well.being.business. ISSUE NO. 1
alexx stuart HOW THE COMMUNITY QUEEN DOES IT
wowing insta GETTING THOSE GREAT PICTURES
nice niche BUSINESS WHO FOUND THE SWEET SPOT
lee holmes HOW SHE MANAGES HER WELLBEING EMPIRE
the development issue FOR YOUR WELLBEING BUSINESS
home working CREATING A GREAT HOME OFFICE
PLUS LOADS MORE BUT WE COULDN'T FIT IT ALL ON THE FRONT COVER...
editors letter Penny Wort
Hi there! Great to have you here reading our first e-magazine. Aren’t you a trailblazer! So what’s this magazine about and why should you scroll past page two? I’m so glad you asked! You can count on this publication for the 'pointy end' of marketing and operational advice for small businesses. 100% completely practical education and inspiration to grow your wellbeing businesses. These days there's a long list of skills required to run your own business. You might be trained in natural therapies but you also need to wear the the social media hat and the accountant hat. So many sensible hats and so little time (and often so little budget). We want to up-skill you and empower you to take care of the things you can master and give you the confidence to outsource when required. We only touch on topics that will improve your business growth trajectory and give you better ideas! We also use relevant case studies to ignite this inspiration, so you will hear from the people most qualified to answer your niggling questions... people who have started their own small businesses and been successful! Sound good? Then you should continue reading! Find out more about Well Being Business here: www.yourwellbeingbusiness.com/about
check out this bright bunch of articles... wowing insta How to create stunning images. PAGE 4
alexx stuart How she created her community. PAGE 6
making short videos: for beginners Everything you need to start making videos. PAGE 8
nice niche A great niche business story with pointers. Page 10
lee holmes On juggling multiple projects. PAGE 14
home working Practical tips to create a better home office. PAGE 16
the rise + rise of the social enterprise
A look at the social enterprise sector in Aus. PAGE 17
wowing insta If you have social media accounts, you will need content to distribute. A large amount of this content is likely to be images. Duh. We spoke to Rosie (of By Rosie fame) to find out what it takes to get great images for her Instagram account. Rosie takes incredible photos of her creations in the kitchen. She admits she has had some failures in the early days of her food photography but through trial and error has become more confident and started getting the shots she is happy with. Here are her top tips for budding photographers: 1. Always shoot in natural light, you get the best results this way, always shoot with light coming from one side.
I generally shoot my food with light coming from the left. This is personal preference as it creates shadows and depth in the food rather than direct sunlight which can make the dish look flat. 2. Get some good textures to work with your food as a background. I use natural fibres, such as linen and hessian, raw and painted wood, white tea towels, slate and marble. Keep them subtle so they do not overpower the food. Serving ware I generally keep plain and let the food do the talking. For me the more colour in the food the better it looks and the better it is for you! Before taking a photo, plan what you would like it to look like. I always do silly sketches to get a better visual. Pinterest is also great for food styling inspiration. 3. VSCO is a great app I use to touch up photos taken on the iPhone. I almost always use the same setting in this app, so viewers get a fluidity through the photos on my Instagram. If I am using my camera for shots I use Lightroom.
inspiration from real business owners (just like you)
wellbeingbusiness
@
Knowing your why is an essential ingredient for any budding wellness blogger, but taking action can be intimidating! We’ve learned that it’s important see beyond the fear (which is simply False Evidence Appearing Real) and do what you want to with your blog before you are ready." "
MATT + NAT, PALEO POWER COUPLE
I actually had 12 ideas and with the help of a business coach I refined my list to just a few business types that would fit my criteria." "
NATALIA, NO NASTIES MAKEUP
Follow your passion and the money will follow" "
MUKTI, MUKTI ORGANICS
EXCLUSIVE
community queen alexx Alexx Stuart discusses her business, Low Tox Life, and how she created her thriving online community. Words by Penny Wort Photo: Blumenthal Photography
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I’m happy to report Alexx is just as great as you expect her to be. She’s inspirational, interesting, real and very in touch with her impact on a micro and macro scale. She started her hugely popular blog in 2010 and has since been thrust into the spotlight as a poster-girl for a lifestyle with a reduced toxic load. Alexx is now a subject matter expert with eBooks, eCourses, 52K fans on Facebook and 11.3K followers on Insta. Not too shabby. It’s this community of loyal readers I spoke to Alexx about.
