If You Know You Grow

Is the marketing industry really struggling, or are we just entering a new era of doing business? With brands feeling the pressure, consumers becoming more intentional with their spending and the busiest shopping period of the year officially upon us, it's easy to get caught up in the uncertainty.This week, we are back behind the mic to unpack why a challenging market doesn't have to mean a struggling brand, and how small, strategic changes can make a BIG difference.We're talking low cost marketing wins, the importance of customer trust, why your organic content deserves more attention and what brands like Muscle Nation, LSKD and Girls with Gems are doing differently.Plus, a little reminder that marketing is supposed to be FUN. Because sometimes the answer isn't a bigger budget or another discount. It's getting back to what makes your brand worth paying attention to in the first place.Less panic, more purpose. Let's get into it. 🎧

Download our Black Friday, Cyber Monday playbook below!https://www.chantelbrayley.com/bfcm-playbookEveryone's tired. Everyone's overwhelmed. Not everyone has it all together, no matter what Instagram might tell you.In this week's episode of If You Know You Grow, Chantel is getting real about the end-of-year exhaustion that comes with building a business, chasing big goals and navigating the chaos of Q4.From the comparison trap and the pressure to constantly achieve more, to finding gratitude in the messy moments, protecting your wellbeing and remembering why you started, this episode is your reminder that you can be exhausted and still love what you're building.Because success isn't always pretty, things don't always go to plan, and sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself a little perspective.Consider this your Q4 pep talk. You've got this.

Black Friday is coming… so consider this your survival guide.After 21 Black Fridays in retail and eCommerce, Chantel is answering your biggest BFCM questions — from when you should start planning and how deep your discount should really be, to acquisition, profit, clearing aged stock, lead gen, email flows, creative and the mistakes brands make every single year.Plus, Chantel shares her predictions for BFCM 2026, why 30% off could become the new baseline, and how to cut through the noise without sacrificing your margins or brand equity.If you’re heading into peak season feeling slightly overwhelmed, this one’s for you. Send prayers and snacks.

This week, Chantel is joined by someone who is usually on the other side of the camera — Nat!Nine months into working together, we’re pulling back the curtain on what working in marketing actually looks like. From career changes and breaking into the industry to 13-hour shoot days, creator campaigns, organic social, influencer marketing and the very unglamorous reality behind the content you see online.Nat shares what surprised her most about moving from content creator to working behind the scenes, how she put herself out there to land the role, and why getting comfortable with being uncomfortable might be one of the best things you can do for your career.Plus, we chat creator selection, constructive criticism, the messy middle of campaigns and why sometimes you just have to give it a crack and see what happens.If you’ve ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in marketing or you’re trying to break into the industry yourself - this one’s for you.

What does running a business actually look like when things get hard?This week, Chantelle sits down with Anaita Sarkar — founder of Hero Packaging and Sell Anything Online — for a refreshingly candid conversation about the side of business we don’t always see online.They unpack the reality of cashflow pressures, changing consumer behaviour, knowing what to focus on when everything feels important, and why revenue and profit don’t always tell the full story.They also get into tall poppy syndrome, building a community that genuinely wants to see you win, the pressure to constantly prove yourself and why overthinking can be the very thing stopping you from putting yourself out there.From business survival to personal confidence, this episode is a reminder that success isn’t always as polished as it looks — and sometimes, you just have to do the thing anyway.

Your personal brand is saying something about you - whether you're intentionally curating it or not.This week, Chantel is breaking down the intersection between your personal life, your social media and your professional brand, and why your digital footprint matters more than you might think.From choosing what parts of your life to share (and what to keep private), to building content pillars that actually reflect who you are, Chantel shares how she approaches her own personal brand without turning her life into one big marketing strategy.Plus, we're talking authenticity, being a girl's girl, why someone else's success isn't your failure and the power of building a brand that makes people want to work with you - not just your resume.Because staying in one lane? Really f*cking boring.

Good marketing can get the customer through the door - but what happens next is what keeps them there.This week, Chantel is joined by customer experience expert Emily Elvey to unpack the part of business that too often gets overlooked: what it actually feels like to be your customer.With experience behind brands including MESHKI, THE ICONIC and M.J. Bale, Emily shares why customer experience is so much more than customer service, what brands get wrong when chasing acquisition without thinking about retention and why your CX team deserves a seat at the leadership table.They get into everything from loyalty programs and returns policies to AI agents, community, scaling pains and the small communication gaps that can completely erode customer trust.Plus, why customer experience might just be one of your most powerful forms of PR - because in the age of TikTok, one bad experience can travel very quickly.If you're spending money getting customers in but haven't thought enough about what happens once they arrive, this episode is for you.🎧 In this episode:Why customer experience ≠ customer serviceWhat breaks in the customer journey as brands scaleAcquisition vs retention and why you need bothThe problem with treating CX as an afterthoughtAI, automation and the importance of good communicationWhy returns, policies and product issues are everyone's problemCustomer experience as community, retention and PRWhy understanding the psychology of your customer matters more than mapping a perfect funnelAnd, naturally, Emily shares five things that are expensive… but absolutely worth the money.

This week, it’s just us and consider this your overdue FaceTime catch-up.After celebrating one year of If You Know You Grow, Chantel is reflecting on the year that was, the community that’s grown around the podcast and what she wants the next chapter to look like.From choosing progress over perfection and learning to slow down, to raising the standard for the love she accepts, getting locked back into the habits that make her feel good and finally refusing to make herself smaller for other people - this episode is all about moving into the rest of 2026 with intention.Plus, there’s plenty happening behind the scenes, some very exciting things she can’t quite tell you yet, and a little glimpse into what’s coming next for IYKYG.The energy for the rest of the year? Lock in, take up space and stop minimising yourself to make other people comfortable.

What does it actually take to build a brand people care about AND keep that magic as it grows?Rachel Wilde has gone from launching a bootstrapped skincare start-up at 23 to leading a beauty business doing more than $50 million in revenue. Along the way, she’s built cult brands, created some of Australia’s most talked-about social moments and learned that growth isn’t always about having the perfect strategy... sometimes it’s about trusting your gut and being willing to move before you have all the answers.In this episode, Rachel and Chantel get into the parts of building a career and business that don't fit neatly into a playbook: backing yourself in rooms where you feel out of your depth, knowing when to ignore the loudest voices online, staying close to your customer as you scale and why chasing purpose might just be better for business than chasing profit.Whether you're building a brand, growing your career or figuring out your next move, this conversation is a reminder that you don't need to have it all figured out.You just need to be willing to do the thing and course correct along the way.

The season finale is here!Today I'm reflecting on my first quarter of being fully self-employed the lessons, the challenges, the wins, and the mindset shifts that have changed the way I approach business.I'm sharing what growth actually looks like behind the scenes, why investing in yourself is often the hardest investment you'll make, and how I'm planning the next six months across my business, team and personal life.We also dive into:My EOFY goal-setting frameworkWhy cash flow, people and processes matter more than everThe importance of taking your own adviceMarketing and consumer trend predictions for the second half of the yearWhy community, retention and real-life brand experiences are only becoming more valuableWhether you're a founder, marketer, creator or simply someone looking for a reset, I hope this episode gives you permission to pause, reflect on how far you've come, and build a plan for where you're heading next.Thank you for an incredible Season 2. Your support, messages and shares mean more than you know.I'll see you in August for Season 3 - with even bigger conversations, incredible guests and some exciting new projects I can't wait to share.Let's make the next six months our biggest yet!