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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Mentor. I'm Mark Boris. Paul Grossman, Welcome

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Speaker 1: to Mentor. Mate.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Mark could be here.

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Speaker 1: One of my favorite brands. You're the CEO of R

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Speaker 1: O M. Williams. For me, it's boots and sometimes pants, trousers,

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Speaker 1: definitely waterproof jackets. Is ze Kubra had sort of included

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Speaker 1: in the Row Williams range.

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Speaker 2: It's a different it's a different brand. It's definitely in

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Speaker 2: our range. There's been a long partnership between the Cooper

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Speaker 2: and Ron Williams brands over the last ninety years.

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Speaker 1: So it was let's let's just go back a loose

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Speaker 1: So Ara Williams, what's a Standford?

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Speaker 2: By the way, Reginald Murray reg Regg as he's affectionately

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Speaker 2: known Reg Williams was our founder. It's actually amazing because

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Speaker 2: the brand is well known and iconic. But our founder himself,

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Speaker 2: who is even named after is I think if you

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Speaker 2: put him in a lineups, Australians wouldn't pick him up.

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't big him. So I was in a live anymore. No, no,

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Speaker 1: how long ago was this brand founder?

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Speaker 2: So he founded in nineteen thirty two.

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Speaker 1: So where the middle of the depression.

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Speaker 2: Middle of the depression. Yeah, and that was that was

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Speaker 2: part of the inspiration that he wanted to make boots

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Speaker 2: and leather goods that would stand the test of time

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Speaker 2: and the harsh climates of the Australian out back. And

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Speaker 2: that's how that was. That was the origins of the

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Speaker 2: of the brand.

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Speaker 1: Did he when you say he started as interesting? Was

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Speaker 1: Redge inspired or maybe motivated by the fact that people

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Speaker 1: can't afford to keep replacing stuff, and especially during the

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Speaker 1: Great Depression? Do you know that, just as a side issue,

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Speaker 1: the Great Depression of the nine to nineteen thirty five

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Speaker 1: was not the greatest depression we ever had. The great

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Speaker 1: depression we ever had was nineteen sorry, eighteen twenty one

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Speaker 1: to eighteen ninety six, so before there was a great

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Speaker 1: depression for them, with actually a lot worse globally. That depression,

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Speaker 1: and we called the great Great Depression should be going

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Speaker 1: to the grade two or something, the depression of it. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but the Great Depression in twenty nine anyway, and obviously

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Speaker 1: thirty two. I was getting sidetracked there, but I presume

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Speaker 1: maybe and you might know the story. If you do,

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Speaker 1: I love you to tell me. Is it because he thought, well,

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Speaker 1: people can't afford to keep replacing stuff. So what I'm

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Speaker 1: going to do is make something that's going to last

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Speaker 1: a long time.

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Speaker 2: Well, you're spot on, and part of what he constructed

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Speaker 2: was a boot that not only would last avery long time.

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Speaker 2: But most people don't know this. There's a targ on

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Speaker 2: our boots that has that those two yeah exactly, that

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Speaker 2: you pull them on and off with, and it's got

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Speaker 2: an address on it, five Percy Street. Yeah, and he

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Speaker 2: put that address on there. So one of the unique

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Speaker 2: things about our boots is they can be repaired. And

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Speaker 2: so once the owner of boots had sort of worn

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Speaker 2: through the souls, they'd send them out of the dress.

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Speaker 2: You prepare them and send them back.

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Speaker 1: As fire person through. It's good. What's the name of

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Speaker 1: the suburber?

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Speaker 2: Is a weird prospect?

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Speaker 1: Prospect? That's it? Is that prospect in New South Wales?

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Speaker 2: No, it's in Adelaide.

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Speaker 1: Okay, there must be another prospect. There's a second prospect.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, that's right.

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Speaker 1: So did they have post codes in those days, because

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Speaker 1: imagine if you said it to the wrong prospect, because

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Speaker 1: a prospect just outside of Sydney, it might ever got

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Speaker 1: your boots back.

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Speaker 2: I haven't heard of that issue happening, but.

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Speaker 1: It might be. It might be House of Paul with

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Speaker 1: tons of boots exactly back to nineteen thirty two. So

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Speaker 1: that's very clever.

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Speaker 2: Though. Wait, he was the innovator and at the heart

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Speaker 2: of it, he was all about personalized service, right.

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Speaker 1: So was he boot maker by a professional whatever you

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Speaker 1: call it.

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Speaker 2: He wasn't.

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Speaker 1: He was.

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Speaker 2: He was a tinker. It is probably the best way

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Speaker 2: to describe him. And there's lots of legends about how

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Speaker 2: the brand actually started, but the most reliable is that

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Speaker 2: it has its roots in the Nepabunna region in Finness

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Speaker 2: Rangers and he was working in a mission doing everything

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Speaker 2: from building mines and he came across a bloke called

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Speaker 2: Dollar Mick, who was actually a First Nations bloke, who

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Speaker 2: told him how to do some work with leather, and

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Speaker 2: together they build this boot out of one piece of leather.

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Speaker 2: And at the time they started constructing it in the mission,

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Speaker 2: and he was kicked out of the mission because he

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Speaker 2: was paying the aboriginals there at the fair wage and

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Speaker 2: they didn't like that.

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Speaker 1: The mission didn't.

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Speaker 2: The mission didn't, and so he moved down to Prospect,

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Speaker 2: which is where his parents lived and started up a

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Speaker 2: factory out of the back of their house.

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Speaker 1: But what was his deal like other than this adventure?

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Speaker 1: What was his deal? Was he like a miner or something, or.

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Speaker 2: He was a wanderer. He was a young bloke at

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Speaker 2: that point, so he was just going around trying to

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Speaker 2: earn a wage where he could. But then then he'd

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Speaker 2: just go off and go into bush for a while,

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Speaker 2: and he just he was an.

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Speaker 1: Explorer, like a dreamer. Sounds like exactly, Yeah, that's pretty cool.

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Speaker 1: That's a great story actually, And obviously not obviously, but

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Speaker 1: I presume then the very first thing that he produced

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Speaker 1: was a boot.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, he was the boot. The boot was the

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Speaker 2: heart of it. And but he always did a lot

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Speaker 2: of work with with leather, so it was boot belts

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Speaker 2: back in the day. He looked some of the some

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Speaker 2: of the original catalogs. They had a wide range of stuff, saddles,

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Speaker 2: but basically just loved leather work. He loved working with leather.

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Speaker 2: He's a beautiful platter of leather. And if you've ever

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Speaker 2: seen our we've got these kangaroo platted belts that we

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Speaker 2: still sell today that he was instrumental in making from

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Speaker 2: back in the day.

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Speaker 1: At a kangaroo then yeah, wow, yeah, that would have

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Speaker 1: been fairly innovative, like back at that time of ninety

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Speaker 1: thirty two, using kangaroo hide too, because you've got to

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Speaker 1: get you've got to tan the hide, you've got to

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Speaker 1: exactly catch the kangaroo skin it tan it.

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Speaker 2: It's right, it's right. And not many people realize this. Well,

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Speaker 2: kangaroo is one of the toughest and most lightweight leathers

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Speaker 2: there is. That's why a lot of the sports brand

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Speaker 2: use it on footy boots. Until recently, I didn't know. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: so it's an incredible leather, really really thin, really tough.

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Speaker 1: That's interesting. I guess that's an evolutionary advantage of the

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Speaker 1: kangaroo somehow, living in the back. What's funny about that,

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Speaker 1: you know, using our what is ours Australian materials for

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Speaker 1: Australian conditions. So Australia too was best naturally best coming

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Speaker 1: off back of the kangaroo. And I guess they're making

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Speaker 1: belts out of that and whips. And because belts boots,

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Speaker 1: you made whips too in those days.

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Speaker 2: We still do, don't sell as many of them these days.

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Speaker 2: They stockman whips, Stockman whips they take. There's there's actually

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Speaker 2: only two blokes in the company that can make them

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Speaker 2: because they take almost a full day. That's an incredible

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Speaker 2: amount of platting and work that goes into them. So

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Speaker 2: we don't see a lot of them. But but yeah,

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Speaker 2: they still made today.

