StartUp Creative - Your go-to source for straight-up business advice

Welcome back to the StartUp Creative Podcast and the first episode for 2024. On today's episode I caught up with Odette Barry who has been a long time network/friend from the creative entrepreneur world. We got chatting on Instagram about our morning routines and thought it would make for a great conversation about how different they were and how important it is to find the right routine that works for you so as to better your chances of success. Odette and I share what personally motivates us along with some research and resources that help us create lasting habits. She also recommends this breathing app to help regulate your nervous system. Check out more of Odette's work odetteandco.com.au

On today's episode I caught up with Brooke who is one of the 6 founders of Sharesies, an online platform and app that’s aim is make investing easy and accessible to someone who haas $5 or $5 million dollars to spend. I first saw Brooke talk at Purpose Conference in October 2023 and was instantly inspired by and intrigued about the company’s mission. Not only have they broken new ground in the investing world but they’re a purpose driven business looking to support and empower all people with financial independence. Brooke shares how the platform works as well as what it took to build a business that didn’t exist, how they’ve built consumer and stakeholder trust all while staying true to their brand values.

On today's episode I share the behind the scenes of creating my new online course 'Start Your Side Hustle' my first online course 2017. If you've been thinking about a way to set up passive income for your business to help you scale and automate your current offerings, I'll teach you how to get started and share exactly how I set mine up. I'll cover: how to come up with your course idea setting up your course a formula for creating your online course marketing and sales of your course Check out 'Start Your Side Hustle' the online course on our website now and look forward to meeting you in the class.

On today's episode we share a recent IG live chat I had with content creation pro Lucy Lumen who makes content and builds communities on Substack, Instagram and YouTube. I quiz Lucy on how she keeps up, her tips for creating across different platforms and for different audiences, we share our planning and content creation schedules or lack of and how we approach social media of late. Lucy started her YouTube channel as a creative side project when she first had her child and has managed to build her following to almost 20K subscribers on YouTube alone. She now makes content for brands and sells courses and advice for other photographers and has an abundance of amazon straight-up and relatable tips for those struggling with content creation in their own businesses and looking for ideas to get them inspired.

On today's episode I caught up with the business boss herself, FlexMami. We recently had the pleasure of Flex speaking at our Make Your Mark: How to market yourself online event in collaboration with Squarespace. Flex shared her incredible insights, wisdom and opinions about what it really takes to build an online following, how she prefers to diversify her skillsets across multiple platforms, what role her website plays in her business as well as her approach to social media. Flex gives some really good advice for those looking to start and scale their personal brands and businesses and the process she uses for deciding what to do next in her career. Her career has led her in many different directions from author, influencer, DJ, Logie nominated TV presenter and many more accolades but it all started with some good old fashioned hustle. An inspiring and entertaining chat with one of the best in the game. https://www.flexmami.com/

On today's episode I spoke to Alexis Fernadez, author and podcast host of DYFM. Alexis is a neuroscientist, mindset coach, best-selling author and host of Do You F*****g Mind? - a podcast that mixes neuroscience, psychology and tough love altogether. Alexis started the podcast halfway through her masters degree in neuroscience as a way to be able to share what she was learning and as a way to connect with an audience who wanted to work on themselves. We recently met on the Make Your Mark: How to market your business online event in collaboration with Squarespace. Alexis shares so much straight up business advice about how she started her podcast while studying neuroscience and after 7 months she left her job and became a full time podcaster. She shares some of the highs and lows of starting a business from meeting her beans at the event and how she's built such a loyal following, her tips for carving out your niche in the business space and sticking to your brand values. As well as lots of insightful mindset hacks and how she keeps herself motivated and inspired. Check out her work on her website and podcast. https://www.dyfmpod.com https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/do-you-f-ing-mind/id1502954097

On today's episode I dive into a popular topic for many creative entrepreneurs; comparison. I share a personal experience I had with comparing myself to others' success and the tools I use to help me avoid a negative downward spiral of self-doubt. I share some insights into how we can use comparison as a positive on our business journey to help us realign our goals and dreams and start working towards them as well as tips for catching the negative side of comparison so as to not sabotage ourselves.

On today's podcast I caught up with a long time client, friend and fellow author Amy Lovat. You may recognise her from Secret Book Club, a business she started with her partner years ago. Amy shares her incredible journey to accomplishing a 30 year dream of becoming a published author. She shares very generously about how she took 11 years to write her first novel, the mindset and support she leant on to keep her going when she wanted to give up. We dive into the inspiration behind her debut novel 'Mistakes and Other Lovers' and her advice for creatives striving to make their dreams a reality. Grab a copy of Amy's book https://amylovat.com

Today’s guest is Daniel Flynn, co founder of Thankyou, a business I was fortunate enough to come across many years ago when they first started out as Thankyou Water. Since then Daniel and his team have built a globally recognised social enterprise on a mission to end extreme poverty. In this episode Daniel shares the journey they’ve taken to reimagine their business model many times over. From expanding into products, taking on the big supermarkets to get stocked, harnessing the power of social media and their audience to support their mission and more recently taking the company to the global stage. An insightful episode about what it really takes to build a brand that lasts, sticking to your brand values and what you set out to achieve no matter how many hurdles and temptations to divert your encounter and taking care of your mental health as a founder. Check out Thankyou and the work their doing https://thankyou.co

In today's episode I share the story about how I landed my first book deal that led to me writing 'How to Start a Side Hustle' in 2020 and advice for people looking to pitch to publishers for those looking to get their own publishing deal. I also go through each chapter of the book and share my author notes, bonus tips to help you get started and how to use the book to get started on your idea. Tune in for a guided tour of the process I took to write the book and tips on exactly where to start on your side hustle journey. You can grab one of the last signed copies of HTSASH on my website and I'll be sure to include a personalised note with inspiration to get you in the game. https://www.startupcreative.com.au/shop-1/p/how-to-start-a-side-hustle-signed-copy

