Be The Drop

When someone shows up as themselves, they emanate ease. Finding this purpose and creativity is a powerful example of how much one person can impact their community. Emily Beaton is an all-around beautiful human.

In a short time, she has gone from professional netballer to successful small business owner. Through her custom typography, she has stepped inside the lives and lounge rooms of a whole range of different people. In today's episode of Be The Drop Podcast Emily shares with us how she's gone from zero to typography hero in a hot minute...

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Well it's that time of the year again where we sit back and reflect on the year that was. We look at the things that have worked, and those things that no longer serve us. This is such a great task to undertake, allowing you to learn the lessons from the previous year and leave behind anything that's not working. For me, the end of 2016 signifies the end of limiting beliefs. One of the biggest things that I am trying to be positive and encourage myself with is around facing imposter syndrome. I touched on this recently in episode 12 and was blown away by the number of people who reached out and shared their feelings of experiencing the same.

So in 2016, I pledge to leave the imposter syndrome behind! I will move into 2017 with purpose and the belief in myself that I CAN do this! If you'd like to kick imposter syndrome to the curb in 2017, check out my tips on how to make it happen.

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2.1 billion cups of coffee are poured every year here in Australia making us the 47th biggest consumers of coffee in the world, a somewhat startling ranking when you stop and think about it.

For Vincent Leonardis and the team at CBTB Coffee House in Adelaide's west, its quality over quantity - every time. Taking old fashioned customer service values to every interaction he has with a customer, Vincent and the team are a shining light in how to do customer service right. Here's what he thinks makes all the difference...

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Whether it be a service or a product, consumers look to the marketplace when we are in need of something or someone to help makes our lives that little bit easier. It has been seen time and time again that the businesses who are able to be most helpful to their customers, throughout every stage of the buyer's journey, are the ones who are most successful.

Abbie Allen of Lifestyle Elements has found herself a niche in the marketplace, where being helpful is taken to whole new level - Abbie and her service exist purely to help you achieve your goals, by taking your to-do list and getting it done for you. Upon realising she had a knack for helping other people, Abbie has turned her passion into a thriving business. Here are her tips for engaging and being helpful in business.

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Beach volleyball and being a better at business communication are rarely heard in the same sentence and one can be forgiven for thinking the parallels between the two are limited. But, in episode 14 of Be The Drop Podcast I chat with Olympic Beach Volleyballer Becchara Palmer. Becchara shares openly with us tips around connecting to a wide and diverse community through storytelling and the lessons beach volleyball has taught her.

The lineup of BTD include a not-for-profit CEO, an Olympian, change makers in numerous industries, a reality TV winner and a social media influencer.

New Episode Launches every MONDAY!

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Imagine finding a void and filling it with a community that you help to create with imagination and strategy. Chess is a very strategic and thoughtful game, to become a master chess player takes practice, skill and sound strategy. It's these principles that Max Mason, of The Henry Austin Restaurant, uses to inspire his next move in business. From developing communication strategies to professional development opportunities, here's some insight into what makes Max Mason a highly effective business owner.

Bringing interesting people together by using their strengths is the key for building a new community. When it comes to strategy, Max is never sure what chess piece he is, but he believes in using an energetic approach to getting things done. Building a community can be a very long game, and Max is in it for the long haul. Passion enthusiasm and energy arehis keys to moving forward.

People want to support new businesses and new experiences, but they also want familiarity. Letting people know what they are going to get and then making sure you and your constituents deliver on those promises will create trust. It is absolutely paramount to not only deliver but to over deliver and let people walk away knowing what to expect. When it comes to negativity, sometimes accepting and being ok with the prospect of it is the key. You can't please everyone.

There was a time when Twitter was the king of social media, but with a visual product like unique food items Instagram is a very effective medium. People love to see what it is you offer and especially in a restaurant where what the food looks like is as important as what it tastes like. A brilliant strategy suggested by Max is to use social media to tell your own story - no one knows your story or tells it as well as you can. Also, stay away from using platforms that you don't understand - it is possible to do more harm than good if you don't know what you are doing. The same applies to hiring other people to do your social media. Take control of your own voice behind the narrative.

Max's top communication tips are to be honest and intelligent. If you face a problem honestly, you can never get into trouble.

Max Mason is the owner of The Henry Austin Restaurant & Bar. Max has built his communication skills across a broad range of experiences. He has been a maritime archaeologist who made charts of the Antarctic and a festival organizer. Now, he is the man behind The Henry Austin Restaurant & Bar which serves locally sourced food and the finest wines.

