

Owner To Owner Podcast
Michael Kerr
Owner to Owner is the boldest business podcast for Australia’s SMEs. Host Michael Kerr gets raw and real, talking to business owners like you. Exploring the everyday struggles they face and the different pathways they tread to success. Forget the slick stories of tech titans and out-of-reach solutions from people who’ve never put their hopes and livelihood on the line. Owner to Owner dives into the wins and losses, pitfalls, luck and moments that made a difference.
You’ll find grit, laughs, maybe a few tears and hard-won lessons only available from others who’ve been where you are—whatever your stage of ownership.
Every business owner has a compelling story to share. Join us to listen and learn.
You’ll find grit, laughs, maybe a few tears and hard-won lessons only available from others who’ve been where you are—whatever your stage of ownership.
Every business owner has a compelling story to share. Join us to listen and learn.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 22, 2021 • 28min
Lisa Dwyer, Dairy Farmer, Chair & Non Executive Director on building resilient businesses and communities
Lisa Dwyer is a dairy farmer and is actively involved in #governanceroles with a number of #agricultural and #communitybasedorganisations.She started life in the #Victorianthoroughbredracingindustry before (her own words) 'being ambushed' into the #dairyindustry via a marriage proposal. She learned about dairy quickly and together they now run an 850 acre #dairyproperty in #southwestvictoriaIn our discussion Lisa talks about;the call she got on her honeymoon from her mother-in-law that catapulted her and her husband into their own dairy businesshow with limited capital they got startedtheir first #multiculturalherdsurviving the #GlobalFinancialCrisis, #drought, #diseasetaking on roles as;#Nonexecutivedirector at the @AustralianlivestockexportCorporation#nonexecutivedirector at @murraygoulburnChair of the @victoriastategovernment #RegionalPartnership for the #GreatSouthCoastregionher approach to and philosophy on managing it all;no compromisesbeing willing to accept that responsibility and doing all that you possibly can to deliver on what you are responsible forthe relationship with their animals from an agricultural perspective - and having this real sense of responsibility for their #animalwellbeingcrucible moments, in particular with the implosion of @MurrayGoulburn (noting she joined the board after all that occurred) - and the responsibility to make the best of the ruins of what was a 60 year old farmer-owned company, and being able to deliver back to the farmers, the investment that they had made quite often over decades was probably one of the things that I am most proud ofThe unlimited opportunities in #agriculture - as the world's population continues to grow, and the desire for safe, #highquality #sustainablyproduced #food and #fiber, which is exactly what we do here in Australiathe perennial challenges of #globaltrade which we're seeing playing out in the media nowthe challenges of climate changeher frustration with the ongoing negative discussions about agriculture and the link to why (unsuprisingly) young people don't want to pursue agriculture as a career -the new era for #Australianagriculture how #agtechtechnology and new capital streams will deliver a much more highly sophisticated ag sector that will attract the best and brightest talentthe objectives of the state government regional partnership for the Great South Coast region (the greatest region in Victoria!!);helping government understand what's required in the regionsensuring that the people of the regions feel as though they're being heard#digitalconnectivitygetting a more equitable voice for #rural and #regionalVictorians, and particularly for the #disadvantaged, and also for the #youth and #women.#digitalliteracy#digitalaffordability#satellite #reliableconnectivity#digitalnow initiativemovement into the region - from #Hamilton, #Portland, #Warrnambool #Camperdown #Kerangthe significant natural tourism attractions e.g. #GreatOceanRoad, #12apostles #BudjBim (#indigenousagriculture) #GrampiansNationalPark and #visitoreconomy#preeminence from an agricultural perspective#renewableenergy (already produced more than 50% of the of the state's wind energy)why there shouldn't be any limitation on the ways in which you can get involved in your local community, and her advice to;start with very modest, expectationsdo your homework and you must go to every meeting prepared, andlisten to the views of others and make considered contributionsalways look for the #silverlining because nothing will be achieved, out of a negative perspectivewww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 20, 2021 • 28min
Jo Martin from Golden Earth Publishing on why you should write that book, or at least a chapter!
