The Remarkable Project

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with self-confessed entrepreneur and Handwrytten founder David Wachs, about why a communication that people keep and display remains special, how a ‘full stop thank you’ works, and the value of shining a light on ‘time spent’.

A serial entrepreneur, David Wachs’ latest venture, Handwrytten, is bringing back the lost art of letter writing through scalable, robot-based solutions that write notes in pen to help brands and people connect. Developed as a platform and used by major meal boxes, eCommerce giants, non-profits and professionals, Handwrytten lets customers send notes from CRM systems such as Salesforce, websites, apps, or through custom integration.

Prior to his current initiatives, David founded Cellit, a mobile marketing platform and mobile agency. Under his leadership, the business became a leading player in the mobile marketing space and invented the concept of mobile customer relationship management (Mobile CRM). Before being sold in 2012, Cellit developed one of the most robust and widely used mobile marketing platforms in the world, delivering millions of SMS and MMS messages to consumers daily.

David is also a frequent speaker on marketing technology and has presented for the Direct Marketing Association, South By Southwest, Advertising Research Foundation, and the National Restaurant Association. He’s been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Variety, Washington Post and many more.

Both Handwrytten and Cellit were on Inc. Magazine’s Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies, and David now writes for Inc. Magazine with his column “Stepping Away from the Day to Day”.

Three Remarkable Quotes

Whether you’re sitting in front of a video camera sending a video message or writing out a card, it’s that replication of ‘time spent’ that makes it so unique.

That’s the nature of the ‘full stop thank you’, of just thanking you for your purchase and understanding that in today’s day and age, there’s always an alternative for where people go to buy something.

If you want to get out to the most consumers, with the lowest risk of being considered annoying, while being highly personal and highly surprising, handwritten notes are the best option.

Connect with David

Learn more about Handwrytten via their website

Check out the latest news and content from the platform on their Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages

Find David on Linkedin

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay meets Matt Barnett, founder, CEO and self-styled ‘Papa Bear’ of customer relationship video platform, Bonjoro, to discuss the concept of ‘dogfooding’, how video `1

Matt Barnett is the brains behind Bonjoro, a business which helps its clients show their customers they care, via personalised but automated videos delivered direct to their email inbox as soon as they sign up, subscribe, or make a purchase.

A British designer by trade, Bonjoro is Matt’s second company. What started as a sales hack for an agency he was running in Sydney, Australia, the concept went from hack to side hustle to global business in the space of 18 months. It now has a team spanning five continents.

Matt’s love of building great products is only surpassed by that of building great culture, and he’s open about his goal for Bonjoro to become the next Zappos – one of the most loved brands in the world.

When not heads down in product, Matt spends his time rescuing wildlife, teaching his daughter about beekeeping and running one of Sydney’s largest tech founder networks.

Remarkable Quotes

The customer is the authority, and you’re there to help. You want to dress like the customer but one level down.

We think that loyalty is points, referrals, and discounts. That’s not loyalty. That’s called buying customers.

Loyalty is a customer’s propensity to do two things: stay with you for a longer term and become your best channel for new leads.

Connect with Matt

Find him on Linkedin

Follow Bonjoro on Twitter

Learn more about the business and products via their website

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Ted Molter, a seasoned marketing and PR pro formerly CMO of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, about why taking a strategic approach to authenticity is something more businesses should consider, how online experience can help contend with changes in offline behaviour, and the positive worth-of-mouth effects of intentional complaint handling.

 Ted Molter has been deploying marketing and PR skills in the attractions industry to advance the mission of zoos, aquariums, and family-oriented experiences for over 30 years. With a deep love for animals, Ted has enjoyed a long career that included key leadership roles at SeaWorld Ohio and the CMO position for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where he led a rebranding program that drove revenues, donations and awareness.

Now, as a marketing consultant and collaborator, he advocates the practical skills of using and understanding data, media training to communicate key messages, and effective marketing strategy to engage audiences in mission and brand devotion. Ted describes himself as a “return on mission” specialist, and considers it his responsibility to find the intersection of passion and ration, ensuring that revenue growth provides a maximum benefit to mission, people and the organizations he works with and supports.

He is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; past education and marketing committee chair, board member and the founding foundation board chair for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions; past chair of San Diego Tourism Authority; and board member and past chairman of the California Travel Association. With the opportunity to reach families around the world with the mission of conservation, education and family fun, Ted has continued to find ways to combine his passion for animals with an endless desire to share the wonders of nature through innovative marketing and communications programs in Southern California and beyond. 

