The Small Business Big Marketing Show | Insanely Effective Marketing Ideas

Lana Hopkins is the founder of an amazing retail experience called Mon Purse. An online and offline personalised luxury handbag and leather goods business called Mon Purse which has absolutely exploded over the past 12-months. After being frustrated by not being able to find the perfect handbag in Sydney, Lara went to a 'build a bear' workshop which allowed you to create a completely customised teddy bear. Lana thought why not create the same thing for handbags. Mon Purse is a personalised luxury handbag and leather goods business that basically allows you to make a handbag or wallet from scratch. You choose the leathers, colours, linings, metal details and so on. It then gets manufactured in Europe and shipped to anywhere in the world. We cover a lot of marketing ground in this chat including: Where the idea came from and more importantly, how the idea turned into a business How she did $1 Million in the first 3 months How Lana has established distribution in Myers, Selfridges and Bloomingdales Why she nev

Dual Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist, Michael Klim’s success in the pool has followed him into the world of small business with his business Milk & Co. Having started his male skincare range 8-years ago, he’s now taking on the likes of L’Oreal and other big skincare manufacturers ... and winning. Listen in as Michael explains how he’s built Milk & Co into a global male skincare powerhouse. I interviewed Michael way back in episode 6 of The Small Business Big Marketing Podcast and since then he has gone from 3 products to 60, going up against some pretty big competition, and implementing a distribution strategy that would be the envy of many FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) manufacturers. We cover plenty of ground in this chat including: How he’s applied his time as an Olympian to growing a successful small business We talk about the power of goal-setting I ask him how his public profile has helped grow his business He shares his biggest challenges and hurdles - yes, even Olympians have them! The marketing

Jason Wyatt is the founder of a multi-million dollar business called Marketplacer which is the world's leading online marketplace platform. This is not only got a great business story, but you will also discover the power of marketplace marketing. Although Marketplacer is a technology company, don’t worry, this is not a software discussion. Marketplacer is responsible for the establishment of 8 online marketplaces in 14 countries. Marketplaces like Bike Exchange, Outdoria, and House of Home. We cover a lot of marketing ground in this chat including: Where the idea came from and how he got it to market How to build and nurture a tribe of raving fans How you can tap into marketplace marketing And how you can set up your own market place Also In this episode of your favourite marketing podcast ...  I share another low cost marketing idea for you to implement immediately in our new segment lovingly called What Have You Got To Lose? And we go back into the SBBM vault, revisiting a past episode in which I caug

Stephen Byron has been the the Managing Director of Canberra Airport since his family bought it in 1998, and has turned it into a world-class airport offering an exceptional customer experience. Since it's purchase Stephen has overseen its transformation from a fairly unimpressive regional airport to a world class airport with over $2 billion being invested in airport infrastructure, a new terminal, a retail precinct and three business parks which accommodate more than 10,000 workers. Now you might be thinking “What can I, the small business owner, learn from someone who owns an airport?” Well, I gotta tell you … plenty. What I love about Stephen’s story is the lengths he and his team have gone to in identifying what annoys people about airports, then set about solving each and every one of them in the new design. This is quite simply a customer experience master class in how to create user-friendly products, services and customer experiences. In this episode of your favourite marketing podcast we cover p

Scott Houston is an ex-SAS soldier turned award-winning business owner. Once he jumped out of a plane only to find his parachute wouldn’t (in fact didn’t) open! In this chat we talk about how he turned that into a business lesson plus four other lessons that he has learned from the SAS that we can all apply to grow a better business. We cover plenty of ground in this chat including: 5 lessons that Scott has learnt from his time in the SAS that we can all apply to grow a better business. Leadership and why 'shooting Bambi' is critical for business success I share another low cost marketing idea for you to implement immediately in our new segment lovingly called What Have You Got To Lose? And we revisit a past episode in which I spoke to high-flying corporate couple turned cold pressed juice entrepreneurs Nat and Steve. Plus plenty more  EPISODE TIMELINE   00:00  Love for Cornerstone Business Solutions & WebCentral 00:58   Teaser 01:35  Welcome & overview 04:05  Today’s guest introduction - Scott Houston of 

