WEBVTT - From start up to scale up with Lisa Messenger📈 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:04.600 The Rising Conquer Podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of the 0:00:04.680 --> 0:00:08.320 land which this episode is being recorded, the Yugen Bear region. 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:13.320 We further acknowledge country throughout Australia and their connections to land, 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:16.840 sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:20.840 past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:34.040 and terrest Raid Islander peoples today. Hello and welcome back 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:37.240 to the Rise and Conquer Podcasts. This is the podcast 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:51.000 for ordinary people who want to do extraordinary things. Hello 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:54.720 and welcome back to the Rise and Conquer Podcast. It 0:00:54.840 --> 0:00:59.880 is your host, Georgie Stephenson. I'm a lawyer and entrepreneur, wife, 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:04.919 mum all the things. Today we are joined by Lisa 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:08.120 Messenger as she unpacks what it's been like to be 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:11.840 an entrepreneur for the last twenty years. If you don't 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:15.720 know Lisa, she is a vibrant founder and CEO of 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:19.080 the Messenger Group as well as the founder and editor 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:23.320 in chief of Collective Hub. She has authored over thirty 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:27.000 six books in the realms of positive psychology and business, 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:31.160 and as you're hear in today's chat, she has achieved 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:35.920 so many incredible things. So I was just so excited 0:01:35.920 --> 0:01:39.039 to get her on the potty and to share all 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:42.800 her wisdom with you. So today we chat about how 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:46.600 she has been able to continually scale her business on 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:51.000 a global scale, what the pivoting of her business was like, 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:55.320 what her marketing tactics are like, and basically just gives 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.760 us the inside scoop of how she has been so 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:02.480 successful in business. We also chat to Lisa about her 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:05.720 newest book, Start Up to Scale Up, and she gives 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:09.600 off her best tips for inspiring entrepreneurs on how they 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:14.120 can grow a successful brand. This chat was so insightful 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:17.120 and I hope you enjoy it. I just I love 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:20.000 chatting to Lisa, So you guys, you're gonna love this one. 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:22.440 Let's get into the show. 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.760 Lisa, Welcome to the Rise and Conquer Podcast. How are 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:27.280 you today? 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:29.720 Thank you? It is so good to be here and 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:32.000 I am super well today. 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:36.639 So good. How amazing is it that the sun is shining? 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.080 Finally, the sun is shining. I'm not sure where you 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:42.480 are in the world, but I move around a lot, 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:47.080 but today I'm in Barron Bay and the weather is beautiful, amazing. 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:49.200 I'm at the Gold Coast, so I'm in a couple 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:51.240 hours away from you amazing. 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.640 Well that's good. I know. I'm kind of living between 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:58.000 Austin in the US, Sydney and Byron, so I never 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.280 know where I am on any given day. 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:04.320 I love that. Well, first of all, before we get 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:07.760 into all the goodness, I know everyone would know who 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:11.000 you are, but can you tell the R and C 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:13.600 potty who you are and what you do? 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.520 Yeah, so that is a long question, but I'll try 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:22.679 and smush it down. So I'm Lisa Messenger and this 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:27.000 is my twenty first year of having my own business. 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:30.240 So there's little that I haven't failed at or had 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:35.280 some level of success at. And yeah, there's a million 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:38.760 different things I can tell you, So maybe we'll unpack 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:39.920 that as we go. 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:44.040 One hundred percent will take us a little bit on 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:46.880 the journey. So you just said you've just you know, 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:52.160 gone through your twenty first year of entrepreneurship, which is incredible, 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:55.240 what a ride. Can you tell us a little bit 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:59.960 about how your journey has really evolved from the beginning 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:00.960 two now? 0:04:01.120 --> 0:04:05.120 Yeah, so massive evolution. And I think the lesson for 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:11.480 anyone listening is that a career trajectory doesn't necessarily have 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:15.440 to be formulaic and In fact, sometimes it's only looking 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:20.320 back retrospectively that everything makes sense, because if I look 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:24.320 at mine in a sequential order, it really makes no 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:30.600 sense at all, except that actually everything is perfect in 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:32.760 terms of how I arrived at where I am today. 