Growth Masters

Visit WHO IS ELIJAH at https://whoiselijah.com.au/ The post EP 65: WHO IS ELIJAH – HOW RAQUEL & ADAM BOURIS BUILT A LUXURY, CRUELTY FREE FRAGRANCE BRAND appeared first on Impressive.

“People want to work for brands and companies that genuinely give a sh*t, that have a purpose that is bigger than selling stuff…” – Nathan Bush Nathan Bush is the director of eSuite, an eCommerce talent agency that recruits the best talent for the fastest-growing retailers, as well as being the facilitator for training programs to teach eCommerce skills. Having led eCommerce businesses with revenues of over $100M+, and being recognised as one of Australia’s Top 50 People in Commerce, he’s your guy for all things eCommerce. Nathan also has his own podcast series where he features Australian founders, leaders, and experts on the weekly. “You don’t have to put all your eggs in one basket and go if we never re-platform, then we’re never going to transform…while [you’re] waiting for that happen, do a bunch of other stuff as well” “[I want to] pave the path for entrepreneurs and founders to build a chill work business, and…help businesses and organisations of all kinds break the Google and Facebook duopoly chains on their marketing” – Nathan Bush on the best way to re-platform your business JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH NATHAN BUSH ON TALENT RETENTION AND ACQUISITION, AND RE-PLATFORMING YOUR BUSINESS. The conversation covers: Intro to Nathan Bush (1:38) Challenges of talent acquisition and retention (3:10) The purpose-driven generation (4:15) Trends in the eCommerce market with borders opening (7:23) Flexible working is non-negotiable (8:32) Growth mindset and desire for rewards (9:32) War on talent and building a people-first agency (10:15) Specialist-first approach (15:40) Re-adoption of performance marketing agencies (17:20) How Nathan became one of the top 50 eCommerce leaders (19:09) Major trends from brands that we can learn from (23:18) Re-platforming (26:00) The online and offline customer journey (29:08) Emerging roles (37:33) TikTok has surpassed Google and Facebook (39:01) Tops tips to find good talent (41:03) “Invest in your people, keep the good people if you can…create an environment where if people want to stay, and they’re good, they stay…” – Nathan Bush The latest episode is about today’s challenges of acquiring and retaining talent, what people value in their job, and how companies should be creating the ideal work environment. Nathan tells us how he got into the eCommerce space and became one of the top 50 eCommerce talents. And most importantly, Nathan gives us his best advice on how to adapt and re-platform your business without slowing down and falling behind the trends. Did that podcast resonate with you? Head to esuitetalent.com.au, LinkedIn, or email [email protected] to connect with Nathan Bush. If you want to hear more from Nathan, you can also listen to his ‘Add To Cart’ podcast series. The post EP 62: NATHAN BUSH – HOW TO RETAIN AND ACQUIRE GOOD TALENT, AND RE-PLATFORMING YOUR BUSINESS appeared first on Impressive.

