In 2009, muesli and porridge maker Flip Shelton, decided that a National Porridge Day would be a mighty fine way to build both the porridge category in Australia and sell some of her own brand of oatie goodness along the way.

Now starting a national day for anything is no mean feat, however, Flip has done it with aplomb and had some great successes along the way including national (free) media coverage on TV, radio and newspapers. In this fun and revealing chat with Flip, she reveals exactly how and why she did it.

And what her plans are for keeping National Porridge Day run well into the future.

Well, I could summarise this interview as being all about how to market condoms. HOWEVER, it’s so much more than that. In fact, Lloyd Perry from Big Richard Condoms actually set out to create a clothing brand, but, thanks to a Venture Capitalist with a sense of humour (what?!) he ended up starting and running a condom business. So, in this revealing interview (BTW, it’s not one for the kids’ ears) we go under the covers (pun intended) and get some fantastic insights in to very smart marketing strategies around ….

Every industry has an inner circle of people whose names come up in conversation for all the right reasons, they attract the right opportunities, they earn more money and have more fun. My guest has aptly labelled these folk Key Persons Of Influence. So, listen up as Daniel Priestley explains how you can enter your industry’s inner-circle by becoming one yourself.

LA-based Steve Sims, Founder of Bluefish can get you anything. Anything! That’s the premise of his business. As he so eloquently puts it:

“Don’t call us to pick up your dry cleaning or walk your dogs; that is simply not what we‘re about. Bluefish is not a gopher service, an old boy’s network, or a snobby bunch of party-crashers. Rather, we offer the highest level of personalised travel, transportation, and cutting-edge entertainment services to corporate executives, celebrities, professional athletes, and other discerning individuals interested in living life to its fullest.”

Listen in on this chat I had with Steve and you’ll discover in no uncertain terms how to get things done. PLUS I share 10 considerations for naming your new business, product or service.

David Allen, famous for his ground-breaking work-life management system, Getting Things Done, talks to us about how you can be buried in projects yet have nothing on your mind! Oh, and it’s Lukeee’s last show :0( so we share a whole lot of heart-felt emails from you, our treasured listeners.

Sadly, Lukeee’s hanging up the boots. Calling it quits. Moving on. Nothing lasts forever and it’s been a sensational 79 episodes with one of my best mates. But family commitments, full-time work and life generally can get in the way of producing a regular show. That said, don’t despair too much – he will be back next week for a final episode, plus he’ll make the odd guest host appearance over the coming weeks, months and years.

Small Business Big Marketing isn’t going anywhere, there’s far too many marketing gems still to be uncovered, spectacular marketers to be interviewed and knowledge to be shared. So, despite the melancholy nature of this episode we still turn your marketing light on …

Harold Mitchell AC owns the largest media buying agency in Australia. Hundreds of millions of advertising dollars go through his business each year. In this insightful interview, Harold talks about how the media world is undergoing the most dramatic shift it has ever seen since the introduction of the printing press; how by 2020 80% of all content we consume will be digital and why we (as podcast producers) might just be on to something (we really liked that bit).

Plus we help a Chiropractor that’s running out of patience and the Prof suggests social media may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Hana Tolhoek is building an empire one bottle of premium spirit at a time. As the creator of Strom, a high end spirit retailing at $110 per bottle, Hana is a true marketing go-getter, driven by a true passion for what she does. A modest marketing budget hasn’t stopped her from associating with the helicopter fraternity, getting in front of the top 100 bar tenders in Australia and exploring export opportunities globally.

Plus we give a listener some advice on how to get off the tools (well, rolling pin!) and the Prof introduces us to the concept of simultaneous media consumption.

Timbo gave a talk recently in which he revealed 11 marketing concepts that many small business owners either never knew about or have forgotten. From the importance of getting your message right first before worrying about where to place it through to the fact that we’re all a very judgemental lot … and everything in between. These marketing concepts have been identified by Timbo after having spoken with thousands of small business owners over the past few years – whilst there are many more, it’s the understanding and implementation of these ones that will help propel your marketing returns forward in leaps and bound.