Growth Masters

“It’s always about practice – 10,000 hours, 10 years… You have to spend a meaningful amount of time doing something to be successful at it” – Vadim Rogovskiy A serial entrepreneur early on in his career, Vadim Rogovskiy launched his first company at the ripe old age of 18. He ran a web design studio

The post EP 57: VADIM ROGOVSKIY – SOLVING FASHION ECOMMERCE INDUSTRY PROBLEMS USING TECH appeared first on Impressive.

“I have this incredible opportunity to work with brilliant people to solve problems in ways that I probably wouldn’t solve them, so I’m learning every day and that really motivates me” – Lucinda Hartley

Co-founder, serial entrepreneur, urban designer, keynote speaker and true innovator, the inimitable Lucinda Hartley has spent the past decade pioneering methods to help improve cities around the world. Her passion for travel, innovation and social change has seen Lucinda solidify her position as a leader in her industry, with her list of impressive accomplishments growing each year.

Named as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the AFR, Lucinda was also included in The Age Top 100 most influential people in Melbourne. Between her regular keynote speaking appointments at TED and UN Summits, Lucinda continues to gain widespread recognition for her work on a global scale. Most recently, her urban insights were contributed to UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Cities) and she was appointed to the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board.
Lucinda’s trailblazing tech company, Neigbourlytics, harnesses the power of big data to monitor the social wellbeing of neighbourhoods, in order to help citymakers create positive change for their communities.

“We are looking to be in 100 cities within 3 years from a data footprint perspective and that’s looking really achievable at this point in time” – Lucinda Hartley

“In the tech space, I would really strongly advise people who are non-technical founders to give it a go, because I didn’t for a decade – I just assumed that because I wasn’t a computer scientist that I couldn’t run that kind of business.” – Lucinda Hartley on the abundance of opportunity in the tech industry

Lucinda is a true wealth of knowledge across innovative urban design and how best to use data to create people centric cities. She speaks openly about the challenges and growth Neighbourlytics has encountered along the way. Lucinda shares how her and co-founder, Jessica Christiansen-Franks, have navigated the division of responsibilities and the integration of strategic communication within an eclectic team.

Did that podcast spark your interest? Head to LinkedIn to connect with Lucinda or check out Neighourlytics on Instagram, Facebook or head to their website.

The post EP 56: LUCINDA HARTLEY – INNOVATION & DATA LED DECISION MAKING appeared first on Impressive.

“People come for the workout, but they stay because they belong somewhere and they aren’t a number at KX” – Aaron Smith

The brains and brawn behind KX Pilates, Aaron Smith, is an award winning innovator and entrepreneur in the fitness industry. Launched in 2010, KX Pilates was developed  in line with the Japanese philosophy of ‘kaizen’, meaning continuous movement. Participants in classes can expect a unique and truly dynamic workout that isn’t always associated with traditional pilates and is aimed at transforming physical and mental fitness.

Over the past decade, the business has grown from one studio in Malvern, located in Melbourne’s east, into one of Australia’s largest pilates franchises with 74 studios, including one in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2018, Smith stepped down as CEO to focus on further international expansion and development of a new pilates reformer apparatus.

“You need to find a mentor who has been there, done that… when people are successful they want to give back” – Aaron Smith on learning how to run a successful business.

• The catalysts for Aaron starting a fitness business (1:50)
• Stumbling on the style of training that KX is based on (3:22)
• Joining a young entrepreneurs collective and learning how to run a business – online, customer service, marketing, finance (5:00)
• Doing deals at the right time and learning about franchising (6:41)
• Aaron’s thoughts on the key to success in a saturated market (9:45)
• Why Aaron stepped down from the CEO role to shift his focus (13:40)
• Making sacrifices for the success of the business and his family and lifestyle (18:53)
• Turning 10 in 2020 and having to close all the studios due to Covid (21:57)
• Staying afloat and relevant during Covid lockdowns (26:24)
• Adapting to change and making the pivot to online training sessions (30:23)
• Aaron on the excitement of the next big steps for KX (32:32)
• Top tips for getting into business and the things that has helped Aaron succeed (44:01)

“We spent a lot of time and energy on our branding and our people – for us, it’s all about community” – Aaron Smith

Aaron dives into a very honest conversation about what drives him to push the boundaries of success and how he’s had to adapt the business to an ever changing fitness industry landscape. He discusses the importance of innovation, but backs it up with knowing when to stay in your own lane and focus on the core of what is important. Aaron is a firm believer in stepping back, refocusing and employing the best people for the jobs that he, as a founder, isn’t necessarily qualified for.

Did that podcast resonate with you? Are you interested in learning more about the success story KX? Head to LinkedIn or Instagram to follow KX and connect with Aaron Smith.

The post EP 55: Aaron Smith – GROWTH & REFOCUSING appeared first on Impressive.