Joanne Martin finds purpose in helping #innovators, #changemakers and #entrepreneurs to really ignite and #scaleup their #smallbusiness through #content marketing, #communication and #brandstrategy.She helps #aspiringauthors to write their own #book, and has also created a #multiauthorbook #platform to enable people to basically contribute a chapter to a book along with other authors and entrepreneurs.She runs her business out of #LakeMacquarie, #NewSouthWales. In our discussion she talks about;starting her career in the #corporateworld, working in marketing communications and also transformational change finding her passion for #writinglearning by doing a lot of #ghostwriting for people who run their own #blogs but don't have time to actually write the things themselves founding out she wanted more autonomy in her life and actually making a business out of providing service to corporateswanting to do something different and not be constrained by working for someone else. starting to help entrepreneurs and working with #femaleentrepreneurs and #startups and #women.working with #smallbusinesses in the #regions and helping them get cut through and actually access the right clientsbeing asked in 2019 to co-author a book in USA - not being sure she had time but accepting and finding new networks, and new directionsidentifying how her corporate background, skill set including learning & development and communications & marketing actually flipped things on their headband and made her more powerful. established her own publishing companyhow she takes people through the writing process and gets them to start thinking about how to promote themselves and what they want to do on the back of that how COVID has changed the game considerably for everybody around the globe - and while a lot more people are online, it's a lot noisier and harder to cut throughhow regardless of where you are physically located, the opportunities to build a global audience, a global brand, and a global client base being more realistic the particular challenges for regional and remote business ownersgrowing up in the country with parents who always ran a businessThe importance of personal connections and the opportunity for identifying your ideal client and then working out where they are and how you can actually connect with them#multiauthorbooks#strategicmarketing networking within your community the need for smaller #regional, #remote owners to be more creative and innovative in the way they promote #findingyourvoicethe importance of the #stories behind what people are doing and whythe importance of focussing on what's in it for the customerhow the #buyfromthebush campaign actually put a lot of regional businesses on the map getting away from the selling stuff to people#engagementmarketing the big push to #buylocal and to #buyaustralianlooking to support the economy here and #regionaleconomies and #regionalcommunitiesdripfeeding your story as part of your promotiontalking about your product or service in a way that brings customers on the journeyher current book on innovation secrets that allows people to walk away with tips that they can apply straight away within their business. the merits of the traditional route to #publishing vs #selfpublishingthe advantages of #Kindle and #Amazon@AnthonyTurner book (Disaster Recovery) being cathartic after doing a lot of work in disaster recovery after the Black Saturday bushfires Victorian floods of 2010 2011 writing and sharing your story to help change the lives of others and make the world a better place, and potentially also to leverage that as a marketing tool or personal branding tool being approached now by quite a big magazine in Europewww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 20, 2021 • 28min
Adj. Professor Warwick Powell from BeefLedger on why provenance = profit
Warwick Powell connects #regionalAustralianbusinesses, #marketplaces, #regionalcommunities and economic project opportunities with the growing markets of Asia and in particular, #China, #HongKong and #Macau. He's had wide experience in #cmmunitydevelopment and #regionaldevelopment and has spent 25 years engaged in regional businesses, particularly in #regionalQueensland, working across diverse industries from information technologies and communications, through to #naturalresources, #tourism, #agribusiness and property development.Some of his current roles include;Chairman at @SisterCityPartners (a not for profit regional investment banking enterprise founded to build resilient regions)Chairman at www.BeefLedger.io (a blockchain enabled integrated provenance and payments platform development and implementation in the beef supply chain)Adjunct Professor at QUTHe also has an extensive understanding of China, Australia, trade relationsIn this absorbing discussion Warwick talks about;how Australian regions can better connect with the bigger markets immediately north of Australia.why Blockchain as a technology is now 'hitting its straps' having been around about 12 and a half yearsthe main virtue of #blockchaintechnology - the ability for information, that many parties need to have confidence in, to be created and shared in a way so that all the different parties can depend on itthe problems in traditional information systems where the information