The Seachange Business Podcast

Sarah is a great coach with a wealth of experience in helping small business is regional areas to grow. I first came across her as one of the facilitators for a small business group I am in and knew I wanted her as guest on this podcast. She has some great experience in scaling startup's and a great approach to helping businesses. Sarah has a great round of workshops coming up to help business kickstart the new year. Details on her website. Sarah can be contacted via her...

Really enjoyed my chat with Mark Pirie. Originally from the UK, he and his wife toured Australia on holiday and decided to start the process of migration to move here permanently. He settled in Yamba and has a pest control business that he had structured in an unenviable way to give him a great lifestyle balance. https://www.facebook.com/Yambapestcontrol/

Mel has been able to take her hobby and turn it into a successful business introducing people to Mecrame through her very popular courses. I first came across her on Instagram and now we meet regularly at the Yamba Academy, a mastermind group of local small business owners. Best ways to find out about Mel and what she does is on her social accounts! https://www.facebook.com/mecomacrame/ https://www.instagram.com/mecomacrame/

With no experience, Grant was thrown into business at a very young age . But having that blank slate has meant that he was able to forge his own path in the business world. He moved to Yamba 6 years ago, and has a couple of successful businesses here. Though he hates the term "entrepreneur", he is the quintessential businessman who just loves the process of being in business. Grant's key ingredient for running a solid business is perseverence. If you want to find out more about his...

When Alex first moved to Yamba, he spoke no English, and we talked about his frustration about not being able to simply talk to people. He taught himself English, brought his wife and daughter from Italy over and has established himself in Yamba as the local expert for mobile phone repairs, though he had no experience in that area previously. He has recently opened a new shop in Yamba St, yet still has two part time jobs, just to provide security for his family. I have always admired a good...

Scott and Vanessa Johnson have been the proud owners of Willy Wagtails Kindergarten since September 2012. It is a business in Yamba that has touched so many families in Yamba over the last 8 years, with 135 families currently enrolled there. Scott, who is not only part owner but also a passionate educator who has brought a wealth of experience not only in early childhood but the community services sector as well. He also has a wealth of knowledge about real estate, having been licensed...

Paul and his family have recently moved to Yamba. He walked into my shop, we got chatting and I knew he would be a great guest to have on the podcast. Paul is a licensed and qualified stonemason and also offers landscaping. We talk a lot about stone masonry (mainly because I found it fascinating) and how Paul found his trade and wandered up the coast to Yamba. To contact Paul, email on squiresstonemasonry@gmail.com His website is https://www.squiresstonemasonry.org/ and you can find see...

Great little chat with Mark about why he chose Yamba, establishing yourself in a new town, and the rising cost of living in a coastal town. I even learned a thing or two about osteopathy! You can find Mark at his Facebook page Osteo at Yamba.

I first met Adrian when he walked into my bike shop as the new managers of the holiday park. Then, over the next few months, his name kept popping up in conversations, mentioning some of the things that he has done and what he is doing now. He has a fascinating back story, and, like so many of this podcast's guests, has had a convoluted path to where he is now. He is a best selling author, with his book " That Bad Review" being almost compulsory reading for the new age accommodation...

So excited to spend time with Hayley - we first spoke about doing this 10 weeks ago, but it's taken us this long to get together! Hayley is a professional chameleon. After a legal career in maritime and aviation, she moved into integrated marketing and copywriting, and has written campaigns for some of the biggest fashion houses in the world. An author, poet, and slam poet, she takes the advocacy she learned in the courtroom to community causes close to her heart. She is an adventurer,...

Kerrie Howland is an art educator and wanted a space to teach her workshops and classes as well as have a gallery. I am still quite fascinated by businesses in the creative sector and this was a great insight into Kerrie's world. Recorded in Yamba Art Space, so apologies for the background noise - Neighbour was being a bit noisy at the start!

Erm... the tables have turned and the regular host of this podcast is interviewed by his first guest! A few people had asked about Michael and what he had done in the past, and Antony Perrin, from Irons and Craig, was up for the challenge of interviewing the interviewer, so here you go! Michael has done quite a few things such as contact lens designer, chairman of Fitness Australia, business coach in the Middle East and living on a cattle station. All seems quite a stretch to a bike shop...

Is the arts sector part of the business community? Can you run a business as an artist? Can art help non artists (such as myself) improve their businesses? These are questions I wanted to ask local artist, Peter McGrath.

Been wanting to chat with Meredith for ages. Her store is another iconic Yamba store, Kitchen to Table, now in its 13th year! Find a gap in the market, execute and do it well - that's exactly what they have done!

From wandering home, having just been fired, to opening her own retail business in just 8 days - I knew that there was something special about this lady the first time I chatted to her. There is are reasons why she was able to open her doors in just 8 days, when most people would just talk about it, or spend 3 months designing business cards, yet not actually do anything! Check out her Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/WillowBotanica/

I am always admired the quiet humility that Brett has. He took over a struggling martial arts school with just a 16 students and has built it up to over 100 in just 3 years. He has a business that actually doesn't cater for the tourists and YDMA is simply part of the weekly routine for many locals. We chat about how he turned the business around, some of his principles about how he runs his business and the importance of authenticity. What he speaks of holds true for all businesses, such as...

Something a little different for this one.... I first met Paul at our local Freemasons and we stayed connected via Facebook. Paul doesn't live in Yamba, rather in Picton, around 80km SW of Sydney. What Paul does is travel the eastern states as a B2B product demonstrator, which means he is visiting businesses, big and small, in small regional areas as well as big cities. Paul also has 30 years experience in marketing CRM's, way before CRM's were an essential part of business. It's been a...

Fascinating chat with Adam Gordon, whose family has been in Yamba for over 100 years. Though not in a traditional bricks and mortar business, Adam has been helping businesses for years to plug holes in their profitability through understanding their business better and now specialises in helping businesses to secure government funding and win tenders by improving their application process. He has some fantastic insights that can help all businesses!

Another iconic Yamba business is Lone Rock Wholefoods, and I am chatting with Lauren about her business and some of her experiences and tips for running a business in a holiday town.

Irons and Craig is one of the iconic Yamba venues. Had the pleasure of chatting with Antony about his place as well as tips for all small businesses, not just those in holiday towns