eSME magazine | Edition 1 | 2016

for business owners and managers, to drive business forward

shoes of prey’s

jodie fox Execute your own idea,

before someone else does

industry How the financial planning industry wants to change itself

touchpoint how an innovative engineer gave function back

swimpro success how they secured the marketplace

ISSN 2207-1385

138008

issue

01

2016

9 772207

Welcome to eSME your digital (and print) magazine aiming to educate and inform Australian business owners and managers.

This magazine shares insights into organisations and individuals who have leveraged technology to help their business succeed.

If you know a business we should cover, please email news@esmemagazine.com

And to ensure you receive this magazine each time, sign up at www.esmemagazine.com

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eSME MAGAZINE

contents

interview

article

04 Shoes of Prey.

08 Kinetic Finger.

Co-founder Jodie Fox shares some insights into their journey

An invention to be shared around the world

20 SwimPro.

10 Virtual Reality.

Ryan Bennett explains how they have evolved to avoid competition

Perspective is key to sharing, teaching and understanding.

14 Turning the tide.

In the financial planning industry .

guest contributor

13 How soft-engaged managers become better leaders.

18 Buying Real Estate.

Assembling your A-team.

23 Paperless safety if only.

24 Leverage your marketing through technology.

ISSUE 01 | 2016

3

JUMPING IN FEET FIRST Jodie Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey, explains to eSME how she has helped to build a successful online business.

t

he hardest part of success is not having the idea – it’s having the guts to implement it. How many times has something new hit the market, only to have a chorus of people saying that they had that idea years ago!

Jodie Fox is a clear example that action leads to success and that whilst the idea is important, action is the deciding factor. She often quotes that “today’s idea held back is tomorrow someone else’s execution.”

The premise of Shoes of Prey is actually stunning in its simplicity.

Easily accessible, custom-designed shoes. Like many good ideas, the seed of the idea for the business was planted from personal experience.

Q. Where did the idea come from for Shoes of Prey?

Jodie: Shoes of Prey came from a place where I just couldn’t find shoes that I love. I would find something close, but it wasn’t quite right - the heel was too low or too high, or too thick or too thin, the colour wasn’t perfect, or there was an element of the decoration I didn’t like. This was something that was happening quite frequently and it was preventing me from really enjoying shoes.

When I was travelling I heard about a place that I could commission shoe designs and I thought that would be the perfect solution – and it was!

I spent over five hours there and designed 14 pairs of shoes. Shortly after I returned home this fabulous package arrived, containing 14 pairs of shoes that were exactly what I wanted.

Each time I’d wear a pair of these shoes my girlfriends would be asking where I got them from and

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“It was just curiosity - so why not explore the idea?”

they started asking me if I would commission shoes for them too. It was a lot of fun but I never would have had the fortune to turn this into a business if it wasn’t for my co-founders Mike and Michael.

Jodie, Mike Knapp and Michael Fox all met in law school. Michael (who was married to Jodie) and Mike were both working at Google, and Jodie was working in advertising after leaving her legal career when the three friends came up with the idea for Shoes of Prey.

Q: So what actually prompted you all to make your idea a reality?

Jodie: It was just curiosity - why not explore the idea? We put together the business plan, but we really didn’t try to do everything at once. We would just work on each element or stage, one by one. Eventually that turned into a big thing, but I think that’s still how we approach every day.

Q: How has the business been funded?

Jodie: Between the three co-founders we all put cash in together, so in the beginning there were no loans on the business from outside, just personal loans from the founders. Although it was a leap of faith, we worked hard to put everything in place and within two months we broke even and within two years we hit multi-million dollar revenue. The next step was to raise funds, in order to grow faster.

Q: What was the key financial factor that resulted in such quick success?

Jodie: The business model was actually really helpful in that people would tell us what they wanted and then pay in full, so we never had to pay for product prior to sale.

Q: Did you ever have a fear of failure?

Jodie: Yes, absolutely. The biggest moment I had a fear of failure was when it was decided I would go into

the business full time. We had a staged approach for all of the founders entering the business in a full-time capacity, with all of us resigning at different times. We had a long discussion about this and it really came back to the idea that leaving our jobs wouldn’t necessarily mean they would be the last jobs we ever had.

Michael Fox entered the business full time in April 2009, Mike in May 2009 and Jodie in October 2009. Mike was in charge of building the website, Michael looked after operations and Jodie was focused on marketing, communications and branding.

Q: What was, and is, your software solution?

Jodie: What we needed for our launch really didn’t exist. There was nothing off the shelf that could build a product with such a wide range of options and then accurately calculate the price.

Since day one I have been amazed at what Mike and the engineering team have done – and continue to do.

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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Q: Do you have any competitors?

