LADY-BRAINS

Our next guest, Courtney Ray, began her career occupied in the fields of accounting and finance, tapping away on excel and powerpoint, until her honeymoon getaway in the US inspired a lightbulb moment in a completely unrelated industry - flowers! In fact, Courtney identified that the traditional business model of the flower industry was fundamentally flawed due to high store front costs and hard to forecast perishable inventory. So she immediately jumped into action and built a completely new model for a flower delivery business - one curated bunch of flowers, ordered online and delivered same day direct to your door. In hindsight it makes sense, Courtney grew up on a farm surrounded by gorgeous gardens and freshly cut blooms - so it seems plausible that she managed to take one of her passions and turn it into a profitable business....enjoy! 

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Katia and Vera are two best friends and former housemates who built a multi-million dollar business from their kitchen table. That business is Nimble Activewear: the trendy, Bondi-based fitness label with the bold colours and prints that you would recognise from a mile away. The girls had the idea for Nimble back in 2014 when they realised there were no real activewear brands available that were high performing, fashionable and affordable. What started out as a passion project quickly became a thriving business, so much so that Katia very soon after gave up her career in fashion to work in the biz full-time.

The two have a pretty remarkable friendship - when Katia went full-time, Vera continued to work as a lawyer so she could financially support the two of them until it was time for Vera to dive in fully as well. This episode is a little longer than usual, but the girls were soo generous with sharing their story that we couldn't stop asking questions!

There's so much to take away from this episode, including how the girls approached their families for funding, how they use an 'open to buy' to manage stock effectively, and the importance of building a thriving community around your brand. We sure hope you've got your notebooks ready!

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So far on the lady-brains you've heard stories about women that have launched product-based businesses. We've covered everything from concept development to the manufacturing process and getting product onto the shelves of some of the biggest retailers in the world. Today's chat is slightly different to our previous one's because for the first time we sit down with a founder of a service-based business, Karla Dawes from KDPO.

Karla started her own PR agency in 2016 and quickly became the go-to food and beverage agency here in Melbourne and around Australia. Boasting big-name clients like Peroni, Capi, Broadsheet and The Lucas Group, Karla is a fantastic example of a smart and savvy businesswoman that chose a profitable niche, and excelled in servicing it. Karla gives us all the tips...including how to pitch a story to journalists to get cut-through, and how you can ensure your business stays in the headlines. We kicked off by asking Karla whether her parents helped influence her journey. 

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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Gemma Watts is the founder of Glow Journal, a brand focused on producing beautiful, educational and honest content for the beauty consumer. As a solopreneur, she wears many hats in her business. She writes content for her blog, she heads up Glow Journal Creative - an agency specialising in tone of voice development and content creation for beauty brands, and she hosts the Glow Journal Podcast, interviewing some of the best in the beauty biz about what it takes to succeed in one of the most dynamic industries today.

Gemma opens up about how she got to where she is today, the risks she's taken along the way, and why, in business and in life, it's so important to know your worth.

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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Megan Gale is a well-known Aussie supermodel, TV presenter, brand ambassador and business owner. After being discovered by talent scouts at 18, she moved to Sydney to pursue a professional career but struggled to make the big time. After five years of grit, determination and following her gut (she knew something big was around the corner), Megan rose to international fame when she was cast in an Italian ad campaign.

Since then, Megan has spent two decades working in Australia and overseas for some of the world's biggest brands. But what she's most proud of (aside from her beautiful family, of course!) is her brand new venture as the business owner of Mindful Life - a range of natural skincare products for babies and children. The name says it all - she's built a brand that teaches us to live with presence and purpose, to reconnect with ourselves and those that matter most.

In this episode, Megan shares with us what it's taken to build Mindful Life as a one-woman-show, and why it's so important to clarify your why - your reason for going into business in the first place. Enjoy! 

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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In this episode we chat with the co-founder of personal care and hygiene brand Moxie. You may recognise it as the brand of tampons in the cute, pink tin packaging that's on the shelves of major retailers in Australia and also around the globe. The brains behind the brand is Mia Klitsas, who was just 21 years old when she thought of repackaging tampons into a tin container so that they would finally stop getting lost in the bottom of her bag. Guys – stick with us, coz we think you’ll also get a lot from this chat too!

Mia shares with us her story on transitioning from working at one of the largest tobacco companies in the world to doing her own thing, how she lost half a million dollars worth of stock in the UK, and about her passion for social entrepreneurship – driving an initiative that provides women around the world with access to clean sanitary products.

There’s so much to love about her, and the thing we admired about her the most is that she’s tenacious, she’s comfortable sitting in the uncomfortable by breaking down taboos, and she sends a very clear message that you can do good business as well as do good in the world. 

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Today's chat is with one of the pioneers of the fashion blogging industry in Australia. Sara Crampton is the face of Harper and Harley; a fashion, lifestyle and beauty blog that has captured the attention of women all over the world. From humble beginnings, quitting her job at 21 and uprooting her life to move to Sydney, Sara has managed to grow her Instagram audience to over 560k and her CV reads like the contents of a Vogue magazine, partnering with brands like Gucci, YSL, Estee Lauder, Nike, and many more.

But Sara isn't just an influencer, in 2016 she made the leap into retail, launching The Undone - an online boutique selling a carefully curated line-up of beautiful, minimalist clothing. We sat down with Sara in her stunning Surry Hills office, to chat about how she came to be at the forefront of Australia's fashion scene. 

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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Our next guest may not be a household name just yet, but let us tell you, after you hear this episode we don't think you'll forget her anytime soon. She's gritty, hilarious and has one of the most inquisitive minds. Christy Laurence is the brains behind PLANN - a social media management tool that is widely used by creatives, influencers and big organisations.

Her business building journey is a unique one - struck by a debilitating illness that left her unable to move independently for two years, she somehow managed to not only make a full recovery, but in the process conceived of PLANN and persuaded someone to build the app for free. Three years on, Christy has achieved over 1 million downloads across 150 countries, employs 35 people in 9 countries, and now splits her time between Sydney and Silicon Valley. She's a real pocket rocket - we hope you enjoy it! 

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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Imagine finding yourself sitting across the board room table negotiating the deal of your life with the world's biggest sporting brand - Nike. Well, in 2012 this was the reality for Julie Stevanja, who invested her life savings into Stylerunner - a brand that just a few years later would become the world's biggest online activewear retailer, valued at over $50M. Impressive right? We can confirm that in person, she is just as amazing as she sounds!

But aside from the awards, accolades, and financial success, what really blew us away was Julie's kind nature, her authenticity, and her willingness to share advice with not only us, but also with all of you. We began our chat in the Stylerunner board room, surrounded by mood boards featuring the upcoming winter collection. 

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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Michelle Battersby is the classic definition of an intrapreneur. While she doesn't technically own her own business, she was tasked with the huge responsibility of starting and expanding US born dating and networking app, Bumble right across Australia. Headhunted by founder Whitney Wolf, Michelle backed herself and quit her job after a conversation with Whitney that she says completely sold her on the brand's mission to support and empower women. She's been on a whirlwind adventure ever since, and in just two short years has achieved 2 million app registrations with no signs of slowing down. We sat down to chat all things Bumble and to hear about Michelle's new role as Associate Marketing Director of the APAC region.

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Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential?

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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