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Speaker 1: Everybody should have a whip for whatever reason you want

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Speaker 1: to use it. But everyone should have a whip. I

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Speaker 1: mean I should get one of those whips and put

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Speaker 1: it up in my farmer. We have cattle, but you know,

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Speaker 1: no one is We're just dogs and stuff like that,

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Speaker 1: and you know we don't Yeah, no one rides horses.

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Speaker 1: Everybody's on a motorbike. But my guys that love to

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Speaker 1: look at something like that and they you know, it's

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Speaker 1: funny people not just in the cities, but maybe people

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Speaker 1: in cities are more so this way, but people at farms.

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Speaker 1: My guys are generational farmers, so they're born in farmers.

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Speaker 1: And there's a whole lot of brothers who all work

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Speaker 1: for me, and they are absolutely intrigued by these sorts

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Speaker 1: of stories about when it's Australianized, like it when it

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Speaker 1: has roots in Australian farming, and there are some special

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Speaker 1: things and I don't know Williams is about to me

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Speaker 1: anyway he's associated with that. It's not just there is fashion,

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Speaker 1: get that bit, and there is all the benefits of

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Speaker 1: wearing the stuff for the last long time. It's reasonably prized.

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Speaker 1: Blah blah blah. It's iconic and you know, we'll talk

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Speaker 1: a little bit later about the you know, the the

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Speaker 1: roots of the products and where it all comes from.

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Speaker 1: But there is the story that's behin and oram Williams

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Speaker 1: is the coolest part the experience of wearing something like

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Speaker 1: that that's has is that is associated with those origins.

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Speaker 2: Well, there's there's there's not a lot in our proud

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Speaker 2: nation that is like it. In terms of Gina would

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Speaker 2: argue with that, we're talking about talking about real products,

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Speaker 2: products that you're right resource with, materials that can stand

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Speaker 2: the test of time and the harsh Australian climates that

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Speaker 2: are made. There's something about Ossie innovation that isn't talked

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Speaker 2: about much. But it's a very resourceful, very practical, very

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Speaker 2: functional type of innovation that's not it's it's not as

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Speaker 2: it's not the type of innovation that you necessarily gravitate

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Speaker 2: to when you when you think about the big tech

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Speaker 2: companies and that sort of thing, but there is something

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Speaker 2: special about it.

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Speaker 1: There is tech involved, absolutely. There is craft, yeah, real craft.

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Speaker 1: That's very interesting. So do you have is there a

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Speaker 1: like a does Aaron Williams have in the head office

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Speaker 1: or one of their officers, like a little history wall

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Speaker 1: or a history room, photographs and all that sort of stuff.

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Speaker 2: If you if you go to five Percy Street and

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Speaker 2: prospect the right prospect, if you go there, there is

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Speaker 2: we still have that site. There's a store there. Above

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Speaker 2: the store is where the original workshop is and there's

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Speaker 2: a there's a museum at the back that shares some

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Speaker 2: of the stories from that journey.

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Speaker 1: So people are still working there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, people be surprised there are. We've got some beautiful

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Speaker 2: loyal fans that you know, when they're in Adelaide, they'll

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Speaker 2: they'll make the trip outs not far out of the city,

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Speaker 2: so they'll make the trip out there to have a

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Speaker 2: wander and have a look around.

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Speaker 1: I was going to say, is it on the jurist

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Speaker 1: map sort of thing so to speak, you know, not officially,

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Speaker 1: but you know what I mean, it is.

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Speaker 2: But it's something also that we are one of the

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Speaker 2: things we've been privileged without current owners the forest that

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Speaker 2: they are investing a lot. I'm very passionate about the

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Speaker 2: Australian made side of things and making sure that that

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Speaker 2: moves forward and not backwards, investing a lot. So it's

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Speaker 2: something that over the coming years we will lean into

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Speaker 2: and make it. I think more of a tourist more

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Speaker 2: of a tourist attraction. That's definitely on the list.

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Speaker 1: All the good news is for anybody listening to this,

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Speaker 1: I can vouch with this stuff. I'm not getting paid

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Speaker 1: by these guys, no commercial arrangers, with our own winners.

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Speaker 1: But I've been buying our own Williams boots, which I

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Speaker 1: wear in Sydney and at my farm. I don't wear

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Speaker 1: a belt. I do have a couple of iron Williams belts,

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Speaker 1: but I don't wear them very often. But I definitely

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Speaker 1: wear the boots. I wear the Swede boots here in

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Speaker 1: Sydney when i'm but I'm trying to dress up and

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Speaker 1: I'll wear them, probably inappropriately, but I'll wear them with

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Speaker 1: a suit because I don't give a shit. I quite

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Speaker 1: like the feeling when they're comfortable. As far as I'm concerned,

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Speaker 1: they look dressy. I often get told you you should

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Speaker 1: be wearing a pair of leather shoes, but I'd rather

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Speaker 1: wear those, and definitely my fam I'll wear them all.

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Speaker 1: My staff wear them up.

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Speaker 2: There too, So I'm sure. I'm sure our brand team

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Speaker 2: would a heartbeat like to use you as a use mark.

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Speaker 1: But I have commercially. You can put that up somewhere

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Speaker 1: when this goes to ED and you can put it

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Speaker 1: up if you're like, I don't care, because I actually

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Speaker 1: believe in the stuff. I really like the brand. I

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Speaker 1: do want to talk to you though, about years ago.

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Speaker 1: I remember many years ago. I don't know how long.

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Speaker 1: It feels like twenty years ago, maybe not. But Aaron

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Speaker 1: Williams was at a crossroad. It looked, I seem to recall,

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Speaker 1: and I haven't done any research on it. I seem

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Speaker 1: to recall it was sort of failing and going backwards.

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Speaker 1: And I don't even who owned it. I think for

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Speaker 1: some reason, I thought it was someone from out of

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Speaker 1: the Murdock camp was running.

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Speaker 2: I seem to recall. Yeah, so there was a period

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Speaker 2: where the late Ken Cally and that's what was Yeah. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: so the brands it's over its ninety three years, has

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Speaker 2: had many twists and turns, it's had at least five

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Speaker 2: different ownerships.

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Speaker 1: Really, and it's.

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Speaker 2: There's been some core things that have stayed and stuck

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Speaker 2: the test of time. But there through the various ownerships,

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Speaker 2: has taken I wouldn't say different directions, but they've tried

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Speaker 2: to extend it in different ways. And yeah, that that

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Speaker 2: period went through some tougher times and there's been a

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Speaker 2: couple of ownerships since. But yeah, it's certainly taken lots

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Speaker 2: of twists and turns over those ninety three years.

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Speaker 1: And would it be fair to say that Twiggy and

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Speaker 1: his wife bought it to save it? Like that sounds

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Speaker 1: a bit condescending, but was it more we can't leave

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Speaker 1: this in faile.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I.

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Speaker 1: Don't mean FAI would go backwards or go out of business,

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Speaker 1: I mean not grow and not stand the test of time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a good question. I wouldn't say that at

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Speaker 2: the time when when they bought it, it wasn't it

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Speaker 2: wasn't on the cusp. But failing it, it had subsequent

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Speaker 2: owners that one of the private equity arms of LVMH

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Speaker 2: had had a hint of only before that, before the forest,

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Speaker 2: But I would definitely say that that Andrew and Nicola

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Speaker 2: had bought it one to bring it back into Australian

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Speaker 2: hands because they are passionate and love the brand and

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Speaker 2: want to be forever custodians of a brand to ensure

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Speaker 2: that it does continue to stand the test of time

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Speaker 2: and and last another ninety three years.

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Speaker 1: So whit? Whit? What is it behind their passion for

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Speaker 1: these sorts of things? You know, like people go, yeah,

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Speaker 1: they're rich, you know Andrews and Nikola are they? You

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Speaker 1: know they could you know, they they could buy another

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Speaker 1: country if they wanted to, Like, so it really doesn't

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Speaker 1: matter to them. What is it about that really matters

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Speaker 1: to them? Why do you think that they've just sort

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Speaker 1: of leaned into the R and Williams brand to sort

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Speaker 1: of maintain it and build it.

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Speaker 2: It's a great question. Although I'm I can't speak on

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Speaker 2: behalf of Andrew Nicol, but what I can say is

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Speaker 2: what I see from them and how they're supporting me

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Speaker 2: and the brand directly. I know that they've obviously there's a.

