Weird Growth

• #60 - Ditch the Dinosaurs with Oliver Kidd

  Corporate cards don’t have to be hard.Born out of the frustration of expense tracking with his own business Oliver decided to take on a challenge impacting every business owner from a new angle, the credit card.Oliver is rethinking how business owners manage spend and unlock growth. As founder and CEO of Archa, he’s building a powerful alternative to traditional banking and solving a frustrating problem for business owners along the way.In this episode of Weird Growth, Cam Sinclair sits down with Oliver to explore the world of fintech, funding, and building products that go from “nice-to-have” to “can’t-live-without.”Problem:Startups and small businesses struggle with outdated banking systems, corporate card approvals, and clunky expense management.Solution:Instant card creation. Smarter spend controls. A fintech product built for high-growth businesses, not red tape.One big piece of advice:“Sometimes there’s a fear that you can’t find the solution. There’s almost always a solution. If it’s not working, stop and change. Figure out how to fail fast and change what you’re doing.”Bullets:(00:00 – 00:59) – Intro to Weird Growth(01:00 – 02:39) – Oliver’s journey: From law to fintech(02:40 – 06:28) – Why Archa started with consumers, then pivoted(06:29 – 10:45) – What’s broken with traditional banks?(10:46 – 13:52) – Cold outreach, early partnerships, and finding first users(13:53 – 17:08) – When they knew they had product-market fit(17:09 – 21:53) – Maximising spend with credit cards(21:54 – 24:40) – Mastercard, Visa, and the future of payments(24:41 – 26:56) – Why fintech in Australia is booming(26:57 – 30:27) – How Archa improves productivity for business owners(30:28 – 34:22) – Card creation and spend tracking(34:23 – 36:43) – Oliver’s one big piece of advice, fail fast and change(36:44 – 38:02) – Inbox zero, stress hacks, and the importance of restShow & Tell:Archa – https://archa.com.auInbox Zero method (great article by our favourite tool for this, Superhuman) – https://blog.superhuman.com/inbox-zero-method/FinTech Australia – https://www.fintechaustralia.org.auDon’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to get fresh podcast episodes, marketing insights, and hand-picked links from the world of startups and growth: https://www.ammo.marketing/subscribe

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• #59 – Go Hard and Grow Home with Dominic Pym

  You've heard startup stories, but few come as inspiring as Dominic Pym’s. From building some of Australia’s most iconic fintech companies to investing in the future of startups, Dom shares lessons every founder should hear. Recorded live at West Tech Fest, this episode of Weird Growth dives into the moments that defined Dom’s journey—and what drives his mission to support the next generation of founders. Problem: Fixing online payments in Australia. Creating a banking experience that’s the opposite of boring. Supporting the infrastructure for tomorrow’s startups. Solution: Simple online payments. Easy-to-love banking. An unapologetically different venture fund. One big piece of advice: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again…I’m still here, I’m still persisting and I’m still making new startups. Bullets: (00:00 – 00:30) - Introduction (00:31 – 01:47) - Welcome Dom (01:48 – 03:55) - Dom’s background and philosophy (03:56 – 04:41) - The business Dom would start today (04:42 – 07:30) - Building Australia’s first online payments provider – Pin Payments (07:31 – 08:57) - What was the catalyst for Pin Payments’ growth? (08:58 – 09:55) - Who were Pin Payments’ first customers? (09:56 – 11:25) - When the momentum started to shift for Pin Payments (11:26 – 12:14) - When Checkout acquired Pin Payments (12:15 – 13:20) - Building the all-star team behind Up Bank (13:21 – 14:13) - Ripe conditions for Up Bank to disrupt (14:14 – 16:39) - What ingredients helped Up Bank cut through and grow (16:40 – 19:15) - The inflection points for Dom’s companies – Pin Payments, Up Bank, and Euphemia (19:16 – 25:04) - The story behind Up’s unique brand (25:05 – 26:29) - Up’s partnership with TikTok (26:30 – 27:49) - How Euphemia came about (27:50 – 31:28) - The four areas of Euphemia’s investment thesis (31:29 – 32:31) - The triple bubble fintech fund – primary, secondary, and public companies (32:32 – 34:31) - The one thing Dom can’t live without – his Tesla Model SP100D (34:32 – 35:33) - Dom’s one big piece of advice for founders (35:34 – 36:32) - Wrap-up Show & Tell: Up Bank - https://up.com.au/ Pin Payments - https://pinpayments.com/ Checkout - https://www.checkout.com/ Buildkite - https://buildkite.com/ Red Bubble - https://www.redbubble.com/ PAX Festival - https://aus.paxsite.com/en-us.html LGT Crestone - https://www.lgtcrestone.com.au/ Tesla Model S - https://www.tesla.com/models Don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive cutting-edge links from around the web, podcast updates, and marketing insights. ⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.ammo.marketing/subscribe

