Business News Australia Podcast
Episode 16 Katie Jones, Country Girl Management From the farm to the USA: Country girl Katie Jones' journey to success. Katie Jones' ambition has taken her from a small farming town to professional cycling, Miss Universe Australia, and now to launching her modelling agency Country Girl Management in the US. Country Girl Management, a Gold Coast-based self-development program and modelling agency for young women across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, scouts girls who traditionally don't get a foot in the door at city-based agencies. While COVID-19 has all but decimated the traditional world of fashion shows and runways, Jones has still managed to finally crack into the US market this year but not without some stumbles on the way. Not one to let a pandemic get in the way of success, Jones managed to become an expert at running events online and still had models work for huge brands this year including Seafolly, Lea Denim and Mecca. This week Jack talks to Katie about how her stint as a professional cyclist gave her the ambition she needed to survive in business, and how international expansion is a tricky but rewarding science.
Episode 15 - Paul Eastwood, Pollen Consulting Group Whether your business is upstream or downstream along the supply chain, unexpected challenges are part and parcel when it comes to logistics. But there are efficiencies to be found that are within anyone's reach. Over the course of four years Paul Eastwood has built up Pollen Consulting Group to a sizeable operation providing a wide variety of services to manufacturing and supply chain clients, all driven by the promise of adding value and return on investment. In this interview with Jack, Paul waxes philosophical on Australia's manufacturing future, and what needs to be done with technology, reskilling and support to drive a new boom. "We're going to win by getting ahead of the market investing in robotics, investing in and capturing techniques of funding a way to support that," Eastwood said on the latest episode of Talking to Trailblazers. "We've got to upskill the current workforce and allow them to transition to operating technology. "We can all operate an iPhone, we all learnt how to use a computer. We all know how to use pretty much any new technology somebody puts in front of us. I think there is an ability to upskill in the right way and create roles."
Episode 14 - Travis Erridge, co-founder of TM Insight In the space of just four months Travis Erridge's supply chain specialist business TM Insight experienced the equivalent of 10 years of growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistics networks buckled under the pressure of panic buying in March, but after the situation levelled out TM Insight continued riding the next wave of online shopping as we all stayed at home. This performance is far from a one-off for Erridge, who believes the best is yet to come. Following the acquisition of XAct Solutions, which gives the company a foothold in the Asian market, TM's team will double in size. This week Erridge talks Jack through the M&A process and where he believes the logistics sector will be heading this decade.
Episode 13 Craig & Lucy Johnston, TCLH Lucy and Craig Johnston have proven a formidable team with their business TCLH, but theirs is no overnight success story. Far from it in fact. From threadbare beginnings writing out contracts for prospective clients at their local library, the pair have grown the company to reach far-flung corners of Australia, much to the benefit of the hospitality workers they enlist and the people who get fed delicious meals in remote areas. In this podcast the duo tell Jack about their chance meeting in Byron Bay, and how persistence is key to securing contracts with some of the biggest companies in Australia and the world.
Episode 12 - Nic Blair, Search Factory, Brus Media, Bump Shoes Digital marketing and SEO expert Nic Blair recently closed his chapter with Search Factory, the company he founded. The entrepreneur poured everything into the business, building it up to a level where it was acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network in 2016 with an earn-out finishing in December last year. Blair stayed on as GM of the business now known as iProspect until June, and while he remains busy with his other companies Brus Media and Bump Shoes, now is an apt time to reflect on what was a volatile entrepreneurial journey. In this podcast he tells Jack how the business came about, persevering through failures along the way, and lessons learned in management and recruitment.
For Nexba co-founder Troy Douglas his sugar-free beverage business has been sweet. Troy is a celebrated young entrepreneur and passionate businessman who, alongside his brother Drew, has experienced a whopping ten years of 100 per cent year on year growth since Nexba launched. Nexba produce delicious, sugar free drinks like Kombucha, soft drink, and they recently launched a probiotic soda range that was the first to market here in Australia. Though they're stocked nationally in retailers including Coles, Woolworths, 7-Eleven, Caltex and more, Nexba has been cracking into the UK market of late, partnering with groups like Sainsburys and WHSmith to bring their naturally sugar free range to yet another thirsty population. On this week's episode of Talking to Trailblazers we find out what life was like for Troy before co-founding Nexba and delve into the ins-and-outs of capital raising strategies.
