Wouldn't it be great if you could go back in time to tell yourself the things you know now! If you're at the beginning of your startup journey, this podcast gives you the benefit of experience from two top founders. Alex Louey is the founder of Appscore, the team behind Yarra Trams famous Tram Tracker app. Alex knew nothing about building apps when he went into business, but he knew all about project management. He recommends working with your strengths and surrounding yourself with people who c...
Dec 19, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 21
The best way to find out what's involved in starting a business is to ask a founder. In this podcast, we've done the asking for you, with two experienced entrepreneurs who are happy to share their secrets to success - and their tips for avoiding failure. Ben Sze is a Co-Founder of Edrolo, an educational tech company that is creating better outcomes for students. Ben points out several key things that fresh founders should keep an eye on - not least of which is time. There's a time management pra...
Dec 12, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 20
When things go wrong in business, it can feel like the whole year has taken a turn for the worse. Will things ever get better? These founders say yes! And while it may not appear that way at the time, every challenge in business is an opportunity to learn. Mia Klitsas & Jeff Gore are co-founders of feminine hygiene brand Moxie. Whlie they have solved the problems of tampons getting lost in handbags, they have created a few challenges for themselves that have been difficult to overcome. Mia a...
Dec 02, 2018•27 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Businesses connect directly with their customers through websites, apps, social media and anywhere else that will hold some well crafted content. The common thread among all these channels is words - words which can wield a lot of power! In this podcast you'll get a masterclass in the art of copywriting and a content strategy to put them all to good use. Georgina Laidlaw is a copywriting specialist with the experience (and pedantry!) of an english teacher. Georgina works with brands like REA, Ac...
Nov 26, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 18
One of the best ways to start a business is to create a solution to a common problem. Then, rather than trying to convince people to buy something they may not need, you can offer something of immense value. Ben Trinh is the founder of Life Ready Physio & Pilates. Fresh out of university, Ben realised there was a fundamental problem in the physiotherapist's business model. His solution has grown to 30 locations and over 300 employees in less than a decade. Demi Markogiannaki is one of the fo...
Nov 19, 2018•31 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Failures are part of the business journey, but it's nice to avoid them and even better to learn from the mistakes of others. In this podcast you'll hear how one man is using his experience at the bleeding edge of digital marketing to help shape the startups of tomorrow. Kristen Holden is the Startup Manager at MYOB where he helps founders to skill-up before they scale-up. He cut his teeth in digital marketing in the late 1990s before spamming was frowned upon and the holder of the most domain na...
Nov 08, 2018•11 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Podcasting offers businesses a way to connect with their customers that is personable and valued. It enables brands to reveal their personalities and provides consumers with useful information and entertainment. This podcast about podcasting outlines the key considerations in creating a podcast for your brand. Serpil Senelmis is the co-director of content creation agency Written & Recorded. As a journalist for hire with decades of experience in radio, television, newspapers and marketing, Se...
Nov 04, 2018•27 min•Season 2Ep. 15
If there's one thing entrepreneurs all agree on, it's failure. Some of us fear failure so much that it stops us from ever taking the first step in business. For others the promise of success is enough to get us over the line. In this podcast you'll hear from founders who have looked failure in the face and lived to tell the tale. Anou Khanijou is the Managing Director of Anouconcept, but she created her first business before the age of 18. Starting with a successful Thai restaurant, she then cre...
Nov 01, 2018•30 min•Season 2Ep. 14
There's a lot of nitty-gritty that doesn’t always come to mind when you think about building a business – technical, legal, marketing and more. In this podcast you'll hear how two successful founders navigated some relatively uncharted waters. Frunch Nazzari is the founder of Rooftop Cinema on the top of Curtin House in Melbourne’s CBD. Since 2003 Rooftop has been showing movies under the stars with the best views in town. Frunch shudders when he thinks about the moment in his mid twenties that ...
Oct 24, 2018•27 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Working with your family can be challenging, but incredibly rewarding. Afterall, who can you trust more than those people closest to you? In this podcast you'll meet two successful business operators who have taken their family businesses to the next level. Penelope Sattler is the General Manager of her family's golf course - Barnbougle Golf, which has been voted as the Best Australian Golf Resort. Penelope really likes her family and says business rewards are even sweeter when shared with them....
