The Small Business Big Marketing Show | Insanely Effective Marketing Ideas

Busy mum-of-three Rini Lombard never dreamed about launching her own business, it was her ballet-loving daughter that inspired her to take the leap. Despite the toy manufacturing industry being highly competitive and saturated, Rini launched her line Ballerina & Me, confident that her dolls would bring joy to the whole family. 7000 happy customers later, Rini lives to tell us her success story. Want to know how a business is born out of an experiment with a broomstick? What’s it really like to be your own boss and live your passion? And find out the biggest mistake this small business owner has ever made... Yikes! Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.  Rini also shares: How she balances work and being a mum of three The importance of having someone believe in you How getting your name out there at the local markets is a great first step to success Why it’s critical to copyright your brilliant business idea That being a kind human will take you far in busines

David Silvestri considers himself the most passionate restaurant owner in Brisbane. And for good reason … Arrivederci Pizzeria is ranked #1 on Ubereats, his 150-seat dining room is full every night of the week and his 25 staff wouldn’t work anywhere else.   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.    David also shares: The importance of passion in business How important it is to follow and react to trends How a Vegan menu changes everything The importance of social media in business growth Why he works in every part of the business The critical role his late Father played in forming who he is as a business owners And plenty more …   “You gotta love business. Treat it as a game. Have some fun. Be competitive. I’m soooo competitive!” - David Silvestri, Arrivederci Pizzeria   Here’s what caught my attention from my c

Tie shop owner (and serial entrepreneur) Jeremy Chen was staring business disaster in the face when the global financial crisis lead to a huge decline in tie wearing. But instead of closing shop, he and his business partner made an ever so slight pivot thanks to one customer that walked in at the right time with a request they were destined to fulfill. “We’re on track for over $6M this year, with 10 people in Melbourne, over 5,000 SKUs and an average growth rate of 50% per annum for the last 7 years. Everything's heading in the right direction.” - Jeremy Chen, BePromotive   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.   Jeremy also shares: What he loves about small business Why he’s started so many businesses Why he decided to pivot and not shut down the tie shop What role marketing has played in each of his businesses A

Full-time student Phillip Kuoch fell into the bakery business by accident when his father fell ill shortly after buying the business. Luckily, with 24-hours in everyday, Phillip embraced the challenge and now he’s just launched a brand extension in a donut franchise … and who doesn’t love a donut?!   Here’s the email Phillip sent me requesting to be interviewed. It was a “Yes” from me straight away (Mainly because he was a long time listener ;0):   Hey Timbo! I've been a long time listener and I've applied a lot of the advice and stories from your show to my own business over the last three years and I feel like I should give back what I've learned to the SBBM community. Three years ago, I took over a bakery business and lost a lot of business due to my naiveness in taking on the challenge to operate the business without any baking experience. I met with a lot of hardships with the previous owners trying to sabotage me and with many new businesses opening nearby taking away our business. Fast forward

Peter Wells is the reason I do this show. Not him personally … but the type of person and business owner that he is, having steadily taken a small fishing tackle store from $660,000 in year one to its current $5M turnover after 9-years. Join me as he shares exactly how he’s done it. “The customer is always right until we have the chance to show them otherwise.” - Peter Wells, Davo’s It’s people like Peter Wells that inspire me to continue doing this show after almost 10 years. A small business owner, with an interesting story, who’s never been in the limelight and who’s effectively using some form of marketing to grow their business. Peter used to work on submarines … now he owns Davo’s Fishing & Tackle - a simple bricks and mortar business he bought 9-years ago - that now has three stores on Australia’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. He’s big on customer service, has a hunger for figuring out how retail works, is a lifelong student of personal development and has some great learnings (and stories) from his past

Clearly, SEO is a hot topic amongst small business owners.  Reviews of last week’s episode on SEO included: “Your best yet, Timbo!” And “The most practical marketing podcast I’ve ever listened to!” Well, strap in, because Dana DiTomaso (one of the world's leading SEO experts) continues to answer your most pressing SEO questions to set you up for a profitable year ahead.   Dana is President & Partner at Kick Point, where she applies marketing into strategies to grow clients' businesses, in particular, to ensure that digital and traditional play well together. With her deep experience in digital, Dana can separate real solutions from wastes of time (and budget).   “SEO Is great for getting people to your site … but if your site is boring then no one is going to want to buy your stuff. Spend time getting your website right before putting energy and resources into your SEO.” - Dana DiTomaso, KickPoint   Now, if you haven’t listened to last week’s episode 438 on SEO, then I suggest you do that first, as Dan

What’s the first thought that comes to mind when I say Search Engine Optimisation? Let me guess … is it “Frustration?” “Waste of time and money?” “Pain?” Do you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach at the mention of this geeky acronym!? Well, however you feel about SEO, it’s critical to your website’s and business’s success. And today I have all your SEO questions answered by one of the world’s leading experts on this very dark art.   Dana is President & Partner at Kick Point, where she applies marketing into strategies to grow clients' businesses, in particular, to ensure that digital and traditional play well together. With her deep experience in digital, Dana can separate real solutions from wastes of time (and budget). “It’s probably easier to start with what SEO is NOT! SEO has grown from being really specific, to now it covers every aspect of online marketing. The bottomline however to getting your SEO right is to start with the basics. So let’s talk about them first up.” - Dana DiTomaso, Ki

Leanne Faulkner launched Billy Goat Soap from her kitchen in response to her son’s eczema. By 2010 she had 20 employees and sold product in over 2000 outlets across Australia. By 2011 Australian retailing had slowed significantly, and this took a huge toll on her mental health. After some time off, she returned to work, selling the business a year later. Today, Leanne is a small business mentor and well-being adviser who has a deep passion for ensuring other small business owners don’t experience the same lows as she did. “It’s critical for small business owners to have some sort of interest that is not work-related. The minute you stop doing that because you just don’t have the time or concentration, that can be a red flag indicating your mental health is under pressure.” - Leanne Faulkner, Fortitude at Work There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe fr

Sir Richard Branson said, “Mick Spencer was a future business leader to watch”. Why? Because by the ripe old age of 27 years old, Mick Spencer had become a globally recognised CEO, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, and an investor. Mick is the Founder and CEO of On The Go, a multi-million-dollar, global e-commerce company that enables users to design and manufacture their apparel and accessories. I think you’re going to love this chat. Mick is on a mission to disrupt the world of sporting apparel, he’s built some incredible partnerships with the likes Wesfarmers (one of Australia’s biggest publicly listed companies), our PM was visiting him the day after this interview and his book launched a few days later.   “I was a young punk at university, and after volunteering at a youth camp in Hawaii teaching poorer kids sport and leadership, I realised I wanted to get i to something that got more young people in to sport. But I also loved the Internet and I loved merchandise and technology. And that’s how this dre

Sam Canning used to be a vegetarian. Now he’s one of Australia’s leading ethical butchers, running six very fancy butchers shops in Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs. His experience in ‘paddock-to-plate’ butcher-shops in the UK inspired him to open his first shop here in Australia - with a focus on animal welfare. In 2010, the first Cannings Butcher Shop was opened in the leafy Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn. Now Sam has 6 shops (and let me tell ya, they’re not your average butcher’s shop) and he’s in the process of opening up two more. This rapid growth hasn’t come without some pain which Sam openly talks about, plus he shares how he’s gone about cleverly disrupting a very stayed industry.   “When you shop with us, you don’t have to wonder whether your dinner was raised under high welfare conditions. It was! We don’t mess around here. Care is the one word that best describes everything we do at cannings … it starts with how the animals are treated, right through to care for customers, suppliers and of course

Brendan Torazzi is a lifestyle entrepreneur owning a number of businesses that, whilst not providing 100% passive income, certainly place him in a position where he can work on them and not in them, as well as travel the world with his family. The businesses cover a few different industries including OH&S, weddings and holiday rentals! But it hasn’t all been a bed of roses for Brendan as you’re about to find out.   “I’ve been practicing meditation daily since 2003 … so all of these little breakdowns I’ve had … rather than having one big one, I have these mini breakdowns, and it’s the meditation that’s enabled me to cope with them along the way.” - Brendan Torazzi, Lifestyle Entrepreneur   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.    Brendan also shares: Describes what a lifestyle business is and why he loves them so

I’m often asked which has been my favourite interview, having done over 430 interviews with successful business owners over the past 9-years, That I can’t answer. There’s just been too many of them. However, the one I did in 2014 with Platinum Electricians Founder Joshua Nicholls is a bit of a stand-out for a number of reasons: His business story is inspiring His growth has been phenomenal (1,200% in his first 5-years and it’s now close to a $40M business). He’s got a great work / life balance He and his wife Alana have built a culture that attracts great people And he’s created a 21-step customer manifesto that leads to a massive amount of referrals We cover plenty of ground in this chat as Joshua talks about the importance of following your passion, the power of creating a strong visual brand, why she set up shop in an industrial estate, how she generates sales across online, retail and wholesale. And plenty more. There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautifu

Saya McDermott is a graphic designer by trade. She then became a pilot for a few years. Obvious career change! Now she’s building a skincare business cleverly called Saya Skincare that’s taking on the world.   We cover plenty of ground in this chat as Saya talks about the importance of following your passion, the power of creating a strong visual brand, why she set up shop in an industrial estate, how she generates sales across online, retail and wholesale. And plenty more. “One day we got an order from Panasonic for 10,000 units. Now that was a great day!” -Saya McDermott, Saya Skincare   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.    Saya also shares: Why she made such a big career change How to build a strong visual brand How she’s used social media to attract clients (retail & wholesale) How she got Panasonic to p

