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90% of podcasts fail by the third episode. Before you buy a single piece of equipment, watch this.

In this solo episode, I'm breaking down everything I've learned after two plus years of podcasting, what it actually costs, what the real ROI timeline looks like, and the mistakes I made that you don't have to.

We get into:
 → Why most podcasts don't even make it past episode three
 → How to actually structure your show before you record a single word
 → The real ROI timeline, and why podcasting is more like investing than marketing
 → DIY versus hiring a premium agency, and how to know which one is right for you
 → What my $30,000 studio fit out actually taught me
 → Why the show is called Delusional, and what that means for founders
 → How a podcast quietly turns into high-ticket clients and rooms you couldn't buy your way into

If you're even a little bit considering starting a podcast for your business, watch this before you spend a single dollar.

Chapters:
0:00 Welcome to Delusional
1:07 Why 90% of podcasts fail by episode three
2:45 How to research and structure your own show
4:12 Who is actually listening, and when
8:38 Why the show is called Delusional
9:40 Building a community, not just an audience
15:15 The ROI timeline nobody tells you about
16:03 DIY vs hiring a premium agency
16:48 Why I didn't believe in myself starting out
21:39 The real cost of a full studio fit out
22:37 How a podcast turns into high-ticket clients
26:17 Industry association: the thing you can't buy
27:44 Final thoughts before you hit record

Got a question about starting your own podcast? 
Drop it in the comments, I read every single one.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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I came into this episode a bit sceptical about influencers, and I walked out completely rethinking how I see them.

This week I'm sitting down with Bree Connor, founder of Now Socials Co, model turned PR and influencer marketing powerhouse, to talk about how brands actually earn their place as industry leaders.

Bree sold her car to go on a modelling trip she couldn't really afford, and within 24 hours of getting home she had three clients and the beginning of an agency. We also get into the parts of her story that never make the highlight reel, including what it was like wearing a wig through high school and how that experience quietly shaped the way she shows up now.

→ Why your social media is your business resume, whether you like it or not
→ The real reason influencers matter (hint: it's not about who buys from them)
→ How to pick the right influencer so it doesn't blow up in your face
→ What it actually costs to run a PR event that gets results
→ How one event pulled in $21,000 in a single day for one of my own clients
→ Why personal brand, UGC and influencer marketing all feed into each other
→ Handling public criticism as your business grows
→ Building a business and a family without losing yourself in either

CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold Open
1:04 Welcome & Meet Bree Connor
4:45 She Sold Her Car for a Trip That Changed Her Life
10:00 The Wig, the Bullying and Building Self-Worth
14:00 Handling Online Negativity as You Grow
18:00 Leaving Her Job to Go All In
26:00 Redefining Success, Marriage and the Family Question
42:00 How Brands Actually Become Industry Leaders
45:00 Choosing Influencers Who Actually Move the Needle
55:00 Planning a PR Event That Actually Converts
1:09:00 Bree's Advice and Where to Find Her

If you found value in this episode, drop a comment and let me know what stood out to you most, I read every single one.

CONNECT WITH BREE CONNOR
→ Website: nowsocialsco.com
→ Instagram: @breeanneconnor
→ Instagram: Now Socials Co

FOLLOW DELUSIONAL
→ Instagram: @sammykennedyofficial

Chapter timestamps are estimated from the raw transcript's minute markers, worth checking against the locked edit before publishing.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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Ever wondered why a $1,500 a month agency can end up costing you more than a $5,000 one? In this episode I sit down with Nina Youé, founder of social media agency Flicker, to pull apart everything nobody tells you about hiring for your marketing.

→ Why chasing ads before you've nailed your brand is setting your money on fire
 → The real difference between a $1,500 retainer and a $5,000+ one (and why the cheapest agency "doesn't have staff")
 → How one Instagram follower turned into $1,200 in revenue
 → Top, middle and bottom of funnel content, explained simply
 → Why Nina rebranded Flicker twice, and what finally made it stick
 → The mindset shift from posting for likes to building a personal brand people actually trust

Nina started with zero experience in the space and built Flicker from the ground up, and this conversation is proof that the messiest starting point can still lead somewhere incredible, if you're obsessed enough with getting it right.

