When I started Warrior One Yoga ten years ago, I was given a piece of advice that stuck with me: “Work on the business, not in it.” 

So, from the get-go, I decided not to teach yoga classes – but in those early years, I wore all the other hats. 

I was across everything: admin, management, rostering, marketing, customer service, events, cleaning, repairs. You name it, I did it. 

And it took time (years in fact) to figure out how to step back without things falling apart.

What I’ve come to realise is that real success isn’t about doing it all. It’s about building something that works, even when you’re not in the room. 

For me, that meant learning to hire differently, lead differently, and trust more. These three management shifts made all the difference.

Hire people who lead themselves

This one took a while. In the beginning, I hired people based on experience or qualifications, what was on paper. But some of those hires needed constant direction or weren’t aligned with our culture. That created extra work and made it hard to step back.

I started focusing on people who lead themselves. People who are proactive, aligned with our values, and genuinely want to do meaningful work. I look for curiosity, accountability, and a willingness to figure things out. In interviews, I’ll ask questions like “What helps you stay motivated without someone checking in?”

It’s not about perfection. It’s about attitude. When you hire people who take ownership, you create space for them to grow and for you to step back without everything resting on your shoulders. I’m a huge fan of the 80/20 rule, getting things 80 per cent right creates space for 20 per cent growth, reflection and improvement.

Mentor, don’t manage

The way I lead now is very different from how I started. I used to micro-manage and control all the outcomes. But over the years I’ve learned that the best leaders don’t manage, they mentor.

That shift didn’t come naturally. I had to learn it. I read, got advice, and asked my team what they needed from me. I realised that when I stopped trying to be across everything, my team stepped up in ways I hadn’t imagined.

Create the conditions for delegation

Letting go isn’t and wasn’t easy. When you’ve built something from scratch, it’s hard to hand it over. I used to think stepping back meant things would slip. But the opposite happened.

The turning point for me was creating clear systems. We documented everything from how we set up the studio in the morning to how we handle a tricky customer conversation. That gave the team confidence and gave me the freedom to focus on the bigger picture.

Delegation started to feel less risky, because there was structure behind it. When people know what success looks like they rise to meet it and they make it their own.

Now, I can travel, take time away, or pour energy into new ideas, knowing the business is running beautifully without me needing to be there every minute of every day.

Building a business that doesn’t rely on you doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you’ve done the work to build something strong, clear and empowering, for your team, your community, and yourself.

The post The management moves that allowed me to step back from my business appeared first on Inside Small Business.

And when it all came crashing down, I had to face the hardest reality of all: my business wasn’t the problem – I was. I had no choice but to rebuild from the ground up, starting with myself. There was a time when I wasn’t sure if I could pay my rent. 

Fast forward, and now I’m pulling in $10K weeks consistently as a solo entrepreneur. But there was no magic formula, no overnight success, no fairy-tale rescue. What it took was a deep, sometimes brutal, rebuild after the fall. And today, I want to share with you how I went from barely covering my rent to hitting $10K weeks – and how you can, too.

1. I looked at my own role in the problem

When everything came crashing down, I had to face an uncomfortable truth: I was part of the problem. My business wasn’t a ‘failure’ because of external factors – it was because I hadn’t done the internal work.

The first step? I stopped blaming circumstances, other people, and my past. I began looking at the deeper reasons behind my self-sabotage (actually self protection).

Tip: If you’re in the middle of a business setback, take a hard look at your role in it. Blaming external factors keeps you stuck. Taking responsibility gives you the power to rebuild stronger.

2. I pushed through my fear of financial failure

I learned something valuable during that time: fear of financial failure keeps you small, but pushing through that fear propels you forward. I had to learn how to act even when I didn’t feel ready. Every time I felt like giving up, I reminded myself why I was doing this – why I was rebuilding.

Tip: If you’re facing financial hardship, don’t let it paralyze you. Move forward despite the fear. Make decisions that align with your bigger vision, not just your immediate needs.

