Today we are joined by Kendyll and Liv, the charismatic founders of The Cake Club, a boutique bakery, and we get a delicious taste of their business journey. From starting individual businesses to merging into a bakery marvel that reshapes Melbourne's boutique bakery landscape, their story is inspiring for any budding entrepreneur.

They met through Liv's partner and found an instant connection. What started as a casual coffee conversation evolved into a grand plan - a cake shop that encapsulates their mutual love for baking. The bakery quickly became more than just a business; it morphed into an extension of their personalities.

The duo shares their expertise and insights, including the importance of doing as much work internally as possible to save costs. They also emphasize the importance of outsourcing work beyond your expertise to ensure the highest quality. However, striking the perfect balance is key to managing costs while delivering a superior product.

We then discuss the importance of building a strong community with your customers. Kendyll and Liv make a conscious effort to engage interactively with their audience on social media platforms, making the brand feel relatable.

They then share their exciting expansion plans, including potential franchises and multiple locations to bring their delicious cakes closer to their customers. They hope to run cake decorating workshops, host kids’ parties and are even discussing a children's picture book that imparts positivity and inclusivity.

Kendyll and Liv's energetic approach, industry know-how, and genuine passion for baking make The Cake Club a delicious success story. Their journey reinforces the age-old adage, 'Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.'

Few businesses serve such delightful servings of entrepreneurial inspiration, along with lip-smacking cakes!

LINKS:

Connect with Kendyll & Liv

Website:thecakeclub.co

Instagram:@thecakeclub_au

Kendyll’s Instagram: @kendyllvandeven

Liv’s Instagram: @livglen

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

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In an insightful episode of The Founder Hub Podcast, we caught up with Lydia Kirkland, the brain and heart behind the hip jewelry brand, Gimme. A young mom and business-savvy go-getter, Lydia shares her intricate journey of building a successful brand while maintaining a harmonious balance with motherhood.

Lydia gets candid about her journey, discussing the ups and downs of running a successful business. She details the impressive trajectory of her business, the strategies that contributed to its growth, and the incredible momentum that brought GIMME into the limelight.

She then opens up about navigating motherhood while managing a thriving business. The key, she says, lies in the constant support system around her. She acknowledges the importance of using her “village”, and is grateful for the help she received from her husband, family, and friends.

Lydia also highlights the importance of being present for her children, while simultaneously driving business growth. This might sound like a demanding balancing act, yet Lydia pulls it off brilliantly with her sheer will, dedication, and strategic planning.

We also discuss the marketing strategies she has employed to make her brand visible, Lydia listed a few marketing techniques, including social media marketing and using influencers for targeted product placements. She also emphasized the power of consistency in content and showing up regularly through Instagram and being accessible to her audience by responding to comments and messages.

Lydia Kirkland is not just creating beautiful jewelry but also inspiring women entrepreneurs on how to balance their dreams with the beautiful journey of motherhood. As she strives to grow Gimme, she sets an example for many others to follow their passion with unflinching dedication and perseverance.

LINKS:

Connect with Lydia Kirkland

Instagram: @gimmestore__

Website: https://gimmestore.com/

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

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Today I am joined by Sophie Marshall, founder of This Is Incense and its overarching company Gentle Habits. Sophie is an entrepreneurial powerhouse, with a lot of experience including a role in global product development at Rip Curl Group. It was here that she demonstrated her ability to execute ideas, bring to life innovations, dominating in a challenging environment.

Sophie's story begins in the COVID-19 pandemic. She was a busy working mom seeking a way to decelerate her life and find an equilibrium between being a professional and a nurturing parent. She developed rituals to ground herself in the chaos and was eventually inspired to turn them into a business, launching This IS Incense and the Gentle Habits brand.Valuing both mental health and sustainable living, her incredible journey serves as a beacon of success, inspiration, and resilience.

Sophie's extraordinary journey has not been without obstacles. However, her passion and determination have propelled her to success. She posits that embarking on a startup is akin to signing up for the hardest job you will ever do. But, with intense dedication and a love for your work, success is attainable.

