PODCAST · business
Handpicked with Naomi Simson
by Podshape
Handpicked with Naomi Simson is a short podcast delivered each Monday which is just like having a mentoring session with one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.In this podcast Naomi takes questions from business owners that might need help growing starting or saving their business.Each guest is handpicked by Naomi as she shares stories, ideas and advice that might help them and anyone that has ever wanted to start a business.Naomi Simson is an entrepreneur who founded RedBalloon in 2001. She has been blogging for a decade at NaomiSimson.com, is a professional speaker, author of Live What You Love & Ready To Soar, and a “Shark” on business reality show Shark Tank Australia.
Episodes
-
Let Your Customers Fund Your Growth
Go slow and steady, or raise money and turbocharge it? Lisa Taylor of Wicks Intimates asked me the question I get more than any other. My answer surprised her — before you look at your cap table, look at your cash flow. for more information...
-
Build for the World from Day One
Mark Wege calls Orbital a 40-year-old startup. Founded by Ralph Sarich, now building drone engines in Perth and selling almost entirely offshore. His advice for anyone with a big idea: build for the global market from day one, because you cannot bolt it on later. For more information...
-
Season 7 - No Permission Needed.
Thanks to Odoo for supporting this season of Handpicked. Odoo brings everything you need to run your business together in one easy-to-use, fully integrated platform, so you can spend less time juggling different tools and more time focusing on your business. Find out more.” See...
-
Building Customer Reach
When you're creating an entirely new category, you can't just sell—you have to educate. Kate Abrahams, founder of TrafficAI (a platform that predicts reputational risk events using workforce behavioral data), sits down with Naomi Simson to discuss the exhausting gap between building…
more -
Turn Constraints Into Weapons
What's slowing your business down could become your biggest competitive advantage. James Yang, founder of Kaizen Solutions (a productivity suite for remote teams), asks Naomi Simson the hard questions every Australian startup founder faces: why do our businesses fizzle while American companies...
-
Build Your Execution Muscle
Strategy is easy. Execution is where most businesses fail. In this episode, Naomi Simson sits down with Mat Wilk, founder of Ballast Point Construction and creator of the Inner West Tech & Startup community, to tackle the challenges every entrepreneur faces: how to move from planning to doing…
more -
Where Pain Points Meet Opportunity
Every successful business starts with a problem worth solving. In this episode of Handpicked, Naomi Simson sits down with Mark Woodland, founder of Kismet, who's tackling one of Australia's biggest challenges: the administrative burden crushing families caring for aging parents. After…
more -
How To Get More Time
Time is your most precious resource—so why are you spending it on admin at 11pm? Naomi Simson and Slavic Teplitsky from Deel reveal exactly how to get your time back. From consolidating 16 time-sucking vendors into one streamlined platform to giving employees instant access to their earned wages...
-
What to Say No To
Every founder says yes too often—and it's killing their business growth. Naomi Simson sits down with serial entrepreneur Sheree Andersen (founder of Elephant and Trove corporate gifting platforms) to reveal the pivotal moment in RedBalloon maturing and learning what to say no to. Discover why...
-
Shop Floor to C-Suite
Six kids under six. C-suite roles at Australia's biggest retail brands. A law degree completed just to prove her brothers wrong. Amy Louise doesn't do things halfway. From shop floor to boardrooms. Amy's built her career scaling iconic Australian retailers while raising six children in what can...
-
Nasty Guy to Nice Guy
Liam Forde ran a big business in London. His confession? "I turned into an asshole." So he spent the next 26 years teaching people not to be like him—creating transformation experiences for leaders across 40 countries. Now he's relocated to Australia for his grandkids—and he's starting completely...
-
When Custom Meets Scale - Global Aspirations Realised
January 2020. New CEO. Six-month-old baby. Seven weeks later? COVID hits. That's how Cara McLeod stepped into the CEO role at Mahlab—and somehow that chaos became the launchpad for international growth. But here's the problem: Mahlab does bespoke strategy work. Everything is custom. Every project...
-
From Lollies to London: Building a Million-Dollar Art Hanging Empire
What do you do when you've built a successful business in a niche that most people don't even know exists? Oliver Lonergan went from selling lollies in primary school to running Professional Picture Hanging—a 12-person operation spanning Australia's east coast and London, with major contracts...
-
Replatform Survival Guide
Join Naomi Simson as she mentors Jash Fullinfaw from The Print Bar through the critical challenges of website re-platforming, scaling print-on-demand operations, and maintaining customer experience during rapid growth. From SEO migration strategies to revenue model prioritisation, this episode...