3. I let go of what wasn’t working in my business

After my first business fell apart, I realised it wasn’t the structure that had failed – it was the foundation. I had built a business that didn’t reflect who I truly was or what I wanted. I had to get crystal clear on what kind of business – and life – I wanted to build moving forward.

This meant letting go of outdated strategies, people, and beliefs that no longer served me. It also meant embracing the discomfort of building a business that reflected my true self, not just what I thought would make me money.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to reinvent your business, even if it means letting go of things you’ve been holding onto for years. Get clear on what aligns with your values and vision and rebuild from there.

4. I took action before I felt “ready”

One of the biggest lessons I learned during my rebuild was this: you can’t wait until you feel ready to take action. I started making moves before I felt ready – whether it was raising my prices, launching a new offer, or showing up more boldly.

Tip: If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, stop. Your growth happens when you step into uncertainty.

5. I started believing in my own worth

One of the hardest parts of rebuilding was learning how to own my worth. And that didn’t just mean raising my rates – it also meant setting boundaries with clients, with myself, and with the people in my life.

When I started owning my worth, everything shifted. I began attracting clients who respected my boundaries, valued my expertise, and were willing to pay for the transformation I offered.

Tip: Look at where you might be undervaluing yourself, whether it’s in your pricing or in the boundaries you set with clients. When you raise your standards, your business rises with you.

Some last words

If you’re in the middle of a financial struggle or rebuilding after a business setback, know this: it’s not the end. It’s the beginning of something new. Rebuilding isn’t about finding a magic solution. It’s about taking ownership, acting before you feel ready, and having the resilience to keep moving forward no matter how hard it gets.

I went from struggling to cover my rent to making $10K weeks because I stopped waiting for someone to rescue me. I owned my worth, reinvented my business, and kept showing up – even when things felt impossible.

You can, too.

The post How I rebuilt my crumbling business appeared first on Inside Small Business.

So I decided to create a new baby and toddler bottle and embarked on the journey as a solo entrepreneur. Thus, Little Stackers was born.

One of the benefits of doing this on my own is that there’s no one to rush me or minimise the importance of these finer points, and no one to muddy the waters of my vision. This level of care might not be possible if I constantly had to negotiate and compromise with a partner.

But being a solo entrepreneur comes with its own set of challenges. The loneliness can be tough, and the sheer number of roles I have to juggle can be overwhelming. As a solo entrepreneur, I wear many hats – designer, marketer, customer service rep, accountant, and more. And that’s just the business side. Switching between these roles and my responsibilities as a mother is a daily balancing act. From getting the kids to school, sports, and birthday parties, to making Book Week costumes and coordinating family schedules, there’s a constant need to shift gears. It’s exhausting, and sometimes it feels like there’s never enough time to do it all.

When mistakes happen, there’s no one to share the burden or catch an oversight. I’ve faced costly errors in packaging prints due to oversights that might have been avoided with a partner’s input. Such errors are not only financially draining but also a stark reminder of the burdens of solo responsibility. Marketing has also presented its own set of challenges. Investing in marketing partnerships without seeing a return was disheartening, and I often wonder if a partner with expertise in that area could have guided me towards better decisions.

Despite these hurdles, the solitude also brings a unique strength: the ability to trust your vision without compromise. I get to stay true to what I want Little Stackers to be. Over time, I’ve become quite adept at finding strength within myself and making decisions confidently. However, the pressure of knowing that the success or failure of every decision rests solely on my shoulders can be overwhelming.

The rewards are immense. Seeing my products in the warehouse, on store shelves, and being used by happy families feels deeply personal. There’s a unique joy in knowing that I had an idea to make something better, and I made it happen. Every accomplishment, no matter how small, feels incredibly gratifying. Seeing a concept come to life and receiving positive feedback is unparalleled.

The post The double-edged sword of solopreneurship appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Post-COVID, everyone who will survive in business will have acquired some facets of the skills listed below. Failure to adapt may well lead to another COVID business fatality. However they are acquired, these habits are highly rewarding in careers or business. Let’s look at the five key habits of successful people:

Curious

Successful people are notoriously capable of discussing a wide range of subjects. This is the end result of innate curiosity. What could arouse curiosity more than the post and/or living with COVID discussion?