“Our success rate is extremely low, however, when we do get success, it’s so wildly incredible…that we can invest in 1000 companies knowing that only 10 of them will make us any money…” – Rand Fishkin, Sparktoro co-founder A tech entrepreneur, author, blogger, and leader in SEO, Rand Fishkin is well-versed in everything you would need to know in marketing and starting your own business. Having co-founded the world’s most popular resource for search marketers, Moz, and Sparktoro a few years ago, he’s experienced all the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Sparktoro is the latest platform that collects data on a business’ target audience to inform all kinds of marketing strategies. He’s written a book, ‘Lost and Founder’, about his startup journey and all the struggles of entrepreneurship. Striving to inspire change in the business world, Sparktoro is his latest venture that he hopes will lead others to adopt a ‘chill’ work culture, and guide others on how to break out of the conventional marketing chains. “[I want to] pave the path for entrepreneurs and founders to build a chill work business, and…help businesses and organisations of all kinds break the Google and Facebook duopoly chains on their marketing” – Rand Fishkin on Sparktoro’s purpose JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH RAND FISHKIN ON THE REALITY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND OPTIMISING YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY. The conversation covers: The start of Rand’s marketing journey in the early 2000s (2:03)His struggles for success and dealing with debt (2:50)Sparktoro’s inception (4:25)Rand’s tell-all book – Lost and Founder (5:35)The downside of being an entrepreneur (6:08)How society judges vulnerability in leaders (8:01)Venture Capitalism and pattern-matching (9:28)The growth over profit mindset (15:50)The Great Resignation (22:30)‘Chill work’ at Sparktoro (25:50)The Sparktoro elevator pitch (27:13)What’s on the roadmap? (34:12)Rand’s special proposal (37:49)3 top tips for marketers and entrepreneurs (40:57) “You don’t need to be everywhere…you can do better marketing by picking channels, and tactics that you’re really good at, that really work for your audience, where you have personal passion and interest, and you can provide unique value”. – Rand Fishkin Listen as Rand takes us through his entrepreneurial experience from Moz and Sparktoro – his struggles, what it’s taught him, and how you should approach starting your own business. Rand’s ‘chill’ work mindset is changing culture, helping people maintain high capacity brain work, and in turn making better decisions. We find out Rand’s predictions on the future of venture capitalism and his top marketing and entrepreneurial tips. Did that podcast resonate with you? Get in touch with Rand by emailing [email protected], or head to his Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram to connect with him. The post EP 61: RAND FISHKIN – REALITY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND OPTIMISING YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY appeared first on Impressive.

“Everything that I had gone through in my career, I’d learnt by doing – rejection, putting deals together that fell through, trying to chase enterprise sales…“ – Luigi Prestinenzi With an impressive wrap sheet of appointments throughout his career, Luigi is now heading up his own company, SalesIQ. As CEO, Co-Founder and Head of Growth, Luigi has called on decades of experience in driving sales and developing strategies to enable his own business to excel. Adept at building strong relationships, he is driven to deliver first class results for his SalesIQ clients. Empowering professionals from the world’s leading companies to be the best they can be, SalesIQ offers proven frameworks, methodologies, tools and courses. These effective solutions aim to elevate professional selling and improve sales culture and competence. Not only is Luigi the founder of SalesIQ, he’s a podcaster, public speaker and an absolute master of all things sales and business development. “You can’t transform anything in a short period of time, you can’t rush through it” – Luigi on the reality of implementing change over time JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH LUIGI PRESTINENZI ON EVERYTHING SALES TRAINING & CREATING CONFIDENCE IN YOUR APPROACH. The conversation covers: The two minute version of Luigi’s journey (2:42)Why Luigi’s started SalesIQ (4:21)Empowering others and himself (5:07)Reframing being a sales person (7:42)Learning tech and marketing for sales (9:49)Can you learn the art of selling? (10:15)Things that sales teams can adopt (13:50)Engaging emotional intelligence for sales (17:44)Outcomes that SalesIQ work towards (21:55)Remembering the old school ways (24:35)Your phone should be part of outreach (27:07)Difference in approach for varying markets (31:00)Taking time to transform your business (35:45)Luigi’s core role in the business (36:55) “The learning that I have experienced so far in my career has been insane“ – Luigi Prestinenzi Luigi talks about how he cut his teeth in a Telstra call centre and how he’s now leading some huge transformations through SalesIQ. He unpacks what it means to be emotionally intelligent in your sales pitches and how picking up the phone could change how quickly you get to your outcome. Did that podcast resonate with you? Head to LinkedIn to connect with Luigi or learn more about SalesIQ. The post EP 59: LUIGI PRESTINENZI – SALES TRAINING & CREATING CONFIDENCE IN YOUR APPROACH appeared first on Impressive.

