The Small Business Big Marketing Podcast with Tim Reid

It’s not every day that a successful quantum physicist decides to pack it all in and launch an online hearing aid business, but that’s exactly what Dr. Elaine Saunders did. Not only is Blamey Saunders hears the only custom fitted online hearing aid business out there – it has bucked a heap of business trends in the process. In my chat with Elaine, she shares a tonne of marketing GOLD from how to g...

Have you ever wondered what became of the television personalities that you loved from the decades gone by? Well, if they were anything like David Reyne, host of Getaway, The Morning Show, and actor on The Flying Doctors, they would have become entrepreneurial Real Estate experts. Now David works for successful real estate firm Aqua Real Estate, and shares his many learnings about his time in the...

If somebody is the living embodiment of “Feel the fear and do it anyway” it's Karen Jacobsen. The voice of the world’s most famous text-to-speech recognition program, Apple's Siri and in-car navigation device TomTom, as well as the founder of her own personal development brand at The GPS Girl, you would never believe that Karen has had to overcome personal anxiety issues and significant debt to ge...

This extra special podcast episode is brought to you from the Westpac Business Innovation Forum, where I was not only joined by two of my favourite business owners but by a live audience! Podcast 190 sees the return of Miss Chu, the undisputed Queen of rice paper rolls, and Braaap’s Brad Smith, a fiercely motivated entrepreneur who has changed the landscape of Australian motorcycle manufacturing....

Gerry Ryan is not just a business owner. He is a bonafide *gazillionaire* who has successfully built the most successful caravan manufacturing company in Australia and New Zealand, Jayco - completely from scratch. On top of this, he has produced major theatre productions, launched a successful property development business, and even part owns a Melbourne Cup winning horse. Gerry shares his secrets...

At the age of 31, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Leigh Storr, the founder of a solar panel installation company, BioSolar, is just starting out in the world of entrepreneurship and small business. In fact, this week’s interviewee has been identifying lucrative business opportunities from the age of just 14. His latest venture, BioSolar, has one important difference - it uses 100% door-to-door...

In my chat with Tahir Baig, co-founder of customisable prams retailer Rozibaby, he reveals how he overcame his risk-averse nature to become a successful start-up business founder, how customisation has allowed Rozibaby to own a playful and exciting point of difference, and just how important publicity (including a nail biting TV audition) has been for Rozibaby right from its launch. I also announc...

Every business has a story, but how often does a business idea emerge from escaping a dictatorship and surviving a refugee camp? That’s exactly what happened when Nahji Chu launched her Vietnamese tuck shops back in 2008. But this week’s podcast is no pity party. In fact, my chat with Nahji perfectly showcases how she injected her fun spirit and passion for Vietnamese culture into misschu, creatin...

Cactus Skincare's Ryan Clark wasn't tight with the in crowd at school. But things changed once he decided to assist his mum relaunch her fledgling skincare brand. He sought training in body language, speech therapy and socialite (yep socialite) psychology; started to attend all the right events and managed to seed some of the most beautiful women in Australia. That last bit sounds wrong, but it's...

Australia's best-selling small business, Andrew Griffiths, joins me for another episode of Funny Business. This time we’re keeping it upbeat with the theme of celebration. Andrew shares his insights into the importance of celebrating business milestones, of being proud of everything you do in work, and of celebrating your customer relationships. Plus, we give you some tips on how to avoid becoming...

What if locking your door, taking down your business sign, and saying "goodbye" to half of your customers could radically change your business for the better? My guest today, dentist Paddi Lund, did just that. He shares how he used exclusivity, lateral thinking, and the power of what some call "repulsion marketing" to design a lifestyle where he was making more money than most of his colleagues wh...

Ever wondered what someone does when they leave Google? And why would you leave Google in the first place?! Troy Westley answers both those questions and a whole lot more in this episode of the Small Business Big Marketing show. Troy's the founder of CareMonkey, an award-winning app that helps schools and other organisations keep track of health and emergency information. The post 182 – How to Mar...

