Small Town Business with Erika McInerney

Text me your thoughts If you own a business, one day you’ll be faced with the decision of what to do next - what’s your exit strategy? In this episode, I cover a lot of ideas, meant to be thought-starters, for you to get started on an exit strategy now. I think it’s never too early to plan for your future and some of these options have a long lead time. Join the Small Town Business conversation on...

Text me your thoughts Sara Howard is a copywriter, content marketer, and founder of Writers Australia, a copywriting and content agency she spent 18 years growing into the go-to writing team for major corporates and not-for-profits. While growing her agency from very-part-time-while-wrangling-toddlers to a talented in-house team and impressive roster of clients, Sara pioneered a different kind of...

Text me your thoughts If you’ve identified a problem you’d like to solve or help to solve, you’ve got a number of great choices to make towards that end. One of those choices is to create a successful, sustainable business that contributes in some way to the greater good or to a specific need you’ve identified. That’s not necessarily a charity or not-for-profit, it might be a ‘social enterprise’ a...

Text me your thoughts I’ve always thought that the best business ideas come from noticing something that’s missing in the world. Something important and necessary. Simone Eyles did just that. She noticed that the media and marketing channels are seriously light on for imagery and representation of people living with a disability so she got to work, putting her entrepreneurial brain and her big hea...

Text me your thoughts  When crisis hits your town or your business, it’s hard to know where to start. This episode is packed with practical ideas to prepare for disaster or down time, but also advice on what to do and how to approach marketing and promotion when things are not ‘business as usual’. Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit online where you can get...

Text me your thoughts Andy McCarthy is an entrepreneur, best known for building a renewable energy business from a tiny town called Mirboo North in South Gippsland Victoria. He later sold his company ‘Gippsland Solar’ to the RACV but he hasn’t lost his passion for renewables. Andy now delivers keynote speeches, leadership training and workshops, and advises businesses, government and regulators on...

Text me your thoughts I’m sure we’ve all been there - seen a sign on a window or a post in a local facebook group with that ‘business for sale’ headline. It starts you thinking…what if?? In this episode I’ve pulled together five key things to consider, to look out for, to plan for if you’re thinking of buying an established business or, if you already have. There are more things to consider but he...

Text me your thoughts Kate Toon is a multi award winning entrepreneur, author and speaker. In the circles I work in, she’s well known for her commonsense approach to complex beasts like SEO and digital marketing. And then in 2024, out of the blue, she bought her local bookshop and has shared her journey with refreshing honesty. Kate is not technically from a small town, but she is in a small commu...

Text me your thoughts How do you grow a thriving business in a small town, regional or rural area? One way is to learn from others and this podcast is a great place to do just that. If you’ve ever wondered how to make big things happen in a regional or rural area, you’re in the right place. I’m sharing exciting updates about Small Town Business, what’s coming up in Season 2, and why you’re going t...

Text me your thoughts Alex Thomas is a rural health and safety specialist and advocate for safety and wellbeing in regional and rural areas - especially on farms. In this episode she tells us her very personal ‘why’ and why she’s so passionate about this topic. She has chosen women to help her in her mission through her organisation ‘Plant a Seed for Safety’ and campaign #SaveALifeListenToYourWife...

Text me your thoughts Sometimes to make a treechange you have to leave your career behind and start something new. There are so many pros to building a local business - especially to support your lifestyle or family goals, if commuting back and forth to the nearest City just isn’t possible. In this episode, I take some of the tips I’ve gotten from other local businesses, to help you start somethin...

Text me your thoughts Kristy Plumridge is the owner of Greenhills Farm and The Ridge House in Yarragon, West Gippsland. She and her husband Neil made a treechange from Melbourne in 2015 but they did it a little differently - pretty smartly I think. They bought a farm with no experience BUT rather than taking their inexperience in farming and jumping straight in, they have built up multiple busines...