“Understand your customer, it sounds so basic but most companies don’t do it” – Mark Baartse Voted in as one of the Top 50 CMOs in Australia, Mark Baartse is an incredibly experienced outsourced Chief Marketing Officer who has led many well known companies to success. Catch.com, ShowPo, Big W, Salesforce and Microsoft are just a few of the brands that Mark has worked with throughout his career. Mark’s expertise lies in creating strategies that accelerate growth and he pushes the boundaries of innovation through the use of AI and data driven branding. A self confessed risk taker, he has an intrinsic understanding of the  digital marketing practices required to gain great results for his clients. “I’ve asked myself many times, ‘can my job be replaced?’ And I think parts of it can be, not all of it…” – Mark on the implementation of AI in marketing. JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH MARK BAARTSE ON EVERYTHING PERFORMANCE MARKETING VS. BRAND MARKETING AND THE FUTURE OF AI. The conversation covers: How Mark got started in marketing (1:04)Being drawn to different niche industries (2:45)Performance marketing vs. brand marketing (3:55)Limitations of focussing only on ROAS (11:35)What’s happening in the AI space right now? (15:05)The ethics of AI and where it’s headed (18:17)Jobs that AI will ultimately be replacing (24:30)Challenges, learning and gaining experience (25:07)Mark’s predictions for the eCommerce space (28:33)The ultimate piece of advice for brands (31:03)Remember that execution should always follow strategy (33:44)Mark’s passion for CRO (37:09) “It’s not that ROAS is bad, but it can only take you so far” – Mark Baartse Mark speaks candidly about what propelled him into the world of marketing many years ago. He unpacks the differences and limitations when it comes to performance marketing and brand marketing, and how focussing just on ROAS isn’t everything. Mark also talks about the ethics behind AI and where he sees it heading in the future. Did that podcast resonate with you? To learn more about Mark and his work, head to his website or connect with him on LinkedIn. The post EP 58: MARK BAARTSE – PERFORMANCE MARKETING VS. BRAND MARKETING AND THE FUTURE OF AI appeared first on Impressive.

“I have this incredible opportunity to work with brilliant people to solve problems in ways that I probably wouldn’t solve them, so I’m learning every day and that really motivates me” – Lucinda Hartley Co-founder, serial entrepreneur, urban designer, keynote speaker and true innovator, the inimitable Lucinda Hartley has spent the past decade pioneering methods to help improve cities around the world. Her passion for travel, innovation and social change has seen Lucinda solidify her position as a leader in her industry, with her list of impressive accomplishments growing each year. Named as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the AFR, Lucinda was also included in The Age Top 100 most influential people in Melbourne. Between her regular keynote speaking appointments at TED and UN Summits, Lucinda continues to gain widespread recognition for her work on a global scale. Most recently, her urban insights were contributed to UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Cities) and she was appointed to the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board.Lucinda’s trailblazing tech company, Neigbourlytics, harnesses the power of big data to monitor the social wellbeing of neighbourhoods, in order to help citymakers create positive change for their communities. “We are looking to be in 100 cities within 3 years from a data footprint perspective and that’s looking really achievable at this point in time” – Lucinda Hartley JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH LUCINDA HARTLEY ON USING DATA TO BUILD SMART CITIES, UNDERSTANDING TEAM DYNAMICS AND DIVING INTO THE TECH INDUSTRY. The conversation covers: From the UN, to consulting and championing grassroots communities, Lucinda tells us about her path to tech (2:21)  What is Neighbourlytics? (5:20) How is Neighourlytics using data to create people centric cities? (6:45) Falling into an NFP CEO role in at 26 years old, starting her first business and shifting into the tech space (13:00) Neighbourytics’ innovation in a vertical they have created themselves (16:16) Lucinda’s focus on the business and the division of responsibility (20:30) What gets Lucinda out of bed in the morning? (22:03) Working with people who have different skill sets (24:00) Understanding the psychology around navigating team work (25:01) Problem solving and integration within a team (27:40) What’s next for Neighbourlytics? (29:16) Lucinda’s biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs in the space (30:35) “In the tech space, I would really strongly advise people who are non-technical founders to give it a go, because I didn’t for a decade – I just assumed that because I wasn’t a computer scientist that I couldn’t run that kind of business.” – Lucinda Hartley on the abundance of opportunity in the tech industry Lucinda is a true wealth of knowledge across innovative urban design and how best to use data to create people centric cities. She speaks openly about the challenges and growth Neighbourlytics has encountered along the way. Lucinda shares how her and co-founder, Jessica Christiansen-Franks, have navigated the division of responsibilities and the integration of strategic communication within an eclectic team. Did that podcast spark your interest? Head to LinkedIn to connect with Lucinda or check out Neighourlytics on Instagram, Facebook or head to their website. The post EP 56: LUCINDA HARTLEY – INNOVATION & DATA LED DECISION MAKING appeared first on Impressive.

