What do you do when your own employee starts stealing your clients… and your entire business model? If you’re Katelin Gregg and Ella James, you put on matching suits and handle it.

But that’s just one chapter in the wild story behind Fayshell, Australia’s first membership-based skincare clinic. Launched in 2022, Fayshell was built on a simple but disruptive idea: make good skin accessible through consistency, not one-off facials. With a personalised, subscription-based model and twice-weekly LED treatments, Katelin and Ella set out to shake up the beauty industry and they did exactly that.

In this episode, the best-friend co-founders share how they turned a podcast about skincare into a full-blown business, how they pitched to investors with zero clinical experience, and what it really took to scale from living above their first clinic to managing a team of 16. They open up about early hurdles, big wins, and the marketing stunts they’d rather forget.

It’s a chaotic, unfiltered look at building a brand in an industry that’s still catching up, and proof that you don’t need permission to do things differently.

Connect with us:

Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

Stay updated with Katelin & Ella: @katelingregg @ella.james2

Check out Fayshell: @fayshell.au

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Doing it all on your own? It’s overrated.

This week, Jane sits down with Kelly McCarren - marketing consultant, beauty expert, and co-host of You Beauty - to talk about why going solo isn’t the flex we think it is.

From business to friendships to life in general, they unpack how building a strong support circle can change everything and why it’s one of the smartest (and most underrated) moves you can make.

Plus, they get into what's been trending in the beauty world, including their take on the Rhode x e.l.f. deal and what it means for the future of celeb beauty brands.

Connect with us:

Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

Find Kelly here: @kelly_mccarren

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This episode dives deep into a story that starts long before today’s guest was even born - one of resilience, reinvention, and the legacy of pubs, people, and a little chaos.

Jane sits down with Elliot Solomon, CEO of Solotel Group, a fourth-generation hospitality leader whose family fled Russia during the pogroms and ended up building one of Australia’s most iconic venue groups - behind The Sheaf, The Clock, Opera Bar, Chiswick, Aria, and more.

Elliot shares how the business has evolved across generations - how his dad ditched law to work in pubs, how changing the menu overnight didn’t go as planned, and how Elliot stepped up as CEO at 30. Now juggling 1700 employees and three kids under three, Elliot opens up about what it really takes to lead a legacy - through expansion, reinvention, and staying emotionally objective in a deeply personal business.

This one’s got family drama, business grit, and a whole lot of pub wisdom.

Connect with us:

Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

Follow Elliot on Instagram: @elliotsolomon

Follow Solotel on Instagram: @solotel_group

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Not all advice is good advice. Especially when it’s trying to make you blend in.

In this solo episode, Jane gets real about the well-meaning (but completely off-brand) advice she’s glad she ignored when building Showpo. From industry “rules” to branding tips that would’ve diluted everything she was trying to do, Jane shares the decisions that helped her stand out and why playing it safe was never the plan.

Connect with us:

 Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

 Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

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This week’s extended Help My Small Business episode is packed with real talk and practical advice for product-based founders. Jane is joined by interior designer and business mentor Emma Blomfield to review Bek’s business, Luckies - the knickers that ditch the shame around discharge.

Together, they unpack some of the most common (and costly) mistakes early-stage brands make - from building a website that doesn’t convert to relying on a product range that’s too niche to grow. Emma and Jane get honest about what makes a business actually investable, sharing tips on how to pitch for funding, what investors want to see, and why investing in your own business can sometimes be a smarter move than giving away equity too early.

They also reflect on their own experiences starting out, including the tough lessons, mindset shifts, and business pivots that made the biggest difference. If you're a founder who’s hit a plateau, this episode will give you the insight (and reality check) you didn’t know you needed.

Want your business featured on the pod?

Send us a 30 to 90 second video telling us about your brand and how we can help. You might just be our next spotlight. Email your video to [email protected].

Connect with us:

Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

Follow Emma Blomfield: @emmablomfield

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In this Help My Small Business episode, Jane is joined by Tori Clapham and Chris Hole - founders of Peaches Pilates - to help out Nikolina, the founder of I See by Nikolina, an Australian-made fashion brand that blends style with spiritual connection.

The big question on Nikolina’s mind? When is the right time to start running ads and investing in SEO?

Tori and Chris break down how to know if your brand is ready to scale with paid ads, and what groundwork needs to be done first - think product, website, and conversion rates. From understanding your margins to refining your brand experience, this is a must-listen for anyone itching to hit "launch" on their digital marketing.

Want your business featured on the pod?

Send us a 30 to 90 second video telling us about your brand and how we can help. You might just be our next spotlight. Email your video to [email protected].

Connect with us:

 Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

 Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

 Follow Tori on Instagram: @toriclapham

 Follow Chris on Instagram: @chrishole

 Follow Peaches Pilates: @peachespilates

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This week on The Lazy CEO, we’re joined by Tori Clapham and Chris Hole, the husband-and-wife team behind Peaches Pilates, the mat-based Pilates brand shaking up the fitness world.

In this episode, Tori and Chris dive deep into how building from their client community helps create loyal staff and reduce turnover. Tori opens up about the mindset shift she experienced as a mentor, learning to accept that staff will eventually outgrow the business, and why that’s a sign of good leadership. She also shares how becoming a mother shifted her priorities, giving her new perspective and setting clearer boundaries between herself and the business. As owners and franchisors, they talk honestly about being involved in everything and the challenge of learning to delegate more effectively. Together, they discuss the challenges and rewards of scaling a business as a married couple with two young kids, offering leadership lessons for thriving through fast growth rather than just surviving it.

Connect with us:

Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

Follow Tori on Instagram: @toriclapham

Follow Chris on Instagram: @chrishole

Follow Peaches Pilates on Instagram: @peachespilates

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Feeling like you're doing everything and still getting nowhere? In this solo episode of The Lazy CEO, Jane shares 9 time-saving habits that actually help when you're overworked, overwhelmed, and barely keeping up. These habits are all about working smarter, not harder - because no one has time for burnout.

Jane breaks down how she structures her day to avoid falling into reactive mode, the mindset shift that helped her stop glorifying being busy, and how she approaches her to-do list to get real results without the fluff. You'll hear how multitasking might be killing your focus and what to do instead, and the underrated trick that helps protect your time when everything feels urgent.

Connect with us:

Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

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Ever feel like your product is great, but no one’s seeing it? You’re not alone.

In this Help My Small Business episode, Jane is joined by James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel, to help Tormina - founder of Lucie & Co, a sustainable pet accessories brand - figure out how to actually stand out online.

From learning how to make Meta ads work without blowing your budget, to understanding how to increase your profit margin so you can afford to reinvest in growth, this episode is packed with real advice for small businesses trying to break through the noise.

If you’d love your business featured on the podcast, send in a 30 to 90 second video telling us about your brand and how we can help. You might just be our next spotlight. Send your video to [email protected].

Connect with us:

 Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

 Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

 Follow James on LinkedIn: James Thornton

 Follow Intrepid Travel on Instagram: @intrepidtravel

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Most people think being CEO means having all the answers. James Thornton would say it means knowing when to shut up and listen.

James is the CEO of Intrepid Travel – the world’s largest adventure travel company and a certified B Corp that’s been walking the talk for decades – but he didn’t start at the top. Nearly 20 years ago, he applied for a job at Intrepid, got rejected, and eventually got his foot in the door as a sales rep. Since then, he’s worked his way up to the CEO role, crediting his rise to listening, learning, and communicating even when it’s uncomfortable. Now, under his leadership, Intrepid is on track to hit $800 million in revenue, but James believes the real key to leading a business across seven continents isn’t just strategy – it’s communication.

In this episode, we dive into what it’s like leading a company you didn’t found, why purpose and profit aren’t mutually exclusive, and the leadership style James calls “casual intensity.”

Connect with us:

 Follow The Lazy CEO podcast on Instagram: @thelazyceo_podcast

 Stay updated with our host, Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

 Follow James on LinkedIn: James Thornton

 Follow Intrepid Travel on Instagram: @intrepidtravel

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