I wanted to get the nitty gritty on how it grew, why it grew, what she does to cultivate this growth and engagement. For Alexx all her success stems from her desire to be ‘useful and meaningful’. Because she is only producing content she considers to be useful, people have gravitated to it. When asked how it went from a Facebook group with friends and family to it’s current size, Alexx credits her ability to write about a topic that touches so many people in an honest way. She has earned the trust of followers over time, no hard sell.
So the secret to her incremental organic growth is in producing incredibly useful content. Despite the growth of her business Alexx is deadset on managing the social media herself. That’s how the consistency remains and so much of her personal story is interwoven with her work. You may have caught her most recent email newsletter featuring a very personal behind-the-scenes story. I asked her whether she worried about exposing too much to her audience and she was quick to say no.
She never thought twice about whether or not she was sharing too much as she said that’s how her community works. Other members share personal stories and ask questions that profoundly impact their lives, and so she feels it’s right to do the same. The Low Tox Life community has gone on to earn Alexx a living through the sale of great eBooks, eCourses and speaking gigs. The clear benefit of such a strong community is that there’s a ready and willing audience when Alexx creates any new product. Isn’t that a nice spot to be! Alexx sits in her community and not just at the helm. There's a lesson in that. When you combine her community skills with her eloquent ability to educate us (without scaring us half to death) it's no surprise she has won lifelong fans worldwide. Honesty is certainly the best policy.
EXCLUSIVE
She didn't grow her group through Facebook advertising, that kind of internet marketing didn’t sit well with her and because it didn’t come naturally, she didn’t do it.
"I would outsource every possible aspect I could, but I could never outsource creating for and hanging out with my community. Those will always be my number one job and joy. " - Alexx Stuart
Join your community! Search 'Healthy Small Business Community' in Facebook
make short videos: for beginners You gotta do it! People love to see the person behind the brand and you want to give your customers what they want, right? According to Syndacast, 2017 will be the year that as much as 74% of all internet traffic will be video content. So you can't afford to miss it out of your marketing strategy. It needn't be an expensive exercise if you pick a few good pieces of equipment, use your phone, the free editing software on your computer and cast yourself as the 'talent'. Here's the bare minimum equipment we recommend to get started....
Tripod: There are so many out there and most are well over $100. You can get this one for $50 and it does the job just fine but I use it with a phone grip (mentioned below). Microphone: The Rode microphone is a handy clip on lavalier style and the audio quality has been great. The main plus point is not having to line up imagery with the audio track , as it plugs directly into your smart phone. One less thing to edit! Phone grip: As previously mentioned, your phone won't directly connect to a standard tripod, you will need an adaptor. This one works well. Again, it's not top of the range but it seems to be robust enough to handle the portable nature of filming videos.
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@wellbeingbusiness
what's on our moodboard this month?
FOR ALL IMAGE CREDITS SEE OUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT @wellbeingbusiness
nice niche Words by: Penny Wort
One of the first things you need to do when you
When I had my daughters, I decided to leave
start a business is create a business plan and really
working full time. It was during this time that I
drill down into a niche. The more specific the
discovered my own yoga practice and developed a
better, to effectively target your offering.
passion for it.
When I interviewed Cynthia Levin, from Connect
I still very much wanted to work with children and
Kids Yoga, my first thought was 'wow, amazing
so the idea was born to join my two passions and
niche'. After finding out more about the work
loves – yoga & children. So, I guess you could say
Cynthia does and how she operates her business
that my business was born from my finding
I'm sure you will also ponder your target audience.
something that I loved and growing that love into a business that inspires children to believe in and
Finding your sweet spot isn't an overnight kind of
connect to their own brightness within.
thing, it's a journey, and in this interview Cynthia shares how her business has taken shape over the
WBB: Once you had the idea, what did you do
years. She also gives out some damn good advice!
next? CL: The first thing I did was get trained in the art of
Well Being Business: How did you come up with
teaching kids yoga and I continue to develop my
your business idea?
knowledge and skills around this. I then sought out
Cynthia Levin: I had previously worked in the Early
help from other business owners and did loads of
Childhood Industry for 10 years prior to having my
research.
own children.
