It’s an exciting time for eCommerce and marketing right now. 

More than ever we have the potential to reach our customers on so many channels, whether it be via our website, a Facebook Live, an Instagram Reel, paid advertising, Google searches, an Email newsletter or an SMS or a messenger bot…

Exciting, but overwhelming right!?

How do we possibly keep up with creating content for our customers on every potential outlet? And how do we implement it all with the little time we already have?

And do we even need to everywhere? “Why can’t I just reach my customers on Instagram?”

In this Masterclass episode, I am going to walk you through why only focusing your attention and effort on one point of marketing no longer works and why you need to be seen by your customers in a number of ways to earn their trust and money.

I also share how you can increase your brand awareness and share your message seamlessly across all channels - without the overwhelm!  

Listen as I share this masterclass on how to be where your customers are, without the overwhelm!

Imagine being back at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and cleanliness was on top of everyone’s mind. 

You own a cleaning product business and demand for your gorgeous home cleaning products is going through the roof. You’re excited about scaling up and growing your business despite the challenges the world is facing.

But then… one of the key components of your product, the plastic bottles and packaging for your product is no longer available. 

You now have a business with no products to sell. 

What do you do?

Now, many product-based business will have their fair share of disaster manufacturing stories. And many businesses succumb to the pressure and stress of having to keep moving forward.

But in Pearl Chan’s case, she ran with the challenge used it as motivation to pivot and completely reinvented her her business model and products. In the process she not only moved closer to her goals of being more eco-friendly, she also ained more customers and more brand awareness and was able to really grow her business as a result 

Today’s interview with Pearl is inspiring and a great example of how resilience and creativity and staying true to your values during difficult times can bring amazing outcomes on the other side.

If you’re facing an overwhelming problem right now or are fearful about the future, this episode is for you. 

Listen as Pearl shares her story of Resparkle and how staying true to her values and mission reinvented her brand to achieve amazing results.

Social proof is one of the most impactful ways of increasing your brand awareness and removing purchasing barriers with your customers. 

And there’s no bigger social impact than having the right celebrity rave about your products!

But how do you get your products into the hands of celebrities? 

And what is the difference between celebrity endorsements and paid influencer shoutouts?

Today’s guest is serial entrepreneur Sarah Shaw who built a multi-million dollar handbag business by becoming a pro at getting her handbags into the hands of not only celebrities but also movies such as Legally Blonde and major magazine publications. 

“... think about whether your ideal customer would buy something if they saw that person with it. That's the big linchpin really is would that make them get their wallet out?”

In addition to sharing her practical tips on how to increase brand awareness for your products Sarah also very generously shares her business journey with us. From costume designer to CEO, to selling her business after facing challenges with investors and losing the trademark for her own name, there is so much to take away in this episode. 

In this episode Sarah shares:

• Her Productpreneur journey and how she built her handbag business with features from celebrities, movies and magazines
• How working with celebrities can increase brand awareness and increase sales
• How to identify celebrities to reach out to
• The difference between reaching out to celebrities and working with paid influencers
• How to maximise the opportunity once your product IS featured
• The importance of consistently working on your brand awareness and how it can open doors to exciting opportunities

Listen as Sarah shares her experience of working with celebrities to increase brand awareness and skyrocket sales for your business!

Launching a new product is an exciting time for any e-commerce business. 

And in a global world, your products are most likely made offshore. 

You’ve put in months of work with your supplier to have your products finally ready for sale and now you just need them delivered from overseas… to your door. Simple right?

Sadly, no!

Importing products from overseas is a complex process that if not done correctly can end up costing you thousands of dollars in unexpected costs. And it’s often the piece of the product puzzle that is completely overlooked until it is too late. 

Today I talk with Carolina Montanez from Plane 2 Sea to walk through what you need to know, even before negotiating prices with your suppliers, to get your products from your suppliers warehouse to Australia with the least amount of hassles and unexpected costs. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Why communication with suppliers and freight companies is key
• Why having an understanding of the process and shipping terms is vital even during the price negotiation with your suppliers
• Disaster stories to avoid (including my own!)
• Key terms to know and costs involved when shipping products to Australia
• How a freight forwarding company can help you navigate the pitfalls of importing

Don’t know your FOBs from your AWBs? You’re not the only one!

Listen as Carolina shares her expert knowledge to understand the complex world of product importing - from overseas warehouse to your front door.

The last 18 months has been the time for online buying. Customer behaviour has certainly changed during Covid-19 and many new brands have jumped online to capitalise on the exciting opportunity ecommerce offers. 

Starting online to sell your products direct to your customers certainly sounds appealing. The number one comment I always hear is:  “I want to retail my products on my own website because the profit margin is higher.”

And yes, it’s true that you can charge more when you sell direct to consumers.

But it’s not the only option out there. Especially as a start-up trying to build your brand.

As Australia starts to open up, and our shoppers start craving that experience that only brick and mortar stores can offer, should wholesale be part of your sales strategy?

What’s the best strategy for your brand? Wholesale vs Retail? Or both?

