The Small Business Big Marketing Show | Insanely Effective Marketing Ideas

Got a book in ya? I reckon every business owner has. And so does my guest, who’s an expert at helping peeps like you ... get published. It’s a very studious episode 484 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show thanks to American Express and digital marketing agency Yellow.   A little bit more about Lyda Maclallen of Talk Plus Tell … Lyda Mclallen is the founder of Talk Plus Tell and is an expert on helping business owners get published. While working at corporate for 8+ years, Lyda not-so-secretly helped authors promote their books as a side hustle. But it wasn’t until 2017 that she decided to do it full time. So far the authors Lyda and her team have worked with have gone on to sell hundreds of thousands of books, win awards, become international bestsellers, go on cross-country book tours, appear on the BBC, in Vogue, the Huffington Post and New York Times … and even go viral. Through her self-publishing company, Talk Plus Tell she now helps business owners produce beautiful books that

Ammon Arrave was once a teacher. Then he had a business cleaning portable toilets. Now he’s the inventor of the One 80 Light … the world’s first peripheral L.E.D. headlamp.   A little bit more about One 80 Light inventor Ammon Arrave … Righto, let’s meet Ammon Arrave.  He’s the inventor of the One 80 Light - the world’s first peripheral L.E.D. headlamp … which is a fancy way of saying it’s a light that you strap on your head and it illuminates everything in front of you. He’s done OK with it. He’s raised $150,000 on Kickstarter. And sold plenty of lights and accessories. But here’s the thing. He’s not a millionaire. Yet. He’s not an eCommerce rockstar. Yet. In fact, he’s not totally convinced he’s got what it takes to be either of those things. Yet. And that’s what I like about him. Ammon is just a bloke, who used to be a teacher then started a portable toilet cleaning business. He then tried his hand at product development … and here he is today. So maybe this time, have a listen to what Ammon has

Ever wondered how to get a meeting with anyone? Afterall, one meeting has the ability to change everything for the better. In your business. Even your life. Your challenge is to get past the Dobermans and get that meeting. And you’re about to learn how from Stu Heinecke, the father of contact marketing and author of the seminal book on this topic Get the Meeting!   A little bit more about Get the Meeting! Author Stu Heinecke … Stu Heinecke is a cartoonist for the Wall Street Journal - and a bloody good one at that! But he’s also a very clever marketing guy. In fact, Russ Klein, the CEO of The American Marke ting Association, has labelled Stu the father of contact marketing.  And that’s what we’re talking about today. You see, Stu is the author of two books (the most recent titled Get The Meeting!) which are laser-focused on ensuring you get past the gate-keepers and get that meeting! You know, that meeting that has the potential to change everything in your business and/or personal life?   So I’d sug

Recently in a cafe, I overheard someone say that an Australian bloke had secured the full licensing rights to the world-famous Hollywood sign. My first reaction? “How? Why?” My second reaction? “I have to interview him!” It’s a very Hollywood episode 481 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show thanks to American Express and digital marketing agency Yellow.   “I love taking a 360 degree view of a business and its needs in order to come up with the very best licensing opportunities.” - Shane Yeend, Imagination   A little bit more about Hollywood sign license owner Shane Yeend … Shane Yeend specialises in licensing ideas in order to make a whole lot of dough. His company, Imagination Games, owns the licensing rights to the Battle of the Sexes, Deal or No Deal, 50 Shades of Grey amongst other well-known entities. But where it gets really interesting is the fact that this Adelaide-born serial entrepreneur has secured the licensing rights to the world-famous Hollywood sign. Like, how does t

Abigail Forsyth is the inventor of KeepCup, the world’s first Barista standard, reusable coffee cup … and she’s on a mission to stop us from disposing of one million coffee cups every minute … of every day! It’s a very reusable episode 480 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show thanks to American Express and digital marketing agency Yellow.   A little bit more about KeepCup creator Abigail Forsyth … When Abigail Forsyth and her brother Jamie started a cafe business in Melbourne in 1998, disposable coffee cups were starting to become an environmental problem.   Now, as you’re about to hear, they’re a major problem.   And that’s where KeepCups step in. KeepCups are those reusable coffee cups you see people bring in to your local cafe. So instead of using a paper coffee cup that’s lined with plastic and thrown away the minute you’ve got your caffeine fix, KeepCups get used over and over.   They come in all shapes and sizes, colours and can even be personalised with your company brandin

