1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Naomi Simpson. Welcome to straight Talk. It's about time you 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: come on my show. It's crazy. We've known each other 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: about million years. We've spoken lots of things together. 4 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 2: I don't think we need to reference a million years. 5 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:11,119 Speaker 2: We're getting wise, that's true. 6 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: We've known each other for wiser years or whatever the 7 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: words are. But welcome and thanks for coming into the 8 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: studio today. 9 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 2: Good to be here. 10 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: It's good timing too, to get someone like you in 11 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: here to talk about some of the stuff we saw 12 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: on the budget. I just parked that for a moment, though. 13 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: We just if we could just introduce you first, so 14 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: you know, my first recollection of you is when you 15 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: did something quite disruptive when you launched Red Balloon, which 16 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: was an e commerce business, but like I don't know 17 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: if it was described as e commerce in those days, 18 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: but how many years back and now we're talking about 19 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: that's twenty five years ago. Twenty five years ago, it's 20 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: abound the safe time I did Wizards around the same 21 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: time and exactly the time I did with it, actually 22 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: I was twenty six years ago I started that. What 23 00:00:58,000 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: was disruptive, I mean, we can look at it now 24 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: says not the disruptive, But what was disruptive at the time. 25 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 2: NOI Well, believe it or not, We're at the very 26 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: beginning of the Internet way back then in two thousand 27 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 2: and one, and you know, there was no such things 28 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: as social media, smartphones, digital cameras, nothing, And I think 29 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 2: sometimes people wouldn't mind going back to that time, but 30 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 2: it was a very simple concept. The fact is that 31 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 2: there's a lot of small businesses who find it very 32 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 2: expensive to find customers and that's not changed. You know, 33 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 2: it was expensive to go in the yellow pages. Well 34 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 2: it's even more expensive now to run performance marketing campaigns 35 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 2: and try and build a brand. So I've been a 36 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 2: professional marketer my whole career. I worked in big brands 37 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 2: like Apple, IBM had set that was an airline. And 38 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 2: so I flipped the model. So instead of working for 39 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 2: each of these small businesses, could I give a brand 40 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 2: to a whole industry and take a clip of the 41 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 2: ticket rather than just them being a marketing agency. And 42 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: so yeah, I flipped the model, and the Internet enabled 43 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 2: that to come to life, which wouldn't have been possible. 44 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 2: And I didn't know, you know, with first Marketplace, and 45 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 2: you know, I had no idea that I was such 46 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 2: a trialblazer. I was just putting one foot in front 47 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 2: of the other. 48 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: Yeah, it might have made a difference if you did know. 49 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: Actually you might have thought, well, what am I doing here? 50 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: Because I would just remind listeners that we had in 51 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: the ninety eight ninety nine what was known as a 52 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: tech boom, and your launch of your product is sort 53 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: of just off the back of the tech boom. Tech boom, 54 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: of course became a tech crash, as they always do. 55 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: And you're right. There was internet, but there was no 56 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: the devices didn't our phones didn't connect to the internet 57 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 1: those days. It was all computer laptops and stuff like that. 58 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 1: Apple laptops or I think that are Apple laptops. 59 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 2: Probably they were actually these iMac jelly. 60 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: Shape really, they're those big things. 61 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 2: Clunky, and you had a desk. 62 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 3: They were colorful though, Yeah, they were colorful, and you 63 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 3: couldn't move them, so you know they. 64 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: Were a desktop. You're right, yeah, and so do you 65 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: remember the moment though you had this thought? I mean, 66 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: because it doesn't seem disrupted today, but it was disruptive 67 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: at the time to build a marketplace to just correct 68 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: me if I'm wrong. Now, to link up suppliers of 69 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: or merchants of experiences in your in the red Balloon 70 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: case with consumers, where consumers could choose from a whole 71 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: lot of experiences instead of just going to one experience provider. 72 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: They are all listed there. So you effectively built a marketplace, 73 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: is that right? 74 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 2: And also we gave those experiences authority. So so where 75 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: did the idea came from? I was a freelance marketer. 76 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 2: I'd left my corporate career because I had small children 77 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 2: and I wanted some more flex ability in my life. 78 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 2: And back in the day, we didn't have any of 79 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 2: the things that we now have. And then I was 80 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 2: listening to my clients, who are mainly small businesses, and 81 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 2: I realized that what they really wanted they didn't want marketing. 82 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 2: What they wanted was customers. And so I one of 83 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 2: those clients came to me and the tech wreck was 84 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 2: going on, as you'd said, and he was in a 85 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 2: tech business. I was doing their marketing for them, and 86 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 2: he said, look, I think they're going to close me down. 87 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 2: And he says, but there's this business concept in the 88 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 2: UK called red letter Days, and it's a catalog and 89 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 2: call center business. And in Australia. We can never do 90 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 2: catalog and call centers because the country's too big and 91 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 2: the population's too small. And he said, I wonder if 92 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 2: we could do it online. But before we could start 93 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 2: this business, he was offered to do an management buyout 94 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 2: for a dollar of the tech business he was running 95 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 2: in Australia. He went off and did that and I 96 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 2: was kind of left with this. But I remember the 97 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 2: moment that I named it red Balloon. So Red Letter 98 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 2: Days was not interested in us in Australia. The Antipodes 99 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 2: so far away, so we needed to have a life 100 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 2: of its own. And I was literally walking around in 101 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 2: our backyard and I remembered a movie from when I 102 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 2: was a child called The Red Balloon. 103 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: Oh wow, Yeah, and it's about a. 104 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 2: Little boy who lives in Paris and his best friends 105 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 2: a red balloon. Wow, it's such a beautiful story. 106 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 3: Yeah. 107 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 2: So I thought a red balloon is a symbol of 108 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 2: joy and happiness, and I just wanted people to see 109 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 2: any red balloon and be reminded of the first red 110 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 2: balloon they were given, or that they gave that experience, 111 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 2: the emotional connection to being with people and connected and 112 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 2: ironically all of these years later, when we're so overwhelmed 113 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 2: with social channels and the messages that are coming at us, 114 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 2: there is a real move offline again, you know, so 115 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 2: we come online, as Pindra says it, come online to 116 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 2: work out what you're going to do offline. 