Susie Campbell found herself in new territory when she started her business Little Black Book Marketing nearly three years ago. With a list of contacts in her ‘little black book’ and belief in the power of building connections, Susie began her journey to empower Australian businesses with her unconventional approach to conventional marketing.

Tell us about Little Black Book Marketing.
I started Little Black Book Marketing to help businesses market themselves locally through connections, partnerships and other cost-effective marketing strategies. It primarily caters to brick-and-mortar (B&M) businesses – be it retailers, services such as hairdressers and clinics, or cafes and hospitality outlets. I believe businesses do better when they work together, and engaging with their community is key to their success.

Why the name, “Little Black Book Marketing”?
Little Black Book Marketing came about from my time in the Royal Navy where I became the person who would know someone and would always have a contact number in my address book (black of course!).
Hence, when I started the business here in Australia and began utilising my network, the name ‘Little Black Book’ was the obvious choice. My speciality is essentially to show B&M businesses how to create their own “little black book”. I had to add the word ‘marketing’ to the name to avoid the enquiries for escorts and the like!

How has the business name helped you in your journey?
I’ve received many positive comments about the name; it is memorable as it is different. I market using traditional methods, and the use of the word ‘book’ reinforces that. Having a memorable name can only help; nothing worse than someone saying, “I can’t remember what they are called but…”

What is something you’ve accomplished that you take the most pride in?
I think it has to be creating a growing bootstrap business. Having moved to a new country with no local contacts whilst juggling a young family with a partner who works away a lot and no money to invest, I found creative ways to achieve what I needed to do to grow and turn a profit. I started with an old laptop, a mobile and my ability to chat!  I bought nothing unless the business could pay for it and have never gone into debt or borrowed cash. I use barter, swapping, trading in many situations. Without partnerships, my business would not be where it is today.

What is your vision for Little Black Book Marketing?
To become the Australian-based equivalent of ‘Mary Queen of Shops’ – Mary Portas is a UK-based retail expert who has supported many struggling independent B&M retailers. I want to do the same here to keep Aussie shopkeepers in business, building a strong reputation locally and expanding nationwide. Alongside this, I have the vision to grow my team with people who need flexible work arrangements. I have experienced some very poor leaders and inflexible managers and know how often flexibility is valued over salary.

While juggling professional and personal commitments, how do you find time for yourself?
Ha, there was very little of that to begin with, but I knew this needed to change to stay healthy and fit for business. With a young family and no family support around, time is very hard to come by. Therefore, I set goals early on – one was to earn enough to pay for a gym membership and second was to take on a cleaner!  This has allowed me to not only have more time for myself but maintain a good level of fitness that is vital for both physical and mental wellness and the resilience required to deal with the challenges life can throw at you.

What advice would you give to someone who aspires to become an entrepreneur?
First, it is important to understand what self-employment means and if you could cope with the demands, the risks and the uncertainty; it is not for everyone. My advice is, where possible, to find your first client before you commit to too much.

Next would be to know your numbers (ROI/P&L/cost per lead) from the start. It sounds dull and even scary, but you will thank yourself later for taking the time to sort this from day one.

Finally, document your processes; anything you do more than once. From how you answer the telephone, to processing an order, email enquiry or even complaints. This will pay dividends when you come to employ staff, want to identify ways to save time or money, or when valuing your business to sell.

If you had a magic wand, what is the one thing you would change right here, right now?
Unemployment, because this leads to so many other issues – homelessness, malnutrition, physical and mental illness, substance dependency, isolation, and much more. I want to be able to employ homeless or long-term unemployed, offering meaningful employment to hopefully make them feel valued and able to contribute to a team.

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Visit www.littleblackbookmarketing.com for more information.

Google alumnus Colm Dolan has traversed the highs and lows of both startup and employ worlds before taking the plunge into the competitive space of ad tech, specifically; digital publisher monetization with Publift. Today, with a team of experts and innovative technology at its core, Publift optimises ad revenue for websites and enables them to focus on delivering high-quality content.

Tell us about Publift and its audience.
Publift is a team of digital publisher monetization experts, founded and based in Sydney. We provide cutting edge technology solutions to online publishers. Our client base is websites that generate revenue through advertising.

What were you doing when the idea about Publift came to you?
I was working for a startup called Rollup Media. The company failed to win a series B funding round, which meant they were shutting down the Australian operations. As I was the sole director of the company, I had to sell assets and liquate the business. After that, I interviewed for many companies but was overlooked every time. I was low on confidence, which came across in every interview! I had thought about setting up a consultancy business previously but never acted on it.
At this stage, I thought I might as well give it a go. I was at my lowest ebb with absolutely nothing to lose!

With many established competitors in ad tech, what challenges did you face entering this space?
The biggest challenge was getting our name out there and winning the trust of publishers. I was lucky to get some great clients over the first three months with whom I still work. I used them as case studies straight away. The first six months were tough. I had a good story because of my experience with Google, and was lucky, as there were no partner-agnostic consultancy businesses. Our core USP is that we will work with any partner, and focus on increasing revenue for our clients.

 What is your vision for Publift?
Publift’s vision is to help online publishers increase their revenue so they can reinvest more resources to create great content and improved design with relevant, engaging ads. This attracts more users and creates a great user experience. I want Publift to be the industry leader providing cutting edge technology and market leading expertise.

I believe in creating a fantastic working environment, building excellent products and providing exceptional customer service. I want team members to enjoy coming to work, feel energised by working in their area of strength and passionate about new products and efficiencies we are creating.

What is the toughest decision you have made, and how did you handle it?
Saying “no”. We have moved to a product-based business in the last six months. Often, we can take on new clients that will generate large amounts of money in the short term. I’ve had to say no on several occasions because our resources are building new technology. As a startup when cash flow is a regular issue, it’s hard to say no, but these decisions have to be made for the greater good of the business. I hate saying no though!

While juggling work and personal commitments, how do you find time for yourself?
I’ve gotten better at finding time for myself – I used to take work home with me. Not only continue doing work but also thinking and worrying about it 24×7. Are we going down the right path? Is our strategy sound? Since we have gone down the tech/product route, I’ve been able to sleep at night.

It’s hard to find time for myself, especially with a nine-month-old boy! I now follow a strict routine as I only work from 9 to 5 and spend more time with my son Kian and wife Becky. I play football, so we have a game on Sundays and training on Wednesdays. At lunchtime, I usually go to the gym and listen to sports or business podcasts on the way. I also try to meditate regularly, which is a great way to unwind.

What three pieces of advice would you give to anyone who wants to take the entrepreneurial path?
1. Take risks and make mistakes: I’ve read lots of self-help books and business podcasts explaining how best to run your business. These are great, but nothing beats making mistakes and giving things a go. You learn a lot about yourself.
2. Recruitment: Spend time in picking your team. Make sure to hire to accommodate your weaknesses. Personality tests, such as DISC profiles, help you identify the right fit for your team.
3. Time Management: Ask yourself every hour and day, is what I’m doing right now the best use of my time? Is this growing the business?

Do you have a quote or life mantra that motivates you?
Work smarter, not harder!

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Visit www.publift.com for more information.