Oct 16, 2018•23 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Sometimes it takes a bit more than a spark to jumpstart a business. Putting your idea in action takes time, effort and money - but there's a few more tools at your disposal to get your startup started. Ben Cohn in a Co-Founder of TAXIBOX, the mobile self-storage solution that brings yellow cubes of joy to your front door. Ben did a lot of on-the-ground research to jumpstart his business. He explains his approach to making sure TAXIBOX customers always have a remarkable experience. Ben Stickland ...
Oct 10, 2018•27 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Women face more challenges than men when it comes to starting a business, but that doesn't stop them following their passions. Mini Latif is the Founder of Ottoman3. In this podcast she reveals that as a 7 year old she thought everybody grew up to run a business. At that age, she also came up with the original concept for Ottoman3. Kara Breadmore is the Founder of Ka'llure Jewellery. It was Jewellery that found Kara and became her passion. Kara explains how her business is not about making shiny...
Sep 27, 2018•31 min•Season 2Ep. 10
There comes a moment in every startup when the brand develops its own personality and characteristics, separate from those of the founder. The next challenge is to build it into a powerhouse brand. In this podcast you'll hear from a brand builder and a brand whisperer. Nathan Chan is the Founder of Foundr, the magazine that profiles entrepreneurs. Nathan started Foundr at the top by interviewing Sir Richard Branson - he then gave away that copy of the magazine to supercharge the Foundr brand. Si...
Sep 23, 2018•34 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Most startup founders build their business around their passion. Tech geeks build IT companies, food lovers open a restaurant, and social media addicts establish marketing firms. While your passion may fuel you to start your own venture, you need more than that to sustain your business and keep it going. Sheryl Thai founded Cupcake Central because guess what - she loves cupcakes! Her passion has risen out of her kitchen to 5 store locations across Melbourne with millions of cupcakes served and j...
Sep 16, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Building a business with employees involves culture. Good or bad, every organisation has one. Healthy cultures with engaged employees have more effective teams and better business performance. This podcast looks at how to keep culture from turning sour. Tristan White founded The Physio Co in 2004. 5 years later he had 20 employees and what he calls a great big mess. After addressing his organisation's culture, Tristan has grown from 20 to 150 happy, engaged and enthusiastic employees in less tha...
Sep 09, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In Masters Series we regularly bring you real-life stories from entrepreneurs and start-up founders. In this episode we turn the reality up a notch to bring you tales from the edge, with two people who had very different experiences during the GFC. Jamie Langham is the CEO of Absolute Immigration who help businesses and individuals migrate successfully. Jamie's business in Melbourne was going well in 2008, so he decided to put on a General Manager, and expand into Brisbane with an office and thr...
Sep 03, 2018•29 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Data is the key to modern business and there's so much of it about that the challenge is less about how to get it and more about how to process it all. Gary Tramer is the Co-Founder of LeadChat who are responsible for those little pop-up boxes on websites that ask if you need any help. Gary explains that he's now taking his experience with data in e-commerce and applying it to bricks and mortar retail - to provide more information about physical shoppers when they walk into a store. Simon Mathon...
Aug 26, 2018•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
While profit fuels a business, it's growth that is the real reward. Steve McLeod established his first company, Fire & Safety Australia in 2007. Today the business has revenues in excess of $10M and employs 150 people across Australia. Steve delivers a masterclass in how to grow your business. Rory Boyle founded Hampers With Bite with his brother Nick in 2004. It's actually one of a group of companies that the pair are Directors and Owners of, including Wholesale Promotions, Tastebuds and of...
Aug 16, 2018•41 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Getting your idea out there and into business is one thing, but how you take the next step to build it up can be a challenge. Hannah Vasicek is the Founder of the designer jewellery label Francesca. When she started selling her handmade designs at Hobart's Salamanca Market she had an idea that she might like to have her own shop one day. Less than 10 years later Francesca has a shopfront in Hobart and Melbourne with online sales going globally. Hannah explains her bumpy road to building the busi...
Aug 12, 2018•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Dreaming big for your business is a good exercise to prepare for that moment your startup takes off. What will be the biggest challenges? Andrew Hardwick founded strategic creative agency Hard Edge in his home 12 years ago. Today the award-winning business works with Mercedes Benz, Telstra and the National Road Safety Partnership. Andrew explains how he overcame the challenges in those early days. Joe Woodham is the founder of Torii Recruitment, specialising in finding the right team members for...