RadioHub founder and fellow podcaster Cooper Silk recently attended Podcast Movement, the world's biggest podcasting conference … and he’s here to share what best-practice podcasting looks like in 2020 and beyond.   A little bit more about fellow podcaster and RadioHub founder Cooper Silk … I first met this week’s guest over a couple of beers when I was hosting the Australian Podcast Awards last year. And we’ve hit it off ever since. Cooper Silk is the founder and owner of RadioHub … a high-end, professional podcasting studio set-up in Sydney. He’s also the host of Roosters Radio, which for all you Rugby League fans, is a weekly podcast he puts together for his favourite team. What’s even more interesting is he’s just back from Podcast Movement in Orlando Florida … the world’s biggest podcast conference. I joined Cooper at RadioHub’s Sydney studio where we talked about: His top learnings in regards to pre and post production of a podcast New tips, tricks & techniques to help you make a world-class podca

Cedar Anderson would rather be walking naked through the Byron Bay hills than running the multi-million dollar empire he created with his old man. Fortunately he loves the fact that they’ve changed the beekeeping industry for good, thanks to one of the world’s most successful crowd-funding campaigns ever. It’s a buzzingly good episode 478 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show.   A little bit more about crowdfunding expert and Flow Hive creator Cedar Anderson… Cedar Anderson grew up in an intentional AKA hippy community in the Byron Bay hills, where he spent his time coming up with crazy inventions. Then in his early adult years, he worked as a paragliding instructor capturing aerial footage for Greenpeace. He’s also a third-generation beekeeper and it was during a particularly nasty honey harvest that he decided there had to be a better way. So for the next 10 years, he and his Dad set about inventing a better beehive. They did and it’s called Flow Hive. Now I don’t know much about be

Masseuse to the stars (we’re talking Kylie, Sir Richard Branson & Tony Robbins), Kym Power shares how she’s built Australia’s largest independent supplier of in-room massage services to over 900 4 and 5-star hotels across Australia. It’s a star-studded episode 477 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show.   A little bit more about Rejuvenator’s Kym Power … So I was emceeing an event recently for American Express at Brisbane’s beautiful Carlisle Hotel where I met today’s guest, Kym Power. She actually came up to me afterwards and said what a great job I’d done … so, of course, she had my full attention!   Anyway, it turns out she’s the founder of that business that places cards in 4 and 5-star hotel rooms around Australia offering mobile massage services. And she’s been doing it since 1993.   Kym now has over 90 massage therapists working for her in every state of Australia, which has allowed her to focus on her own personal brand and side-business in which she is the go-to masseur for t

Today’s guest is on a mission to create a global surf brand - despite at one point having to write a farewell letter to his wife and kids 80kms off the coast of Sumatra! It’s a roller-coaster ride of an episode 476 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show thanks to American Express.   Long-time listener and Surefire Boards founder Mick Slattery shares how he’s on a mission to create a global surf and stand-up paddle board brand, despite some business and personal challenges that have been thrown his way.   A little bit more about Surefire Boards’ Mick Slattery … Mick Slattery is the founder of Surefire Boards, a small stand-up paddle and surf board business based in NSW. He started the business as a side-hustle in 2009 before going full-time a few years later, only to contract an auto-immune disease that nearly crippled his dream.   Mick made the trip up from Sydney to join me in my Noosa studio where we  talked about: The challenges of taking the business from a side-hustle to a full-

The Breathe Project’s Bodhi and Kat have started a business to teach school kids and their teachers around Australia and New Zealand how to breathe correctly. Don’t you just love how some people make a living?!   A few months ago, my girlfriend, Sarah told me about this couple, Bodhi and Kat, who run a business called The Breathe Project, traveling around Australia teaching school-aged kids to breathe properly. Like that is literally all they do! My first reaction was … “That’s awesome, what a beautifully simple business. I love hearing the different ways people make money!” My second reaction was “What a great idea, there should be more of it! I want to interview them.” Now I don’t know about you, but I’m a shocking breather - shallow and from the chest. As opposed to deep and from the belly. I’ve even got myself an Apple Watch that reminds me every hour to breathe! So just recently, Sarah and I were wandering through the Noosa Farmers Market and she says “Hey, I think that’s the guys from the Breathe

