Listen Now

We’re thrilled to have Kayla from Tribe Skincare back on the podcast! We first chatted in February 2021 at a time when she was embarking on a complete redesign of Tribe Skincare’s visual brand identity. In this follow-up chat, we learn how the branding project went $100k over budget, how Tribe had its first six figure sales day ever during the relaunch, how, after many conversations and negotiations, her dream retailer Mecca decided not to pick up the brand, and how Kayla took this rejection and used it to build out an entirely new arm to the business instead.  You'll learn: The impact of going $100k over budget on cash flow, and where Kayla pulled back on spend across the rest of the business  Kayla’s new approach to influencer marketing, and why she’s investing more in content creation than paid posts  Why Kayla had to change the messaging and marketing around the rebrand after her customers responded differently than expected  How she cold emailed Jo Horgan, the founder of MECCA, which led to a series of meetings with buyers about being ranged in store  How Kayla pivoted the business into wholesale, and her successful sales strategies for getting brands on board  Getting the 5 year business itch ~ Connect with us ~  Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse Sign up for our online business course BASE CAMP here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you make a name for yourself, as a young, ambitious creative? Today's guest is Paris Thomson, founder of video production studio SIRAP. SIRAP exists to solve creative and communication challenges for their clients through the power of moving imagery. Their client list is impressive; they work with brands like Lexus, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, The Design Files, David Jones, and many more.  Paris started the business at the ripe old age of 24, quickly learning that hassling and hustling was a successful way to open doors. She is an example of someone who has taken a creative passion, videography, and turned it into a commercially successful business.  In this chat you'll learn: How Paris has built structure and process within a creatively-led business Why Paris believes hassling and hustling is the way to open doors How brands can integrate video content into their overall marketing plan Paris's approach to business development and sales (and why she loves doing deals over a wine) ~ Connect with us ~  Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse Sign up for our online business course BASE CAMP here. Check out Melbourne Innovation Centre's 'Digital Solutions' Program here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have a cracking business idea but no clue where to start? Have you downloaded a business plan template, before getting totally overwhelmed as to how to fill it out? If so, we’re here to help 😃 In this episode, we share all the ins and outs of our new online course BASE CAMP. It's an online course designed to help almost founders create a business plan and launch a business. We chat about: Who the course is designed for. How each module of the course covers an area of a business that traditionally make it into the business plan template – like the customer, offer, finance, brand and marketing.  Why we mined 90+ podcast interviews for the best lessons, insights and examples from our guests, and peppered these throughout the course content. What you'll walk away with once you're done. If you’re serious about turning that idea in your head into a real-life business, OR if you're an early stage founder and feel like you need help to lay solid foundations for growth, sign up for Base Camp at www.ladybrains.com.au/basecamp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode, we’re chatting to Rebekah Campbell, founder of Hey You, a payment and booking app designed for restaurants and cafes. Throughout her 20s and 30s, Rebekah’s sole focus was on building her business. She’d raised money in Silicon Valley, the app was rapidly on-boarding new restaurants, her team was growing, and she’d established a strong profile in the start-up world.  By all external measures, she was a success. But there was something missing. 10 years into building her business she realised she hadn’t been on a single date. She’d neglected her personal life, and at 34 and single, decided to apply what she’d learned in business to finding a partner. She even designed a dating sales funnel and then wrote a book about it.  This book is 138 dates – a tale about finding a life-long partner, and finding herself. We’ve read it, loved it and highly recommend it to anyone that wants to redefine the role their business plays in their personal life.  You’ll learn:   How Rebekah struggled to monetise her business despite having thousands of restaurants on board  The impact building start-ups has had on her personal life  How Rebekah approaches goal setting in a methodical, structured way  How Rebekah designed a sales funnel for her dating life, including tactics that helped her fill the top of the funnel and filter through the prospects  How she optimised her dating process over the course of 2 years  How she makes decisions from her head and the heart    ~ Connect with us ~  Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse Find Rebekah at https://rebekahcampbell.com Get your hands on 138 Dates here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As millennial women, many of us have been told that the only way to 'succeed’ in business is to strive for the big bucks, for followers, and for growth.  Sure, this is the end game for lots of founders, but it’s definitely not the end game for us all.  