Sophie doesn’t shy away from sharing her insights and learnings. Transparency and honesty are the heart of her business, something she recommends to everyone stepping into entrepreneurship.

She advises start-ups to:

- Set up a business correctly from the start, investing in branding and trademarks even when they seem costly initially.

- Make sure any product or idea is market viable through thorough research and testing.

- Invest in mentorship in every avenue (Bookkeeping, business coach, supplier help, etc.)

- Have a working side job until the new venture is viable to avoid potential financial stress.

She also encourages everyone to delve into the ‘dark art’ of digital marketing. In today's time, when most of the eyes are fixated on digital screens, having a unifying and consistent digital presence is essential for any business’s success.

Take a moment to get comfortable and tune in to an incredibly inspiring discussion about pursuing one's passions and dreams to create a business that not only achieves remarkable success but also brings immense fulfillment.

LINKS:

Connect with Sophie Marshall

Instagram: @thisisgentlehabits

Website: https://www.gentlehabits.com.au

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

Support the Show.

In today’s episode, we are delighted to be joined by Belinda Agnew, co-founder of X Enabler Digital. In this conversation, we explore her journey in the tech industry, the significance of innovation and entrepreneurship, overcoming challenges in the tech realm, invaluable tips for budding tech entrepreneurs, and the evolving role of women in technology.

Drawing from her early experiences, Belinda sheds light on the formative moments that set her on the entrepreneurial path, and she shares her motivations behind co-founding X Enabler Digital. Belinda underscores the importance of innovation in the tech sector and how X Enabler Digital maintains a competitive edge by facilitating innovation.

We discuss the common hurdles encountered by tech entrepreneurs. Belinda reflects upon her personal journey, offering insights into surmounting obstacles and drawing invaluable lessons from setbacks. Furthermore, she champions the quality of resilience and the significance of cultivating a robust support network, including mentorship.

Belinda then shares her advice for aspiring tech entrepreneurs. She highlights the merit of starting small and iteratively developing ideas. Validation of concepts with potential users and responsiveness to customer feedback emerge as critical aspects. Understanding market dynamics and regaining adaptable to change stand out as essential tenets.

She also shares her experiences and perspectives as a woman operating within the predominantly male tech industry. Belinda extends her encouragement to women considering careers in tech and offers advice on breaking down barriers.

Belinda’s journey is super compelling and she offers a lot of invaluable wisdom in this episode. We know you’ll find it enlightening and empowering. Enjoy!

LINKS:

Connect with Belinda Agnew

XEnabler Digital: https://xenabler.digital/

Belinda Agnew's Website: https://belindaagnew.com/

Connect with Belinda on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/belindaagnew

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

Support the Show.

Subscription boxes are all around the world! They’re huge in places like the UK and USA, and are taking off here in Australia. In this podcast episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Michelle, the founder of Aussie Biz Chic, to dive into the world of subscription box businesses.

We start off discussing Michelle’s journey into entrepreneurship, from leaving traditional employment to where she is now. She shares her previous business ventures, why they didn’t work out, and how Aussie Biz Chic came to be. Michelle emphasizes the significance of starting with a single product or offering and excelling at it before expanding, citing Amazon's success story as an example.

We then dive into the challenges that businesses face during slower economic periods and how Aussie Biz Chic navigates through them. She highlights the significance of customer retention and effective marketing strategies during these times. Aussie Biz Chic introduced a rewards program to keep existing members engaged and happy, and leveraged email marketing to reconnect with former customers.

It’s important to keep our eye on the future in business and Michelle shares her potential strategies for further scaling her subscription box business. Michelle's plans to leverage word-of-mouth marketing and implement affiliate marketing. Additionally Aussie Biz Chic has made its first steps out of Australia, recently expanding into New Zealand

Michelle then shares how she works with Luke, her partner, to run the business. She’s open about how they divide their responsibilities, focusing on marketing, finance, and operations. She emphasizes the importance of separating business conflicts from personal life and the benefits of constructive criticism.