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• #58 – From Mystery to Remarkable Storytelling with Mike Drysdale

  You've been trapped in a spiralling cycle of marketing mystery but don't worry Creative Mystery Officer Mike Drysdale is here to help. This year, Mike started his new business, Folklore, a tabletop entertainment company. Mike is a man of many talents. He leads creative direction on marketing campaigns, advises brands on how they can contribute to cultural conversations, and builds brands with the art of storytelling. Learn how to create and use a message your customers will connect with on this episode of Weird Growth.    Problem:  People are searching for genuine connections and unique events. How can we spend time together without our phones?    Solution: A tabletop mystery game that creates authentic, memorable and fun environment for everyone involved.    One big piece of advice: Celebrate your achievements, mark your mark with rituals and elevate your brand.  Bullets: (00:00 - 01:19) - Introduction (01:20 - 03:07) - Where it all started for Mike – Solving problems with creativity (03:08 - 04:09) - The value of a great message (04:10 - 05:19) - Seth Godinism 1 - People always believe what they tell themselves (05:20 - 05:53) - Seth Godinism 2 – The best stories don't tell us anything new, but how right we were in the first place (05:54 - 07:05) - People seek information that reinforces their beliefs (07:06 - 08:23) - Investigating remarkability (08:24 - 09:52) - Use your customer's language (09:53 - 11:19) - Don't fall for this communication trap (11:20 - 14:21) - Make your message about the benefits not the technology (14:22 - 17:32) - Mike's new business – Folklore (17:33 - 20:56) - How Folklore is a refreshing take on creating in-person connection (20:57 - 23:30) - What drives Mike – on making moments for people (23:31 - 26:05) - Identity, worldviews, and cultural conversations (26:06 - 28:00) - Republic of Fremantle's Birchal Campaign (28:01 - 31:10) - How brands can add value to cultural conversations (31:11 - 33:58) - What it looks like when brands add value to the conversation (33:59 - 38:47) - On TikTok and growing a content engine (38:48 - 40:05) - Help them share the pebbles (40:06 - 42:06) - Cleo Abrams – Huge if true (42:07 - 44:16) - Mark Zuckerberg's image change (44:17 - 45:39) - We are approaching a new tech age (45:40 - 46:29) - What's next for Mike (46:30 - 47:45) - Celebrate your year, mark the moment (47:46 - 49:23) - Storytelling elevates moments so you can look back at them (49:24 - 51:28) - Show & tell – Write down your ideas in notes, use ChatGPT more (51:29 - 52:58) - How Mike uses ChatGPT for creativity (52:59 - 53:48) - Connect with Mike (53:49 - 54:41) - Wrap up Show & tell: Lawson Flats - https://www.lawsonflats.com/  Folklore Website – https://www.playfolklore.com/  Cleo's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/cleoabram  ChatGPT - https://chatgpt.com/  Don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive cutting-edge links from around the web, podcast updates, and marketing insights. ⁠⁠https://www.ammo.marketing/subscribe