Overwhelming changes in all facets of society necessitate that a person will need to enquire as to what opportunities have been created and how their current or potential business will be affected. Once interest is aroused, successful people launch into an obsessive burst of activity researching everything they can about their newfound interest.

With COVID, the doors were put in front of us and slammed wide open to an unknown future. Only the very alert and curious will survive.

Charming

Successful people will be charming. To some, charm appears to come naturally whilst with others it is more like a manner turned on to meet the occasion. Charm, when applied professionally, includes a lot of interested listening.

Post-COVID is an era of stress-filled excitement. Interestingly the more things change the more they will stay the same. Active listening has never been more rewarding as all the new ideas on how to survive post-COVID will be talked about by people looking for a comforting audience. Listening to learn is often the essence of charm.

Optimistic

Sometimes to a fault, these high achievers readily see opportunity when others are more circumspect.

Optimists live by the saying “when the going gets tough the tough get going”. No seeking safe places for the successful, they will break out at the earliest opportunity with a new or revised business opportunity.

As surely as the greatest strength is the greatest weakness the reverse can also apply when they fail. The glass was empty and they crash. Of course true to form after any crash they see it all as a learning experience and bounce right back. This habit may be natural or learnt.

Committed

Fight or flight is triggered by a crisis. COVID triggered the first stage of fight or flight being the alarm stage. The second stage is resistance, this is where the successful folks flourish. Total commitment to surviving.

Successful people are totally committed by habit. Work-life balance is not a concept to which they can relate. Work is life and life is work. The downside of this situation is that to compete with a successful person you will need to be so committed that it is a habit.

Dreamers

Hearing an idea being discussed such that it becomes a desire or maybe even a dream is the sure sign of a successful person leading the discussion. You may feel that they could sell ice cream to Eskimos. Be ready, this person is not only successful but deep down they are a dreamer. Dreamers make great storytellers and salespeople inevitably are telling a story to make a sale.

To be described as a curious, charming, optimistic and committed dreamer is a torturous way of saying successful. However, whilst the above habits are on display by successful people there is no fixed formula for success. The question being begged would have to be, could I be successful? Many of us could be if we were just a tiny bit braver. I wish you that bravery

The post The five habits of successful people post COVID appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Why? Because I’m a millennial, and part of a generation who don’t know how to fail. In fact, it goes beyond that: I’m part of a collective of two generations who don’t know how to fail (hello, Gen Z). 

While we know that some of the greatest achievements in history have been born out of failure, we still struggle with the concept.  And yes, most of us do probably know of the stories or quotes of some of the greatest leaders in history who encourage us to make mistakes (we only have to type into the search engine “greatest leaders who have failed” and see results like Henry Ford, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln who all share musings on the pathway to success being littered with failures).

But the problem is, despite knowing this, we still live in a world where failure isn’t as warmly embraced, like “success” and “achievements” are. Not helped, of course, by generational specific influences.

Brought up by parents who are so invested in our lives, we’re encouraged to strive for the best, promised we can be do or have anything we want, just so long as we work for it. Coupled with technology that is controlling our lives, taking away the need to think, to make decisions, and acting in some parts as an extension of the brain. Social media fueling the highlight reels of others’ lives, no glimpse of anything failure-like being posted. Pressure to achieve from parents, from society, to have “figured it out already”. All the while, the internal conflict keeping us awake at night: paralysed by fear of too many options, or not enough, internal dialogue eating away as we grapple with “what should I do” vs “what I want to do”, agonizing over making the ‘wrong decision’ and, therefore, not making a decision at all, worrying about what people think… because god forbid, we can’t fail!

A societal issue that has been bred through upbringing and past and current conditioning.