Jodie: Oh yes, absolutely. There have been some businesses that have come on the scene, but at this stage none of them are too concerning for us. But this could obviously change at any time, so we’re always looking to expand or enhance what we do, to make our products the best option for our customers. Our business is quite complex and we haven’t been able to do it all overnight. I think it would be quite difficult for a competitor to come in with speed and overtake us.

Q: Do collaborations play a big part in your business model?

Jodie: Oh definitely! Only recently we launched a collection with Megan Hess, who was the illustrator for the Sex And The City book by Candace Bushnell, but also does a lot of illustrating for Chanel, Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton. We are so privileged to work with her - she is such a lovely woman, really incredible and so inspiring.

Shoes of Prey has also collaborated with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant, as well as showing at New York and Australian Fashion Weeks with designer labels Carla Zampatti, Romance Was Born, Gretchen Jones and Mandy Coon.

Q: Was it a big decision to go from the online space to bricks and mortar?

Jodie: It was and it wasn’t. After the success of the online outlet it made sense to strategically develop a physical presence. There is something to be said about the pleasure of seeing and touching something in real life, feeling and smelling the leather, understanding the weight of the shoe.

The first Shoes of Prey physical retail store was via a partnership with David Jones at the Sydney City store and in late November 2014, the brand partnered with Nordstrom to open five in-store design studios in the USA.

Q: Shoes can be such a personal purchase, being prominently an online shop, how do you transcend that?

Jodie: We do everything that we can to provide as much relevant and helpful information and imagery as possible on our website, marketing materials, email newsletters and social media. There is also a lot of video content on my YouTube channel. We also put our money where our mouth is by offering a great returns policy. But the proof is in that returns rate, because we don’t actually get that many because people are able to get exactly what they want.

The Shoes of Prey returns policy allows their customers 365 days to return the unworn shoes for a remake or a refund.

Q: When you launch a product what is your primary marketing tool?

Jodie: We have a large database of customers and prospects, so email marketing forms a really essential component of that. We obviously collect email addresses when people buy a shoe, but we also ask for feedback on the site - we ask you to login when you start designing a shoe so you don’t lose your design. But obviously the website is the most crucial element in the entire process, so it’s really important we get that right, every time.

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“regret doesn’t leave any room for learning and building experience”

Q: What has been your biggest learning curve?

Jodie: The biggest learning curve at the start was being cool with putting things up that weren’t perfect. With my background as a lawyer and then in advertising, I wasn’t used to the idea of just putting something out there to see what people thought. I really struggled as I wanted everything with the brand to be right. But as a start-up we didn’t have the ability to invest everything all at once.

More recently it has been to shift away from that mindset, because we’re not a startup anymore. We have received millions of dollars from investors in our company so we really need to ensure we maintain that nimble approach, but with more checks and balances in place. It’s really about the risk appetite changing as your business changes.

Q: With the benefit of hindsight - what would you change?

Jodie: I think there are things that we should have done faster. I think not speeding up some of the ideas we had are definitely in the regret pile - but regret just seems such a heavy word. I mean, regret doesn’t leave any room for learning and building experience.

We probably got caught up in testing some things that weren’t the right things to be spending time testing. Like we should’ve just asked people which size of shoe they wore instead of spending three or four months trying to figure out if they should step in memory foam or trace their feet to get their size.

Q: What’s next for Shoes of Prey?

Jodie: The vision of the future is about looking at other products and the way that we can bring on-demand design because I think it’s a really valuable thing that is going to be the way we buy things in the future. But also there are other things like harnessing technology that takes good measurements of you using the camera on your phone, or it could be around 3D printing, or it could simply be the manufacturing side and how to systemise that more.

www.shoesofprey.com

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kinetic finger c

urrently finger prosthetics can cost anywhere between $2k and $6k, restricting access to only a small percentage of the world population. Over the last year an engineer at Toyota Australia, Mathew Bowtell, has developed (in his spare time) and trialled a functional prosthetic finger that costs under $1 to manufacture and returns delicate finger function.

Traditionally, the only viable choice for the finger-level amputee has been a passive functional device.

These devices are designed to look like the missing finger and are often constructed of silicone, however they do not bend or return function.

They cost several thousand dollars to produce due to the high level of detail required to make them look real.

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“One amputee was able to play the piano again after 10 years.”

There are also a limited number of functional body-powered devices such as X- Fingers® sold through Didrick Medical in the USA, however they cost about USD$5,000 per finger, look unattractive, are obtrusive and are very problematic due to complicated design.

Mat set himself a challenge to develop a functional finger prosthetic which would not only be revolutionary, but would be accessible to anybody on the planet - for free. He utilised an existing network called eNABLE to launch his 3D printable design which can be downloaded, scaled, customised, printed and delivered at no cost to the recipient.