-
Stumbles to Scaling
Join Naomi Simson in conversation with Adriana Brusi, Managing Director of CrowdsNow, as they dive deep into the real challenges of startup life. From the three critical mistakes that derail new businesses to why authentic relationships trump expensive marketing campaigns, this episode reveals…
more -
High-Tech, High-Touch
Drowning in property management systems, booking engines, and CRM platforms? Alicia Szerszyn from Paradise Resort gets answers on balancing high-tech with high-touch. https://www.naomisimson.com/podcast/mastering-technology-without-losing-the-human-touch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
-
Pivot or Persist
When tourism gets tough, do you pivot or persist? Mark Garey from Orange Trikes faces three critical decisions about SEO, pricing strategy and premium product marketing. https://www.naomisimson.com/podcast/pivot-or-persist See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Less is More
Jay Yip's 40-year tourism journey leads to one big question: as AI transforms travel booking, is it better to go everywhere or focus on fewer, better partners? https://www.naomisimson.com/podcast/less-is-more See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Paintbrush to Platform
From tea towels to TV dreams: Live painter Sarah Rowan asks how sole traders can scale without losing their magic. Her energy is infectious and her questions apply to every creative entrepreneur. https://www.naomisimson.com/podcast/from-paintbrush-to-platform See omnystudio.com/listener for…
more -
Taboo to Triumph Building a Gut Health Brand
From Crohn's diagnosis to gut health empire: Rudi van der Vlies asks how to build authority, tackle taboo topics, and grow D2C brands in the AI era. Game-changing insights inside. If this is for you - https://www.brand-hub.au/pages/tumme also use the code NAOMI10 to get a discount...
-
Recognition Reset
When 91% of companies have recognition programmes but only 31% rate them as effective, something's clearly broken. In this episode, co-CEOs Belinda and Amie from Cos share how they're revitalising their "tired" recognition programme without falling into the favouritism trap. Why Strategy…
more -
The Science of Sales
OnDeck's Justin Brady asks the tough questions about sales incentives and customer relationships. Discover why memorable beats monetary and the three pillars that drive results. https://www.naomisimson.com/podcast/the-science-of-sales See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Handpicked - Season 5 Trailer
Hello, I'm Naomi Simson — and we’re back with a brand new season of Handpicked, my podcast where real business owners bring me their real questions. Season five is here (can you believe it?), and wow — the entrepreneurs have really brought the big ones this time. We’re talking about everything…
more -
Brand promise
What is your brand promise? https://www.naomisimson.com/blog/customer-obsession See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Strategy Made Simple
In this short extra I look stratergy made simple https://www.naomisimson.com/blog/small-business-marketing-strategy-2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Inspiring the team to growth
Venkatesh has been in business for almost a decade and he is really wanting to scale. I ask him to consider the constraints of the business and what is holding him back. He wants to know if being boutique is good and how to appeal to larger customers - as a twist at the end I ask him to dream…
more -
What Word Do You Own?
In this short extra I explore the importance of owning a space. https://www.naomisimson.com/blog/the-new-leadership-playbook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Protecting the idea – Whilst gathering support
If you have a busines idea then this is the episode for you. Chris has a design patent and now he wants to take his project further. I challenge him on some of his thinking, ask him about success and lead him towards next steps. Don't forget to rate, review and refer Handpicked....
-
Operational Efficency
Have you explored what your Gross Margin is per employee? https://www.naomisimson.com/blog/leadership-human-connection-skill-ai-cant-replace See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
How to go from zero to hero
In this episode a give a reality check to this pre-revenue founder. I think it is important to ask challenging questions, to hold up the mirror but also to offer some alternatives. There are althernative sources of money, as I always say debt is cheaper than equity. I talk about customer funded...
-
Never Eat Alone
In this short extra, I give you one of my favourite rules of buisness https://www.naomisimson.com/podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Building authority
Great conversation on where and how tocreate authority How to look at your business model to create more consistent revenue and also how to align your social contribution to your purpose statement. I even create a purpose statement on the fly. Bill has big aspirations and with these simple...
-
The Rhythm of the Week
In this short extra I explore the rythem of your buisness week. More information See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
From chaos to calm
This is much more than a life style business, Bethany has a clear sense of purpose, is getting great traction and now she is set to fly, however she needs to make it work for her. We talk about her playing to her strengths, how she finds team members and also whether franchising is an option.…
more -
Am I growing too fast?
