The Mentor with Mark Bouris

Guy Saxelby was a successful charted accountant prior to founding his business Earlytrade, when a trip to New York and a chance blizzard there, changed the course of his career. As an accountant, Guy saw first-hand the strain that late payments could put on small businesses - if they’re not paid on time, they can’t hire, they can’t invest, and they can’t buy the things they need to grow their businesses. So, he came up with an idea to connect suppliers with corporate clients and allow them to offer discounts for early invoice payment.Guy’s mission is to fight for little businesses to get the same benefits that big businesses have always had, and now, over 36 thousand businesses use the Early Trade marketplace for cash flow and working capital. I ask Guy how he managed to build the largest early payment marketplace in the Asia pacific region, and how he can turn chaos, whether in the market place or in his own mind, into something hugely beneficial. Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Steven Marks landed a job as a hedge fund manager at a top Wall Street hedge fund at just 23 years old, he thought he had it made. But by 30, he was burnt out and ready for a fresh start, so he booked a one-way ticket to Australia with a dream of starting his own business. 17 years on, he’s the co-founder and CEO of Guzman y Gomez, the Mexican casual-dining chain that had its origins here in Australia.Since starting the business back in 2006 in Sydney, it’s expanded across Australia, Singapore and Japan, with plans for expansion into the US this year.I ask Steven how he transformed Guzman y Gomez from a loss-making fast food chain to a $300 million empire, how he managed to keep the drive to open new restaurants when he was losing money, and why good company culture and team rapport is so important to the success of the business.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chairman of Raiz Invest Australia, Tony Fay, has worked in financial markets since the 80’s, where he held senior positions for several leading investment banks and stock broking firms. Through having his own kids, he saw first-hand how difficult it was for them to save and invest, so Tony jumped at the opportunity to make a difference by starting a business that provides the millennial customer a platform to invest and save, with very small amounts of money – we’re talking as little as $5. Raiz can round up transactions from your bank account and invest the 'spare change' for you; so if you buy a coffee for $3.50, Raiz can round up the transaction to $4 and put the extra 50 cents straight into your Raiz investment account, so that even those on modest incomes can start investing.When the business launched in 2016, they had 3-million dollars of funds under management – now that’s grown to 480-million dollars. I ask Tony how watching his own kids struggle to save and invest their own money drove him to launch the business, why creating their easy to use app has changed the game for young investors and how he’s trying to level the playing field with the big banks.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Model turned “Skintrepreneur” Ryan Channing was living in Paris and pursuing a career in law, when a chance trip to Japan changed the course of his life. While there, Ryan was introduced to activated charcoal skincare products and was inspired to start his own activated charcoal skincare business, The BLAQ Group. Within just a few months, the business was inundated with so many orders that Ryan moved back to Australia to work on the project full-time.Since then, he’s created two more brands under the BLAQ group; Generation Clay and Flight Mode. I ask Ryan how he bullet-proofs his business through various systems and processes, and how seeding his product to influencers around the world and communicating directly with his target market, has made BLAQ the success that it is.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blair James grew up understanding the power and value that Aussie brands have abroad, when at the age of six, his dad moved the family over to the UK to set up shop selling Aussie products. Three years later his dad’s business went under, but Blair’s love of brands and passion for innovation was born. Since then Blair’s made huge waves in the billion-dollar beauty industry with his globally successful self-tanning business, Bondi Sands.Today it’s the number one self-tanning brand in Australia and NZ, with over 60% of the market share as a self-tanning brand. I ask Blair about how watching his dad’s business go under shaped him, why it’s so important to have a strong sense of brand messaging, and what it is about Aussie products that the global market gravitates to.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Changing the game for digital marketing in Australia, Sabri Suby launched his digital marketing agency, King Kong, at the age of 27. He’s now on track to turn over 18 million dollars this year. The secret? Sabri promises his clients results, which means if his staff don’t hit their client KPIs, they don’t get paid. I ask Sabri about why he introduced this unique performance guarantee structure, what you should be looking for when building a digital marketing strategy for your own business, and how Sabri’s entrepreneurial journey all started as a kid growing up in Byron Bay, grinding peanuts for some extra cash.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Lawyer turned funtrepreneur” Sarah Davidson was busy climbing the corporate ladder when she started a side hustle with her now husband Nic – a tea business called Matcha Maiden. Within just a few months, they were inundated with so many orders that Sarah quit her office job to work on the project full-time. But over the last few years, Sarah’s personal brand has also become a focus, with her Instagram page Spoonful of Sarah attracting 70k+ followers. She’s also got a podcast of her own, called Seize the Yay. I ask Sarah about how growing up as a professional ballerina taught her the discipline she needed to start her own business and how she’s developed her ability to pivot time and time again throughout her career.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After seeing his sister struggle to buy a home, former Olympian swimmer Grant Brits launched Superestate, the first and only retail super fund in the country to invest in residential property. The concept allows young Australians to get a foot in the property market, while also putting a roof over their future. I ask Grant about how he brought his unique idea to life and how the many hours slogging it out in the pool, have influenced his drive and work ethic in his business today.**** TAKE OUR 2022 SURVEY  Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube.Want to grow your business and stay ahead of the pack? Access Mark Bouris' Masterclasses.Got a question or comment for Mark? Send an email. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Tulloch started Farmer Jo with his wife Sally in the kitchen of their home. Then, a chance encounter lead to the couple supplying Qantas first and business class with their product - and their overnight success. Now, the brand is stocked in 4500 supermarkets, health food stores and cafes across the country. I ask Scott about how his background in the food industry meant he was in a unique position to spot upmarket foods taking off a decade ago and how he jumped on the rising tide. Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this week is proof that you don't need a university degree to succeed in business. A few years ago, inspired by his son's allergy to traditional bandages, James Dutton launched Nutricare, producing the world’s first 100% compostable, organic wound care solution. Now, they're stocked in 35 countries right around the world. I ask James how he went from leaving school at 16 to becoming to CEO of his own company and how working at JB Hi-Fi taught him everything he needed to know about how to get his product on the shelves.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.