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.760 So before I launched my business, which was the twenty 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:40.640 second of October two thousand and one, I was working 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:45.200 in conference and event management, and from there I love 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:49.039 the sponsorship aspect. So often we kind of go your 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:51.839 land somewhere and you go, which is the piece that 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:56.120 I love of this. So I loved doing deals negotiating, 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:58.960 and I ended up working for a company which was 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:02.440 the last company worked for that wasn't my own, doing 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:06.000 sponsorship for so Dislay and the Wiggles and Barring Humphreys, 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:09.120 and it was heaps of fun. And so in two 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:12.760 thousand and one I started my own business. But that 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:16.520 was kind of back before anyone was talking about entrepreneurship. 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:20.880 I didn't know anything about podcasts or networking or mentors. 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:25.560 So it was really kind of, you know, just foundational 0:05:25.680 --> 0:05:28.880 and rudimentary, and yeah, I didn't know definitely what I 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:32.000 knew now or have access to what we all fortunately 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:36.480 have access to these days. So I left the agency 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:38.839 because I was a little bossy pants, and my boss 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:41.599 at the time very kindly said, maybe you'd be better 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:44.960 off doing your own thing. So I started a kind 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:49.680 of sponsorship slash marketing agency. And what I'm going to 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:52.359 say next is kind of important for anyone you know 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:57.200 starting out, is that really for eleven years, I then 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:03.080 over serviced, undercharged was everything to everyone didn't have systems 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:07.920 and processes in place, and because I wasn't plugged into 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:12.480 the things that I said before, networks, mentors, podcasts, education, 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:16.440 So that was like a really long journey. I mean, 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:18.080 I had a lot of fun, I made a lot 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:22.159 of mistakes. I ended up having a very profitable business. 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.800 And then in two thousand and twelve, I was surrounded 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:30.920 by so many entrepreneurs by then and amazing innovative thinkers 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:34.600 and thought leaders and game changes. But I was frustrated, 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:38.360 and frustration can be a really great space from which 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:41.760 to start a business or really step into your purpose, 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:46.720 which I did in twenty twelve. Absolutely. So I decided 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:50.240 that there were so many amazing stories being told in 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:55.200 the media of different businesses and entrepreneurs and leaders, but 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.400 often it was only the surface level that was being told. 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:01.160 It was kind of like, you know, this person is 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.880 successful because of blah, and so we were just reading 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:07.440 about that. But I was always left scratching my head 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:09.760 and going, but how about how? Why? But why? Like 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:13.080 how did they come up with the funding to do that? 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:16.440 What's their supply chain? Like? Where do they get that made? 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:20.080 You know? How are they finding distributors? How are they 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:23.120 marketing this? Like? So I was always scratching my head, 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:26.120 and I found that these conversations were being had off 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.040 and behind closed doors and often very sort of hush hush, 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:32.200 we won't talk about money, we won't give away our suppliers, 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:36.040 you know. And so I decided in twenty twelve to 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:40.080 create a magazine, which I launched in February twenty thirteen 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.840 called Collective Hub, which was all about, you know, the 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:49.040 story behind the story, real, raw, attainable, relatable and you know, 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:52.400 it's a very well documented story that I had never 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:55.720 worked in media, I'd never worked in magazines, and I 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.480 entered a highly saturated market. There were about five and 0:07:58.480 --> 0:08:00.960 a half thousand print mags in a Styustralia alone at 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:04.760 the time, but in eighteen months the print magazine was 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.440 in thirty seven countries, and I had people like an 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:10.440 A Winter flying me to New York to meet with her. 