At lady-brains, we know that pouring every waking second of your life into work doesn’t result in a healthy business. We know that if you don’t invest time in yourself and grow as a founder, then nothing (not your bottom line, customer base, team, nor your fulfilment) will grow at all.  In this episode, Anna & Caitlin share their new manifesto: a set of beliefs that are going to drive the lady-brains business and brand from here on out.  ~ Connect with us ~  Sign up to our monthly non-spammy newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains   Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse  Read the lady-brains manifesto  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE GIRLBOSS ERA IS DEAD. The narrative that's been written for us about what a successful female entrepreneur looks like, is changing. In this ep, Anna & Caitlin discuss why a new narrative for female founders is long overdue, their thoughts about alternative ideals we can aspire to, and why the hustle culture no longer serves us.  ~ Connect with us ~  Sign up to our monthly non-spammy newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains   Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse  Read the lady-brains manifesto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Sarah Neill; she’s the founder of Mys Tyler, an online shopping and body positivity app which helps women find clothing for their unique shape and size, by connecting them with others who look like them.   Sarah came up with the idea after realising that she and her friends were returning most of the clothes they bought online because they simply didn’t fit, and over the last 5 years, Sarah has refined the concept, raised a $1M in pre-seed, and the app’s been downloaded over 80 thousand times across 100 countries.  You’ll learn:  Why Sarah’s first entrepreneurial venture failed, despite the fact she had funding, traction and revenue  How Sarah managed to personally recover from this big business failure, and the lessons she’s applied to Mys Tyler  The impact that being an entrepreneur has taken on her personal and financial life  The marketing tactics that have played into her success, including using a simple ‘quiz’ lead magnet, and affiliate marketing.  During the fundraising and sales process, how to answer prevention-based questions with promotion-based answers  Why she thinks Mys Tyler will either be a billion-dollar business, or go bust    ~ Connect with us ~ Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au    Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains   Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse  Download the FREE Idea Mini Course here. Watch the TED Talk on gender bias during the fundraising process Sarah mentioned in our chat here.  Download the Mys Tyler app here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was produced in partnership with Thermomix Australia. Grace and Bianca are the mother daughter duo behind the Australian & New Zealand arm of Thermomix. In this episode, Grace shares the story of discovering Thermomix in Poland, before lugging one all the way back to Perth, before spending the following year trying to secure its exclusive distribution rights for Australia.  You’ll learn:  How Grace spent 12 months securing the Aus & NZ licensing deal from German parent company, Vorwerk  How they started the brand from their family home; holding all cooking demos in the kitchen, and meetings in the lounge room  How the word spread rapidly throughout Perth in the early days, and the team’s top tips for generating word of mouth  How Grace and Bianca use DISC profiling to understand their strengths, as well as their blind spots  What it’s like to work together as a mother-daughter duo  How they’ve been able to create over 70,000 recipes  Why they’ve recently expanded their sales model from consultant-driven to e-commerce   How they’ve built the brand into a household name, employing over 200 staff and 3000 contractors across Australia and NZ    Thermomix have generously offered our audience the chance to win a Classic White Thermomix TM6, valued at $2359. Enter here: www.thermomix.com.au/ladybrains (Competition closes March 31, 11:59PM AEST)   Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse Discover your strengths at www.viacharacter.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Munro is one half of the iconic Aussie label Sarah & Sebastian, best known for its beautiful, fine jewellery designs. In this chat Sarah tells the story of being picked up by the French high fashion boutique, Colette, and how, over a decade later, Sarah and her co-founder Robert have built the business to a team of 100 people, have stores in Sydney and Melbourne, and have expanded the brand into a whole range of services.   You’ll learn:  How Sarah approached the decision to quit her fulltime job to go all in on the business   How Sarah’s naivety in the early days contributed to taking bigger risks  Why Sarah & Sebastian actually started out as a wholesale brand, rather than retail  How they operate with a made-to-order business model, at scale   Why Sarah prefers to remain behind the scenes, rather than being the face of the brand  How Sarah learnt to hand over control and trust her team  Why Sarah prioritises her personal life (even though switching off from the business can be hard)  This episode is made possible by ShipStation. To get a 30 day free trial PLUS 2 months free, use the code ladybrains at https://hubs.la/Q014rkPG0 ~ Connect with us ~ Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse  Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welp, it's been a year! In this chat, Anna & Caitlin reflect on 2021 and share their biggest struggles, successes and learnings. You'll hear: Why Anna & Caitlin started seeing a therapist together and how this practice has radically transformed their business partnership How they learnt that ruthless prioritisation is the key to getting sh*t done Why their focus has shifted from being a content-led business to a product-led business Why they've been a little absent from the podcast over the last few months What's in store for 2022, including the exciting launch of an online course that has been in the works for almost 2 years! Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse  Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannah and Pippa are the charismatic co-founders of Merch Girls; a product design agency that creates beautiful, custom merch for some of the biggest brands in Australia including MECCA, the Australian Open, and lady-brains!  In this chat, the duo share how they landed their first major client – the Australian Ballet, how they survived COVID despite their entire pipeline drying up, and why they credit their success to building strong, meaningful relationships.     You’ll learn:  How they finally landed the Australian Open as a client after being knocked back countless times  How and why the duo put Merch Girls before their friendship   How gifting an ‘e-merch-ancy' box to clients when COVID hit helped them generate new business   Why the team is now focused on building out their sustainable range   Why their philosophy is happy staff, happy clients, happy suppliers    Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse  Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace and TJ are the brains behind First Nations Fashion and Design, a not-for-profit organisation that creates opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the fashion industry. They made history at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week in 2021 as the first ever indigenous show to be part of the fashion week program.   You’ll learn:   How their runway show generated 65% of all Fashion Week media coverage, reaching over 77 million people.  How they pulled off AAFW with just 4 months to prepare   How they make their business partnership work when they live on opposite sides of the country  How it’s taken over a decade of hard work and resilience to get to where they are  Why their impact drives every single decision they make    Find us at www.ladybrains.com.au   Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse   Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We first interviewed Alison Rice back in 2018. At the time, Alison was a Group Publisher of Allure Media, and at the very end of our chat she told us about the soon-to-be launch her own podcast. That podcast is Offline, and since we spoke 3 years ago, Alison quit her high-flying corporate role and has built Offline into a brand with a cult following that offers the podcast, events, online courses, coaching and more.  In this chat you’ll learn:   Why Alison is bringing a business partner on board to help her take Offline to the next level  Why Alison’s business strategy is built around listening, then responding  The tensions that exist as a business owner between letting things unfold vs. pushing forward  Why Alison carves out time for her to retreat, reflect and think, as well as time to create and launch her ideas  How she deals when she gets caught in the comparison trap  Why she believes that she’s currently earning trust from her audience rather than earning money     ~ Connect with us ~ Sign up for our non-spammy monthly newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains Chat with us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, an estimated 13.8 million Aussies spent around $5 billion dollars over the 4-day Black Friday period. That’s a whopping lot of cash, and it represents a huge opportunity for product-based businesses. If you're a founder and want to get in on this sales opportunity, but are unsure how to go about it, this episode is for you. We chat with digital marketing and e-commerce expert Gabriella Singh about how to design and deliver your best Black Friday campaign ever. You'll learn: How to design your epic Black Friday offer How to set sales targets and allocate your marketing spend How to design a creative campaign that lives across all stages of the marketing funnel - from awareness, to consideration, through to purchase ~ Connect with us ~ If you need a little more help, we've designed a Black Friday Crash Course to help you deliver your campaign and have your best sales weekend ever! Access the course at www.ladybrains.com.au/blackfriday-course Sign up for our non-spammy monthly newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains Chat with us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GREATEST HITS - recorded in 2020. Jodie Fox is the co-founder of Shoes of Prey, a brand that allowed women to design their shoes in any colour, material, shape or size. In this chat provides insights into how she achieved on-demand manufacturing and customisation at scale, how she raised over $27 million in funding, and why in 2019 it all came crashing down around her. We learn what it was really like for Jodie to fail in such a public way.  