The Creative Business Community Podcast

This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, Erin and Ronnie unpack one of the questions they get asked most: what counts as handmade versus locally designed. They break down how these definitions apply across the two flagship events run by MarketLife — Perth Makers Market (strictly handmade by you in WA) and Perth Upmarket (original, locally designed, high‑end).

Creative Business Spotlight:

Prismatic Brush

This week on the Creative Business Community, Erin chats with Janice, founder of Miss Fancy Pants Laser Engraving in Bunbury, WA. Janice started out making wooden jewellery and outsourcing the engraving to Perth, until long drives and lost-in-translation design notes pushed her to bring a laser in-house. That single laser has since grown into a four-laser studio known for nature-inspired designs and a breakout range of textured rolling pins loved by bakers and ceramicists.

Janice shares the dream that sparked her engraved cheese boards, how a pottery hobby became a real focus for the business side of things, and why keeping things mostly in-house (including 3D printing with her engineer son's help) helps them stay nimble. We also get real about the juggle: splitting time between workshop, design and admin, backing a hero range, knowing when to say no to custom work, and using big markets and pop-ups shops to get seen.

Along the way there are plenty of practical takeaways, from planning early for the silly season (and calling in grandma!) to staying true to your style and guarding quality like a hawk. Janice also opens up about choosing to adapt when competition spiked post-COVID, and talks straight about costs, pricing and reinvesting through the first 18–24 months.

Tree of Life Saramics

Scams are getting more prevalent in the market community. Not only that, they are unfortunately getting smarter — and stallholders are paying the price. This week, we talk scams targeted at the market stallholder community. We unpack the latest cons targeting makers and market traders, from Facebook impersonation and “DM me for details” comments to dodgy emails selling databases and fake event invites.

Creative Business Spotlight:

Crochet by Brewer

This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, Erin sit's down with Perth-based branding photographer and videographer Steph White, founder of Stef Spills Ink - our very first guest of season two!

We chat about how a life changing injury helped spark Steph's creative career, how she scaled by thinking like an operator, and why her next chapter blends creative with strategy through high-performing Meta ads.

Connect with our guest! Find Stef Spills Ink:

Sol Tank Studio

This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, we’re digging into what to actually post on social media as a small creative business. We break down reels vs carousels — when to use each — and why authenticity and showing the real human behind the work beats AI every time.

You’ll get niche-specific tips for food trucks (mouth‑watering video, share locations in Stories), clothing (show movement on real bodies, style with intention), jewellery (close-ups, strong branding, educate on care), workshops (sell the experience and community), and ceramics (why simple image carousels still win).

Plus, our Creative Business Spotlight!

Just Dumplings

Welcome back to the Creative Business Community podcast!

After a longer-than-planned break, we are kicking off Season 2 with a fresh, sharper focus: expect deep dives into marketing and social media for creative small businesses as well as our conversation with creative business owners. In this short welcome-back episode, we reflect on how fast everything’s shifting — from the economy to ever-changing social platforms and the creeping presence of AI in our tools.

This season, expect practical, nitty-gritty guidance across:

You’ll still hear candid stories from fellow creatives, plus plans for a roundtable episode featuring multiple voices. If you’d like to share your journey (whether you’re in Perth or anywhere in the world) we would love to hear from you.

Grab a cuppa and settle in. We’re here to help you feel less isolated, more informed, and ready to market the business you love.

It’s our Season One finale and 30th episode! In this episode, Erin and Ronnie look back at the moments that mattered most, from the unexpectedly powerful chat on creativity and mental health to the lessons learned from an incredible line-up of guests.

They distil five big takeaways — why simple social media is worth it, how branding sets your foundation, the non‑negotiable admin, business plans that actually guide you, and why community always beats competition. You’ll also hear how structure creates space for creative play, why balance is a shared struggle, and how past life experience can supercharge your creative business.

Go behind the scenes with honest confessions about batching, editing mishaps, tech hiccups and those days when the vibes just aren’t vibing (plus the eternal studio debate: coffee vs Diet Coke). Then, a sneak peek at Season Two: deeper dives into the Instagram algorithm, influencers and AI, working with friends and family, real talk on money and accounting with expert guests, and fresh voices from across creative industries—yes, even a spicy romance author (well, a girl can dream anyway!).

We want your input to shape what’s next. Share your thoughts via the feedback form in the show notes for the chance to snag a free mini social media audit (or setup basics if you’re just starting out). Join the Creative Business Community Hub on Facebook and connect with us on socials. 

Let us know your thoughts about the Creative Business Community Podcast! We are busy planning season 2 and want to make sure we are hitting the mark. As an added incentive, if you fill in the feedback form, you go in the draw to win a FREE social media audit! Don't have your social media set up? No worries, instead we can offer you a FREE consult to get them set up!

Let Us Know Your Thoughts Here: https://forms.monday.com/forms/6f29a91726408721cb7f4963f9731789?r=use1

This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, Erin is joined by our PR and marketing whiz, Renee, to unpack the hype around “going viral” — why it shouldn’t be your north star and what to focus on instead.

We dig into what viral really means across platforms (including the surprise rise of Facebook Reels), the metrics that matter most (views vs viewers, watch time and location), and the hidden downsides — trolls, admin blowouts and audiences that won’t convert. Renee shares a real-world case study from our client Women on the Tools, whose 1.6M-view reel delivered sold-out workshops, media attention and global enquiries — along with serious operational overwhelm.

You’ll come away with practical ways to prepare and profit: set up auto-responses and funnels, balance awareness and sales content, write emotion-led hooks, caption for sound-off viewing, and know when to boost or back off.

Plus, our Creative Business Spotlight!

Seed Station

This week on the Creative Business Community pod, Erin and Ronnie are chatting all things creative voice — what it is, how to find it, and why it shifts as you do. Think of it as your creative fingerprint: the style, tone and vibes that make people go, “yep, that’s yours.” They talk inspiration vs straight-up copying (and why credit matters), plus simple ways to sharpen your style — revisit old work, follow your curiosity, have a play in low-pressure mediums, and come back to your why.

You’ll also hear how to navigate creative ruts, step away from the algorithm to protect your spark, and even build an “analogue bag” to reset when screens or sales pressure start to stifle your flow. Plus, the power of community feedback when friends and family don’t quite get it.

And of course, our Creative Business Spotlight!

Creative Business Spotlight:

Master and Dame

This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, Erin sits down with Perth tattoo icon Fizz of Fizz Ink — the artist behind most of Erin’s own ink and a well known name for colourful work, big heart and making clients feel safe in a vulnerable process. Fizz traces her path from sketching designs and selling on Facebook as a teen to landing an apprenticeship in 2010, and unpacks how social media has reshaped portfolios, apprenticeships and the people skills needed to thrive.

We dive into the real cost of running a creative studio: navigating councils and health regs, commercial leases, tax, hiring friends, setting boundaries and protecting quality — plus the COVID surge of tattoo artists, today’s saturated market and skyrocketing insurance. Fizz gets candid about the physical toll of tattooing, the tough call to close her much-loved Midland studio in 2025, and how stepping back to focus on art at Hood Royals in Gosnells has rekindled her creativity.

You’ll hear grounded advice for aspiring tattooists — build a brand, nurture your socials and your soft skills, look after your body, and don’t put all your eggs in one basket — along with a playful quickfire round and our Creative Business Spotlight.

Ella Mobbs