The Small Business Big Marketing Podcast with Tim Reid

We’ve all had to compete against businesses much larger than us, right? And sometimes it ends in tears. Well, not for today’s guest - Karen Justice, founder of Just For Pets. It started in tears, but now she’s taking on the big boys ... and winning, thanks to some very smart marketing. So strap in for a bit of David versus Goliath. The post 243 – A retail marketing case study in which David gives...

Another bloody health food brand! Well, not really. This one's doing a million bucks a month in sales, and was founded by a university drop out who's doing some very cool stuff to stand out in an ultra crowded market place. Plus I share some very helpful feedback from a couple of listeners, and a marketing quote that'll shock you in to action! Yep, it’s another big episode to add to The Small Busi...

Ever think, "Geez, I wish I'd thought of that!"? Well, today's guest thought of it. Acted on it. And is now making money from it. "It" being Gripsox. Yeah ... socks with grip! In 2005 physiotherapist Luke Goodwin launched GripSox; which are now sold globally. Listen in as Luke shares how he got them to market, and how Gripsox success is now demanding that he stops being a physio and focus 100% on...

I don’t know about you, but I download a lot of apps. I get excited at the time, but then forget to use them. Today’s guest, Christian Mischler of Hotel Quickly has created a very disruptive app in an industry that is ripe for some good old-fashioned disruption. Hotel Quickly assists you in getting a last minute hotel booking – in fact, you can only get a room on it for the coming 48-hours. Now th...

I used 11-minutes of my 15-minutes of fame recently when appearing on Sky Channel's Business Success program. And I absolutely loved it. It was not only good to be on the other side of the microphone, but I must say live TV was as fun and exciting as I had hoped it would be. Enjoy! The post 239 – A Live TV Appearance I Did Recently (11-minutes of my 15-minutes of fame!) appeared first on Small Bus...

Picture this. You’re out at the clothes line hanging your wife’s little black dress, when suddenly you’re struck by an idea. No, not to put her dress on, but to add a hook to the peg. The next thing you know you’ve invented the Heg, and you’re producing 53,000,000 of them in your first full year. Yep, it's another big show. Let's get stuck right into Australia’s #1 marketing podcast. The post 238...

Cubicle escapee (well, more airplane escapee) Jason Stephenson of Relax Me Online left his full time job at Virgin Airlines to produce and sell his own guided meditations on eBay. Success started to show itself (albeit with a few bumps along the way) and the next thing you know he's making almost ten times as much giving away his meditations on YouTube! Cubicle escapee (well, more airplane escapee...

Steve Sims of LA-based concierge business, Bluefish, has a wonderfully unconventional approach to his marketing. You'd think that a bloke who organises outrageously expensive fantasies and adventures for his 4,000 well-healed clients would spend a fortune promoting his business. Anything but! Listen is as Steve explains an unbelievably simple referral marketing idea, another one that guarantees an...

Alicia Shaffer is the biggest seller on eCommerce store Etsy. And that's no mean feat given there's 1.5 million stores on Etsy! However, the success she's currently enjoying with Three Bird Nest didn't come easily - like all successful business owners she's tasted failure, but chosen to rise from the ashes. This is a marketing masterclass! The post 235 – How to be the #1 seller on Etsy amongst 1.5...

Speed skater Steven Bradbury created history in Salt Lake City when he became the first Australian to win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal. Off the back of that, Steve has created a fantastic small business. His remarkable and unlikely victory was achieved after a spectacular final-lap spill took out his four rivals. Bradbury threw his arms up in disbelief and smiled as he crossed the finish line. Plus...

"Hey Mum, I'm gunna become a garbo!" That's the start of a phone call today's guest, Joe Drew of myBins, had to make when he decided to escape the corporate cubicle with his best mate Amos. History now has it that these two young blokes are now cleaning up (#DadJoke) around Sydney's Northern Beaches. They've got plenty of work, have extended their service offering and are even looking to franchise...

Former High Performance Coach at Collingwood Football Club, Mark McKeon, knows a thing or two about performing at your peak. So much so that he's written the book on it. Titled 'Get In The Go Zone', it's all about maximising the productive hours you have in each day to get the important things done without distraction or excuse. And who doesn't want a bit of that! The post 232 – How to perform at...

