6 Lessons I Learnt to build a million dollar business

What does it really take to build a million-dollar business? And what are the lessons you only learn by actually doing it? I've built businesses across multiple industries, from shapewear and e-commerce to haircare, beverages and education. But behind every success have been plenty of mistakes, setbacks and lessons I wish I'd known sooner. In this episode, I'm answering six of the most common questions I get from business owners and sharing the biggest lessons I've learnt along the way. We get into why focus is more important than having a million ideas, the traits that separate successful entrepreneurs from everyone else, how to overcome imposter syndrome and how to get the attention of people who could open doors for your business. I also share the three signs I look for to know whether a business is actually on the right track, why making sales doesn't necessarily mean you're building a successful business, and what continues to motivate me after achieving some of my biggest financial goals. Whether you're just starting out, struggling to grow or wondering what comes next, this episode is packed with practical advice, honest reflections and lessons you can apply to your own business today. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the fastest way to grow your business wasn't building your own following, but tapping into someone else's? Some of the world's biggest brands, including SKIMS, Good American and Poppi, have turned influencer partnerships into billion-dollar businesses. But behind those familiar faces are some incredibly smart business strategies that most entrepreneurs aren't taking advantage of. In this episode of Make It Happen, I'm joined by producer Holli to break down the business behind influencer marketing, how these partnerships actually work and why having the most followers doesn't necessarily mean generating the most sales. We look at how brands have partnered with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Indie Clinton and Alix Earle, and explore the different ways businesses can leverage an existing audience — from paid collaborations and micro-influencer marketing to affiliate programmes and offering influencers equity in a business. I also share what's worked across my own businesses, why smaller creators can sometimes deliver better results than major influencers, and how to start building an influencer marketing strategy even if you have a limited budget and no audience of your own. Whether you're launching a product, growing an e-commerce brand or looking for smarter ways to attract customers, this episode will give you practical ideas for turning influence into actual sales. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it REALLY cost to start a drinks brand and get your products stocked in supermarkets? When we launched Brewe, our iced coffee and matcha brand, we invested around $300,000 to get the business off the ground. Less than a year later, we're stocked in Woolworths supermarkets across New Zealand. But getting there has been a much bigger learning curve than either of us expected. In this episode of Make It Happen, I'm joined by my husband and Brewe co-founder, Jordan Delmont, to break down exactly what it takes to build a beverage brand from scratch. Jordan left his 13-year career in his family business to take on Brewe full-time, despite having no previous experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Since then, he's had to figure out everything from manufacturing and distribution to supermarket negotiations, pricing, cash flow and managing thousands of cans of stock. We get into the real numbers behind starting a drinks business, including our initial $300K investment, how we secured our first major supermarket deal and the mistakes we'd avoid if we were starting again. We also share the lessons we've learned about working together as husband and wife. If you've ever dreamed of launching your own product, getting stocked in New Zealand supermarkets, or turning a business idea into a brand, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 🌐 Instagram: @drinkbreweSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the skills you've spent years developing could become your next business? After nearly 20 years in broadcasting, from sports journalism and Seven Sharp to breakfast radio, Toni Street has turned her experience in front of the camera and behind the microphone into her own business, Confident Communication. This episode is particularly special because Toni was actually one of my Make It Happen students! I got to see her go from having an idea to launching her own business, selling 50 courses and generating $25,000 in her first six weeks. Toni joins me to share what it was like going from being an established broadcaster to a first-time business owner, the challenges of turning your knowledge into something people will pay for, and what she learnt about building a business along the way. She also gives us a masterclass in confident communication, sharing practical tips from nearly two decades on television and radio. We cover how to manage nerves, recover when things go wrong, speak with more confidence and become a better communicator, whether you're pitching your business, presenting to a room or trying to speak confidently to camera for your social media content.  If you've ever wondered how to turn your experience into a business, build a personal brand or become a more confident speaker, there's so much to take away from this conversation. 📣 Share this episode with someone who has valuable skills or knowledge but hasn't yet realised what they could build with them. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 🌐 Toni Street Communication: https://www.tonistreet.com/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You don’t need years of industry experience to build a successful product brand. I had never worked in a salon, formulated a haircare product or built an electrical product before starting Tidal Hair. In 2023, the brand did $5.6 million in annual revenue. In this episode of Make It Happen, I break down exactly how I entered an industry I knew almost nothing about and built a multi-million-dollar brand. From spotting the opportunity and finding a manufacturer on Alibaba, to launching with one hero product, working with influencers and expanding into the US market. I also share the parts that were much harder to figure out: compliance, product development, Amazon, international fulfilment and the mistakes that cost me time and money. Plus, the three-step framework I’d use today to enter a completely new industry (and what I would do differently if I were starting again!). If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know enough about this industry to start,” this episode might change the way you think about building your next business. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with a business owner who has a product idea but thinks they don’t have enough industry experience to make it happen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might not need more traffic. You might just need to stop losing the customers already visiting your website. In this episode of Make It Happen, we sit down with Nakita Tugaga, founder of e-commerce agency Lenny Rocks, to break down how to turn more website visitors into paying customers. We get into why people browse but don’t buy, the biggest mistakes hurting your conversion rate, what actually builds trust online, and how to increase your average order value without spending more on ads — including the strategies that added $700,000 in revenue for one client and doubled another brand’s average order value overnight. Nakita also shares what it’s really taken to build a business alongside raising a child with autism, why becoming a mum made her more ambitious and how building Lenny Rocks has ultimately become about creating security, freedom and a future for her family. If you’re already getting traffic but know your website should be converting more of it into revenue, this episode is packed with practical changes you can make to get more from the customers you already have. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 🌐 Contact Nikita Tugaga: Lennyrocks.com 📣 Share this episode with an e-commerce business owner who needs to turn more browsers into buyers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you stop overthinking business and just give it a crack? We sit down with Leigh Hart - one of New Zealand’s most recognisable comedians and the entrepreneur behind Wakachangi and SnackaChangi - to unpack how he turned decades of storytelling, creativity and a cult following into brands that stand out on supermarket shelves. Leigh takes us inside his unconventional approach to business and marketing, from announcing a beer brand on Facebook before he’d figured out how to make it, to landing a meeting with Griffins and testing packaging by literally putting mock-ups on bottle-store shelves to see if people could find them. We get into why he believes real world behaviour beats focus groups, how to build a brand that can stand on its own without relying on the founder’s personal profile and why knowing what you’re actually good at - then finding the right partners to handle the rest - has been critical to growing his businesses. Leigh also shares one of the biggest decisions of his career: walking away from his ownership in Wakachangi to take full control of SnackaChangi, why it felt completely counterintuitive at the time, and how trusting his gut gave him the freedom to grow the brand on his own terms. Plus, we talk Kiwi humour, personal branding, FMCG, expanding into Australia and overseas and why Leigh would rather see someone start imperfectly than spend years planning something they never launch. If you’re a business owner who tends to overthink the next move, this episode might convince you to stop planning quite so much and start testing. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with a business owner who needs to stop overthinking and give it a shotSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you actually need to become the face of your business to grow it? This week on Make It Happen, we sit down with  ⁨@roimatawilkey⁩  founder of @burst digital to unpack how she built a personal brand that has reached more than 200 million people and turned content into a powerful growth channel for her business. Roi shares how she went from struggling to post consistently to finding repeatable content formats capable of generating millions of views. We break down what actually makes content perform, from hooks and retention to storytelling, testing and knowing when to double down on what works. We also get into the bigger business case for personal branding: why people buy from people, how showing up consistently builds trust long before someone becomes a customer, and why not every piece of content needs to lead directly to a sale. Plus, we talk Instagram vs LinkedIn vs TikTok, how to use your analytics to improve your content, where AI fits into your strategy, and why authentic human content could become even more valuable as AI-generated content floods our feeds. If you’re a business owner looking to build more authority, reach more people and turn your expertise into a brand people know and trust, this episode is for you. Ready to start building or scale your existing business? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, mindset and building your dream life 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with someone getting ready to launch their first product.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding the right manufacturer is one thing. Making sure they actually deliver the product you agreed on is another. In Part 2 of our manufacturing series, we sit down with TK Wang, founder of Epic Sourcing, to walk through what happens after you’ve found your supplier - from briefing the factory and developing samples to production, quality checks and shipping your finished product to New Zealand. We get into how to give your manufacturer a clear product brief, manage sample revisions, approve a golden sample and make sure the final production run matches what you signed off on. TK also breaks down what you need to agree on before production starts, what to do if your products arrive faulty, and the shipping, customs and compliance considerations that can catch first-time business owners off guard. If you’re starting a product-based business, manufacturing in China or preparing to place your first bulk order, this episode will help you understand the process and avoid costly mistakes. Ready to start building or scale your existing business?  🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/  🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, mindset and building your dream life 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/  🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with someone getting ready to launch their first product.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 22, I went from a minimum wage to Making $300,247 in a single month from my first business. I had no business experience, no connections, and no big bank of savings behind me. Just $6,000 in my account and absolutely no idea what I was doing. In this episode, I'm breaking down the five phases I've used to start and scale every business I've built - from finding an opportunity people will actually pay for, to launching, landing your first sales and eventually building towards consistent $20K months. I'm getting into why your idea doesn't need to be original, why competition is actually a good sign, how to stop getting stuck in research mode and self-doubt, and why launching before everything's perfect could be one of the best decisions you ever make. Ready to build your business to your first $20K month? Book a free strategy call with the Make It Happen team below. 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on business, mindset, and building your dream life 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this video with someone who needs the push to finally startSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.