In today’s episode I’m talking to the wonderful Alex Walls – owner and general manager of A&C Homestore. For many of us, Alex first came to our attention when she appeared on The Block NZ in 2014 with her husband Corban. For avid watchers you will remember that Alex and Corban won that year while they completely nailed the show from a design perspective and were super generous when they won, giving away a portion of their winnings to one of the other teams who didn’t have a great result.

When The Block finished Alex and Corban launched A&C Homestore after they struggled to find affordable and locally accessible furniture and homewares that truly reflected their own style and character. What began as an online store and a pop-up shop in Takapuna has since grown to include three Auckland stores in Birkenhead, Mt Eden and Orakei.

In this episode you will hear how Alex started her career in fashion retail and then turned a reality TV experience and a strong eye for design into three growing retail stores and a homewares & lifestyle brand. And she's done it all while having two babies and a major new home build. I'd say she's the ultimate creative multi-tasker and I hope you get as much from this episode as I did!

Please check out  A&C Homestore on Instagram - @achomestore or follow Alex and Corban at @alexandcorban. For inspiring homewares, clothing and beautiful gifts visit achomestore.co.nz


For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m kicking off 2021 with one of the big guns – the super creative Beks Anderson – founder and creative director of Chaos & Harmony. Over 12 years ago Beks and her husband sold everything they owned, including their house, and moved to Italy so Beks could learn to design shoes in Rome. A year later they returned to Mount Maunganui and created Chaos & Harmony - a market-leading and iconic New Zealand boutique shoe brand. The story behind Bek’s business journey is awesome – it’s a story of taking risks and being brave, having vision and creativity but also growth, change, strategy and direction. 

One of the things I’m loving about doing this podcast is talking to women who are at all stages of business. There is so much we can learn from inspiring women like Beks who are over a decade into their journey and have created the most beautiful products and brands and yet are still growing, learning and changing. Once again this is another story of an inspiring kiwi brand that started with an idea and hardwork to become an iconic brand.

I was so inspired after this conversation with Beks, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

You can find Chaos & Harmony at chaosandharmonyshoes.com and on Instagram at  @chaosandharmonyshoes.

For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak to the bubbly and happy Tasha Meys aka @tastefullytash – content creator, digital marketer and podcast host. It’s really hard to define what Tasha does with a single job title, basically she is a master of….Instagram – and she’s made a career out of it. As a content creator and photographer (@tastefully_studios) she works with brands to create ‘thumb-stopping’ imagery for their products and she works with brands in the ‘influencer’ space – helping businesses promote and market their products to around 60k of her insta-followers. As well as all that, Tasha hosts the popular @acethegrampodcast with her business partner @vivconway_.

I’ve followed Tasha on Instagram for a while and am a big fan of Ace The Gram but I was really interested to talk to Tasha as not only is she a bonafide ‘influencer’ but she is also a digital native, identifying the power of Instagram at university (at an age where many of us were still calling our friends and families on landlines). From there she has harnessed the world of social media, built a business around it and become an expert in it. This is an awesome episode full of many insights, particularly into the world of marketing and Instagram, I hope you enjoy.

You should totally check out Tash on all her Instagram handles - @tastefullytash (48k followers!), @tastefully_studios (13.8k followers) and my personal favourite @acethegrampodcast.

For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EPISODE 09: Mandy Myles - Today on the podcast I'm speaking to the lovely Mandy Myles - owner of Bookety Book Books, a locally-owned online indie bookshop. Described as THE book club of book clubs, a sanctuary for the book-obsessed, Mandy curates a selection of books to challenge and inspire, to move and to shake. Her books are chosen from a wide and wonderfully diverse range authors from home or abroad. So, this episode is a little different to my previous interviews as Bookety Book Books only launched in August this year and Mandy is in the 'start up' phase of business. When I first started thinking about this podcast and what I wanted it to look like, I was really keen to interview women from business of many industries, of all shapes and sizes. When I first stumbled across Bookety Book Books on Instagram I was instantly attracted to the cool branding and the beautiful book selection and then I started thinking - who launched an online book store in the middle of a global pandemic?

This is the first interview I've done where I didn't know my guest at all beforehand. As a life-long fan of books and reading, I was instantly drawn to Mandy's business concept. I love that she has been really strategic with her business and with her branding (the packaging is such a delight!), marketing and PR and it was so interesting to hear all the logistics behind selling books. It's also really cool to hear that there is a trend seeing the return to the physical book instead of e-readers and millennials are leading the way.

My chat with Mandy was so interesting and has some great book recommendations at the end. I hope you enjoy!

Please check out Bookety Book Books on Instagram - @booketybookbooks and visit Mandy's beautiful website - www.booketybookbooks.co.nz

For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the podcast I talk to the supremely creative, Roanne Jacobson – founder and designer of Saben. Since creating the business nearly twenty years ago, Roanne has built Saben to become one of New Zealand’s most-loved brands with beautiful leather handbags and accessories inspired by the women who wear them. As an artist, wife, mother, businesswoman and designer Roanne is known for her individual sense of style and original interpretation of trends. I was so excited when Roanne agreed to come on the podcast, I knew she would have an awesome business story and I wasn’t wrong.

