What do you get when Australia’s #1 small business author and Australia’s #1 small business marketing podcaster get together? Funny business, that’s what! It’s a time for Timbo and AG to share what’s on our minds in the hope it drives your business forward and gives you a chuckle along the way. In this episode we share our top public speaking tips, discuss how we plan for business, creative ways to thank clients, the 3 things we couldn’t do without and what we’re too scared to try! Listen up …

Imagine walking in to a room full of budding entrepreneurs with a vague idea for a new business, then 54-hours later having that idea validated, a team behind it ready to take it to market and it being the winning idea of many that were presented. Well that’s exactly what Joshua Carl just did – and in doing so won the coveted Startup Weekend Sydney grand prize with a very cool idea called Flixy, which enables cinemas to offer last-minute movie tickets via smart phones.

Flixy’s birth is an inspiring story of raw entrepreneurism and the exciting thing is it’s a work-in-progress which I hope to report back to you on in the weeks and months to come. So, listen up!

Valerie Khoo is a journalist, speaker and small business commentator. She’s also the founder of the Sydney Writers’ Centre which is a world-class training facility for budding writers. Valerie is also the author of the best-selling business book – Power Stories – and that’s what we talk about on today’s episode.

Valerie’s belief is that when you tell the right stories, you can transform a brand into an icon, turn your customers into tireless advocates (we love that!), and give your business – or yourself – an unbeatable advantage. And I gotta say, I totally agree with her – afterall, who doesn’t love, remember and share a good story? Power Stories really is an essential guide to learning how to identify and create stories that will build your small business. Listen up …

Having your own show is a brilliant marketing strategy for any business. And what better person to learn some tricks of the trade from than national TV and radio star, Jules Lund.

I first met Jules Lund ten years ago when he was a young fella volunteering at The Reach Foundation. Since then Jules has gone on to become a super star of the Australian media scene. His meteoric rise to fame has included him founding and hosting a fantastic show on FOXFM called Dash, many years as a globe trotting reporter on the TV travel show Getaway and he now co-hosts the nationally popular Fi Fi and Jules Show on the Austereo network (having successfully taken over from Hamish and Andy two years ago- no mean feat!). His show, BTW, is also one of the most downloaded podcasts in Australia.

The big question is, what light can Jules Lund shed on small business marketing? Fair question indeed. The answer is plenty. Listen up …

Gordon Ryan owns and runs Riviver, a fancy cocktail bar in an old funeral home, that was part of a former Hurse garage in downtown Gosford – a regional city just out of Sydney, Australia. No, he’s no goth ;0) Oh, and he’s also a globe-trotting IT trainer for a not-so-small business called Microsoft! Gordon’s passion for cocktails and for creating what he refers to as a third place for people to spend time in a welcoming environment has lead him to a business he absolutely loves, and that turned a profit after just five-months of trading. Not an insignificant achievement given the substantial sunken costs involved in starting such a business. Listen in as he explains ho he did it.

It’s time for another solid chinwag with Andrew Griffiths in a segment that we lovingly call ‘Funny Business’ – an opportunity for Andrew and I to go head-to-head on various small business tips and issues that are on our collective minds … and have a laugh along the way. We talk servile brands, being a salesperson, testimonials, petty problems and isolation. May what we discuss help grow your business and inspire you to bigger and better things ;0)

Creating great content is a no-brainer marketing strategy. And the King of content is video. And fortunately, marketing your small business using video has never been easier or cheaper. My guest today is

Business is absolutely booming for a small, family-run sandwich stand that was established in 1954 in downtown Philadelphia. It’s roast pork, provolone and broccoli rabe sanga was recently awarded The Best Sandwich In America by the Travel Channel’s Man vs Food show. In this episode, I have a fireside chat with fourth generation owner Tommy Nicolic who runs Tommy DiNics with his son Joey (make that five generations!).

This was such a great interview on so many levels – Tommy is a guy who’s been running his business the same way for decades. His marketing mantra is quality, quality, quality. He does very little promotion. Has limited distribution. And only raises his prices every 18-months or so, whilst expenses go up anyway. Tommy is a business owner passionate about delivering a quality product every time – and as a result everything else takes care of itself. He may not make millions doing it, but he has the loyalist of customer bases, loves what he does, is full of pride … and recently sold a sandwich to The Fonz. It doesn’t get any better than that!

In 2008 Rebecca Scott left her long-standing job as a Scientist at the CSIRO and co-founded Streat – a Melbourne-based social enterprise that sells delicious food and coffee whilst providing homeless young people with hope, self-belief and the opportunity to get qualified in hospitality. As Streat’s tagline suggests – Streat stops homelessness the delicious way.

Whether you’re looking to start a social enterprise yourself, wondering how you can integrate some social responsibility in your small business or just love an inspiring story then you’re going to love hearing what Rebecca has to share.

This is a wonderful story of how you can start a business, make some money and do the world of good along the way. Listen up!