Personlisation and customised retail experiences are becoming more than a trend, they're fast becoming a demand. This week's guest, Will Rogers from Kent and Lime is certainly riding the personalisation wave. He’s come up with a way that just might change the way we shop … forever I’m an absolute shocker when it comes to clothes shopping. It causes me all sorts of discomfort and anxiety. Fortunately, Will Rogers is on a mission to change the way men shop and pay for clothes. Will Rogers is the founder of a retail experience called Kent and Lime, which provides men with a personalised clothing selection delivered to their door. Which is kind of a exciting as it means no more visits to busy shopping centres! Will’s got 15 years experience working in fashion retail in both the UK and Australia, so clearly he’s a well dressed kind a fellow. He’s also a customer experience junkie, and on the look out for new ways to engage with and delight his customers. In this episode of your favourite marketing podcast we c

Michael Gerber scarcely needs an introduction, however, if you haven’t heard of him before he is the Author of the small business classic The E-Myth and he has just published his latest and last book Beyond The E-Myth This Michael Gerber interview explores why the vast majority of small business owners are on a fool’s errand. So, he’s on a mission to turn them from a bogged down company of one, to an absolutely brilliant company of one thousand. How’s this for a scoreboard, since The E-Myth was originally published over 20 years ago it has: Over 5 million copies sold In 2011, The eMyth was named the best selling business book of all time Sold in 145 countries, translated into 29 languages and taught in 118 universities Sold in 145 countries, translated into 29 languages and taught in 118 universities INC magazine calls him “The world’s #1 small business guru” Michael has a dream to transform the state of small business worldwide. He’s been doing that for the last 40-years, and now (at age 80) he’s about t

Adam Garone is the co-founder and Chief Mo Bro of the Movember Foundation, the only charity tackling men’s health on a global scale. In case you’re unaware of Movember and how it works, it simply asks blokes to get sponsored to grow a mo’ during November; with all the money raised going to fund research into men’s health. And how’s this for a scoreboard … since commencing in 2003, Movember has had: Over 5 million people have taken part in Movember They’ve raised more than $770 million They’re in 21 countries And have funded over 1,200 men’s health programs We cover plenty of ground in this chat including: Why Adam is keen to shift from success to significance How Movember is working hard to stay relevant The importance of user-generated content And a great idea he has to utilize barbers in Movember’s marketing But that's not all. In this episode of your favourite marketing podcast: I share another low cost marketing idea for you to implement immediately in our new segment loving called What Have You Got T

Where do I start?! Firstly, let me remind you of who Tom O’Toole is. Tom is best known for creating Australia’s most successful standalone retail bakery business; which employs over 255 staff, turns over in excess of $17 million and serves over a million customers per year. I first had Tom on this show about five years ago on episode 91 where he shared his very personal story of growing up in extreme poverty, to becoming one of Australia’s great small business success stories. His bakeries are scattered throughout regional Victoria, and as Tom openly admits, they’re not a whole lot different to most other bakeries. What is different is Tom’s approach to his people, and how they go about offering good old fashioned customer service. And that’s what Tom shares in this one hour keynote that he delivered at a conference I emceed last week. (BTW, thanks to DaveSheerman.com for getting me this audio). Now, some things to note: Tom’s presentation style is unorthodox. He’s high-energy, in fact he yells at times.

Nick Molnar has figured out how to encourage customers to buy more. He is the founder of Afterpay, a simple payment system that lets customers buy what they want today (in fact, they can take it home immediately), then pay for it over 4 equal fortnightly installments. It’s also proving a great way for retailers to sell more. Here's how Afterpay works for merchants. We cover plenty of ground in this chat including: What Nick learnt working in his family's retail jewelry business How to encourage customers to buy more How the idea for Afterpay came about How Afterpay enables retailers to increase sales How Nick rallied his most loyal customers to do his marketing Plus plenty more Plus I launch a new segment called What Have You Got To Lose? in which I share one simple yet effective marketing idea that you can go and implement immediately. An idea that won't cost a fortune (if anything) to implement, and that might just generate you more awareness, more enquiry, and ultimately more sales.  EPISODE TIMELINE 0

