Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, I interview Kaila Colbin, the co-founder of Boma Global and the CEO of Boma New Zealand. Boma is a global network of local partners offering transformational learning experiences to help us be more intentional and intelligent about the future we're creating. Kaila is also a co-founder and trustee of the non-profit Ministry of Awesome and has served on many boards, including as Chair of the Board of the New York-based Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts and Deputy Chair of ChristchurchNZ and CORE Education Ltd. She spearheaded the hugely successful SingularityU New Zealand and Australia Summits, introducing more than 2,500 people to exponential technologies and their impact on humanity. After training with Brené Brown, Kaila became a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, and has worked with hundreds of people to increase courage as a core competency. She is also a certified ExO consultant, a Climate Project Ambassador who trained with Al Gore, and a Project Management Professional. She is a renowned national and international public speaker, sought after by corporates, government agencies, industry groups, and more. Before co-founding Boma, she spent 10 years running TEDxChristChurch, one year running TEDxScottBase in Antarctica, four years at SingularityUniversity before bringing it to New Zealand. They publicly launched Boma in mid-2018 when she was 45. They started with three full-time employees and now have eleven. Globally, they started with Boma New Zealand, Boma France, and Boma Germany. They have since grown to ten country partners as well as added many more partners in other areas of the organization. Kaila says the hardest thing in growing a small business is keeping the faith and shares that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "Be patient and give yourself grace" If you really wanna learn how to succeed in growing your business, this is one episode you won't wanna miss. Enjoy! This Cast Covers: Helping people be more intentional and intelligent about the future. Revenue generation: Fees people pay to attend their program, sponsorships, and ticket sales for their events and now working on creating packages. Working with global organizations that are changing the world. From in-person delivery of services to going online since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Training with Brené Brown to be able to help people increase courage as a core competency. Growing from three team members to eleven, and from three country partners to numerous more partners in different areas. Why every startup small business owner must embrace hustle and opportunism. The pride of achieving a Net Promoter Score of 75 and the challenges that come with raising capital. Getting venture capital funding for Boma Global and the individual funding that goes into the different Bomas globally. Building the kind of leaders that the future needs. The importance of small business owners understanding what it means to have unearned revenue. Learning to have more patience with her team and create more space for them to grow. What she enjoys most about growing a small business. Embracing forgiveness in order to achieve resilience in business. Explicit and intentional culture versus emergent and by-default culture. How having a family made her a more effective leader and helped her attain some work-life balance. Additional Resources: Boma Global Boma New Zealand Dare to Lead™ Built to Last By James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras Good to Great By James C. Collins The E-Myth By Michael E. Gerber Dare to Lead By Brené Brown Dare to Lead Podcast Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Joe Cook, the Co-Founder, and general manager of Adelaide-based Riot Wines, the only business in Australia that exclusively sells wine in kegs and cans. Joe started out working for Keg Star, a keg rental business that grew fast in Australia and expanded into New Zealand and the UK. While they were researching the market potential in the US for Keg Star, they came across wine on tap and decided to launch it in Australia because no other wine business was doing it. Keg Star was sold before they could do that so he and his co-founder, Tom O'Donnell (The Winemaker), started Riot Wines in 2016 to implement the idea. Combining investments from a few friends with their own personal funds, they started by producing 14,000 liters of wine in 2017, and by March 2021 they expect to produce 1 Million liters. Due to the capital-intensive nature of the business, they did two cash raises in year two from high net worth individuals. A year later, they were acquired by Carlton & United Breweries and stayed on to help with the operations. Joe and Tom were the only full-time employees when they started out and three years in, they had grown that to 10. Joe says the hardest thing in growing a small business is cash and resilience, and that the one thing he would tell himself on day one of starting out in business is, "Keep punching no matter what" Stay tuned and make sure you take notes as Joe shares his great wisdom with us. This Cast Covers: Their huge differentiator in the traditional wine market and why they don't have a market in the festivals and events space. The tons of research they did in the US wines market to come up with their own innovative way of packaging their wine. From working for a keg rental business to starting his own wine on tap business that naturally evolved into wine in cans. Producing 14,000 liters of wine in their first year and the expected production of 1 Million liters by March 2021. Growing from the two co-founders only to the current ten full-time employees. Buying grapes from local growers and making their own wine