• Introduction:
  • Introduction to MIA Podcast's new format and hosts, John Hill from Ucidity and Steve Bambury from Growth Partners.
  • Focus on assisting manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand to tap into new markets and dominate traditionally owned spaces.
  • Discussion to cover solutions for businesses experiencing decreased phone activity and sales team performance.
• Introduction of Guest:
  • Greg Gladman, founder and CEO of Sales and Leadership Performance.
  • Greg's extensive experience in assisting manufacturers across Australasia to achieve significant growth.
  • The unique approach to Sales and Leadership Performance, including custom development plans and a partnership for growth.
  • Highlight of a three times return on investment guarantee as a unique point of difference.
• Challenges in Manufacturing:
  • Shift in consumer behaviour and perception towards "Made in Australia" products.
  • Manufacturers faced supply chain issues during COVID-19, leading to a focus on local production.
  • Importance of leveraging local production as a unique selling proposition rather than just labeling products as "Made in Australia".
• Solutions to Growth Roadblocks:
  • Importance of refining digital presence to resonate with the target audience.
  • Need for professional assistance in strategically positioning products and services online.
  • Adaptation to changes in buyer behaviour, particularly increased reliance on online research.
  • Emphasis on continuous adjustment of digital strategies to align with evolving algorithms and buyer preferences.
• Importance of Unique Value Propositions:
  • Utilizing distinctive capabilities to differentiate from competitors and avoid price-based conversations.
  • Challenging assumptions about customer preferences and actively engaging in dialogue to understand true needs.
  • Shift towards a proactive approach to lead generation rather than relying solely on traditional methods.
• Personal Experience:
  • Greg Ladman shares personal experience of transforming his business's digital presence.
  • Initial challenges in visibility and lead generation despite investing in a website.
  • Success is achieved through strategic content creation aligned with customer needs and search behavior.
  • Importance of a comprehensive approach combining digital marketing efforts with unique value proposition development.
• Conclusion:
  • Acknowledgment of the importance of collaboration between digital marketing experts and sales consultants.
  • Need for a holistic approach addressing both digital visibility and sales effectiveness.
  • Continued adaptation to changing market dynamics and consumer behaviours for sustained growth.

Sean McHugh at McHugh’s Financial Services is a commercial finance specialist that has worked in the finance industry for over 15 years, helping business owners when they need to get finance.

His team helps business owners obtain finance to grow their business, where they focus on your business and take time to understand your objectives, identify the business's strengths, and then develop a strategy to secure funding on your behalf.

Sean also specialises in a wide range of financial products for business owners and has no bias about how we address a challenge or opportunity. 

McHugh’s Financial Services aims to help you borrow money with terms that make sense and suit your cash flow. 

Here’s what John and Sean talk about in this episode:

• How Sean’s team help business owners grow their business through financing
• John’s and Sean’s dad’s involvement in manufacturing
• The standard that has been passed on from generation to generation by doing the task
• The possible challenge of knowledge handover
  • The talent pool?
• How Sean started working with IT Fortune 500 companies at the onset of his career
• The risks of importing products from overseas
• Companies who come back for refinancing
• The sustainability of businesses 
  • How do you make sure you have a great product?
• Taking ownership of the products that you sell in the market
• One of Sean’s biggest manufacturing clients
• When is the right time to finance?
• What business owners are doing wrong that affects their borrowing capacity

And many more, including Sean’s thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Connect with Sean McHugh or McHugs Financial Services on Linkedin or visit their website for more information on how Sean and his team can help your business get a positive cash flow at all times!

MIA Podcast Episode 23: Jack Lee from Forward Business Sales and Acquisitions

Jack Lee has over 20 years of diverse experiences in working for corporations and owning small businesses, with his Asian born background, the understanding of Asian and Western cultures through living in multiple Asian countries and 16 years in Australia, Jack is confident that he can help you and your business navigate cross-cultural transactions.

Jack’s enlightenment in life and career success come from his ability to connect and match the right people. That is, realising the goals of both parties, qualify them and make it happen. Not just once-off, it is ongoing and sustainable.sonalized consultation.

