Phil Scardigno knows A LOT about business. He began his business journey at the tender age of 23 in a family startup manufacturing innovative solvent free bitumen membranes. Today Axis Group has numerous businesses within its portfolio, including new online business Monsta for DIY enthusiasts, and Axis Constructions, a market leader in the construction and metal roofing and cladding industries. In today's episode of Be The Drop , we discuss entrepreneurship and startups, how important people are...
May 06, 2018•15 min•Season 2Ep. 87
As podcasting becomes a stronger and more widespread communication platform, I'm increasingly asked for my tips to help make the medium work for businesses. This is something I have in common with my guests this week, who I met last year, through the Adelaide Podcast Festival. As well as running this annual Festival, Liam Carter and Andy Martin co-Founded the Auscast Network, a network of podcasts that began on the back of their first podcast, also featuring Big Al, called The Badcast . Today, A...
Apr 29, 2018•20 min•Season 2Ep. 86
Voice and tone have incredible impact on the overall success of how your story is communicated. Your tone of voice is an expression of your company's values and way of thinking, and is something that should not be overlooked. My guest this week, Tamara Linke is an expert at understanding the power of voice. A professional voiceover artist and singer, her voice is her instrument. But it's really much more accurate to describe what she does as voice acting. She's a performer and a storyteller, so ...
Apr 22, 2018•22 min•Season 2Ep. 85
I am a storyteller. For as long as I can remember, I have loved the potent power of telling stories. But it wasn't until I was living in the outback mining town of Broken Hill, that I started to understand the much greater impact of storytelling. It was there, set against the burnt red earth, blistering sun and endless blue skies that I began my journey towards a realisation that storytelling is a vital element in all areas of our lives, including business. In today's episode of Be The Drop , I ...
Apr 15, 2018•17 min•Season 2Ep. 84
As consumers we now access increasing amounts of digital content, across more platforms and on more devices. How, when and by whom your content is accessed can now be tracked and analysed in many clever ways. Yet many businesses are overwhelmed when tasked with understanding data to improve communication. With a background in web design and digital strategy, Erica Stacey, founder of Scout Digital has built her business to help prepare her clients to do their best online. In a constantly evolving...
Apr 08, 2018•22 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Nic Kentish has turned a passion for storytelling into a business. Greenbanks Tours delivers personal, 'off the beaten track' tours in many regions of South Australia. But it all began with Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. In 1839, Nic's great great grandmother sailed on the Zebra to Australia from Europe, with 52 other families. They settled in Hahndorf, and set about establishing a farming region referred to at the time as "Adelaide's veggie patch". The pioneering women of Hahndorf had to walk ...
Apr 01, 2018•14 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Chester Osborn is a natural born storyteller! Known for his loud shirts, which he claims are a "good hangover cure", Chester started working in the family winery when he was only seven years old. Today, d'Arenberg has 130 years of winemaking heritage to its name, it is the largest biodynamic grower in Australia, and Chester is known as the visionary creator of the d'Arenberg Cube. In today's episode of Be The Drop , we discuss the importance of colour, the power of a story that is unforgettable,...
Mar 25, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 81
Edge Recruitment is South Australia's only specialist property and real estate recruitment agency . From identifying a gap in the market back in 1998, Jane Carey and her co-founder Gary Beesley have grown the business into a successful employer of two Directors and 7 members of staff. Her business success has come from hard work, a focus on building meaningful business relationships and by looking to value-add where possible. In today's episode of Be The Drop , we discuss professional developmen...
Mar 18, 2018•21 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Artificial intelligence fascinates me personally and professionally. From social media algorithms and facial recognition technology to messenger bots, the future of AI is already here. My guest this week, Matthew Michalewicz was "born into it". The son of an AI scientist, who has written several books on the subject, six year old Matthew spent time after school at the university where his father worked. The family would even attend artificial intelligence conferences while on holiday! Serial ent...
Mar 11, 2018•18 min•Season 2Ep. 79
This week's episode was recorded LIVE at the Adelaide Podcast Festival. Now in its second year, the festival is getting bigger and better. I was thrilled to again participate in a LIVE podcast recording at the Festival and was joined by the rambunctious Steve Davis of The Adelaide Show podcast. A big shout out to the awesome live audience for their support and for sharing their hilarious poo stories with us (you'll need to listen to find out what I'm talking about) I also have a quick chat with ...