from scratch to ensure that they keep to their core pillar of not putting too many preservatives in it. Successfully exiting the business and looking forward to ordering Riot from a bar 25 years from now. The challenges they had trying to figure out their target market. Why their product has lower preservative, lower sugar, and is more sustainable. Saving 23,000 glass bottles from landfill: The positive environmental impact of their packaging choice. Funding the business with investments from himself, his co-founder, a few of their friends, and a year later from two cash raise. Exiting the business three years later and enjoying the cash in. Embracing potential competition in the wine on tap industry. Understanding the heartbeat of the business by focusing on being more informed about the numbers. Developing and maintaining objectivity when running a small business. Understanding that culture is intentional in order to get it right. Work-Life balance: Drawing a line between when one is working and when they're not, and the challenges that come with it Lessons learned from the acquisition process they went through. Additional Resources: Riot Wines Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Vivian McKinnon, the Founder and Managing Director of Hydro-Ease, Northern Ireland's only dedicated floatation centre. She is also the founder of Wellness Consultant and the regional coordinator for SMART Recovery UK. Vivian is committed to reducing the impacts of trauma and related symptoms using the latest approaches in neuroscience in unison with floatation therapy, developing Reconnection and Floatation Therapy (RAFT) her own unique approach to healing. An inspirational and creative therapeutic practitioner, an authentic and engaging trainer and international Public Speaker Vivian firmly believes RAFT is the perfect antidote to our modern frenetic world. Having almost three decades of lived experience of adverse childhood experiences, trauma and addiction she was introduced to floatation for the first time in 2004. After having a very profound and enlightening experience she was keen to understand what had taken place. When the owner/operator of the float center could not provide the answers she sought she decided to find out for herself, this saw her returning to education and training alongside some of the most fascinating minds in the world of the modalities she has studied. Working with leaders to vulnerable and disengaged young people throughout the Charity and Voluntary, Public and Private sectors across Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 2004, she came across floatation when she was in recovery from trauma, addiction, and seriously compromised mental health going back to her childhood experiences. When she moved to Northern Ireland she realized there was no floatation center and so decided to open one in September 2015 and within the first six months their turnover was £24,500. In 2016, their annual turnover was £60,000 which more than doubled to £126,000 in 2020. She started out as the sole full-time employee and currently has 6. Vivian feels the hardest thing in growing a small business is keeping in the present, and says that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "You've got this. Get in there and smash it, girl!" Get ready for some small business ownership inspiration. Enjoy! This Cast Covers: Offering trauma recovery for 40% of people in Northern Ireland who live with the impact of trauma from the legacy of past troubles. Combining 25 centimeters of body temperature water and half a tonne of Epsom salt to help people recover from trauma. Her history with trauma and how she transitioned from the charity and voluntary sector to start Hydro-Ease. The lifestyle changes that have over time caused increased trauma in our bodies. £0 to £24,500 in the first 6 months and doubling it to £60,000 in annual year: Hydro-Ease's growth trajectory. Growing from being recognized as a commissioned service by the Department for Health and the Health and Social Board. Moment of success: Standing on stage at the 16th Annual Mental Conference and giving a lecture on mental health. Thriving in marketing by understanding your audience, finding out where they are and using that to target them. Combining her savings and some personal debt to fund the business. How managing the fast growth of the business challenged her. Working with anyone she wants and knowing that she doesn't have to do everything in her business. Vivian's core hiring tip for small business owners: The person who does best in an interview isn't always the best person for the job. Continuous engagement with employees and embracing their ideas for the business. Why every small business owner should work on their mindset to grow their business. Additional Resources: The Tipping Point By Malcolm Gladwell The E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Mark Horstman, the Co-Founder of Manager Tools LLC, a management consulting firm that regularly provides consultancy and training to managers in Fortune 1000 companies around the world. He also co-hosts a podcast also called Manager Tools, which has millions of downloads a month and has won tons of awards, being named the world's best business podcast. Mark is an incredibly accomplished business leader and personality. He is a United States Military Academy graduate (West Point) and former US Army officer. He was previously a manager and executive in sales and marketing at Procter & Gamble, and has been coaching and training managers and executives since 1988. He came on the show to talk about the behaviors that matter when it comes to being a good manager and delivering the expected results at all times. He says the hardest thing in management for a small business is deciding to spend time