All Things Small Biz

When providing a service for a client, or even providing the right product for a client, the best result will come from being able to identify your clients problems in order to find the right solution.

In today’s episode Sarah and Brian discuss:

-      Why it’s important to identify clients problems

-      How to identify your clients problems

-      How niches help solve problems for clients

Sarah is then joined by Julia Van Der Sommen from Sample Room.

Julia and her husband Daniel live in downtown Melbourne and they have endured the highs and lows that is Covid. But through it all they have run an absolutely amazing business.

In today’s episode Julia shares:

-      How she trains her clients to teach her what they need

-      What problems she has identified for her mentees in the industry

-      How she is seemingly able to be a mind reader when it comes to figuring out problems

Key quotes:

“My job as the pattern maker is sort of the mind reader and interpreter”

“We have in our mind really a clear picture of your customer because that’s how we have trainer you to teach us”

“I can have four meetings in a day and they are all very different customers”

Do follow Julia online you can find her business on Instagram at @sampleroom or you can find even more on her website at https://sampleroom.com.au/

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @the_ecomm_hub and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

Whether it’s retail or service, most small businesses will be reliant on their customers, which means a business owners most powerful tool is good customer service.

In today’s episode Sarah and Brian discuss the ins and outs of customer service and how it can be used to benefit your business.

Sarah shares:

-      How communication and customer service are connected

-      How customer service influences your number of clients

-      How to deliver goo customer service when you can’t be face to face

Sarah is then joined by Nat Redgrave of Brand em Outfitters.

Nat is a family man based in the rural township of Moranbah. Nat worked in the mining industry for many years but he had a desire to start a clothing business focused on providing high quality products, affordable prices and a strong focus on good old fashion customer service! And so, Brand’em Outfitters was born.

Customer service is essential to Nat’s business and in today’s episode he reveals:

-      Just how far he goes to provide good customer service

-      How he handles unappreciative people who expect too much

-      Why providing a premium product is a part of customer service

Key quotes:

“It’s not hard to provide good service”

“Whether they order 1 jacket or 100 jackets they are still a client to me and I’ll still go out of my way to help them out”

“Customer service and open and transparent pricing are two of my biggest things”

To check out everything Nat is up to you can head to his website www.brandemoutfitters.com.au or follow him on facebook and Instagram at @brandemoutfitters

For the other businesses mentioned in this weeks episode you can follow Heather from Dusk On The Downs on Instagram at @duskonthedowns or you can follow Maddison at @_hydeandsticks

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @the_ecomm_hub and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

In todays episode Sarah and Brian discuss the business cycle model that Sarah works from and that she teaches to everyone in her course.

This is a model that Sarah believes can apply to any business no matter how big or small and identifying how you fit in it can be very beneficial.

In today’s episode Sarah shares:

-      The exact model of Attract, Convert and Deliver

-      How using this model can help you maximise results with your business

-      What can happen when you focus on one element over others.

Sarah is then joined by Michelle Smith from Aussie Biz Chic, a subscription box for Australian female entrepreneurs. Michelle is a beautiful, genuine, fun boss babe who has built her business up from the beginning with her partner.

In today’s episode Michelle reveals:

-      Just how early on you should start giving clients shout outs

-      Where she currently is in the Attract, Convert, Deliver Model

-      Her tip for how to always have content for your business social media

Key Quotes

“ Everybody’s on a different journey”

“If you’re going to do it yourself you have to be unique to you, you can’t be anyone else.”

If you’d like to follow Michelle’s journey online you can follow her on Instagram at @aussiebizchic or for her sub boxes and more info you can go to www.aussiebizchic.com.au

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

Small business often start from a small place. For many that is the kitchen table or somewhere similar and in today’s episode we will be discussing how to maximise this start up space and just what the end result can be.

In today’s episode Sarah and Brian discuss:

-      Sarah’s recommended tech services for starting from a kitchen table

-      How small of a budget Sarah started one of her kitchen table businesses from

-      A technology issue to avoid when you are starting up

Sarah is then joined by Vanessa Bell. Vanessa is a global innovator, a voice for a women and an entrepreneur.

She is the founder of Sarah Jane Bond Baby Blankets and also the new brand Vanessa Bell.