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:14.040 And so after eleven years, almost twelve years of kind 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:18.560 of you know, bumbling along, finally something really worked. And 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:22.000 so over the course of the following five years I 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:26.800 did fifty four issues. It exploited. It was enormous. I 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:29.160 was the only person in Australia to have Jamie Oliver 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:31.600 on a cover when he flew to Australia. I've shared 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:34.480 a stage now five times with Sir Richard Branson and 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:38.480 we're good friends and like, it really was amazing until 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:44.920 it wasn't so. Two thousand and eighteen, I was hemorrhaging cash. 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:47.959 I'd grown too quickly again, didn't have the right systems 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:50.680 and processes in place. It was now a very large, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.520 very global business with a lot of people working for me, 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.240 and so I made the courageous decision after fifty four 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:02.640 issues to close the print magaz and from then I 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.319 basically kind of sat for a while and went, Okay, 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:09.600 I now have the confidence, the resilience, the tenacity, the 0:09:09.640 --> 0:09:11.800 self belief to know that I can do this again. 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:15.080 But sometimes we have to break something in order to 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:17.839 truly remake it. And so for the last couple of 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:23.319 years I've been producing well, we've done over sixty books, journals, 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:28.360 dated products, affirmation cards and yeah, and it's we now have. 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:32.560 I now have a much bigger, much more sustainable, much 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:36.960 more global profitable business than I had back then. And 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:41.000 we've just bought out issue fifty five of the print bag. 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:43.880 So even though I closed it for four years, I'll 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:46.880 probably now do one issue a year, but as a 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:50.960 chunky coffee table book or look as we're calling it. 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:55.920 So that's kind of the snapshot of twenty one years. 0:09:56.200 --> 0:10:00.920 That is incredible. And I think what I love most 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:04.679 about you and what you do and all your books is, 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:10.120 like you said, just how honest, real and raw you are, 0:10:10.280 --> 0:10:14.040 Like you just completely tell us how it is, and 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:19.120 it is sometimes it feels like, especially with entrepreneurship, it's 0:10:19.160 --> 0:10:23.200 like this secret. It's like everyone has this you know, 0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:26.760 secret about what they're doing and no one wants to 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:30.480 tell anyone. So I just love how you completely open 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:33.679 it up, give us everything. And then you're also just 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:38.479 so honest about you know, learning your lessons, evolving, realizing 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:42.160 that something that worked really well for a certain amount 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:45.120 of time, you know, then didn't and you had to 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:48.440 pivot and you had to evolve, and just you know, 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:50.800 taking that being like, yes, this is it. 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:53.960 Yes, definitely lots of lessons And I think one of 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:58.120 the biggest learnings in all those years is that and 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:01.800 this takes a long time to learn. It's really in 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:07.640 my experience, the times of hardship and adversity, whilst often 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:11.880 excruciating at the time, they are the points if I 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:15.560 can lean into them, where the most growth comes, and 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:19.120 you know, where the evolution and the ability to pivot, 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:23.200 the word of like twenty twenty twenty twenty one come. 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:26.200 So I would say to anyone you know in life, 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:29.760 I mean I've been through divorce, my dad has died, 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:33.280 you know, I've been through a lot of excruciating, very difficult, 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:37.400 tumultuous times in both my personal life and in my 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:41.120 business life. And it's those times if we can really 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:44.040 lean in and go, Okay, what am I learning? What 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:47.680 is the lesson? You know, this is happening for me 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:51.520 as opposed to this is happening to me and trying 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:55.240 to reframe our mindset, then we have the ability to 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:59.760 you know, somehow move through and rise up. 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:03.199 That I love that so much, So, Lisa, before we 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:08.040 get into entrepreneurship and talking about your new amazing book, 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:11.560 this is just something that I love chatting to you know, 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:14.800 successful people, and especially because I know that you're just 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:18.439 going to give us the most honest answer. How much 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:22.800 would you say of your you know, routines and rituals 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:27.080 really have led to your success, And could you give 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:31.760 us an insight into you know, maybe your ideal routine, 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:35.120 like you can do your morning routine, your routine to 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.080 you know, get back into it to find motivation, whatever 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:39.000 you want to chat about. 