Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, I'll have a conversation with Ben De Jong, the co-founder of The Cut, a digital-first agency with well established creative branding skills that helps people create great Shopify websites. The Cut is actually Perth's only Shopify Plus partner and Shopify expert partner. Ben and his business partner started the agency back in 2009 after they both moved back from London. Over a 6 year period, they have grown the agency from the original two founders to a team of more than 10 full-time employees, and have bootstrapped it purely on cash flow to achieve a consistent $1 Million in annual revenues. One of their biggest mistakes was starting a second online business in 2011 because it took time, resources, and most importantly focus away from their core business. Ben's advice for any startup owner is to implement simple business systems within the first twelve months, and to not be tempted by opportunities that will affect the business. Stay tuned, learn and go implement as he talks about that and so much more. This Cast Covers: From 2 to 14 employees within 5 to 6 years and a consistent $1 Million annually in revenues. Starting a successful online marketing platform for new home builders. The diversity and complexity of what a small business owner has to put into the business. Focusing on partnership programs, marketing, sales, and building relationships to add the greatest value to the business. The biggest mindset shift for Ben in their business growth journey. New Business: The number one habit a small business owner needs to develop and maintain. How they added people to their team and the lessons they've learned. Building a sustainable culture to help with business growth. On-site versus remote employees: The changing landscape of the workforce Investing more in professional development. The challenge of maintaining the focus required to grow a small business. The importance of finding an easy to use program to systemise/organise a business from the get-go. Additional Resources: The Cut Shopify The Shopify Dropify Podcast Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ …………. Quotes: "You're always having mindset shifts if you're running a small business" - Ben de Jong "Do not settle to fill a gap" - Ben de Jong "When you are recruiting, you have to look long and hard to find quality people" - Ben de Jong "If it's boring, it's probably running pretty smoothly" - Ben de Jong

In this episode, I'll have a conversation with Sam Reid, the co-founder of Willie Smith's Cider. Willie Smith's is a partnership between himself and Andrew Smith, a fourth-generation apple farmer in the Huon Valley. When the two met, Sam had been working at Diageo, one of the largest drinks business in the world, and was looking to do something different. While Andrew had some excess juicing apples that he was looking to do something with. Launching in 2012 as Australia's first organic cider, the two founders have grown the business to 25 full-time team members, and their cider sales are all around Tasmania and mainland Australia through direct trade accounts, distributors and the Dan Murphy liquor chain. Soon after starting they bought an old apple museum near their production facility and converted it into the Apple Shed where they host weddings, events, and a mid-winter festival which grew from 4,500 people to over 20,000 people over four years. Funding the business' growth mostly by themselves, they have also had some asset and bank financing, as well as around $750,000 in matched government grants. Sam will share some really great and actionable insights on how to grow a small business. This Cast Covers: How the idea for Willie Smith's was hatched and brought to life. The cider market gap in Australia that they exploited to win big. The Willie Smith national distribution strategy and their amazing apple shed. Hosting the mid-winter festival and the key growth numbers of the multifaceted business. Focusing on bootstrapping and doing things effectively to ensure sustainable operations. The most stressful points in their small business growth journey. The areas in business he worked on the most to add the greatest value to the business. The least enjoyable thing for Sam about managing fast growth. The biggest mindset shift he had to make along the way of growing a small business. The number one habit a small business owner needs to develop and maintain. Building and leading an effective team that believes in the business' vision. How to create a sustainable and kick-ass corporate culture to help with business growth. The professional development he invested in himself. Leveraging on the business networks he had built from his previous corporate career. The hardest thing in growing a small business and the one tool Sam would recommend to help grow a small business. Additional Resources: The Hard Thing About Hard Things By Ben Horowitz Leadership and Self-Deception By the Arbinger Institute Small Business Big Marketing with Tim Reid Great By Choice By James C. Collins Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In 1984 as a young, naive cafe worker in Hobart Rod took the leap to run his own small cafe more than 200km away in Launceston, Tasmania. Investing heavily in the team and