The ‘Kinetic finger’ is a body-powered device that has no complicated moving parts or mechanical joints, and utilises cleverly designed 3D printed thermoplastic elastomer hinges to allow the finger to open and close independently in a realistic manner.

Utilising the existing movement of the

finger stub, a tendon that is attached to the wrist through the finger is able to contract to close the finger in a realistic manner. All parts are not only scalable, but are also replaceable. The design in unobtrusive, allowing the ‘Kinetic finger’ to be worn under work gloves.

“The ‘Kinetic finger’ design doesn’t aim to look like a real finger. No matter how realistic a fake finger looks, it will always look dead - especially if it doesn’t function,” Mat said. “It is designed to look like an accessory, similar to a watch, which can be attached and removed as the user pleases.

The ‘Kinetic finger’ has been trialled by a man in Japan with a missing index finger, as well as for a man in Melbourne with a missing ring finger.

During the trial, finger amputees were able to pick and place a wide variety of both large and small, heavy and light objects.

“One amputee was also able to play the piano again after ten years, it was a very emotional moment,” Mat continued.

The design has been refined over the last year and has been uploaded to the internet under a Creative Commons license which will allow anyone to download it, scale it to the correct size and make it but not sell or profit from it.

Utilising the support of fellow volunteers from the eNABLE organisation, Mat will be able to spread the manufacture of the ‘Kinetic finger’ to all corners of the globe.

“I have a strong passion towards giving back to society and creating a world where we all have equal access to high quality, functional prosthetic devices. My passion drives me to continuously improve my designs and I hope to improve the quality of life for many people around the world,” Mat concluded. www.thingiverse.com/thing:1737001

virtual reality immersion

w

hen you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, it becomes much easier to appreciate their circumstances.

Perspective is key to sharing, teaching and understanding.

That’s why Virtual Perspective use Virtual and Augmented reality technologies and practices to help their clients and partners deliver their messages.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a content delivery modality like no other. The ability to immerse your audience in whatever environment or circumstance we want is unparalleled in its effectiveness for many different fields such as community engagement (link to LMCC 2050), sales (screenshot of virtual village) and education (screenshot of 1820s NTL).

I need to mention that while VR is an impressive technology, Virtual Perspective maintain a policy by which - where possible - any program created can be ported across to traditional peripherals (computer

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screen, keyboard, mouse etc) so as to make the content accessible to everyone regardless of whether they have the latest hardware or not. The hyper-realism of VR is important, but not always an absolute necessity.

You can use Virtual Reality to give your audience the ability to navigate and interact with the digital environment of your choosing. We can create operations training, safety inductions and educational software that can save thousands of hours of safety supervisors’ and inductees time because the software mode of delivery will be available 24 / 7. It also allows high fidelity scenarios the likes of which are impossible with traditional methods of training (text, video, PowerPoint).

Hazardous environment training, for example, can be recreated in VR (Virtual Reality) with consequences that - in real life - would be impossible to perform. True training for dangerous conditions can be delivered without endangering the instructor or the learner(s). ivan@virtualperspective.com.au www.virtualperspective.com.au

Through kinaesthetic learning made possible with Virtual Reality, we can make training packages more entertaining and impactful, thereby improving overall effectiveness.

This can be achieved by simulating actions performed in Virtual Reality (such as holding and using a piece of equipment) As many instructors of all disciplines have discovered over thousands of years, there is no substitute for practical experience for their students. We can provide this experience through virtual environments without the need for expensive and time consuming recreations in real time which, while they have their advantages, have an overwhelming amount of limitations such as: • • • •

Limited class size Expensive to orchestrate Requires instructor(s) E ither places participants at real risk, or unable to truly recreate due to obligations to avoid risk • Needs to be done on schedule

VR also has implications for other industries such as tourism, education and real estate. Any situation where perspective is important, and / or the ability to interact with the environment in a meaningful way has the potential to be significantly enhanced or made possible with VR. For example when choosing your holiday destination you can see what the location truly feels like in 360 degrees of freedom, and really get a feel for what it’s like before making your selection. Until now, we’ve had text, images and video. Which in comparison is like a black and white still photo to a colour movie.

In conclusion, VR is here – its proliferation is on the rise and we are here to make it as effective and useful as possible to everyone and I’d like to invite you to join us.

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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HOW SOFTENGAGED MANAGERS

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Become better Leaders

O

ne of the things that can motivate employees to achieve goals and perform at their best is a leader that they can trust.

Often times, an employee will seek a leader that is more lenient or less rule-bound – a leader that is well within their comfort zones. Can this leniency go too far to the detriment of your team’s productivity?