Today’s episode talks about:

• How his Asian background helped him bridge cultural differences between businesses
• He helpes those businesses owners who wish to “exit” their business
• Malaysia mostly manufacture -Electronic goods
• Australia mostly manufacture -Mostly food and beverages (wine etc)
• Quality and food safety is top priority in Australia compared to other countries
• There are lots of manufacturing opportunities in Australia
• China is a strong exporter

And many more, including Jack’s thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Connect with Jack Lee of Forward Business Sales and Acquisition on Linkedin or visit their website for a better understanding of safety and how you can ensure that your business and its reputation are safeguarded from all the risk factors surrounding it.

MIA Podcast Episode 22: Rob McDonald from GSD Safety (Getting Stuff Done)

Rob McDonald and GSD Safety’s main scope of work is all about helping Manufacturing, Transport, and Construction Businesses Safeguard their Businesses from Staggering Fines and Penalties.

Rob’s Team at GSD Safety ensures protection for the people, the business and the reputation. They ultimately aim to minimise risk, asses safety and ensure best practices are followed. GSD Safet develops its safety culture roadmap to implement continuous improvements across all elements of the business by meeting obligations under the WHS Act and providing evidence of monitoring, measuring and reporting.

In this extensive discussion, Rob and John talk about:

• What is the real meaning of safety?
  • What it encompasses
  • How a lot of people misunderstand it
• Safety isn’t limited to having documentation in place
  • Look at external pressures too
• Reduce cost with better safety
  • Reduce costs of people
  • Reduce costs of the business
  • Ensure that your business’s reputation is safe
• Contractors are more likely to be injured because they don’t know your processes
• Harassment is a common safety issue but not a lot voices it out
  • Sexual Harassment is a heavy and impeding issue
• There is a crossover between HR, Quality and Safety
  • Safety crosses all departments
    • Financial, HR, etc.

And many more, including Rob’s thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Connect with Rob McDonald of GSD Safety on Linkedin or visit their website for a better understanding of safety and how you can ensure that your business and its reputation are safeguarded from all the risk factors surrounding it.

Smart Commercial Solar is committed to leading solar power and energy intelligence in Australia.

Their vision sees solar power as a financial product able to stand on its own two feet in a competitive marketplace. 

They encourage only those solar installations that will deliver both immediate and long-term business value and community benefit. By doing so, they help to ensure the industry's viability and health – health built on a history of customers for whom solar has delivered robust benefits.

In this episode, John and Max talk about:

• Being the largest commercial solar power
• How they reduce electricity consumption through:
  • Battery
  • Generators
• Their main goal is to help their clients achieve 100% renewable energy
• Who their clients are
  • Biggest names in the retail industry
  • Beverage industry
  • Manufacturing business
  • Anyone who has a large energy consumption
  • Plastic, Glass, Aluminum
  • Hospital/Medical
• They help those businesses who want to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and those who want to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Energy can be reduced by 20-40% at least by using solar
  • Energy on the regular grid is constantly fluctuating
• The adoption of renewables in Au has caused a reduction in the energy prices in the Market\
• Manufacturing in Australia has a good future if we continue to think of ways to consume less energy
  • Rely on renewable energy
• How they are currently studying the effectiveness of hydrogen power
• Max's advice to manufacturing businesses
  • Re-consider solar power because it's not as expensive as it used to be, and returns don’t take too long
  • There are smart financing solutions like pBA that businesses can look into, so they need to spend their core business capital.
  • Adapt a cheaper solar price.
  • Reduce grid electricity usage.

And many more, including Max’s thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Connect with Maximillian Stenning or Smart Commercial Solar on Linkedin or visit their website for more information on how your business can reduce energy costs.

MIA Podcast - Episode 20: Corey White and Phil Scardigno - The Hygiene Co

The Hygiene Co, Co-Founded by Corey White and Phil Scardigno, is a specialist Australian manufacturer of hygiene and disinfection products, specialising in wet wipe products for multiple industry needs, offering soft pack, canister packaging and bulk form grades.