I met Roanne several years ago while I was working in my previous role and when I was originally planning this podcast, she was one of the first on my guest wish list. What I love the most is that this isn’t the story of a big corporate brand doing well, it’s amazing when you see how one person’s initial dream and idea can turn into a business success through hard work, vision, drive, determination and of course, beautiful and functional design. As expected, there is so much we can learn from Roanne’s journey and many business insights! If you don’t already, make sure you follow Saben on insta at @sabenltd and visit saben.co.nz

For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the podcast I talk to my ultra-stylish and clever friend, Tina Allen. Along with her two business partners, Tina is the co-founder of women’s fashion label Nyne. For the past sixteen years, have been creating clothing for women that is understated and effortless, modern, refined and uncomplicated. Nyne is exclusively manufactured in New Zealand and are proud to have been supporting local since 2004. To me, Nyne is almost an ‘unsung hero’ of NZ fashion and my talk with Tina was SO interesting. This episode is bursting with many year’s worth of business insights and I think is a great listen – particularly for anyone that has ever considered launching a fashion label.

I absolutely loved my chat with Tina. I found the insight into the fashion industry, in particular the logistics of manufacturing in New Zealand,  the fashion calendar and sales cycle of collections and also the considered and sometimes conservative growth of their brand.

Check out Nyne on Instagram - @nynethelabel or visit www.nyne.co.nz 


For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is the very talented Annique Heesen from Gezellig Interiors. As an interior architect, designer and stylist Annique’s mandate is to create spaces for people - homes that not only tell a story but enhance the everyday life of the people using the space. For those of us that love looking at interior inspo in magazines and social media, it’s more than likely that you are familiar with Annique’s work – her interiors are timeless and textural, rich with depth and soul. I’ve lost count of the times that people have referenced Annique when telling me about something they are wanting to do in their home or an interior style that they admire.

I loved talking to Annique about her journey – her love and passion for what she does shines through. I loved hearing about the incredible work ethic and drive that has helped grow her business and also about the ethos behind her work and the enduring connections she creates with her clients who often then become friends. If you haven’t already, make sure you check out Annique’s work on Instagram - @gezellig_interiors or visit www.gezelliginteriors.co.nz


For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com
 
Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative

Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the podcast I talk to my extremely talented friend, Hannah Souter,  a graphic designer who works for herself as ‘Hannah Design Studio’.

Over the past 11 years, Hannah has built up an impressive client list of passionate brands across fashion, hospitality, retail and consumer goods. When you look at Hannah’s portfolio it is, quite simply - beautiful, thoughtful and considered, it’s the ultimate collection of ‘pinnable’ and ‘instagrammable’ design. As a graphic designer myself, I was keen to talk to Hannah about her career to date and how she has managed to establish herself as a designer that creates work that not only meets the needs of her clients but also stays true to her own design ethos.

I loved chatting with Hannah about her design and business journey. Hannah has created a business that allows her stay true to her own design ethos without compromise. I loved the insight Hannah gave around the practice of being nice as a business value (and she really practices what she preaches there) and the importance of building and maintaining relationships. You can find Hannah on Instagram at @hannah_design_studio or visit www.hannahdesign.co.nz


For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative

Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s podcast I talk to the lovely Mary Estelle. Along with her friend & business partner Krystal Hayward, Mary is the co-owner of Blac Cosmetics. Formulated by make up artists for makeup addicts, Blac prides itself on specializing in high quality products that are not testing on animals and paraben free. In this episode we talk about Mary’s career, the story behind the creation of Blac and Mary also shares about her recent personal health journey and how this is impacting her life and businesses going forward. I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did. 

I’m so thankful Mary agreed to be one of my early podcast guests. Please make sure you check her out on Instagram – you can find her at @estellesmakeup and of course @blac_cosmetics. I met Mary when our first children were tiny babies and I’ve always been so intrigued to know how on earth she came to co-create her own successful makeup brand.

I really do love hearing how people take an idea and grow it into a really cool business, in the case of Blac I love that Mary and Krystal had a  ‘let’s give it a go and see where it takes us’ approach, starting with a small product range and have continuing to grow the brand ever since. I’m excited to see the next phase in Blac’s business growth.

Please note: In this episode Mary shares about a personal experience with a medical professional. I just wanted to be clear that this is her story and is no way intended as medical advice or recommendation.

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s podcast guest is my lovely friend, Dani Cubis. Dani is the owner of Spongedrop Cakery – a much-loved boutique cake and cupcake store located in the heart of Mount Maunganui, here in the Bay of Plenty. In this episode you’ll hear how Dani started Spongedrop over 8 years ago after spending her early career in the advertising & PR industry. I love how Dani turned a personal passion for baking into a thriving business that is well loved in its local community. I hope you will find Dani’s story as inspiring as I do.

Please make sure you check out Spongedrop on Instagram - @spongedrop or next time you are in Mount Maunganui, pop in for a coffee, tea or sweet treat. I can recommend the cheese scones, cinnamon scrolls, macarons, cupcakes and white chocolate macadamia slice…..clearly I go their often.

For show notes visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative

Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com

Hosted by Catie Dawson
Bought to you by Somewhere Creative
Find us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.