Now, where I’m going with this, is the impacts this type of conditioned culture has in the workplace. And specifically, how this translate into some of the challenges being faced by leaders, especially those who are managing younger gens. Challenges like: employees aren’t showing enough initiative, can’t (or won’t) make decisions, have to ask for guidance (permission) on everything – all of which translates into general frustration of “Why can’t they just get on with the job already?!”

It’s a large generational elephant in the room that a lot of leaders aren’t aware of. 

So what can be done?

As leaders, start by implementing a permission to fail culture in the workplace. Encourage your people to make mistakes, to fall down, and to fail. Celebrate failure as you would success. Then use the failure not just to learn, but as an opportunity to build collaboration with teams.

Not only will this type of culture help encourage your younger gens to feel comfortable about dipping their toes into a water of “being ok with failure”, but I can guarantee, when they feel safe to do so, you’ll see more innovation and new ideas bouncing through your business then you can imagine.

The post Permission to fail? The unconventional answer to leadership challenges appeared first on Inside Small Business.

These and others are all normal questions we ask before panic begins to set in “I’m not ready for the New Year”. I have put together three business strategies that will help you step over the 2021/2022 timeline.

Mindset

There are two types of mindsets, growth or fixed, what type you are?

To improve, you need a growth mindset – without this you can be stuck, doing the same thing, expecting a different result. Having a growth mindset and a belief in yourself and your business will give you more chances of achieving your desired outcome.

Be aware of how you speak to yourself, praise yourself often, have a can-do attitude and always be positive. Every time you say something negative, stop right there and change your thoughts and consider how you could have said it differently.

Concentrate on the future, the past is now the past, think about what is ahead.

Goals

Begin the new year with your goals in place, without a destination how will you know where you are heading. Think about what and where you want to be next year.

S.M.A.R.T. goals have been a part of the business world for a long time because they work, here is a quick breakdown.

1. Specific – Write down you goal, be specific on the result you are aiming for.
2. Measurable – Have ways to see how you are tracking along the way, is there data you can use.
3. Achievable – You want to make sure that it stretches you, and you must believe it is possible.
4. Relevant – Make sure it is in alignment with who you are and what your business is about.
5. Time Bound – Give yourself a period, so you do not procrastinate along the way.

It is helpful to share your goals with someone who encourages you to achieve them, as well as celebrating with you.

Business

Take the time to tidy up loose ends. Are there unfinished jobs, needing your attention so you can leave them behind in 2021? By doing this you hit 2022 with a fresh slate, without something holding you back.

Take a quick assessment of your current staff levels, how your team are working together, are they motivated, do you need to solve any issues or conflicts that may be hovering. Make the effort now so your staff also go into the new year with a positive mindset.

Do you need a bit of a cleanout? You could start by throwing away any paperwork no longer required by the ATO. Have you got stock or promotional gear you no longer need taking up space it does not need to?

Check your up to date with all your legal requirements, pay any outstanding accounts (if possible) and do a review of your wage schedules in case you have missed something over the year.

If you can master these three strategies, you will be on the front foot and can make 2022 your year!!

The post Head into 2022 ready to succeed with these three simple strategies appeared first on Inside Small Business.

While my media business is a bit hard to leave because I’m personally part of the product, I’m building systems and processes that stand up and work on their own without me being there (I’d have to ensure I pre-record content).

My challenge for those who are currently self-employed and “doing their own thing” is to be ultra-certain that you’re actually making money. One way to know is to look at an equivalent employee in your line of work, skill level and experience and see what the going salary is in your location. Then check your financials for the past year and see what you drew from the business.

I believe you should look at being paid market salary plus at least 20 per cent profit (or premium!). If in doubt, ask your accountant. If it’s clear you’re not generating at least market rates for the time and effort you spend in the business and for taking on that risk, I believe you may have some decisions to make.

Business owners can often cop a bit of hate for making money. I want to unpack that the reason for this is that if you embark on starting a business, you need to be unapologetic about making a profit – as long as you’re playing to the rules of the land and not committing tax evasion.