Listen as I walk you through options to consider when looking to sell via retail or wholesale. Or both!

Have you ever struggled to understand where the money is going in your business?

Asked yourself “I’ve made all this money this month but there’s nothing left in my bank account and I still have to pay taxes. Where has all my money gone?”.

“Am I actually ever going to be able to pay myself in my business?”

If so, you certainly aren’t alone! 

“...we have an awesome sales weekend, we feel amazing and we could do this forever, and then next week nobody shops and we feel like this is horrible and we need to quit, right? And so we live on this roller coaster.” - Ciara Stockeland

One of the biggest challenges a product based business faces is managing cashflow; with buying inventory and having a long lead time between expenses and sales, finding the cash to pay yourself or even make a profit may seem like a far-fetched reality. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Today’s guest Ciara Stockeland, has owned and sold several product-based business and is a Profit First Professional. Ciara is going to share her super simple strategies on how to manage your cashflow, and even your workflow, to create a profitable business. 

Listen as Ciara shares her top strategies for improving cashflow and creating profitability in your business today.

In a sea of competing brands and products, online stores and advertising wherever you go, how can you put your brand out there, to stand apart from the competition?

That’s the question today that I’ll be answering “How can I stand out in a competitive market when other stores are selling similar products and brands? How can I be different?”

Such a good question! And such an essential part of your business to consider. 

As consumers we are faced with choices on which brand to choose nearly every single minute of the day. 

Do we shop at Woolworths or Coles or do we shop at the local independent grocery store? 

Do we brush our teeth with Colgate or Oral B or do we use an all-natural brand discovered through a friend?

In every single category of products or industries, brands are giving consumers choices on how to spend their money and it’s not all based on the price of their product. They know that they need to give their customers something else to care about so they don’t have to compete with the ‘big names'.

But the question is - how do you do that with your business?

And so in this episode I’m going to dig in with examples of brands and industries who have done just that and have done so very successfully.

I’ll walk you through a step by step process on how to identify the areas that make you unique and can help your brand stand out from the crowd. 

Listen today to find out how you can make your brand stand out from your competitors!

If you’ve been listening to my podcast over the last year you will know email marketing is my absolute favourite (and most profitable!) way of reaching out to your customers.

If you are a store owner and you’re regularly sending out emails and have a series of automated emails providing valuable information and offers out to your customers but you’re kind of scratching your head saying “This is great Cath, but it’s just not quite working”, then I have three great suggestions for you to implement today. 

Even if you are the email queen with everything flowing smoothly but haven’t reviewed your emails in some time then these tips will be invaluable for you too. As our brands grow and develop we need to make sure we review our processes to ensure we’re maximising all our efforts! 

So this episode is for you if you are looking to: 

1. Increase the number of people opening your emails
2. Increase the number of sales from your emails
3. And generate more profits from your emails

Listen to discover how 3 simple email tweaks can improve sales and profitability in your online store today.

Today’s interview is with the fabulous Steph Pryor, founder of MontiiCo and Lunch Punch and this is one you are really going to want to sit down and listen to.

Steph has created amazing growth in her brands in only 5 years and I know her success is what a lot of our listeners aspire to. What I found inspiring about our chat was how honest Steph was about the journey and while she admits she’s no overnight success, she details the challenges and sacrifices she’s made to achieve where is she is today.

“We've basically doubled our revenue every year. We're at 110% growth average for the last five years... And just trying to keep up with that growth was hard, particularly in the early years where banks and whoever just don't even want to talk to you when you're only just starting out.”

In today’s episode Steph shares with us:

Her journey from IT nerd to drink bottle queen

The progression of her business from the garage to owning her own warehouse (and hiring next door!)

The sacrifices and challenges required during startup and growing the business

Her first ‘outsourced’ role and how she grew to manage a team of 21 staff

Why having multiple channels of selling has accelerated the growth of her brands and reduces risk

Steph’s top tips for fellow Productpreneurs.

And so much more! Like seriously, SO much more!

Steph is so down to earth and an entrepreneur to watch out for, and I think many of you will be truly inspired by today’s interview. 

Listen as Steph shares her journey of the ups and downs of growing FAST with MontiiCo.

What to do when customers want to try things on before buying…

Sometimes it’s hard for customers to buy online. Not because of the website itself, but because the product is difficult to choose without seeing it or trying it on.

You may find this if you sell items like clothes, underwear, swimwear, shoes, make-up, or fashion accessories. Any product really where a customer usually likes to touch or try a product before buying it.

So how can you overcome this roadblock in your customers mind and give them the confidence in choosing the right product for them and being happy with their purchase?

In this episode I share: 

• Examples of roadblocks that customers might come up against on your online store that you might not realise
• Strategies to use in your store to remove the perceived risks for purchasing
• Cool tools that you can implement to educate and guide your customer to the right choice
• How reducing roadblocks increases profitability by improving conversion rates and reducing returns and exchanges 

Find out how to remove pesky roadblocks from your online store and increase profitability!