Mar 04, 2018•20 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Plenty would say that social media and business have a reluctant relationship. But my podcast guest this week, Brent Hill, is a firm believer that brands should be as social as possible. And as human as possible. As Director of Marketing at SA Tourism Commission, Brent Hill is committed to promoting Brand SA overseas and interstate. Two years ago, Brent took the job with the mission to eliminate people saying, "there's nothing on in Adelaide." Already, he has seen South Australia listed by Lonel...
Feb 25, 2018•32 min•Season 2Ep. 77
This week's episode was recorded LIVE at the Fleurieu Film Festival, a grassroots festival built to support filmmakers, that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the Fleurieu region. Speaking to some of the event organisers and participants, we delve into the power of video storytelling. Video is a medium that we are very passionate about at Narrative Marketing, and our Chief Videographer Chris Warman is also the Technical Director and Curator of Fleurieu Film Festival . Now in its third year,...
Feb 18, 2018•19 min•Season 2Ep. 76
If you're wondering how to approach your content marketing , don't worry; you're not alone. Many people are overwhelmed by the number of channels and sheer volume of content they think is required to connect. Our approach is to create one central report that maps out the key elements of your content strategy, we call it the Gold Report because it's worth its weight in gold! One central location for all your critical content data, our Gold Report matches target audience(s) and content themes to k...
Feb 11, 2018•19 min•Season 2Ep. 75
If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur, you've probably typed into Google "how to run your own PR" at some point. This podcast episode will help you answer that question. Former journalist and founder of O'Rourke PR, Rebecca O'Rourke is an expert in helping people to tell their story through public relations. Over the past decade, Rebecca has worked with brands and entrepreneurs to get them seen, heard and remembered. In today's episode of Be The Drop , we chat about the evolution of m...
Feb 04, 2018•20 min•Season 2Ep. 74
Kylie Bishop has successfully founded and built two businesses. A problem solver by nature, 10 years ago she co-founded LBW co , to provide solutions around site contamination. She also solves problems for her clients through her second business, Incredible U , as a business consultant and mentor. Kylie is a Telstra Women in Business Awards winner, a mother of 5 and a firm believer in the value of business storytelling to positively impact your bottom line. In today's episode of Be The Drop , we...
Jan 28, 2018•24 min•Season 2Ep. 73
If you want to achieve real business growth, a strategic and up-to-date marketing plan is one of your most powerful tools. In this episode you will learn: > The critical benefits to creating and maintaining a marketing plan > Key data and insights that must be included > The importance of a compelling and detailed Executive Summary > Tips for kick-starting your marketing plan review In today's episode of Be The Drop , I talk about the WHY, WHAT and HOW of marketing strategy. I discus...
Jan 28, 2018•18 min•Season 2Ep. 72
Keeping on top of my small business accounting needs was something that used to cause me a lot of grief. Before I met Mitch Uzelac of MU Business Solutions and Edward Bernard of Formula Accounting , I often felt overwhelmed by the many tasks required to manage the financial aspects of my small business. I'm a communication specialist, not an accountant, and at times I felt completely bamboozled by those aspects of running Narrative Marketing. So I out-sourced. Mitch is a cloud bookkeeping specia...
Jan 14, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 71
It was a huge pleasure to interview entrepreneur and author, Matthew Michalewicz, as I am a big fan of his book Life in Half a Second . Life in Half a Second is described as the first "fact-based" formula for achieving success in life and business . Based on Matthew's two decades of research, it presents the five doors you must walk through to succeed, whatever your goals. But the book is not just a catalogue of academic references and scientific findings, it's also a collection of very personal...
Jan 07, 2018•20 min•Season 2Ep. 70
Today is a very special day, the very first day of a brand new year, so HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome to 2018! I'm going to cover some key things that will help us all put our best foot forward and start 2018 in the strongest possible way. In today's episode of Be The Drop, I open with an offer to help you smash your goals for success in 2018, I review key marketing lessons from 2017 and I make my predictions for marketing trends in 2018... This is my Kickstart 2018 version of Be The Drop Ready to ...
Dec 31, 2017•18 min•Season 2Ep. 69
First and foremost, I want to wish you, my dear listener a very Merry Christmas. I want to thank you for giving me the gift of your time by tuning in to my weekly episode. Your support is greatly appreciated. As today's episode of Be The Drop, is being released on the 25th of December, I want to take time to reflect on what Christmas means to me and also reflect on a business context for the festive season. Christmas can be all things, incredibly exciting and full of joy right through to a sad r...