“People come for the workout, but they stay because they belong somewhere and they aren’t a number at KX” – Aaron Smith The brains and brawn behind KX Pilates, Aaron Smith, is an award winning innovator and entrepreneur in the fitness industry. Launched in 2010, KX Pilates was developed  in line with the Japanese philosophy of ‘kaizen’, meaning continuous movement. Participants in classes can expect a unique and truly dynamic workout that isn’t always associated with traditional pilates and is aimed at transforming physical and mental fitness. Over the past decade, the business has grown from one studio in Malvern, located in Melbourne’s east, into one of Australia’s largest pilates franchises with 74 studios, including one in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2018, Smith stepped down as CEO to focus on further international expansion and development of a new pilates reformer apparatus. “You need to find a mentor who has been there, done that… when people are successful they want to give back” – Aaron Smith on learning how to run a successful business. JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH AARON ON SURVIVING COVID IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY, MAKING SACRIFICES FOR SUCCESS AND EMPLOYING THE BEST PEOPLE FOR THE JOBS YOU’RE NOT GREAT AT. The conversation covers: The catalysts for Aaron starting a fitness business (1:50)Stumbling on the style of training that KX is based on (3:22)Joining a young entrepreneurs collective and learning how to run a business – online, customer service, marketing, finance (5:00)Doing deals at the right time and learning about franchising (6:41)Aaron’s thoughts on the key to success in a saturated market (9:45)Why Aaron stepped down from the CEO role to shift his focus (13:40)Making sacrifices for the success of the business and his family and lifestyle (18:53)Turning 10 in 2020 and having to close all the studios due to Covid (21:57)Staying afloat and relevant during Covid lockdowns (26:24)Adapting to change and making the pivot to online training sessions (30:23)Aaron on the excitement of the next big steps for KX (32:32)Top tips for getting into business and the things that has helped Aaron succeed (44:01) “We spent a lot of time and energy on our branding and our people – for us, it’s all about community” – Aaron Smith Aaron dives into a very honest conversation about what drives him to push the boundaries of success and how he’s had to adapt the business to an ever changing fitness industry landscape. He discusses the importance of innovation, but backs it up with knowing when to stay in your own lane and focus on the core of what is important. Aaron is a firm believer in stepping back, refocusing and employing the best people for the jobs that he, as a founder, isn’t necessarily qualified for. Did that podcast resonate with you? Are you interested in learning more about the success story KX? Head to LinkedIn or Instagram to follow KX and connect with Aaron Smith. The post EP 55: Aaron Smith – GROWTH & REFOCUSING appeared first on Impressive.