One of Australia’s leading mobile personal trainers joins us to share how he’s building a fitness empire that’s already servicing over 2,000 suburbs across Australia.   A little bit more about Fitness Enhancement’s Scott Hunt ... In 1999, with just $400 in his pocket and a dream to make an impact on the Australian personal training scene, 19 year old Scott Hunt started Fitness Enhancement Personal Training. Today it's the largest mobile personal training business in Australia servicing over 2,000 suburbs, and it was just recognised in the top 5 PT businesses in Australia (and number 1 in Queensland) by the industry’s governing body.   Scott joined me in my Noosa studio where he shares: The secrets to his business’s success What frustrates him about his poorly regulated industry and what he’s doing about it How he’s attracting only A-Players into the business Along with some of his most effective marketing strategies “We only employ the best of the best. That means that nine out of ten people that we see

Are you one of those business owners who’s made a video for your business, put it on your website and then wondered what else to do with it? Excellent! Then wonder no more, as today’s guest, video marketing expert Geoff Anderson,  has 30 ideas to make sure your video gets seen by as many of the right peeps as possible.   A little bit more about video marketing expert and founder of Sonic Sight Geoff Anderson ... Righto, hands up if you’ve ever produced a video for your business. Excellent. Well done to you. Now, keep your hand up if you’ve posted that video somewhere on your website then wondered why it’s not getting the views or engagement you’d hoped for. Just what I expected … 95% of hands remained up. Well, herein lies the problem. You finally find the courage to appear in a video for your precious business, you invest precious time and money into having it produced (or you may have shot it yourself), but then all you do is post it on your website hoping it’ll magically take care of itself. Well,

You know those healthy snack boxes that get delivered to businesses around Australia? Not the ones with Freddo Frogs and Caramello Koalas in them … I’m talking about the ones with Wasabi-flavoured peas and Organic Popcorn. Well … you and I are about to meet the fella who started that business. How dare he bring healthy snacking to the workplace!   A little bit more about Snackwize founder Conor Reynolds ... Conor Reynolds is a corporate health and well-being expert, as well as the founder of SnackWize … Australia’s #1 monthly subscription healthy snack service that delivers healthy snacks straight to your office. Like I said at the top of the show … Conor’s not delivering yummy chocolate snacks or fatty potato chips… we’re talking Veggie Crisps and Raw Cacao Cookies! But clearly there’s a market for it, as Snackwize is going gang-busters. Since its launch in 2016, the business has experienced rapid growth in Australia, doubling its revenue year-on-year and quintupling its client base, delivering tens of

Chris Sparks made his mark, in his tracky dacks, on his couch, by becoming a world online poker champion. These days, he’s improved his fashion-sense, and started a successful New-York based business called The Forcing Function. It’ll all become clear in this high-stakes episode 471 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show.   A little bit more about online poker champion and now The Forcing Function’s founder Chris Sparks ... New Yorker Chris Sparks is one of the top online poker players in the world and is now a highly sought-after performance coach for entrepreneurs. In order to become one of online poker’s most feared competitors, Chris developed a system for acquiring the mindset and habits necessary to become elite in any field.   So, guess what he does in this chat? He deconstructs what it takes to become a top performer, and demonstrates how to implement these lessons in your life and business. These strategies will allow you to uncover your bottlenecks, get clear on your mission

We catch up with Canva founder Melanie Perkins who surely has to be one of Australia’s great young entrepreneurial success stories! 32 years-old and from Western Australia, Melanie Perkins created the online design tool Canva, and it just got valued at $3.6B.And what’s particularly exciting is she’s created something that every single one of us small business owners needs. Want to know how she did it? Me too! A little bit more about Canva founder Melanie Perkins ... In 2006, Melanie Perkins was a troubled 19 year-old teenager. Not by the usual stuff that troubled most people of that age. Oh no … something much more serious. Melanie was troubled by the fact that desktop publishing software (like Adobe, CorelDraw and Photoshop) was so complicated and hard to use. So, like any young smart entrepreneur would, she set about coming up with a simple, elegant solution … starting small by launching a website to make yearbook design easy. That business was a huge success, and following an unexpected meeting with

