Alex Thomas is a rural health and safety specialist and advocate for safety and wellbeing in regional and rural areas - especially on farms. In this episode she tells us her very personal ‘why’ and why she’s so passionate about this topic. She has chosen women to help her in her mission through her organisation ‘Plant a Seed for Safety’ and campaign #SaveALifeListenToYourWife and it’s such a great story, I’m sure you’ll love it!

Make sure you go and check out what she’s up to on her website or follow along on Instagram and Facebook. You can book Alex to run workshops in your town, grab the very cool conversation-starting shirts or sponsor this life-changing program - just get in touch with her to find out how.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

Sometimes to make a treechange you have to leave your career behind and start something new. There are so many pros to building a local business - especially to support your lifestyle or family goals, if commuting back and forth to the nearest City just isn’t possible. In this episode, I take some of the tips I’ve gotten from other local businesses, to help you start something before you’ve even left your City home. What steps can you be taking right now to increase your chance of starting your new business from a position of strength? To have customers lining up before you open the doors. To build community and a network of supporters that will connect you into your new town?

Let me know if this episode inspires you to get started or to strengthen the business you’re in right now - in your small town.

Erika McInerney is the founder of Mac&Ernie - specialising in social media and marketing training for small business, community organisations and leaders in regional and rural areas.

Find out more about Mac&Ernie or head to Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn for loads of free tips and smart, authentic marketing advice.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

Kristy Plumridge is the owner of Greenhills Farm and The Ridge House in Yarragon, West Gippsland. She and her husband Neil made a treechange from Melbourne in 2015 but they did it a little differently - pretty smartly I think. They bought a farm with no experience BUT rather than taking their inexperience in farming and jumping straight in, they have built up multiple businesses over the years on the land slowly and carefully. They have come in and out of Melbourne, learning, growing, collaborating and immersing themselves in the local Yarragon community. Now they are almost ready to move full time, because their country businesses are able to support them.

Sounds good - they should teach people what they did right? Well they are planning to.

This episode is for anyone who loves the idea of trading in their City lifestyle for a farm in the country. Kristy is incredibly generous with her knowledge and I think you’ll love hearing about all the learnings that have made their businesses tick.

Follow Kristy and Neil’s journey on one or all of these channels: Greenhills Farm on Instagram or The Ridge House on Facebook or Instagram.

Also mentioned is Creative Harvest, a wonderful annual event held around Gippsland. Check them out on Facebook or Instagram too. And the wonderful Hogget Kitchen popped up a couple of times too so go and check them out on Instagram or Facebook.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

Even though I believe there is usually a place for social media in your marketing, I will rarely encourage anyone to JUST focus on it. Having a healthy spread of promotional and marketing activity allows you to reach a broader audience and mitigate any potential disasters - like getting locked out of your social media accounts. Which happens a LOT. So today I’m going to talk about three ways to promote your small town business or brand that complement your social media activity and help you to build strong connections with your local community and local markets.

Erika McInerney is the founder of Mac&Ernie - specialising in social media and marketing training for small business, community organisations and leaders in regional and rural areas.

Find out more about Mac&Ernie or head to Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn for loads of free tips and smart, authentic marketing advice.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

How much time and effort do you spend working on your business’ social media? Is it at the expense of other media? There’s increasing pressure from all around us to believe that social is the only way you can build your business or promote yourself, your business or brand but there are options. Great options…

In this interview, Kimberley Furness from OAK Magazine and I talk about media from all angles. Even though we are both social media trainers, we agree that media has a greater role to play both in our business and yours.

Kimberley is based in Bendigo in North Central Victoria. She is an award-winning magazine publisher, podcaster, speaker, social media trainer and passionate supporter of regional women in business.

Please go and check out OAK Magazine (it’s fabulous), check out her podcast or follow her on Instagram.

Also mentioned in this episode is Dr Nicolette Snowden Oral Historian and She Mentors on networking and mentoring.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jet Streamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

If you’re in a small business, chances are you’re wearing the marketing and social media hat. Being close to the heart of your business makes you the best person for the job, but sometimes it can be hard to share the type of content that really connects you to your audience and converts them into customers. How much do you share? Are you holding back from your audience or are you transparent? In this episode I look into the marketing concept of ‘building in public’, what it means, who is doing it well and how you could use this approach with your business or brand.

Mentioned in this episode was Paynter Jacket - find them online or on Instagram

Erika McInerney is the founder of Mac&Ernie - specialising in social media and marketing training for small business, community organisations and leaders in regional and rural areas.

Find out more about Mac&Ernie or head to Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn for loads of free tips and smart, authentic marketing advice.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

My guest, Amy from The New Red, is no stranger to a good pivot, having traveled a winding road in her career and life. More recently in her small business she went into battle against her local Council to keep her successful woodworking and emerging skills training business afloat but chose to put her mental health first - pivoting into an entirely new direction. Amy’s honesty, creativity and drive are pretty inspirational. I think you’re going to love this interview.

Amy is based in the small town of Trafalgar in Gippsland, South Eastern Victoria. Make sure you go and check her out on Instagram { https://www.instagram.com/thenew.red } or head to her website https://www.thenewred.com.au/

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past, present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.

Are you a lifelong learner? I am! Learning comes with success and failure and, in small business, it comes from listening to others’ experiences. In this episode I open up about some of my learnings and challenges to date. I hope it helps - even if it just validates some of your challenges. You’re not alone!

Mentioned in this episode www.business.gov.au

This episode is the last of this series and I’ll be back in a few weeks. Make sure you follow or subscribe so I pop back in when I release the next fabulous interview.

Erika McInerney is the founder of Mac&Ernie - specialising in social media and marketing training for small business, community organisations and leaders in regional and rural areas.

Find out more about Mac&Ernie or head to Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn for loads of free tips and smart, authentic marketing advice.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit us online.

The Small Town Business podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gunaikurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their elders; past and present and emerging.

Audio production by Jetstreamer.

🌱 This episode is proudly sponsored by Visit Gippsland, the land of many wonders. Plan a trip via their interactive website at www.visitgippsland.com.au, or be inspired on Instagram or Facebook.