I say this often when I talk about Tough Love, a book I wrote as I discovered that most leaders fall into one of two categories of engagement, too soft engagement style or too hard-line performance management style. Tough Love is about finding that balance and being tough when needed and loving when needed.

Shivani Gupta A global expert on passion, Shivani is the Passion Activator. She has the keys to the Passion Map, Leadership Map, Communication Map and Freedom Map to help inspire, challenge and transform you to achieve business and personal success and fulfillment.

Many of the hard-line managers are found in performance-driven organisations, such as call centers and sales teams. They have defaulted to this style because they think it is the only way.

Managers and leaders in contact center industries vary from the usual performance “chain-driven” types down to the more soft-hearted ones. Employees develop different traits as they work. Being a stern leader with metrics as a proving ground for success usually end up with stressed up workers that are less-motived and overworked. For a lenient leader, lies the opposite. Employees get opportunities for success and can even perform great because of the feeling of trust and security.

However, there are employees that may seem productive and are not.

You may not be aware that they are wearing a different kind of mask.

One that may be deceiving and may drive you down the pits.

Soft-engagement leaders are highly-regarded by employees. Though sometimes, that kindness and considerate leader may be taken advantage of by an employee so they can do anything at their will causing unproductivity and also disrespect to other peers. What do you do with these kinds of events?

Simple. If you’re one of the soft-engaged leaders who love employees very much and don’t want to gain angry faces from them too, then all you need to do is to have the balanced way of leadership. In my book, ‘Tough Love for Leaders’, there is a principle called, “Thappar” which means, ‘to slap’. Though not literally physical slapping an employee but letting an employee know he/she has crossed the line and it is no longer okay.

It will be a happy plus fun workplace if fairness and just is in order.

Knowing ‘tough love’ can make a soft-engaged leader the best leader in the workplace.

As always, with Love!

shivani@askshivani.com www.askshivani.com

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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Wealth + Purpose

Turning the tide in the Financial Planning Industry

C

ollaboration can be viewed as a bit of a buzz word in business these days, but when done right it can effect change across an entire industry – which is what Wealth + Purpose hope to achieve.

It is a collective amongst financial planners and coaches across Australia who are striving to look at finances in many forms - from life planning and wellbeing, to the mindset and behavioural change.

Initially the brainchild of Chris Bates of Canopy Private and Lea Schodel of The Mindful Wealth Movement it has quickly gathered traction, with 11 advisers part of the group. Chris and Lea had both realised that there was a need to move away from traditional advice concepts and after bouncing ideas around they realised they needed to create a movement and a voice.

The vision for Wealth + Purpose is to provide a fresh face for the industry to people going to seek financial advice. Making it less about products and solving a specific problem, but more about personal goals that are centered around experiences, family purpose and time.

Chris says it needs to be more about looking at what the results look like – allowing people to live a better life, whatever that means to them.

“Our dream is to be able to change the reason people would visit a financial planner,” Chris says. “ So have a real shift in mindset so that people choose to go and see a financial planner because they are educated about the value they provide – helping them live the life they want. That they’re not going to be pushed to buy products, but instead to have a solutiondriven focus.”

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“Our dream is to be able to change the reason people would visit a financial planner.”

The collective of Wealth + Purpose are not financially connected, they’re independent people coming together with a common goal.

Like-minded, passionate people who are running their own businesses, but see the value in collaboration to change the industry.

They also realise that although they could technically be considered competitors, that there is more than enough potential clients for everyone.

“We can all have clients across Australia – surely there is enough for all of us,” Chris quipped. “When you’re looking to make significant change in the industry, you have to be smart enough to realise that collaboration is a far stronger thing than individuals working separately.”

Wealth + Purpose coaches want to take action, rather than sitting in the background, creating their own voice in the industry, as to where the industry should go. The website is the content hub for Wealth + Purpose, with articles that aren’t financially based, but linked to finance.

Blake Fitzgerald Totem Wealth

Dominique Bergel-Grant James Millard Leapfrog Life YOLO Financial Services

Michal Bodi Sydney Financial Planning

Ron Malhotra Mapletree Wealth

www.wealthandpurpose.com.au

Cara Brett Bounce Financial

Chris Bates Healthful

James Reynolds Totem Wealth

Lea Schodel Wellthy

Tom Momsen Armcrest Financial Advice

Tristan Scifo Innovative Wealth Management

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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How technology helps workplaces ‘run’ d o I actually stand at my bedside marching on the spot until my steps tick over to 10,000?

…sometimes yes.

Do iWatch users really care whether they close those daily activity rings?

…absolutely!

Has Michelle Bridges 12WBT online fitness program really helped people lose 1,145,958kg?

