Latest / Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast) / How to launch a wildly successful podcast with Australia’s #1 money podcast host of She’s on the Money, Victoria Devine

Transcript

How to launch a wildly successful podcast with Australia’s #1 money podcast host of She’s on the Money, Victoria Devine · Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast)

• 0:00
  This is Victoria Devine for Female Startup Club. Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. I'm your host, Doon Roisin, and joining me on the show today is Australia's number one money podcast host, Victoria Devine.
• 0:25
  Victoria launched her money-related podcast, She's on the Money, in 2019, and since then, it's grown like crazy into a household show for women who want to change their money habits and learn where they can best invest and grow their wealth.
• 0:38
  She's got around 2 million listeners from all around the world, is the number one rated podcast for money in Australia, and has changed the lives of thousands of women, myself included. We're covering her story and everything you need to know to start your own podcast. So if you've been wondering whether you want to start your own wildly successful podcast, this is an episode for you.
• 0:58
  We're sharing all the things you ask yourself when you're just starting out, like how do you monetize a podcast? What equipment do you need? How do you find sponsors? And so much more. And if you're looking for more nifty tips and tricks, you can also tune into my Instagram or TikTok at Doon Rasheen, where I post daily quick tips, how-to guides, and other useful bits and bobs relating to all things business and e-commerce.
• 1:21
  And lastly, if you haven't done so already, please do subscribe, rate and review the Female Startup Club podcast so you can get notified of our new episodes every week and help other ears find us. This is Victoria for Female Startup Club.
• 1:37
  I am so, so thrilled to have you joining me on the show today. Thanks for being here. Thank you for coming. I'm so excited to be here. I can't wait to pick your brain on all things. She's the money, especially because, you know, for selfish reasons, having my own podcast and all.
• 1:52
  Hey, yeah, I'm here for that. Let's go. Oh, and before we get started, I actually want to give some context for everyone listening about how this episode came about. I used to tag you in posts all the time on Instagram, sharing like what episodes I was listening to of She's on the Money. And I loved it. And you loved it. And we basically developed a little online friendship in the old DMs.
• 2:19
  Exactly. I feel like I've done that with lots of our listeners, actually, because people tag us in every week when we drop a new episode, they'll tag what they're listening to. And I love it. I feel so grateful that people share what they're listening to, but then they want to share our content and share.
• 2:35
  you know, I always reply and I'm always talking to people in my DMs. I think people assume that, you know, we just won't reply. It's like, no, like I want to be your friend. If you think that I'm cool, like I think you're cool. Let's go from there. And it brightens people's day when someone just chimes in and like slides into the DMs. You're like, yes, this is so nice. Thanks.
• 2:55
  Yeah. And if there's like a consistent name, like what you did, you would like tag us every week when you'd listen to the pod and she does this every week. And then I'd look at your profile and I'd be like, Oh, I think I want to be friends. Let's go from here. I love that. That's so funny. Okay. Anyway, context is done. Let's backtrack. I want to talk about how you got started, why you wanted to start a podcast in the first place, and maybe some background info on you and, and what you're up to.
• 3:23
  Yay. I don't even know where to start. So obviously I have a podcast. I've got She's on the Money and She's on the Money is Australia's number one finance podcast, which I never thought I'd be saying. That is so cool. Yeah, honestly, it is so cool. And I'm so, so happy that we are there because I feel like every single day, knowing that we are changing the money relationships people have with their money, like it's just so cool. And for me,
• 3:52
  being a podcaster was never a goal. It was never something that I thought I would do. We are just over a year and a half-ish old, or the podcast is. And we kind of just started because it was a way to give back to our community. And I feel like that's a way that a lot of podcasters start. And it's like what you do...
• 4:11
  you want to give back to your community. You want to share these stories. Like I think that, you know, if you're going to start a podcast and you're going to do it, you have to be doing it for the right reasons. And the right reasons are, you know, building a community, sharing your story, you know, growing other people and giving back. And for me, that just kind of came second nature to what I was already doing. And I loved putting the content together. And I feel like that's what kind of made us successful. It wasn't, oh, they're a finance podcast. They want clients.
• 4:40
  it was like the exact opposite. It was like, we have these people in our community and I want to give them more value. And then other people joined in. Yeah. I love that. And for everyone listening who didn't know what you were doing with Zella, do you want to talk a little bit about the business and your community in general that you had before the podcast?
• 5:00