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:43.520 Yeah, So it's such a good question because I think 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:48.600 it's almost counterintuitive to what we expect being an entrepreneur, 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:53.760 is right, because we largely start with the notion of 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:57.120 I'm going to start my own business for freedom and choice. 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:03.479 But in my experience, one hundred percent, we need routines, rituals, 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:08.080 and disciplines in able to be the biggest, best version 0:13:08.080 --> 0:13:11.840 of ourselves. So for me, because I'm leading such a 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:15.720 kind of large life across multiple time zones and you know, 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:18.320 traveling a lot, so it's really imperative to me that 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:22.120 I'm able to you know, have some structure and feel 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:26.040 kind of centered and grounded. So for me, my morning 0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:29.199 really or my day is divided into two. And I 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:31.560 always say to people, you know, work out what works 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:34.000 for you, and you know, listen to the similarity. It 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:37.240 is not the differences. But for me, I basically pre 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:41.240 ten am it's about me. So it's about I do 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:45.560 some meditation, I always do some training, so exercise in 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.040 the morning. I have a personal trainer, or I go 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.720 to a yoga class, or I'll do a walk, and 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:55.319 I'll do some journaling and I will do something nutrition Also, 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:58.200 I'll always have a green smoothie and I'll listen to 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.000 a podcast. So pre ten am is really for me 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:05.160 all about filling my mind, my body, my spirit and 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:09.560 kind of really taking all of that in. Now, that 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.440 doesn't work for everyone. You know, people have kids, they 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:15.480 need to take them to school, they have other responsibilities. 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:17.480 They might have an actual job where they need to 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:19.520 turn up at eight o'clock in the morning or whatever 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:22.520 it is. But for me, I kind of go, okay, 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:27.280 that's my time when I'm you know, searching within, I'm 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:31.400 filling my own cup and from there it's like game on. 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:34.360 From ten am, it's like whatever the world needs of me. 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:38.280 So I'm responding, reacting to emails, my team, I'm having meetings, 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:41.440 I'm doing podcasts, I'm doing all the things required of 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.680 me during the day. But I absolutely, unequivocally use the 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:49.160 morning to fill my cup and to fill myself up. 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:53.800 It's so important and I love that you, you know, 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:57.040 touched on as much as you know. We want to 0:14:57.040 --> 0:14:59.960 be entrepreneurs so we can be on our own time 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.800 time and do what we want when we want. I 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:06.200 am the exact say where if I don't have, you know, 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:10.120 a routine or ritual that really kind of steps me up, 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.360 fills up my cup. I just noticed the day just 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:16.960 goes completely different compared to when I'm in that and 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:21.080 I am I'm a new mum. So the morning routine 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.960 used to be much like you to ten am, and 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:29.280 oh my god, I relished in it. Now I miss 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:31.080 it so much. But it's a little bit different, but 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.920 honestly much the same. And it's just about realizing that, 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:37.480 you know, we go through seasons where it does change 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.040 and you have to do different things. But like for 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:44.280 me personally, a big ritual is like at least half 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.200 an hour to an hour in the morning and the 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:52.440 night that is for me filling up my cup. It's just, oh, 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:53.840 it's just such a game changer. 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:57.480 Yeah, And I think, you know, it's really important because 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:01.280 and I have certainly been guilty of this, particularly having 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:04.000 your own business. You know, you think, oh, I've just 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:06.400 got to work all the time, and there's always something 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:09.320 to be done, and you know, because there is a lot, 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:12.600 and often, particularly when you're starting out, it's like, you know, 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:16.240 am I ideating? Am I building the product? Am I 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:18.400 trying to work out more distributors? Am I trying to 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:21.120 sell more? Am I trying to come up with new 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:24.960 marketing plans? You know? Should I be posting on Instagram 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:28.480 or Twitter or LinkedIn or TikTok. If I'm on Instagram, 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:31.160 should I be making a real or a static post 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:33.360 or a story? Like? It can be a lot, right, 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.520 And so the mistake we often make is we think 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:38.040 I just need to be busy, I just need to 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.000 keep going, I need to be frenetic, I need to 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.840 do all of it. But actually I find it is 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:47.400 only when we allow ourselves the time and space to 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:51.000 breathe and stop that that's when my good ideas come, 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:54.920 or that's when I regain that sense of calm and composure, 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:58.160 and I feel grounded and centered and only from that 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:01.480 space can I actually do the big things. 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:04.960 And do them well one hundred percent. Well, let's start 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:08.200 talking about well, you know, we are talking about entrepreneurship, 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:11.399 but I really want to get into more about that 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:15.159 because I recently just read your book Start Up to 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:19.719 Scale Up, and it was incredible. Not only is it 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:24.000 like the most beautiful, you know, business book it is 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:26.920 you know, it very much looks like a coffee table book, 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.680 and I know that to your style it is so beautiful, 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:33.040 but everything inside it just like I loved reading it. 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:36.000 I actually just read it. I've just went to holidays 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:38.480 for a week in Fiji and I read it on 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:42.000 holidays and it just it was such an amazing experience. 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:44.919 And I think that's something you do so well, you know, 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.840 with everything you do. It is such an experience, and 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:50.960 it is the whole thing where I'm getting, you know, 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:53.960 I'm getting the value, I'm getting, the business ideas, I'm 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.320 getting all that. Plus it comes in a way that 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:01.560 it's very aesthetically pleasing. Please this is my eyes, and 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:04.520 I feel like you just you encompass that so well. 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:08.200 I would love to know what is like a simple 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:12.639 and actionable I guess like tip or just suggestion from 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:17.360 you to turn an idea into a business. And I'm 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:19.959 interested in this just because I feel like you very 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:24.639 much break the boundaries where you're not really listening, you 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.560 know what everyone else is doing. Much like you said 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:29.680 when you started your print company, like a lot of 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.120 people said, you know, print was dead, and then you 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:34.760 completely prove them wrong. So I would love to hear 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.800 your opinion on turning an idea into a business. 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:43.080 Yeah, so I mean and thank you for your beautiful 0:18:43.400 --> 0:18:47.240 words about startup to scale up. I feel like, oh gosh, 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:51.520 I've written I think over body books now, but that's 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.520 probably one of the most useful because it's almost like 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:57.720 I've put every single thing that I've learned over the 0:18:57.800 --> 0:19:01.199 last twenty one years into that book, from how to 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.520 ida through right through to how to sort of scale 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:10.120 a business. In terms of starting, I always say, find 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:12.959 a problem and you would know from the book. I 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:15.000 kind of had a different take on that. I'm like, 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:18.439 rather than carry around an ideas book, carry around a 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:25.160 problems book, because so often what becomes a startup idea 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.560 is it often comes from a problem that we've encountered. 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:31.919 And in fact, pretty much all of my businesses or 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:36.280 all of the products that I produce, come from a problem. 