…apparently so.

Technology today is quite literally at the heartbeat of health behaviour change (my watch tells me mines currently pumping at 62bpm). Most modern men and women own a smart phone that is virtually attached to our bodies like another limb and some of us go a step further and strap one to our wrist.

Smart phone separation anxiety…it’s real!

It’s crazy to think that just 10 years ago we didn’t even have iPhones or iPads and a decade before that we didn’t have the luxury to ‘Google it’.

As technology evolves, it’s expected that the working world will dramatically change over the next decade too. Digital platforms, automation, augmented reality, robotics and the internet of things will transform entire industries and the workplace.

Also a trend towards an ageing workforce will demand modern workplaces incorporate healthcare programs and platforms into the heart beat of business as usual.

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So how much of a difference can technology REALLY make in supporting our health and taking workplaces from good to great?

A girlfriend of mine once said in response to the frenzy around the latest iPhone release “Some technology people run to and other technology helps you run”.

I completely agree that some technology just ‘helps you run’.

Smart phones have enhanced our ability to ‘run’ both through productivity and health enhancement It’s commonly accepted in human behaviour change circles ‘that which is measured, improves’. Regardless of whether an intention to change a behaviour is established, the very notion of tracking something increases awareness, and awareness is the first step in changing behaviour. And what better way to track than technology or digital platforms.

See over page facts to help you be a catalyst for digital health disruption in your workplace.

The proof ’s in the pudding that healthy employees are in fact more productive employees.

Because technology ‘helps you run’, it makes good business sense to introduce health programs, which incorporate technology, digital platforms, team work and gamification into your workplace performance strategy.

What’s your next move to help your workplace run?

Sally McMahon Fit for Work - Chief Health Evangelist Speaker / Author / Podcaster Exercise Physiologist, Health Coach, Sports and Exercise Nutrition Advisor

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Facts to help you be a catalyst for digital health disruption in your workplace.

How health initiatives, using technology, digital platforms, teamwork and gamification will help you and your workplace run

benefits of ehealth in the workplace

sally@fitforworkaustralia.com.au www.fitforworkaustralia.com.au

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

“The only way to find your ‘A Team’ is research”

Buying Real Estate Assembling your ‘A Team’

s

ome people can liken buying property to negotiating your way through a maze. It can be full of time wasting routes, unexpected traps, which can result in unnecessary expenses, and missed opportunities or dead ends. But Director Kylie Frearson of Property Solutions 101 says “It doesn’t need to be a difficult journey and if you surround yourself with an independent and professional team of experts, you can create a huge advantage and reach your end goal so much sooner”.

The only way to find your ‘A Team’ is research, research and more research. Buying a property is the biggest financial decision most of us will ever make. By spending the time to find out who you feel most comfortable with and who you trust, you will save enormous amount of time and stress later during your property search. Yes, there are ‘one-stop-shop’ companies that deal in every aspect of the property journey. They are sometimes easy to book in and in some aspect seem convenient but you are not getting the best or the most independent advice. By working with separate and 100% independent professionals, you are actually getting the best team from each field working together just for your benefit.

Having the right team to support you from the beginning can create an advantage over your competition by not waiting on someone to return your call or trusting the wrong person to advise your next move. Assembling an expert team to support you in your property purchase will not only protect your interests in the property transaction, but your team will also lead you through the property buying process. You will find the process of identifying and the necessary due diligence for the property purchase a lot smoother and faster.

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Kylie Frearson Kylie Frearson is a successful business owner and the Director of Property Solutions 101.

With over 15 years industry experience, Kylie’s knowledge is second to none; this formed the backbone in her drive when developing her business. Kylie is extremely passionate about her clients and providing them with the best possible representation during what is most likely the most financially significant purchase of their lifetime.

Kylie Frearson recommends your team should include a mortgage broker and/or bank, buyer’s agent, conveyancer and/or solicitor and a pest and building inspector. “It’s very important to conduct research into the professionalism and creditability of each company because your ‘A Team’ has a great deal of influence over a successful outcome”.

You should be looking for your team before you even begin to look at properties. By locking in early the professionals you would like to work with you can create an opportunity to work with the best. It is also extremely important to keep the lines of communication open during your property search. If you have not sourced your preferred professional team prior to looking at properties, they may not be available to complete the work you need. You increase your chances of securing the property you want by having professionals at your side ready to act on your behalf. Don’t wait for the right property to come along only to miss out or pay a premium because you didn’t have your ‘A Team’ ready.

Kylie believes each and every professional in your “A Team” will help you enormously throughout your entire property search. You are gaining their expertise, sound industry knowledge and professionalism to help you secure the property you want without wasting your time, money and not to mention easing your stress levels. The huge advantage is you are ready to move on the property you want and will be able to proceed quickly - you won’t waste time and you won’t miss out on that property!