on management issues and internal issues, and that the one thing he would say to a small business owner who is starting out in their growth journey is, "Focus on customers. It's all customers" Please listen to enjoy all that Mark has to share! This Cast Covers: Working with other people and paying attention to their ideas to really succeed. His backstory: From the Military academy, serving in Hawaii, doing special forces work in South America, to killing it in sales at Procter & Gamble, and now coaching and training managers. The power of data and how it has enabled them to be the best at what they do. Focusing on changing the behaviors of individual managers to inspire change in companies from within. Leveraging employees' strengths instead of trying to fix their weaknesses. How managers can deliver great results by engaging in the right behaviors, developing trust, and talking to their people about their performance. Improving your management abilities by hiring better instead of hiring fast. The two main reasons for a manager to fire somebody. Doing over 12,000 interviews as a recruiter for big companies and organizations. Mastering the three powers in the workplace: Role power, relationship power, and expertise power. Why it's critical for every manager to be great at feedback. How powerful being a better manager can be for a small business. The importance of small business owners spending more time on developing a management structure. Some of the best management training programs that Mark would recommend. The correlation between success and being a nice and kind person. Focusing on customers and being conscious of the fact that all results happen outside a small business. Additional Resources: Manager Tools LLC The Manager Tools Podcast The Effective Manager By Mark Horstman The Effective Hiring Manager By Mark Horstman The Innovator's Dilemma By Clayton Christensen The Effective Executive By Peter Drucker Execution By Lawrence Bossidy and Ram Charan How to Win Friends and Influence People By Dale Carnegie Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Laura Bell, the Founder, and CEO of SafeStack Academy, a boutique cybersecurity company with a team that now stretches across New Zealand and Australia. With over a decade of experience in software development and information security, Laura specializes in bringing security survival skills, practices, and culture into fast-paced businesses and organizations of every shape and size. An experienced conference speaker, trainer, and regular panel member, Laura has spoken at a range of events such as BlackHat USA, Velocity, OSCON, Kiwicon, Linux Conf AU, and Microsoft TechEd on the subjects of privacy, covert communications, agile security, and security mindset. Laura started SafeStack from a shared workspace back in 2015, aged 30 and with just $300 in startup capital. The business is currently focused on its online educational platform, which they launched in July 2020. Five months in, they had about 4,000 learners and were generating $280,000 in annual revenue with expectations to reach $1 Million within a year. She was the sole full-time employee when she started the business and now has 8 full-time employees after peaking to seventeen a while back. Laura says the hardest thing in growing a small business for her has been trusting their journey to be different from other companies without focusing on what the other companies were doing. The one thing she says she would tell herself on day one of starting out is, "Believe in yourself more, be confident, don't sweat the small stuff, and don't let your anxiety get the best of you" Prepare to be blown away by Laura's small business growth wisdom. This Cast Covers: Cybersecurity consulting for growing businesses and those that may not have their own internal security team. Generating revenue from the consultancy services and online educational platform. Rate quitting her job to go out on her own and fix everything she couldn't fix before. Focusing on the online educational platform that they launched in 2020. From 0 to 4,000 learners within 5 months of being in operation and currently generating $280,000 a year in revenue which is projected to reach $1 Million. Giving time to ideas and opportunities that may not seem worthy in the present. Bootstrapping the business from the beginning and their current funding round. The valuable hiring lessons that Laura has learned over time and how it has positively impacted her business. Discovering that sales in cybersecurity are based on emotion and shared values. The power of being authentic to herself and finding confidence in her style of management. Navigating the roller coaster that is fast growth in small business. Overcoming challenges, continuous learning, and enjoying the flexibility that comes with being a small business owner. Scheduling your fitness time and health activities as if they are your most important client. Having success with hiring people who are outside her bubble and hiring through a recruiter. How she struggled with work-life balance in the beginning. Reading a lot on management, communication, and habits for her professional development. Additional Resources: SafeStack Academy Thinking, Fast and Slow By Daniel Kahneman Atomic Habits By James Clear The Gift of Imperfection By Brené Brown Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Edward Mallett, the Founder and Managing Director of Employsure, a leading specialist workplace relations consultancy based in Australia and New Zealand. Employsure is part of the Peninsula Group of Companies, the largest worldwide provider of employment law consultancy services and related insurance cover to businesses. They work directly alongside businesses, helping them navigate and manage confusing workplace legislation