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Speaker 1: Like.

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Speaker 2: How most Australians have a level of affinity of the

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Speaker 2: brand is because there are lots of Australian brands that

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Speaker 2: are on a global stage. Not many of them talk

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Speaker 2: about their australianness as a big part of who they are.

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Speaker 2: So they've grown up with a connection to the brand

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Speaker 2: that passionate about it. And there is a lot about

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Speaker 2: what R. M. Williams is about that is really important

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Speaker 2: to them in terms of it's onshore manufacturing and the

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Speaker 2: fact that we employ a large number of Australians to

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Speaker 2: make this brand what it is the fact that the

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Speaker 2: way we do things, the quality, the sustainability about the

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Speaker 2: products and what we do is really important to them.

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Speaker 2: So there are a lot of things that are aligned

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Speaker 2: with their values that I'm sure we're really important. When

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Speaker 2: they were thinking about well why is this brand important

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Speaker 2: to them? And how long you've been there now, I've

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Speaker 2: been there for coming up to four years.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so maybe give you a little bit of background

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Speaker 1: on yourself. So you have had a mixed bag, You've

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Speaker 1: been lots of different places, Nike, uh Nike Direct stores

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Speaker 1: for go to China, McKinzie obviously a you know, one

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Speaker 1: of those consultant guys who gets paid a lot of

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Speaker 1: money prose pro sport House as well, and it says

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Speaker 1: he Harris farm Markets. Can you give me a background.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I've I've had a maybe four stages to

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Speaker 2: my journey. One I I grew up in my family

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Speaker 2: business is Harris Farm Markets. My I grew up in

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Speaker 2: the Flemington markets, following my uncle around collecting receipts from

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Speaker 2: all the all the different growers, and.

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Speaker 1: I see them from the Harris farm family, Harris fan.

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Speaker 2: But I'm related to them, David and Kathy Harrott's and

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Speaker 2: my auntie and uncle. So I worked growing grew up

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Speaker 2: working in the stores during the holidays, stucking palettes of

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Speaker 2: mangos and so that was my original love of retail

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Speaker 2: started started there.

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Speaker 1: Of course, the Harrow's Farm business enterprise has been very successful.

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Speaker 2: It's it's the greatest fruit and ven you'll you will get,

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Speaker 2: and largely in New South Wales, but venturing into other

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Speaker 2: areas now too.

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Speaker 1: So you you've got a taste of retail as a

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Speaker 1: young man there. Yeah, and in wholesale probably the whole

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Speaker 1: whole chain. It was.

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Speaker 2: It was mostly mostly working in stores. I did some

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Speaker 2: work in the office, but yeah, there was there was

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Speaker 2: broad exposure, but there was something about that direct into

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Speaker 2: interaction with the customer, the messiness but also the liveliness

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Speaker 2: of the retail environment which is addictive but also frustrating

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Speaker 2: at times, but that's also addictive as well. The second

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Speaker 2: phase probably, Yeah, you're right. I went and did an

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Speaker 2: apprenticeship in consulting, so spent a big chunk of that

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Speaker 2: time with with company and most of that overseas. I've

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Speaker 2: done twenty years outside of Australia, big chunk of it

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Speaker 2: in China, time in the US, and that was really

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Speaker 2: helpful just in terms of understanding problem solving and communication

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Speaker 2: and structured thinking.

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Speaker 1: You might just explain an audience because some of the

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Speaker 1: audience don't know what McKinsey does, so just explain at

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Speaker 1: that level, the McKinsey level, consulting, consulting, you know, the

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Speaker 1: sorts of people who retain your skills and your time,

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Speaker 1: and the sorts of sorts of jobs. I don't mean

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Speaker 1: give me something specific, but like you see, problem solving

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Speaker 1: is sort of large problem solving.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So typically they've brought in to help management problems

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Speaker 2: a few organizations in government and governments, so that that

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Speaker 2: could be anything from strategic challenges operational challenges, but they're

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Speaker 2: typically things that are at the management level and stuff

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Speaker 2: that challenges that they're something to overcome or want an

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Speaker 2: outside perspective in terms of how how others are solving

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Speaker 2: and how to do it differently. So at a super

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Speaker 2: high level, that's that's largely why people engage companies like McKinsey.

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Speaker 1: And did you just do the same stuff with Peter Price?

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Speaker 1: Wordes quips similar similar? So you know, I just think

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Speaker 1: for context, because the context is and you come home

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Speaker 1: to our own Williams, but and you're you're sort of

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Speaker 1: employed by our own Williams. And then whether or not

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Speaker 1: they sought to get used specifically or someone like you specifically,

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Speaker 1: we can talk about that in a second, But the

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Speaker 1: context of that is that our own Williams obviously needed

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Speaker 1: to strategically work out where it stood, what it stood for,

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Speaker 1: and what people loved about it, and how can you

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Speaker 1: take it forward and protect it, look after it and

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Speaker 1: grow it. And that's a pretty typical thing, was what

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Speaker 1: a McKinsey guy or girl would do.

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Speaker 2: It's I I there are people that spend their life

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Speaker 2: at that organization and I've I've got great connections that

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Speaker 2: that still do.

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Speaker 1: For me.

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Speaker 2: I'm forever grateful for the time I had there was

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Speaker 2: an amazing apprenticeship and just understanding how organizations work at

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Speaker 2: the highest level, all different types of all different types exactly.

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Speaker 2: So it was it was a great it was a

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Speaker 2: great apprenticeship that that that stage of my my career journey.

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Speaker 2: The bit that I was I was yearning which took

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Speaker 2: me to the next stage was I went and worked

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Speaker 2: for a I think one of Austraight's greatest retailer is

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Speaker 2: a guy called Brett Brett Blundy and worked for him

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Speaker 2: literally out of his home for for many years.

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Speaker 1: Was beginning when he was doing bras and stuff like that,

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Speaker 1: but it was.

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Speaker 2: It was at that stage where he was in Diva

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Speaker 2: Diva and Lavisa and and Dairs and Dusk and a

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Speaker 2: bunch of retail retail property. And his pitch, his pitch

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Speaker 2: to me was that I could help him on the

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Speaker 2: strategic stuff and he can help me become an operator.

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Speaker 2: And there's a big difference, a big difference, a big difference,

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Speaker 2: and it's important that I think you're able to understand

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Speaker 2: and learn how to do both. And Brett is an

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Speaker 2: incredible operator and I learned a time from my time

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Speaker 2: my time with him.

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Speaker 1: Maybe give us a bit of an example. So because

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Speaker 1: I just want to again context but strategic is what

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Speaker 1: you're you're building expertise, are expertise up in strategic stuff

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Speaker 1: working at PWN or McKinsey. But then what you're talking

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Speaker 1: about in relation to bread operational stuff is like on

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Speaker 1: the tools, not literally, but like the tools of the business.

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Speaker 1: There's a big difference. I mean, you can be coming

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Speaker 1: in from a helicopter sort of looking down on everybody

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Speaker 1: and saying at the McKinsey's yes, you know, we looked

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Speaker 1: at this, and we looked that over there in another

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Speaker 1: country or another industry, and these are the sort of

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Speaker 1: strategies we saw worked out of there, and we're going

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Speaker 1: to employ some of those with you after we've done

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Speaker 1: a sort of a complete ordered on your business as

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Speaker 1: to how it works, et cetera. But then someone like

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Speaker 1: Brett Blunde is about getting shit done.

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Speaker 2: Like in terms of being on the tools. Some of

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Speaker 2: the starkest memories at like ten thirty pm on Christmas

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Speaker 2: Eve side by side with Brett putting jewelry on prongs

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Speaker 2: to set up for the boxing day sale on for

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Speaker 2: the obviously day after Christmas. But there is a whole

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Speaker 2: bunch of just leadership operational learnings that just came from

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Speaker 2: what it's like to be an operator on the tools.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a good word you used to leadership. Leadership

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Speaker 1: is about doing stuff or being seen as doing stuff

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Speaker 1: and doing stuff. Maybe you could just give me a

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Speaker 1: what are some of the characteristics of someone like Brett

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Speaker 1: Blundy that maybe you're borrowed because none of these things

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Speaker 1: are original, that will borrowed from everybody, from somebody else

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Speaker 1: prior to that. What are there some of the leadership

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Speaker 1: characteristics that you think you've borrowed from Brett that you

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Speaker 1: now employees, say, in any of the business you've been

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Speaker 1: involved with, but particularly in this business here our own Williams.