I became the Google queen of all things business related. I joined business groups on Facebook and set myself up with like-minded business people who could guide and advise me. The two biggest and best choices I made in shaping my business was sign up for Business School for Mums and get myself a private business coach, who is amazing. WBB: Over the five years you've operated the business what has changed in your target audience? CL: Over the years I have definitely seen a difference in the way YOGA 4 Kids is received. Early Learning Services and schools are much more open to the idea of having yoga as part of their curriculums. With all the talk about mindfulness and meditation and the benefits of these two practices, which of course what yoga is, educators and parents are now wanting to make this a regular practice for their students and children. Our target audience has generally stayed the same with the exception that our niche market is the 2 – 6 yo, where we target YOGA 4 Early Learning Services. WBB: What are your words of advice for small businesses just getting started in the wellbeing area in Australia? CL: My number one bit of advice would be to stay authentic to YOU first and foremost. Then concentrate on who your target audience is and what their needs really are. Do your market research before committing to anything. Listen to the needs of your target audience.
I also conduct a survey before opening any new yoga classes to find out age groups, days & times that that particular area is wanting. Join a business group on FB! Seek out a mentor who will help guide you and hold you accountable. Set goals and have a daily to do list to work towards them. Collaborate with people who are aligned with your values. And always through the good and bad days (because we always have those) never forget WHY you started your business in the first place and have FUN! http://www.connectkidsyoga.com.au/
bright idea businesses Once you start to look for it you will find some pretty genius niche business ideas about. Here are the top four that have popped onto our radar this month: A Fresh Legacy: Kyrstie inspires her followers to grow fresh food, coaches families and schools and is the author of ‘Grow Just One Thing’. @kyrstie_afl it: The Mindfulness Movement: A constant flow of inspiration and pointers for practicing mindfulness. @itmindfulnessmovement Healthy Start Nutrition: Expert nutrition and feeding advice for families from a paediatric and maternal dietician. @healthystartnutritionau Turasoir: A curated collection of the leading fitness and wellbeing holidays. @turasoir | PAGE 12
Kindred toxin free facials: Self care skin healing rituals using only cruelty free and organic skincare products. @kindredtoxinfreefacials
Facebook Communities
JOIN IN 1
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HEALTHY SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Inspiration, support and education for businesses in the health and wellbeing area.
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MODERN EARTH MAMAS
likeminded mums discussing ecofriendly lifestyles.
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COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIST CAREER HUB
Natural therapy career help and professional advice.
EXCLUSIVE
lee holmes The prolific author and health food superstar, Lee Holmes, gives us a peek behind the scenes of Supercharged Food and how she created her niche in the wellbeing world. There are programs, retreats, consultations, and products. It sounds like a disparate offering but it all comes together under her Supercharged Food brand and each new project is met with great enthusiasm by her fans.
With so much output we have often wondered “how does she do it all?”. Just incase you’re thinking the same we asked Lee these questions and she answered effortlessly. Well Being Business: What are your tips for managing multiple income streams? How do you plan your time effectively? Lee Holmes: For my website www.superchargedfood.com I like to do a little bit of work on my different projects each day.
I set time aside for creative work and usually do that when I have some free headspace or after I have been for a walk or done something not related to work. I have digitised much of my workflow so it is centralised through one payment platform. I have a pretty efficient running system but there is a lot of interaction with people via email that I like to respond to.
WBB: With all the various product streams you have going at once you must have quite a hefty marketing strategy. How involved do you get in the planning process, the PR, the social media? LH: I am very involved as it is genuinely my voice on social and in all the pr that I do. I like to be as authentic as possible, I'm not after millennial lingo and trending hash tags.
I have outsourced many aspects but the words and the recipes are mine because I love it and that's at the heart of supercharged food and I am constantly energised by new recipes and fun with words. My husband works in advertising so we always bounce ideas off each other.
EXCLUSIVE
WBB: What do you outsource? What do you do yourself? LH: I did everything myself for the first four years its only in the last two years I have outsourced the workload. I outsource the production, packaging, admin, program management and recipe testing and I work on marketing, advertising, social media, invoicing and accounts, recipe development and writing and blogging.
WBB: What have been the greatest marketing success stories for you? LH: There is never one thing as there are so many aspects to running a business but I think it is about trying new things and building on others and taking small steps and small risks towards growth. If I had to pinpoint one event it would be when I appeared on Shark Tank which created much more awareness of the brand.
Lees business structure has a good mix of service-based and passive income that allows for a varied and interesting work routine. Yet it all sits cohesively under her brand.
You can read more about Lee's experience on the show on her blog.
Lee demonstrates how much your business can grow when you up-skill and put yourself out there! Sometimes that even means outsourcing. You can check out the latest in her growing range of products here.
home working Do you have a productive, seamless, and organised home office situation that runs like clockwork and looks like something out of the Design Files? If so, good for you! This page isn’t for you. Move along. If you’re with the majority of us who sit in their leggings juggling their laptop and a bowl of cereal on the couch whilst half-listening out for the washing machine to beep and also half-listening to a Tim Ferris podcast… then read on to get more out of your working-from-home environment.
Co-work from home: An online tool that will give you the co-work experience without having to go to a co-work space. You'll be able to create your own virtual community of people you want to work with, and be able to see who is online at any given time to ask questions, bounce ideas, get feedback and network, right when you need to. This is the very early stage concept, if you are interested in signing up for a trial you can register here now: www.coworkally.com Work Space Goals: Ditch Pinterest and follow this Instagram account packed with ideas for setting up a stylish and space-saving home office. www.instagram.com/workspacegoals Planning + Motivation: Look no further than the epic Shining Academy 2017 Workbook. Now in it’s eighth year this is a compilation of all the tools you need to be creative and productive. http://leoniedawson.com/shop
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@wellbeingbusiness
the rise and rise of the social enterprise
Written by Jess Blomfield
Business as usual? Not if the social enterprise sector has it’s way - there’s a new kid on the block! If you’re looking to incorporate your ethics into your business, this article profiles a number of businesses to show us how it's done. Social enterprises are using commercially viable business models to benefit the public, the community and the environment, rather than shareholders and owners. This next generation way of doing business puts the focus on the mission, not just the money, and using business as a force for good. The hallmark of a social enterprise is that they use business frameworks and principles with the explicit intent and purpose of tackling social problems, improving communities, providing people access to employment and training, or helping the environment. Social enterprise is not bound by the slow moving cogs of government bureaucracy, nor the barriers of the funding and resources strain that is so common in the charity, NGO, not-forprofit sector.
To top it off, there’s also high demand from the market, with consumers choosing to shop from a brand that incorporates some form of social responsibility into their product or service. It’s the model of business, used to serve a mission. According to research conducted by Social Traders, there are an estimated 20,000 social enterprises operating across all industry sectors in Australia; 73% are small businesses, 23% are medium sized and 4% are large organisations; and 34% in operation for between 2-5 years.
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"Frustrated with the lack of empowering messages and products available to young women, Lauren vowed to take a whole new approach to stationery." And there’s no sign of the social enterprise movement slowing down anytime soon. Let’s zoom in on a few of the fantastic enterprises and entrepreneurs who are making a difference in Australia: SEED Parks and Property Maintenance Seed Parks and Property Maintenance is a Brisbane based landscaping and commercial cleaning social enterprise. SEED’s mission is to create social inclusion by providing employment, and employment pathways for people marginalised from mainstream employment. They focus on creating sustainable and supportive employment for people who have been long term unemployed. In recognition of their business and social impact, SEED was awarded Australian Small Social Enterprise of the Year 2014. | PAGE 18
STREAT Cafes STREAT launched from humble beginnings in 2010, but with the lofty goal of stopping youth homelessness and disadvantage. They started with a mobile street food cart on Federation Square, Melbourne and in the past 5 years, have grown to five fully operational cafe locations across the city. STREAT offers training and employment to homeless and disadvantaged youth, offering hospitality short courses, a Certificate II program, work experience opportunities and a creative arts program. STREAT has been recognised as a strong Australian social enterprise innovator (winning Most Innovative Australian Social Enterprise 2013, Finalist in 2012 Cool Company Awards, winner of Melbourne’s 2013 Business 3000 Award in social enterprise, Finalist in the 2014 Ethical Enterprise, a winner in the 2015 Australian Social Enterprise Awards). Words With Heart Words With Heart was born out of one person’s passion and dedication to making a difference. Frustrated with the lack of empowering messages and products available to young women, Lauren vowed to take a whole new approach to stationery. She created Words with Heart to be a brand for people who want to create a better world combining environmentally responsible production, funding for women’s and girls education projects, and words that empower.
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Words With Heart use 100% post consumer recycled paper for the notebook and journal pages, and 100% recycled card for the covers. All paper products are printed with veggie based inks, solar power and no harsh printing chemicals. And to take their impact to the next level, each stationery product sold funds a specific number of education days for women and girls in the developing world. The goal to fund 500,000 education days by the end of 2016. What does the future hold? The surge of enthusiasm for new social ventures is astonishing. All around us, social entrepreneurs and start-ups are creating new projects poised for growth and impact. These initiatives are necessary, important, and definitely part of the picture. But there is an issue with scale. To create widespread social transformation, there also needs to be a shift amongst the giants - the large scale corporations and their behaviour. Even an incremental needle move in this sector will make significant progress toward reconfiguring existing systems. Many claim far more impact will be made through incremental shifts in behaviour of the corporate giants, rather than through revolutionary ones in the entrepreneurial sectors. We asked Lauren from Words With Heart for her thoughts on the future of social enterprise. She beautifully sums up how a balance between the grassroots and corporate sectors is the way forward.
“The future for social enterprise is definitely bright. I used to need to explain the term whenever I met someone new, but over the past 12 months this is happening less and less often. I love to refer to social enterprise as the mind of a business with the heart of a charity, and I think that this model is becoming incredibly popular with consumers and businesses. I think we will especially see social procurement take off for big business and government in the near future, as corporates look to ways to deepen their impact on a community level. One thing is for sure, the practice of social enterprise at the grassroots level, and its incorporation at the global level are here to stay. Both go hand in hand to make the world a better place through business.� If you have the drive to tackle a social or environmental issue, then running a social enterprise might be for you. If you need some help crafting your offering then sites like Sphera Change Makers can help you. http://spherachangemakers.com/
podcasts
pump these up
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BEST PRACTICE
An ABC creation, brimming with innovative ideas and challenging the status quo in the work place.
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LOW TOX LIFE
Health + sustainability are covered in an approachable and realistic setting.
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IDEAS AT THE HOUSE
There's something for everyone in this melting pot of stimulating conversation.
negotiating for the novice Do you get a feeling you're not always getting the best deal? There are ways to create great long-lasting relationship with suppliers while also confidently negotiate a better price. If you feel awkward when negotiating with your own money, you're not alone. So we spoke to Mike, a pro procurement consultant, to get his top tips for negotiating: 1. Information is King: The biggest key to being successful, effective, and efficient in buying, is to maximise the information at your disposal. The greater the information at your disposal the greater your ability to obtain a fair price, and ensure you are purchasing fit for purpose goods and services. 2. Know Your Specifications: Make sure you buy what you need. It sounds simple but so often time and money are wasted by purchasing something that is very cheap, but not exactly right, or something more expensive that does more than you need it to. Plan exactly what you need from a good or service and make sure it is what you are getting. 3. Shop Around: A purchase for your business should be the same as a larger purchase for yourself. You would not buy a new car or TV without first understanding what is out there and what a fair price is. You may then use this information to set different retailers off against each other to obtain a further discount. You should be doing exactly the same with purchases for your business. It can be quite confronting to challenge people, but don’t be afraid to do so. You can be sure they are doing the same with their suppliers.
4. Use assumptions to assess your price: If you are not sure what something should cost it may be possible to use some simple assumptions to help give you a benchmark. For example lets say you want to engage somebody to work on your website. You feel this is a fairly simple task and will take 2 days maximum. They may propose a fee of $1000. Is this fair? It’s tough to say on the face of it. However by using some assumptions you can make this assessment. A quick google will tell you that the average Australian Salary is $75k. Assuming that an average worker works 230 days per year (52 weeks – 6 weeks holidays = 46 weeks * 5 days) they are earning ~$325 per day. For 2 days work $650 would therefore seem a much more reasonable fee. Even if you add in an additional allowance for basic overheads and profit you would be well below $1000. You could then use this as a benchmark for pricing discussions. Its simple logic, but is a tool used in multi-million dollar negotiations. 5. Understand who you are dealing with: Before buying, try to understand who you are buying from, be inquisitive. Try and assess how important your business will be to them. If you are a large customer it may give you scope to request better pricing, and ensure that you get really high quality of service. This can be invaluable to a small business.
IT'S THE INCREDIBLE AROMA OF OPPORTUNITY WAFTING ON THE BREEZE. OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY AND GROW WITH OTHER SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE YOURS! IF YOU FOUND THIS MAG USEFUL THEN JOIN US ONLINE FOR A STEADY SREAM OF BEST PRACTICE INFO AND INSPIRATION. Insta: @wellbeingbusiness Facebook: @wellbeingbusiness FB group: Healthy Small Business Community
can you smell that?