The Hygiene Co. offers clients private label manufacturing services for their own branded wet wipe products across various market segments, including Cleaning; Personal Care; Healthcare; Industrial, and FMCG.  As supporters of the Australian Made campaign, clients serviced by The Hygiene Co. can brand their products under this banner to reinforce Australian-manufactured quality packaging and bulk form grades.

Tune in to find out how they founded Hygiene Co. and what pushed them to be a part of the manufacturing business in Australia.

Here are some more of what’s in the episode:

• The business was born at the height of COVID when Phil realised that there were no locally manufactured wet wipes in Australia
• The range of products like
  • Baby Wipes
  • Wipes for hospital use
  • Grease removal
  • Home cleaning use
  • Etc
• Finding out that the products were using plastics, they thought of a way to make it more sustainable and eco-friendly
• How they have become “waste: experts learning what can be recycled and what can’t.
• The different kinds of wipes
  • Plastic-based ones do not break through time
  • Plant-based ones that are not flushable
  • Plant-based ones that are flushable and don’t contribute to the landfills
• Why not ALL kinds of wipes can be flushed down the drain
• Babies use up to about 5 Billion wipes each year in Australia alone
• 96% of wipes from grocery stores in Australia are imported, and only the rest are locally manufactured

And many more, including Corey’s and Phil’s  thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Connect with Corey and Phil on Linkedin or hop on to Hygiene Co.’s and CleanLife’s website for more information o the products!

MIA Podcast - Episode 19: Jackson Millan of Aureus Financial

Jackson Millan and Aureus Financial help ambitious Australians create financial freedom faster. We do this by leveraging our proprietary 'Wealth Mastery Machine' framework responsible for building in excess of $2 billion in wealth for our clients.

Aureus Financial has spent the last 15 years crafting an easy-to-implement system they call ‘The Wealth Mastery Machine™’ that they have used with over 1,000 clients to help them build over $2 billion in combined wealth.

Jackson Millan’smission is to help you navigate the four core stages of your financial life.

In this episode, Jason talks about 

• What inspired him to start his business
• Some realisations he had in his youth
• Why working hard is not enough (no matter how you’re good at what you do!)
• Small businesses are the biggest wealth vehicles.
• The need to have the right financial model in order to achieve the desired financial results.
• The “implementation of the operating rule.”
• What is the “punch that knocked you out?”
• Determining where your business is at?
• The three fundamental rules to operate a business
  • Maintain an operating profile of 30% or more
  • Set a target for cash to operating expenses
  • Recurring revenue to expenses
• The biggest complaint he gets from clients
• Why your P&: and your bank account don’t match
• The three main factors of your business
  • Assets
  • Liabilities
  • Current ratio

And many more, including Jack’s  thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Do you want to get to know more about Jack Millan and Aureus Financial to straighten your finances out?

Dearin & Associates helps companies access opportunities and capital in fast-growing international markets and understands that small companies deserve the opportunity to succeed internationally. They help businesses create a strategy that will surely set them up for success.

Dearin & Associate's special focus is to speed up and de-risk the international expansion process for micro-to-medium-sized companies and to help them get their products and services to the world.

Cynthia Dearin, their Founder and International Business Strategist, joins us in today’s episode of the Manufacturing In Australia Podcast.

John and Cynthia talk about:

• How Cynthia likes to structure any business strategy using data
• How her business helps people find out 
  • How are they going to sell?
  • To whom will they sell?
  • How are they going to make their GTM
• Her first crack at a business when she was a lot younger
• Cynthia’s experiences in the Middle East and Europe
• John and Bernard’s Saudi business venture
• Cynthia’s book “Business Beyond Borders” and why she decided to write it
• How you can benefit from global supply chains while running your business locally
• You could have some of your manufacturing designed in Australia and some components offshore, and it still works
• Are there businesses that make it better overseas?
• How a business can survive if you have a unique proposition
• A business that wants to scale needs to have its processes and finances in place.

And many more, including Cynthia’s  thoughts on our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”

Do you want to get to know more about Cynthia Dearin or Dearin & Associates? Visit their website and connect with Cynthia on Linkedin!