Grow A Small Business Podcast

A few months ago Brendan stepped down as General Manager (GM) of Hobart Brewing Co. (HBC), but remains a Director and shareholder. He knew the next chapter of growth the business needed was going to require different skills and experience to what he had, and some fresh blood. In late 2014 Brendan met co-founder and Head Brewer, then they brought on-board three other founding shareholders to set up a brewery and bar near the beautiful Hobart waterfront. Being the first tenant at the government-owned land under massive redevelopment over the next 10 - 20 years, Macquarie Point, has been great for the business but also provided challenges. Punters not knowing HBC is located in a rusty old abandoned rail yard behind a large hotel meant a solid marketing plan, and great execution, was needed to fuel their amazing growth. HBC sells its award-winning beers around Tasmania, a little in Melbourne and a lot at the bar - especially when live music, comedy and other events are on. This cast covers: the challenges of running a fast-growing and complex business that operates 7 days a week, has multiple sales channels and operates a production space on the edge of their bar; left delegation and focus a little too late; putting your ego aside and knowing when you have taken your role as far as you can, and what is best for the business; importance of marketing, especially when your bar is in a challenging location; how around five hours a week of professional development helped grow in the diverse role of general management; the importance of changing your leadership and management style to get more from your team. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

In a humble interview Matthew shares how he was kicked out of university, after some time off in the Tasmanian wilderness got back then took 6.5 years to complete a four year degree to become a pharmacist. In 2005 he started working in a pharmacy in Launceston, Tasmania and soon after was invited to buy-in. Taking on considerable personal debt to do so, Matthew and his three business partners then grew the pharmacy from $800k to $21m in annual sales with 25 team members, before selling out in 2017. This cast covers: how leveraging expert coaches and advisors added millions in value to the business; the old chestnut of a small business owner finding it hard to delegate early-on, then wakes up; how to pivot and tackle a fierce, savvy, new competitor entering your market; the importance of continual learning - keeping your own professional development up; using mentors and your own informal network to seek advice from; why knowing your numbers, and only a handful, to truly monitor are key to growth; one thing they would do differently if they were selling again; and staying focused and positive is crucial during such phenomenal fast growth. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Importer furniture business in Tasmania has three stores and up to 30 team members, up from an original eight. In 2004 Charles Beaumont took over running the business from his parents, soon after his father became ill and passed away. This cast covers: how our ego can get in the way when leading a business; smarter methods to fund growth; humble leadership; transitioning a family business from one generation to the next; how Charles manages the small business from afar. He and his family are currently based in the beautiful Byron Bay area - over 2,000 kilometres away from his team and three stores. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Our 30 minute weekly podcast helps you, a small business owner with 5 to 30 team members, take your company to the next level. The Grow A Small Business community, weekly cast, blog and leadership email supports leaders get through the pain of growth. With insights, lessons learned, books and tools as well as habits these experienced small business owners suggest you develop our interviews unearth tremendous value for anyone wanting to grow their business with less stress. Your business can be anywhere in the world, in any industry. Our teachings are not targeted at one type. Rather, we focus on the pain most small businesses go through during the growth phases. That pain comes from having an unclear vision, a confusing strategy, the wrong people, the team unaligned with the strategy, shit management, no or poor communication and tardy execution. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)