After starting her baby blanket business from her kitchen table and expanding to an international brand, Vanessa shares:

-      How small kitchen table brands need to embrace their story

-      How she used journalists to give her small brand an edge at the beginning

-      How she decided when to go from doing everything herself to outsourcing some skills

Key Quotes:

“Stepping away and hiding your story is not helping anyone”

“You need to be clear on your values, intent, purpose and passion”

“People that really care…about your product, if you’re not on social for a few days, they don’t care”

If you would like to follow Vanessa online you can find her on Instagram at @fashiontofarmer

You can also find her on her website www.Vanessa-bell.com

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

When it comes to making money with our business there may be an unseen influence that either limits or supports our monetary growth. This is money mindset.

In today’s episode Sarah and Brian discuss their personal mindsets when it comes to business and money and they share:

-      Some of the mindset coaches they follow

-      The enormous money figure goal Sarah has written up in the middle of their house

-      Why a money mind set is so important

Sarah is then joined by Clare. Wood Clare Wood is a business coach and a money mentor. She’s a numbers nerd (a CPA), a wrangler of 2 boys, a drinker of wine, a gym junkie, a wanderluster and a podcaster with a reality TV addiction. She loves empowering entrepreneurs to manage their money and make more money.

In today’s episode she discusses:

-      What exactly a money mindset is

-      What money stories are

-      The first step you can take to work on your money mindset

Key Quotes:

“Everyone has stories about money”

“We have a responsibility as parents to be mindful about how we talk about money”

“If that becomes your story and you say well I can do that, then that is what you start to bring into reality”

If you want to find out more about Clare or see what she has to say online you can find her on Instagram at @clare_wood_coach or listen to her podcast at https://clarewood.com/wp-content/cache/all/podcast/index.html

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

In the past, living remotely was a massive hurdle to starting a business, but these days starting a small business is possible for almost anyone.

In today’s episode Sarah and Brian discuss the pros and cons of starting a business in a remote location.

Since she has experience with her business West Of The Waves, Sarah shares:

-      Why regional businesses might work over city based ones

-      The benefits of being remote over being in town

-      One way to capitalise on ideas when living remotely, away from a work space

Sarah is then joined by Kara Lauder of Kader Boot Co.

Kara designs amazing cowboy and cowgirl boots with Kader Boot Co. and started doing so in Paraburdoo in Western Australia and is moving to Bridge Town.

In today’s episode Kara shares:

-      How she started a business while working her full time job

-      The surprising advantage of working remotely

-      The difficulties of making a shop front in a place with no bunnings

Key Quotes

“You need to decide a path to go down…you have to put your focus into one or the other”

“We could just go out a minute walk and we had amazing backdrops for our photos”

If you would like to check out Kader Boot Co.s products you can find them online via their website https://kaderbootco.com.au/ or follow them on Instagram @kaderbootco

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

When starting a small business it can often feel like we are finding our way through the dark with no idea if we are going in the right direction.

That can often be where a business coach can be incredibly helpful.

In today’s Episode Sarah and Brian discuss business coaches and asking for outside help with your business.

As someone who helps other businesses with her own e-commerce course Sarah revealed:

-      How a coach can be more helpful with advice than another business owner

-      How a business coach can help with a lack of definition around your brand

-      How a business coach can help with overcoming tech issues

Sarah is then joined by Kamahl Simon. Kamahl is son, a father, 4th generation business owner, started his first busines when he was 14 years old and is sourced as a busines coach all around the world.

In today’s episode Kamahl reveals:

-      All the pros of taking on a business coach

-      Why people often fail to reach their goals

-      The one question to ask to determine if a business coach is any good

Key Quotes:

“I only win this game if you win this game and if you lose, I lose”

“Always leave something in it for the other person”

“You can build a very financially successful business from a place of misery, the point here is, what’s the point?”

If you’d like to find out more about Kamahl you can find him online at his website www.kamahlsimon.com or follow him on Instagram at @kamahlsimon

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

Many small businesses start as a side hustle and stay that way forever. But for many business owners, the dream is to take that hustle and turn it full time.

In today’s episode we’ll be talking about how to decide if you should do that and just how you can do that.