to ensure they remain fair and safe. Edward incorporated the business in 2010 when he was 30 and got his first client in 2011. They now have 28,000 small to medium size businesses as clients and they support the businesses with customized expert advice, documentations, and solutions across employment relations and work health and safety. From being the only full-time employee in 2011 to now having 1,050 employees, the business now generates $200 Million in annual turnover. Edward says the hardest thing in growing a small business is letting go and that the one thing he would tell himself on day one of starting out in business is, "Give it a crack" The value any small business owner will get from this episode is unmatched, so don't miss out. This Cast Covers: Helping businesses with their workplace relations issues. The importance of small businesses treating their employees fairly. Moving away from wanting to be a barrister towards business ownership. Building the business on a subscription-based model and disrupting the industry. Growing both in Australia and New Zealand from 1 full-time employee to 1,050+ full-time employees, and from $0 to $200 Million in annual turnover. Working with over 28,000 small businesses with each paying an average of $500 a month. Enjoying more about the business than just making money. Changing his view of sales and marketing to scale his business to great heights. How they track the happiness of their 28,000 customers Bootstrapping from his savings and the experience of looking for investors. The great opportunities that are still present in their industry. Thriving through the pandemic when other businesses were failing. Understanding the value of hiring people who would do the things he could do himself. Building a culture around mission and vision that will end up being self-sustaining. Why every small business owner must maintain resilience to succeed in business. Rising above the noise without ignoring it to ensure it doesn't suck you down. Testing people's values whenever he is interviewing them for potential hiring. Measuring employees' performance against their company values. Understanding the purpose of your small business so you can develop a kickass culture around it. Why a small business owner cannot separate their personal life from their business life. Delegating to scale by acknowledging that things won't always be perfect. Having the discipline from day one to have a financial reporting framework. Additional Resources: Employsure Principles By Ray Dalio Built to Last By James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras Hard Thing About Things By Ben Horowitz How I Built This Masters of Scale Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Frances Valintine, the Founder, and CEO of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab. The Mind Lab is a platform that empowers students, schools, teachers, and principals to develop contemporary knowledge and practical skills for today's rapidly evolving world and the future of work. Frances was named one of the top 50 movers and shakers in technology education and awarded a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to education and the technology sector. She started Mind Lab in September 2013 in her early 40s, The Mind Lab being the 5th organization she has started. From being a small incubator with five full-time team members, they had a very steep growth and now have around 100 people who work with them on a constant basis with at least 80 working full time. The Mind Lab operates as a social enterprise and has been sustainably profitably all through. Before The Mind Lab, Frances had a consultancy business around marketing, got involved with an organization that was geared towards developing talent for the film and creative industries, and also started an Italian food store that she sold eleven months later. She says the hardest thing in growing a small business is knowing when to accelerate and when to put the foot on the brake, and that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "Go fast and don't let any naysayers get in your ear" Stay tuned to learn some really valuable small business growth tips from Frances. This Cast Covers: Running the only private graduate school in New Zealand with students who are typically between 35 and 55. Their two brands under one organization and what each is all about. Generating revenue from tuition fees, scholarships (Government funding), short courses/one-day workshops, programs that are paid for by corporate clients, and government contracts. Being a technologist from a young age and discovering the appetite for education centered around technology for the older population. Starting out with 5 people and having a steep growth to achieve profitability and the current 80 full-time employees. Frances' amazing serial entrepreneurship journey and how she loves being involved with impactful businesses and organizations. Her legitimate desire to do good in the world through her work. Working towards the adoption of continual professional development as a culture in New Zealand. Fragmenting their marketing across multiple channels and why small businesses should ensure their marketing is mobile-first, web-based, and highly responsive. Being comfortable with self-funding her businesses using her own assets. Dealing with the different stress levels that come with being a small business owner. Doing well during the pandemic due to their being largely digital and remote-oriented. The challenges they have in finding great talent in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other tech-oriented disciplines. Starting her first business in her early 20s and never working for anybody. The beauty of being able to watch an idea come to life to become a successful