He opened The Henry Austin in a building that had been empty for the last 6 years, but prior to that it had been one of the cities busiest restaurants for 40 years. Working with the city council and other business owners, Max is building and revitalizing the midtown community of Adelaide.

He is passionate about this community because this is the group that Max and his restaurant connect with. A chess set symbolizes Max's approach to business and interacting with his community. He uses strategy to decide his next move and how it will impact his community. He is also cognizant of the reaction his community will have to the decisions he makes.

Resources

• The Henry Austin Restaurant & Bar
• Instagram @theHenryAustin

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Enjoy! Amelia xx

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What are the keys elements required to build a proactive community around your business, service or charity? This important question is central to the investigative journey that I have embarked on with my podcast, Be The Drop. Through my interviews with a wide range of top communicators, I am creating a roadmap for listeners who want to build their own community. In this weeks

In this weeks episode, I flip the normal structure and instead, I am the person being interviewed! I talk with the spunky Kristen Werner about the key tips that have been shared in the episodes so far. We discuss central themes and standout communication strategies as well as new aspects the podcast will explore. This episode is jam packed with valuable insights that you can action.

New Episode Launches every MONDAY!

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Be The Drop - Kathy Wong

Social Enterprise a Way to Give Back and Build Community with Kathy Wong

Have you ever wondered how to make a difference through creating and connecting to a community? Kathy Wong has done just that. She found a way to give back through her social enterprise Moeloco. I sat down with Kathy and learned how her burning passion to make a difference in the world led to her establishing a social enterprise. One that enabled her to establish a product and a community while giving back in a meaningful way.

Creating a Business Model That Can Foster and Impact Change

Kathy knew she wanted to find a way to give back, and she knew she was not alone in that desire. In her pursuit of finding a way to give back Kathy discovered the social enterprise model. This is where a product or service creates income that allows the enterprise to give back. Inspiration struck while Kathy was at the beach, and she decided her product would be thongs or flip-flops that leave a print of an inspirational message in the sand.

She also knew that shoes in India were a luxury, and kids were not able to go to school if they didn't have shoes. Kathy also knew that there were many liked minded people that wanted to give back, but didn't know where to start. She started sharing her stories and ideas on Facebook and was delighted to discover that people all over the globe were responding and being inspired.

Creating Connections Through Story and Community Passion

A community of like minded people with a desire to help was built through Kathy sharing her story on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. What started out as Kathy sharing affirmations and mantras turned into the story of the Moeloco product unfolding as the community evolved. Kathy thinks she inspired people because they would see themselves in the story. They were inspired because as things unfolded they realized if she could do it, they could do it. The community is what makes it all possible and that is really powerful.

Motivating the Community to Take Action

Continual engagement can turn passion into action. By telling and continuing the story through blog posts and living the story through events, action is inspired. When people can see and feel the relationship of the children in India it is very powerful. They plan a yearly trip to India, so that people can see and build on the relationships that are fostered through the organization and the community of supporters.

Community Passion Overcomes Negativity

Negativity has only come from outside the community. Some have asked, "why are you only giving shoes, and not more". The shoes give a helping hand, but the real benefit of the social enterprise is the education. When people are living in such abject poverty, everything can't be changed overnight. Small steps can lead to big change. The community is so passionate about the cause that when negativity was encountered they responded for Kathy.

The community shares the passion and tells the story. This helps to find opportunity and to collaborate with other communities and charities. This story has actually inspired others to create their own social enterprises.

Communication Platforms

The audience is always on Facebook. Major channels for communication they use are Facebook and Instagram, but they also share the stories through their blogs and YouTube videos, but they use the same channels for distribution.

Conclusion - Top Communication Tips for Community Connection

Be authentic in everything you do. At first, Kathy didn't even want to show her face, but she knew she needed to share who was behind the movement and share her real authentic self. Kathy may not know all the answers, and she is not afraid to ask for and accept help. This business has only been established for 18 months, but it has been a very personal journey for Kathy that was actually 20 years in the making.

About Kathy

Kathy Wong is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Moeloco. Kathy is driven by a burning passion to make a difference in the world. This has led her to structure a social enterprise. A business established to create positive change through her community. Moeloco sells thongs or flip-flops that leave prints of inspirational messages in the sand. With each pair sold an additional pair of shoes is given to a child in India. This enables these children to attend school and helps foster education and awareness of their cause.