Dec 24, 2017•16 min•Season 2Ep. 68
I was very excited about this week’s interview because I got to visit Paracombe Wines on a beautiful sunny day in the Adelaide Hills, and get some of my Christmas shopping done at the same time! Owner Kathy Drogemuller and her husband bought the land in 1983 after the Ash Wednesday bushfires. After discovering Paracombe’s 19th century viticulture heritage, they decided to give winemaking a go. Starting by selling a few cartons transported in the back of their car, to now transporting pallets of ...
Dec 17, 2017•19 min•Season 2Ep. 67
If you've ever experienced burn-out, you'll understand the importance of work life balance. My guest this week, self-confessed workaholic Amber Chapman, went through this and more before establishing herself as The Business Therapist and co-founding the work-space, Evolve . Amber's business journey has taken her from leadership operations roles in not-for-profits through debilitating illness, to self-employment and a commitment to honour the things she values in her work life. In today's episode...
Dec 10, 2017•17 min•Season 2Ep. 67
When I met Josh Cobb at Social Media Marketing World in 2015, I didn't imagine that two years later I'd be interviewing the 2017 Brisbane Entrepreneur of the Year (Marketing & Events) about how to build a business! Josh began his company, Stepps , with nothing more than a podcast microphone and a bucket load of enthusiasm. Three years later, it's Australia's leading digital marketing training provider for the real estate sector. In today's episode of Be The Drop , we take a trip down memory ...
Dec 03, 2017•27 min•Season 2Ep. 66
Are you a small business owner or staff member responsible for a certain degree of business development? Are you good at what they do but feel uncomfortable selling yourself and presenting to others? You are not alone. I often get asked how it is that I am incredibly comfortable when asked to present or MC at an event. So in today's episode of Be The Drop, I'm going to share with you why I am 100% confident to speak in public and I'll also share with you my 10 Golden Rules of Public Speaking tha...
Nov 26, 2017•21 min•Season 2Ep. 65
In Australia, the word 'sales' can sometimes have a negative connotation and yet, it is the foundation of building a successful business and the process by which customers can access products and services that they need or want. My guest this week, Paul Kitching , has mastered the skill of delivering positive sales experiences. An expert at selling, PK learnt his craft in the 1980's via excellent customer service and sales training at retailer, Country Road. PK then went on to have a distinguish...
Nov 19, 2017•23 min•Season 2Ep. 64
This week I chat with the inspirational Founder of You Legal, Sarah Bartholomeusz. Winner of the Telstra Business Women's Award after only 18 months in business, Sarah has also won a thought-leader award through Lawyers Weekly . Both awards recognise the change she has made in the way legal services can be delivered in Australia. Sarah's business journey began with being made redundant. She describes this as her "permission slip" to live a creative life. Now, with You Legal lawyers across Austra...
Nov 12, 2017•19 min•Season 2Ep. 63
This week's episode was recorded live from We Are Podcast 2017, in Brisbane. This annual event is in its third year and the line up is AMAZING! Included in the incredible smorgasbord of speakers, is the sensational duo, John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson from Entrepreneurs on Fire, the podcast which ignited my passion for podcasting!! So off course, I made it my mission to speak with them to get some value bombs from them, to share with you! There is a host of other incredible guests and I managed...
Nov 05, 2017•29 min•Season 2Ep. 62
Sasha Baranikov is an expert in storytelling to build trust. Co-founder and CEO of Uniti Wireless, she knows that stories are a powerful way to convey technical information and simplify it into relatable terms. When bringing a new product to market, you must tell the story of how it improves customers' lives. Uniti 's product is super-fast internet. Described by Sasha as "like fiber through the air", it meets a huge customer demand despite the competitive marketplace. And the business has seen r...
Oct 29, 2017•17 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Like me, Lisa Cook has always had a passion for business. Not only that, but she understands the role of storytelling in the boardroom. In fact, stories are an integral component of her boardroom training business, Get On Board . As Lisa was joining organisational boards from a young age, she witnessed how little support there was out there for brand new board members with little or no experience. So she founded Get On Board to deliver online education and development for current and aspiring bo...
Oct 22, 2017•24 min•Season 2Ep. 60
The importance of human connection in the digital world has come up a lot in Be The Drop, which is why in today's episode I review and summarise some of the key tips we've learnt to help you look your audience in the eye, digitally. I also review the key central component that will drive your ability to deliver successful online communication, that not only engages but also motivates and inspires your audience to take action; this critical component is, the strategy that underpins your digital c...
Oct 15, 2017•12 min•Season 2Ep. 59