that's been passed along from one player to another runs into a whole bunch of risks in terms of validity, accuracy, timeliness, authenticity, etcwhat blockchain allows us to do - to ensure that all the players involved in a particular supply chain activity are involved in the key phases of information production, validation, storage, dissemination and consumption at the same timethe shared responsibility for data integrity in blockchain, which speeds things up, reduces costs associated with having to doublecheck things, and ultimately smooths out the ways in which supply chains work#supplychainshow #beefledger uses #blockchaintechnology to improve the flow of information all the way through to the end consumer, but principally focused around the wholesale marketplace to ensure that owners of assets and buyers of assets can be confident in what they're buyinghis collaboration with @QUT and the www.futurefoodsystems.com.au CRC #CooperativeresearchcenterOne of the things about the blockchain ecosystem is that a lot of effort over the last 10 years has gone into really what I would describe as back end or back office issues.#smallbusiness using #blockchainhow #blockchain starts to tackle questions around #informationdoubtand why doubt equals discount and provenance equals profitwhy when there is doubt around the veracity of the claims you're making about your product the marketplace will discount thatwhy when the marketplace has confidence in the provenance claims of the products they're buying provenance equals profit.how to build a loyal customer base by building their confidence that what they're getting is more likely than not to be what it's meant to behow at @beefledger they are trying to create the right incentive mechanisms using blockchain technologies and smart contracts that reward the pursuit of excellencewhen the question of #informationintegrity becomes a common public goodthe reality that Australian production systems are often quite a bit more expensive than alternatives in other parts of the world, which means we really need to work very hard at the value proposition that that is sufficiently persuasive that says, look, it is a bit more expensive but there are the benefits#Australianexportersthe economic sanctions that are China putting on Australiahow he sees the next 20 to 25 years with Asia continuing its path to economic development and greater wealthAustralia as one of 15 signatory countries to the #RegionalComprehensiveEconomicPartnership (#RCEP).@ASEAN groupthe ongoing growth of China which is likely to become the world's largest economy in the next, within the next 10 yearswhy Australia needs to think seriously about the importance of #RCEP as an institutional framework.#customs #paperlesscustomsblockchain enabled digitized payments - the fast lane vs the slow lanethe need to ensure that there are sufficient pipelines for data flows.the need to build capacity throuhgh #education not only in a very traditional sense, but also amongst #SMEs, to make sure that people don't feel alienated from these new technologies.the growing marketplace for digital products In Asia because of their digital nativenesshow developing countries have been able to skip over some of the legacy infrastructure that we're still held back by and have moved straight into a mobile smartphone experiential marketwww.beefledger.iowww.futurefoodsystems.com.auwww.qut.edu.auwww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 19, 2021 • 28min
Elise Brown What buying a business at 19yrs taught her
Elise Brown owns Fairdinkum Dogs www.fairdinkumdogs.com.au in #castlemaine. She was only 18 years old when she bought the business from a family friend (who was the second owner). That previous owner thought Elise was a great fit for the brand, and the product, because she had seen her riding her horse past her house, with her #BorderCollies on her tail. Elise talks about;buying your #firstbusiness at 18, and the second one soon afterhow the opportunity to buy the business came aboutnervously asking how much they wanted for the business, and within an hour chatting to the banks and previous business ownersgetting her #mothershelp with #buyingabusinessgetting her #grandmothershelp to learn to sew after purchasing the businessreassessing priorities when first daughter was born and deciding then to take the business onlinebuying her second business, a #petshopbeing 20 and running both businesseslifting a tonne a day, falling pregnant and selling the businessWanting to just focus on being a mumseeing both sides of the coin, being a #wholesaler and a #retailer@KerryAnderson (mother) giving the confidence to just pursue my dreams#waterproofoilskindogcoats #custommade to fit any breed shape or size.why #Shopify is an amazing website (so you can upload your products onto the website but then with the click of the button you can be selling off @Amazon @eBay @Facebook @Instagramhow #Shopify was a really big turning point for my business#DigitalChampionsGrant (federal government grant) - having two days of training and @michellebridges as our guest speakergetting picked as 1 of 30 businesses to be part of the Facebook gift guideturning up at local shop shopping center and seeing my photo there and at #MelbourneAirport#digitaltransformationbeing part of our communitybeing Seventh Generation Castlemainianconstantly reiterating that we're #Australianmade and #Australianownedbeing there for you and your best matetips for #productdevelopmentDisciplines to @contentcreation#blogging and just giving away information and helping customers#localcommunity #Familymoving to the regionsbeing a part of the communitysupport from the local community and family#smallbusinesscommunities#collaboration#Australianmadedogtreats#Manufacturingbyhand#handsewing#locallysourced#Sellingtostaff@MidlandPetSupplies#websiteplatforms#employinglocal#animalwelfarethe Australian Rural Entrepreneurs Book http://www.kerryanderson.com.au/products/australian-rural-entrepreneurswww.kerrcapital.com.auwww.kerryanderson.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 18, 2021 • 28min