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Speaker 2: The first one that comes to my mark is and

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Speaker 2: I don't know if I've borrow effectively, but I certainly

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Speaker 2: aspired to borrow it. His Brett has, like I've never seen,

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Speaker 2: an extraordinary ability to take emotion out of a lot

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Speaker 2: of decision making. And what I mean by that is

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Speaker 2: a problem would come his way, and when you're in

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Speaker 2: those operating roles, make problems constantly come your way all

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Speaker 2: day put up and his ability to just sort of

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Speaker 2: remain completely composed and make the right decision in that

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Speaker 2: situation is quite unique. Most people get flustered, they get frustrated,

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Speaker 2: they get angry. But he's got an extraordinary ability to

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Speaker 2: do that. And so it was a real turning point

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Speaker 2: in my career to realize. Actually it was actually a

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Speaker 2: performance review that I had with Brett. He got me

437
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,160
Speaker 2: when we do our performance reviews, he'd make me send

438
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,399
Speaker 2: him a two page letter on my reflections from the year,

439
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:53,480
Speaker 2: and he'd read it and he'd come back to me

440
00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,359
Speaker 2: and he said, the first thing I've picked up on

441
00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,040
Speaker 2: you is you've got worry. All the way through the

442
00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:01,000
Speaker 2: two pages, he goes, mate, you're a worry You've got

443
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,000
Speaker 2: to stop worrying as not a warrior, but a warrior,

444
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:09,560
Speaker 2: as in you worry about stuff. And I realized, Jesus

445
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,920
Speaker 2: is buddy right. And so it's taken me on a

446
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,480
Speaker 2: journey which i'm still wrestling with today, that you have

447
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,399
Speaker 2: moments in your day to day where you realize you're

448
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,879
Speaker 2: being triggered by something and it's it's taking you off

449
00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,080
Speaker 2: course and it's making you think about the wrong things.

450
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,520
Speaker 1: As in ruminating on something. Yeah, you mean, like this

451
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,520
Speaker 1: thing is not working and I'm going to let it

452
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:32,320
Speaker 1: affect everything else.

453
00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:37,000
Speaker 2: Let's less ruminating more having a negative emotional reaction to something,

454
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:39,639
Speaker 2: so then you just make bad decisions when you're not

455
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,560
Speaker 2: in the right frame of mind. So me, it was

456
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,480
Speaker 2: that was just a real It was an inspiring leadership

457
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,320
Speaker 2: trait and definitely one that I've tried to adopt into.

458
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,000
Speaker 2: It doesn't matter whether it's business or life. You know,

459
00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:55,680
Speaker 2: it's the same when you're hanging out with your kids

460
00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:57,919
Speaker 2: as it is with your day.

461
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 1: How do you do that? So how do you take

462
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,040
Speaker 1: Let's look at someone who's got a small business. They're

463
00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,359
Speaker 1: on there, they're on the on our own. I feel

464
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,080
Speaker 1: like Reg Williams would have been like nine thirty two

465
00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:14,440
Speaker 1: and I don't know. There's the leather suppli has been

466
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,439
Speaker 1: halted for some reason. You know, the horse and carriage

467
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,760
Speaker 1: that was bringing the leather is a broken wheel and

468
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:21,119
Speaker 1: can't get to there in time. But you've got a

469
00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,359
Speaker 1: whole lot of miners in there waiting for to get

470
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:27,800
Speaker 1: their boots. How do you take how do you take

471
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:29,600
Speaker 1: the emotion out of it?

472
00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,720
Speaker 2: So if we take if we take that example, my

473
00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,879
Speaker 2: initial reaction would have been get onto that phone of

474
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,640
Speaker 2: that bloke and say mate, like, if we don't, we've

475
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,520
Speaker 2: got fartherest day around the corner. If we don't get

476
00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:42,879
Speaker 2: that stuff, it's going to we're going to have a

477
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:45,440
Speaker 2: negative impact and you just get angry.

478
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,520
Speaker 1: And brand's gonna be efected exactly, and just you go.

479
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,240
Speaker 2: At him or her until you get the outcome that

480
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:56,600
Speaker 2: you want. Whereas if you can take that emotion out,

481
00:24:57,560 --> 00:24:59,320
Speaker 2: it's not that you don't have to directly deal with

482
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:00,560
Speaker 2: that that problem.

483
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:01,440
Speaker 1: You still have to deal with it.

484
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,879
Speaker 2: You still have to deal with the problem, but the

485
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,560
Speaker 2: likely outcome if you're not dealing it from that aggressive

486
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:10,240
Speaker 2: emotional reaction is probably a far better one one that

487
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,600
Speaker 2: you can solve collaboratively. Now it doesn't mean you have to,

488
00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,399
Speaker 2: you know, go hard from time to time, but but

489
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,800
Speaker 2: but just generally being more composed, you'll get a better

490
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,600
Speaker 2: outcome in that situation for both parties.

491
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,960
Speaker 1: Do you think it's because worry and emotion becomes infectious.

492
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,080
Speaker 1: So you're you're dealing with so your next report, the

493
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:36,920
Speaker 1: person you're dealing with, who's responsible for the supply chain

494
00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:41,040
Speaker 1: in your organization. If you then load hole of emotion

495
00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,920
Speaker 1: on that individual, that individual then sort of loads it

496
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:45,800
Speaker 1: on to the next person and it just keeps going down.

497
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,480
Speaker 2: That's so true. It's a it's a snowball and it'll

498
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,360
Speaker 2: just keep gaining momentum, and it just culturally, it's it's

499
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,639
Speaker 2: it's unhealthy. It's why it's so important as leaders that

500
00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,600
Speaker 2: this doesn't seem like a big it's not something that

501
00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:03,200
Speaker 2: is aadership trait we talk about very much. But I

502
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,760
Speaker 2: just realized the significance of you know, when Brett those

503
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,000
Speaker 2: examples would set the tone, it would set the example

504
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:11,040
Speaker 2: throughout the organization.

505
00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:13,760
Speaker 1: And how important is it do you think in being

506
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,520
Speaker 1: a leader in an organization as you are, how important

507
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:22,640
Speaker 1: is it for you to demonstrate resilience and what is resilience?

508
00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,119
Speaker 1: Because I get to be confused about would resilience sometimes

509
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,320
Speaker 1: I think it means lots of different things, but yeah,

510
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,639
Speaker 1: what do you think about that, like demonstrating resilience and

511
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:33,400
Speaker 1: actually having resilience at the same time.

512
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,000
Speaker 2: But I think resilience is showing up. That's what resilience

513
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:42,080
Speaker 2: is for me and we all in our day to

514
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:46,199
Speaker 2: day lives, be it at work or at home, there

515
00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:50,680
Speaker 2: are always things that come away. And for me, it's

516
00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:53,800
Speaker 2: probably more than just showing up one it's just showing

517
00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:55,879
Speaker 2: up being fund and sent up, but showing up in

518
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,960
Speaker 2: a as positive way as you can. You know, there

519
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,720
Speaker 2: are those that once they take a couple of hits,

520
00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:05,480
Speaker 2: they walk around like they've got the weight of the shoulders,

521
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:08,240
Speaker 2: the weight of the world on their shoulders, and that

522
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:11,560
Speaker 2: in the example you gave before, is also like compounds

523
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,600
Speaker 2: throughout the organization because they see that, they say, oh,

524
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,920
Speaker 2: the boss has got the weight to the world and

525
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:17,520
Speaker 2: the shoulders.

526
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:18,639
Speaker 1: It's really stressed.

527
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,480
Speaker 2: It's really stressed. We're in a really stressful period and

528
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,440
Speaker 2: things are not good. Versus being able to, you know,

529
00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:29,800
Speaker 2: whether the storm. It's not always just having the rose

530
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,680
Speaker 2: colored glasses on, but just being able to work through

531
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:35,399
Speaker 2: your problems they as they arise.

532
00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,440
Speaker 1: And is it acting though or is it actual different mindset?

533
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,760
Speaker 1: Like you can put yourself in that mindset, like you

534
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,840
Speaker 1: sort of step back from yourself and then reclose yourself

535
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,200
Speaker 1: and get into a mindset like so therefore it becomes

536
00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:49,000
Speaker 1: real as opposed to acting or performance.

537
00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:52,320
Speaker 2: I'm not professing to be an expert here, mate, but

538
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:56,720
Speaker 2: I certainly do the best I can from me. I

539
00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,080
Speaker 2: don't think it's I don't think it's acting. I think

540
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:01,960
Speaker 2: the important part and the bit that I'm learning is

541
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,440
Speaker 2: it's just about being yourself, but being yourself in your

542
00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,639
Speaker 2: best self. And if you're trying to pretend to be

543
00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:12,920
Speaker 2: someone else and you're trying to be like overly positive

544
00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:16,920
Speaker 2: team just seek through it and it's almost worse. But

545
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 2: if they can see you being honest about oh this

546
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:24,920
Speaker 2: happened and it really threw me. But you know what,

547
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:28,639
Speaker 2: this is how I'm thinking about it, That's what I

548
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,160
Speaker 2: think resonates and is setting a good example.

549
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:37,560
Speaker 1: And in those cases, Paul is it is the leadership

550
00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:42,000
Speaker 1: about being collaborative in other words, say or is it

551
00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:45,840
Speaker 1: about being not dominant but actually being decisive? In other words,

552
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:51,720
Speaker 1: problem I reckon, you solve it? Or what's your style

553
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,280
Speaker 1: or problem let's all get together and put up a

554
00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,480
Speaker 1: whiteboard or whatever. We'll just work out a solution together.

555
00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:58,560
Speaker 1: What's your style?

556
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,080
Speaker 2: That's interesting? This is this is something that's like a

557
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:06,800
Speaker 2: live challenge that we're grappling with it with the leadership

558
00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:11,560
Speaker 2: at Aaron Williams at the moment. And collaboration is critical

559
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:17,200
Speaker 2: because you know, we're not we're not building rocket ships.

560
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,560
Speaker 2: We're making boots, albeit the best boots in the world,

561
00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,400
Speaker 2: but we are to get those to market. It takes

562
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:28,760
Speaker 2: collaboration across multiple functions. But for me, collaboration is not

563
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:32,320
Speaker 2: about holding hands and everyone just supporting. There is a

564
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,600
Speaker 2: part of collaboration which is about really being really clear

565
00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:40,240
Speaker 2: on who's accountable, whose owner, and if you're not living

566
00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:43,240
Speaker 2: up to your part of the collaboration in the journey,

567
00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:45,320
Speaker 2: you've got to be held to account. And so there's

568
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:49,960
Speaker 2: a there's a really fine balance between making sure that

569
00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:54,080
Speaker 2: we are collaborating and communicating, but we're also holding each

570
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,200
Speaker 2: other to account to achieve the outcome that we need

571
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:56,640
Speaker 2: to achieve.

572
00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:58,920
Speaker 1: If you go back to ninety thirty two, old redg

573
00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,479
Speaker 1: would have been if you looked, if you can get

574
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:04,360
Speaker 1: him to look forward into twenty twenty five, he'd be going,

575
00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,320
Speaker 1: oh my god, like I can't believe everybody's so sensitive,

576
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: because it would have been an imagine. It would have

577
00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,960
Speaker 1: been a pretty gruff environment in those days in prospecting,

578
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,800
Speaker 1: just outside of Adelaide, making boots for whoever you are

579
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,520
Speaker 1: making boods for, and it would have been just a

580
00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:26,200
Speaker 1: matter of shit, let's just get this thing done or

581
00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:30,440
Speaker 1: worry about however it feels later. But today, how do

582
00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:33,920
Speaker 1: you you're a young man, but relatively speaking, I'm talking

583
00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:41,480
Speaker 1: about how do you balance up people with different generations,

584
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:45,160
Speaker 1: their expectations of how you should be as a leader

585
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,440
Speaker 1: with how you might have been brought up yourself as leader,

586
00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,200
Speaker 1: because I can imagine working in the mckinseyes of the

587
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,000
Speaker 1: world and getting caught into who whever, some firm which

588
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,080
Speaker 1: which is a big organization dealing with the sea, and

589
00:30:57,560 --> 00:30:59,320
Speaker 1: especially I it was banks and stuff. But back in

590
00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:01,840
Speaker 1: the day, they just said, listen, I know, I'm going

591
00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,880
Speaker 1: to pay you a cup lot of money. You better

592
00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,240
Speaker 1: you the consultant, better bloody give me the answers I'm

593
00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:11,880
Speaker 1: looking for. And there was no you know, no one

594
00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,280
Speaker 1: was worried about their p's and q's. You got brought

595
00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:17,080
Speaker 1: up in a different environment. And by the way, even

596
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:21,240
Speaker 1: tweeting that like their miners, like he might be different

597
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:23,000
Speaker 1: today to what he wrought, it would have been. I

598
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,760
Speaker 1: know Andrew, and I remember what he was like. You know,

599
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:29,120
Speaker 1: back in the eighties when I was at a certa

600
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,200
Speaker 1: law firm, we sort of work for these organizations and

601
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,600
Speaker 1: it was people were sort of and he was West

602
00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:38,960
Speaker 1: Australian too, at least in Sydney a little bit more.

603
00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:42,720
Speaker 1: Westra was different to Sydney. Put it that way, I

604
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:44,400
Speaker 1: still love the West Trains. Actually lived over there for

605
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,640
Speaker 1: a while. We did a lot of work for Alan

606
00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:49,680
Speaker 1: Bond in those days and a lot of other guys Westralia.

607
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,520
Speaker 1: I lived there for years because you know, I was

608
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 1: doing a case. I went over to the case literally

609
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,200
Speaker 1: for one week, and I was saying for three years.

610
00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:00,880
Speaker 1: The case took that long, and we get a whole

611
00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:02,920
Speaker 1: lot of new clients as well. And one of the

612
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,440
Speaker 1: things I did notice is that where strains were fairly straightforward,

613
00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:10,239
Speaker 1: straight to the point, did stuff around. I wouldn't call

614
00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:12,360
Speaker 1: them insensity, but it could have been interpreted that way.

615
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:14,280
Speaker 1: I was probably a bit of the way that the

616
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,440
Speaker 1: same myself. How do you balance that up that being

617
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:20,360
Speaker 1: brought up in that and being a leader today.

618
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,200
Speaker 2: That's a great question. And again I think one of

619
00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:26,840
Speaker 2: one of the biggest things I've learned in leadership is that,

620
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,320
Speaker 2: like people often ask that question, the leader is born

621
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,360
Speaker 2: or they made. And I'm a firmer leader that leadership

622
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,040
Speaker 2: like all things, as a craft. And I go home

623
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,080
Speaker 2: at night sometimes I think, geez, I really screwed up

624
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:41,480
Speaker 2: with that. But it's okay because I wake up the

625
00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:44,400
Speaker 2: next day and you go at it again. I'll sort

626
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:48,160
Speaker 2: of tomorrow, and so Mate, I firmly believe that, first

627
00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:50,080
Speaker 2: and foremost, it's a craft, and you get some stuff

628
00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:54,960
Speaker 2: wrong and you apologize and you move on. So I

629
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,680
Speaker 2: don't think that there is also one size that fits

630
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:02,360
Speaker 2: all as it relates to leading teams organizations. There are

631
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:05,959
Speaker 2: moments where you have to be tougher, there are moments

632
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:10,200
Speaker 2: that you have to be more supportive, and that varies

633
00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,920
Speaker 2: also in terms of the individual that you're dealing with.

634
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:17,640
Speaker 2: So I don't think there's one size fits all. But

635
00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:19,160
Speaker 2: the one thing that I will come back to what

636
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:24,960
Speaker 2: I said before is as long as you're transparent, you're honest,

637
00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:30,400
Speaker 2: and you are clear on why you are either making

638
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,560
Speaker 2: a certain decision giving certain direction, then I think that

639
00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:39,160
Speaker 2: tends to resonate across multiple generations, irrespective of what their

640
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,760
Speaker 2: background is and what they've grown up doing.