culture, they now have two award-winning restaurants and recently added 7 premium accommodation rooms above one of them on the Tamar River. Listen to Rod speak about his small business journey and how adapting to the marketing and finding the right people to get on the busy, especially three young, key business partners to further the passion and lead the dedicated team. This cast covers: Started a cafe in 1984, expanded in 2000 to a restaurant and added a second high-end restaurant in 2008; In 2019 Rod built seven premium apartments above the restaurant and added accommodation to the business mix; A lot of new team members come from referrals of existing and past team members; Shared equity in both businesses with three junior business partners to share the growth and success, letting them focus on the kitchen, wine and service and HR and operations; Managing your numbers and finances are key to success; Hasn't taken on investment or bank finance, funded growth though cash flow though recently ; Recommends to talk and work with others in your industry, and grow at a decent rate - not too aggressive; Highly values marketing and brand; Hardest thing in small business is managing finances and adapting to change; and Advice he'd give himself on day one is think a bit further than a few months and do realistic numbers. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Above a little cafe in Hobart in 2015 James and one of his brothers spent a year testing and arguing about business ideas to pursue. Biteable was one of the first they thought of but being analytical, they wanted to exhaust the list before circling back and getting serious. Six months into it they brought on the third co-founder, a good friend, and raised $1.1m investment. A genuine SaaS (Software as a Service) business, Biteable allows people to create videos for ads, presentations and training on websites. Using a Freemium subscription model, paid plans start at $29 USD a month. This cast covers: From 10,000 customers to now 5 million in 5 years; Doubled customers every year; Have raised $3.4m AUD investment to date, all from Australia and now talking with US investors; James worked for Moo.com and BigCommerce, where he learnt will need capital to grow something large; Went with their hunch in 2015 that video was going to grow massively, tested many ideas and models before settling on Biteable; As the business grows roles change, need to keep ego in-check (yours and your co-founders); Org structure and job descriptions are super-important in fast-growth; Moved the three founders at the top of the org chart sharing day-to-day responsibility, to James being CEO and solely responsible to the Board for the performance of the business; Fundraising has been interesting, get honest feedback from potential investors then go back and fix those parts of the business for 6 months and back; Worked with a good mentor for two years who co-founded BigCommerce, he was able to help James change his perspective on what he can do; Had to work most on leadership and people stuff, but also had the most impact; Habit he recommends building as the leader is giving candid, direct feedback early and often; Most people don't want to give feedback because it may hurt the receivers' feelings, but most people want feedback and are very receptive; Hardest thing in business is navigating the uncertainty. Need to get comfortable with that and let go of opportunities a lot sooner; Number one tool to grow your business is Google AdWords. Set up first ad, went to bed and had 200 sales the next morning; and Would tell himself on day one is - all you are doing is solving a customers' problems, so the only thing that matters is the customer. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In mid-2013, using $1,000 start-up capital, Tim and his wife Bec founded Flat Tummy Tea (FTT). The online-only business sells a tea which helps 18 - 35 year old women reduce bloating. After Bec tried some competing products at the time, none worked and were more aimed at helping weight-loss - not digestion and bloating. This cast has many great lessons on why marketing, according to the late Peter Drucker, is one of only two things that create value in a business (the other is innovation). Upon launching FTT they repositioned, or created a sub-cateory of tea, to one for digestion and bloating. Tim also speaks a lot about discovering influencer marketing in late 2013 and double-downing on it, years before it became one of the key online marketing methods. Working with influencers like all the Kardashians, this marketing decision added millions to their exit price. This cast covers: sold in 2016, for $10m to a Canadian company, 2.5 - 3 years after starting; 700% annual sales growth; Australia was the launch market, USA is now the majority of sales; very big profit margins and great cash flows; started with $1k, no bank finance or other investors just the husband-and-wife founders; launched within three months of idea, which came from Bec experiencing the problem they ended up solving for hundreds of thousands of customers; main stress was flat-lining growth over some months; biggest stress was selling the business, but not much he would do differently; advice on doing a big exit, make sure all parties are