117 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's, by the way that in my world, that's 118 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: about it exactly. That's exactly right. And actually I'm really 119 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: glad you explain the the branding or the name Red Balloon, 120 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: because once youre the name is pretty easy to play 121 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: around with the branding and visual sense. But the sort 122 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,119 Speaker 1: of emotion that sits behind it, I never really thought 123 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: it through because I'm not someone who used it, but 124 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: doesn't matter. 125 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 2: There's plenty of opportunity. 126 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,160 Speaker 1: That's the way I live my life. But nonetheless, and 127 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: the emotion was that little bit, that little window into 128 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: the emotion that was very very good. Why did you 129 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 1: decide to make it about experiences? 130 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 3: Though? 131 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 1: What's the connection with experiences and what does experiences mean? 132 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: Like it doesn't mean just going on a holiday or 133 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 1: traveling up and staying up in a time home in 134 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: Barron Bay or something, But what were the experiences you 135 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: decided to put in there? 136 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,359 Speaker 2: Even back in the day when I started the business, 137 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 2: we all had too much stuff, and really what anybody 138 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: wants is time with their family and friends, the people 139 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 2: who are important to them. And often people want to 140 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 2: do something that they've always aspired to do. And it 141 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 2: was in listening to customer stories that I understood the 142 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 2: impact that we were having on people. So this man 143 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 2: wrote that for his father's eighty fourth birthday, he gave 144 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,559 Speaker 2: him a flight on a DC three and he drove 145 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 2: him to Bankstown Airport and he said, my father was 146 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 2: excited like a little boy going to a birthday party, 147 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 2: he said, And when we flew together, watching his joy 148 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 2: was amazing, he said. When I when we were driving home, 149 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 2: his father shared with him that as a young man 150 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 2: he'd heard the first DC three flight on the wireless 151 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 2: and he always always wanted to be on one. He said. 152 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: My father is a very quiet man. I'll always remember 153 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 2: today as one of the days he spoke. And then 154 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 2: you understand why you do it, why I keep doing it, 155 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 2: because that moment of connection, and it's what we need 156 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 2: more than anything, is to connect with the people that 157 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 2: we love to create conversations. Shared experience is what gives 158 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 2: us and not all of the experiences are you know 159 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 2: finn and they're sometimes exhilarating or exciting or challenging. But 160 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 2: that's what makes us human. On the flip side is 161 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 2: that because we bring people together, that's what we do. 162 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 2: So we curate, we go out and there's four and 163 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 2: a half thousand small businesses that depend on us for customers. 164 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 2: And I was speaking to one ironically in December twenty 165 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 2: nineteen and he said, oh, names, I didn't know we're 166 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 2: going to get old together. I speak for yourself. I'm 167 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 2: just getting why. So that's mala and I stick with wisdom. 168 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 2: And he said, do you realize is that that first 169 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 2: year I had one hot air balloon and nine hundred passengers. 170 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,839 Speaker 2: Over the year, in the whole year, had one hot 171 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 2: air balloon and nine hundred passengers. And he said, in 172 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 2: the twenty years since we've been together, I now have 173 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 2: nineteen balloons and twenty three thousand passengers. And he said, 174 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 2: and for every single one of them, when they come 175 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 2: to the Hunter Valley, they buy accommodation, they go to wineries, 176 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 2: they eat at the local restaurants. It's at least one 177 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 2: thousand dollars to our community. We've literally changed the economic 178 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 2: impact in our local region. So when we went into COVID, 179 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 2: we were able to talk to government about the impact 180 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 2: of driving economic outcomes for regional and rural Australia through 181 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 2: small businesses. Because people don't travel for the sake of travel. 182 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 2: They travel because there's something there that they're going to 183 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 2: do and experience. So when we can put the experience 184 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 2: front and center, we can drive economic outc comes for 185 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 2: small businesses throughout Australia. 186 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: We spend on our ridge around twenty six years of 187 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: her lives asleep, So if you're going to spend that 188 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: much time doing something, you may as well get good 189 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: at it. That's what got me interested in WHOOP. It's 190 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,959 Speaker 1: a wearrible device that helps you understand what's actually happening 191 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: with your body, especially when it comes to sleep, recovery, 192 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: stress and overall health. What I like about WOOP is 193 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 1: that it takes all that information and it turns it 194 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: into simple, personalized insights you can actually use. You start 195 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 1: to notice how things like travel, late nights or even 196 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: eating too late affect the quality of a sleep and 197 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: how you feel the next day. So it's not just 198 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: for athletes, is for anyone who wants to feel and 199 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: perform better, to learn more here to join dot whoop 200 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: dot com, forward slash mentored and get one month off 201 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: your annual Whoop membership. So do you feel as though 202 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: then during that period continuing on today obviously because you 203 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: go still own it, But do you feel as though 204 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: that you've had a really big impact on small businesses 205 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: just generally when they can give you that sort of feedback. 206 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: And as a result of that, do you feel did 207 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: you ever feel as though to yourself that you should 208 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 1: have paid forward your luck in your life? I mean, 209 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: why did you do this? I mean apart from me 210 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 1: obviously made a few bucks out of it, but why 211 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: did you do this? Was it a pay forward I 212 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: want to pay forward my experience with other people or 213 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: did you positively want to say I really want to 214 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: connect the small business community and I want that small 215 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: business community, for example in the Hunt of Valley to 216 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: build ecosystems where not only is the balloon business doing 217 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,719 Speaker 1: the hot air bloon business doing well, but by accommodation, 218 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:49,079 Speaker 1: they go to the pub, they go and visit a winery. 219 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: They might buy some booze. Whatever they spent petrol money 220 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: on petrol might forget the repair, hopefully not, But you 221 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: know what did you think? What was the process? Did 222 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: you think it's about a bigger story or do you 223 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: just initially think, no, it's just about putting matching parties 224 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:07,320 Speaker 1: to you on my marketplace. 