Xero In

With the increasing convergence of bricks-and-mortar and online retail, it’s now more pertinent than ever to think about how your location might be impacting your business - for better or worse.

This week Xero In hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas chat to James Stevens, founder of Roses Only. James sheds light on his experience, moving from the world of physical shopfronts to the internet to eventually building a successful, global ecommerce brand.

“The biggest online landlord now would have to be Google,” James said. “I look for media where my brand is going to stand out, we haven't put a whole bunch of flower shops next to each other in a shopping centre called Google.”
So is Google the new landlord? And what are the alternative locations businesses should think about in order to remain relevant in an increasingly online world? Tune in to find out.

Creating culture is easy in the early, heady days of your business. When you're making all the decisions and sharing them directly with staff, your culture is often improvised and ad hoc. The challenge comes when you need to choose those elements of culture you want to pass on.

In this episode of Xero In, We speak to Angus Kennard, non executive director and third generation leader of Kennards Hire, about how to distill those values, and the mechanisms that pass them indirectly on to others.

“We have this reverse pyramid that we talk about with our people, where our customers sit on the top of the pyramid and the family and the Board actually sit at the bottom of that pyramid,” Angus said.

Disrupt or be disrupted. It’s the mantra of the modern workforce. But what’s it really like to quit your day job? How do you know when the timing is right? And what happens if you make mistakes or your business fails?

In this special episode of Xero In, JV and Rob head to Sydney fintech hub Stone & Chalk to talk to some of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs about their business journey from corporate career to start-up.

“It wasn't my intention to launch a start-up, or to do something on my own. Something happened to me, and it wasn't life changing but it was so exciting, and it led to me thinking that to follow this, I’d have to step outside my corporate role,” says Katherine McConnell, CEO and founder at Brighte.

Tune in as we delve deep into the world of starting out with a range of guests, who share their stories of success, failure and taking that overwhelming first step.

Smartphones. You’re probably listening to this podcast on one right now. But are you maximising your favourite pocket gadget for your business? There’s so much new tech out there that it’s difficult to know where to begin.

In this episode of Xero In, hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas are joined by one of Australia’s top technology journalists and industry commentators, Angus Kidman. Together, they launch headfirst into the world of mobile tech, discussing the top trends for the year ahead and sharing tips on how you too can unlock your inner tech-nerd.

“I don't think you have to start by thinking about apps - the cultural decision is important too,” Angus said. “Ask yourself, what are your staff used to? Do they want major retraining?”

Angus shares tips for small business owners about staying on top of mobile tech trends and maximising the technology you’ve already got.

For most of the paths we walk, there’s someone who has walked them before us. But where do you find your very own business Yoda - and how can they help on your quest?

In this episode, hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas talk to Jo Burston, MD at Job Capital and Rare Birds, about her journey from mentee to mentor, author and entrepreneur.

“I think for me the gold nugget moment was that I saw someone who I identified with personally,” Jo says. “I can say that with hand on heart probably would not have been as successful without a mentor.”

Jo explains how her business success led to a wider realisation about the power of mentoring and spurred her on to form the entrepreneurial movement Inspiring Rare Birds. We find out how she’s encouraging up and coming entrepreneurs to find out exactly who it is that they want to become - and how.  

Being a sole operator or a budding entrepreneur can be a lonely, if exciting, life. So where do you turn when you need a social fix, someone to brainstorm with, or a bit of peer advice?

According to Christopher Kirk, hub manager at Stone & Chalk, a co-working space could be for you. He talks to hosts JV Douglas and Rob Stone about the differences between co-working, accelerators, hubs and incubators, and how each can help small business.

“We have a bell that people ring, not just when they succeed, but when they fail too,” he says of their Sydney shared space. “It's a roller-coaster, but the big benefit of working in a co-working space is everyone's on the ride.”

It’s gone from scones and doilies to crazy and creative, but giving tea a retail makeover hasn’t all been smooth sailing. So how do you go from surviving to thriving in retail?

Maryanne Shearer, founder of T2, has been answering this questions with increasing confidence for two decades. With T2 stores surviving the global financial crisis, and now going global, Maryanne shares her insights into creating a retail experience, inspiring brand love, and keeping your course during tough times.

Maryanne chats with Xero In hosts RS and JV Douglas about her journey from failed homewares business to international buyout, and the value of a good cup of tea.

Once upon a time your relationship with your accountant was mostly about tax returns. But small businesses today want much more, making tax the least interesting part of what a great accountant can do for you.

Business technology journalist Sholto Macpherson says a combination of new technology, improved customer service and niche services has changed the shape of the modern accountancy practice. More than ever before, great accountants are offering coaching services to help grow your business, and acknowledging that your success is theirs, too.

Sholto talks to Xero In about the intimate relationship small business owners can have with a great accountant, and how it can propel you further, faster. He gives us an insight into the skillset of the modern accountant, and the three key questions you should ask before getting involved.

In the years since the explosion of cloud based platforms, small companies have been enabled to expand and operate like large companies, giving them access to flexible work practices and a massively expanded talent pool.

While you may have gained deeper understanding about how to add flexibility to your operations, have you been paying as much attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle changes this brings to your management style?  

We speak to Xero CEO Rod Drury about how this conversation has evolved, and what cultural changes will take small business to the next level of productivity.

The entrepreneurial thirst is a crucial driving component of many successful small businesses. So how do you harness that thirst for constant knowledge and improvement and make it work for you?

When she launched her magazine back in 2013, Lisa Messenger found herself surrounded by sceptics. Today, with a rapidly expanding empire and a print magazine that is now sold across 37 countries, the founder of The Collective Hub is living the entrepreneurial dream.

In this episode, Lisa chats with Xero In hosts Rob Stone and Jeanne-Vida Douglas about her journey from horse riding instructor to queen of a growing business empire, what drives her, and the importance of entrepreneurial thirst.