To start Sarah and Brian discuss how she has approached full time with her businesses and Sarah reveals:

-      The trigger she used to decide when to go full time

-      How to keep your business going after going full time

-      Work life balance with a new full time job and how to set boundaries

Sarah is then joined by Kathryn Janik of Vintage Rose Handmade. Kathryn is located on the Central Coast of NSW, she is obsessed with cactus and that obsession has led her to open The Cactus Cartel with her husband but Kathryn is also the founder of Vintage Rose Handmade, a beautiful handmade jewellery business that she started around 3 years ago.

In today’s episode Kathryn discusses:

-      How she grew her business

-      How she got to the point of making the decision to make the leap

-      The key factors she had to have happen to be ready to go full time

Key Quotes

“I’m just literally diving and hoping to fly”

“You have to do what makes you happy and if this is my chance to try that, why not?”

“As soon as I launched my website I was just waiting for the millions of dollars to roll in and that of course did not happen”

“Stop and pause and take not of the little wins, or the big wins, instead of being so focused that you acknowledge it and move on”

If you would like to sample Kathryn’s product or find out more about her business you can find her on Instagram at @vintage_rose_handmade or at her website www.vinatgerosehandmade.com.au

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

Every business sells something, but not all business owners know what their product will be before they decide they want to start a business.

In today’s episode we are covering just how you might decide on your business product.

To begin Sarah and Brian discuss Sarah’s experience with West Of The Waves and how she decided what her product would be.

Sarah then shares:

-      The first thing to understand when deciding on a business product

-      Determining if there is a market for a potential product

-      How to recreate an already existing product for yourself

Sarah is then joined by Kim Sizer from Custom Cutting Studio. Kim and her family live in Gunnedah, NSW and Kim describes her family as a young family, living our life to its fullest, in Rural Australia. Custom Cutting Studio was started in 2020 during a time when Australia was either in drought or on fire and it was created as a way to provide incredible metal pieces to brighten peoples day.

In today’s episode Kim shares:

-      How it was her husbands desire for their laser cutter that prompted their business.

-      How their business products were in greater demand than they realised

-      How they used their existing equipment to expand to products that they hadn’t initially considered.

Key Quotes

“I have zero skills in marketing but I can sit on facebook for a while”

“Our business built so quickly that we didn’t need (marketing)”

“I’d put a post on facebook and my husband would get the shits cause he was already too busy”

If you would like to see Custom Cutting Studio’s products you can check them out at @custom_cutting_studio on Instagram or head to their website www.customcuttingstudio.com.au

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves

We all start our small businesses at different stages of our lives, but there is often a misconception that it’s too late to start one when you’re older.

In today’s episode Sarah & Brian discuss everything that comes when starting a business  as a mature aged woman. Additionally they also discuss running a business that relies upon Australian Made products.

Sarah reveals

-      The advantages she found with starting her businesses after already starting a family

-      Why she ensures her products are Australian made

-      How to take advantage of being ‘Australian made’

Sarah is then joined by Cathy Hamilton. Cathy is a wife, a farmer, breast cancer survivor and incredible pencil artist.

Cathy draws stunningly intricate drawings of flora, fauna and loads of Australian animals. She has her designs printed onto soaps, tea towels, greeting cards and the likes and very recently she signed on with a national company to have her designs printed onto a collection that will be stocked in stores all over Australia.

On today’s episode Cathy shares:

-      What made her decide to start a business later in life

-      The pros and cons of starting a business later in life

-      The massive advantages of being making her products Australian Made.

Key Quotes:

“It’s never, ever too late. If you have a passion, you just follow that passion. And if you keep going longevity will follow if you’ve got your passion”

“So many people feel sorry for me cause I’m older. Especially the young people that I meet in business, they just want to help me and I just love that.”

You can find all of Cathy’s products online at https://cathyhamiltonartworks.com.au/

And you can follow her on Instagram at @cathyhamilton_artworks and on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cathyhamiltonartworks/

For all the latest on All Things Small Biz you can follow us at @allthingssmallbiz and become a part of the community.

You can also head to our website for tips and check out our business coaching page https://www.westofthewaves.com/pages/coax-australia-podcast

If you’re interested in some jewellery or clothing why not follow Sarah’s business @west_of_the_waves