225 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 2: Any startup, it's always just one foot in front of 226 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,080 Speaker 2: the other. We don't overthink it. I have a passion 227 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 2: for small business, always have. My father had a small business, 228 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 2: my sister has a small business. Small business is in 229 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 2: our blood. Ironically, when I worked for Apple, I was 230 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 2: the marketing manager for small business, and when I worked 231 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,200 Speaker 2: at ANSID, I was the marketing manager for business. So 232 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 2: I've always had this kind of B to B approach 233 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 2: to my marketing. So I didn't overthink it. But it 234 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 2: was only in listening to customer stories on all sides 235 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 2: that you realize the impact you're having. And it is 236 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 2: that impact that keeps us going. Purpose comes from knowing 237 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 2: you've made the world a better place. But no, I 238 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 2: didn't overthink it. Who would have thought that we're now 239 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 2: delivering an experience every second, every sixteen seconds that is 240 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 2: a customer to a small business that they didn't have 241 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 2: to pay one of those monsters. And I shouldn't say 242 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 2: Google or Facebook, because of course we all have to 243 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 2: do that, but we're the marketing experts. They can be 244 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 2: the world's best hot air balloonists, jet boater, macrime, makeup, 245 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,560 Speaker 2: whatever the experience is, they can be the world's best 246 00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:22,680 Speaker 2: at that because they can trust us to deliver them customers. 247 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 2: And when we went in the COVID time, that was 248 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 2: our job just to make sure that they were still there. 249 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 2: On the other side, it's their livelihoods. 250 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: COVID are like your gift to some to some extent, 251 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: to be businesses like yours because that sense of being able, 252 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: to particular if you're from Victoria better under reconnect with 253 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: your community or reconnect with your family or your friends 254 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: somewhere doing something. What was the initial effect of COVID 255 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: on you guys. 256 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:53,080 Speaker 2: Oh, well, everything dropped off a cliff. But as and 257 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 2: this is way before we had job keeper and job 258 00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 2: seeker and all the rest of it. But we knew 259 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 2: our job is to keep these businesses with customers. And 260 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 2: so we went out to our community and we said, look, 261 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 2: could you an invent an experience that was in a box? 262 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 2: Could you invent an experience that was delivered virtually? And 263 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 2: we published two hundred and fifty new experiences in about 264 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 2: three weeks, really because we had seven hundred thousand customers 265 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 2: sitting at home with a red balloon voucher board as 266 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 2: wanting to do something. So it was our job to 267 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 2: keep doing that. And so we absolutely focus what is 268 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 2: our job here? We are shifting the way people experience life, 269 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 2: and to do that you stay really focused on the endgame. 270 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 2: We shift the way our experience supplies experience life. We 271 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 2: shift the way consumers or our B to B customers, 272 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 2: our corporate customers who use Red balloon for reward and recognition. 273 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 2: We that's our job. 274 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: And when you put out an APB toy or supplies 275 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: and or customers about during COVID period for example, and 276 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: you've got such a great response in terms of what 277 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: people could put in a box, what is Naomi Simpson 278 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: doing at that point? Is she's standing sitting back and 279 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: letting all her CEOs. Oh my gosh, no, what is 280 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: Naomi doing? 281 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 2: We were in a world of panic, Like you know, 282 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 2: I've worked for twenty years in this business and then 283 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 2: all of a sudden go So I've been through the 284 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 2: GFC and people buy experiences in tough times because it's 285 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 2: a little bit of lipstick. It makes them feel good. 286 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 2: So it's you know, not as expensive as taking somebody 287 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 2: to the Gold Coast. Let's have a day out, you know. 288 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 2: So we do find that, you know, we found that 289 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 2: even in the GFC that we were growing, but this 290 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 2: was different because nobody knew what was going to happen. 291 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 2: And so David, who is my business partner, who's the 292 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 2: group CEO of the overall Big Red Group, which includes 293 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 2: Balloon Adrenaline Experience, was everything new in New Zealand all 294 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 2: of the brands that we represent, He said, nomes need you. 295 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 2: And so I went back into the business and I 296 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 2: headed up our BE. 297 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: To B approach. 298 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 2: So all of our corporate went rolled up, my sleeves 299 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 2: got right stuck in and that gave me an opportunity 300 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 2: to speak to our corporate customers and find out what 301 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 2: was going on with them. 302 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: Were Sene care packages out that topic thing? Yeah, exactly 303 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: what you're talking about. 304 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 2: Well, I was just getting on the phone and finding 305 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 2: out what was going on. And what I did find 306 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 2: was a bigger the bigger end of town understood that 307 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 2: if small business disappears, they don't have any customers like 308 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 2: it's an ecosystem, and small business is the backbone of 309 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 2: this country. And so I found that many of our 310 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 2: corporate clients they got the link between you buy a 311 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 2: Red Balloon voucher, that's a customer for a small business. 312 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 2: So that in fact quite a tragic story. There was 313 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 2: so Toby, who's one of my colleagues. It was coming 314 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,719 Speaker 2: up to the first year, and of course Victoria had 315 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 2: a hell of a time, and he made a corporate 316 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 2: salf for one of these experiences in a box, which 317 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 2: was an international chocolate tasting. Sounds pretty good to me anyway, 318 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 2: and he made this forty thousand dollars order and I said. 319 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,880 Speaker 1: Oh with all of thety grand yeah, forty. 320 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 2: Grand worth of international chocolate tastings. And I said, oh, 321 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 2: you better call and make sure the logistics and all 322 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 2: of that sort of thing. Anyway, he called this woman 323 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 2: she's based in Victoria in Melbourne, and he picked up 324 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 2: the phone and goes, Hi, Toby from Re Balloon just 325 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 2: got this order, just want to check on the logistics. 326 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 2: And she burst into tears and she said, I've just 327 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 2: called the administrator. He goes, well, can you un call them? 328 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 2: Because I really wanted to deliver this. It literally saved 329 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:55,360 Speaker 2: her business. 330 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 1: Wow. 331 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 2: That's what businesses need is customers. 332 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: And they need someone to connect them. 333 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:05,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, because it's too expensive to find them on their own, 334 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 2: like the complexity of the channels and the mix and 335 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 2: the data. 336 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: It's hard. 337 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 2: So we do. We're their marketing company. 338 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: You're the drawpoint. You're sort of a war worse online 339 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: so to speak. 340 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 2: I don't know. 341 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,959 Speaker 1: In terms of products. You're obviously offering services and products, 342 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: but you do the marketing and people come to your 343 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: shelves to see what it is like. 344 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 2: Them anything, we just take a clip of the ticket. 345 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: We're an agency, so that is veriable cost. 346 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, so if they don't sell anything, it doesn't cost 347 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 2: them anything. But their job is to make sure the 348 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 2: experience is excellent. And because we have such buying power, 349 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 2: we get additional stuff for our customers, you know, value 350 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 2: adds and exclusives and everything on the way through. So 351 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,399 Speaker 2: there's a benefit from buying for Red Balloon. You're going 352 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 2: to pay the same as if you went direct, but 353 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 2: there is a benefit and that's because we send them 354 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 2: so much business. We say, you look after the experience 355 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 2: and we'll deliver you. Customers and It's also why in 356 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 2: the review process it's really important to us because we're 357 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,199 Speaker 2: not there on the day, so we read them, we 358 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 2: look at them, and if somebody's getting, you know, not 359 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 2: good reviews, they're going to get unpublished pretty quickly. 