Resources Mentioned:

• Moeloco
• Moeloco Facebook
• Moeloco Instagram

Tweetables

"Everyone can make a difference" Kathy Wong

"I want to impact a million children with the shoe" Kathy Wong

"Just telling the story is what is bringing people to me" Kathy Wong

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Enjoy! Amelia xx

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Today, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jim and Christina from Mr. and Mrs. Romance, a travel blog from his and her perspective. These two are an absolute blast, and it is obvious that they love what they do. They are funny, honest, and yet very protective of the community of followers that have gathered.

A community they see more as friends. The kind of friends you candidly recount stories to about your recent trip to Bali. Giving them the inside scoops on what is "Must See" and "Must Avoid". They highlight their reviews with the good and not so good which has been fundamental in the trust that they have earned. Here's the scoop on how Mr. & Mrs. Romance keep their readers coming back for more.

Uniting and Bringing the Community Together

Sharing a story through images and video is how Jim and Christina unite their community and it's through these images they take people on the journey with them. The stories are a way to connect everyone. Jim is the writer, and they've found men are attracted to a blog written in a male voice. The evolution of their community is thanks to telling stories through images and using an authentic voice. It has also grown their community into what feels like a group of trusted friends.

Trust, Authenticity, and Passion Creates a Community Connection

Jim and Christina now have a larger platform to share their travel adventures, and they take the trust of their readership very seriously. Trust is built through honest advice that in helpful and thorough. For them, seeing people come back to the site and share their own experiences of a place show them that they are connecting in a meaningful way. Their community extends to the places they visit, and the small businesses they support through sharing their experiences within them. They love nothing more than knowing people are visiting these small and sometimes remote places because of a review they've uploaded.

Telling good stories by playing to their personal strengths of Christina focusing on photography and Jim focusing on the writing is what motivates readers to take action and follow their travel suggestions. They tell really good stories by expressing how they feel when they are in these places. The passion of their shared experiences is what people want to tap into and as such inspires Jim & Christina to continue to share their experiences.

Kinship and Handling Negativity

Having a positive mindset and sharing the results of the new adventure creates kinship in the community. When Jim blogs he imagines that he is blogging to a friend. Putting out positivity, they remain open minded and objective. In a way that creates a safe, but positive space.

Successful Platform of Communication

Everything revolves around the blog, but social media is where the engagement happens. The community likes to hang out on Instagram and Facebook. The social engagement on these platforms drives traffic back to the blog.

Be The Drop - Top Communication Tip

Being authentic works. Tell a genuine story and people will read it and come back for more and even take action. Honest information is fun.

About Jim and Christina

Jim and Christina met at random back in 2000. They soon realised that they shared many insights about the world around them and decided to explore it together. They are still together today, and blog about their adventures. They have a mutual love of eating, drinking, and exploring new places and sharing their adventures.

Tweetables

"We take people on our journey with us through our stories on our camera and connect everyone in our community" Christina

"Trust is all you have, and we take it really seriously" Christina

"Because we play to our strengths, we have the best of both worlds on the site" Jim

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Enjoy! Amelia xx

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Today our guest is James Sideris, the creative genius behind Nutorious. Our interview got off to a cracking start as James brought a dark chocolate, coconut, macadamia muffin with raspberry and toasted meringue with a Bounty injection. James uses powerful combinatoins of tastes in his treats to help relay the passion he puts in his food with his customers and audience.

James creates real engagement with his audience through new and innovative tastes that create real culinary experiences for his customers.

James Sideris and Communication That Connects:

• James unites his community through excitement generated by the creativity of his baked goods.
• He has built a community by creating products that offer an "experience for the senses" and encouraging people to share their experiences on social media.
• The Nutorious community are encouraged to take action by sharing their visual experience of his baked goods.
• Instagram is the key platform that James uses - his delicious images are very well suited to this visual platform.

James' top communication tip is to be positive. He believes in openness and encouraging others as positivity will create a passionate community. Building people up is the best way to encourage growth for yourself and others.

Resources Mentioned in Today's Show

• Nutorious
• James on Instagram @NuttybyNutorious
• James on Facebook

To access the weekly podcast episodes as they are released:

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Enjoy! Amelia xx

P.S. REMEMBER to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter - @be_the_drop

CONTACT US at [email protected]