Ensure before you get too far into your property hunt to have all the necessary members of your A Team ready. The support from a good mortgage broker and/or bank, buyer’s agent, conveyancer and/or solicitor and a pest and building inspector will not only save you time, money but most importantly they will help you secure that ‘great property’.

Avoid so much of the unnecessary stress that the process to purchase a property can involve by surrounding yourself with professionals that are 100% independent and have only your interests in mind.

www.propertysolutions101.com.au

r

swimpro Ryan Bennett is the founder of SwimPro, an advanced underwater swimming video training camera system.

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yan Bennett is pretty unassuming. If you knew him you might not realise he has created a niche product that has become extremely successful, both in Australia and abroad – in a very short period of time.

He has an electrical engineering degree, an education that really was the foundation for SwimPro, an advanced underwater swimming video training camera system.

SwimPro has sold over 2,500 systems, across 43 countries world-wide. They have endorsements from Swimming Australia and Swimming Canada, plus close partnerships with British Swimming, Swimming Ireland and the USA Olympic Team.

Q: What is the product?

Ryan: SwimPro offers multiple wireless underwater camera streams. This really separates us from the marketplace. Users can then do almost anything with the videos in real-time or post session. Furthermore, we distribute video streams to iPads/iPhones and even live stream online for total fan engagement.

Q: What is your business structure?

Ryan: As well as my role in the business there is also two product engineers, two warehouse and support staff and one operations manager. We’re able to keep such a lean team as we outsource for all our other needs. We use cloud-based systems and programs to help manage the business itself.

Q: Do you have any competitors?

Ryan: We did up until about two years ago, but I am proud to say that we have evolved the product beyond the point of reasonable competition, effectively giving us a monopoly on this type of video in the marketplace.

Q: How do partnerships and collaborations drive your business forward?

“we have evolved the product beyond the point of reasonable competition ” Q: Where did the idea come from?

Ryan: I left my job at the power plant to develop a confined space inspection camera for large industry. A swimming coach asked me if he could trial the camera, given his need for viewing underwater strokes - I said yes.

In retrospect, the best decision to make as that led to me creating a business around the product, launching in 2009.

Q: What prompted you to act on the idea?

Ryan: Sales started to grow in the swimming market and I was travelling around Australia giving demonstrations.

So, I built a website to assist. The website then started outselling me. I then focused on building sales worldwide through the website and digital marketing. The combination of a great product and website warranted good business prospects.

Q: How was the technology developed?

Ryan: It literally started in my bedroom on my workbench I made from a door my dad had under his house. My wife and I had just had our first little baby so I had our daughter surrounded by pillows on our bed while I was building lithium ion battery charging circuit boards.

www.swimpro.com.au

Ryan: Our partnership with zimpleweb is symbiotic and has been a ‘backbone’ pillar in driving us forward. During particular projects, SwimPro has pushed zimpleweb into to innovative/challenging realms. They deliver - exceeding expectations - and are ready for the next challenge. This relationship fosters world-class innovation that has connected us with the USA Olympic Team, Swimming Australia, Swimming Canada and - most recently - venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley.

Q: Can people only buy the product online?

Ryan: Primarily yes. We engage and feed clients any relevant information required throughout the complete buying cycle - all online. zimpleweb have done a great job in breaking down SwimPro clients’ buying behaviours/ times and crafted a complete turnkey online sales solution.

Q: What’s been your most and least effective marketing avenues?

Ryan: Digital Marketing has definitely been the most effective as every dollar spent/returned is quantified.

We have access to dollar-for-dollar return statistics on SwimPro’s digital marketing on a country-by-country basis.

Generally speaking, un-quantifiable marketing avenues such as print and radio have been less successful. They are very hard to attribute return.

Q: What’s next?

Ryan: I have recently returned from the USA - I had meetings in Silicon Valley - where I met with USA Olympic Team Technology and Innovation director plus one of the largest aquatics distributors in the USA. We have some large Universities, Colleges and swimming organisations calling for our technology.

Additionally, I am in discussions around some highly disruptive technology that we have developed as part of our ‘Bluesky’ play. This technology will effectively change the way that sport is trained, played and broadcasted.

Extremely exciting!!

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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PAPERLESS SAFETY IF ONLY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

w

hat do people dislike about workplace health and safety? It’s usually the paperwork isn’t it. Why hasn’t WHS moved with the times and stayed up to date with technology?

Did you know, nowhere in work health and safety (WHS) legislation in Australia it states you need written policies, procedures and plans. Yes, some aspects of the legislation states things must be documented in a system or plan for example if you’re a major hazard facility or a mine or petroleum site but documented doesn’t necessarily mean written.