On today’s episode I caught up with the genius creative mind behind one of my favourite businesses ACID.FLWRS, Claire Muller. Claire shares her startup story that took her on a journey from Perth to London and eventually her home today Sydney Australia. She shares the lessons learnt from changing career paths, working for an innovative startup with small budgets with working for leading startup Airtasker. Her insight into finding which path to follow, facing a life changing moment that put life on hold and figuring out what to do next before. Claire started ACID.FLWRS, as a side hustle, passion project in 2020 when she was experimenting with flowers and spray paint. It went on to grow a cult-like Instagram following and led her to collaborating with brands such as VANS shoes, Casetify and producing installations for the National Gallery of Victoria. Packed with raw storytelling, startup tips and advice on how to get a creative project off the ground from her 15 years experience in styling and communication with brands around the world as well as starting and scaling ACID.FLWRS Enjoy the show and check out Claire’s work https://www.acidflwrs.com https://www.clairemueller.com

This week I had the absolute pleasure of talking to the award winning designer and founder of her own studio Evi O. A well known expert in the design space who delivered a keynote presentation at Semi Permanent Sydney in 2023 as well as Creative Mornings Sydney and The Design Conference in Queensland. Evi's studio specialises in publications, brands and creative collaborations that have won her multiple awards. Evi shares an abundance of information and insights into the behind the scenes of what it takes to build a successful creative company, from finances and managing a team, attracting your ideal clients and pushing the boundaries with new and creative work. She is also a self taught artist who is represented by Saint Cloche in Sydney and Up Rise in New York. An incredibly talented, wise and humble creative with so much knowledge to share, it was truly an honour to share this conversation with Evi and I have no doubt you'll walk away with an abundance of knowledge and inspiration for your own creative endeavors.

On today's episode I caught up with Lyndal Harris from Podcast VA who truly is an expert in her field. With many years of experience in starting and scaling podcasts, the StartUp Creative show included, Lyndal holds a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to launch a successful podcast. In this episode I ask Lyndal some of the FAQ's I get about when and how to start a podcast as well as her practical tips and advice on the technical side of things. If you've been looking to start a podcast for yourself and/or your business, this episode will teach you everything you need to know to help you just start. We'll cover: the benefits of staring a podcast how to use a podcast as a marketing strategy for your business ideal episode lengths and topics technical setup what to focus on and invest in when just starting out how to pitch to potential guests apps and resources you can use for quality recording experience And so much more. Check out Podcast VA for more tips, services and resources to help you on your podcast journey.

It was an absolute joy to have James Parr, disability advocate, model and athlete on the show. James shares his incredible life story with such openness, honesty and lightheartedness that it was hard to keep then conversation to an hour. In the episode you’ll learn how James became an amputee at age 21, went from a social worker to runway model in the space of a few years and an insight into how he keeps positive and keeps creating the life of his dreams despite the multiple challenges he has faced. A fun, inspiring and truly courageous conversation and an honour to share it here on the show. Check out Jame’s work here https://jamesparr.com.au

Hannah is the Author of her first book, Rainbow History Class- your entry into LGBTQ+ history, sharing queer and trans stories from Ancient civilisations all the way up to the internet. In this inspiring conversation Hannah and I discuss who gets to record and tell history and how diversity in gender and sexual orientation can often be excluded from the narrative. Hannah also offers tips and insights into building her social media audience and making viral videos with millions of views as well as the process behind landing her first book deal and writing. Check out her work here https://www.rainbowhistoryclass.com https://www.instagram.com/rainbowhistoryclass/ https://www.tiktok.com/@rainbowhistoryclass?lang=en

On today’s episode I had the pleasure of meeting Angus the co-founder of the world's first brain drink. Ārepa is a neuroscientist-backed brand based in NZ and improving brain health around the world. Angus shares insights into where this incredible business idea came from and the steps he took to bring the idea to life. An incredible start-up story that didn’t follow the conventional path but that has attracted some of the worlds leading athletes and creative minds as customers and fans. I personally love the drink and the team have offered a discount code to listeners of the show Use THEBRAINDRINK for 10% of your first order. Find out more about the drink and where you can purchase it at https://drinkarepa.com.au

On today's episode I caught up with Dr Marion Piper, Creativity Coach and all around legend. We discussed the role that creativity and art plays in times of uncertainty and how we as creative entrepreneurs can find ways to continually expand and grow our businesses when times are tough. Marion is an expert in the field of identifying big and small traumas in our lives and stories and offers us insights and tools as to how we can transmute the hardest challenges in our lives into art. We also discuss what differences we've noticed in our lives and businesses post covid and what we've had to put in place to manage the stress and big lifestyle changes that came with such a prolonged amount of hardship and uncertainty. Check out Marions work here https://marionpipercreative.com

In this episode I caught up with an Australian singer/songwriter and icon, white literally - Montaigne was Australia’s Eurovision contestant in 2021 and has a long list of accomplishments including a recent collaboration with David Byrne from the Talking Heads. They share their story of stumbling into the music industry, how they stay inspired to create art and tips for those looking to get started. An incredibly humble, talented and inspiring artist who is staying in their own lane whilst making art from an authentic place and taking us all on the journey with them. Check out their work here https://www.instagram.com/actualmontaigne/

From my IG live with content creator and artist Bianca Beers, where we discussed how to become a content creator as a career, the best motivation to get started on your content and practical tips to make it work for your business. Bianca shares incredible but relatable tips and stories on how she got started, gets clients and advice for getting yourself back in the content creation game. Check out Biancas work here https://www.instagram.com/biancabeers/