Louise Broekman from the The Advisory Board Centre on how business owners can benefit from advisory boards
Louise Brockman is the founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Center. She grew up in a small business family and started her first business at 19 years old. It's in her blood. She has experienced the absolute highs and lows. With this cumulative experience, she is on a mission to help other #businessowners take advantage of outside advice. In our discussion she talks about; the big adventures she had when the family started a new businessher #firstbusiness was a #restaurant in #MissionBeachwhen the family lost everything in a cyclone hit, and she couldn't afford to go to universityworking in #corporatelife for a period of time but really missing #beinginbusiness#starting and #growing a #software based #professionalservicesbusiness helping #SMEs with their #outsourcedhumanresourceswanting to grow it, needing to be cautious and deliberate in the decisions about what's nextsecond guessing the decisions mademisjudging the launchhaving to sell everything that I owned, to keep the business goingrealising a year later, that when she had the opportunity to grow that business wanting to be confident of not messing it up and put herself at riskputting together her own advisory boardher life-changing momentgrowing their business to 135 offices in eight countries in five years, and selling the businessbeing so grateful for what the #AdvisoryBoard had done leading to spending five years researching testing and validating the advisory board sector globallyput everything on the lineusing her personal experience as a great foundation for building this current businessbe open and willing to seek advicethe different levels of #advice available #smeownerspicking the advice that is fit the purpose for the situation you're in, the period of time, the market#informaladvice - getting advice instance from #familyandfriends, people who know you and love you and want the best from you. It's very supportive and they want the best, who knew personally.#peertopeeradvice - extremely informal, really supportive#beertobeersupport - really important mutual support#businessnetworkgroups, and #informaladvisoryboards, e.g. #chamberofcommerce or #businessgroupsthe really important socialization of business owners - because it's lonely in business it's important to get out of our own bubble and socialize with other people that have this similar situationwhy #Informaladvisoryboards is where the market has been - no one's paid, but generally they last for about six months and they kind of fizzle outone on one relationships like a #businesscoach #mentor #consultant as targeted support for that for a period of timethe unrealistic expectations of one person having the answer to everything about their businessas mentors and advisors being really careful about where the boundaries are - when should we provide advice and when we should stop when it starts getting outside about entering expertise or knowledge.using #formaladvisoryboard with a #chair and external advisors, a #charter so everyone's focused on some critical aspects of what's important to the business and #measuringimpact#governanceboards with #boarddirectors - with directors becoming personally liableThe mistake of jumping straight to the ‘who I know’ component vs figuring out what the business needs and prioritisingThe types and size of businesses using advisory boards#projectbasedadvisoryboardsfilling #knowledgegaps and #skillsgapsnot duplicating your management disciplinesnot becoming a #shadowdirectorfocusing on context, not content#buildingtrust or learning to trust advisorswhy #businessowners need to step up and do better #duediligence with regards to the way that they're evaluating their advisors - they're not all commodity providerswhy you should interview them and make sure they are really curious about your business#futurefocusssed advisors or mentorswww.advisoryboardcentre.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 16, 2021 • 28min
Annabelle Hickson from Galah Magazine, a modern voice for regional Australia
