couple of years back working for the man, they got the small business itch again and in 2009 set up Atlas Cafe, and then in 2016, The Stagg, a successful cafe. With both cafes running smoothly and needing little of their time, Jon decided to start Hobart Mountain Bike Tours, which has had mixed success. Their funding was solely from their own savings initially, then a small bank loan for Atlas Cafe later on. Starting with 5 full-time employees in 2002, they now have around 20 in the team, and over $2 Million in annual sales, with most of that coming from the two cafes. Jon says a business owner should use a new employee's probation period to ensure they are a good fit, especially culturally, and employ the no dickhead policy. He admits that that has dramatically changed the way he manages people. He believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is, "Staff, Staff, Staff" and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Dont be scared, jump in with your boots on. You're going to make mistakes. Don't be scared to make mistakes. Believe in yourself. Do it". Listen in as Jon shares his years of experience in small business ownership, and I promise you you will leave wiser as you seek to grow your own small business. Enjoy! This Cast Covers: Leaving the IT and banking industry to venture into small business ownership. Succeeding in an industry that is tough to run well and make money from. Starting the mountain bike tour business and the extreme challenges they're currently facing. From turning over $300 when they started The Stagg, to the current weekly turnover of $20,000. Building a team of 20 full-time employees spread across their three businesses over the years they've been in business. The analogy of paddling in front of the wave and how it applies to business ownership. Gaining time freedom by successfully detaching from the daily operations of the businesses through setting up effective systems. Grappling with the low margins, dealing with a usually young staff, and the terrible staff retention rates in the industry. Bootstrapping at the startup stage, getting a small bank loan later on, and currently getting interest free funding from the government to set up a third (catering) business. The vision: Working on setting up a mountain biking lodge. Communication issues and the pain of letting employees down as a business owner. Investing in proper accounting and bookkeeping to add the greatest value to the business. The beauty of running a business in the hospitality industry for Jon. Learning to be more accommodating and understanding of his staff and how that has benefitted his business in the long run. The importance of keeping an eye on the numbers and having a probation period for every new hire. Getting the Guinness Book of World Records win for the most number of cappuccinos made within an hour. Attending coffee events and conferences to network in the industry and learn different techniques. The regret of spending too much time in the business focusing too much on the money. How to build a hospitality business and be able to get out of the day to day operations. Believing in yourself, not fearing mistakes, and going all-in on your dream business. Additional Resources: Setting the Table Podcast By Danny Meyer The Renegade Server By Tim Kirkland Winning Every Day By Lou Holtz Talking Tourism Freakonomics Small Business Big Marketing By Tim Reid 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 Christopher Stenhouse, the Co-Founder and former CEO of Switch Media, one of the world leaders in OTT (internet) content streaming. Switch Media designs, develops and delivers tailored IP video solutions for a diverse range of industries Christopher started the company back in 2006 when he was 43 with two other founders, just after quitting a mid-level management role at Telstra. Some of their 30 clients include Foxtel, The Australian Government (Including helping two Prime Ministers create videos for their campaigns), and AVC Media, who they built the original video platform for. 14 years on, they now have a team of 90, $15 Million in annual revenue, a growth of 20% to 30% per annum, and 4 offices across Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and the UK. He undertook professional development through negotiation training at INSEAD MBA, the number one business school in Europe. Before stepping down as CEO in 2018, he put a heavy focus on sales leadership, especially since the other founders had those skills. He emphasizes the need for communication in every business and recommends hiring people one likes over people with more skills because nice people can be trained. He believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is, "When you're small, you're nimble and quick to pivot, but as you get bigger, you need processes and structures. Find a way to handle your larger distributed team without losing your nimbleness." The advice he would give himself on day one is, "Focusing on what is important, not urgent, and stay alert to what's changing in your broader market. Be ready to pivot in case it does, and it almost definitely will." Stay tuned for more of his actionable advice on how to grow a small business into a hugely successful and profitable giant. This Cast Covers: Starting a worldwide successful online video B2B SaaS business. From mid-level manager at Telstra to taking on a lifelong interest and thriving at it. How their business survived during the global financial crisis. Growing the company from nothing to $15 Million in revenues over a ten year period. Expanding into international markets and establishing offices in those locations. Helping Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard create YouTube-style campaign videos and seeing a million dollars for the first time. Success