The Growth Equation

What happens when building a business starts costing you more than it's giving back? In this episode of The Growth Equation , Tristan Wright sits down with Joshua Griffin , co-founder of Intrinsy, to discuss the difficult lessons behind his entrepreneurial journey—from growing an e-commerce business to experiencing burnout, financial pressure, and the decision to start again. Joshua's first busine...

What if building a successful business doesn't have to mean sacrificing the life you want? In this episode of The Growth Equation , Tristan Wright sits down with Mary Ann Bautista , co-founder of TurboRank, to talk about building a business around your life, learning from past mistakes, and making space to step back from the day-to-day work. Mary Ann started her entrepreneurial journey in 1998 aft...

What if the problems other businesses are running from are actually the biggest opportunities? In this episode of The Growth Equation , Tristan Wright sits down with Sheldon Wolf , entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Intellitary AI , for a fascinating conversation about building businesses, finding opportunities, and turning problems into profit. Sheldon has spent more than three decades buildi...

What happens when technology starts changing the very skills your business was built around? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with Wes Towers , Founder of Uplift 360 , a digital agency that has spent more than 20 years helping trades, construction, and industrial businesses grow. Wes shares his journey from starting an agency in his early twenties to building a long-running busi...

As AI reshapes the way businesses operate, many leaders are asking the same question: What role will humans play in the future of work? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with David Coupland , Co-Founder of Born The Agency , to explore why creativity, curiosity, and human connection are becoming more valuable—not less—in the age of artificial intelligence. David shares the story b...

What does it take to build a business that's valuable enough for someone else to buy, and strong enough to thrive after you're gone? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with Tim Johnson , founder of Upraise PR , to unpack the 21-year journey of building, growing, and ultimately selling a successful public relations agency. Tim shares what he learned from surviving the dot-com boom...

What if the biggest threat to your family isn't the long hours you're working—but the business you've built to provide for them? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with George Rivera , entrepreneur, business strategist, and founder of Founder Dad Tables , for a powerful conversation about redefining success. George shares the life-changing advice his father gave him just weeks bef...

What if building a successful business wasn't about hiring more people or chasing endless growth—but about creating a business that gives you the freedom to live life on your terms? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with Dave Lawson , Founder and Creative Director of Design People , to explore his journey from award-winning advertising agencies to intentionally building a simpler...

What if the biggest obstacle to growing your business isn't your strategy but your relationship with yourself? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with Joseph Benjamin , Founder of Prophecy Brand , for one of the most honest and thought-provoking conversations we've had on the podcast. Joseph shares his remarkable entrepreneurial journey—from building a million-dollar PR agency in...

What if growing your business didn't mean hiring more people or offering more services? In this episode of The Growth Equation , I sit down with Katy Boos , Founder and CEO of Remix Communications , to explore why building a boutique agency has been the key to long-term success. Katy shares her journey from working in PR at Apple during the Steve Jobs era to co-founding a successful agency before...

What does it take to build a multi-million-dollar agency while navigating career pivots, raising four children, overcoming personal setbacks, and leading through constant change? In this episode of The Growth Equation , Tristan Wright sits down with Susan Thomas , Founder and CEO of 10fold , to discuss her incredible 30-year entrepreneurial journey. From earning her master's degree at just 20 year...

In this episode of The Growth Equation, I sit down with Michael Preece, owner of BNAA Tasmania , to explore a different perspective on business networking, referrals, and long term business growth. Michael's journey spans more than four decades in business, beginning as a professional photographer before moving into sales and eventually building BNAA into one of Tasmania's leading relationship foc...

I’ve seen many career pivots, but my chat with Jeremy Yang from Digital Goliath was a masterclass in "starting from zero." After thirteen years as a Jim’s Antennas franchisee, Jeremy walked away from a six-figure income at age 33 to become an unpaid intern in digital marketing. In this episode, we explore that humbling transition and how he turned those lessons into a high-growth agency, Digital G...

In this episode of The Growth Equation , we sit down with Renato Capasso , founder of Online Monkeys, to deconstruct a business model designed for the modern gig economy. Over 13 years, Renato has evolved from a solo freelancer into a strategic leader managing a global network of elite collaborators across the U.S., Australia, and Europe. He shares his unconventional "35% Rule"—paying significantl...

Too many business owners treat marketing as a last-minute afterthought, but my guest today, Anna Kennedy, is here to change that. As the Founder and Creative Director of Kennedy Studio, Anna is obsessed with driving bold ideas into the world without the "smoke and mirrors" often found in the agency world. In this episode, we talk about the reality of scaling an external marketing team and the disc...

I’ve been in the business game for a long time, but my chat with Matt Remphrey from Parallax was a masterclass in the "niche paradox." Matt has steered his creative agency through 24 years of evolution, but the real magic happened when he stopped trying to be everything to everyone. In this episode, we dive deep into how Parallax pivoted from a generalist branding studio to a specialist powerhouse...

Chanelle Le Roux built Ninki from a freelance copywriting hustle on Fiverr into a multi-arm content marketing agency and coaching practice. In this candid conversation, she talks about burning out badly enough to try selling her business, why she's now leaner and more profitable than ever, the South African outsourcing opportunity most Aussie businesses are sleeping on, and why perfection is the e...

Sonja Pototzki-Raymond has helped her clients generate over $700 million in sales — and she built her agency by accident. Known as "The Search Queen," Sonja is the CEO of The Search Republic, a 2025 40 Under 40 winner, and one of the most refreshingly honest voices in SEO. In this episode, we cut through the noise of the SEO world. Sonja has worked with Guinness, L'Oréal, and Nestlé, but she's her...

Aaron Witnish runs Content Only, a content creation system built around one simple idea: one monthly interview, weeks of content, zero social media stress. It's a long way from where he started, and the path to get there was anything but straight. In this episode we get into the real story. Business exits, team cuts, a partner's cancer diagnosis, and the accidental Zoom call with a bricklayer that...

I’m joined this week by Cameron Watt for a refreshingly honest conversation about what happens when you decide to "burn the boats" and go all-in on a dream. Cameron is an Australian–English film producer and director whose debut film, Project Impossible , hit cinemas globally in 2024. As the founder of Skie Video, he has built a reputation for producing premium, story-driven content for everyone f...

This episode features Katherine Tuominen, founder of Catalyst Brand Strategy — a boutique PR and communications agency working with impact-driven founders in wellness, health, and purpose-led industries. With over a decade in the game, Katherine helps brands turn complex ideas into clear positioning, credible media visibility, and long-term authority, blending data-driven strategy with human-centr...

In this episode, I sit down with Maria Kathopoulis, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of UNTMD Media. Maria didn’t start in marketing. She studied political and international studies in the US before moving to Australia and co-founding a football training app with her husband, a former professional footballer. After burning between $50,000 and $150,000 on agencies that couldn’t produce clarit...

In this episode of The Growth Equation, Brendan Ellich joins me to unpack how a “why not?” freelance experiment during COVID evolved into BluFire, a Melbourne-based paid media agency now partnering with 7–8 figure service businesses. We walk through the whole journey: starting with almost no capital, juggling random client work, making the call to stop freelancing and build a real business, and th...

In this episode of The Growth Equation, Tristan Wright sits down with agency owner Maxim Claes to unpack what really happens when you hit burnout, get stuck in information overload, and decide to rebuild your business with more intention. As the founder of boutique marketing agency Media Waffle, Maxim now helps beauty and aesthetic clinics generate consistent enquiries and booked appointments usin...

This episode of The Growth Equation features Simon John Phillips, a true veteran who has been building Shopify brands since 2011. Working across the full e-commerce spectrum as a brand owner, agency operator, coach, 3PL founder, and fractional exec, Simon has spent 14 years inside the evolution of social-driven e-com. That experience now powers The Ecommerce Accelerator 5.0, a real-time operating...