Sarah-Jane Dunford Sarah-Jane Dunford is a veteran safety consultant and avid farmer. She is the founder of the Hunter Safety Awards, supporter of women in safety and an international car artist.

She is passionate about paperless businesses and the technology on the horizon.

Documentation is a record of something, be it written, photographic, video, audio. So why isn’t anyone in the WHS world aiming towards paperless? There’s so much great technology out there to get people trained up, pre-start inspections, pre-start meetings, supervision, audits and so on; so why dumb it down with a tick the box paperwork exercise. Yes. sometimes the process needs to be proven legislatively that it’s been done, but there’s a better way.

Traditionally safety is built on instruction – tell and obey, but people learn through different forums such as by creating or doing or observing things. But how, you ask, do you then document this record that you have done something? Think outside the box, can you film or photograph it? Is there some technology out there that can reduce my paperwork?

When you have a procedure for a safe way of doing something, why not film it, stepping through the how. Or consider doing a face to face stepping through the process then observing the trainee following that process.

I’ve used the iAuditor App for the creation of templates for audits so I can go out take photos, tick things and with the press of a button the results are calculated and emailed back to me. Not a bit of paperwork is touched.

There’s a Take5 app where you can do Take 5’s on your mobile device, online systems that remind you when things are due for maintenance such as the WHS Online Compliance system.

There’s lots of apps out there for recording of hazards and incidents, and the beauty of this technology is you can then match it up with a photo, complete all the details on the spot on your mobile device and it gets sent to the person that needs the record.

So next time you are writing a new procedure on WHS, think….is there a better way? Can I do this without creating another document?

info@thesafetyacademy.com.au www.thesafetyacademy.com.au

ISSUE 01 | 2016

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Leverage your marketing through technology w hilst the marketing basics have not changed much over the years, the way we can implement our key messages and speak to our target audience has changed dramatically.

The old ‘targeted marketing’ has now transformed and is true to its name, being able to hit the bullseye on the dartboard, rather than being hit and miss.

You can now speak directly to many of your ‘perfect customers’, rather than having to rely on less effective, mass marketing activities.

So this all sounds good – but how do you do it? You go back to the basics of strategic marketing. You look at one piece of content and determine how you can use it effectively, in more than one way.

And how does technology fit into all this? There are apps to help you schedule your content, a wider variety of places to put that content and analytics to tell you how effective it has been. If you’re not using technology to help you leverage your marketing, you’re missing out.

I have put together a list of some of the tools you can use, but remember this is not a definitive list! Technology is changing (seemingly) daily, so you need to ensure you keep your ears pricked and your eyes open for what will be relevant and useful for your business. (In addition, I had to cull to ensure this article wasn’t thousands of

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eSME MAGAZINE

Holly Martin Holly Martin is a marketing dynamo for small and medium businesses and owner of Just Holly. She often refers to herself as a ‘Marketing GP’ – someone who can objectively provide information about all facets of marketing.

words, so I have just picked three for each category.)

CONTENT CREATION

Answer the Public: One of the regular

roadblocks my clients and customers throw up is that they can’t think of what to write for their blog. The Answer the Public website gives you some insight into how people are searching and what phrases they are using. You can then use this to develop content you know is going to be relevant.

Google Keyword Planner: In AdWords you can use the Keyword Planner to expand upon your current keyword list to determine new content ideas.

Evernote: This is a great app to let

you collect ideas as they come to you.

So it’s like an app that captures your brainstorming! Then you can tick it off as you use an idea.

GRAPHIC CREATION Canva: For almost any form of content you create you need to ensure you have some sort of image to go with it. This used to be difficult for businesspeople to do themselves, as it was expensive to access graphic design programs. Canva is an extremely flexible tool which allows you to make stunning imagery.

InDesign/Illustrator: That said, the

most effective tool is still Adobe’s InDesign or Illustrator. You can do so much more, but you do need more training.

Fiverr: And if you don’t want to do it yourself you can use a site like Fiverr to have something created. I don’t recommend you use sites like this unless you have a very clear brand guide and perhaps templates they can work from. Remember, you only get what you pay for, so unless you provide them with graphic designer parameters you’re unlikely to get something that is usable.

TASK MANAGEMENT & FILE CONTROL Paymo: If you are doing your

marketing right – being strategic and leveraging every piece of content – you need to be able to track everything.

A project management tool like Paymo is extremely helpful as you can create tasks, assign them to people, communicate on that task, as well as track time.

Trello: In the same vein, Trello is an app that helps you to manage your projects. It is a bit more visual than Paymo with a lot of drag and drop functionality, however it doesn’t have a calendar function or time tracking.