I remember my days working for Australia’s biggest travel agent - I absolutely dreaded wearing their corporate uniform. I felt like such a dag. Polyester shirt, navy slacks. In fact, I think the tie was even on a bit of elastic! Where was today’s guest when I needed her?! She runs a very disruptive uniform business - that even Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow loves! Her name is Felicity Rogers and she started Cargo Crew. I met her a couple of months ago at the Telstra Business Awards where I was the emcee. In fact, the year before, Cargo Crew actually won the National Small Business Award! So, what’s Cargo Crew. Well, as Felicity says “She’s building a brand that crews (that’s her funky word for workers) around the world love to wear”.  She goes on to say “Cargo Crew creates original, design led uniforms that enhance and compliment a business’ visual identity and brand language.” Cargo Crew now exports to over 30 countries with 12,000 crews around the world wearing their uniforms. Their clients include Re

Ant Morell knows how to create an amazing business culture. He is the founder of Bounce - an indoor trampolining playground for people of all ages, that’s experienced some extraordinary growth in its first four years; and a big reason for this is due to the amazing culture Ant and his team have created. To fully understand how they’ve done this, you’ll need a basic understanding of a Melbourne-based charity called Reach; because that’s where I met Ant for the first time about 10 years ago. Reach had a huge impact on my life, and on Ant as he’s utilised a lot of what he learnt at Reach to build the Bounce brand philosophy. So Reach is a wonderful NFP that’s focussed on helping young people at risk find their passion in life. It’s based on a concept called The Hero’s Journey which focusses on how we as humans will only find true happiness in life when we acknowledge just how good each of us are, and that we all have the right to put our best self forward in whatever we choose to do in life. Imagine if you’d

High school dropout, Chris Kelsey, is 19 years old and started Appsitude, a San Francisco based app and web development company in December 2014 (when he was 17) that has made over $6 million in revenue so far this year. Employing 60+ staff, he's also built many successful apps including Premium Wallpapers HD which received over 40 million downloads and did $8m revenue before it was sold in 2015. Now you may be thinking, “What can I, the seasoned business owner, learn from a 19 year old?” Strategies around attracting clients The importance of thinking big How he attracts A-players into his team Plenty more Plus I tackle a listener question about referencing death in their marketing, share a testimonial from a past attendee of my Philippines outsourcing tour, and I share some feedback from another listener (I have two!) who's been touched by the two recent Orange Sky episodes. Let's get stuck right in!   EPISODE TIMELINE 00:00  Two marketing insights 00:34  Episode teaser 01:00  Welcome & overview 02:45 

8 years ago, Lizzy Abegg had an epiphany that she needed to move to Byron Bay to help her little sister grow a struggling jewelry business. Well, that business is now called Spell & the Gypsy Collective ...  and it’s a multi-million dollar fashion empire. “Spell and the what?!” I hear you say. Spell & the Gypsy Collective is a Byron Bay fashion label with a cult-like following. The label began when Lizzy’s little sister Isabella (whose childhood nickname was Spell) started selling her handmade jewellery at Byron Bay's local markets. Before too long Lizzy had an epiphany that she needed to be in Byron Bay with her sister, so left her Bondi Beach home and career as a film editor to become Spell’s business partner. From there the label has expanded into fashion, accessories and homewares … and they recently won the overall national Telstra Business Award (against some pretty bloody tough competition). Spell is now consistently doing over a million dollars a month, has 660,000 Instagram followers, and a flags

This episode is a masterclass in how to create profitable business partnerships. Quentin Nolan from Liquid Snow Tours, owns an Aussie-owned ski tour operation that can book you a skiing holiday in Japan, Canada, NZ and South America. Nothing special about that; but what is special is the fact that (at the age of 31) Quentin has built an $8 million dollar business, has profitable business partnerships with Australia's two biggest airlines and owns 6 hotels in Japanese ski resorts. Listen in as Quentin shares some absolute gold with us including: How he launched the business when he was 21 The key to developing solid, long-standing partnerships How and why he's now buying hotels Insights in to how he's effectively using social media as a #1 marketing tool Plus so much more Plus I share Part 4 of a 4-part series in which I share some highly clickable email subject lines that will get more of your emails open, more often. You'll find Part 1 (the first 5 email subject lines) in this episode of your favourite ma