Are you making any of these mistakes when marketing to women? Women make up 51% of our population, yet most businesses are doing it all wrong when it comes to marketing to them. See, what women really want is to feel heard - and understood (sound familiar). They're looking for meaningful long-term relationships with brands. NOT just a quick trade of goods or services. Today I'm joined by Amanda St...

The famous (or is it infamous?) "First Kiss" video has more than 69 million YouTube views at the time of recording. In this episode I speak with the video's creator, Melissa Coker of Wren Studios. Melissa reveals how she came up with the idea for First Kiss, the importance of using an emotional connection in your marketing, and how you can use creative ideas and partnerships to make your content g...

Ben Fewtrell emailed me recently saying he'd "...be keen to talk about the bad taste in your mouth feeling people feel when Business Coaching is mentioned." Bring it on, I said! Ben sold his first successful business in his 20s and went on to become one of Australia’s top business coaches and CEO of award-winning ActionCoach Corporate Australia. In this episode, Ben shares his personal business st...

What can you learn about business from a camel wrangler? Quite a lot, as it turns out! This episode is all about "big picture" business strategy, as I chat with English lecturer turned outback entrepreneur and cameleer, Russell Osborne. After a personal tragedy shook Russell's life to its core, he set out to achieve a massive goal that dominated his career as well as his personal life. How did he...

Is your business just earning you a wage? Do you feel like you're trapped in a "job", when you thought you'd be running the business of your dreams? That was how Glenn Walton's Brisbane tree lopping business was until he took over from his dad. But Glenn made some smart marketing moves that grew his website traffic by 860% and saved $30,000 per year on marketing. Listen in to find out how he did i...

How would you like to take 3 months off every year to travel the world with your family? That's exactly what Dale Beaumont does. Mind you, he works pretty bloody hard for the other 9 months of the year. Dale's been an entrepreneur since the ripe old age of 19. He's written 16 best-selling books and founded three separate million-dollar businesses. The post Entrepreneur Dale Beaumont on how to take...

Co-founder and CEO of one of Australia's largest online businesses, Dean Ramler from Milan Direct, reveals how his business manages to outsell giants like Ikea, Freedom, and Harvey Norman while not worrying about SEO and spending 95% of his marketing budget online. Plus I give a listener some tough marketing love. Listen in! The post Milan Direct founder, Dean Ramler, on how he’s created Australia...

Health.com.au is the first health insurance company to enter the Australian market in more than 36 years. I chat with this start-up's founder and CEO Andy Sheats about how his team built a $60M business in the space of two years. Andy reveals the importance of naming and branding for your business, hiring staff who can empathise with your customers, and how to cut through in a crowded market. Plus...

Timbo and AG are at it again! In this episode - the 9th instalment of Funny Business - marketing speaker Tim Reid and best-selling business author Andrew Griffiths discuss how old school marketing tactics still have a big place in small business, the current state of social media, and some great resources for growing your business. Plus, how pop up shops are changing retail, a great (non-pushy) wa...

Ever wondered what happens in a high level, private, one on one marketing consultation? Here's your chance to be a fly on the wall as I conduct a one-on-one session with Skye, a small business founder from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who needs some help putting her ideas into action. Listen in on a private consulting session with Skye as she talks about her challenges, and hear me provide advice to Skye on...

Wondering how to elevate yourself above the masses in your industry and stand out as THE go-to person for big brands, the media, and (of course) hordes of keen customers? Well, this week's guest, Tracy Angwin, has done just that. And in one of the most boring (as she admits) industries going around - Payroll! (I'm falling asleep just typing that word...). PLUS I answer a listener question about po...

Tony Gattari lead an inspired team to take Harvey Norman Computer Computer Superstores from a $9 million minnow to a $570 million empire. Burnt out, he then considered joining the ministry, he coughed blood daily for 3-years and was told he wouldn't live past 50. At that point he decided to forget about money and live his passion. PLUS in this episode of Australia's #1 marketing podcast, I respond...

Today's guest is a council worker. But no ordinary council worker. Uh-uh. Johnathan Reichwald from Frankston in Victoria cleverly used the power of YouTube and some crowd sourced content to knock all the bad stuff about his suburb off page one of Google and replace it with good news stories. I also help a listener take maximum advantage of a guest post blogging opportunity and share some feedback...