Google Docs / Dropbox: With Google Docs you can save documents that can be collaborated on. Meaning you don’t have to worry about version control!

Similar to Google Docs, Dropbox is a great place to save all your files, because you can then access them anywhere, on any device.

SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULING & ANALYTICS Hootsuite: This is just one of many social media scheduling tools! But I did have to pick just one, so I chose Hootsuite because you can manage multiple accounts in their paid version. If you are looking at just one social media outlet specifically – say Instagram – there are better social media scheduling tools just for them, such as ScheduGram.

Facebook: I had to highlight Facebook in this section as they have created a great tool for marketers. In terms of their scheduling, you can pretty well do anything you need to PLUS the feedback is that if you use their tool (rather than a scheduling tool like Hootsuite), they will favour your content. In addition, their analytics are really in-depth, so make sure you are reviewing how your posts do.

Google Analytics: How amazing is it

that Google provide Google Analytics for free! This can really be a goldmine of information, so make sure your website is set up with it, and then ensure you actually look at the results.

EMAIL MARKETING MailChimp: MailChimp is one of my

favourite email marketing tools for small and medium sized businesses.

It’s free up until 2,000 subscribers and you’re able to send 12,000 emails per month. So lots of businesses don’t need to pay! However, if you want to use the automation features (which I suggest you do), you need to pay. I think their pricing is really reasonable for the amazing functionality you get.

ActiveCampaign: Active Campaign takes things a step further and also enables you to integrate your sales and CRM. It’s also not as user friendly as MailChimp, but that would be because there is much added functionality!

InfusionSoft: InfusionSoft is generally considered the holy grail of email marketing tools and they have a price tag that reflects it. So yes, it is awesome, however it may not be a smart financial decision if you are just dipping your toe in the water. You really need to commit to ensure you use it right and get the most benefit. info@justholly.com.au www.justholly.com.au

WHERE ARE RETAIL TRENDS HEADING Shopping malls, pop up shops, online stores, markets.

T last decade.

he retail swing between large scale shopping malls, online stores and markets seems to be a hotly watched and continually evolving trend over the

10 years ago large scale shopping precincts were unmatched. Hailed as one stop shops, consumers could walk in and walk out with everything they needed in air conditioned comfort.

The evolution of online shopping, cheaper prices and international availability of almost any product from a click of your mouse proved that brands had to move fast to capitalise on the new wave of consumer spending. Although major brands mostly kept bricks and mortar presence the online evolution proved retailers had to adapt fast to keep up with retail spending.

But recently many small businesses are opting to start out in markets and pop up retail spaces.

Why? What are the driving factors for many retailers setting up their businesses in the current climate? And where are retail trends heading to?

Kristy Allomes owner and operator of Blues Child an Australian designer focused children’s boutique in Maitland NSW says the choice of moving from pop up shops at markets into a bricks and mortar street store was one of lifestyle choice.

“Originally we started out our brand at markets. We developed a small online store and we used these avenues to test the retail market. My youngest child still hadn’t started school at the time and I was able to work weekends around him. By the time he was ready for school our brand following was

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strong enough to allow us to open in a permanent shop front which had always been our original dream.”

small, local businesses as well as sourcing items direct from the maker are evolving rapidly.

Kristy says there was a number of deciding factors in her choosing her street shopping location in Maitland’s refurbished “The Levee” over a major shopping centre.

So what about online?

“The major considerations we took into account were rent costs, competition with major international brands as well as the small business community feel of the shopping strip location.”

Kristy isn’t alone. As major players like H&M, Zara, Top Shop and GAP are drawn to Australian shores and into Australian shopping malls, small businesses are finding it increasingly hard to compete with the high rents and highly competitive prices of the major international chains.

Start ups and micro businesses are beginning to ‘look outside the square’ for ways to distribute their products directly to consumers.

And consumers are lapping up the grass roots retail concepts which are evolving from this. Markets, pop up shops and retail events are flourishing and ethical stands on supporting

Although Kristy has an online shop she still says that people still like to come in store. “Many of our local customers will look at what we have online but they will still come in to purchase from us. They like to touch and see the products for themselves before they purchase.”

“Fashion in particular people like to know what they are getting.

Customers may have been around the corner to the major chain store and then come to compare the fabrics on our ranges. Sizing is also a big thing.

A lot of businesses I am sure so well online but for us our core business is the people that walk in that door.”

With trends being more and more influenced by cottage industries big leasing companies are taking note.

Westfield, Lend Lease and GBT Group have all recently promoted pop up, market style events within several of their centres and from all appearances the adoption of grass roots practices within their centres it seems to be working for them.

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