Paul Medeiros (and his wife) made a brave sea change by leaving corporate and buying the Mullumbimby Fruit Shop. Then, when Woolworth’s decided to come to town, he could have panicked and accepted the fact that Australia’s biggest supermarket chain would kill off his business. Instead, he rolled the dice, and more than doubled their retail footprint. He’s now the founder of one of Australia's hottest up and coming franchises - The Source Bulk Foods. This is a story of courage, determination and being true to one’s values. Paul Medeiros is a cubicle escapee who left a high-paying / high-pressure executive position in a large publicly listed company to start a better life up near beautiful Byron Bay Paul is also the founder, owner and head Franchisor of The Source Bulk Foods business - an amazing new retail concept that’s taken the franchise world by storm. Basically, it’s a good old-fashioned grocery shopping done in a modern way. The shops look and feel very rustic and organic - lots of exposed brick a

Today’s guest did the interview in her pyjamas. Why? Because she can! She’s a true entrepreneur, starting a business to help put herself through university, only to then systemise it so that today it runs for the most part … without her. And who doesn’t want a bit of that?! Joyce Ong (PJs and all!) is the founder of the Young Musicians Academy - shares her secret sauce on how she’s created a business employing 35 music teachers - that paid her way through uni, and then some! In a recent email to me from long time listener Russ Porteous he said: “I met Joyce at the July Business Blueprint Conference, and she was one of the highlights of the 4-days. Joyce is a true entrepreneur, starting a business to help put herself through university, only to systemise the business so that today it runs for the most part without her ... I don't know Joyce's full story, but I think given her personality it’s one we’d all love to hear.  By systemising her business, Joyce has been able to remove herself from her business

Ever wondered how to make a viral video? Then listen up. David Christison is the founder of The Woolshed - a video production company based in Melbourne that’s done something quite genius (I think) for the art of viral videos, and the marketing of his own business. Over the past two years the Woolshed has produced 8 unique viral videos. Videos that many of you would have seen, and gone OMG! … then gone and shared it with your mates. But the amazing thing is, all 8 of the videos are fully manufactured. They’re fakes! This is an absolute masterclass on how to make a viral video. You’ll find all eight viral videos over at at this blog post, but some of the major ones include the guy who fights off a Great White Shark in Sydney harbour (this one sucked me in!); the crazy guy who runs into an outback tornado to take a selfie; and the snowboarding girl being chased by a bear! As David says in his press release, “We set out to better understand exactly how to create short-form, highly shareable and snackable’

Today's guest very kindly cancelled a game of golf (on a Tuesday morning!) in order to do this interview, so the epsidoe title of how to make more money by working less in your business is more than apt! I met Daniel Gibbs of Posture Podiatry at an event recently, when he came up and told me how much he loved my show, and began to explain how he’d implemented a few of the ideas he’d heard over the years. I was impressed ... I do love a good action-taker. He particularly liked the episode I did with Dentist Padi Lund who, on the verge of suicide, made some fundamental changes to his business life, and lived to tell the story. Now, whilst Daniel’s predicament was never that dier, he did find himself at one point being booked out 3-months in advance, seeing patients at midnight, feeling completely exhausted trying to both work on and in his business, whilst at the same time wanting to be there for his heavily pregnant wife. So, like any motivated business owner, he made some fundamental changes to the way he

Sam Reid is the co-founder of cider brand Willie Smiths. I meet Sam at the recent Telstra Business Awards in Tasmania. Now, one of my jobs as the emcee was to announce the finalists for each category and read out a short bio about their business. Each business always got a round of applause … although some got a bigger applause than others. Willie Smith’s Cider got the biggest by far …. Quite heartfelt, it was! So, in kicked my marketing brain. What are they doing that other businesses aren’t? What makes them so special? Basically … Why all the love?! At the end of the night I suggested he come on the show and reveal his secret sauce. “Hell yeah!” was his measured response. So, here’s Sam Reid, co-founder of Willie Smith’s Cider. Also in this episode of your favourite marketing podcast, I share my top 10 ice-breaker questions that I use during pre-interview chats, and in general when meeting people for the first time. They get past the surface and fast-track getting to know someone at a much deeper