Michelle’s journey of building and scaling Aussie Biz Chic is an incredible one. From the inception of her business idea to strategies for future growth and working effectively with a partner, her insights offer valuable lessons for all aspiring entrepreneurs.

LINKS:

Home decor subscription box: https://www.thehometasticbox.com.au/

Connect with Michelle Smith

Website: https://www.aussiebizchic.com.au/

Instagram: @aussiebizchic

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

Support the Show.

Today we’re joined by the incredible, inspirational Sophie Doyle, the founder of The Fable, a brand known for its luxurious silk shirts. Sophie shares her journey of building a successful fashion brand that focuses on quality, sustainability, and timeless design. From the challenges of finding ethical manufacturing partners to the importance of email marketing and adapting to changing market dynamics, this episode has valuable insights for every entrepreneur.

We discuss the importance of ethical manufacturing in the fashion industry. She highlights the challenges of finding quality factories willing to produce smaller runs, emphasizing the need for long-term partnerships. Sophie's insights shed light on the difficulties that emerging fashion entrepreneurs face in their quest for ethical production.

Sophie shares her experience of adapting to unforeseen challenges, like the COVID-19 pandemic. She describes how The Fable pivoted its strategy to focus on countries with open markets during lockdowns, demonstrating the agility needed to survive in the fashion industry.

We explore how The Fable manages its fashion collections for both local and global markets. Sophie explains how seasonality plays a crucial role in the color palettes they offer, ensuring they cater to the preferences of customers in different parts of the world. Despite regional variations, the primary colors consistently outperform others, emphasizing the importance of timeless designs.

Sophie emphasizes the significance of email marketing in driving sales and customer engagement. She underscores that email marketing is the only marketing channel you truly own, providing a direct line to your customers. With the right segmentation and personalization, email marketing can be a powerful tool for any business.

Don’t miss this great conversation with Sophie Doyle, her insights into ethical manufacturing, email marketing, and adaptability offer valuable lessons for entrepreneurs in any industry.

LINKS:

Connect with Sophie Doyle

Website: https://www.thefable.com.au/

Instagram: @thefablearchive

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

Support the Show.

Today we’re joined by the super talented and energetic fragrance queen Hannah Drury, who shares her inspiring journey as the founder of Peppermint Grove and Moss Street Fragrances. Hannah takes us from her early days of starting her humble business in her parents' house to growing it into the empire that it is today.

Finding her passion for business early on in life, Hannah studied business at uni while also working full time in a fragrance business. Her love for the world of fragrances was sparked, and combined with her experience in managing brands, she eventually took the leap into creating her own fragrance brand.

Seeing a gap in the market, where other fragrance brands’ vessels weren’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, Hannah determined to create something that was beautiful as well as functional. Her idea to bring the concept of personalisation into the home fragrance space was born, and Hannah's resilience and determination shine through as she talks about the early days of building her brand.

Building relationships can be crucial to the success of your business, and Hannah emphasises the importance of fostering strong connections with her factories, retailers and customers. We hear about her transition from wholesale into ecommerce following the COVID-19 pandemic, and how she navigated the learning curve of expanding into a brand new space. Hannah also talks about how moving online gave her the power to leverage digital marketing to build overall brand awareness.

Hannah is a true pioneer in her industry and shares so much wisdom on being clear on who you are, the value in what you have to offer and what sets you apart from your competitors. There’s no point in trying to emulate what someone else is doing - believing in your own unique strengths is what will support you in taking your business dreams to the next level.

If you’re starting up your own business, this conversation with Hannah has so many nuggets for you to takeaway and implement into your own business strategy for success.

Happy listening!

LINKS:

Connect with Hannah Drury:

Website: www.peppermintgrovefragrances.com

Instagram: @peppermintgrovefragrances

Connect with Alana and Sonia:

Website: https://www.myfounderhub.com/

Instagram: @myfounderhub

Support the Show.