Three Remarkable Quotes

"Really, what we were trying to capture was hearts and minds, not wallets."

"I’m hoping for the collaboration economy quite honestly. If we’re as connected as we all are, imagine how powerful things could be if we were more collaborative with the tools that are there."

"Just make people feel valid. If you do that, you get the other things. It’s when you treat them like numbers…they know it, they feel it and it effects their experience with you. 

Connect with Ted

Find him on Linkedin

Learn more about San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via their website 

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Aaron Trevis, Founder and CEO of wave riding innovators Surf Lakes, about why truly big ideas demand equally oversized belief, how to turn roadblocks into speed bumps, and the power of surrounding yourself with the right people.

As the Founder and driving force behind the Surf Lakes project, Aaron Trevis has been instrumental in stewarding the journey of this technology concept from ideation to start-up and on to the global entity that is evolving today.

Surf Lakes as an idea was born in 2013 from what Aaron would later describe as ‘a ripple’ – he was throwing rocks into water with his kids when it hit him, and a lot of research into how nature makes waves and how one swell interacts with multiple reefs and beaches. As a keen surfer himself, he has a well-stated mission to take waves to the masses so that the thrill of surfing can be shared and enjoyed by anyone regardless of ability or location.

Beyond surfing, Aaron boasts a diverse leadership, management and consulting background, covering underground coal mining, executive search and national leadership of a large not-for-profit organisation. He is a qualified Mining Engineer and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and also an accomplished public speaker.

Remarkable Quotes

Be courageous enough to step out and say “no, actually we want to build an incredible experience, not just technology, and we want you as the guest to come out of it better than you came in.”

I think the reality for me was realising early the need to share. That if you’re going to tackle something that’s going to go beyond yourself then, at some point, you have to let others in. It’s then just choosing who that is.

If you’re going to build a business, it’s not a half-hearted thing. To me it has to be something that’s very exciting, that I’m passionate about, that has such a wow factor that I’ll work every Saturday for the rest of my life because I want to.

Connect with Aaron

Find him on Linkedin

Learn more about the Surf Lakes project via their website and follow them on Instagram

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with entrepreneur, community leader, and the acting Mayor of Eurobodalla on the NSW South Coast, Mat Hatcher, about why passion sets business up for success, how to immerse customers in your storytelling, and the power of language when delivering experiences.

Mat Hatcher was born in the US state of Alabama, but left when he was 19 and discovered Australia. Today, he definitely qualifies as an honorary Aussie thanks to his status as the youngest ever Mayor of Eurobodalla Shire on the south coast of New South Wales, a region which is home to visitor favourite Batemans Bay.

Prior to his appointment at the end of 2021, Mat was well known in and around the area for being an active presence in community affairs and support, jointly receiving Eurobodalla’s 2020 Local Hero Award for his bushfire recovery work.

Since 2003 he has been involved in managing bars and restaurants in the UK, USA and down under, racking up travel to over 75 countries in the process.  One of these trips, to East Timor, fuelled the creation of Moruya-based boutique coffee brand Guerrilla Roasters in 2018, with business partner Lewis McKenzie.  A strong ethical focus and hunger to go against the flow has defined the operation to date.

Remarkable Takeaways

Why understanding local culture is vital to competitive advantage in experience-first businesses such as hospitality.

How building your business around a passion-point sets up a story that customers and partners can really connect with.

The power of creating ambassadors rather than consumers, and the communal outlook you need to unlock it.

Remarkable Quotes

“If you think about what your customer goes through from the moment they arrive to the moment they pull away. And you really try to tick all those boxes. In the end you no longer have customers, you have family and you have ambassadors.”

“Some of our customers want to hear this amazing story about this amazing farm in Columbia. That we do so much with the family. Some people just want a bloody flat white.”

“Australians overall don’t like franchises in my opinion. They like that story and they want to connect with the local business, or with any business. They want to know that story and feel like they’re part of it.”

Connect with Mat

Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Learn more about his story and skillset via Linkedin

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Sydney-based entrepreneur and writer Ian Whitworth, about how much is too much hustle, what constitutes the ultimate form of marketing, and why it pays to actually use your own product.

Ian Whitworth’s book ‘Undisruptable: Timeless Business Truths For Thriving In A World Of Non-Stop Change’, released in mid-2021 and the depths of a global pandemic, has been described by some as an instant Australian business classic. It has remained Booktopia’s #1 business book by customer review since its release.