Rowdy McLean avoided becoming a potato farmer and decided to play a bigger game. As a young bloke he worked for Telstra (Australia's biggest telco) and then resigned at 24 to go in to direct competition to them. And it paid off big time. Ten years later he sold his business for squillions, and now is one of the world's leading motivational speakers on how to play a bigger game. Plus I share some k...

Celebrity Apprentice judge, Jeffrey Hayzlett was introduced to me by past guest Kirsty Spraggon. "You MUST meet this guy", were her explicit directions. And she was right . Jeffrey is a straight talking cowboy turned top level executive (ex CMO for Kodak) responsible for a $17 BILLION marketing budget, judge on TV show Celebrity Apprentice alongside Donald Trump, as well as host of his own podcast...

Jeff Bullas may well be Australia's leading expert on how businesses can embrace social media marketing. No longer do you, the motivated small business owner, need to view the likes of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIN as evil, bright shiny objects that distract us from getting on with business. Social media marketing can be effective. Can generate leads. Can help you build a tribe. In my fireside ch...

Imagine pitching your business idea to five hungry sharks, who are either going to rip it apart or throw a whole lot of money your way. Join me and Shark Tank Australia success story, Travis Osborne of Mobile Tyre Shop as we go behind-the-scenes of this compelling TV show. Plus I share a fail proof way to pitch your business, when anybody asks you that tricky question "So, what do you do?" Yep, it...

At the ripe old age of 27, my guest Kirsty Spraggon earned a lazy $1,000,000 in real estate commissions in the sleepy hollow of Perth, Western Australia. In fact, she was ranked in the top 1% of RE/Max agents globally. 121,000 of them. No mean feat! Now, at the wise old age of 32, she hosts a popular YouTube channel called KirstyTV, is a world renowned motivational speaker, recently revealed her d...

Do you want to do what you love and love what you do? Would you love to live with passion and purpose? Well today I'm joined by Keith Abraham (AKA Mr Passionate), the world's leading authority on passionate performance and finding your why. He's the real deal! Plus I got seeded with some MuffNuts. Yep, MuffNuts. The donut that thinks it's a muffin! So I smashed a few down with two of my kids then...

No one is arguing that the way we do business is changing, but in reality, perhaps it’s the customers who are changing and we are simply trying to keep up. In this episode of Funny Business, Griffo and I pull apart a famous quote by Maya Angelou that really could and should become the mantra for business owners everywhere. Listen up! The post 225 – The secret to building customer loyalty is all ab...

Having a discounting pricing strategy is one thing. Making it work and turning it in to an unbelievably successful business is another. That's what today's guest, Ashley Wilson of Shiploads discount variety store in Tasmania has done. Listen in as we cover plenty of marketing ground including the consumer psychology behind discounting, the optimal discounting pricing strategy, how to build a quali...

Tina Tower of Begin Bright is the Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year 2014. And for very good reason. She's the founder of an amazing school readiness and primary school learning franchise, and is on her way to building an empire that's making a difference to the lives of very young Australians. Join me as Tina shares how she brought this idea to market through unbridled passion and some very...

This guy's a fantastic small business marketer. So fantastic I had to invite him back for a third fireside chat! Darren Finkelstein (now AKA The Boat Guy) co-owns St. Kilda Boat Sales - a small boating business in Melbourne, Australia that's punching way above its marketing weight. To the point that the business has doubled in the past 3-years and the brand is stronger than ever. Listen in and dis...

Mavericks Laces co-founder Luke Schoknecht shares exactly how to launch a product from scratch. Graphic designer by day, Luke and his business brand consultant partner decided they needed a product of their own which would allow them to walk their talk (excuse the pun!) ... so Mavericks Laces was born. Plus I share 10 business learnings from a recent speakers retreat I attended. It was absolutely...

Marketing can be tough at the best of times. So imagine marketing a product that no-one thinks they need. And in fact, that they don't even know they have a need for. That's is the challenge faced by today's guest - Bart Atherinos from Innie - a clever little device to stop all those hipsters from tripping over their shoe laces. #FirstWorldProblem ;0) Plus in this episode I tackle a listener quest...

Do you love the idea of flying first class? Business class? Or as today's guest, Steve Hui (tweet him here) calls it flying flat? Who doesn't! Now known as the points whisperer, Steve is another cubicle escapee who's made the leap in to small business by following his passion. What a good idea! Established in 2012, iFLYflat is a Points Optimisation Consultancy, the only professional service of its...