Coffs Harbour’s Cath Fowler is showcasing regional Australia in successful podcast

‘We aren’t just playing pretend here in the country’: Coffs Harbour podcaster is showcasing Australia’s regional success stories.

Cath Fowler and Melissa Dickfos are the face behind the Talking Business podcast.

In 2017 Cath Fowler swapped Sydney for the picturesque surroundings of Coffs Harbour and less than four years later the self-described “city slicker” is championing regional Australia and businesses that make it tick.

Like many, Ms Fowler believed the city was the only place to advance her career in marketing and upon arrival to the Mid North Coast she acknowledges being “pleasantly surprised” at the level of expertise and industry among regional businesses, as well as facilities like co-working spaces and networking opportunities.

Ms Fowler, who now runs her marketing business The Digital Laneway from Coffs, said there can be a perception that people in the city were less qualified than their metropolitan peers. But through connecting with a trove of successful businesses she quickly understood this was far from the reality.

When she discovered industry confidant Melissa Dickfos was talking about similar “amazing businesses” 500 km away in Toowoomba, they decided to “celebrate” the people who make the regions, and indeed the country, tick. So the Talking Business podcast was born.

Self described ‘city slicker’ Cath Fowler is championing regional businesses.

“There is an insanely talented pool of people in regional Australia … and they choose to live here. They could work in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane but choose to run their business a different way.

“We wanted to show that we aren’t just playing pretend here in the county, you can create a super successful business.”

The podcast has garnered quite a following since it premiered in 2019 and Ms Fowler said the format had been evolving as it moved beyond showcasing regional business success stories and became more proactive in offering advice.

“In our second season we started adding more guest experts who have been able to talk more specifically on topics like SEO and brand building.”

“This year we have introduced more of a learning element to the show to share our knowledge with businesses in their infancy, who may not have huge marketing budgets, so they can pick up a few tips and tricks to improve a website, social media presence or copywriting skills.”

Both Melissa Dickfos and Cath Fowler run successful business from regional Australian towns.

The relaxed format involves guests from a wide range of industries and regions and they are now being approached by people looking to get involved, a far cry from the early days when the pair raided their contact lists for guests.

Talking Business has also become more popular through the pandemic as many more people toyed with the idea of making a move to the regions.

Conveniently, starting or relocating a business to regional Australia was a question the pair always asked their guests and Ms Fowler hopes it can continue to resonate with people looking to take up the challenge.

“It (still) surprises me that two years later people are still listening and that it might inform a decision (to move) because I really do care about regional Australia.”