360 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 1: Would you just taken off? 361 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, of course, And then we work with them and 362 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 2: say what's going on. It's actually a funny story. Don't 363 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 2: know if I should tell you this. This is in 364 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 2: the public domain, but there was an experienced supply who 365 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 2: also an amazing, very unique experience that also provided lunch, 366 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 2: and repeatedly we were getting feedback amazing experience, lunch disgusting, 367 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 2: wouldn't feed it to my dogs, you know, blah blah blah. 368 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:47,840 Speaker 2: And we're like, oh, right, what's going on here? They 369 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 2: get unpublished and the team goes out and talks to 370 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 2: them and says, no, what's going on. They said, oh, 371 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 2: so there's a problem with the food. And he goes, 372 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 2: I know, there's a problem with the food. He goes, 373 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 2: my brother in law, So you're telling me I have 374 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 2: to fire him, and we go, yes, you have to 375 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 2: fire him. He goes great. 376 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 3: So, you know, so actually having that loop, you know, 377 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:12,199 Speaker 3: helped him make a decision in his own business and 378 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:12,880 Speaker 3: it was bad. 379 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,160 Speaker 1: So you actually go up there and then helped the vendor. 380 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: The merchants, let's call the merchants. 381 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:20,719 Speaker 2: Because we know what's going on, Like, we've got all 382 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 2: the trend data we like, we've literally invented experiences where 383 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 2: we know something is selling really well in one state, 384 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 2: well can you open it in another state? Can you 385 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 2: open it in another location? Yeah? Absolutely, we are absolutely 386 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 2: driving growth and we're driving employment growth. 387 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: How many small businesses would you have on I mean 388 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:42,600 Speaker 1: I was going to ask you how many of you 389 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 1: had since you started this off in the twenty five years. 390 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:47,639 Speaker 2: Ago, but I wouldn't know how many would you have 391 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 2: there at anyone right now, there's probably across all of 392 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 2: our platforms at least four and a half thousand small. 393 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 1: Businesses that we across Australia in New Zealand Australian Museum. 394 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 1: And when you think about it, when I think about it, 395 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: you would be a very good proxy to find out 396 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: how small businesses are going I know any one time. 397 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely we are a conduit directly to small businesses. 398 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,879 Speaker 2: In fact, that's what I write about all the time 399 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,800 Speaker 2: and I blog about is because we are in such 400 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 2: a journey of change right now. I've never seen more 401 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 2: change my whole life. I'm just back from a marketing 402 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 2: AI summit in San Francisco, and marketing has never changed 403 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 2: more than it has in the last eighteen months. 404 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:35,800 Speaker 1: Could you explain that? 405 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:41,679 Speaker 2: So the speed of change and our ability to execute, 406 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 2: and it's like it's cyclical. So we used to come 407 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 2: up with an idea, we'd execute a campaign maybe over 408 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:55,120 Speaker 2: a particular period, but that would take three or four 409 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 2: weeks to execute. So what happened back in the day, 410 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 2: we were all generalists when it came to marketing, So 411 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 2: we would run full campaigns. We'd be brand managers and 412 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 2: we'd run all the campaigns and we'd have different sorts 413 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 2: of elements. Then what happened in business is they all 414 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 2: became specialists. In our organization, they're all specialists. So you've 415 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 2: got a performance marketing, you've got a search marketing, you've 416 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 2: got your CRM, you've got your merchandising, you've got so 417 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 2: if you want to run an end to end campaign, 418 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 2: you've got to get all those ducks in a line, 419 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 2: and it's slow. So the whole point about the AI 420 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 2: revolution when it comes to marketing is that the data 421 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 2: is feeding the execution and you've gone from having these 422 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:47,400 Speaker 2: generalists to regaining the confidence over full campaign execution from 423 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 2: top to bottom. That's one of the changes going on 424 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 2: in marketing. 425 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: And how that affects, say, your business. Now, how are 426 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: you employed that into your business? What you learned you with. 427 00:22:55,760 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 2: Well, for instance, let's say there's three inbound and tourists 428 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 2: who are interested in skydiving. 429 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,679 Speaker 1: If I've got an so three inquiries. 430 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 2: No, there's just three people out there in the wilderness 431 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 2: out there you haven't got are interested in this particular experience. 432 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 1: That you don't know, You don't, I don't know. 433 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 2: But if I have access to that data of their intention, 434 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:25,120 Speaker 2: then I can serve them something about skydiving in Australia. 435 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,920 Speaker 2: But I don't want to serve one hundred thousand people 436 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 2: something about skydiving in Australia because it's a very specific experience. 437 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:36,360 Speaker 2: So that's also so it's like this marketing economist, it's 438 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 2: this cycle and it's the data is informing informing their 439 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 2: execution of any given campaign. 440 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: So do you get you have to somehow you're going 441 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: to scrape something to find out who those three people 442 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,280 Speaker 1: are yes, Yeah, using AI I love that word scrape. 443 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 2: No, it's intention data. You know, we've got to figure 444 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 2: that's but that's that is what is now possible, and 445 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 2: also to have a visual and produce that customized conversation so. 446 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: Your supplies and or dash vendors you can sort of 447 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: your role is to sell that information to then get 448 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: more of those supplies onto your website, so you can 449 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: actually broaden out the experience of those three customers too. 450 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 2: Well, it depends which website we're talking about, because Red 451 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 2: Balloon we really look at who's the best in the market, 452 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:23,680 Speaker 2: the exclusive nature of what we do for them because 453 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 2: we want to make sure that they're very success. 454 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: So you're going to curate that. 455 00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 3: Yeah. 456 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 2: Absolutely, That's why people come to us. Okay, not anybody's 457 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:36,159 Speaker 2: on just eleven point checklist on the quality approval and 458 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 2: we've got our staff picks and we've got our. 459 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: Yeah absolutely and reviews, et cetera. All of that. 460 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 2: That's why they come to us because we know what 461 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 2: we're doing. We've been doing it for a long time. 462 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, So you're going to Revluence curates this for 463 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,360 Speaker 1: its for its consumer customer at the end of the day. Yeah, 464 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 1: so what is AI game to do in terms of efficiency? 465 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: Apart from that example we just gave me, what are 466 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: they saying in the United States? That which is that's 467 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,560 Speaker 1: the center of all this, that's for all the new innovation, 468 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: is what are they saying in terms of efficiency and productivity? 469 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 1: Because we have this big productivity problem here in Australia 470 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:15,679 Speaker 1: and US is way ahead of us in terms of 471 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: productivity growth. When I look at the numbers that get 472 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:23,080 Speaker 1: published relative to our productivity numbers, what are they saying 473 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: over their relative to what AI is going to do 474 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: for their productivity environments? 475 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 2: So when we think about AI, first of all, it's 476 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:39,959 Speaker 2: not a tech application. It is a fundamental shift in 477 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,200 Speaker 2: in how we behave And so at the moment, one 478 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,399 Speaker 2: of the things I'm writing about a lot is the 479 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 2: humanness of AI. So intelligence implies that there's some level 480 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:57,000 Speaker 2: of cognition. There's not, so so we need to add 481 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 2: that cognition and that is the human element element. So 482 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 2: at the moment, this is kind of their genera And 483 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 2: I literally just publish a blog this morning on it. 484 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,919 Speaker 2: This is kind of how it goes. People are like, oh, 485 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 2: I can do this so much faster, I can write 486 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,120 Speaker 2: one whole article and I can get this done. They're 487 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 2: calling that slop. So shlop is that you're just producing 488 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 2: volumes of content without any real human or uniqueness to it. 489 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:24,920 Speaker 1: Slop. 490 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,959 Speaker 2: So I can do a lot of things faster, whatever 491 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 2: it is. I can do my expense return finally without 492 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 2: scraping through every single spreadsheet. But in business you might 493 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,200 Speaker 2: just be speeding up bad processes. You have always done 494 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,680 Speaker 2: those spreadsheets, so you're just doing them faster, and then 495 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 2: you put an agent over the top of it, and 496 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,560 Speaker 2: now it's automated a bad process. So really, as business leaders, 497 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,680 Speaker 2: we have to look at what is our overall strategy, 498 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 2: what did we say we needed to get done, and 499 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 2: then apply an AI thinking program to that. And the 500 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 2: best way to do that is to understand what people 501 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 2: love about their jobs and what they loathe about their jobs. 502 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 2: And it's a really interesting case study in the US 503 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 2: that I've been talking about, which is a bank and 504 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 2: they know that one of their pillars was growth, one 505 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 2: of their pillars was customer another one people, but how 506 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 2: we get most growth from our existing customers. Who has 507 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 2: the most contact with our customers? It's our contact centers. 508 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 2: Contact center won't touch AI. They'll do anything not to 509 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 2: touch it because they're fearful they're going to lose their 510 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:37,400 Speaker 2: jobs fair enough. So they start this program and they're going, well, 511 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,919 Speaker 2: what do you hate? What do you love? And if 512 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:41,080 Speaker 2: we could get rid of the hate? 513 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: What do you hate? 514 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 2: Well, hate filling in a ticket, hate having you fill 515 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:45,639 Speaker 2: up the form, hate having to do this. 516 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: What do you love? 517 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,359 Speaker 2: I love chatting to customers online. So when they looked 518 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 2: at that and then developed the platform to support what 519 00:27:55,480 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 2: is it that humans do? Beautifully, judgment, design, creativity, That's 520 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 2: what we do. We do emotional connection, we do relationships. 521 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,639 Speaker 2: A computer doesn't do that. Technology doesn't do that. So 522 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 2: it enables those people to do what they're absolutely best at. 523 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,000 Speaker 2: Since they've launched that, they haven't had one team member leave. 524 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 2: So the people pillar also got an outcome, and they've 525 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 2: also increased their sales because they're real people talking to 526 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 2: real people. 527 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 1: They're spending more time doing what they love. 528 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 2: They're doing what they love, but they're also sufficient that 529 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:38,240 Speaker 2: is efficient. So the execution, everybody's just at the moment 530 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 2: flapping around and so excited, but it will settle down 531 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 2: and I truly believe we're actually going to create more 532 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 2: jobs and more opportunity. Every wave is but we're in 533 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:52,320 Speaker 2: an absolute time of flux right now as everybody works 534 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 2: out what does this mean? What does this mean for 535 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 2: my business model? Why am I still relevant? How am 536 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 2: I going to find customers? We're in a time of flux, 537 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 2: and it'll take a while to come out of it. 538 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: And it's going to take a while to sort of 539 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: a lay the fears that people think that their job 540 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: is going to be gone and. 541 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,560 Speaker 2: To just reskill people. So you know, I was talking 542 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,720 Speaker 2: about the marketing example before, and you know, now we 543 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 2: need to bring people on this journey. They're still smart 544 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 2: people who understand consumer experience, and it's just a matter 545 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 2: of having them realize that they can now take one 546 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:32,920 Speaker 2: hundred percent accountability for a full campaign. 547 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: So where are your blogs now? 548 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 3: Me? 549 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: So people might want to watch that and read listen 550 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 1: to those. So they listen or read or listen, read 551 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: or watch. 552 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,960 Speaker 2: Well, I've got Naomi Simpson dot com No p of 553 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 2: course in Simpson, which is where all my blogs are. 554 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 2: But they can also just follow me on LinkedIn because 555 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 2: I always announced when I've got a new blog there. 556 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 2: My newsletters on LinkedIn and I've got. 557 00:29:56,080 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 1: A podcast, have you now? And what's it called? Handpicked? 558 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 2: And that's where I talk about these particular issues that 559 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 2: I'm just trying to solve for and that I share 560 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 2: it with everybody. 561 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: Awesome. Yeah, it's funny how people like you and I 562 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 1: we get this sense that, isn't it great? We find 563 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 1: stuff out and we want to share it with everybody. 564 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: Have an opportunity to share what we find out, because 565 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,000 Speaker 1: most people don't get the opportunity to do well. 566 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:23,719 Speaker 2: There is so much stuff. And so I had stopped 567 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 2: writing and then about May last year, so you know, 568 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 2: good year ago. As somebody said, names if you stop writing, 569 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 2: who are we going to trust perform? But no, they 570 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:39,720 Speaker 2: need trusted voices. They need somebody who's done the deep 571 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 2: thinking to look at the implications. And so that's why 572 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 2: I started writing again, started speaking again, started doing my 573 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 2: podcast again because I kind of gone into this non 574 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:57,160 Speaker 2: executive career of being a board director, whereas actually I 575 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,320 Speaker 2: think people need trusted voices. They need us. 576 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: So Naomi Nao and Ao m I Simpson without a 577 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: p dot com dot org just dot com dot com 578 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 1: and the other. The podcast is called again Handpicked, Handpicked 579 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 1: and where's that on Spotify? 580 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 2: All the usual things, Mammy Simpson. 581 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, can I just I can't waste an opportunity to 582 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 1: talk to you about the budget if you don't mind, 583 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: and we're neither one of us are being political. But 584 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 1: let's just reflect on the federal budget that's just come out. 585 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 1: I'm not sure when this show will be published, but 586 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: you know it'll be still relevant even if it's publishing 587 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 1: a week from today. What do you think about the 588 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: federal budget? Let's talk about for a start, discretionary trust. 589 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 1: Just structuously. 590 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 2: Let me roll it back a bit first. Okay, I'm 591 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 2: really clear about my opinion of what's going on in 592 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:55,080 Speaker 2: the budget, and I'm happy to share that with you 593 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 2: if you get here that I am all set to 594 00:31:58,160 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 2: rock and roll on this. 595 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: Look. 596 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 2: I studied economics, so I get some understanding of how 597 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 2: the levers work. What I see in this budget is 598 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 2: they're trying to do too much too quickly, and pulling 599 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,480 Speaker 2: all the leavers at once means we won't know what's 600 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 2: working and it will put the economy into a state 601 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:24,360 Speaker 2: of fear. We do not want our businesses in a 602 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 2: state of fear when they're going through so much tea 603 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 2: already change right, they're already going, oh my gosh, what 604 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 2: does this mean for my business? And now on the 605 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:35,920 Speaker 2: other side, am I going to make any money? So 606 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 2: too much too quickly? So so having a you know, 607 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 2: CGT negative gearing testamentary trust, all of those sorts of things. 608 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 2: It's too much. Just why the hurry. They've been given 609 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,600 Speaker 2: a runway and yet they're trying to do it all 610 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 2: in one budget. I think that is very unwise for 611 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 2: the Australian people. That is not a political state. 612 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: Were you're saying that for I could just be clear 613 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 1: on that. You're saying that too much too fast. But 614 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 1: more importantly, the net effect on small business community, at 615 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:09,640 Speaker 1: least the ones that you're talking to, is that they're 616 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: completely confused and now flowming. 617 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 2: It's completely overwhelmed, completely overwhelmed, overwhelmed, completely like are you 618 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 2: telling me I've worked my whole life and blah blah blah. Anyway, 619 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:21,440 Speaker 2: so let's just roll it back. And they said, this 620 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,720 Speaker 2: is for housing. We need to get young people into housing. 621 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 2: If you dip deep into that budget, actually there's thirty 622 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,960 Speaker 2: five thousand less houses going to be built this year 623 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 2: than last year. Why is this so so if you're 624 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 2: not fixing the structural issues of what is wrong with 625 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 2: the construction industry. So in Victoria it costs you more 626 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 2: to build an apartment than you can sell it for 627 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 2: and that is because it costs eighteen percent more this 628 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,200 Speaker 2: year than last year to build one. 629 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:53,479 Speaker 1: Wow, why is this? 630 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 2: So have you looked at the regulations like just getting 631 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:02,680 Speaker 2: an approval if you're holding costs of probably five years. 632 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 2: So they've got to look at the structural things. The 633 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 2: other thing is that Airbnb has had a huge impact 634 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 2: on entry level properties. So people if my generation, we 635 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:19,799 Speaker 2: bought a little flat that was our first thing, and 636 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 2: then as soon as we either partnered with somebody, or 637 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 2: we got married or we had a baby, we moved 638 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 2: to the next one and we sold that one, put 639 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 2: the equity from that in the new one. Now they 640 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,239 Speaker 2: keep it and they put it on Airbnb, and so 641 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 2: it's taken out of our community. It's not rented to 642 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 2: our community, nor is it providing you know, a first 643 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 2: home for somebody else. So there's some really structural things 644 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,360 Speaker 2: that I think if they don't look at the structural stuff, 645 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 2: all it's going to do is be an impost on 646 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,359 Speaker 2: people look I could get really quite wound up about this. 647 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 2: Let me to save a few others things as. 648 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 1: Let's get wound up, because I want to get wound up. 649 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:05,360 Speaker 1: I am wound up, but it's not political. 650 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,400 Speaker 2: I'm just thinking about the structural stuff. So first of 651 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:14,600 Speaker 2: another thing on the CGT, for instance, to tax investment 652 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:21,839 Speaker 2: over consumption is to be a disincentive for investment. So 653 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:28,399 Speaker 2: every Western country with CGT always has the tax rate 654 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:33,000 Speaker 2: at a less rate because they've already paid the consumption 655 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:35,759 Speaker 2: tax the income the way in on the way in, 656 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:42,040 Speaker 2: so you're double taxing, which is an absolute disincentive for 657 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:46,400 Speaker 2: people to invest, which means they may as well consume. 658 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:49,799 Speaker 2: We have four offspring. One of them thinks he's just 659 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 2: going to spend everything, and I'm like, you're never going 660 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 2: to own a home, and it goes don't see why, 661 00:35:55,440 --> 00:36:00,359 Speaker 2: So he's just consuming, which of course is dry during 662 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:04,839 Speaker 2: inflation because there's no incentive. The other thing is many 663 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,120 Speaker 2: young people, because that can't get into the home market, 664 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 2: are investing in bitcoin or stock market, or they've got 665 00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:16,719 Speaker 2: their small investment portfolios small business, which is now a 666 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 2: disincentive for them to do that. So I again, I 667 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,880 Speaker 2: just don't think doing all of these things at the 668 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 2: same time is wise. You know, if we think about 669 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 2: how the Japanese think or the Chinese think, they have 670 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 2: a hundred year strategy. If we want to move to 671 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 2: a different sort of tax system, don't do it all 672 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:42,600 Speaker 2: at once. Just give us time to catch up with you, 673 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 2: what do you. 674 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:46,640 Speaker 1: Think about the narrative that we're doing all these things 675 00:36:46,719 --> 00:36:52,240 Speaker 1: because we want to fix this intergenerational inequity. In other words, 676 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:58,680 Speaker 1: Naomi's got all the assets and her kids probably not 677 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:03,360 Speaker 1: your kids, but kids between twenty and thirty not going 678 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: to have any of assets. Therefore, there is a generational inequity. 679 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:08,439 Speaker 1: You've got too much, they're not good enough. 680 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:10,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, but Mark, I came from nothing. 681 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:12,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, what do you think about that narrative? 682 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 2: Well, well, the reason why I have what I have 683 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:20,160 Speaker 2: now is because I worked really hard for a long time. 684 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 2: I invested in myself in my education. And back in 685 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 2: the day when I was at university, thank you GoF Whitlam, 686 00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 2: I got a free education and I never would have 687 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 2: gone to university without that. So I believe in investing 688 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:39,640 Speaker 2: in education because that's what drives growth in an economy. 