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Episode 1: Karen Barnett, Montville Coffee
Karen Barnett is the co-founder of Montville Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster based in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands. In addition to winning awards for their blends, Montville Coffee was the first Fairtrade and Organic coffee roasters in Queensland, and became a certified B Corp in 2016.
But as Karen will tell you, being a regional social enterprise and husband-and-wife team has not been a simple or easy journey. In this episode, we talk about finding your people, applying for grants, developing new products, and transparency in business.
SHOW NOTES
- Montville Coffee
- Black Gold documentary
- B Corp
- Montville Coffee subscription
- Monty Organic Cold Brew Concentrate
- Australian Government Entrepreneurs’ Programme
- GrowCoastal incubator program
- Montville Coffee on Instagram
- Montville Coffee on Facebook
Timestamps:
2:10 Primary school educator to business start-up
3:30 Why start a Fairtrade coffee roasting business.
5:05 The first steps to starting Montville Coffee, and risk being part of an entrepreneur’s DNA
7:30 Being a husband and wife team
12:00 to 13:20 The Montville Coffee experience
13:20 Developing new products with the support of the Food and Agribusiness Network,
Grow Coastal and government grants
21:20 Advice for fellow regional entrepreneurs
25:00 Third Party Certifications, such as B Corp, Certified Fairtrade and Certified Organic
30:05 The early days of starting Montville Coffee
34:25 Leadership and managing
Episode 2: Julia Spicer, Engage & Create Consulting
If you’re wondering about building networks and community, this is essential listening. Julia is one of the most well-connected people I know, and she lays it all out in this episode.
- Engage & Create Consulting
- Algae Pharm
- Goondiwindi Show Society
- Drought Angels
- Country Broadband Network
- Goondiwindi Business Hub
- Engage & Create Consulting on Instagram
- Julia on Twitter
Episode 3: Jemima & Bede Aldridge, Saddler & Co
- Saddler & Co
- Saddler & Co on Instagram
- Saddler & Co on Facebook
- The Repose on Instagram
- The Repose on Airbnb
Episode 4: Anna Battle, Shiny Happy Art
Anna Battle started her business 20 years ago, and it has taken many twists and turns since then to become Shiny Happy Art. In this episode Anna shares specific tools she uses to run her online business, as well as lessons she’s learned about goal setting, managing finances and making things work when circumstances out of your control force a pivot.
SHOW NOTES
- Shiny Happy Art
- Shiny Happy Art on Instagram
- Shiny Happy Art on Facebook
- Painting Party– Anna Bartlett
- Neuro-linguistic programming
- FloDesk
- Podia
- The E-Myth Revisted – Michael Gerber
- Small Business Big Marketing podcast interview with Michael Gerber
- The Key Person of Influence
- Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre
Episode 5: John Calabro, The View From Here
John Calabro owns The View From Here, a creative agency based in Traralgon in the LaTrobe Valley in the Gippsland region. John’s story will sound familiar to anyone who thought they’d never move back to their hometown… and then found that their priorities shifted, and they couldn’t imagine life differently. Building on a successful career as a graphic designer in Melbourne, John and his young family moved back to the Latrobe Valley to purchase their first home. As John started to build his roster of freelance clients, The View From Here was born and now employs eight full-time locals.
SHOW NOTES
- The View From Here
- The View From Here on Instagram
- Gippslandia
- Myer-Briggs test
- DiSC Assessment
- Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
Episode 6: Helen Shadforth, Cheese Therapy
Helen Shadforth and Sam Penny founded Cheese Therapy, their cheese subscription service, in 2015 from their base in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast. They steadily grew over the years, offering Australians international and domestic cheese they otherwise couldn’t access.
In this episode Helen tells us about scaling up and scaling down sustainably, and we deep dive into distribution centres and transport logistics. Helen was happy to answer my many, many questions and this is a must listen for all product-based businesses hoping to scale nationally.
SHOW NOTES
Episode 7: Louise Bannister, Lunch Lady
Louise Bannister is co-founder and editor of Lunch Lady magazine. Previously, she has been responsible for several of Australia’s favourite magazines, including Frankie, which she co-founded and edited until 2014, as well as Smith Journal and interiors magazine SPACES.
In this episode, Louise spoke really honestly about her experience building and leaving a publishing empire, and the difficulty of then going on to build another one – while raising three small children!
- Lunch Lady magazine
- Chick magazine
- Frankie magazine
- Benjamin Law
- Etsy
- We Print Nice Things
- Stone & Wood Brewing Co
- Spell & The Gypsy Collective
Episode 8: Michael Reid
Michael Reid is one of Australia’s leading art dealers. As well as owning bricks and mortar art galleries around the world, Michael also owns a slew of off-shoot and online businesses. He wrote a regular column for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, has published several books with Allen & Unwin and hosted TV and radio shows. In 2016, he was awarded an OAM. It’s perhaps needless to say that Michael is frequently named as one of the most influential people in Australian art.
Michael runs this empire from Murrurundi, a town of less than 1000 people in the upper Hunter Valley. In this episode we discuss art and business and the importance of self-awareness.
- Michael Reid
- Michael Reid Murrurundi
- Michael Reid Studio Direct
- Michael Reid Clay
- Michael Reid Object
Episode 9: Raquelle Pedler, Resound Music Academy
Today on the podcast is Raquelle Pedler of Resound Music Academy. Toowoomba born and bred, Raquelle had studied to become a full-time musician – and was fulfilling that dream. She then saw a gap in the market and decided to do some further study in education and start her own music school. As well as running Resound Music Academy, Raquelle remains a popular, booked out performer in her own right.
In this episode, she talks about the balance and how she chose to work in both fields. We talk about prioritising professional development, building and nurturing community and carving out a niche as an artist.
SHOW NOTES
- Resound Music Academy
- Raquelle Pedler on Facebook
- Highlands Church
- Briony Scotton graphic design
- Study music at UniSQ
- The E-Myth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber
- Audible
- CreativeMornings
- Ovatu Manager
Episode 10: Luke Anear, SafetyCulture
In this final episode of Season 1, I speak with Luke Anear, founder of SafetyCulture. SafetyCulture is best known for its app, iAuditor, which is used for more than 600 million health and safety checks per year. SafetyCulture became a unicorn in 2020 – that is, it is now valued at over a billion dollars!
In this episode, Luke talks about company culture, learning to lead, and how he almost started WWIII by banning Slack for a week.
SHOW NOTES