Annabelle Hickson www.annabellehickson.com is the founder of @Galahpress. Her new publication @GalahMagazine is a modern voice from the bush.Annabelle is also a #pecanfarmer west of #tenterfield, an #author, a #podcaster. She maintains a rich and diversified portfolio of activities alongside her family life (a farmer husband and 3 lovely kids).In this episode she talks about her transition out of Sydney, and we cover a lot of ground including; growing up suburban Sydney, getting a dream job after uni and then working as a journalist for the Australian newspaper, thinking life was going to go down a much more urban trackfalling in love with a farmerloving life out here, one she never knew about beforecreating your own opportunities, your own business and an empirestarting @GalahMagazine - a publication that spoke about #regionalAustralia through the lens of advantagethe historical voice from the bush, in a kind of post colonial sense, you know, the Bush was such an important part of our national psyche - built on the sheep's back you know everyone was a farmer, they knew a farmer, they had a connection with the bush.how nowadays, that connection has really eroded, and, you know, we're one of the most urbanized countries in the world and I think it's something like 85% of us live within 50kms of the coasts,how the Bush used to be so powerful and now it's much less powerfulthe song of decline, the narrative of decline is something that we hear about a lotbeing really surprised and delighted to find that when I moved out to regional Australia. It was not this sad place, it was vibrant and joyful and full of innovation.why it's really important for us to tell these stories - to not always talk about drought, and lack of access to medical services, and lack of jobs because this life out here is also really richas you know it's not all light, there's a darkness too, but I think it's a more complex picture I guess then historical stereotypes have portrayed.why living 80 kilometers out of town, and feeling quite separate from #townlife and being a real outsider, is probably good for making observationswhat's happening in #Tenterfield - primarily an ag town, you know traditional grazing community but now there's lots of different people coming - opening Airbnb’s, new shopkeepers, new restauranters - there's a real mix of people coming into the communityhow from her my point of view having this diverse makeup of people in the community is the key to the future of regional Australia. Having people that don't have skills that are just kind of ag-based, you know, we've got architects, restauranteurs, artists, and all of this that makes up the vibrant, diverse life that I want#decentralization - has been this dream for so long but now it actually feels real, we have technology that allows that to happen. And then, with COVID we've sort of been forced into it and I actually think it's a really exciting time for regional Australia.#treechange and the reasons behind it - significantly cheaper real estate prices - you can get a lot of bang for your buckthe #giftofcommunity - you know everyone's names, they know you, they care about you, even if you don't have the same political views, they will help you when you need it you know we had fires around here and everyone just helped everyone and that feeling of being seen and heard and cared for, I didn’t know what I was missing.life before #treechange - pretty much hung with people who were very much like me in my Sydney lifewhy mixing with people who aren't all alike is good for humanityfeeling a lot more courageous here than I did in my city life. I don't think I ever would have thought I could start my own publication in Sydney because I was surrounded by amazing publicationsfeeling emboldened out here, and I think. I think in a way that's a reflection of the community being so much smaller and that awful voice of comparison, just isn't as loud and you can just kind of try more thingsEmerging business opportunities in #communityregeneration #renewableenergy #smallscale #ecotourism #smallscalefood #smallscaleag #verticalintegrationwhy a lot of country towns that are way ahead of the politicians;#Communityownedcompanies that have the aim of creating and generating enough renewable clean energy to power their own communities, and any profits that are made go back into the community.@cleancowra in #centralwestNewSouthWales@genienergy in #Narrabri #NorthwestNSWFarming on one or two hectares and employing 10 People@SueHewitt who went back from Melbourne to her family fig farm in South Australia. She went back and worked out how to build a premium food brand #foodprovenance #industrialvoyeurism #foodtourism #farmtourismHow you can have direct access to city based customers these days through @Instagram and @buyfromthebush and bypass the traditional middlemen and redistribute those margins. I just think it's such an exciting time, keep the margins local.Moving away from competitiveness into cooperation so that they can actually build something strong for the community@GraceBrennan #buyfromthebush@Donnahay - the doyen of Australian cookbooks and magazine publishing as a mentor.@Jilliankirby from https://www.yourexchange.co/ #dubbowww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 15, 2021 • 28min
Team members from The Outback Alliance on achieving sustainable economic development in outback Australia