If you found value in this one, take a screenshot, share it to your stories and tag us both with your biggest takeaway. I'd love to know what landed for you.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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I met a woman who was born on a dirt floor in Peru and couldn't read until she was seven. Now she's a business coach, keynote speaker, author, and the person some of the most successful women I know call when their life looks perfect from the outside and feels completely empty on the inside.

Marcia Colosi and I talk about the relationship stuff nobody wants to say out loud. Why busy is not a flex. Why over mothering your husband is a problem. Why the wrong partner can bankrupt you long before your bank account shows it. And why chasing a goal doesn't always feel the way you think it will once you get there.

→ Why "busy" is actually just time scarcity in disguise
→ What it really means to date yourself first
→ Why over mothering your husband is quietly wrecking your marriage
→ We don't attract what we want, we attract what we are
→ The subtle signs someone in your life is toxic for you
→ Why a man is not a financial plan (and neither is a woman)
→ The "time mates" concept, and why some people are only meant for a season
→ Why nobody is actually self made

This one made me want to call my partner the second we stopped recording.

Follow Marcia: @marciacolosi
Podcast: The Marcia Colosi Show

If this episode gave you something to think about, leave us a rating or a review, it genuinely helps more people find the show.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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He didn't pay himself for two years. He sold a house he didn't want to sell. His girlfriend covered rent, groceries, everything, while he worked night shifts in construction to keep his limoncello brand alive.

Today, Solbevi is on Qantas flights, at the F1, and in over a thousand stores across Australia. Stefan Di Benedetto joins me to talk about what it actually took to get there, the years nobody saw, the near-collapse over a batch of 20,000 cans, and the one thing his girlfriend said that changed everything.

This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.

 → The two years he went without paying himself, and what it actually cost him and his girlfriend Amy
 → The moment he got emotional talking about it on camera for the first time
 → How a batch of 20,000 cans nearly sank the business before it even launched
 → The story behind landing Solbevi on Qantas first class, and later at the Australian F1 Grand Prix
 → Why he turned down early interest from a US sports team, and what he did instead
 → His honest take on cash flow, retail contracts, and why alcohol might be the hardest industry to build in
 → What's next for Solbevi, and the one buyer he's hoping eventually comes knocking 

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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I just ended the Beauty Industry Leaders Podcast.

Not because I'm stopping. Because I finally stopped procrastinating on the rebrand I've been sitting on for months.

In this episode I'm telling you exactly why I made the call, what niching down actually cost me even while it looked like it was working, and who this podcast is built for going forward: founders in the messy middle, past the launch, not yet at the level where every problem is a hundred million dollar problem.

→ Why the words "Beauty Industry Leaders" were closing doors instead of opening them
 → What niching down cost me personally, and why I built resentment towards my own brand
 → Why most business podcasts only feature founders who have already made it, and the gap that leaves for everyone else
 → Who Delusional is actually for: founders scaling from half a million to their first two, five or ten million
 → My own non-traditional path through beauty, hospitality, events, pageants, coaching and now podcasting
 → Why obsession and sacrifice are part of the deal if you actually want to build something
 → The moment that changed how I think about legacy, impact and what actually matters
 → Why building without systems means everything breaks the second you try to scale
 → Why isolating yourself is the most common mistake founders make as the pressure increases

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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You blame the economy. You blame your competition. You blame your coaches, your clients, your suppliers, your staff.

When you look at the one consistent factor across all of it, it's always the business owner.

In this episode I walk you through the exact 10 problem framework I use to diagnose what's actually going wrong in a beauty business, the same process I use with my own clients, so you can stop guessing and start focusing on the one thing that will actually move the needle.

→ Why an inconsistent brand is quietly killing the trust you need before anyone will buy from you
 → The free strategy for getting your content in front of people who don't already follow you
 → Why volume in your marketing means nothing if it's not creating connection
 → The gap between engagement and actual enquiries, and what it means if you're stuck there
 → Why "it's too expensive" is almost never really about the money
 → The two reasons clients don't rebook, and which one is costing you more
 → How to be fully booked, six days a week, and still have nothing left over
 → Why cash flow and pricing are two separate problems that get blamed on each other
 → Why overwhelm in your business usually means a systems problem, not a hours problem
 → The one question I watched every seven figure business owner in the room answer the same way

If you've been blaming everyone and everything except yourself, this is the episode that changes that.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

Send us Fan Mail

You can be fully booked. Working six days a week. Getting new clients every week from your marketing.

And still have nothing left in your bank account.