in having a profitable business and a team that loves what they do. The efficiency in self-funding the business through personal savings and investments from family members. What Christopher would have done if he had a huge chunk of funding when starting out in business. The most stressful point in their small business growth journey. The importance of having a shareholders' agreement before starting out in a partnership business. Demonstrating consistency as a business owner and the impact that has on employees. Improving on his sales skills to contribute more to the company's overall success and the learning experience that it was. How a business owner loses contact with their team members when their business grows bigger. The difference between the business that a business owner starts and the one that they end up running. The value in recognizing the difference between an urgent task and an important one. Top HR Tip: Growing from zero to 90 staff by employing people they like. The role of communication in building a sustainable and kickass culture. Getting an MBA in France and being able to successfully apply it in business. The invaluable nature of having an independent board of advisors. The process of stepping out of the CEO role while still staying on as a shareholder. The power of a robust cashflow forecast in growing a small business. Focusing on the important tasks, staying alert to what's happening in the broader market, and being ready to pivot the business if the wind changes. Additional Resources: Negotiation Evolved By Filip Hron The Best in Corporate Negotiation Training INSEAD MBA 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 David Wise, a Co-founder, and Director at SFM Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd, a professional forestry business that provides forest management and consultancy services to a range of clients in Australia and New Zealand. David and his 2 partners started SFM back in 2001 when he was only 25. They were having a beer at the Uni bar and they decided to start a business instead of getting real jobs. With financial support from friends and family, and almost 20 years later, they have a team of 25 full-time employees, and 100 sub-contractors, and an annual turnover of $20 Million (projected to reach $30 Million in 2020). The company has two offices in Tasmania, one in Queensland and another in New Zealand. Two years after starting SFM, the three launched a risky but innovative subsidiary business called Hydrowood, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SFM that salvages Tasmanian specialty timbers standing underwater for decades in man-made hydro-lakes and creates timber products for bespoke joinery, furniture, and high-end architectural applications. They have one customer on the mainland that buys 95% of that unique product. The state government provided a $250,000 grant to test the Hydrowood idea and the Australian government a further $5 Million to take the venture to reality. The founders guard recruiting carefully with a no dick head policy and put their culture first (Hire smart, like-minded people as you can train them). David believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is, "Have the courage to do it, get financial management under control, and make sure you have something people wanna buy. The advice he would give himself on day one is, "Work hard, don't give up, and focus. Don't diversify, Specify" It's going to be a super insightful episode you won't wanna miss as David shares some of his business ownership wisdom. This Cast Covers: Starting SFM and coming up with the innovative idea for HydroWood. Pulling old trees out of dams and lakes to process them. Bootstrapping and growing the business organically for the last 20 years to reach $20 Million in annual turnover with a projected $30 Million turnover in 2020. From 3 full-time employees to 25 full-time employees and 100 sub-contractors. The business ownership success in being able to pay yourself and hire a team. Getting funding from the government, the three Fs, and holding stock. The fun and excitement of innovating and doing something that no one has done and made it work. Becoming a leading brand in the architecture/wood space, surviving through the global financial crisis, and doing well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most stressful points they had when they were starting HydroWood. Adopting some patience and learning not to micromanage people. The importance and challenges of keeping on top of logistics and financial management. Focusing on culture when hiring people and how it helps new hires fit into the company. Learning about discipline and decision making from taking a lot of aviation-related professional development. Taking a company directorship course and the valuable learnings of holding a chairmanship role. Growing your business by surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you. The power of focusing on one thing that you're good at. Additional Resources: Losing My Virginity By Richard Branson Small Business Big Marketing 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 Darren Lange, the founder and managing director of the Tasmanian Cask Co., one of the leading suppliers of casks to the Australian whisky industry. His entrepreneurial journey started in 2010 after 20 years in the wine industry and aged 41. He decided to go out on his own and form a company called Master Cask, which was on-selling casks coopered overseas solely to the wine industry in Australia. A cooperage manufactures the wooden casks or barrels that wines or spirits are aged in. A 3000+ year craft, it is still a very manual process to date. Starting out with one full-time employee, his mum soon joined him to help with the business administration and