“Where should the focus be for my upcoming keynote?” “How do I avoid spamming my database?” “Can I start another business in my 50s?” "Should I run an online survey?” "Can I have your podcast workflow?” These are just some of the questions you’ve been sending me over the past few months, and today I finally get around to answering them.   Question - Rhys Donovan of the Animal Rehab Klinik Hey Timbo, I'm having a debate with my business partner about an upcoming presentation that we're doing, and we've got very different opinions on how we should structure it...so I figured I'd ask you for your opinion, because I can’t think of anyone more qualified to answer it! The business I am in is animal allied healthcare/rehabilitation - just like when us humans are sore we might see a physio, chiro or massage therapist, but we provide that service for the family pet. We've scored a gig presenting to a room full of veterinarians (our main source of referrals), right after the main presentation which is on hip

Loz and Alex cruise around this lucky country in a Volkswagen, entertaining their legion of social media fans with cool pics of themselves sitting by campfires, swimming in deserted beaches and camping by the shores of remote lakes. They look like they’ve fallen off the cover of an Angus and Julia Stone album! Oh, and did I tell you they run a three-year-old hat business called Will and Bear that’s turning over a lazy six-figures annually. And they’ve done it all by slowing down!   A little bit more about hat entrepreneurs Loz Williams and Alex Knorr ... In just three years, ex-mortgage broker Lauren Williams and her product designing boyfriend Alex Knorr have built the online hat empire Will & Bear, from the back seat of their Volkswagen van while touring across Australia. To do so, they’ve adopted an innovative, digital-first business model, which has enabled the Will & Bear brand to experience triple-digit sales growth year-on-year. They use social media brilliantly amassing a loyal tribe of hat lover

Michael Gerber (author of The eMyth, once voted the best-selling business book of all time) says the vast majority of small business owners are on a fool’s errand. And he’s on a mission to turn them from a bogged down company of one, to an absolutely brilliant company of one thousand. It’s a very repeatable episode 467 of  The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing Show thanks to American Express.   A little bit more about The E Myth Revisited’s Michael Gerber ... This is an interview I did with Michael Gerber way back on episode 338. It’s been so popular and had so much positive feedback that I thought I best bring it back to the top of the pile for those of you who haven’t heard it, or even if you have, then it’s probs time to hear it again!   Michael Gerber is the author of the seminal business book called The eMyth. You’ve read The eMyth right?! How’s this for some key stats: 5 million copies sold In 2011, The eMyth was named the best selling business book of all time It’s been sold in 145 coun

Jeff Swystun who in a previous life was the CMO at Interbrand, and the CCO at DDB Worldwide. He then saw the light, escaped the cubicle and went out on his own to become a consulting CMO to brands wanting to lead. But where it gets interesting is Jeff has just released a book called Why Marketing Works, in which he identifies through a mountain of his own roll-up-the-sleeves research, 7 timeless principles that well and truly prove his thesis. Rest-assured, his 7 principles apply to businesses of all sizes, industries, and types of business, whether you’re selling B2B, B2C or my favourite P2P! A little bit more about Why Marketing Works author Jeff Swystun ... Jeff acts as a consulting chief marketing officer to leading brands and brands wanting to lead. He loves to solve complex business challenges through branding and marketing. For large branding and marketing engagements, Jeff accesses a network of talented top-tier consulting, agency & design professionals. It is a collective of on-demand experts and i

Naturopath Katherine Maslen decided that charging by the hour had hairs on it … so, she bravely launched the world’s first natural healthcare membership model. Did it get a few existing clients’ noses out of joint? Yes! Would she do it all again? Hell yeah!   A little bit more about Shift’s Katherine Maslen ... Katherine Maslen is a naturopath, nutritionist, author, mother, podcast host and founder of Shift, where her and her team work with people to help them make shifts in their health and their life. She owns Shift Brisbane, her flagship clinic where she has a team of 15, Shift Rockhampton, her regional Queensland clinic and Shift Anywhere, her virtual membership business.   So strap in as Katherine shares: A very personal story about why she became a Naturopath The trials and tribulations of launching the business Those moments of acceleration when the business really took off Why she went from charging by the hour to a monthly membership model How she’s built a strong personal brand in her chosen ni