“Imposter syndrome is a signal that you’re growing, it’s a signal that you’re putting yourself into new situations and leaning into things which are difficult that you need to charter” – Hannah Spilva LVLY is Australia’s most adored flower and gift delivery service operating across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, and Hannah Spilva is one half of the dynamic duo who founded the company back in 2014. Redefining how the gifting industry operates, LVLY has completely disrupted the space with their same day delivery service and strong focus on unique branding. Establishing a cult following in its infancy, LVLY continues to stand out from the crowd with their on trend aesthetic and tongue in cheek nature. During a decade-long stint in the advertising world, Hannah has acquired the broad expertise it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. In 2020, her hard work and determination was acknowledged when she was awarded the Telstra Business Woman of the Year. “Because we are in gift giving, there is always the customer and then there’s the recipient, so what’s a bit different for our category is that for every customer we acquire, we have two sets of eyes” – Hannah on how LVLY has organically grown momentum. JOIN OUR HOST, ROBERT TADROS IN CONVERSATION WITH HANNAH SPILVA ON DISRUPTING THE GIFTING INDUSTRY AND PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION. The conversation covers: The lowdown on LVLY and what they do best (1:33)Disrupting the space of same day delivery gifting (3:30)What does LVLY stand for? (5:15)Finding the right talent to drive the business forward (8:00)Hannah’s background in advertising gave the business a huge advantage (11:20)Taking time to define roles within LVLY (15:07)Co-founder relationship challenges and wins (17:17)The LVLY marketing strategy in such a competitive space (19:30)Where to next for LVLY? – Going global (23:03)The epic challenge of running a business during Covid (24:50)Finding personal resilience and levelling up in business (32:50)Taking time to reflect on what it means to win awards for LVLY (33:50)The road map for growth in the next three years (38:22)Leaning into imposter syndrome and backing yourself (40:22)Taking care of yourself in order to take care of your business (42:47) “A co-founder relationship is a big relationship in your life, it’s like one with your husband or a wife, right?” – Hannah Spilva Hannah shares her story from starting her career in the advertising industry to becoming the CEO of her own multi million dollar company. She speaks in detail about the major challenges of running a logistics business safely during a pandemic and knowing when to take time out to recalibrate. Hannah also touches on the growth that the LVLY team is working towards and how important it is to have the right collective of talent driving your business. Did that podcast resonate with you? Head to LinkedIn to follow Hannah, check out the LVLY Instagram and browse the beautiful selection of LVLY flowers and gifts. The post Ep 54: Hannah Spilva – Disruption & Resilience appeared first on Impressive.

Kerwin Rae is an incredibly successful entrepreneur, international speaker and investor, with strict no BS rule when it comes to business. As a high performance specialist resource to over 100,000 businesses across 154 different industries in 11 countries, he knows what it takes to make hugely positive transformations. As one of Australia’s most renowned business coaches and mentors, Kerwin has been through more challenges in the last decade than most people experience in their entire lifetime. His unique approach to life, determination in the face of adversity and true grit is where his inspiration to help others comes from and this is testament to the leader he has become today. Join our host, Robert Tadros, in conversation with Kerwin Rae on everything business growth and securing the right mindset to reach these goals.

“It’s no longer that you’re able to sell your product to 10 people in the room. It’s that there are 50 people trying to sell to those 10 people” – Erika Geraerts Erika comes with years of experience in building multiple successful businesses. She’s the co-founder of renowned brands like frank body and Willow & Blake. In this episode, we explore Erika’s entrepreneurial journey from her Willow & Blake and frank body days, to her latest startup, Fluff – a beauty brand focused on the next generation. For Erika, it’s all about that connection with people, trying to understand why someone would buy something from a brand. Listen to our latest on Growth Masters as we talk about the nitty-gritty of startup culture and how the modern landscape has changed for businesses amidst a highly competitive environment. “The pace at which businesses are operating right now is totally unsustainable and I think we are just pursuing growth at all costs.” – Erika Geraerts on modern hustle culture Join our host, Robert Tadros in conversation with Erika about building successful businesses with the right people and the right mindset The conversation covers: Erika’s journey (1:34)What it’s like running 2 businesses concurrently (3:40)The impact of frank body (5:04)What the Fluff is all about (7:22)How do you differentiate your branding? (9:38)Thoughts on Hustle Culture (12:19)How competition has changed the market (14:49)Changes in the marketing world from frank body days to now (16:15)How big is the team? (20:40)How many people do you need to screw in a lightbulb? (21:37)What drives Erika and the Fluff (22:28)Advice for early startup entrepreneurs (22:34) Building your startup with the right people A major part of Erika’s success stems from having the right team around, along with a focused business purpose. It’s the balance between knowing who to hire and understanding what makes the customer tick. “After some point, you have to ask how many are we getting to screw in a light bulb” – Erika Geraerts Curious to know more? You can connect with Erika via LinkedIn and subscribe to Growth Masters today. The post Ep 52: Erika Geraerts – Startups, People and Growth appeared first on Impressive.