now his three businesses have a team of around 30, with just over 20 of those being expert coopers. In 2014, he formed the Tasmania Cask Company and a few years later acquired a customary competitor in South Australia now named Australian Coopers. He got money to fund his business from the 3Fs (Friends, Family, and Fools) until an investor bought into the business in 2015. That investment helped propel sales from 80 casks in 2012 to more than 20,000 in 2019, with 90% of those sold in the spirits industry. Darren admits that excellent communication, a kick-ass team, and an investment in R&D and innovation are at the heart of managing the three businesses' success. He believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is cashing in on people, and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Not to be hard on yourself. Take the time to celebrate the wins and celebrate them with the people around you. Remember when starting out, the bigger opportunity, the harder it will be." This Cast Covers: The first whisky in the Southern hemisphere to win the Best Single Malt whisky in the world and the impact that had. From representing coopers from around the world to owning his own cooperage producing barrels for various distillers of wine, whisky, and more. The age factor in starting his own business and his business ownership backstory. The cyclic nature of the wine industry, the challenge it presented for cash flow, and how he overcame that. Their current cask output: Growing from 80 barrels a year to over 20,000 barrels just for spirits. Investing and committing to continuous innovation in order to add a huge amount of value to the industry. Funding the business through support from family, friends, trade credit, and investors. Working with distillers to provide just the right application of oak in the maturation process to produce a great and effective product. The challenge of investing in oak in terms of holding up capital for long periods of time. Building the cooperage skill set in modern Australia and how the spirits industry helped in that. The importance of communicating with the staff on how the business is doing and making sure they share in the dream. Cash flow: The one thing that Darren enjoys the least about managing fast growth. Understanding the numbers and not being too hard on yourself. Darren's hiring tips and advice on how to build a kick-ass culture. 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 Cameron Sorsby, the CEO at Discover Praxis, an online career boot camp business that offers content, weekly meetups, mentoring, and project-based learning to entrepreneurial young professionals that Cameron started in 2014. Starting off with 14 participants, the boot camp has always focused on soft skills and mindset (not education for any specific role or industry) that expose them to most corners of the business so they can find and then hone their professional passion. At the end of the course, they're placed in fast-growing companies seeking talented young people with what they have coined as "Forward tilt" (Young professionals who want to add real value, have initiative, and a sense of urgency) At age 24, Cameron helped found the business, growing it from 4 full-time employees to 11 full-time employees within 6 years. With $12,000 for the 6-Month course, first-year revenue grew from $30,000 to around $1.5 Million in 2020. Since 2017, they've had over 100 participants a year and maintained a 90% graduation rate. The next stage of growth for them is ramping up their marketing while maintaining higher product quality aiming at reaching the 500 participants a year mark. Their funding was from bootstrapping for the first year and a half after which they took on $500,000 in investment in 2015. Cameron believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is persistence; the longer you go, the more likely you will survive and thrive. The advice he would give himself on day one is, practice patience. Stay tuned for more of his business growth insights. This Cast Covers: Helping young professionals become ninjas in their workplaces. The skills and mindsets that enable participants to become entrepreneurial employees. Working with companies that are willing to take a chance on young talent. Their multimodal course structure and delivering it online, through an alumni network and meetups. The number of fees they charge per participant and where the original idea for Discover Praxis came from. From 14 participants in year one to 100+ participants in 2017, and a projected 500 participants in 2020. Fine-tuning their offering and maintaining the quality while building on their marketing and sales. The importance of having the right talent and strategies for the business stage one is in. Focusing more on learning so they can have a tighter game plan. Constantly looking for the next challenge instead of getting caught up on the level of success. Falling in love with the day to day processes of everything and the great outcomes that can come from that. Getting a $500,000 seed round funding from small family offices. Dialing in on their customer service to create more value for participants. The most stressful point in his small business growth journey. Cameron's biggest mindset shift and how it helped him grow the business exponentially. The value in a small business owner having strong team management skills. Valuing and pursuing professional development. Additional Resources: Zero to One By Peter Thiel My First Million 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 David Vitale, the founder, and director of sales and marketing at New World Whiskey Distillery Pty Ltd (previously Starward Distillery), the makers of Starward whiskey. David left a distilling career in Tasmania and started the business in