Happy Valley is one of Fiona’s favourite stores in her hometown of Melbourne, for its curated collection of items, for the experience it offers and the community it has cultivated around it. In today’s episode, she interviews Happy Valley owner, Chris Couch. Listen as they discuss how Chris has successfully managed different kinds of businesses (including Polyester Records, Candle Records and the Tramway Pub), and how he is coping as a small business owner during a pandemic. Chris also goes into detail in how he was able to create a community around his business and also the practicalities of how long it's taken him to get the business to a place that he's really comfortable with and he's happy with.

Topics discussed in this episode: 

Introduction [1:20]

About Chris Crouch and Happy Valley [1:57]

Checking in with Chris [6:05]

Describing Happy Valley [7:41]

History [10:22]

Chris' Upbringing [12:19]

The Challenges in the Business [13:43]

On Staying Motivated [16:34]

Choosing The Stock [20:06]

On Brands Featured on The Store [24:19]

On Markets [27:47]

On Having A 9-5 Job [32:03]

Time Management [34:53]

On Boundaries [38:58]

On Saying no [40:07]

The Business During COVID [42:07]

On Books [48:42]

On Doing The Business Differently [51:59]

Tech Tools For The Business [57:44]

On Happy Valley's Achievements [1:03:02]

Connecting With Happy Valley [1:04:27]

Conclusion [1:07:32]

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Happy Valley

Shopify

Xero

Episode transcript: 

For a full transcript of this episode go to mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/30

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