641
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,040
Speaker 1: I've had to learn to become more of a listener

642
00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,520
Speaker 1: than at teller. I just know that for myself, I

643
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,040
Speaker 1: have to be prepared to listen instead of just jumping

644
00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:55,920
Speaker 1: in and telling, and I have to be more of

645
00:33:55,960 --> 00:34:00,080
Speaker 1: an asker as opposed to an answer a question. What

646
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:02,880
Speaker 1: blah blah blah, I suppose before I just the old days.

647
00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:04,080
Speaker 1: I'd walk in and say, with this what we're doing,

648
00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:08,520
Speaker 1: but go do it. Just give people tasks. It's I

649
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,279
Speaker 1: grew up in a environment, in a LAWPHM where like

650
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:14,200
Speaker 1: the senior partner if you didn't like in the eighties,

651
00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:16,120
Speaker 1: I used to wear a Paisley tie, which is I

652
00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,240
Speaker 1: consider it was pretty cool. I was adding my twenties,

653
00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,600
Speaker 1: late twenties. He pulled me up and he said, why

654
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:22,960
Speaker 1: are you wearing that tie? You should be wearing a

655
00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:26,680
Speaker 1: stripe type because our clients won't think you were determined

656
00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:33,360
Speaker 1: as a as a professional person. They'll think you're He

657
00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:38,600
Speaker 1: used the word fruity wearing a Paisley tie, and I

658
00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:40,520
Speaker 1: got a shock. Like I was in my twenties, he

659
00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:42,560
Speaker 1: was in there. He would have been his mid to

660
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:46,920
Speaker 1: late forties. Yeah, so that was and people didn't give

661
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,480
Speaker 1: a damn how you felt. He certainly didn't because it

662
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,480
Speaker 1: was his business and he wanted to run it as

663
00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:54,600
Speaker 1: tight as he could, and he knew his clients better

664
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:58,280
Speaker 1: than anybody. It's just very interesting how the world's changed

665
00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,480
Speaker 1: and leadership itself has changed is quite significantly. And obviously

666
00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,040
Speaker 1: the Aaron Williams brand, whilst it was set up by

667
00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:05,800
Speaker 1: Reggie Williams at ninety ft to two, which was a

668
00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:08,480
Speaker 1: different totally different new to what we are now. It's

669
00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:12,239
Speaker 1: still the same brand, but with leadership that's appropriate.

670
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:15,000
Speaker 2: We'd like to think. So we'd like to think so.

671
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:16,600
Speaker 2: One of the things that as you were saying that

672
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:22,319
Speaker 2: during my time with Nike, and this might have been

673
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:23,759
Speaker 2: part of the time that I was there too, but

674
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:26,360
Speaker 2: there was a lot of talk about servant leadership and

675
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:32,000
Speaker 2: the whole thing that's underlying that leadership philosophy is that

676
00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:36,080
Speaker 2: leaders are meant to be in the background. You meant

677
00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:39,560
Speaker 2: to be there in listening, in support of others, and

678
00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:41,960
Speaker 2: it's not about and there's something there's something about that

679
00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:44,720
Speaker 2: that I think we come back to how we started

680
00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:48,120
Speaker 2: this conversation with Reg Williams. Most Australians know who Aaron

681
00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,880
Speaker 2: Williams is. Very few could pick him out of a lineup,

682
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:55,000
Speaker 2: and Reg applied though. He was a great listener, he

683
00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:58,279
Speaker 2: was a great supporter, he was a great enabler. He's

684
00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:00,480
Speaker 2: sort of it's almost that leadership that leads from behind

685
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:05,080
Speaker 2: in some ways, and so that is definitely part of

686
00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,120
Speaker 2: I think the DNA of the brand and what we

687
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,520
Speaker 2: are still trying to achieve today. I certainly don't engage

688
00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:14,680
Speaker 2: in doing things like we're doing right here today.

689
00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,319
Speaker 1: Mark Very often it's definitely work in progress for these things.

690
00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,239
Speaker 1: And a great thing about is you're prepared to learn

691
00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:22,360
Speaker 1: as you go to that that's pretty important. Good. I

692
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:24,759
Speaker 1: just talk about how many stores you've got Astraina now

693
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:29,560
Speaker 1: fifty five stores? Do you cover every state every week.

694
00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:35,520
Speaker 2: Cover every trading and globally so we are New Zealand

695
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:37,120
Speaker 2: and the UK.

696
00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:37,920
Speaker 1: So we.

697
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:44,640
Speaker 2: Since so I started shortly after the Forest took over

698
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:50,040
Speaker 2: the brand, and at that time we were really struggling

699
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 2: to fulfill demand in Australia and it's been a journey

700
00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:56,200
Speaker 2: of really investing in ramping up what's been done in

701
00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:58,880
Speaker 2: South Australia to the point where it's only really been

702
00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,360
Speaker 2: the last nine months that we're making a concerted push

703
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:04,840
Speaker 2: into the UK and sort of have more global ambitions.

704
00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:08,719
Speaker 1: Because you couldn't you couldn't satisfy the supply chain in

705
00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:11,680
Speaker 1: relation to any demand. Yes you are, in other words,

706
00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,239
Speaker 1: if someone wants to buy the boots, so that you've

707
00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:15,200
Speaker 1: got to be able to deliver the exactly and therefore

708
00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:16,880
Speaker 1: you've got to get it made exactly. So if I

709
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:19,160
Speaker 1: go back on the supply chain side, in terms of

710
00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:23,480
Speaker 1: inputs into for example, boot or belts.

711
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:25,560
Speaker 2: Leather, leather is the biggest.

712
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,160
Speaker 1: I don't know what else. What's the bottom made of leather?

713
00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:30,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, so different types of let's say some of the

714
00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:34,200
Speaker 2: components that we've got to go into a boot. You've

715
00:37:34,239 --> 00:37:37,400
Speaker 2: got your leather uppers, you've got the elastic, you've got

716
00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,840
Speaker 2: the tugs which make out a nylon. You've got some

717
00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,120
Speaker 2: of the rubber in the heel, You've got wax, and

718
00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,880
Speaker 2: you've got cork which is used for some of the

719
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:49,920
Speaker 2: cushioning that makes the boots so comfortable, stitching and the stitching.

720
00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:54,560
Speaker 1: So the raw materials are you still proudly able to

721
00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:56,560
Speaker 1: say that they're Australian source.

722
00:37:58,440 --> 00:37:59,840
Speaker 2: Some of it is, not all of it is, but

723
00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:03,840
Speaker 2: that it never actually has been. So one of the

724
00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:08,840
Speaker 2: things that reg was amazing at doing was he broadly

725
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,840
Speaker 2: made it in Australia, but he was unashavably going and

726
00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:14,279
Speaker 2: sourcing the best materials from around the world. So you

727
00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:17,759
Speaker 2: reference the wax jacket before. He was getting that from

728
00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:20,560
Speaker 2: the UK back in the day, because that's where the

729
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:25,400
Speaker 2: best was coming from. So he was very resourceful in

730
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 2: terms of just choosing the best leathers, and we do

731
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,799
Speaker 2: the same today. So we do have leathers that come

732
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:34,520
Speaker 2: we have heritage tanneries in the UK. We get we

733
00:38:34,719 --> 00:38:37,320
Speaker 2: get a lot of our supply from from from Australia

734
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,000
Speaker 2: and we get a lot from New Zealand. So it's

735
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,040
Speaker 2: for us what's most important is making sure we've got

736
00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:45,279
Speaker 2: the right components and then we're building them the right way.

737
00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:51,319
Speaker 1: And in terms of and this is an Australia thing there,

738
00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,880
Speaker 1: but the slavery actor, do you sort of ensure that

739
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,800
Speaker 1: these things are not sourced from that?

740
00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:01,320
Speaker 2: We lean him very heavily leave And so there is

741
00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:07,040
Speaker 2: I'm not sure how far down it goes, but most

742
00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:10,200
Speaker 2: organizations over a certain side have to complete a public

743
00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:13,320
Speaker 2: statement called the Modern State Modern Slavery Statement.

744
00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:15,200
Speaker 1: We do it in our own firm too, so yeah,

745
00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:15,719
Speaker 1: you have to do it.

746
00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:21,320
Speaker 2: And this statement is really about making sure that we

747
00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:27,200
Speaker 2: as a brand are accountable for the boots that we produce.

748
00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:28,799
Speaker 2: We need to make sure that we know that if

749
00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:33,560
Speaker 2: we are sourcing materials or components anywhere in the world,

750
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:35,080
Speaker 2: that we know where it's coming from.

751
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,439
Speaker 1: Some twelve year old kid in slave labor exactly learning

752
00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:43,040
Speaker 1: you know, one ring at an hour or something for

753
00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:45,680
Speaker 1: doing the work. That's sort of what we thok about.

754
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:48,120
Speaker 2: It's exactly. It's exactly that it's got to do with

755
00:39:49,719 --> 00:39:51,839
Speaker 2: making sure we first of all we know exactly where

756
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 2: it's coming, we have transparency over our supply chain, and

757
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:59,120
Speaker 2: then we know that, Yeah, the conditions in those partners

758
00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:05,640
Speaker 2: that we are working with, we're proud to work.

759
00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:09,239
Speaker 1: With and they stand by Australian standards, by Australian standard, Yeah, yeah,

760
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:12,360
Speaker 1: and it's fair at the end of the day. Exactly,

761
00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,440
Speaker 1: it's fair and I think for me that's really important

762
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:19,520
Speaker 1: to know that. And so but you're still you might

763
00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,640
Speaker 1: source some of the inputs, but is it still put

764
00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:23,919
Speaker 1: it together? Made? Would have been cooled.

765
00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:26,600
Speaker 2: It goes through it goes through eighty pairs of hands

766
00:40:26,719 --> 00:40:33,839
Speaker 2: in Salisbury and South Australia. And we've actually just restarted

767
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:38,239
Speaker 2: tours of the workshops. If anyone's interested in actually going

768
00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:41,680
Speaker 2: and seeing how boot gets made, you welcome together. Is

769
00:40:41,719 --> 00:40:44,360
Speaker 2: it on your Websits on our website, a video or

770
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:46,960
Speaker 2: something like that. Yeah, there's I mean, we've got various

771
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,680
Speaker 2: videos up that show that the process. But there's nothing

772
00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:51,520
Speaker 2: like actually going and seeing it because it's not just

773
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,839
Speaker 2: the construction process. But we've got such an incredible team

774
00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:59,520
Speaker 2: down there that are so proud of showing off that

775
00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,479
Speaker 2: beautiful craft and so they genuinely love it when people

776
00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:06,040
Speaker 2: come and visit and engage. And it's pretty unique because

777
00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:08,680
Speaker 2: you can actually just genuinely walk the lines and obviously

778
00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:10,480
Speaker 2: with someone you can't just randomly walk in there, but

779
00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:14,239
Speaker 2: but you can see see how it's made, what's going on.

780
00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:18,200
Speaker 2: So we pride ourselves and this has been you know,

781
00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:20,640
Speaker 2: also a part of the DNA of the brand and

782
00:41:20,719 --> 00:41:24,600
Speaker 2: being a very transparent, very transparent brand. And so yeah,

783
00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:26,760
Speaker 2: that all happens in Salisbury and South Australia.

784
00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,640
Speaker 1: That's cool. And how many skews would you guys have.

785
00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:31,400
Speaker 2: That that?

786
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,239
Speaker 1: You know, in other words product lines, Oh you're testing me.

787
00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:39,280
Speaker 1: We're just took about boots and you know belts.

788
00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:42,440
Speaker 2: At the moment, it's it's it's it's it's thousands when

789
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:44,920
Speaker 2: it accumulates over over seasons between boots where we do

790
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,400
Speaker 2: everything from boots, belts, other leather goods apparel.

791
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,439
Speaker 1: So we've got pants, t shirts.

792
00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:53,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got a we've got a wide range and

793
00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:58,880
Speaker 2: a big chunk of it is uh what we described

794
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:01,640
Speaker 2: as core like things that have stood the test of time.

795
00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:05,480
Speaker 2: And then we continue to innovate through seasonal iterations and

796
00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:07,560
Speaker 2: just trying to there's a big push at the moment

797
00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:11,200
Speaker 2: to just try and elevate the quality of the full

798
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:14,840
Speaker 2: product offering, so apparel, other types of other goods, bags,

799
00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:16,960
Speaker 2: that sort of thing back to what we think is

800
00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:21,400
Speaker 2: taking it forward but honoring the past. That's sort of

801
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:24,800
Speaker 2: the tightrope that we're trying to balance.

802
00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:26,760
Speaker 1: Many years ago, I had a business in India. Background,

803
00:42:26,760 --> 00:42:29,080
Speaker 1: I had a business in India and ice other every

804
00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:31,680
Speaker 1: four or five weeks and it's been a week there.

805
00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:35,839
Speaker 1: This is a pre GFC and all the stuff are

806
00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:38,439
Speaker 1: Indian and we had like six hundred staff there or something.

807
00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:45,640
Speaker 1: And my senior guy there for shall panded his name

808
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,160
Speaker 1: for shell pandit was a Sikh, like a tour guy

809
00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:53,640
Speaker 1: over the turbinal, a highly religious guy. But you know,

810
00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:57,279
Speaker 1: he ran the whole business for us, and I wanted

811
00:42:57,280 --> 00:42:58,880
Speaker 1: to buy him something astrain, so I brought him a

812
00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:01,239
Speaker 1: fan of what so shoesy as from one of the

813
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:03,239
Speaker 1: stuff they told me to socials, And when I went

814
00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:05,920
Speaker 1: over there, I bought him some pair of iron Williams.

815
00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:09,560
Speaker 1: Actually got a pair of black ones made black because

816
00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:13,200
Speaker 1: I like the black h what do you call it?

817
00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:18,719
Speaker 1: Not black? Yeah, so don't pair of black swaye one

818
00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,480
Speaker 1: same as mine? Because he was looking at mine once

819
00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:24,359
Speaker 1: and he said they had nice boots, mister Mark were

820
00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:27,120
Speaker 1: in nice boots. And so I bought him pair his size,

821
00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:31,680
Speaker 1: and I gave him to him, and somehow he knew

822
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:35,360
Speaker 1: that the boots that I was wearing were Aaron Williams.

823
00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:37,880
Speaker 1: I'd never told him, he never asked me. And then

824
00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:41,160
Speaker 1: when I gave him the roon Williams, the boots I

825
00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:42,960
Speaker 1: took him out of the box was too Bockley Carriages

826
00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:44,640
Speaker 1: had him in my bag. So I took him out

827
00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:46,200
Speaker 1: my bag and gave him to him. He knew there

828
00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:48,399
Speaker 1: were and Williams. He didn't look at the the thing

829
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:50,279
Speaker 1: you pull up what do you call the thing the tug.

830
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:53,120
Speaker 1: He didn't look at the tug. He just knew there

831
00:43:53,160 --> 00:43:55,160
Speaker 1: are and Williams. He must have and he was so happy,

832
00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:57,839
Speaker 1: Oh my god, he was over the moon, like really

833
00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:00,360
Speaker 1: over the moon. And this is a guy living in

834
00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:03,840
Speaker 1: those days. Our office was in Delhi, New Delhi. But

835
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,759
Speaker 1: he was from Budjab in India and somehow he knew

836
00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:09,200
Speaker 1: this whole story and then he started talking to me

837
00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:10,560
Speaker 1: about their own Williams brand.

838
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:15,440
Speaker 2: You asked earlier, is there is there a tourist trail

839
00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:17,920
Speaker 2: or a pilgrimage to that five Percy Street store and

840
00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:22,000
Speaker 2: Posh Prospect, Well, the Indian cricket team and the Stunty

841
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:25,040
Speaker 2: cricket team frequent there. The team were all excitedly showing

842
00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:27,799
Speaker 2: around photos of Bora in there buying buying iron.