Scumbags Barber Shop is where I get my haircut. Not just because I’m happy with the cut, but because it’s just so much fun to go there. The staff are all so friendly, it’s an interesting place to hang out, there’s a strong sense of community, plus you get a free beer! What more could you ask for?! Today we chat with Scumbags founder Harrison Mallory about how it all started from a little shop in an industrial estate.   “We’re in the service industry. If you don’t want to service people and make their experience unforgettable then don’t get in to the industry!” - Harrison Mallory, Scumbags Barber Shop   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.    Harrison also tackles: How and why he started Scumbags Why he called his business Scumbags Why he doesn’t want to appeal to everyone Why polarising certain types of custo

James Castrission has paddled from Australia to New Zealand and walked to the South Pole. Off the back of that, he is now a small business owner himself, starting and running My Adventure Group. The life and business lessons he’s learnt from these two insane adventures are immense … and today he shares them with us so we too can build our beautiful businesses into the empires they deserve to be.   “We’re capable of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. We’re like a hardcore 4WD just driving around the city streets not using anywhere near what it’s capable of!” -James Castrission   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.   James also tackles: Why he’s embarked on two life-endangering adventures How to take calculated risks How to work effectively with someone in close quarters Why planning is critical What t

“Stand-up comedy gave me an understanding of audience responsiveness. How to work with direct feedback and deliver a great experience. You could quickly ascertain what worked and what didn’t work. This was great in business because you need to be adaptive and responsive to both the client and the market. Also, it gave myself an understanding of the power of face to face contact and rapport.” - Marty Vids   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.    Marty also tackles the following questions: How can comedy influence how you grow a business? What do you do when no-one believes in you? What’s the secret to getting an audience onside? Why should we look to big business for ideas? How can I use humour to get through business challenges? And so much more ...   A little more about today’s guest, Marty Vids: Marty Vids

Andrew Banks made a motza from building two of the world’s largest recruitment companies - Morgan & Bans and Talent 2. He’s also one of the original sharks on the Australian version of Shark Tank in which he’s already invested in nine start-ups. He has an infectious attitude towards business that I know you’re going to love.   “In order to build a solid team culture, we would recruit around people’s personality, style, and passion. So we’d hire Accountants to recruit Accountants, and Engineers to recruit Engineers. We recruit around who the person was as opposed to what they used to do.” – Andrew Banks, Shark Tank   There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview.    If you have questions about how to build an empire from scratch then you’ll get the answers in this interview with shark Andrew Banks, including: How to build

67-year-old Bill Watson is a Noosa legend having sold ice creams and cold drinks on Noosa’s main beach for the past 48 years. How’s that for business longevity?! In this revealing interview, Bill takes us behind-the-scenes of a business most people would kill to own … explaining how it all started, what he’s learned about people over the journey, his simple approach to customer service, and how he’s embedded himself in the local community. There’s loads more tips and insights just like this that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. Hit the PLAY button above to listen now, or subscribe free to hear the full interview. You’ll also find the full interview transcription below.   A little more about today’s guest, Bil Watson of Hey Bill: William ‘Hey Bill’ Watson truly is a Noosa icon. With his signature red quad bike and trailers parked beside the Noosa Surf Club, Hey Bill can be found laughing and joking with the dozens of children waiting for a snow cone. Now

Having the right mindset around your marketing goes a long way to ensuring your marketing produces the ROI you're looking for. Today I share a mindset hack that I've been benefitting from for the past 9 years, yet I'm surprised at how many business owners just aren't getting it. PLUS there's plenty more marketing gold in episode 426 of your favourite marketing podcast.   Resources mentioned in today's episode: My interview with traevl blogger Caz makepeace from Ytravel Interview with Melissa Maker from Clean My Space Interview with Instagram rockstars Stephanie & Laura from KIC Girls Interview with self-publishing legend Sharon Witt   Monster Prize Draw winner Artist Stephen Crichton   Advertising Jingle of the Week Paul Hogan (Hoges) in that famous old Winfled ad from 1970   Please support American Express who make this show possible: American Express Platinum Card   If something in this episode of Australia’s favourite marketing podcast peaked your interest, then let me know by leaving a comme

Being asked "So, what do you do?" is a golden opportunity to pitch that beautiful business of yours. However, so may business owners get it wrong. So, in today's episode, I introduce you to the capstone pitching model, a way for you to convey what you do, how you do it and why someone whould hand over their hard-earned to you. PLUS I have some ideas for a business owenr who's struggling to attract customers, I help another one choose the right marketing agency, and this week's advertising jingle involves football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars!   This week’s Monster Prize Draw winner is: Anita Affleck from New Zealand's Global Baby   Resources mentioned: Interview with Damien Lee of Mr. Lee's Noodles about resillience in business Eden Health Retreat - don't tell anyone about this incredibly special place to detox, reset and basically head home feeling a whole lot better than when you came! Interview with The Cuddlist, Adam Lippin Here's the website I reviewed for Emmette Therapist Al Reupena   Ad