winning; worked hard on getting the right team and in the right seats, and the right culture; going against his gut, didn't spread themselves on too many marketing methods - focused hard on influencers marketing; 1.7m Instagram followers now; mindset shift was to be less conservative, more aggressive; habit he recommends building is to work ON the business, not IN it ; focus on what's working and not, and what customers want; invested heavily in mentors and networking; professional development invests an hour a day on podcasts in idle / dead time; hardest thing in business is the management of people - the bigger the business gets and faster growth, the more important management and culture is; he would tell himself on day one to know your 'Why', your vision and the number you are happy to exit with. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

A few months ago Brendan stepped down as General Manager (GM) of Hobart Brewing Co. (HBC), but remains a Director and shareholder. He knew the next chapter of growth the business needed was going to require different skills and experience to what he had, and some fresh blood. In late 2014 Brendan met co-founder and Head Brewer, then they brought on-board three other founding shareholders to set up a brewery and bar near the beautiful Hobart waterfront. Being the first tenant at the government-owned land under massive redevelopment over the next 10 - 20 years, Macquarie Point, has been great for the business but also provided challenges. Punters not knowing HBC is located in a rusty old abandoned rail yard behind a large hotel meant a solid marketing plan, and great execution, was needed to fuel their amazing growth. HBC sells its award-winning beers around Tasmania, a little in Melbourne and a lot at the bar - especially when live music, comedy and other events are on. This cast covers: the challenges of running a fast-growing and complex business that operates 7 days a week, has multiple sales channels and operates a production space on the edge of their bar; left delegation and focus a little too late; putting your ego aside and knowing when you have taken your role as far as you can, and what is best for the business; importance of marketing, especially when your bar is in a challenging location; how around five hours a week of professional development helped grow in the diverse role of general management; the importance of changing your leadership and management style to get more from your team. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

In a humble interview Matthew shares how he was kicked out of university, after some time off in the Tasmanian wilderness got back then took 6.5 years to complete a four year degree to become a pharmacist. In 2005 he started working in a pharmacy in Launceston, Tasmania and soon after was invited to buy-in. Taking on considerable personal debt to do so, Matthew and his three business partners then grew the pharmacy from $800k to $21m in annual sales with 25 team members, before selling out in 2017. This cast covers: how leveraging expert coaches and advisors added millions in value to the business; the old chestnut of a small business owner finding it hard to delegate early-on, then wakes up; how to pivot and tackle a fierce, savvy, new competitor entering your market; the importance of continual learning - keeping your own professional development up; using mentors and your own informal network to seek advice from; why knowing your numbers, and only a handful, to truly monitor are key to growth; one thing they would do differently if they were selling again; and staying focused and positive is crucial during such phenomenal fast growth. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Importer furniture business in Tasmania has three stores and up to 30 team members, up from an original eight. In 2004 Charles Beaumont took over running the business from his parents, soon after his father became ill and passed away. This cast covers: how our ego can get in the way when leading a business; smarter methods to fund growth; humble leadership; transitioning a family business from one generation to the next; how Charles manages the small business from afar. He and his family are currently based in the beautiful Byron Bay area - over 2,000 kilometres away from his team and three stores. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Our 30 minute weekly podcast helps you, a small business owner with 5 to 30 team members, take your company to the next level. The Grow A Small Business community, weekly cast, blog and leadership email supports leaders get through the pain of growth. With insights, lessons learned, books and tools as well as habits these experienced small business owners suggest you develop our interviews unearth tremendous value for anyone wanting to grow their business with less stress. Your business can be anywhere in the world, in any industry. Our teachings are not targeted at one type. Rather, we focus on the pain most small businesses go through during the growth phases. That pain comes from having an unclear vision, a confusing strategy, the wrong people, the team unaligned with the strategy, shit management, no or poor communication and tardy execution. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)