Idea Exchange American Express

In this episode, how an ex-punk rocker turned corporate brewer left it all behind to start one of Australia’s most successful craft breweries. “We want to be that brewery that adds massive value to every single one of our stakeholders.” Jamie Cook is the co-founder of Stone & Wood, one of one of Australia’s most loved and awarded craft beer brands. Founded in Byron Bay in 2008, Stone & Wood exceeded annual production of 12 million litres in just its tenth year of operations … to put that into perspective, only one other beer has come close to this feat in recent history. In this generous chat Jamie Cook shares, where the idea for Stone & Wood came from, how he and his partners got the original idea to market, how they financed the business in those early days (sold the business 6-months in, only to buy it back!), the importance of branding and more...     Support the show: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/credit-cards/membership-benefits/idea-exchange/ See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, how a Year 10 dropout saw a film that changed the entire direction of his career … in fact, of his life. James Bartle is the founder of Outland Denim, the denim brand making jeans differently and setting a new standard in the highly exploitative fashion industry. Driven by a desire to curb the trafficking of young girls in the multi-billion commercial sex trade, James created Outland Denim to generate training and employment opportunities for women vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Ten years on, the Outland Denim brand can be found in some of the world’s largest department stores, employing over 100 women, and is seen worn by the likes of Megan Markle and Leonardo diCaprio.   Support the show.

In this episode, how a 19-year old kid from Melbourne’s outer suburbs started his entrepreneurial journey with one impossible idea … to create a bottle of water to help end the World Water Crisis. That idea has now grown to over 50 products across water, personal care and baby care, and seen him awarded Victoria’s Young Australian of the Year. What began as an impossible idea, dreamt up by Daniel Flynn, his best mate Jarryd, and girlfriend Justine, is now backed by a passionate team of 55, and a consumer movement of tens of thousands. ‘Consumer movement’ could sound like a fluffy, throw-away phrase. But picture this ... for 5 years, the major supermarkets in Australia had said no to Thankyou . Then, one day, Daniel and his team launched a viral video that led to a seminal moment in Thankyou’s growth, when thousands of people began petitioning the supermarkets. Fast-forward to the present day and the Thankyou brand can be found in over 6,000 outlets nationally, it boasts the #1 and #2 hand wash in Australia, but most importantly, it’s given $7.1 million profit to water, sanitation, and maternal health programs in third-world countries. I caught up with the very humble Daniel Flynn in his busy Melbourne office. “The reality for any business owner is … you see the mess. And you’re there every day to grind it out, to move it forward. There’s been moments where we’ve been given awards and at the same time the phones running hot, emails are going nuts and you’re thinking ‘Man, I just can’t wait to get through the day!’” - Daniel Flynn, Thankyou Support the show.

Hear how Carman’s Muesli founder Carolyn Creswell bought the business for $1,000 when she was just 18, and turned it into Australia’s most loved muesli brand that now produces 60 SKUs sold in 35 countries. Once a home-operated muesli company whose products were available in a few cafes around Melbourne, Carolyn Creswell has turned the humble operation into a thriving multi-million dollar business. Her brand, Carman’s Muesli, is now Australia’s number 1 selling muesli brand with 60 product SKUs selling across the globe. Along the journey, she’s been named Telstra’s Business Woman of the Year, and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. But, as you’re about to find out, the growth of this FMCG juggernaut hasn’t all been smooth sailing, as Carolyn navigated her way through almost going broke, as well as losing a major supermarket client, overnight, without any notice. “My mantra is simple … I’m constantly asking ‘How can we be better?’” - Carolyn Creswell Support the show.

In this episode, the story of a young Swedish farm girl who moved to Australia when she was 22, and with little command of the English language, managed to create a global stationary business that now has over 100 stores in 5 countries employing up to 1,000 people in the busy time … plus an online store selling to 147 countries. Kristina Karlsson is the founder and Creative Director of Kikki-K … a global Swedish design and stationery business she launched in 2001 when she cleverly managed to convince her then partner (now husband) Paul, to sell his home and max out all his credit cards in order to bring her dream to life. Well, her power of persuasion worked a treat, as Kikki-K is now a household name on the Australian stationary scene … a brand, that in Kristina’s own words is ‘empowering and inspiring stationery lovers everywhere to live their best life’. But, as you’re about to find out, the growth of this retail juggernaut hasn’t all been smooth sailing, as Kristina juggled opening up stores in multiple countries, with the pressures of family life and growing her dream business. I caught up with her at Kikki-K’s inner-Melbourne headquarters. Support the show.