To me, it all comes down to risk. We know, or have at least heard of, the phrase “the higher the risk, the higher the return” and this is no different for the concepts of business investment. I also want to draw a parallel to an insurance policy. You transfer the risk of you having to cough up money for a car if you crash it. You pay the insurance company a premium to carry that risk for you (or to transfer the risk to them). In the same way, business owners take on risk every day. Whether it is the risk of going out of business and losing money due to things out of their control (think COVID-19), someone walking into their shop or office and slipping over, a loophole in their insurance policy that means they aren’t covered, or even the risk of engaging people they hire. It’s risky to be the provider of work for your team so they can make a living and provide for their family.

What’s more, as a business owner you often take a risk that your idea might not work and you might lose money that you have invested into your own business. Not everyone is cut out for these risks. In that light, I believe a business owner is paid a premium in the way of profit for taking on these risks in their life. Now, the bigger the risk, the bigger the profit really. It goes hand in hand with this: the more people you help, the bigger the business you need and the more inherent the risk you take on.

The post Why the risk in running a small business must equal the reward appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Nothing quite urinates on the leg of Murphy’s Law quite like starting a business, and these lockdowns are convincing evidence of that.

But if we force a bit of optimism, now is the perfect time for what we’ve been “too busy” to do, things to make our businesses and teams improve. Let’s look at our best options.

Step 1 – Evaluate

Like any champion athlete does between games, now’s the chance to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t with yourself, your team members, and your business as a whole.

The easiest methods to employ are the SWOT and the Report Card.

A SWOT analysis is where you mark four quadrants on a page, titled Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities (goals and good circumstances) and Threats (things that could derail progress).

The trick is to list as many of these as you can for each heading for whatever it is you are evaluating. You may surprise yourself with what comes out.

Once you have them, you want to pick the two or three most important for each. Then you want to think of how to do the following:

• Maximise the Strengths (or double down on what’s working).
• Minimise the Weaknesses (think of new habits that can replace the bad ones).
• Optimise the Opportunities (plan a way to achieve them).
• Mitigate the Threats (figure out how to avoid or minimise the impact of these).

These four plans will add immediate benefit to your business. Use them wisely.

The second method I enjoy using is called the Report Card. What you want to do is think of the most important “impact areas” of the team, role or business.

Once you have selected the necessary criteria, simply have them grade each category from an A to an F. The lowest scores will be what to improve.

Step 2 – Bolster culture

A business or team’s culture is the single greatest predictor of success. And one of the biggest silent killers of these lockdowns is how it can take you and your team members away from the culture of your business and make them reflect on their lives in hapless solitude.

This can affect turnover or have staff coming back lethargic and unmotivated.

Here are some ideas of things you can do to keep your teams engaged and close-knit.

• Assign group projects centred around how they think the business can improve.
• Task individuals to present and teach certain topics to the rest of the team.
• Create a list of questions or games designed to help staff get to know each other better, and pair staff off with who they don’t know well enough.
• Create competition by putting people in small teams and giving them a challenge to win. In the last quarantine, I made an exam based on our sales training manual and the highest-scoring team won a trip to work in Cairns.

I started with an Elon Musk quote, I might as well finish with one. In a recent clubhouse interview, the Tesla and SpaceX founder was asked, “What words of encouragement would you give to an entrepreneur?”

He answered, “If you need words of encouragement, don’t be an entrepreneur.”

Look, you didn’t come this far just to come this far. You have a great chance to take the lemons life’s given us and make the most of them; that said, if your lockdowns are anything like mine, you might just skip the lemonade and turn them into margaritas.

The post Daring to find business success while in the arms of another lockdown appeared first on Inside Small Business.

As one of the largest and most influential industries on earth, innovation is at the heart of giving the 21st-century consumer what they want. People are seeking new experiences, they’re learning about brands via social media and recommendations rather than traditional marketing channels. Today’s consumer has an open mind, choosing funky, off-the-track offerings over the standard. A new era of luxury that leaves stuffy and outdated in the dust; an emphasis on design and gastronomy for the next generation of discerning clientele is at the heart of the post-COVID era. Being an industry that relies heavily upon human interaction, people crave personality, memorability and reimagined experiences.