Ian is testament to the fact that any fool can do it. His career followed a unconventional arc, starting at vet student and stopping in at amusement ride operator, restaurant cook and audio-visual technician, before arriving at advertising creative director.

He started events business Scene Change as a side-project to his ad industry gig, and it grew into a successful national concern with several hundred staff and a simple set of rules including Year 6 maths, basic decency and zero jargon.

His weekly Undisruptable blog is a humorous, realistic view into the real life of business owners, and Ian's writing also appears in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Smart Company.

Remarkable Quotes

“If you focus on the important numbers – and in each business there’s probably only going to be two or three of those – your business will run well.”

“If you strip away the ego, and go my buzz is not exercising power over people, my buzz is creating a successful, growing and profitable business, then you have to step back and just go, how can we help? 

“Your brand is not your logo, it’s the theatre of it.”

Connect with Ian

Reach out on LinkedIn

Follow @ianwhitworth on Twitter

Subscribe to the Undisruptable blog or listen to it via all the usual Podcast providers

Buy His Book: https://www.booktopia.com.au/undisruptable-ian-whitworth/book/9781761042195.html

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Sara Ang, Director of Sales and Marketing for Australian Wildlife Parks, about the value of ‘what if?’ moments, the role of community figureheads, and it’s the most testing of times that typically offer the most meaningful perspective. 

Sara Ang is a passionate and highly connected marketing professional with extensive international experience across the tourism and leisure industry.

She was named Western Sydney Executive Woman of the Year in 2021 and since 2017 has headed up the sales and marketing function for Australian Wildlife Parks, a group which operates and manages parks and brands including Featherdale Sydney, Mogo Wildlife Park and Hunter Valley Wildlife Park.

Prior to this post, Sara worked for Village Roadshow Theme Parks for almost a decade, developing deft skills in relationship management, customer service, leadership, and all areas of brand management and experience marketing.

An expert communicator and negotiator, she speaks Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Indonesian, and is an accredited Japanese to English translator to boot.

Three Remarkable Quotes

“Your staff are your greatest advocates, so you want them to have a great day at work.”

“They have actually proven to themselves what they can achieve by just purely surviving, and now they’re going to use that potential that they see in themselves.”

“We really can’t forget the gratitude that we have for our customers, and that applies to every business.”

Connect with Sara

Reach out on LinkedIn

Follow Featherdale Wildlife Park on Instagram and Facebook

Learn more about and support Australian Wildlife Parks

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with marketing and communications expert, and current customer and data lead for Australia’s BOM (AKA Bureau of Meteorology) Keith Day, about the importance of impactful thinking, why strategy should always lead tactics, and what deep listening actually means in a business context.

Keith Day boasts over 35 years’ experience in marketing and communications, predominantly within consumer marketing, digital and social, and government environments. His expertise spans consumer behaviour and the decision making process, social media marketing, communication and marketing strategies, digital marketing, social media operations, web analytics and predictive behavioural analysis.  

Following a retail background, Keith switched to the digital media industry, working on email marketing, web design and builds, loyalty programs, social media and data analysis. The past 13 years, including his latest post for the BOM, have been spent in a government marketing role, where he continues to contribute to a wide variety of projects, including customer contact centre management, market research, brand positioning, digital marketing and mobile apps, and, of course, data analytics.

He also works guiding and tutoring digital marketing as part of RMIT’s undergraduate program, and plans to take on some research projects in the near future around how brands can build engagement with their audiences in brand indifferent environments. 

Remarkable Takeaways

Focus wholeheartedly on your strategy first, then worry about the tactics later.

There’s a big difference between gathering data or information, and actually using that effectively.

Create customer feedback loops to refine your value proposition, then keep listening intently to stay responsive to new needs.

Remarkable Quotes

“We see a lot of times within businesses that they do these sort of one-off, almost campaign based approaches to collecting customer data, which gives them a snapshot of a period of time, which really isn't reflective of the customer journey.”

“Just stop talking, just listen to what your customers are telling you, because you'll be surprised how MUCH your customers are actually telling you.”

“Go find out who the customers are first and then work out what the business is, rather than the other way round.”

Connect with Keith

Reach out on LinkedIn

Learn more about the work of Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology

Stay up to date with the BOM Blog - https://media.bom.gov.au/social/