You’ll learn:  Why Jodie thinks the business failed, and what she would do differently if she had her time again  How her identity was wrapped up in being an entrepreneur, and what this meant for her after Shoes of Prey closed its doors   The challenges with the mass on-demand manufacturing business model   How she raised over $27 million in funding to scale the business globally   The importance of being curious and doing your research when building a business   ~ Connect with us ~ Sign up to our non-spammy monthly newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GREATEST HITS - recorded in 2020. How do you build a multi-million dollar retail empire by becoming best friends with rejection? Jo Horgan is one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs – she is the founder and driving force behind multimillion-dollar beauty giant MECCA. At 27, Jo had an idea to create a new beauty concept in Australia, BUT she had no retail experience, no distribution experience and only 4 years’ in beauty, yet she succeeded in getting some of the world’s biggest brands to buy into her vision. 22 years on, MECCA has emerged as the global leader in beauty innovation, and Jo, as one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs. In this chat we covered: How being persistent and unrelenting got brands like NARS on board in the beginning The unique way Jo deals with rejection, and uses it to her advantage How ‘fake it til you make it’ still applies, despite the fact she’s achieved incredible levels of success Her top tip for bringing a deal to a close The key drivers of MECCA’s growth over the last 10 years How Direct-to-Consumer brands are revolutionising the beauty industry How to build a good reputation, and keep it ~ Connect with us ~ Sign up to our non-spammy monthly newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au  Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GREATEST HITS - recorded in 2020. Alex McCabe, co-founder of Aussie lifestyle and homewares brand Kip&Co, shares insights into how swift decision-making earlier this year in response to the COVID pandemic secured the longevity of the business, as well as advice on how fashion brands should approach pricing, new product development, and securing press. In this chat we covered:  How Kip&Co secured their first 10 stockists from a trade show in Melbourne   The fine balance of where to spend your marketing dollars, and why it’s important to invest in paid advertising and PR   Why Kip&Co choses to work with an agent in India instead of directly with the manufacturers   The impact of COVID on their supply chain   The Kip&Co creative process, and why investing in brand (especially photoshoots) is so important ~ Connect with us ~ Sign up to our monthly newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au  Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains  Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode of INSIDE LADY-BRAINS Caitlin and Anna answer all your burning questions about what it’s like running their business, from how the pair first met, to what margarita they drink when celebrating their wins. In this chat you’ll find out: How they came up with the idea for lady-brains, and what previous business ideas didn’t quite make the cut How they decided when to quit their day jobs and take the plunge into becoming full time business owners The conversation that helped them understand how to bring together each other’s different work styles and much more!  ~ Connect with us ~ Sign up to our monthly non-spammy newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au  Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Bobby Clark turning her artistic passion into a business hasn’t come easy. She’s battled with the fear of not being seen as a true artist, not having the skills to set up good business practices and valuing her time and creativity properly. Up until recently, she’s kind of been winging it. In this chat you’ll learn:  How Bobby discovered $1.5 million of lost sales due to abandoned carts, and what she plans on doing about it  Bobby’s advice for valuing your work as a creative, and why you need to do more than just price out your time  The one simple action that helped her overcome 4 years of creative block, and encouraged her to pick up the paintbrush again   Bobby’s struggle with the fear of judgement and how she has learned to overcome it  How Bobby attracted her very first customers as an artist, and how tapping into existing networks of designers and creatives in Melbourne helped her business gain early traction  How launching ecommerce on her website changed the game and gave her a steady stream of income for the first time  ~ Connect with us ~ Sign up to our monthly non-spammy newsletter: www.ladybrains.com.au Follow us on Instagram: @lady.brains Chat to us in the Facebook group: the lady-brains clubhouse Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the first of many INSIDE LADY-BRAINS chat episodes, where we take you behind the scenes and share all the things we’ve learnt starting and growing our own business. In this episode, we’re sharing the process of launching our first ever range of lady-brains merch (during a lockdown nonetheless). It’s been a journey! We discuss: Why it pays to generate FOMO and community engagement BEFORE launching a product Why we chose to use a ‘buy first, produce second’ model and prioritise sustainability in the process How we both kicked perfectionism to the curb and taught ourselves new skills despite huge challenges (hello, lockdowns) ~ Connect with us ~ Shop the merch at www.ladybrains.com.au/shop Sign up to our monthly newsletter at www.ladybrains.com.au  Follow us on Instagram @lady.brains Chat to us in the Facebook group, the lady-brains clubhouse Have a sweet business idea but unsure if it has potential? Sign up for the free 'Idea Validation Mini Course' here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices