What if the riskiest move isn’t going all in, but walking away when something no longer fits? 

This is a very special episode I’m sharing with you today, it’s a conversation I recorded with the wonderful Andrea Marquez from the This Is Small Business Podcast

I didn’t originally leave my media career with a clear plan. I left because I knew something wasn’t right at the time. What followed was a search for a business idea that took me through yoga, ceramics, and creative experiments in remote Tasmania, all of which eventually led to my podcast and business, Unemployed and Afraid. 

Host Andrea Marquez unpacks how I redefined risk not as betting it all on one big idea, but as giving myself permission to experiment, try, pivot and start again. You’ll hear how I used creative detours to find clarity, why walking away can be the smartest move and how I turned vulnerability into my growth strategy. If you’re stuck waiting for the perfect idea, this episode will show you how experimentation can be a powerful and intentional part of building something meaningful.

The This Is Small Business podcast, where this episode is originally from, is doing wonderful things for small business builders all over the world - consider this a hard recommendation to, when you’ve finished listening to it, follow This Is Small Business wherever you’re listening via this link below. 

Follow This Is Small Business

Show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod 

Subscribe to the U&A Substack by clicking HERE 

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Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is this the right thing for me? Is it time to push, or let go? Is it time for yet another pivot? 

What happens if I just keep going? 

There’s a stack of confessions in this episode that will touch the hearts and minds of anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit - the fear of what others think, the reality of what they think (awkward), and everything it takes to grow your business and the business of you. 

It’s also a timely update on the future of the Unemployed & Afraid podcast and what it really means to follow your self-belief and find yourself through the work you do as an Entrepreneur, an Employee or any other professional label. 

If you’re into experimentation in business, backing yourself, and being a proper tall poppy no matter how awful it feels trying - then there’s something in here for you. 

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn 

Show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod 

Subscribe to the U&A Substack by clicking HERE 

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stump & Co is a very successful candle business, so why is its owner Tegan closing it down? Spoiler alert: it’s not because of finances.

Business is exciting – the brand building, the launch, the growth – and it’s also challenging. Through it, we rarely consider what walking away from it might feel like.

In this episode Tegan Brennan, Founder of Stump & Co, shares her story of building a successful candle business, fulfilling her wildest dreams, and what happened next.

You’ll hear about:

• Grappling with growth options
• How to know when to stop
• Going viral for the wrong reasons
• ADHD and Dyslexia in business
• And personal growth in every step of your business

Tegan has been a guest on this show before and so if you want the full back story, check out her original chat with me here on Apple or Spotify.

Follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , TikTok and LinkedIn

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And please do show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

You can reach your host on email [email protected] on IG on LinkedIn

or via unemployedandafraid.com.au

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re thinking about making a change to your business and feeling stuck about it, please stop torturing yourself. You can move / shift / pivot / change anything you want to - no matter where you’re at or how awks it might feel - and what anyone else thinks about it doesn’t matter.

This episode talks about the experience of considering a change and doubting th moves, all the things that get in our way and why we should give ourselves permission to just do the thing and see how it goes. 

This podcast shows up to help you build your own business by bringing you the stories, insights and learnings of those of us in the thick of it and highlighting that crazy old intersection of entrepreneurship and personal growth - what we do is hard and we’re better and stronger together. 

Show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod 

Subscribe to the U&A Substack by clicking HERE 

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn 

Follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , LinkedIn and TikTok

Join our Facebook Group

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever hear business advice that just feels a little out of touch? This is not one of those shows. If you’re in the heavy building phase of your business and want to feel truly seen and supported to grow, you’re gonna love what this episode packs in for you.

Kim James is the Founder of both Tangerine Tango and The Career Girl Diaries, and through the sharing of her own business building story you’ll hear about:

• Letting redundancy push you before you’re ready
• Evolving your business structure as you go
• What blowing up on the socials actually looks like
• Some banging content advice               
• The process of getting to clarity
• Mastering the art of multiple businesses
•  And why getting real about money is very, very sexy

Connect with Kim Elizabeth James on LinkedIn

Follow The Career Girl Diaries on IG & TikTok

Follow Tangerine Tango on IG @tangerinetango.marketing

And don’t forget to follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , TikTok and LinkedIn

Subscribe to the U&A Substack

Join our Facebook Group

And show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

You can reach your host on email [email protected] on IG on LinkedIn

or via unemployedandafraid.com.au

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big plans but time getting away? Sometimes our entrepreneurial passion doesn’t match our time awareness - but maybe there’s a different way to approach it. 