That is not a revenue problem. That is a pricing problem.
In this episode I am walking you through the exact step-by-step process inside the Profitable Pricing Calculator, the same tool I have used with over 400 business owners to help them stop running a business that looks successful on the outside while quietly falling apart behind the scenes.

With the national minimum wage up 4.75%, Payday Super now live, and EFTPOS surcharge fees no longer passable to consumers from October 2026, your profit is already shrinking if your prices have not moved.

→ Why most beauty business owners are charging prices they have no idea are profitable or sustainable
→ The three ways to increase profit and why two of them will not work if pricing is broken from the start
→ How to calculate your exact breakeven cost per hour, per minute, and per service
→ The 80% capacity rule and why basing prices on full bookings sets you up to undercharge
→ How to work out real product costs service by service rather than relying on BDM estimates
→ What the calculator shows you that your accountant and bookkeeper will not walk you through
→ How to factor in GST, EFTPOS surcharge fees, and your tax bracket to see what you actually keep
→ Why 30% profit should be your floor and what to do if your services are nowhere close
→ The client who added over $100,000 in revenue in one year
→ The client who four X'd revenue and went from 5% profit to 32%
→ Why the businesses that do not fix their pricing now probably will not be here in twelve months
If you have been avoiding your numbers out of fear or shame, this is the episode that changes that.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

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Most people think success comes from one big moment.

It does not.

I made over half a million dollars in my personal brand. I helped build a multimillion dollar business with my family. I turned $1,800 of ad spend into $81,000 in ticket sales from a single conversation most people would have never thought to have.

None of it happened by accident. It came down to six specific things.

In this solo episode I am walking you through all of them. Including the story of the billionaire I was too scared to message for four years, the moment I threw my phone across the room after finally hitting send, and exactly what he said in his reply that changed the way I think about relationships and value forever.

→ Why upskilling in the wrong thing keeps you stuck no matter how hard you work
 → The single conversation that turned $1,800 into $81,000 in ticket sales
 → What eight years of posting a Brahman bull on Facebook taught me about building a cult following
 → Why your personal content will always outperform your business content
 → The hero offer strategy that helped a client make $24,000 in her first month after relocating
 → Why I stopped networking and what I do instead to build relationships that actually open doors
 → The billionaire mentor story: four years of imposter syndrome, one message, and what happened next
 → Why copycats are always behind and what genuine innovation looks like across industries
 → The two AI systems I use to build SOPs without typing a single word
 → What happened when I took a month off in Vietnam and watched my business fall apart

If you are in the struggling season right now, this episode is your way through. These six things are not magic. They are repeatable. And they are available to you right now.

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial 

Send us Fan Mail

If you worked for another company and every single year you worked harder, took on more responsibility, and never once received a pay raise, you would quit.

So why are we doing it to ourselves?

This is the final episode of the 2025/26 financial year, and I am not sending you into the new year with another motivational pep talk. I am giving you five habits that will actually change how the next twelve months feel: in your bank account, in your calendar, and in your body.

Because if another financial year passes and you are still overwhelmed, underpaid, and running your business from memory, the problem is not your revenue. It is your habits.

→ Habit 1: How to review your numbers weekly and set aside GST, tax, super, and leave before you spend what is not yours
→ Why "save 20% for tax" is dangerous advice and how to calculate the right percentage for your structure
→ What Payday Super starting 1 July 2026 actually means for your cashflow
→ Why leave entitlements quietly cripple businesses that are not preparing for them every single payroll run
→ Habit 2: How to give yourself a proper pay raise and why being the last person paid in your own business leads to burnout
→ Habit 3: The weekly saving method that means Christmas, equipment upgrades, and team events are never a financial emergency
→ Habit 4: The Sunday CEO reset that took me from reactive and overwhelmed to clear, intentional, and in control
→ Habit 5: Why time management is not your problem, and what self-management actually looks like using ClickUp and Google Calendar
→ Why your brain is for creating ideas, not storing them, and how to build the system that finally gets things done

You do not need a new business. You probably just need new habits.
If you know another business owner who is constantly overwhelmed, underpaid, or carrying their entire business around in their head, send this episode to them.

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

Connect with Bookkeeper and BAS Agent
→ Books by Auri: https://booksbyauri.com.au/

Connect with me:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial
→ https://www.facebook.com/sammykennedycoach/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedyofficial