Building Tasmania's version of Etsy w/ Janelle Larkin

"When everything shut down, down here, we started a group called 'Plug a Business Tasmania' and it took off really rapidly. I worked on it a lot to engage with the community, particularly the business community... By default we were seeing buying and selling through that group. I'd also received copious amounts of messages from business people who were really hurting and were really benefiting from these sales. So I thought to myself, there needs to be a more sustainable way for us to continue this buying and selling, because we didn't know what tomorrow would hold." In today's episode Kaity is joined by Janelle Larkin, entrepreneur and creator of Buy from Tasmania. Janelle loves her home state of Tasmania so when COVID hit, she used her skills in business, marketing and social networking to grow a Facebook group called "Plug a Business Tasmania". This group kept small businesses and the community connected during shutdown. Soon realising businesses needed a different way to sell and grow during social distancing, Janelle, with the help of a gun local web designer, developed an online multi-vendor marketplace called Buy from Tasmania. A state based version of Etsy with multiple shop-fronts and one cart. In this chat, we will be talking about owning a business and raising your family, how Janelle wanted to use her experience in the non-profit sector to help her fellow Tasmanians during a time of crisis and how Buy From Tasmania has become more than just a multi-vendor marketplace. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Janelle's career background •Balancing working with your partner •And balancing working in your business and parenting •Sharing entrepreneurship with your children •Janelle's reasons for starting Buy From Tasmania •Her vision for the future of the site •The importance of having a community when you're a woman in business •Janelle's advice for people starting or growing a business RESOURCES: •Buy From Tasmania Website •Buy From Tasmania Instagram •Buy From Tasmania Facebook •Plug a Business Facebook Group •Kaity on Instagram •Kaity Griffin Website •Free Google Ads Bootcamp