Growing a team as a startup can be difficult - where do you find talent I offer some suggestions on how to attract like minded people. We discuss how to find funds for captial infrustructure. Andrew shares some of his successes and I asking him about his super power and where he needs to spend…
more -
What Does the Intel Say?
In this short extra, Naomi wants to know what your buisness intel is telling you? - https://www.naomisimson.com/blog/are-you-emotionally-intelligent-mate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Beyond the personal brand
Building brands in service businesses can be a challenge - but when you get it right then you will be speaking with the right people at the right time - and it can become very cost effective. Maria's questions are great and will help any business owner looking to build sales as well as inspire…
more -
Bottlenecks In Your Buisness
In this short extra, we explore the bottlenecks in your buisness and what to do about them. https://www.naomisimson.com/blog/control-and-micromanagement-are-different See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
How to Get People to Trial
Matt has one of the most compelling customer promises that I have heard. We have a great conversation about growth, finding more customers, competing against faceless online portals and building an entry level product. This is an inspiring episode that will help any business owner think through...
-
Beware Of Scams
In this short extra, beware of the scam https://www.naomisimson.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
How to stand out
Anthony has a great looking coffee brand primarily pitched to millenials, he wants to know how to stand out in the competitive digital landscape. And I provide some different ideas that would be very cost effective. I talk through alternatives to paid media and I make suggestions on how to build…
more -
The Checklist Manifesto
A short extra on the importance of having a checklist in your business More about Naomi See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Winning with Wine
In this episode our energetic founder is on to a great idea, but Joanne needs the insight to understand what are the most effective marketing channels for her. I give lot's of 'silver bullets' of great ideas for her to to try. I talk about building owned media channels, and building real...
-
Handpicked Is Back - Season 4
Season 4 of Handpicked is out this Monday 19th of June Right now more than ever business needs all the help they can get and in this series, Naomi gets to speak to business owners and founders about not only growing their business but thriving. Don't forget to rate, review and refer Handpicked....
-
The one essential for any founder
So I have finally been 'stumped' for words. Twice Marty has reinvented the concept of the photo booth for events. He asks me a number of questions about the economic environment, the start up eco system and also marketing. But then come two questions that are not easy to answer. 1. Would I start...
-
What makes a business owners successful?
Tamsin sees that Entrepreneurs can play a big role in leadership throughout our economy, she wants to know about success and whether it is dependent of 'personal development'. Sitting still is never an option for business owners but how do you know where to spend your energy? Great blog post here...
-
Remember the basics of supply and demand
Moving to Melbourne Australia, from Romania to start a property development business in January 2020 might not have been the ideal time for Dan to kick of his business. However with a little traction he is keen to understand about the approach to market, market dynamics, and getting the most from...
-
My Start up is ready to blossom - now what?
Gaby has seen a business opportunity to create an app which helps millenials earning an income from savings. She has launched Blossomapp and she asks me questions about where to get more customers, who she should hire first, and how she should position the business. This start up is ready to...
-
The power of partnerships
Why go it alone? Naomi believes in the power of partnerships. - Here is a fuller post In this short extra she tells us why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
We know culture is essential but how?
As a successful entrepreneur who sold her thriving enterprise Leigh wants to give school aged students the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship. She has seen significant growth in rural areas and has students throughout Australia. She is asking questions about creating team, recognising...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Handpicked with Naomi Simson is a short podcast delivered each Monday which is just like having a mentoring session with one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.In this podcast Naomi takes questions from business owners that might need help growing starting or saving their business.Each guest is handpicked by Naomi as she shares stories, ideas and advice that might help them and anyone that has ever wanted to start a business.Naomi Simson is an entrepreneur who founded RedBalloon in 2001. She has been blogging for a decade at NaomiSimson.com, is a professional speaker, author of Live What You Love & Ready To Soar, and a “Shark” on business reality show Shark Tank Australia.
HOSTED BY
Podshape
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Handpicked with Naomi Simson have?
Handpicked with Naomi Simson currently has 101 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Handpicked with Naomi Simson about?
Handpicked with Naomi Simson is a short podcast delivered each Monday which is just like having a mentoring session with one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.In this podcast Naomi takes questions from business owners that might need help growing starting or saving their business.Each...
How often does Handpicked with Naomi Simson release new episodes?
Handpicked with Naomi Simson publishes regularly with 101 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Handpicked with Naomi Simson?
You can listen to Handpicked with Naomi Simson on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Handpicked with Naomi Simson?
Handpicked with Naomi Simson is created and hosted by Podshape.
URL copied to clipboard!