“Imposter syndrome is a signal that you’re growing, it’s a signal that you’re putting yourself into new situations and leaning into things which are difficult that you need to charter” – Hannah Spilva

LVLY is Australia’s most adored flower and gift delivery service operating across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, and Hannah Spilva is one half of the dynamic duo who founded the company back in 2014. Redefining how the gifting industry operates, LVLY has completely disrupted the space with their same day delivery service and strong focus on unique branding. Establishing a cult following in its infancy, LVLY continues to stand out from the crowd with their on trend aesthetic and tongue in cheek nature.

During a decade-long stint in the advertising world, Hannah has acquired the broad expertise it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. In 2020, her hard work and determination was acknowledged when she was awarded the Telstra Business Woman of the Year.

“Because we are in gift giving, there is always the customer and then there’s the recipient, so what’s a bit different for our category is that for every customer we acquire, we have two sets of eyes” – Hannah on how LVLY has organically grown momentum.

• The lowdown on LVLY and what they do best (1:33)
• Disrupting the space of same day delivery gifting (3:30)
• What does LVLY stand for? (5:15)
• Finding the right talent to drive the business forward (8:00)
• Hannah’s background in advertising gave the business a huge advantage (11:20)
• Taking time to define roles within LVLY (15:07)
• Co-founder relationship challenges and wins (17:17)
• The LVLY marketing strategy in such a competitive space (19:30)
• Where to next for LVLY? – Going global (23:03)
• The epic challenge of running a business during Covid (24:50)
• Finding personal resilience and levelling up in business (32:50)
• Taking time to reflect on what it means to win awards for LVLY (33:50)
• The road map for growth in the next three years (38:22)
• Leaning into imposter syndrome and backing yourself (40:22)
• Taking care of yourself in order to take care of your business (42:47)

“A co-founder relationship is a big relationship in your life, it’s like one with your husband or a wife, right?” – Hannah Spilva

Hannah shares her story from starting her career in the advertising industry to becoming the CEO of her own multi million dollar company. She speaks in detail about the major challenges of running a logistics business safely during a pandemic and knowing when to take time out to recalibrate. Hannah also touches on the growth that the LVLY team is working towards and how important it is to have the right collective of talent driving your business.

Did that podcast resonate with you? Head to LinkedIn to follow Hannah, check out the LVLY Instagram and browse the beautiful selection of LVLY flowers and gifts.

The post Ep 54: Hannah Spilva – Disruption & Resilience appeared first on Impressive.

“It’s no longer that you’re able to sell your product to 10 people in the room. It’s that there are 50 people trying to sell to those 10 people” – Erika Geraerts

Erika comes with years of experience in building multiple successful businesses. She’s the co-founder of renowned brands like frank body and Willow & Blake. In this episode, we explore Erika’s entrepreneurial journey from her Willow & Blake and frank body days, to her latest startup, Fluff – a beauty brand focused on the next generation.

For Erika, it’s all about that connection with people, trying to understand why someone would buy something from a brand. Listen to our latest on Growth Masters as we talk about the nitty-gritty of startup culture and how the modern landscape has changed for businesses amidst a highly competitive environment.

“The pace at which businesses are operating right now is totally unsustainable and I think we are just pursuing growth at all costs.” – Erika Geraerts on modern hustle culture

• Erika’s journey (1:34)
• What it’s like running 2 businesses concurrently (3:40)
• The impact of frank body (5:04)
• What the Fluff is all about (7:22)
• How do you differentiate your branding? (9:38)
• Thoughts on Hustle Culture (12:19)
• How competition has changed the market (14:49)
• Changes in the marketing world from frank body days to now (16:15)
• How big is the team? (20:40)
• How many people do you need to screw in a lightbulb? (21:37)
• What drives Erika and the Fluff (22:28)
• Advice for early startup entrepreneurs (22:34)

A major part of Erika’s success stems from having the right team around, along with a focused business purpose. It’s the balance between knowing who to hire and understanding what makes the customer tick.

“After some point, you have to ask how many are we getting to screw in a light bulb” – Erika Geraerts

Curious to know more? You can connect with Erika via LinkedIn and subscribe to Growth Masters today.

The post Ep 52: Erika Geraerts – Startups, People and Growth appeared first on Impressive.

‘The industry is changing quickly, text messaging marketing is very new still for many folks. We’re just figuring out some of the best practices and how to transform it into a really essential marketing channel.’ – Andrea Wan In 2021, personalised SMS marketing is crucial to providing a world-class customer experience. With over 98% of

The post Ep 49: Andrea Wan – Personalising SMS Marketing appeared first on Impressive.

“I wanted to take a big risk. I was sick of trying to do traditional stuff and trying to be this watered-down version of myself wearing a three-piece suit as a marketing consultant and all this bullshit.” – Louis Grenier Founder of popular contrarian marketing podcast Everyone Hates Marketers Louis Grenier has made a name

The post Ep 48: Louis Grenier – Everyone Hates Marketers appeared first on Impressive.