689 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:45,040 Speaker 2: And so education is going through unbelievable change. So just 690 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 2: keeping putting impults on universities and tertiary institutions also is 691 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:53,880 Speaker 2: not the right thing to do. So the reason why 692 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:58,680 Speaker 2: I could get ahead was I had aspiration that has 693 00:37:58,719 --> 00:38:03,120 Speaker 2: been taken away. I had an incentive to do so, 694 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 2: so yes, if you invest. And the other thing is 695 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 2: the sweat equity. I didn't pay myself for the first 696 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:12,480 Speaker 2: ten years. I'm not sure I still pay myself, you 697 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,400 Speaker 2: know it Like if I had got a job, I 698 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:18,120 Speaker 2: probably would have been better off and said, you know 699 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,480 Speaker 2: you don't They don't pick that up anywhere. That was 700 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,719 Speaker 2: an input to the growth of the businesses. I think 701 00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:26,880 Speaker 2: I'm ranting now, Mark. 702 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:30,080 Speaker 1: No you're not because because and I think you're a 703 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 1: perfect example of what we won't get no for the future, 704 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:39,879 Speaker 1: and we won't have red balloons. No, look so ty businesses. No. 705 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 2: Because I was on a university board University in Melbourne 706 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 2: business and Economics faculty for ten years. And the reason 707 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:50,040 Speaker 2: why I was on it was because seventy percent of 708 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:54,160 Speaker 2: undergraduates wanted to own their own business and they see 709 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 2: me as a role model. Well, if she can do it, 710 00:38:57,239 --> 00:38:59,560 Speaker 2: how do I get that done? She could tell us 711 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:03,840 Speaker 2: that to get that done. And so now it's like, 712 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,680 Speaker 2: you know what, it's pretty risky starting your own business. 713 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:09,799 Speaker 2: And you know what else this has shown this is 714 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:12,640 Speaker 2: they can just change the rules anytime they like. So 715 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:14,560 Speaker 2: you know what, I might just go and get myself 716 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 2: a job or so where does innovation come from? Where 717 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 2: does the investment come? You want us to build factories 718 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:28,319 Speaker 2: and manufacturing? Why how could we what with you know that? 719 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:32,680 Speaker 2: So they're asking us to onshore in this de globalization 720 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:38,919 Speaker 2: key infrastructure we're going but how like And the other 721 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 2: thing is that Australia doesn't operate in isolation and people 722 00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 2: have a choice, and we are going to get a 723 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,040 Speaker 2: brain drain. You want to start a business, Maybe I'll 724 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:50,400 Speaker 2: go and find another jurisdiction. 725 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:55,680 Speaker 1: Apparently no coal gas takes Yeah, not bad place. Or Singapore, 726 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:57,960 Speaker 1: go Singpool much lower rate. We'll go to the US 727 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:02,759 Speaker 1: fifteen percent like and which, by the way, everybody's doing well. 728 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:05,600 Speaker 1: Could I just drag it a little bit into the politics? 729 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: I mean just a little bit, just a little bit, okay, 730 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,399 Speaker 1: and you can push back if you want. But do 731 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:16,400 Speaker 1: you think when young kids put up a meme showing 732 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:19,640 Speaker 1: alban EASi and they do it in a sort of 733 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,640 Speaker 1: semi respectful funny way of them having to share the 734 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:26,120 Speaker 1: proceeds of the start of the business with the government. 735 00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:29,239 Speaker 1: They put Alban his photo up there, but it's a 736 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: character zure of him or it's not real funny gets 737 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:34,960 Speaker 1: a play play around with them. And the response that 738 00:40:35,239 --> 00:40:37,920 Speaker 1: the Prime Minister says is, look, I just want to 739 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,040 Speaker 1: thank you very much for picking a good photograph of me. 740 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:44,759 Speaker 1: You know, young people, and that's your business. Do you 741 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:49,600 Speaker 1: think they but they think you just dismissed my objection. 742 00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:53,920 Speaker 1: It's patronizing, patronizing me. Yeah, yeah, because they're. 743 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:57,360 Speaker 2: Giving him real valid feedback on how this occurs. 744 00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:00,319 Speaker 1: But they're fairly respectful. They're not sort of doing finger 745 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:03,480 Speaker 1: to them. They're actually playing being playful. Yeah, but at 746 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:05,719 Speaker 1: the same time, there's there's a real problem there. There 747 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:06,360 Speaker 1: really are. 748 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 2: They're not real problem. And also I just am fearful 749 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:16,000 Speaker 2: any government who actually doesn't understand how commerce works, just 750 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:20,840 Speaker 2: how business works. I don't know, you know, I came 751 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:29,000 Speaker 2: from nothing, like literally nothing, and I would be fearful 752 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 2: if people didn't think that that was worth having a 753 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 2: crack anymore. That's what it was to be Australian give 754 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:39,280 Speaker 2: it a crack. You know, we had totally vented the hills, 755 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:40,719 Speaker 2: Hoist and Google. 756 00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:41,319 Speaker 1: Maps, Wi Fi. 757 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,799 Speaker 2: Yeah, we invented them all. Where are a country of innovations? 758 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,560 Speaker 2: We had to be a country of innovation because we're 759 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:50,640 Speaker 2: so far from anywhere. And now they're saying, oh, don't bother. 760 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:54,120 Speaker 2: That's how it occurs to us. And you know, when 761 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:57,800 Speaker 2: we look at economies that have done well in attracting innovation, 762 00:41:58,480 --> 00:42:04,000 Speaker 2: israeland so many of the countries that have just all 763 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,319 Speaker 2: they've done is they haven't the government hasn't invested in 764 00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:10,480 Speaker 2: those businesses. But all they've done is give them tax breaks. 765 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:14,920 Speaker 2: So but they're paying tax and payroll tax, they're employing people. 766 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:18,400 Speaker 2: There's plenty of tax they're still paying. So I just 767 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:25,080 Speaker 2: we're operating in this myopic view that we're operating in isolation, 768 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:28,280 Speaker 2: and we're not. And so people will have a choice. 769 00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,560 Speaker 2: And I do think that what allowed me to get 770 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:36,120 Speaker 2: ahead has been taken away from my kids generation. 771 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,640 Speaker 1: If I go back twenty five years or twenty six 772 00:42:38,719 --> 00:42:43,279 Speaker 1: years and said to you in today's environment, if you 773 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:48,120 Speaker 1: were you know, you're much younger self, and but you 774 00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:50,759 Speaker 1: know you're going to get the tax the hell out 775 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:54,440 Speaker 1: of it. Do you reckon you would have you might 776 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:55,960 Speaker 1: have said, look, I'm not going to do this. I 777 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,120 Speaker 1: don't know, but one of my so I think that's 778 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:01,760 Speaker 1: what they're saying. No, if they're saying, but you'll copet sweet, 779 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,640 Speaker 1: your name, the names of the world in the Marc Wors, 780 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 1: just do it. They'll do it anyway, because they're always 781 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:07,480 Speaker 1: going to do it. 782 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:08,279 Speaker 2: But I don't think so. 783 00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:12,080 Speaker 3: I don't know whether Denmark in the eighties, it's a 784 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:15,800 Speaker 3: very long time ago, and their tax rate was seventy percent, 785 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:20,560 Speaker 3: you know, in their top income tax rate and whatever, 786 00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:23,360 Speaker 3: and I didn't understand the whole of their tax system, 787 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:25,040 Speaker 3: but I didn't know that was a disincentive. 788 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:29,359 Speaker 2: It's working hard. And I also know that the you know, 789 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:32,480 Speaker 2: the luxury car tax was like two hundred percent or something, 790 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:34,160 Speaker 2: and I remember thinking, you won't want to drive a 791 00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:39,359 Speaker 2: luxury car here, and and so I do think it's 792 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:44,239 Speaker 2: a disincentive. And I think that given the world doesn't 793 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:48,320 Speaker 2: so much change anyway, putting yourself out on a limb, 794 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:54,520 Speaker 2: I just I think people will make choices. 