Rural and remote health and safety is super important but it can be hard to cut through. In this episode, meet Alex Thomas - one woman who is making a difference to farms and families across Australia through her work and her advocacy campaign #PlantASeedForSafety

Looking at a treechange? What steps can you be taking right now to increase your chance of starting your new business from a position of strength? To have customers lining up before you open the doors. To build community and a network of supporters that will connect you into your new town?

This episode is for anyone who loves the idea of trading in their City lifestyle for a farm in the country. Kristy is incredibly generous with her knowledge and I think you’ll love hearing about all the learnings that have made their businesses tick.

There are stacks of ways to advertise and promote your small town business or brand. You don’t have to rely solely on social media and, I wouldn’t recommend that anyway. Here are some different ideas to build community and connection to complement your social media.

Kimberley Furness is based in Bendigo in North Central Victoria. She is an award-winning magazine publisher, podcaster, speaker, social media trainer and passionate supporter of regional women in business. In this episode we talk about promoting yourself and your business in ways other than social media (I know crazy right 😅)

How much do you share of your business on social media? Are you holding back from your audience or are you transparent? In this episode I look into the marketing concept of ‘building in public’, what it means, who is doing it well and how you could use this approach.

My guest, Amy from The New Red, is no stranger to a good pivot, having traveled a winding road in her career and life. Her honesty about how she recently changed direction to protect her creativity and mental health is inspiring.

In this episode I open up about some of my learnings and challenges to date. I hope it helps, even if it just validates some of your challenges.

A curious human, compost enthusiast and hair lover…three things that you wouldn’t think you could turn into a business.

This week I’m talking about passion, giving you lots of thought starters and some tools to find it, keep it and make sure it doesn’t backfire on you.

My guest Alli will give you just a little bit of insight into how she went from working in healthcare in Melbourne, to running events for thousands of people up in the snow town of Mansfield, Victoria. She talks us through her passion for what she does, some of the highs and lows and we talk about the economic benefits of events and how they contribute to tourism.

This episode is about how possible (and awesome) it is to be a business that contributes to a cause or charity with the win-win of it contributing to your own bottom line or brand awareness.

If you are a family business or run your business around family commitments, this episode will give you lots to think about - how you can make it easier and better working together.

Are you one of the many people who left their home town seeking greener pastures, fame or fortune only to feel that pull back when the time came to raise your own family? I am and so is Sarah Rowan, my guest in this episode.

Authenticity is such a slippery little sucker. We know it’s important, but what does it actually mean to be authentic when it comes to your business or your social media and marketing?

I’m back again talking about confidence and how you can channel it if you’ve got it, or muster it up if you don’t. 

You’ll hear my thoughts on how to muster up the confidence to ask for what you want and take action on the things you need to do to propel your business forward.

My guest, Jane, gives us a super-helpful look inside Friendie Audio, the brand, she and her husband Phil, founded and run from their small town. Friendie creates high-tech, fashion-forward, sports luxe headphones, audio sunglasses, speakers, watch bands, tech and sports accessories and sells them through some of the country’s top online retailers. ❓How did they do it?

In this episode I dig a little deeper into the idea of ‘virality’. Why do we dream of a large following? Why do we crave numbers when it comes to our social media? 

You’ll hear my thoughts on five key features of viral content and how you can learn from that for your own business marketing.

My guest, Hanna, gives us some great insight into how they set up the business and why it’s important to them to stick to their vision, somewhat despite the fact that they have become a viral hit on Instagram- with over 120,000 (and growing) very engaged followers.

❓How did that happen? What are they doing right? What does it all mean for their business?

Welcome to the Small Town Business Podcast episode one - the trailer. Find out what this podcast is all about and get to know your host - Erika McInerney from Mac&Ernie.