Personalised experiences. While the hospitality sector has seen an increase in its dependency on technology it is still very human-centric. Remembering that while experiences are backed by technology, they should always be driven by people; the relationship between your business and guests should be a personal one. Tailored experiences for your customers is a way to enhance satisfaction, get positive reviews that build your reputation.

Local is the new sustainable. There is a growing sense of community and support for small business mindset with the desire to band together and help your community push through difficult times. People will also prefer locally sourced foods that represent the area of the restaurant or hotel they’re visiting.

Ambiance is king. Going out is more of a treat than ever before, consumers want to see more reimagined spaces with restaurants and bars needing to tailor their offerings to this new outlook. Such as food and beverage programming that’s focused on pre-dinner cocktails and light bites, acting as the launch-pad for hotel guests who’ll be dining out on the town, a concept that represents a more efficient operating model with lower overhead costs than a full-fledged hotel restaurant.

Bring on the elaborate drinks list. People still will treat themselves when they want to indulge more than ever before. Customers will be more likely to try a memorable concoction, opting for cocktails with premium spirits that incorporate more unusual or uncommon ingredients and wanderlust-inspired wine lists.

While innovation can often be viewed as a gamble, we’re in the midst of a great hospitality reset, so now is the best time to take risks and change how you operate with disruptive solutions that fit into this new environment. Preparation and flexibility are at the heart of a resilient business.

The post Top tips for success in the post-COVID hospitality industry appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Suddenly, I was pitching to any potential investor we could find and within a few months, we had committed to building not one, but two TV studios in Sydney’s Barangaroo. By early 2020, we’d signed up a full team of 14 people, and announced we’d be launching a live business and finance streaming service in March. What could possibly go wrong?

When COVID hit, the tail end of our capital raise vapourised, as did a big whack of advertising revenue we had locked in. Suddenly paying the bills for those studios, not to mention keeping our newly employed team in a job, seemed like an insurmountable task.

Despite all of this, we managed to survive. Here are five things I have learnt that were key to my start-up’s survival.

1. Cashflow is King (and Queen, and Jack etc.)
   To be honest, I had already been quite conservative with our cashflow forecasts, like most business owners I believe, I just hadn’t factored in a pandemic. While it’s impossible to plan for such an event, if I was doing this again I’d factor in at least three months of zero revenue as a contingency.
2. Hustle is not a dirty word
   It only took 10 days for our financial position to go from rosy to, well, let’s call it challenged, and there’s nothing like being in that position to focus one’s mind. While most businesses and many individuals were in the same boat, some weren’t, and we had to find them. We revisited cold leads, reworked stale pitches and offered some deals which two weeks prior we would never have considered. It wasn’t pretty, but sometimes you have to swallow your pride and do whatever it takes.
3. You can’t do it all. Don’t even try
   I’m constantly asked how I juggle a new business with family commitments and the truth is, I don’t. I haven’t packed a school lunch all year and I’m lucky to make it home for dinner once a week. My husband does it all because, at this juncture, I can’t. It’s taken me a very long time but this year I’ve finally let it go and have learned to stop beating myself up about it.
4. It’s true what they say about investors backing people, not businesses
   I started “selling” our business to investors and customers with the most detailed, fully-costed proposal you’re likely to come across. And I didn’t really get anywhere. My lightbulb moment came when I took a step back and realised I was so caught up in the detail I’d forgotten to explain the story. The proposal got slashed, I dropped my ‘corporate’ approach and showed people how passionate I was about the concept. People buy people!
5. Podcasts
   One silver lining of the pandemic was a complete shutdown of my social life, meaning I gained a lot more spare time, which I mostly spent walking the dog. During this time, I discovered the real value of podcasts and hoovered up anything and everything to do with start-ups. I got lots of fantastic tips and ideas from other founders and found a tribe experiencing the exact same challenges as me… it always helps to know you’re not alone!

The post How to ensure your start-up’s success (even during a pandemic) appeared first on Inside Small Business.