lady-land

Katia and Vera are two best friends and former housemates who built a multi-million dollar business from their kitchen table. That business is Nimble Activewear: the trendy, Bondi-based fitness label with the bold colours and prints that you would recognise from a mile away. The girls had the idea for Nimble back in 2014 when they realised there were no real activewear brands available that were high performing, fashionable and affordable. What started out as a passion project quickly became a thriving business, so much so that Katia very soon after gave up her career in fashion to work in the biz full-time.The two have a pretty remarkable friendship - when Katia went full-time, Vera continued to work as a lawyer so she could financially support the two of them until it was time for Vera to dive in fully as well. This episode is a little longer than usual, but the girls were soo generous with sharing their story that we couldn't stop asking questions! There's so much to take away from this episode, including how the girls approached their families for funding, how they use an 'open to buy' to manage stock effectively, and the importance of building a thriving community around your brand. We sure hope you've got your notebooks ready! LADY-BRAINS Podcast 101 Workshop: http://bit.ly/2xf29ih Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lady.brains For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

So far on the lady-brains you've heard stories about women that have launched product-based businesses. We've covered everything from concept development to the manufacturing process and getting product onto the shelves of some of the biggest retailers in the world. Today's chat is slightly different to our previous one's because for the first time we sit down with a founder of a service-based business, Karla Dawes from KDPO. Karla started her own PR agency in 2016 and quickly became the go-to food and beverage agency here in Melbourne and around Australia. Boasting big-name clients like Peroni, Capi, Broadsheet and The Lucas Group, Karla is a fantastic example of a smart and savvy businesswoman that chose a profitable niche, and excelled in servicing it. Karla gives us all the tips...including how to pitch a story to journalists to get cut-through, and how you can ensure your business stays in the headlines. We kicked off by asking Karla whether her parents helped influence her journey. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Gemma Watts is the founder of Glow Journal, a brand focused on producing beautiful, educational and honest content for the beauty consumer. As a solopreneur, she wears many hats in her business. She writes content for her blog, she heads up Glow Journal Creative - an agency specialising in tone of voice development and content creation for beauty brands, and she hosts the Glow Journal Podcast, interviewing some of the best in the beauty biz about what it takes to succeed in one of the most dynamic industries today. Gemma opens up about how she got to where she is today, the risks she's taken along the way, and why, in business and in life, it's so important to know your worth. We hope you enjoy! Come find us: Web - www.ladybrains.com.au Instagram - lady.brains For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Megan Gale is a well-known Aussie supermodel, TV presenter, brand ambassador and business owner. After being discovered by talent scouts at 18, she moved to Sydney to pursue a professional career but struggled to make the big time. After five years of grit, determination and following her gut (she knew something big was around the corner), Megan rose to international fame when she was cast in an Italian ad campaign. Since then, Megan has spent two decades working in Australia and overseas for some of the world's biggest brands. But what she's most proud of (aside from her beautiful family, of course!) is her brand new venture as the business owner of Mindful Life - a range of natural skincare products for babies and children. The name says it all - she's built a brand that teaches us to live with presence and purpose, to reconnect with ourselves and those that matter most. In this episode, Megan shares with us what it's taken to build Mindful Life as a one-woman-show, and why it's so important to clarify your why - your reason for going into business in the first place. Enjoy! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