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• #57 - Light up your growth with Jared Carlin & James Shamim

  Jared Carlin and James Shamim, co-founders of Willow, share their journey from identifying a common household problem to launching a solution on Kickstarter. In this episode, they dive into how they grew Plant with Willow beyond crowdfunding. They also give great tips on nailing your story, maintaining engagement with your backers, and building a community. Problem:   Australians kill 72 million plants a year. Imagine how big this could be globally.  Solution:  A sensor device to track your plant's health with a mobile app that teaches you how to look after it.  One big piece of advice:  Have a large enough customer base and problem to warrant going after it. Find the passion in what you are doing. Maintain that level of passion – test, iterate and learn.  Bullets: (00:00 – 02:52) - Introduction to Jared Carlin & James Shamim  (02:53 – 03:54) - Origins of Willow – where the idea came from  (03:55 – 06:41) - Pop Quiz – What business would they start today?  (06:42 – 08:46) - When they knew Willow was onto something  (08:47 – 10:42) - How to move from identifying a problem to building a product  (10:43 – 14:41) - Tips for Kickstarter success  (14:42 – 19:57) - Growth challenges with hardware  (19:58 – 20:44) - Who uses Willow today?  (20:45 – 21:56) - How Willow works  (21:57 – 22:47) - How most plants are killed by their owners  (22:48 – 25:35) - Sensor technology behind Willow  (25:36 – 27:05) - Gamifying the product experience  (27:06 – 28:56) - Growing beyond Kickstarter  (28:57 – 30:58) - Marketing channels and content strategies  (30:59 – 32:20) - Designing a workspace for success  (32:21 – 33:04) - The team behind Willow  (33:05 – 33:57) - Where Jared & James focus time as founders  (33:58 – 36:35) - Partnership with Bunnings  (36:36 – 38:13) - What’s next for Willow  (38:14 – 39:57) - One big piece of advice for founders  (39:58 – 41:38) - Show & tell – One thing they can’t live without  (41:39 – 43:56) - Storytelling in sport  (43:57 – 45:04) - Wrap up Don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive cutting-edge links from around the web, podcast updates, and marketing insights.      ⁠⁠https://www.ammo.marketing/subscribe 

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• #56 - Simple, Sustainable and Scalable with Andrew Holder

  Andrew Holder, the visionary behind Revo Fitness, shares the remarkable journey of how he grew Revo into the largest independent gym operator in Australia. Unlike other fitness operators, Revo Fitness was built without being influenced by existing industry structures. Problem: Traditional gyms can be intimidating and unwelcoming, often prioritising profit over the member experience, leading to high churn rates and a lack of community. Solution: Revo Fitness transforms the gym experience by focusing on simplicity, accessibility, and member satisfaction, creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels motivated and supported. Member experience is designed to be as frictionless as possible from joining to leaving. One big piece of advice: Play for the right reasons. Put one foot in front of the other. Let go of the outcomes you want to achieve personally. Think about what you can achieve as a “we” not a “me”.   Bullets: (00:30) - Intro to Andrew Holder (04:52) - Start from scratch (06:22) - The reason it started (10:41) - How Revo reached their first customers (13:25) - The point Andrew knew he was onto something (16:22) - Surviving COVID as a fitness business (22:45) - How Andrew’s background in sport helped him build resilience (23:45) - How to balance the short and long term (25:52) - How is Revo different? (32:36) - Who is Revo for? (36:35) - Managing capacity at Revo clubs (39:55) – Revo’s approach to competition (41:47) - What’s next for Revo? (42:18) - Andrew’s advice for Founders (46:21) - Show & Tell (48:00) - How Andrew balances family and business   Show & tell Revo Fitness Andrew’s LinkedIn Don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive cutting-edge links from around the web, podcast updates, and marketing insights.    ⁠https://www.ammo.marketing/subscribe

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