0:19:36.359 --> 0:19:39.200 So for example, I wrote my first book in two 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:42.320 thousand and four and it was called Happiness Is. And 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:45.320 the reason I wrote that was at the time, I 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:50.440 was so incredibly unhappy and I was holding myself back 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:52.760 and I was self sabotaging. So I was right, right, 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:55.359 I'm going to solve this. And when I put that 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:57.760 book out, I realized that so many other people, you know, 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:01.560 felt the same same. With the magazine, I was like, oh, 0:20:01.640 --> 0:20:05.240 I'm so frustrated, like why isn't there media telling the 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:08.280 story behind the story and you know, what's raw and 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:10.919 real and all of that kind of thing. So again 0:20:11.040 --> 0:20:14.040 I identified a problem or a gap in the market, 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:17.199 and therefore it worked. And that can be also as 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:19.400 simple as you just said, you're a new mum. If 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:23.000 you're you know, putting nappies on your baby, that you 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:26.320 realize that they're I don't know, rubbing them the wrong way, 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:28.399 or they don't fit properly or something like that, you 0:20:28.440 --> 0:20:32.280 can identify a problem. And I think often when we 0:20:32.440 --> 0:20:37.119 identify it, it means that other people are also experiencing that. 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:40.400 So I highly encourage anyone to kind of carry around 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:44.360 a problems book and just find, you know, what is lacking, 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.840 what's annoying me, what am I frustrated with? Where do 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:50.320 I find there's a gap in the market? What do 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:53.240 I think could be done better? So that's number one. 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:56.720 Number two would be then you need to feel into 0:20:57.080 --> 0:21:01.040 Does this excite me, juice me up, make me feel alive? 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:02.960 Do I want to jump out of bed for this? 0:21:03.440 --> 0:21:05.760 You know? Is this a problem that I want to solve? 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:09.320 Because there's plenty of problems out there, and particularly as 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:14.440 a well seasoned entrepreneur, I see things everywhere across every industry, 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.080 whether I'm sitting in a coffee shop and something's annoying me, 0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:19.159 or I see I buy, you know, a piece of 0:21:19.240 --> 0:21:23.400 clothing and something frustrates me. But those things don't necessarily 0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:25.760 excite me. So the problem might exist, But if it 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:29.760 doesn't excite me, then it's not something that I'm personally 0:21:29.960 --> 0:21:33.880 going to tackle. So yeah, number one, identify problems. Number 0:21:33.920 --> 0:21:37.000 two does it really align with you? Does it make 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:41.000 your soul feel alive and on fire? And number three 0:21:41.240 --> 0:21:45.480 is there some kind of commercial opportunity? I mean that 0:21:46.280 --> 0:21:49.880 is imperative, and whilst I couldn't care less about money 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:52.320 for money's sake, I do care about it because it 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:56.280 helps us to, you know, grow a sustainable business. So 0:21:56.359 --> 0:21:58.960 then you need to think about, well, Okay, I see 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:02.560 a problem this idea, but are there people willing to 0:22:02.600 --> 0:22:04.520 buy it? And if the answer to number one was 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:08.159 as a problem, then more often than not, there is 0:22:08.240 --> 0:22:11.199 probably an audience and a market ready to buy it. 0:22:11.240 --> 0:22:14.560 So that's kind of what I do. Identify problems and 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:17.320 make sure that they aligned with my kind of personal 0:22:17.440 --> 0:22:19.879 values and where I want to be in the world. 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:23.679 One hundred percent. And something I'd love for you to 0:22:23.680 --> 0:22:27.480 touch on just because, first of all, I think, like, 0:22:27.680 --> 0:22:30.640 that's incredible the way that you just explained that. What 0:22:30.680 --> 0:22:34.639 would you say in regards to people who they think, oh, 0:22:34.800 --> 0:22:38.200 you know, I have this amazing idea and I'm really 0:22:38.240 --> 0:22:41.679 passionate about it, but it is kind of going again, 0:22:41.960 --> 0:22:44.159 what everyone else is doing. What would you say to 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:44.719 that person? 0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:47.800 I think there's a couple of things I would say there. 0:22:48.119 --> 0:22:51.399 One is almost the opposite of what you just said. 0:22:51.480 --> 0:22:54.560 A lot of people are afraid to go into a 0:22:55.040 --> 0:22:58.120 highly saturated market, so a lot of people will kind 0:22:58.119 --> 0:23:00.360 of go, oh, I'm not going to do something in 0:23:00.640 --> 0:23:03.520 print because there's already in my case, as I explained, 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:06.080 five and a half thousand print magazines sitting in the 0:23:06.080 --> 0:23:09.359 Australian market, or you know, it could be milk or 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:12.800 toilet paper. People might shy away from things that are 0:23:12.880 --> 0:23:17.560 already saturated or you know, hotels or uber or all 0:23:17.600 --> 0:23:20.920 sorts of things, right, and so in that case, it's 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:25.400 like often with an existing highly saturated market where there's 0:23:25.440 --> 0:23:28.720 a lot of competitors and a lot of noise, that 0:23:28.760 --> 0:23:32.280 can be actually a great place to start because it 0:23:32.400 --> 0:23:35.000 means that there is a ready market. You've just got 0:23:35.040 --> 0:23:37.960 to be able to do something better and in your 0:23:38.040 --> 0:23:41.320 own unique way. And the other side of it, which 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:43.639 I think is your question, is around you know what 0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:47.040 if other people are saying no, don't do that, is 0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:48.000 that what you were asking? 0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:49.359 Yeah? 0:23:49.600 --> 0:23:54.800