In this episode, how a young teenager with a love for brands went on to create, in record time, a household name in the Australian underwear market. Ben Goodfellow loves brands. In fact, from a very early age, when other kids were swapping footy cards, Ben was sitting at the kitchen table, with his Dad, talking branding. Well it’s paid off, as he’s now responsible for the iconic Tradie underwear brand. Launched in 2010, what started off as an underwear range for men, has quickly expanded into an empire of categories including women’s underwear, workwear, babywear, tools and beauty. Thanks to some clever marketing, and a never-say-die attitude, Ben’s business has experienced 45% growth year-on-year, employing over 50 staff and will turnover in excess of $100 million this financial year. I caught up with the tall, and highly enthusiastic Ben in the boardroom of his outer Melbourne headquarters and distribution centre surrounded by all sorts of men’s and women’s apparel. “I had to make the strategic decision that all this profit is just dead money … it’s not going to be around in the future. You’ve got to have courage, but you’ve got to back your gut instincts as well.” Ben Goodfellow - Tradies Support the show.

In this episode, how a high-achieving accounting graduate resigned from her high-flying career at Ernst & Young during the Global Financial Crisis, much to her parent’s disgust, with the dream of becoming one of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs. Well, that dream eventually came true, but not without getting in to some serious personal debt and a failed business along the way. In 2010, Jane Lu founded the online fashion label Showpo from her parents’ garage, having previously worked in accounting and corporate finance. What started off with a laptop and two shelves of clothing, is now an online global fashion empire, shipping to over 100 countries. Through her highly disruptive approach to online retailing, and capitalising on the use of social media, Showpo now boasts a cult social following of over 3.3 million engaged followers, a team of over 150 millennials across their central-Sydney HQ and distribution centre, and an annual turnover this year that will hit $30 million. I caught up with Jane in an upstairs wardrobe of her Sydney office. Sitting on a couple of hard old stools, it was hot, we were surrounded by clothes (as you’d expect), and there was an Instagram photo shoot happening next door showcasing the upcoming week’s new range of Showpo originals. But none of that stopped this quick-talking, fast-thinking fashion entrepreneur from verygenerously sharing some powerful business insights. “One of the most difficult things (in business) is when you grow really fast and you have people that don’t grow with you. Letting people go is hard ..but keeping the wrong people can lead you in the wrong direction … then you’re left with a huge mess to clean up. ” - Jane Lu, Showpo Support the show.

In this episode, how a 22 year-old electrician noticed what many home and business owners have known for a long time. That if you booked a sparky to do a job, you weren’t 100% sure that they’d actually arrive on time … if at all! So, he set about creating Platinum Electricians, a franchise group that has WOWing the customer at the front and centre of every business transaction. And it’s been so successful, it will turn over $60 million this year! “We have a 21 step customer mantra that all our franchisees implement whenever they go onsite. It’s sole aim is to WOW our customers so they talk about us to others and remain with us for a very long time. It’s our point-of-difference in a crowded market place.” Joshua Nicholls - Platinum Electricians   Support the show.

In this episode, how a love of mountain-biking, combined with a passion for building strong communities, led to the creation of an 8-figure online store, along with a swag of industry awards and recognition at the highest level of eCommerce in Australia. Mountain Bikes Direct is a very unconventional business. And co-founder Jen Geale is a very unconventional business owner. And that's what makes this story so very interesting. You see, this 8-figure business which started in 2012 sells Australia's largest range of mountain bike parts, clothing and accessories, yet has no physical shop-front, all the staff work remotely from the comfort of their own homes across three countries, if you're a customer you wont find a number to call if you have a question or complaint... yet the customer service offering is exceptional, and on their biggest sales day ever, Jen and her family were kicking back on the beach! In her role as General Manager, Jen says her goal is to ensure a high level of Kum-ba-yah across the business! Tim catches up with Mountain Bike Direct's wonderfully enthusiastic GM as she sat relaxed, cross-legged on her couch in her Gold Coast home, which doubles as the business's office (hubby Michael was quietly working away upstairs) where she talked openly. "For some people, being all-consumed by the business, giving it everything and not sleeping... that may be where they want to be; and that's fine. Its not what I wanted to do, its not what we wanted to do, its simply just not our version of success" Jen Geale - MTB Direct       Support the show.

In this episode, hear how a 21-year old, self confessed beauty junkie started Australia's first online cosmetic's store from her garage. Nineteen years on, its Australia's biggest beauty democracy set to turn over $100M this year. In early 2000, when most of us were petrified of buying anything online, Kate Morris started an online cosmetics store. A university job on the make-up counter of a large department store had led her to realise that most women found the whole experience intimidating. So what does a young, law-school drop-out with a big idea do? Borrow $12,000 from her boyfriend's parents, of course, and set about building a disruptive new shopping experience that transferred the power to fellow cosmetic lovers. Twenty years on, Adore Beauty employs 140 staff, stocks over 14,000 SKU's, and has two-million monthly website visits. Kate has been awarded Telstra Young Businesswoman of the Year for Victoria, along with the Business Innovation Award for Victoria at the Telstra Business Woman's Awards. She was also inducted into the Australian Businesswoman's Network Hall of Fame in 2015. Sitting in her inner-Melbourne office, Kate is incredibly open and generous as we delve into her business and financial operations, effective growth strategies, people management skills an her views on work/life balance. Support the show.

On today’s show, how failed actor Andrew Banks came to starting two of the world’s largest recruitment companies, then found his way back to the small screen as one of the original sharks on the hit series Shark Tank . Andrew Banks started two of Australia's largest companies in the recruitment and HR industry. He took recruitment company Morgan & Banks just shy of one billion dollars in sales, and Talent 2, a business-process outsourcing business which he grew to four hundred million dollars in sales. These days Andrew is the Resident Entrepreneur at Sydney’s Tank Stream Labs , part of the largest start-up hub in Australia, plus he’s an active investor in over twenty start-ups including a non-alcoholic range of spirits, and an online learning tool for kids. There’s a lot to love about Andrew Banks. His heart-felt passion for helping business owners (just like you) succeed across all aspects of your business quickly becomes evident during this very generous chat, as he shares his tips and insights on how to build an empire, to creating a culture that attracts and retains great people, to growth hacks that you can implement immediately, as well as his thoughts on the (often difficult to attain) work / life balance. “Money is not the goal of a good business. Money is the outcome. Don’t go into business just to make money, because that’s just not good enough. You’ve got to have a good purpose, a good business model, satisfy needs ... and the money will come.” - Andrew Banks     Support the show.

Welcome to Season 1 of a brand new podcast called Idea Exchange, powered by American Express and hosted by Tim Reid. Each week Tim hits the road and introduces you to some of the most amazing Australian business founders, each of whom have found the courage and tenacity to turn a big idea into an even bigger empire. But don’t expect ordinary conversations with these amazing humans. Instead, you’ll be privy to the highs and lows of running multi-million dollar businesses, some which employ thousands of staff, others, just a handful. They’ll talk candidly about their work/life balance, share their most effective growth strategies, and how they’ve built incredible cultures to attract and retain great talent. You’ll meet Andrew Banks who built two of Australia's largest recruitment companies to an annual turnover just shy of one billion dollars. Then there’s Mountain Bike Direct’s Jen Geale who (along with her hubby and two mates) runs an 8-figure eCommerce business from her home on the Gold Coast. We go behind-the-scenes with Daniel Flynn, the founder of the Thankyou Group, who turned an impossible idea of selling bottled water to help end the world water crisis into one of Australia's fastest growing FMCG businesses. And we catch up with Australia’s cosmetics queen, Kate Morris, who’s Adore Beauty business is about to turn over $100M in annual sales after borrowing $12,000 from her boyfriend's parents. Other guests in Season 1 of the Idea Exchange podcast include Kikki-K’s Kristina Karlson, ShowPo’s Jane Lu, Platinum Electricians Joshua Nichols and Tradie’s Underwear founder Ben Goodfellow. If you find yourself wondering how business empires get built, then this is the podcast for you. Season 1 of the Idea Exchange podcast, hosted by Tim Reid … and powered by American Express. Subscribe wherever great podcasts are found. More American Express Idea Exchange resources visit our website.   Support the show.