The Lazy CEO Podcast with Jane Lu

This week on The Lazy CEO podcast, I'm joined by Kia Buckley, founder and CEO of Kikiva Collection. Kia started the brand at 19 from her apartment garage with $10,000 she'd saved working three jobs. Four years later, Kikiva has become an eight-figure activewear brand, built alongside the loyal community she's grown by sharing the journey on TikTok.

In this episode, we get into:
How Kia built an eight-figure brand before turning 24, and whether starting young was actually her biggest advantage.
The cash flow realities of scaling fast, selling out launches, and growing a product business.
Why documenting the journey on TikTok helped Kikiva build a genuine community, not just an audience.
Whether you're starting out or scaling a brand, Kia's story is a reminder that there's no perfect time to start, and the messy parts are often where the biggest lessons come from.

Connect with us: Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with Kia: @kia_buckleySee what Kikiva is up to: @kikiva.collection
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's episode is all about the people red flags that can quietly cost you money, time, energy and sometimes your sanity.

Jane is joined once again by her best friend Jude Batrac, a workplace culture and leadership expert with two decades of experience across Google, Coca-Cola and News Corp. Together, they unpack the five biggest people red flags they've seen in business partners, investors, senior hires, employees and even friends in business, bringing both a founder's perspective and an HR leader's lens.

They dive into why misaligned values, poor communication, ego over outcome, a lack of accountability, and ignoring your founder instinct can become some of the most expensive mistakes you'll make in business. They also share the green flags worth looking for, and the qualities of the people who make businesses stronger, not harder.

Whether you're hiring your first employee, building out your leadership team or deciding who deserves a seat at the table, this episode will help you become more discerning about the people you build with.

Connect with us: Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with Jude: @jude_batrac_mc
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Lazy CEO podcast, we're opening up the PR playbook with the person who lives and breathes it, and fair warning, this episode will crack everything you thought you knew about PR, have you re-evaluating your next six months, and set you up to do it better.
Grace Garrick founded Movement Agency at 24, entirely self-funded. Seven years on, it's one of Australia's most respected creative comms agencies, the one the biggest names in fashion, beauty and lifestyle call when they need to cut through. She built the business on the belief that attention is earned through ideas, not just exposure, and she knows exactly what gets a journalist's attention and exactly what brands are wasting their budget on.
In this episode, we get into:
Why old-school PR alone no longer gets your brand noticed, and what to do instead.
The biggest misconceptions founders have about PR, press, influencers, gifting and paid partnerships.
How to make your brand PR-ready: the founder stories, thought leadership and counterintuitive angles journalists actually chase.
Why authenticity, original experiences and real opinions are worth more than ever in the age of AI.
This is the modern PR playbook for founders who want to shift the needle, build real credibility and build a brand people can't stop talking about.
Connect with us:
Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopod
Stay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceo
Connect with Grace: @gracegarrick
See what Movement Agency is up to: @mvmnt_agency
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's episode is a very special one! Jane is marking a big milestone, her 40th birthday, with a tell-all letter to her younger self: the anxious version, the ambitious version, the broke version, the one who cared way too much about what people thought.
Joining her is her best friend Jude Batrac, a workplace culture and employee experience leader with experience across Coca-Cola, Google and News Corp. Jude has coached hundreds of leaders and brings a sharp lens on what actually shapes confidence, decision-making and resilience, both in life and at work.
They talk about why you don't need everyone to understand your decisions, how a lot of anxiety disappears after you make that one tough call, and why outgrowing people doesn't make you a bad person. They also get into why the life you're jealous of often comes with trade-offs you wouldn't choose, and the idea that your 20s are for trying things while your 30s are for figuring out what actually matters.

Links mentioned!
40 Lessons I'd Tell My 20-Year-Old Self
Listen - Bali Buddies: Karlie Cummins on Creating the Ultimate Lifestyle Business
Connect with us:
Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopod
Stay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceo
Connect with Jude: @jude_batrac_mc
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Help My Small Business, Jane is joined by Natassia Nicolao, founder of Conserving Beauty, the science-backed skincare brand she scaled to eight figures. With her experience building and growing a brand from the ground up, Natassia brings that hands-on expertise to review Amelia's business, Dulese, a natural refillable deodorant brought over from New Zealand to launch into the Australian market.
By the end of this episode, you'll learn:
The costly mistake founders make treating Australia and New Zealand as one market
How to build genuine relationships with influencers and media without a big budget
Why a small, loyal audience always beats chasing reach
Connect with us: Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with Natassia: @natasssia@natassia__Follow Conserving Beauty: @conservingbeauty @conservingbeauty
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.