Text me your thoughts Even though I believe there is usually a place for social media in your marketing, I will rarely encourage anyone to JUST focus on it. Having a healthy spread of promotional and marketing activity allows you to reach a broader audience and mitigate any potential disasters - like getting locked out of your social media accounts. Which happens a LOT. So today I’m going to talk...

Text me your thoughts How much time and effort do you spend working on your business’ social media? Is it at the expense of other media? There’s increasing pressure from all around us to believe that social is the only way you can build your business or promote yourself, your business or brand but there are options. Great options… In this interview, Kimberley Furness from OAK Magazine and I talk a...

Text me your thoughts If you’re in a small business, chances are you’re wearing the marketing and social media hat. Being close to the heart of your business makes you the best person for the job, but sometimes it can be hard to share the type of content that really connects you to your audience and converts them into customers. How much do you share? Are you holding back from your audience or are...

Text me your thoughts My guest, Amy from The New Red, is no stranger to a good pivot, having traveled a winding road in her career and life. More recently in her small business she went into battle against her local Council to keep her successful woodworking and emerging skills training business afloat but chose to put her mental health first - pivoting into an entirely new direction. Amy’s honest...

Text me your thoughts Are you a lifelong learner? I am! Learning comes with success and failure and, in small business, it comes from listening to others’ experiences. In this episode I open up about some of my learnings and challenges to date. I hope it helps - even if it just validates some of your challenges. You’re not alone! Mentioned in this episode www.business.gov.au This episode is the la...

Text me your thoughts My guest, Jackie Yong from Soilz Alive, describes herself as a curious human, compost enthusiast and hair lover…three things that you wouldn’t think you could turn into a business. But she has and it’s great. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though and Jackie generously shares her ups and downs in this chat. I hope you enjoy it! To find Soilz Alive and maybe try a bag or two in y...

Text me your thoughts This week I’m talking about passion. How to find it when you’re feeling stuck or how to know what you could or should be doing. I give you a few thoughts on how being passionate about your business can backfire and some tools to try and prevent that. Passion is an incredible foundation for a business and is absolutely essential if you’re working or volunteering for a communit...

Text me your thoughts Does your small town have a calendar of events that you attend regularly? If not, do you wish it did? Conceptualising, creating and running events is no small feat and it requires a lot of hard work and passion. My guest, Alli Walker from Walker Events has that passion and you’ll hear it today. Alli will give you just a little bit of insight into how she went from working in...

Text me your thoughts Purpose-driven, for-purpose, heart-led, social-enterprise, profit-for-purpose… There are a lot of ways to describe businesses that have a purpose or a mission, but there’s also a common misconception that business that have a purpose, or are driven by advocacy for example - shouldn’t be ‘for profit’.  Today’s episode is about how possible (and awesome) it is to be a business...

Text me your thoughts Just a few years ago, Jason and Andy Quin conceived, developed and launched a really special range of alcohol-free, inclusive drinks, called ETCH Sparkling, that celebrate health and native Australian fruits and herbs. Special for those reasons alone, but the personal journey that led them here is significant and an important part of their brand story. Jason worked in the win...

Text me your thoughts There’s a lot that can be said about family when it comes to business, especially small business. It’s very hard to run your own business without involving your family - whether directly or indirectly. Setting boundaries and having clear intentions can all get a little blurred when you don’t have that distinction between work and home…I should know. This episode gives you fiv...

Text me your thoughts Are you one of the many many people who left their home town seeking greener pastures, fame or fortune only to feel that pull back when the time came to raise your own family? I am and so is Sarah Rowan, my guest today.  Sarah lives in rural New South Wales and, alongside her brother, took over the reins of the family business - Harden Bearings and Hardware. She also runs a s...

Text me your thoughts Authenticity is such a slippery little sucker. We know it’s important, but what does it actually mean to be authentic when it comes to your business or your social media and marketing? In this episode I reflect on my conversation with Doug in episode 8 and I’ve pulled out five thought starters on what I think authenticity means and how you can look at what you’re doing and ma...