business. Developing habits around more of what makes you happy as a small business owner. Hiring for attitude and aptitude instead of putting so much focus on paper qualifications. Why every small business owner should make sure they hire people personally. Building a culture where employees feel that they're trusted. Continuously learning and getting to university after 40. The importance of having a rapport going with board members outside the office. Her experience with exiting a business. Getting out amongst interesting people and learning from others. The value of digitizing as many processes in your small business as possible. Additional Resources: The Mind Lab Tech Futures Lab Wondery Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Goose McGrath, the CEO at dashdot Buyers Agents, a buyers agency service that specializes in sourcing investment and homeowner properties that are under market value, with net positive yields, strong capital growth prospects, and that have value add potential through various instruments including subdivisions and renovations. Their core mission is to help business owners build prolific, profitable property portfolios so they can buy back their time, build a legacy, and have more fun. Dashdot helps investors build profitable portfolios using their proprietary Holy Trinity Formula – a renegade strategy that challenges deep-seated beliefs and practices in the highly conservative Australian market. Tapping into an untapped niche on the buyer's side, Goose built a profitable business with relatively less competition. It took Goose some time to find real estate, however. Right from when he was young, he ran his own business organizing music festivals. When he started in real estate, he had barely any knowledge or experience in the field and made some pretty serious mistakes. Goose may have achieved his own success now, but it was the turning points in his crazy journey that have given him the biggest learning experiences in his career. He says the hardest thing in growing a small business is mindset and that the one thing he would tell himself on day one of starting out in business is, "Be patient. It's a long game" Listen in and learn a ton about how to grow a small business. This Cast Covers: How he got his nickname "Goose" and why he uses it as his official name. Helping people buy properties as opposed to being real estate agents. The huge difference in the Australian real estate market where buyers' agency services are concerned. Leaving school early to start his own business and the valuable lessons he learned to become an expert in real estate. Building the Holy Trinity Formula to help them find properties that were cash flow positive, high growth, and with value add potential. Currently owning three properties and the financing challenges that they have to navigate. Why it's a big mistake to focus on specific geographies when looking for properties to invest in. From a series of messy spreadsheets to using data science and machine learning to develop a systemized process. Starting out with a few properties and limited cash, and working hard on marketing to grow to as much as $180,000 in collected fees in some months. Surviving through a 96% reduction in revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic to achieve the current $120,000 a month in collected fees. The misalignment in their perspective of success that taught them the most valuable lesson in business. Growing their business despite their cost per acquisition ratio being the lowest it's ever been. Funding the business from sweat equity, revenue, and profit minus any investors or credit. Growing by focusing their time and attention more on running the business than on raising funding. Overcoming burnout to come out stronger and smarter. Having the strength of mind to forge forward despite the constant fear of not achieving business goals. Learning that working harder doesn't necessarily result in better performance. Why the habit of looking into your finances every week is important. Building a sustainable and kickass culture through regular interaction and coaching for their fully remote team. The Vision Catch Up: How Goose ensures that his team is constantly working towards the core vision and goals of the business. Constantly analyzing the six key areas of life to maintain work-life balance. Investing in both his professional and personal development. Additional Resources: dashdot Buyers Agents The Road Less Stupid By Keith J. Cunningham The Ultimate Entrepreneur Podcast with Jay Abraham Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Carmen Vicelich, the award-winning founder and Global CEO of Valocity Global, a company that harnesses technology and data to transform and create new and connected digital ecosystems, streamlining the mortgage lending and valuation processes around the world and automating workflow from end to end. Carmen is an entrepreneurial powerhouse passionate about leveraging data and technology to generate impact and transformation. In record time, she has created two multi-million-dollar, industry-leading businesses that do just that. Purchasing a property is often a significant investment, however, before any bank can lend money for a mortgage, they must first assess its value. Carmen's company Valocity has revolutionized this process, by digitally connecting lenders, valuers, brokers, and customers in one smart platform to streamline the valuation and approval process. This makes property-buying faster and more transparent for all parties, delivering huge efficiencies to the estimated $2 Trillion-dollar New Zealand property market. The unique, cloud-based platform is used by some of the world's largest lenders across New Zealand, Australia, India, and Asia. A true Kiwi success story, Valocity