The Outback Alliance is a cross-sectoral group of #ngos and individuals who focus on the development, welfare and protection of Outback Australian communities and nature.The Alliance works together to advise, assist and advocate to all levels of government to adopt an approach to policy development and implementation that ensures the sustainable development of Outback Australia. The vision of www.outbackalliance.org.au is for a thriving #outbackaustralia, for the people and the land. In this episode Daina Neverauskas, Andrew Drysdale and Frank Quinlan (Federation, Executive Director of the #RoyalFlyingDoctorService) talk about the work they are doing to promote better and fairer outback & remote policies. In this discussion we cover;their cross-sectoral to promoting remote and outback issues with representatives from #smallbusiness, #rangelands, #healthservices,#Aboriginalservices, and #environmentalservices like #Pewtrust.the interconnectedness of #outbackcommunities #rangelandsthe sheer size of the outback which covers approximately 6 million square kilometers, or 80% of Australia with 3% of the populationThe 7 or 8 federal MP’s who would have 80% of their electorate in #rangelandsthe challenge in trying to influence government to have policies that work for a very, very large area, but a very, very small percentage of people with a very, very small voting powerThe challenges particularly from a business perspective for people living in Outback or remote Australia like the cost and speed of transport, getting fresh perishablesRebalancing the opportunities for #smallbusiness vs #largebusiness (in the coastal parts of the country)The #mantleofsafetythe #royalaustralianflyingdoctorservice ( a child of the outback) over 90 years has been about ensuring that folks who are living a long way from the tertiary hospitals and other places can get the care they need, as and when they need it#healthoutcomes in outback AustraliaThe importance of #chambersofcommercethe isolation of quarantines and lock-upsthe pressures that folks are under when their businesses disrupted because the community requires shutdowns and quarantinesthe need for open discussion about mental health issuesAccess to basic treatment services, and preventative services that we take for granted in the cities- preventative health checks,#localGPsthe hope of interdependenceThe vanishing rail systemThe case for ensuring access to care and services to support the folks who farm our fiber and our food#commercialinfrastructureThe need for a much broader definition of infrastructure to include personal health and well being#domestictourism #localtourismAn example of opportunity and challenge - #winton @Tattshotelwinton (1200 kilometers northwest of Brisbane) - a couple who switched international travel for an Outback tripThe impact of #covid on #smallbusiness#hardwarestore in #charleville#rangelandalliance#procurement#landbasedlivelihoods#citycousins#Socialwellbing#Emotionalwellbeing#communitydonations #communityleaders#localfootyclubswww.kerrcapital.com.au www.sosbiz.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 14, 2021 • 28min
Diana Sargeant from rosesalesonline.com.au on turning the worlds favorite flower into a business
Diana & Graham Sargeant run www.rosesalesonline.com.au, a leading destination for the #roselovers across Australia. The business started unexpectedly while on their honeymoon. It's always been a #familybusiness, built around #familyvalues and #parenting and sharing the love for what is the #worldsfavoriteflower in a #sustainable, caring way for the #environment.In our freeflowing and open discussion Diana talks about; starting at Kilmore back in 1986starting out of a small cottage with kids at home and being a #stayathomemummaking a visit to the world rose convention, entering a miniature rose that unexpectedly won the Australian award for miniature roses - the #traceywickhamrose that really kickstarted the businessfrom there building gardens around the cottage leading to people stopping because they knew that we were doing something there and they would ask, you know, can we buy this and can we buy that?reallising when there's obviously a business in thisdealing with council and with neighbours who didnt want change and having a #waroftherosesturning this negativity into an enormous amount of really good publicitygetting nominated to go to America on a rotary program (Business Program) for women, and the incredible impact this hadgoing away as a #youngmum from my kids and husband for five weeksgetting priorities sortedremodelling the business to suit their lifestyleopening the second nursery cafe in Victoriawriting a bookcreating a newsletter, converting it to an email which nows goes to 10K subscribers every Thursday @ 10am#contentmarketing, sharing knowledge and #educatingcustomersthe rose that went missing for 21 days in the post but survives in her garden to this dayhow #aupost came to the rescue - going direct to the top in Australia Post, punching out an email to Christine Holgate on a Saturday and getting a personal that Saturday evening (the absolute honest truth)10 years on #3cr community radiothe transformation from a traditional horticultural business to an online businessbecoming renowned across the country for your wealth of knowledge about all things rosesthe booming rose industry#grasgarblethe avalanche of people moving into gardening because people have tapped into something that they really like - connecting with the soil, connecting with themselves, feeling really good about this gardening thing - it's not going awaywww.kerrcapital.com.au@silkiesrosefarm