In this episode we chat with the co-founder of personal care and hygiene brand Moxie. You may recognise it as the brand of tampons in the cute, pink tin packaging that's on the shelves of major retailers in Australia and also around the globe. The brains behind the brand is Mia Klitsas, who was just 21 years old when she thought of repackaging tampons into a tin container so that they would finally stop getting lost in the bottom of her bag. Guys – stick with us, coz we think you’ll also get a lot from this chat too! Mia shares with us her story on transitioning from working at one of the largest tobacco companies in the world to doing her own thing, how she lost half a million dollars worth of stock in the UK, and about her passion for social entrepreneurship – driving an initiative that provides women around the world with access to clean sanitary products. There’s so much to love about her, and the thing we admired about her the most is that she’s tenacious, she’s comfortable sitting in the uncomfortable by breaking down taboos, and she sends a very clear message that you can do good business as well as do good in the world. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Today's chat is with one of the pioneers of the fashion blogging industry in Australia. Sara Crampton is the face of Harper and Harley; a fashion, lifestyle and beauty blog that has captured the attention of women all over the world. From humble beginnings, quitting her job at 21 and uprooting her life to move to Sydney, Sara has managed to grow her Instagram audience to over 560k and her CV reads like the contents of a Vogue magazine, partnering with brands like Gucci, YSL, Estee Lauder, Nike, and many more. But Sara isn't just an influencer, in 2016 she made the leap into retail, launching The Undone - an online boutique selling a carefully curated line-up of beautiful, minimalist clothing. We sat down with Sara in her stunning Surry Hills office, to chat about how she came to be at the forefront of Australia's fashion scene. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Our next guest may not be a household name just yet, but let us tell you, after you hear this episode we don't think you'll forget her anytime soon. She's gritty, hilarious and has one of the most inquisitive minds. Christy Laurence is the brains behind PLANN - a social media management tool that is widely used by creatives, influencers and big organisations. Her business building journey is a unique one - struck by a debilitating illness that left her unable to move independently for two years, she somehow managed to not only make a full recovery, but in the process conceived of PLANN and persuaded someone to build the app for free. Three years on, Christy has achieved over 1 million downloads across 150 countries, employs 35 people in 9 countries, and now splits her time between Sydney and Silicon Valley. She's a real pocket rocket - we hope you enjoy it! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Imagine finding yourself sitting across the board room table negotiating the deal of your life with the world's biggest sporting brand - Nike. Well, in 2012 this was the reality for Julie Stevanja, who invested her life savings into Stylerunner - a brand that just a few years later would become the world's biggest online activewear retailer, valued at over $50M. Impressive right? We can confirm that in person, she is just as amazing as she sounds! But aside from the awards, accolades, and financial success, what really blew us away was Julie's kind nature, her authenticity, and her willingness to share advice with not only us, but also with all of you. We began our chat in the Stylerunner board room, surrounded by mood boards featuring the upcoming winter collection. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Michelle Battersby is the classic definition of an intrapreneur. While she doesn't technically own her own business, she was tasked with the huge responsibility of starting and expanding US born dating and networking app, Bumble right across Australia. Headhunted by founder Whitney Wolf, Michelle backed herself and quit her job after a conversation with Whitney that she says completely sold her on the brand's mission to support and empower women. She's been on a whirlwind adventure ever since, and in just two short years has achieved 2 million app registrations with no signs of slowing down. We sat down to chat all things Bumble and to hear about Michelle's new role as Associate Marketing Director of the APAC region. LADY-BRAINS WEBSITE = ladybrains.com.au INSTAGRAM = instagram.com/lady.brains For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Today's chat is with two of our oldest and dearest friends Sage and Tahli who are the lady-brains behind Golden Grind - the brand that brought the turmeric golden latte to mainstream cafe culture.The business has come along way since the early days and can now be found not only in cafes around Australia but also on the shelves of some of the biggest retailers in the world...we're talking Selfridges in the UK and Urban Outfitters in the US! The girls have build this business with grit and hard work and have a no bullsh*t approach to sharing the story of their success. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did! LADY-LAND [LIVE] X FLUFF EVENT TICKETS = http://bit.ly/ladylandfluff LADY-BRAINS WEBSITE = ladybrains.com.au INSTAGRAM = instagram.com/lady.brains For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Jess Thomas is the founder and brains behind Health Lab - a multi-million dollar wellness and beauty brand that was born out of a desire to create healthy snacks to cure that afternoon stress-induced sugar craving we all know too well. After testing out her all-natural protein balls on her co-workers in the early days, she quickly realised she was onto a winning formula and started selling them to cafes all over Melbourne. Fast forward three years, and Jess has managed to bootstrap her way onto the shelves of Australia's biggest retailers including Woolworths, My Chemist Warehouse, David Jones, 7-11, and the list goes on! We started the chat by asking Jess if she was an entrepreneurial kid growing up. LADY-LAND [LIVE] X FLUFF EVENT TICKETS = http://bit.ly/ladylandfluff LADY-BRAINS WEBSITE = ladybrains.com.au INSTAGRAM = instagram.com/lady.brains For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

A few years ago, Erika did what some might consider crazy or even unthinkable. She left the business she co-founded with her best friends at the height of its success, to go out on her own. Erika is the co-founder of Frank Body – the $20 million brand that’s referenced as one of the best Aussie start-up successes in recent years. It was courageous decision, but one that was driven by Erika’s mission to fight back against the unrealistic portrayal of women by the beauty industry, and her desire to create a positive narrative around what it means to be beautiful. After selling all of her shares in frank and raising additional seed funding on just her idea, Erika started building her next venture, Fluff. It’s a beauty brand for the Gen Z-ers and while it’s novel, it can be polarising and at times confusing for anyone over the age of 20. It’s not like any beauty brand you’ve seen before, and that’s precisely the point.  Today’s episode is the story of leaving a business at its peak to build another one from the ground up. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Let's be frank, if you haven’t lathered yourself in some Frank Body or seen babes all over the internet posing in their bathroom covered in coffee scrub, then you need to go take a peek! With just a pocket full of a cash, some ground coffee and a killer brand, our next guest Bree Johnson along with her business partners Jess, Alex and Steve have managed to build a thriving multi-million dollar beauty biz off the back of just one scrub. And not only that the ladies behind Frank also run creative agency Willow and Blake which they started at just 22. Talk about serial entrepreneurs. We sat down with Bree and learnt that Frank was almost called Piccolo and got the inside scoop on how the team were able to generate an almost 100,000 person waiting list for their long-awaited shimmer scrub. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Alison Rice is a bit of unicorn in the digital media world – she's kind, humble, and above all, real. If you're not in media-land, you may not know her by name, but we’re sure you know her work. Alison is the Group Publisher of Allure Media's Women's Lifestyle Division, and oversees the digital brands Who What Wear, Byrdie Beauty, Pop Sugar and My Domaine. Today’s conversation is not one of entrepreneurship, or of a business that was birthed in the golden age of Instagram, but it is a story of passion, dedication and hustle, and a lesson in making your dreams come true. We sat down with Alison recently to chat about how a girl from Western Sydney who failed her HSC, has become one of the most influential women in the Australian media landscape today. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

In 2014, Laura Foley quit her day job and moved to Bali with her partner in search of inspiration. Without having to look too far afield, Laura realised she was already onto a winning business idea – vegan and all-natural tanning oils that she was blending and using herself. Despite not having a business or marketing background, Laura started out by gifting her oils to influencers who fell in love with the product and soon enough, the Bali Body brand was born. With a cult following around the globe and an Instagram page that will make you want to chase the sun all year long, Bali Body is the true embodiment of what it means to take a simple idea and turn it into a beauty brand must have. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy