Over the years we’ve shared a yarn with a multitude of incredibly talented and groovy business owners and entrepreneurs, ranging from clever folk who have expertise in everything from running a stock image site to writing other lovebirds’ wedding vows. We think we’ve learnt a helpful heaping of practical advice on how to achieve whatever biz goals suit our fancy, but what the heck – we think you lovely bunch deserve a neat collection of some of the best tips we’ve received over the years, because you’re all just that cool.

Here are five of the best pearls of wisdom from a wide array of nifty small-biz owners that deserve a second shout-out.

MASTER THE ART OF SEO Being able to tame the wild beast that is SEO (search engine optimisation) is one of the most crucial skills that’ll set you apart from other brands, which we learnt from business mentor and digital marketing coach, Kate Toon.

When researching product keywords, Kate encourages you to ask these questions:
1. What is most important to the customer who is searching?
2. How many people will be searching for the phrase I’m planning to use?
3. Who am I competing with?
4. Do the competitive sites have more authority than me?
5. Is the top result a relevant fit?
6. How can I improve on the top result?

“Experiment with different keyword orders on different products and base your plans on what works best for your site,” she writes.

Read the rest of Kate’s piece this-a-way, if you like.

PRIOTISE CUSTOMER SERVICE In the words of content-marketing extraordinaire, Jenna Burnell, “A successful business is often one that puts customers first.” One of Jenna’s ace tips on  developing an effective customer-experience strategy is to consider personalisation:

“Personalisation is a great way to make your customers feel extra special – but first, you need to know more about them. Only then can you send the appropriate content to different types of customers (no one likes junk mail). You could also use an online scheduling system to set up messages to automatically be sent out at specific times, to boost customer engagement.”

Fancy a look at all the other tips Jenna wrote about this topic? Take a hop, skip and a jump to the article here.

FOCUS ON YOURSELF It’s true what they say – comparing yourself to other folk is just going to make you feel miserable and stressed-out. When we caught up with Sandy Murray, the owner of reusable cup biz Luxey Cup and sustainable loo roll brand Peekapoo, she told us that she tries not to focus on what other brands are doing. Here's a quick snippet:

“I’m not a sheep or a follower, and I don’t think it’s good to always be looking out for trends because then I’ll lose what makes my businesses special. It’s better to be different because now there’s something new to offer to people.”

If you want to see all the other handy tips Sandy sent our way, then take a gander at the rest of the article here.

LEARN YOUR OWN WAY Back in 2018 (ah, those pre-pandemic days when we were blasting nothing but the Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again soundtrack), we shared a chat with Simone Clarke about what it’s like running her baking business, Butterbing. She told us that sometimes, learning your industry via non-traditional routes can actually be beneficial. She gave us this pearl of wisdom when asked what she wish she knew before starting her biz:

“Some knowledge of what equipment commercial bakeries use would have been very useful. As result, I’ve developed excellent googling skills. Along the way, I’ve found that naivety can be a great thing for creative business development. I didn’t really have an appreciation for the way traditional wholesale bakeries operated, and it helped me stand out from the crowd.”

Simone has a lot more neat advice if you’re interested, which you can spy over here.

CONSISTENCY, LIKEABILITY AND CONFIDENCE When it comes to the key strategies you could use to make your biz stand out, the list is pretty much endless. Thankfully, three experts from our panel in 2022 – Shahn Stewart of Alchemy Orange, Casey Eastwell of Hakea Swim and Nye De Marchi of By Nye – did the heavy lifting and each gave us some dandy tips on how they make their biz unique. Here’s just a little smidgeon of what they told us:

“Nye: When I started, I was making things I didn’t relate to. A friend asked, ‘Why don't you wear anything you make?’ I said, ‘It’s not my taste’. She was like, ‘That’s a problem.’ But I thought I’d delivered a certain product that people expected. I internalised my friend’s advice and changed everything. Now, I start from a place where I think it’s good. If I would wear it, that’s enough.

Casey: Consistency on social media, and having a clear message and aesthetic. Engaging with the customer via Instagram Stories and having a relationship that can be quite casual.

Shahn: Early on, I saw talented florists’ work and thought it didn’t reflect my style, or what I could achieve if I committed wholeheartedly. That gave me the confidence to do it, and it paid off. Also, our audience has always appreciated our transparency and vision, which helps us stand out.”

Cast your peepers over more of what they had to say by popping over here.

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