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 13, 2021 • 28min
Sam Marwood from cultivatefarms.com on farm matchmaking
Sam Marwood co-founded www.cultivatefarms.com which is a matchmaking service for retiring farmers and aspiring farmers and investors. Through this they are making ownership possible for the next generation.It started because Sam's dreams of ownership were squashed when his parents said no, you're not getting the farm. In the discussion we cover;#smallscalefarmsthe hidden dream of people working in skyscrapers who would love to own a farm and be a farmerthe process of matching those farmers and the importance of making sure your values are aligned, and getting to know each otherthe growing number of retiring farmers out there who want or need to share ownershipthe role of investors in #localfarmsthe 80K farms out therehow the process of matching can be an amazing Lifeline to give retiring farmers the opportunity to 'age on farm', stay and be part of their legacy, even when they are slowing down a bitbringing in or keeping young families in the community, their pathway to ownership and building their wealththe prevalence and complexity of #legacyhow they are educating farmers on other optionsdealign with the many farmers out there whose families don't want the farmgiving new hope to farmers that they can stay on their farm and realize their legacy, even when their kids don't want itthe relief for some kids he's heard so many times because "my parents really want us to have the farm and we just don't want it. We just can't figure out how to tell them that!"#farmproductivitythe age of farm farmers getting older with the reality that as you slow down you're probably not pushing the farm from a productivity point of view, or even an environmental perspective#agtech#startuphow farmers across Australia are all entrepreneurs who will jump on opportunities as they see they're useful and, and viable#goondiwindi#sharefarming#businesspartnership#corporatefarmownership#familyfarms#regionalcommunities#landmanagement.www.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au

Jul 12, 2021 • 28min
Peter Hurst from roadiii.com on Aussie road trips
Peter Hurst from founded www.roadiii.com to showcase more of the great Australian #festivals, #culturalevents, #wineries and #distilleries that don't get the media limelight, are off the #beatentrack or are actually #huddengems.His mission is to challenge Australians to get out #ontheroad. He started www.roadiii.com about 3 years ago (and 2 weeks before Covid19).Originally trained as a #schoolteacher but spent 20 years working with companies including General Motors and NylexHe's also been heavily involved in #lifesaving around Australia. and his first small business (he's still got it) was Surf Safety Australia that supplies safety products to lifesaving clubs in Australia and overseas, particularly the UK. In our discussion we talk about;how Google driving him to distraction drove him to start #roadiiihow his design approach for the website was driven by wanting to spend more time more time on the road and less on the computerthe philosophy of his UX approach being to get people out into the regions to do road trips and to take in more than just the traditional tourism optionsmaking #holidays richer and more fulfillinglaunching 2 weeks before Covid19 and adaptingcombining something that's a passion of yours with a business (and a business that can be run on the road)lessons learnded - being open because you are never quite sure where opportunity comes frombeing a massive believer that a small business should be founded on passion and interesthow small business can be tough and very often it's that idea of 1% inspiration 99% perspiration. So if you're gonna work that hard, and soak up your spare time, you've got to love what you do.how his commercial experience also tells him that you've got to be pretty analytical as well and try to avoid wasting time and wasting moneyhaving a realistic expectation of what you want from that small businesswhy it doesn't have to be, you know, a million dollar a year business to be something that can be viable and enjoyable and sustainablegoing into business with a customer mindset, looking for things that you enjoy and that people want, then that's the basistaking small risks, and taking them one at a time, and understanding what you might lose.how three wins and one loss can give you a basis for building a business#smallbusinessheros#IanKiernan from @CleanUpAustraliaDay - an inspirational endeavor, shows you what's possible from an idea, shows you what's possible from a bit of perseverance and also a bit of support from those people that should support the creatives, the individuals that, try new ideas outAlso a secret admirer of the owners of the Sir George Hotel, and the Long Track Pantry in https://www.sirgeorge.com.au/ #Jugiong #NSW in the middle of amazing country, but surrounded by nothing but farms - incredible success out of a rundown hotelwww.kerrcapital.com.au
Thanks for listening. Visit the Owner To Owner Podcast website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.Search @ownertoownerpodcast on your favourite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.auwww.ownertoownerpodcast.com.au