Episode 10: Amelia Gow, Active Opportunities Amelia Gow's story of success is certainly extraordinary, in the truest sense of the word. As a teenager Gow found herself without a home and addicted to drugs. To put it simply: she'd hit rock bottom. But one life changing moment saw Gow decide to turn things around. Without that impetus she would have never realised her thriving social service business Active Opportunities. Hear from Amelia about the experiences that led her to where she is today and how changing her mindset has allowed her to become more productive than ever.
Episode 9: Slyletica Behind the scenes of some of Australia's top influencer activewear labels is Simon and Yetta Rawadi, the founders of Slyletica. They call themselves the most successful fashion brand you've never heard of, and help other entrepreneurs build their activewear brands from concept right through to sales. Their business is no mere white-labelling model; every step of the process is designed to bring to life the ideas of their entrepreneurial partners. When COVID-19 hit the ramifications for traditional retail were clear, but Slyletica's focus on e-commerce meant the Rawadi's have since witnessed a major boom in growth, with stock flying off warehouse shelves right onto customers' doorsteps. Speaking to Jack from lockdown in Melbourne, the duo talks about how they've been impacted by COVID-19, how buy-now pay-later is changing the e-commerce landscape, and how the two are approaching the next step of their business journey: diversification.
Episode 8: Michael Kellett, Macro Mike Michael Kellet, former bodybuilder and founder of Macro Mike, did something unexpected during the COVID-19 pandemic: he bought a gym. With the market for gyms bottoming out as fitness facilities were forced to shut down in line with health orders, Michael saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get his foot in the door. It came as the entrepreneur was experiencing solid online sales of his natural protein products as consumer appetites shifted and stay-at-home orders forced the ecommerce boom to scale up tremendously. This week Jack asks Mike about facing adversity in business, the retail trends he's witnessed over the last few months, and why exactly he bought that gym.
At just 24 years of age Jackson Meyer is the founder of emerging freight forwarding business Verus Global. The company has witnessed sizeable growth in its two years of operation, with Meyer seeking to overhaul what he describes as "outdated" processes and branding while cutting third-parties out of the picture. In 2019 Meyer's dream received the backing of Dr Andrew Walker, a serial entrepreneur and founder of the likes of Aspen Medical and Matrix Healthcare. In the 12 months since Walker's appointment as chairman he has mentored and guided Meyer through a whirlwind 18 months, setting up offices in Australia, China, Hong Kong and the UK. This week, Jack talks to Meyer about how Verus Global stands out in the freight forwarding industry, how new technologies are powering how we move products around the world, and how logistics companies can become more environmentally friendly.
Episode 6: Jane Morrell Carer Solutions Australia founder Jane Morrell is not just a supporter, but a staunch advocate for the country's disabled. As a firm believer in human rights, in 2011 she took it on herself to create a service that empowers disabled people to take control of their own destinies. Morrell was in the right place at the right time when the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Act was passed in 2013, and the disability support services business has been galvanised ever since. This week, Jack talks to Jane about disability care in the age of COVID-19, how the NDIS still has plenty more room to grow, and why Carer Solutions Australia isn't just another run-of-the-mill support service.
Episode 5 - Leigh Rust, Safetyline Jalousie As one half of the sibling duo behind Safetyline Jalousie, Leigh Rust is a growing force in the construction sector, supplying the industry with high-end, hybrid European-designed louvre window systems. It's a business model that has scored Leigh and brother Nathan contracts with some of the biggest property developers across Australia, including Meriton, Mirvac and Frasers. On this week's podcast Jack talks to Leigh about the continuing strength of the construction sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, what it's like to be in business with family, and how he measures his success not just in business, but in his personal life too.
Episode 4: James Greig, Bloomtools, iVvy, Wildflower Gin
Episode 2: Michael Huxley, Huxley School of Makeup
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