843
00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:31,239
Speaker 1: That's interesting because we were because my business was we

844
00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:33,279
Speaker 1: own part of a business at General Electric owned and

845
00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:36,480
Speaker 1: one of the biggest you g g was one of

846
00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:38,080
Speaker 1: the biggest companies in the world at the time, and

847
00:44:38,719 --> 00:44:41,200
Speaker 1: they were a big sponsor of the Indian cricket side. Yeah,

848
00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:43,759
Speaker 1: and I can't remember which is the captain of the

849
00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:46,960
Speaker 1: Indian time team at the time. He was personally sponsored

850
00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:50,360
Speaker 1: by General Electric And so it may be that Verschell

851
00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:53,880
Speaker 1: had seen this guy's wearing the boots.

852
00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:57,480
Speaker 2: And it's fascinating even the efforts that we're doing at

853
00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,000
Speaker 2: the moment with the expansion in the UK, like the

854
00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:04,319
Speaker 2: thing that makes me personally so proud being over there

855
00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,920
Speaker 2: or hearing stories like this is that there is a

856
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:12,959
Speaker 2: deep level of respect for the brand and what we're about,

857
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,800
Speaker 2: even though we don't have a strong presence outside of Australia,

858
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:20,239
Speaker 2: but there is a real respect for who we are

859
00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:23,640
Speaker 2: and what we do, which as Australians we should be

860
00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:24,160
Speaker 2: very proud of.

861
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:27,200
Speaker 1: There's two things and I know it's on an Australian brand,

862
00:45:27,239 --> 00:45:32,719
Speaker 1: but there's two things that particularly in the prome reduction world,

863
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:37,480
Speaker 1: like you know in farms, that I always think of

864
00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:40,160
Speaker 1: when it comes when it comes to durability and things

865
00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,279
Speaker 1: that are nearly like a non negotiable for a farm.

866
00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:45,879
Speaker 1: It sounds silly, and I've got I've got both of them,

867
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:49,319
Speaker 1: a pair of ourm william boots, in which case at

868
00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:51,400
Speaker 1: the time that we leave the boots because the sway

869
00:45:51,480 --> 00:45:54,120
Speaker 1: doesn't do too well in the rough, but leather boots

870
00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:57,400
Speaker 1: and stupidly it's got nothing to do with anything, but

871
00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:00,960
Speaker 1: it is a toy. Had a highlights who's forty years old.

872
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:04,399
Speaker 1: It always starts it's the most reliable car in the world.

873
00:46:04,520 --> 00:46:07,000
Speaker 1: There's bloody highlus. I've got two, but the one is

874
00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:08,880
Speaker 1: forty years old. It's got three and eighty thousand kilminters

875
00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:10,680
Speaker 1: on it. And I just ride around the farm. We

876
00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:13,879
Speaker 1: didn't even by the registering. That's just just carrying shit around.

877
00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:16,600
Speaker 1: But it always starts. Things have fallen apart on it,

878
00:46:17,080 --> 00:46:19,840
Speaker 1: but the mode always starts no matter what. And the

879
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:22,799
Speaker 1: boots always you're can always getting fixed repaired. I don't

880
00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:24,600
Speaker 1: send them to Prospect to get repaired these days. I

881
00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:26,960
Speaker 1: just sent them down to local boot maker. But you

882
00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:30,840
Speaker 1: can always get repair. No drama's getting sold. I like

883
00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:34,439
Speaker 1: to get put rubber underneath them, under the actual leather,

884
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:37,760
Speaker 1: soul whatever it is, mainly because it's where my farmers

885
00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:42,440
Speaker 1: and be a bit slippery. But and they're like two

886
00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:45,840
Speaker 1: old favorites, silly. It's sort of like comforting to me.

887
00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:48,080
Speaker 1: And to be aligned to a brand like that, like

888
00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:51,000
Speaker 1: for you, for me anyway, in my mind, I just

889
00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:53,200
Speaker 1: thought about it for R and Willims boots to be

890
00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,640
Speaker 1: aligned to a high Lux the toy to high Lux brand,

891
00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:59,479
Speaker 1: like it's you know, globally it's the most reliable brand

892
00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:01,239
Speaker 1: cars is there.

893
00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:03,359
Speaker 2: I don't think it's a coincidence that you think about

894
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:08,279
Speaker 2: those two things, because those two things are what help

895
00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:11,600
Speaker 2: you get stuff done, especially on on the on the

896
00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:14,600
Speaker 2: land in that example. But and I think at the

897
00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:18,960
Speaker 2: end of the day. What is what is so humbling

898
00:47:19,040 --> 00:47:22,320
Speaker 2: and amazing is we spend time in our retail stores,

899
00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,040
Speaker 2: not half the time, but so often get customers that

900
00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:29,600
Speaker 2: come in no interest in buying. They just want to

901
00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:33,120
Speaker 2: tell the story of their boots and what they're like,

902
00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:35,840
Speaker 2: what their boots, the journey that they've been on with

903
00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,759
Speaker 2: those boots. And I've got an email on the we

904
00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:40,759
Speaker 2: on the weekend, lovely email from it from a woman

905
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:43,480
Speaker 2: who's originally from the UK but now living in Byron

906
00:47:44,440 --> 00:47:46,120
Speaker 2: and just send a photo of a boots just to

907
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:50,000
Speaker 2: share like this. You know, this has sort of followed

908
00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:52,520
Speaker 2: my life's journey to where I am today. And there's

909
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:56,479
Speaker 2: something about you know, life's journey that that these things

910
00:47:56,520 --> 00:47:59,520
Speaker 2: take you on. That is is why it sort of

911
00:48:00,239 --> 00:48:02,560
Speaker 2: and hit such an emotional chord with with with people.

912
00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,319
Speaker 1: It was that song I think it was Jane fond

913
00:48:06,360 --> 00:48:09,480
Speaker 1: of These boots are mad made for walking. And I'm

914
00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:11,680
Speaker 1: thinking about it as you say that you have a

915
00:48:11,719 --> 00:48:13,800
Speaker 1: female brand, you have a female sort of products, I

916
00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:16,000
Speaker 1: should say that we do. And you have a co

917
00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:18,920
Speaker 1: lab with the Snoby Union we do. What's that about?

918
00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:24,040
Speaker 2: So we've got it. We've had a history of of

919
00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:32,239
Speaker 2: partnering with Wallaby's and we reignited it this year. It's

920
00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:36,920
Speaker 2: the first time that we have explored doing licensed product

921
00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:44,040
Speaker 2: and the reason we have experimented in it is because actually,

922
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:46,919
Speaker 2: what we really care about, other than the sport's great.

923
00:48:48,040 --> 00:48:52,560
Speaker 2: We actually care less about being on the laser engravers

924
00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:54,480
Speaker 2: in the stadium or being on the jerseys. What we

925
00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:58,239
Speaker 2: care about is the fan and supporting the fan. And

926
00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:02,360
Speaker 2: so we tried to create some fan gear that is

927
00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:05,719
Speaker 2: actually cool and people want to wear it and and

928
00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:11,040
Speaker 2: it's resonated really really well. So that's It's not something

929
00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:14,080
Speaker 2: that we're gonna always do, but we've just been.

930
00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:21,520
Speaker 1: But yeah, as Oarren Williams, do you reckon you've been

931
00:49:21,560 --> 00:49:23,000
Speaker 1: on a bit of a tear last couple of years.

932
00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:26,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been. It's been. It's been a good a

933
00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:31,080
Speaker 2: good run. It's been a good run and it's come

934
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:33,400
Speaker 2: from a lot of the team doing a lot of

935
00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:38,480
Speaker 2: hard work and yeah, but it's been We've got a

936
00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:40,000
Speaker 2: lot of we've got a lot of things to work on,

937
00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:44,000
Speaker 2: a lot of things to do. But I think at

938
00:49:44,120 --> 00:49:47,000
Speaker 2: least if we look at ourselves and for the customers

939
00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:50,279
Speaker 2: that we're engaging with We don't It's like we were

940
00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:52,040
Speaker 2: talking about leadership before. We're not getting it all right,

941
00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:54,960
Speaker 2: but we're moving it in the right direction in a

942
00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:57,600
Speaker 2: way that I think Rench would be proud. Our owners

943
00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:00,440
Speaker 2: are proud, and I think that's all you can or

944
00:50:00,440 --> 00:50:00,920
Speaker 2: you can ask for.

945
00:50:00,960 --> 00:50:03,600
Speaker 1: Australis proud, mate, goodness luck.

946
00:50:03,640 --> 00:50:04,239
Speaker 2: It's not thank you,