If you’ve looked at your ambitious to do list lately with gusto and commitment, only to look back at it a few weeks later and see that the big things are all still there - this episode is for you. 

This podcast shows up every week to help you build your own business by bringing you the stories, insights and learnings of those of us in the thick of it and highlighting that crazy old intersection of entrepreneurship and personal growth - what we do is hard and we’re better and stronger together. 

Listen to the episode with Kerryn from Radical Yes!

Show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod 

Subscribe to the U&A Substack by clicking HERE 

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn 

Follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , LinkedIn and TikTok

Join our Facebook Group

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The word “journey” might get a bit overused when speaking about business, but there truly is no better word for it.

A business idea is one tiny part of the story.

Besides the fact that the business idea itself will likely take many different forms along the way, and that you’re never ever done when tackling something like building a business for yourself, you evolve so much as a person along the way. If that isn’t a hell of a journey, I don’t know what is.

Kathryn McGarvey knows all about this particular expedition, she’s in the business of audience insights today, and it’s one of a few businesses she’s learnt, grown, languished and flourished within – as I’m sure you can relate to.

In sharing her business building story you’ll hear about:

• Realising you’ve become unemployable
• Finding the business within the business
• Why the term “journey” for the experience of business is fundamental
• Building as you go
• The dark revenue moments
• And finding connection as a solopreneur  

Connect with Kathryn on LinkedIn

Check out the NosyHQ Website

And don’t forget to follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , TikTok and LinkedIn

Subscribe to the U&A Substack

Join our Facebook Group

And show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

You can reach your host on email [email protected] on IG on LinkedIn

or via unemployedandafraid.com.au

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your relationship with TikTok and Meta is feeling a bit strained, but you’re “on there for your business” - I feel you. Is there a way to build a business and a brand without using social media? 

In this episode your host Kim Kerton explores the relationship with socials as a solopreneur / consultant / creator, and the sneaky personal context challenges that might be contributing to a feeling of wanting to ditch it entirely. All in an effort to help you consider how you can truly build a business your own way. 

This podcast shows up every week to help you build your own business by bringing you the stories, insights and learnings of those of us in the thick of it and highlighting that crazy old intersection of entrepreneurship and personal growth - what we do is hard and we’re better and stronger together. 

Subscribe to the U&A Substack by clicking HERE 

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn 

Follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , LinkedIn and TikTok

Join our Facebook Group

And show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it really mean to just go for it with a business idea? And do it with trust and passion that life is just too precious not to try?

If that action was a person, it’s Debs Brockelsby, the Founder of STOKEDNZ.

She is a light, a laugh and an absolute treat with so much grit and determination, but also incredibly helpful self-reflection.

As she tells us her business story, you’ll hear about:

• The life changes that reshape us
• Running with no Plan-B
• The power of bringing in a money expert
• The real definition of freedom
• And saying a big yes to growth through discomfort

Check out STOKEDNZ online at stokednz.co.nz

Follow them on IG @stokednz

And don’t forget to follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , TikTok and LinkedIn

Subscribe to the U&A Substack

Join our Facebook Group

And show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

You can reach your host on email [email protected] on IG on LinkedIn

or via unemployedandafraid.com.au

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot of traps we work hard to avoid as business owners, but there’s a sneaky one we often miss. 

It’s the purpose trap - the endless narratives that tell us if we find our purpose and passionately love what we do, aligned to our values, we’ll never work a day in our life. 

This episode unpacks the purpose trap and reframes it into something a little more supportive to your journey of creating and growing a business. 

This podcast shows up every week to help you build your own business by bringing you the stories, insights and learnings of those of us in the thick of it and highlighting that crazy old intersection of entrepreneurship and personal growth - what we do is hard and we’re better and stronger together. 

Subscribe to the U&A Substack by clicking HERE 

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn 

Follow Unemployed & Afraid on IG , LinkedIn and TikTok

Join our Facebook Group

And show your support for this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

 

Support the show by shouting me a cuppa (or 2): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.