Whisky & Commerce With Laura Doonin

Michael Fox CEO of new plant based protein company Fable , ex Co-founder of Shoes of Prey shares insights into being an entrepreneur and living on purpose over a single malt whisky.

In light of the ever-changing global pandemic around COVID-19 the realisation that we have very little control is a hard concept for us business people to grasp. Something that is super important to me is to try and stay grounded and meditation has been so important to doing that. Here is a super simple Resting in Awareness meditation focused on stillness for anyone needing it. Love and light -Laura

Shannon Ingrey, VP & GM of APAC at BigCommerce is a young gun sales executive who is championing the underdog mid to enterprise ecommerce platform in the APAC region - BigCommerce. Listen in as Shannon and I discuss, over a single malt whisky, the shift to SaaS technology and the need for organisations to act and think agile in both mindset and their tech stack.

Justin Irvine, Chief Product Officer of Seko Logistics is a down to earth Kiwi bloke looking to keep challenging the status quo from a Customer Experience perspective by creating solutions that are in demand whilst remaining focused on retailer bottom line. Listen in as we talk cross border shipping, their new product for domestic next day shipping and their move into the SaaS space with a new Shopify App. https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-irvine-670a9a22 https://www.sekologistics.com

Jeremy Meltzer, founder of I=Change https://www.iequalchange.com is passionate about impact - turning retail into a force for good and is seriously one of the most sincere people I have met. Listen in as we talk about why we are at a pivotal point in not just retail but in the consciousness movement for both business and individuals. Jeremy is a true pioneer of purpose and values as core pillar of millennial consumers.

Rhys Furner is Head of Partnership in APAC for Shopify Plus. Rhys is passionate about technology as a tool for entrepreneurship. Listen in as we chat over a single malt whisky, Edradour, about the “new enterprise” retailers that have emerged over the past 5 years, the importance of the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) in making sure the brand/retailer DNA shines through and the ever evolving relationship between technology and business strategy.

Carl Hartmann is Australian entrepreneur best known from his work as Co-Founder & CEO of Temando. Carl Co-Founded Temando in response to the disconnect between the delivery experience consumers were receiving and the fulfillment capability of today’s merchants. Listen in as Carl and I discuss retailers selling globally and why it’s important for retailers to double down and get the data in the right area to set up for success. We also discuss Carl’s newest venture and launch of a non-alcoholic drinks business called Lyre’s.

Tink Taylor, Founder and President of DotDigital, an AIM listed company with offices around the globe, joins me for a wee chat. Listen in as we talk entrepreneurship, the new world of marketing automation and opportunities for Australian retailers. We are joined on this episode with a lovely bottle Macallan single malt, a super smooth and easy to drink tipple. Tink is one of the most unassuming successful entrepreneurs you will meet and I enjoyed hearing his logic and grounded view on the state of ecommerce globally and from an Australian lense. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it. Cheers

Episode Notes. The best bits 1. Julie: We launched with 500 products from 30 brands in November 2014. We just went, let's see how this goes. Laura: Was it Dropshipped? Julie: No, no. I'm such a true blue retailer. I'm like, No, no, own your stock, take the risk. So then we bought all the stock, and we're lucky because where we live is on acreage and when we bought the place, it came with a warehouse, which was great. So for the first few years we used that warehouse. So yes, we bought all the stock. Because I was really focused on the customer experience from the start. And my belief — unless you get it really right - just have your products and ship it out same next day to your customer. And give them one box as well. Because I think one of the worst experiences I've had is I've ordered six products off a well-known department store. And I got six different boxes, six different days, six different trips to the post office to get them. 2. Julie: If you don't do this now, you will never do it. Flora and Fauna

Episode Notes. The best bits Frothing "So frothing is like Aussie surf slang for... Well, I think the dictionary says we're being really amped. I think that's pretty much it. But if I say someone is frothing or you're a frother, it's someone who's operating at a high energy level, and someone who inspires you to be better. So if you're having a conversation with a frother, you can get a froth transfer, and it allows you... Yeah, I call it froth state. So I was talking to Jannie Wheel about froth state into flow state, so using like frothy conversations to allow me to access flow state to go and do the things I need to do in my day. And I was like, 'Don't f*&king kill me' because he's one of the kings of flow state. He was like, totally yeah. He was telling me about how our heartbeats can sync when we're really connected with people, and we can really take on the stuff that they tell us" So My Name Would Be "My name would be Optimus Wallace [Glass?]... would be my superhero name, which is what I would com

Check out this episode where I have a chat and a whisky with Ryf Quail, Managing Director of Comexposium for Australia and New Zealand. Ryf has a super impressive career across publishing, media, marketing and digital. A business man and entrepreneur, and most importantly, he is a great guy. We chat about whisky, what keeps him going, what brings him mindfulness, his thoughts around search, the retail dominator that is Amazon and the trends coming through in retail. A few favourites:   1. Brands diversifying Ryf "It's really about so much changes going on and how data is really informing so much. I mean, Crayola has launched a makeup brand.  Me "Crayola, the crayons?" Ryf "Yes. It doesn't sound very intuitive, but obviously, they know something about their customers and say, They'd buy makeup." Me "Actually, I think it makes complete sense because if you've seen some of these makeup tutorials, it looks like these girls are putting crayons on their face." Ryf "I think we should start at the positive place." 2.

Episode Notes: Noble Consumerism: "as consumers we have a responsibility to be engaged in the right businesses. I think that's gonna become more prevalent over the next few years. There's gonna be a rise in noble consumerism. Not just that businesses will be challenged to think broader than just short-term profits".   Success to Significance "One of the things for me is moving from success to significance. So I've had some success in my life. There's some big names under that, but I'm grateful for some successes I've had. But I want to see how I can plug more into significance and making a difference. And I'm on the board for a charity in Sydney. It's a charity called The Freedom Hub. It focuses on the issue of slavery. It runs cafes, it plugs 100% of its profits back into that cause. And that's something which has sparked in me desire to do more of that sort of thing, generating a longer term wealth back into society."   More Human in the Age of AI: "In a fast world and a time-driven world, you just want to