The Mentor with Mark Bouris

Joe Darling is the Founder and owner of The Pottery Shed, a studio workshop with everything you need to create handmade pottery. Born and raised in California, Joe got interested in creating objects with clay while at school. He retrained as a Police officer with the US Army and was deployed to Europe, but maintained his pottery skills and in 2016 started The Pottery Shed.When restrictions came in around Covid19, Joe created an At-Home Pottery program for people to hire a kit of the materials and his team delivered supplies, collected and returned completed projects direct to people’s homes. I ask Joe how he adapted his offering to keep his business afloat, how the structure of military life has influenced his business and why the meditative process of creating with clay is something we could all use in our lives.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week has a career spanning over 30 years in the Australian food industry - dozens of awards, TV shows like MasterChef and My Restaurant Rules and best-selling cookbooks to his name, and owns some of Australia’s most celebrated restaurants and bars. Yep, it’s safe to say that Matt Moran is an Aussie food icon. Like all hospitality venues, Matt’s restaurants were hit hard by the restrictions around Covid19. So Matt quickly adapted to sell home-delivered boxes of fruit and veg, taking customers through the preparation and cooking process of his recipes via livestream, and capitalising on people’s time at home in the kitchen. I ask Matt how growing up on a farm taught him the discipline he needed to start his own business and what hard work and success mean to him.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. Got a question or comment for Mark? Send an email. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing that’s become clearer than ever this year is that brand authenticity and consistency as well as being able to adapt and evolve are essential in business. Someone who knows a lot about creating authenticity through brave design and innovation for the future is Ian Cartabiano, President of Toyota Europe Design Development, who is responsible for the progressive direction of Lexus vehicle design. When it comes to pushing boundaries in design to create highly technical and futuristic cars, Lexus are ahead of the curve. I ask Ian how the Lexus brand consistently appeals to their customers through design and craftsmanship, the importance of evolving into the future through innovation and how to apply these principles to any business.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel Hakim is the founder and CEO of CUB, Australia’s fastest growing community of established entrepreneurs and business leaders focused on a common goal – to help each other succeed by sharing their knowledge and experience. Daniel launched his business in 2015 when he was just 23, after being kicked out of two universities and deciding he wanted to make a difference in the world of business and networking. CUB venues offer a range of networking services to help members make their ambitions a reality, through access to an incredible group of business minds. This year has seen CUB’s business model get better, their team get stronger and the brand’s digital presence elevate despite the challenges 2020 has presented. I ask Daniel about the importance of networking in the business world and how this year has made CUB’s offering more relevant than ever.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is a great example of how to take a problem and create a purposeful business that drives positive change for everyday people. Lisa Hollinshead is the founder and CEO of One Another Community, a platform that connects skilled professionals who have pro bono capacity with those who need help in their local community, both in response to COVID-19 and as a longer-term solution to address the global loneliness epidemic. Lisa came up with the idea for the business in March this year when she was stranded in Spain, and wanted to create a social kindness platform for members of local communities to request and offer assistance. I ask Lisa how founding her business in 2020 ensured an agile and reactive start-up, and why One Another's mission to amplify the ripple effect of kindness and empower anyone to make a difference, is more important than ever.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aussie twin brothers Chris and Cameron Grant are pioneering the concept of ‘wilderness on demand’ and inviting stressed out office workers to get out of the city and experience the bush, through their accommodation start-up Unyoked. They build and design tiny, solar-powered and mostly phone-signal-free cabins in previously inaccessible locations no more than two hours from major cities around Australia. Their philosophy is that disconnecting from modern stresses and going back to simplicity is the perfect way to recharge for people stuck in the 9-5 cycle. And Matthew McConaughey clearly agrees, because he jumped on board to design a cabin with Unyoked just last year. 2020 proved to be a challenging year for their business – first with the bushfires and floods, and then of course through Covid19, when their Victorian cabins have been completely non-operational. I ask Chris and Cam how this year has made their offering more relevant than ever, and how they’re working with a captive travel market who at the moment can’t go overseas and are looking to explore their own backyard. Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Internationally recognised producer Michael Cassel is the Founder and Director of Michael Cassel Group, who produce some of the world’s best musical and theatrical productions. Before Covid19 put everything on hold, they were producing three of the biggest shows on stage: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne, a global tour of The Lion King musical, and the blockbuster musical Hamilton, which was in pre-production in Sydney. Because of the sheer scale of the productions, they’d need to run at theatre capacity in order for their shows to be financially viable, so they’re waiting for the time when gatherings of 1,500 people are allowed.But Michael is optimistic and confident that staying focused on the future, being flexible and ready to adapt, and uniting as an industry will ensure that stage shows are back up and running in the near future. I ask Michael about the importance of human connection and community in a digital age, and how he’s working to ensure buoyant business on returning to stage shows, so that when a new normal returns they’ll have great new shows ready to put on.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peta Shulman is the Founder and Director of GoodnessMe Box, Australia’s largest health-food subscription box. Every month they deliver a box straight to your door that’s filled with healthy goodies to take the guesswork out of making better food choices. Peta's own autoimmune disorder helped her discover the power of whole-foods, and she wanted other people to experience the same benefits of eating clean, nourishing foods.Over the past 5 years, GoodnessMe have worked with over 800 brands and have expanded into a kids box and a beauty box, their online shop, and pre-Covid they were hosting large-scale events. When Covid hit, brands couldn’t run events and there was no in-store sampling, so GoodnessMe decided to focus on building digital presence for the brands they worked with and help consumers find healthy products.They’ve also expanded to offer corporate opportunities – to improve morale and health of employees working from home. I ask Peta about the importance of communicating the GoodnessMe story and how their marketing strategy is all about building brand recognition so that their customers become their biggest advocates.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brandon Martignago is the owner and director of Dulcie’s Kings Cross – a bohemian 1920’s and 30’s era cocktail bar that sells only 100% Aussie spirits. Brandon was always inspired by the magic of theatre and wanted to create an immersive venue experience that really engaged patrons – so in 2018 he started Dulcie’s, right in the middle of the Sydney Lockout Laws.In March of this year, like all hospitality businesses, the regulations that came into effect around Covid19 forced Dulcie's to shut their doors. So they pivoted quickly and started offering “Dulcie’s to your Door” - take away bespoke cocktails that were handmade and hand delivered. Each purchase came with instructions to recreate the experience of visiting the bar for the customer at home. I ask Brandon how Dulcie's was able to pivot their offering during the lockdown period, the importance of theatre to their business and why they focus on using 100% Aussie produce.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Connelly is the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Me3D, a Wollongong-based maker of 3D printers and software. Since 2014 they've worked with schools to use 3D printing to teach kids as young as six how to imagine, design and create 3D models. In early 2020, Matt and his team were working around the clock to fulfil orders that were flying out the door – until Covid19 hit and business ground to a halt. So Me3D adapted to use the skills and technology they had available to design and produce face shields for medical use, and in a matter of days they had an initial production of 1,000 units delivered to hospitals. I ask Matt how the business has been able to successfully pivot into creating medical equipment and why they’re developing new software technology.Join the Facebook Group.Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.