Aug 02, 2018•22 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Why work hard for somebody else, when you can work hard for yourself... and enjoy the rewards that come with that. It's the motivation that's launched many businesses, but the first step to leave the 9-5 takes a lot of courage. Emma Welsh was restructured out of a job when old friend Tom got in touch to suggest they start a business. Emma and Tom's is one of the most recognised juice brands in Australia, but their first batch almost didn't make it into the bottle. Emma describes the experience o...
Jul 26, 2018•28 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Software as a Service or SaaS tools can improve your time management and productivity. More importantly, they can be low cost or free and scaled to support your business as it grows. Former Google employee Soumya Rao Indurti founded Connect Labs to improve lives by empowering people to use the right technology better. Soumya says there's no point using a SaaS tool if it doesn't give you more time to focus on real relationships with people. Over the last 3 years Soumya's worked with almost all of...
Jun 22, 2018•23 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Marketing is about building relationships - to retain good customers and reach new ones in a way that encourages them to become repeat customers. This podcast outlines the key steps to building a community. Sarah Meredith is the Australian Country Director for Global Citizen, the movement that aims to end extreme poverty by 2030. Global Citizen has set itself a goal of building a community of 100 million and with 8 million working with them already, they are well on their way. Martina Hughes is ...
Jun 10, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
For many startups, stress is just one of the energies that keeps things moving along. But high intensity and high pressure can take their toll on the health of founders and employees. This episode is an opportunity to take time out for yourself and to pick up a few healthy habits to incorporate into your day. Omar de Silva founded business school The Plato Project to foster entrepreneurship with some good philosophies. He recommends mindfulness in the short term and over longer periods to spot d...
May 31, 2018•30 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Do you know your bitcoin from your ethereum, litecoin or any other alt-coin? Cryptocurrency has been here for 10 years and while many of us struggle to understand exactly what it is, investors and businesses are using it more and more. Teresa Truda is the CEO and Co-Founder of Chozun , the world's first travel and loyalty ecosystem powered by cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. With an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) only weeks away, Teresa explains the basics of cryptocurrency before introduc...
May 17, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The goal for many startups is growth - rapid growth, so success means they won't be startups for very long. Even if your startup grows slowly, there comes a time when you're not a startup anymore. Luke Hampshire is the co-founder of FlyAirly - think of them as the Uber of private jets. After launching, FlyAirly went global overnight, established a footprint in the UK and now they're about to break into South East Asia. Luke's little startup is maturing into a fully fledged business, but he aims ...
May 10, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been changing our lives for decades, but never has it felt more ubiquitous than now. From Siri to self-driving cars, AI is progressing rapidly and is becoming embedded in our everyday lives. Susie Sheldrick works with technology consultants Silverpond , who are empowering 7-Eleven, Powercor and Australia Post with AI. Susie reveals that we don't know how AI makes decisions and that's what makes it such an exciting field to be working in. Mark Chatterton is co-fou...
May 03, 2018•30 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Marketing your brand online is not as simple as setting up a profile in cyberspace - it requires strategic social impact activities that highlight your competitive advantages. Simon Mathonnet says forget about your logo, strapline and team colours. While those things are important, your brand is how your customers perceive your business. As head of digital strategy with digital marketers Splashbox , Simon works with hundreds of businesses to build powerhouse brands. In this podcast he highlights...
Apr 27, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The first five years of your business are the most crucial. They can make you or break you - and your business! Ruby Lee established Tribe9 to help funded startups, scale up. She says founders should get their hands dirty, but know when to delegate as the business grows. Ruby outlines 3 key things that all startups should be aware of in the first 5 years. Adam Stone is the founder and CEO of Speedlancer - the world's fastest freelance marketplace. Adam blew his pitch to Coastal Ventures in Silic...
Apr 19, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Most startup founders build their business around their passion. While that may fuel you to start your own venture, it takes a bit more to sustain your business and keep it going. Vanessa Vanderhaven is an illustrator who launched her own business a year ago and says don't be afraid to put yourself out there - you might just like the results. Sheree Rubinstein co-founded the women-led co-working space One Roof and recommends building a board of advisors around you - even if they don't realise th...
Apr 12, 2018•28 min•Season 1Ep. 4
