What is Mentor Next Door?

It’s not easy growing your own business. There are all kinds of hurdles you encounter as you strive to make your company a success.

Xero

It’s not easy growing your own business. There are all kinds of hurdles you encounter as you strive to make your company a success. This six-part podcast, produced by News Corp in partnership with Xero, talks through some of the biggest problems small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face today. Hear from some of Australia’s top thinkers, disruptors, changemakers, innovators, dreamers and doers as they share their stories and advice.

Mentor Next Door is an original podcast from Xero.

Hosted by Lauren Moloney, Head of Digital Business Hosted by Lauren Moloney, head of digital business development at News Xtend, News Corp’s digital marketing solutions arm for SMBs. As the boss of “cool new stuff”, Moloney draws on her product, marketing and sales knowledge to grow revenue, product scope and capability, as well as developing innovative marketing initiatives.

March 26: Episode 1 “Growing your pie”

Customers are the lifeblood of your business, but attracting and retaining them can be a challenge, no matter how great your product is. Our mentor, Taryn Williams, shares her keys for success in reaching new markets, growing your customer base and keeping them happy so they’ll come back for more.

Mentor Taryn Williams is the smart, vivacious and down to earth founder and CEO of theright.fit and WINK Models. A former model, Taryn has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most popular entrepreneurs and digital influencers.

Mentee Brooke Rudzis spent 10 years working in sales, marketing and advertising, before she threw away corporate life in favour of building Turkish towel brand Sunday Minx.

April 2: Episode 2 “Mitigating financial risk”

Small business is risky business, and financial problems can have a drastic impact on survival and success. Our mentor, Alex Tselios from The Big Smoke, shares some of her early mistakes and provides practical advice on how to get on top of your accounts and finances, so you have more time to look at the bigger picture.

Mentor Alexandra Tselios is a commentator, writer, keynote speaker, board director and founder and CEO of international opinion platform, The Big Smoke. She recently spoke at Mumbrella’s Publish Conference, Women in Tech Australia conference, 10,000 Women in Technology conference and has delivered numerous keynote speeches on being a woman working in technology and entrepreneurship.

Mentee Courtney Sanders is the co-founder of Well Made Clothes, an e-commerce marketplace that stocks only brands that meet stringent guidelines from an environmental and ethical standpoint.

April 9: Episode 3 “Working on the business, not in the business”

Getting bogged down in day-to-day operations is one of the biggest obstacles to small business growth. If you’re stuck in the office and knee-deep in the nitty-gritty, you’re not doing what you need to do to develop your business. In this episode, mentor Nick Bowditch, Australia’s “storytelling expert”, talks through ways to save time, lighten your load, get out of the office and focus on growth.

Mentor Nick Bowditch works extensively in the global startup ecosystem as both an advisor and investor, inspiring others to create and build businesses that use authentic storytelling. The author of books including Reboot Your Thinking is an expert on social media for small business, having established both Facebook and Twitter’s small business marketing in Australia.

Mentee Nicole McMahon was inspired to launch AV Installation Specialists to help people like her grandmother keep up with the non-stop evolution of home audio visual technology. Her business enables her to spend more time at home while still retaining an income to support her family.

 April 23: Episode 4 “Managing cash flow”

How is your business really going? Being across your business metrics is the key to unlocking capital investment and growth. Listen in as our mentor, Sophie Andrews from The Accounts Studio, offers expert advice on key business metrics and how to best track them.

Mentor Sophie Andrews is CEO of The Accounts Studio, a bookkeeping and accounting service catering to creative entrepreneurs. She was voted the NSW Bookkeeper of the Year 2017 as well as being a finalist in the Australian Accounting Awards for the last three years. The Accounts Studio has also been voted as one of Anthill’s top 100 Coolest Companies.

Mentee Kate Crews has a background in Interior Design and public relations and was inspired to start The Nursery when she realised there was a gap in the market for people who often have to buy gifts for babies, but don’t have a good understanding of baby products.

April 16: Episode 5 “Mobile technology in the modern business”

Smartphones have rapidly become the secret weapon in the pocket of any small business owner, allowing you to work on the go and keep your business running smoothly from anywhere. Our mentor Claire Mackay from Quantum Financial talks through how to get the most out of mobile while keeping your business safe.

Mentor Claire Mackay is recognised as one of the country’s pre-eminent financial planners and is passionate about improving financial literacy for all Australians. Claire consults to ASIC, the ATO, her professional associations and is an adjunct lecturer at Macquarie University. After a six-month sabbatical which involved completing the arduous Kokoda trek and travelling around South America, Claire acquired a significant equity stake in Quantum Financial.

Mentee Dean Ipaviz is carpenter and builder with a green conscience. He works at VerdeCon, a building and carpentry company with the foundations of green and sustainable construction where he has successfully delivered over $7m worth of projects. is carpenter and builder with a green conscience. He works at VerdeCon, a building and carpentry company with the foundations of green and sustainable construction where he has successfully delivered over $7m worth of projects.

April 30: Episode 6 “Measure and Pain”

Cash flow is a key cause of anxiety for small business owners. Listen in as our mentor, Rob Stone from Xero, shares his toolkit of techniques to help manage cash flow, as well as giving tips on identifying where savings can be made.

Mentor Rob Stone is national partner director for Xero Australia. He has been working with fast-growing businesses since 2003 when he started with professional services firm E&Y in its entrepreneurial services division that delivered assurance to SMEs in Australia. While working at private wealth management group Ord Minnett as an associate director in corporate finance, Rob developed a passion for improving processes and raising capital. In his current role, he leads a dedicated team helping accountants, bookkeepers and financial planners become business leaders in the new “cloud” economy.

Mentee Sam Eastlake and his business partner Roger Sciberras created Gallantoro, an online retail store dedicated to reviving the spirit of what it means to be a gentleman by embracing the traditions of the old.

Talk to the team at Xero for more small business guides for tips, tricks, and essentials on cloud accounting, invoicing, online bookkeeping, payroll, online business tools and more.

Originally published as What is Mentor Next Door?