795 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:57,960 Speaker 1: Do you think that the gunman's brain dead or I just. 796 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:00,600 Speaker 2: Don't think they have commercial experience, Come and sit in 797 00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:03,560 Speaker 2: our office for a couple of days. See how hard 798 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:06,760 Speaker 2: it is to make a sale. See what we fight 799 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:11,279 Speaker 2: against every day, which is the faceless algorithm. That's what 800 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:14,240 Speaker 2: we fight every day. We cannot even see our foe 801 00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:18,120 Speaker 2: and understand the fear in which it is to be 802 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:23,080 Speaker 2: a business owner. People look to us for safety and security, 803 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:27,760 Speaker 2: and it is very hard. And because of the work 804 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:30,240 Speaker 2: we've done for such a long time, we have created 805 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:34,160 Speaker 2: incredible employment, not just in our own business, but through 806 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:35,840 Speaker 2: our ecosystem. 807 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:38,839 Speaker 1: And they all pay payroll tax, they all pay they 808 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:40,240 Speaker 1: collected the income tax, they pay. 809 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:43,920 Speaker 2: That and guess what they pay GST collect it and 810 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:48,920 Speaker 2: cossumption tax. We don't want tax. We want to encourage 811 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:53,239 Speaker 2: people to invest in our nation, invest in growth, to 812 00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:56,480 Speaker 2: create more jobs that right now we're in a state 813 00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:57,000 Speaker 2: of flux. 814 00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:00,320 Speaker 1: I hope Jim Chalmers can or the camera pick for 815 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:03,239 Speaker 1: Jim Chalmers those piercing blue eyes as you were saying that, 816 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:07,000 Speaker 1: because you're very convincing. But I'm serious, Jim, you have 817 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:09,280 Speaker 1: to have a look at this. No, but that's the point. 818 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:14,160 Speaker 1: They're not consulting with pop like you or me or anybody. 819 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:18,000 Speaker 2: Look sit and watch what it is like to find 820 00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:21,879 Speaker 2: a customer, keep a customer, serve a customer, have them 821 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:22,279 Speaker 2: come back. 822 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:24,320 Speaker 1: You're still doing it, like me, We're still doing it. 823 00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:27,280 Speaker 1: But what do you feel? Because I get quite annoyed 824 00:45:27,280 --> 00:45:29,080 Speaker 1: then when I see Paul Keating come up and say 825 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:31,760 Speaker 1: the people like you and me who are saying these things, 826 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,279 Speaker 1: or where the typical rich, older people who have a 827 00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 1: coming with his words but basically being and gorging ourselves 828 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:43,880 Speaker 1: on the luxury of all these various capital gains, tax discounts, 829 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:48,520 Speaker 1: et cetera. Like you come from nothing, and I've battled 830 00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:51,000 Speaker 1: every minute of every day and I'm still doing it 831 00:45:51,080 --> 00:45:53,640 Speaker 1: in my businesses. I mean, I've got thousands of people 832 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:55,799 Speaker 1: work for me, and I feel responsible for every one 833 00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:57,799 Speaker 1: of them, every one of them. 834 00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:00,480 Speaker 2: There's also no set and forget ever business. 835 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:00,600 Speaker 3: Now. 836 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,080 Speaker 2: You wake up one day, you thought you were going 837 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:04,560 Speaker 2: to know what your day was going to look like. 838 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:05,560 Speaker 2: Didn't look like that. 839 00:46:05,960 --> 00:46:06,840 Speaker 1: That's not what it's like. 840 00:46:07,480 --> 00:46:13,040 Speaker 2: And something can come from left field anywhere. I really 841 00:46:13,080 --> 00:46:18,120 Speaker 2: believe that if people could work in a small business, 842 00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:21,000 Speaker 2: I've one of my first jobs was in a dry cleaner. 843 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 2: It was Dennis Dry Cleaner and Campbellwell, Victoria, and they 844 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:29,160 Speaker 2: it was a fifty year old business. And you know, 845 00:46:29,239 --> 00:46:32,640 Speaker 2: if you want to understand, like I got such a 846 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:37,239 Speaker 2: lesson in life about just cleaning people's clothes, you know, 847 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:42,120 Speaker 2: And I think that that fundamental of just seeing how 848 00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:46,200 Speaker 2: the dollar transfers through an enterprise and a. 849 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:47,800 Speaker 1: Little that is left. 850 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:52,120 Speaker 2: So I just sit in our shoes from it, I 851 00:46:52,120 --> 00:46:53,640 Speaker 2: mean really sit in our shoes. 852 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:55,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, we don't actually have a meeting with us as 853 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:58,160 Speaker 1: should come out. That's the problem. The problem is that 854 00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:01,160 Speaker 1: politicians who are formulating all these sort of policies which 855 00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:07,160 Speaker 1: they probably think are really important ideologically, but they're making 856 00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:11,759 Speaker 1: decisions based on ideology which doesn't have any contact or 857 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:15,960 Speaker 1: any relevance to actually the reality. Reality is important. Party. 858 00:47:16,200 --> 00:47:21,719 Speaker 2: Well look, let me let me say they do it, 859 00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:25,759 Speaker 2: I believe with the best interests at heart, but I 860 00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:28,600 Speaker 2: don't think that they're fully informed. And back to my 861 00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:31,640 Speaker 2: first point, they're just doing too much too quickly. What 862 00:47:31,719 --> 00:47:35,440 Speaker 2: about change changing by a few percent instead of being 863 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:36,600 Speaker 2: so dramatic about it. 864 00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:38,680 Speaker 1: Maybe that's got something to do with the fact that 865 00:47:38,920 --> 00:47:41,080 Speaker 1: they don't want to go an election and do anything 866 00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:42,600 Speaker 1: else down the track was so they're going to get 867 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:44,759 Speaker 1: asked about these things, and maybe they're thinking there's enough 868 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:46,760 Speaker 1: time between here and the date of the next election 869 00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:49,759 Speaker 1: that these things might get forgotten about it, and that 870 00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:52,719 Speaker 1: we and it could be a miscalculation, but that we 871 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,200 Speaker 1: will forget about it. And I don't think it's got 872 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:58,640 Speaker 1: that old mate me either. I got one final question 873 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:03,920 Speaker 1: just slightly lighter. Slightly lighter, but you know, equally inspirational 874 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,600 Speaker 1: and motivational for people who are listening. If you look 875 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,920 Speaker 1: back at your career, what do you think, and it's 876 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:11,920 Speaker 1: probably hard to do. What is one of the greatest 877 00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:17,879 Speaker 1: milestones that you have ever encountered. So there are things 878 00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:21,120 Speaker 1: in life that just keep delivering. The more time goes on, 879 00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:24,640 Speaker 1: the more you appreciate them. Seventy five years of pen 880 00:48:24,719 --> 00:48:29,120 Speaker 1: files range, once tasted, never forgotten. Let's keep going. 881 00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:36,360 Speaker 2: Red Balloon early days, the millionth customer, Oh wow, just 882 00:48:36,840 --> 00:48:39,000 Speaker 2: you know, now we serve millions of customers a year. 883 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:42,720 Speaker 2: But when we got to that million milestone and people 884 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:46,400 Speaker 2: had heard of Red Balloon more than they hadn't, that 885 00:48:46,880 --> 00:48:49,160 Speaker 2: was amazing, like really amazing. 886 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:55,879 Speaker 1: Just that first million, Yeah, that would have been extremely satisfying. 887 00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:58,200 Speaker 2: It took ten years, ten years and now we do 888 00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:03,440 Speaker 2: that in like not months. But yeah, now the velocity 889 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:08,160 Speaker 2: is so wonderful and building that, but that was just 890 00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:11,239 Speaker 2: a milestone of my gosh, I think we're going to 891 00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:13,720 Speaker 2: make it. And I guess that's one of the things 892 00:49:15,200 --> 00:49:18,080 Speaker 2: we never really have. If you start your own show, 893 00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:20,600 Speaker 2: you remember your first customer. You remember when there was 894 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:24,680 Speaker 2: none custom no customers, and at any point somebody could 895 00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:26,880 Speaker 2: take the whole thing away, and we are always in 896 00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:27,400 Speaker 2: that fear. 897 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: Jerry Harvey Tom exactly the same thing. One day he 898 00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:34,040 Speaker 1: said to me that what he fears most is something 899 00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:36,440 Speaker 1: what's going to happen that he doesn't even know what's 900 00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:39,279 Speaker 1: going to happen. It could just take everything away, and 901 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:42,560 Speaker 1: someone as successful as he's been. And by the way, 902 00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:44,680 Speaker 1: I think the same way, because when you've come from nothing, 903 00:49:44,719 --> 00:49:46,719 Speaker 1: you always think something's going to happen, something's going to 904 00:49:46,719 --> 00:49:50,879 Speaker 1: come and take it all away. Wenami Simpson thinks you're 905 00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:54,040 Speaker 1: in the you're own the experiences business. But importantly, thanks 906 00:49:54,040 --> 00:49:59,160 Speaker 1: for sharing your personal experience without audience. It's been really good, 907 00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:00,080 Speaker 1: really great to catch up. 908 00:50:00,640 --> 00:50:02,239 Speaker 2: Great to see Thanks for having me. Mark