Melbourne around 2007 amidst the global financial crisis. Breaking many traditions in the nascent 15-year-old craft distilling industry, it took him three years to raise all the funds he needed to set up the distillery and get production underway. It was clear the business model was for a quality sub-100 dollar bottle of whiskey that lives in the sharing cabinet of a whiskey drinker, and it launched at $75 in 2013 when all Australian whiskeys were double the price. In that first year they sold less than 2,700 bottles and in 2020 will move more than 120,000 bottles. With enough stock going into casks each year, they have a close to $22 Million excise tax bill per annum. David moved the business from 1 full-time employee in 2007 to now 35, and with production capacity about to expand again, David highly values the key team members he brought along the journey starting with his first hire who is still there ten years after production began. Funding from investors and selling whiskey investment casks helped get the business through fast growth, tough times, and be well-positioned for the world's largest alcohol company with 18,000 sales reps in the US alone, to invest in late 2015. That bluechip investment helped them move to larger premises, increase production ten-fold, and get serious about export. David believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is letting go, and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Keep going. It's going to take a lot longer than you think, but you should still do it" This Cast Covers: Learning whiskey distilling from the godfather of Australian whiskey. Raising the first round of capital and how their whiskey took off globally. The absurdity of doing a great quality sub-100 dollar whiskey. Starting the distillery and waiting 3 years to start selling. 30 days away from insolvency and getting support from Distill Ventures. Moving to a new upgraded location and scaling up to ten times their original volume. The value of not having to worry about payroll and becoming the best craft distilled spirit in the world. Advocating for building relevance for Australian whiskey outside Australia. Relationship management at the distributor level and the importance of working on the ground. The challenge of shifting from maker's world to drinker's world. From 443 cases of whiskey in 2013 to 20,000 cases in 2020. What all around success looks like for David and the amazing awards their whiskey has won so far against some of the best in the world. Starting out with one full-time employee to grow over the last 10 years to 35 full-time employees. The diverse forms of funding that Starward has had. Losing his dad, having a baby, launching a brand, and overcoming stressful challenges with the business. Making hard decisions for successful cash flow management. The most fruitful way of creating value and the power of meditation. Recruitment wins and losses, and the valuable lessons learned. Onboarding new employees into the company culture within 60 days. The regret of selling his previous e-learning business and the most valuable course David ever took. Having a coach who is ex-military/ex-Microsoft and how he helps him develop in his professional and personal life. Learning more about leadership and work ethic from a podcast than from any book he's ever read. Additional Resources: Good to Great By Jim Collins Built to Last By Jim Collins The Moment Podcast By Brian Koppelman The E-Myth 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 Phaedon Stough, the Co-Founder of Innovation Bay, the longest-running networking group for tech founders, startups, and investors in Australia. He's also the founder and non-executive director of MitchelLake Global Executive Search and Talent Acquisition, an executive recruitment firm he started back in 2001 with a fellow university friend, focusing on the tech startup space. Surviving a tech crack within their first year and the global financial crisis in 2008, it was the second global recession which formed the foundation for their fast growth. From 2 full-time employees in 2001 to more than 90 within fifteen years, and $80 Million in annual revenues across six cities in Australia, UK, Singapore, and the USA, Phaedon admits that they grew their number of international offices too quickly. Apart from an investor's $50,000 then another small injection for growth from their new chairperson, they have so far grown organically from profits. Phaedon exited the business operationally a few years ago but he's still a shareholder. They had a big focus on mental and professional development, helping them learn corners of the business they weren't strong in. He says he wouldn't go back into the industry or any other service-based business, and would instead begin a recurring revenue model like a software as a service (SaaS) product. Phaedon believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is finding product-market fit, and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Keep it simple", and pricing before anything else. Stay tuned to find out more about his fascinating entrepreneurial journey. This Cast Covers: Starting and growing MitchelLake global executive search and talent acquisition. How focusing on their core clients helped them navigate the tech wreck in 2001-2002. From two full-time employees to 90 within a fifteen-year period, and 6 offices in different geographical locations. Making money, building a team, and getting approached by clients. Being able to pick projects to do and receiving referral clients from the top five VC firms. How they raised startup funding and achieved organic financial growth. Avoiding service businesses and going more into a SaaS business. The stresses of having to downsize the business and focus on cash during the 2008 global