has been recognized globally including the prestigious India FinTech Awards 2019 as Fintech Start Up of the Year, and Singapore Top 10 Global Fintech 2018. In parallel to Valocity, Carmen developed a second company, Data Insight, which helps New Zealand's largest business and government organizations leverage the power of data and advanced analytics, enabling data-driven decision-making to improve customer experience, efficiency, and profitability. Outside of founding two data and technology businesses, Carmen mentors several students and business founders, is a regular speaker sharing her innovation success story, serves on several boards including UNICEF, and is a proud mother of four children. Stay tuned to gain valuable insights as Carmen shares her amazing small business ownership journey This Cast Covers: Helping businesses that have data to make data-driven decisions through analytics and helping them leverage the power of that data. How Valocity eases the process of mortgage lending in New Zealand, Australia, India, and Singapore. Starting a business as a mother of four, aiming at transforming mortgage valuations around the world, and the value of getting support from her husband. Having a monopoly by introducing groundbreaking and new technology that was cloud-based, configurable, and customizable. Growing organically and the great partnership they forged with their current investor two years ago. Starting off with a small founding team and growing it to just under 100 full-time employees within 6 years. Winning awards and being driven by collaboration and innovation. Working with your customers to understand their problem so you can solve it better. Being really good at what they do in their first 4 years by growing organically without any external funding. How being agile has helped them navigate even the most challenging of times including the Covid-19 pandemic. Building a great culture and continuously appreciating her employees. The importance of focusing on one product or service that meets customers' needs. Ensuring every team member is aligned with the goals of the business. Work-Life balance from Carmen's point of view: Understanding your values and figuring out what you're prepared to compromise on. Why small business owners should look after their physical and mental health. The valuable support she receives from her advisory board and why she would advise every small business to have a visionary board and a playbook. Additional Resources: Valocity Global Good to Great By James C. Collins Built to Last By James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras Blinkist Podcast Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I interview Alessandra Pollina, the Founder, and CEO of Quotable Media Co (Formerly Pollina PR), a Boston-based public relations, marketing, and media agency with a passion for supporting female entrepreneurs. Alessandra is also the host of Quotable: a female millennial entrepreneur podcast. She works with business owners and entrepreneurs to build their brand and their business through public relations and marketing. After studying PR in college, she used her passion for creativity and helping promote businesses to venture into the PR space. She started out by interning for PR agencies to gain the necessary experience and in 2012, aged 23, started her own business. She started out with nothing but her laptop, which was convenient because it meant that she didn't have any overhead costs until she could start hiring. Alessandra says the hardest thing in growing a small business is the loneliness of doing things alone and finding the necessary support system, and shares that the one thing she would tell herself on day one of starting out in business is, "Go for the things that scare you first, and make sure that you're consciously thinking about what that might be, and making sure you're going towards it" Join me as I take this small business ownership with Alessandra to learn from her wealth of experience. This Cast Covers: Generating their revenue from promoting small to midsize businesses and offering content in different forms including courses. Why every small business owner should have a marketing budget and invest in an expert who can help with their PR. Tapping her passion for creativity to build a business in the PR space. Gaining the necessary experience from interning for PR agencies and starting her business a year after college. Being inspired by the desire to work for herself and the numerous challenges she had to overcome when she became a small business owner. Hitting $100,000 with the business before she was 30 and what pushed her to grow it in an agency. Providing a great workplace for her team and ensuring that team members can live a life that they love. How every small business owner never really feels like they have succeeded because they constantly have bigger and bigger goals. Why word-of-mouth marketing is the strongest thing for building a business. Dealing with the stress of the changes that a small business owner has to make in their business at different stages. Navigating the ups and downs that come with an entrepreneurial journey. Loving how being in business enables her to bring opportunities to her team members and clients. The importance of every small business owner learning the art of a quick follow-through. Open and constant communication: The backbone of building a great culture. Constantly struggling with trying to achieve some form of work/life balance. A dose of reading constantly to build on her personal development. Additional Resources: Confessions of an Advertising Man By David Ogilvy Girl Code By Cara Alwill Leyba The Marketing Agency Blueprint By Paul Roetzer The BossBabe Podcast Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/