financial crisis. Their quick expansion into different international markets and how he would have done it differently. The interesting challenge of managing people and his struggles with financials. The importance of an entrepreneur understanding why they want to go into a certain business. The impact of keeping really close to the customer and working with them. The difficulty for recruitment companies in recruiting their own staff. Building a kickass culture for all their six locations. The golden rule of startup businesses and how Phaedon invested in his own personal development. How he exited the business and the advice he would give anyone who is looking to exit their business. The value in using a project management platform and keeping it simple when starting a small business. Additional Resources: eBoys By Randall E. Stross Profit First By Mike Michalowicz Small Giants By Bo Burlingham Principles By Ray Dalio 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 John Groom, the founder and previous CEO of Acrodata. In 2006, aged 39 and a year after getting married, John jumped from senior corporate life and started his first business which specializes in document security and management in the small market of Tasmania, Australia. A year later, their first of three children arrived, and a year after that, the global financial crisis hit, causing his business to lose a new and large government contract. They however pivoted quickly to find new customer segments and recovered within three months, growing from 2 full-time employees to 9 when he exited the business nine years later, and at over $1 Million in annual sales. The business still continues to grow and be profitable to date. He admits that in the beginning he underestimated the size of the market for their services locally and would do a lot of things differently if he could redo it. John believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is funding and managing people, and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Strap yourself in. Be ready. Build your resistance. Look after yourself. Stay healthy. Expect bumps in the road and expect to make mistakes." Stay tuned to learn from his incredible entrepreneurial journey. This Cast Covers: An amalgamation of things he learned in senior positions at different businesses. Introducing digital workflow into government entities, businesses, organizations. Transitioning from a corporate career into entrepreneurship. There's no roadmap that's 100% in business ownership, one has to experience it hands-on. Running a business and taking care of a young family simultaneously. Being agile and innovative for a business to survive during a crisis. Creating the business ready for growth and achieving $1 Million in revenue and 9 full-time employees. The importance of a business founder paying themselves a cost-effective salary to allow for the business to grow from internal funds. The value of being a risk taker and having some self-belief while also taking the advice of more experienced advisors. The pride of achieving great milestones with the business and what success looks like. A business owner has to be totally involved and focused on their business. Taking on investment funds from friends and family, and no government funding. The most stressful moment in his small business growth journey. The challenges of entering business for the first time and proper cash flow management 101. Taking on an equity partner and how it can help take a business farther. Having a mindset of making tasks easier and more efficient no matter what the task is. Character versus technical skills when it comes to productivity and adding people to the team. Leading in creating a fun, decent, and tolerant culture that delivers excellent customer service at a profit. Networking, taking formal personal development, always having an open mind to learning, and surrounding himself with people smarter than him. John's experience and advice on successfully exiting a business. The hurdles of self-funding a business and the benefits of seeking funding externally. The power of proprietary software, Excel, and Salesforce in growing a small business. Additional Resources: No AssHole Rule By Robert I. Sutton The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck By Mark Manson The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho 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 Stephen Chetcuti, the CEO and Managing Director of Protegic, an Australian-owned independent project management delivery and management consulting company. He has more than 20 years of experience in small and medium enterprises, and his work has involved strategy formulation, commercial negotiations, corporate advisory, business development, and project management. His ability to define competitive advantages in new ways is unique, and he works with clients in a cooperative and collaborative fashion that enables them to implement the strategic insights. Back in 2006, he spotted two great middleware engineers who wanted to close down their company, and he became the third full time employee and shareholder by just leveraging sweat equity. With 17 mergers and acquisitions under his belt, his early decision to strongly focus the company on specializing in one niche in middleware really paid off. By late 2011, after five and a half years of solid growth, they had 88 full time employees, $14 Million in annual sales, 16% or $2.2 Million profit, and were listed on ASX at a valuation of $27 Million. Slicing off 20% of EBIT each year into profit share for their team and giving most of them shares, coupled with a big focus on culture and KPIs helped push sales to $20 Million per annum seven months after listing, when the founders' earn out was completed. Stephen believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is mixing cash investment against your own aspirations, and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Believe in yourself and stay the course". Stay tuned to gain value from his valuable insights on small business ownership and growth. This Cast Covers: The Vanguard Integration backstory, doing mergers and acquisitions, growing companies, and turning them around. How the business made money and the impact the 2008 financial crisis had on it. Managing employees like a sports team and creating a great culture. Overcoming challenges in 2010 and holding on to all their team members despite a 60% staff utilization. How the idea for the IPO came about, the processes they set up in advance to make it a success, and how it all came together. The moment he felt they had succeeded from both a CEO point of view and commercial point of view. Buying out the initial shareholders, financing the business' growth, and giving some equity to the staff. What he would do if he was in an ideal scenario of being a startup with plenty of funding. Losing 25 billable units in 2010 and not being an advocate for sacking people. Working on himself so he could add value to the business. Working out how to pay wages on every 15th of the month despite some clients paying in 90 days. The mindset shift of valuing the success of others as a team leader. The importance of a small business owner knowing their numbers and metrics. How to leverage the power of networks in having good people bring good people in. Getting his MBA before they took them out of cornflakes packets and investing in coaching courses. The hardship of a small business owner mixing cash investments against their own aspirations. Excel: Stephen's number one tool for growing a small business. Thriving in business no matter the challenges by believing in oneself and staying the course. Additional Resources: Porter's Five Forces Start with Why By Simon Sinek 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 Bill Welter, the owner/operator at Journeyman Distillery, a business that he was propelled to start by his passion for golf, not to mention the country of Scotland and a young entrepreneur from Australia. His business owner journey began after high school graduation when he and his father took a trip to Scotland. They traveled the country and played its famous golf courses. Welter, an accomplished golfer, was about to start a full-ride scholarship in the sport at Missouri State. His love of Scotland continued after college so much that he chose to return with an overseas work visa and find employment in a restaurant during the evening while playing golf during the day. That was when he fell in love with the age spirit and a few years later ventured to Tasmania, Australia to work and study world-class distilleries in the Island south of Melbourne. Returning to the USA, he found an old factory and bought, after which he and his wife opened a distillery there (one of 250 in the US back then. 10 years later there are more than 3,000 of them) With 4 full-time employees, Bill literally chased cars down the road to get customers to come in, 80% of whom would then ask, "What beer do you sell here?" Now in 2020, they have 95 full-time employees with a total team of 150 in the peak season which is 15% of the small 1,000 person town they're located at. In 2019, they saw 200,000 visitors come through their doors, hosted 110 weddings, have a successful restaurant, 11 rooms of accommodation, and a 30,000-foot padding green out the back paying homage to Bill's continued passion for golf. With their products sold through most states in the US, and some export markets, they're looking to add one or two more sites somewhere in the USA. Bill believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is access to capital and the advice he would give himself on day one is, "Don't be so hard on yourself" It's going to be quite a resourceful episode if you're for some motivation to keep you going in your small business ownership journey, so don't miss out! This Cast Covers: How he developed and combined his passion for whiskey and golf. Starting out in 2010 and focusing on quality (making the best product they could) and production processes. How craft distilling became a viable industry and how they had an unexpected growth in the industry. Growing up and working in the family banking business and how it influences how he runs his distillery. Learning a lot from the best distilleries in Tasmania and applying the knowledge in setting up his own distillery in the US. The impact that educating people on beer and distilling had on their growth. From chasing customers down the road and 4 employees to 200,000 visitors and 150 employees. Always looking forward, never backward despite his success so far. Growing the business with the idea of opening other locations and being a good partner to the community. Working on the business 15 hours a day every day for one year to bootstrap it to its current success. Letting go and not being involved in every aspect of the business, and how challenging it is. The importance of working on the "people" (employees) and always hiring the very best. Bill's biggest mindset shift in his small business growth journey. The number one habit a small business owner should develop and maintain. Making hiring people easier through a suitable vetting process The value of spending a few minutes a week with the key employees. Networking to build beneficial relationships and how capital presents a challenge for small business owners who are starting out. Growing a small business by encouraging open conversations of ideas among the senior management. Additional Resources: Principles By Ray Dalio Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/