  Yeah. So I am a financial advisor and I own a financial advice practice called Zella based in the Melbourne CBD here in Australia. And I was working towards getting more clients and building my Zella business and growing that. And one of the ways that I was growing my business was through workshops. And so I would go into law firms and be corporates and run these workshops just on financial literacy, what people could do. And one of those workshops was called She's on the
• 5:30
  And She's on the Money was just for women because I always found that women, especially lawyers, because that was just what I was working with, if in a room with their male peers didn't really want to stick their hand up and say, look, I don't really understand what you mean when it comes to superannuation because they didn't want to look silly in front of their male peers, even though they didn't know the answer.
• 5:50
  So I found that after the sessions, they're the ones that would hang around and be like, oh, hey, I didn't really understand this. Can you explain it? Or they'd message me later. And I was just like, this is ridiculous. Like, let's just deal with this as a whole. Like, let's just have sessions with women. It wasn't because I was better at women. It wasn't because I wanted to, you know, build a female community. It was purely because I was like, you guys aren't asking the questions you need to ask. And if you're thinking them, everybody else in the room is thinking them.
• 6:17
  And just because someone's a male doesn't mean that they don't know either. So for me, it was more about creating a little community to have that chat. And it kind of grew from there. And after I realized that these workshops were being popular and people were liking them, I wanted to continue the openness and I wanted to continue the conversation around money. And at the time, the easiest and the easiest,
• 6:42
  the most cost effective way Facebook group was free. So I made this Facebook group for people who had gone to my workshops to connect in and I added all my friends and I'd, you know,
• 6:52
  I think we all, like, I think people forget that we all start somewhere. And I used to message my girlfriends and be like, oh, can you ask a question in my group? Because I want it to look like people are asking questions. And I would grow it that way. And people who came to my workshops joined and then we'd have these money conversations. And, you know, I got a few of my friends to post and join and then
• 7:13
  From there, other people started joining that I didn't know. And I remember being confused. I was like, you didn't come to a workshop. I don't know. You're from Queensland. Who are you? And then people would start messaging and being like, oh, I hope you don't mind. I've added my sister and my sister-in-law. Like they'd really get a lot of value from this. It's like, oh yeah, more the merrier. Like totally welcome. And then we had 2,000-ish members in the group and I was a bit shocked and wasn't sure what to do with 2,000 people. So I asked them what they wanted.
• 7:42
  And initially they said, oh, we'd love for you to have a YouTube, like start doing video content. And I was like, no way. That's so overwhelming to go from being a financial advisor who was a bit antsy doing, you know, these workshops to being on video. No, that wasn't going to happen. And someone suggested a podcast. I was like, okay, well, there's no video in that. So I'll give that a crack. And I was very grateful at the time to have a couple of friends who had a podcast. So I
• 8:09
  We kind of went from there and started the She's on the Money podcast. And I thought, what a great way to start. We'll just do 12 episodes. We'll cover 12 topics that, you know, the community are talking about at the moment. And now it's a year and a half later and we're on to our third season and we have more than 2 million listeners, which is insane. That is so insane. And also not even 2 million listeners. You have thousands of new friends and new relationships and you've impacted the lives of women.
• 8:37
  All around the world, most probably. I mean, I'm listening in from London, but, you know, I'm sure people are listening in from everywhere.
• 8:44
  It's insane. And I just, I don't know how it happens. And I'm really, honestly, I'm still mind blown. I wake up with these beautiful messages from people from around the world, just saying, oh, I've been listening to your podcast. I've changed this about my financial life. Or, hey, like the ones that really hit me in the chest were like, oh, I listened to one of your podcasts and I didn't realize I was in a financially abusive relationship. And I'm now out of that. I'm like, whoa, what? Because of us?
• 9:12
  And I'm just so grateful that we're having this impact. But yeah, it kind of just came from a place of you wanting to share these conversations. And I hope that we can continue to do that and we can grow, but still maintain that level of friendship that the group seems to have.
• 9:29
  Because I think one of the most special things that actually is on the money is the vibe that we have and everyone's friends. And if you come into our community, you are so welcome here. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter if you're male or female or non-binary. We don't actually care who you are as long as you're a kind person. And you see that in our Facebook group where we now have more than 90,000 members who have 300,000 conversations each and every single month. You see it there and you see it in our Instagram DMs and you see it with other people tagging each other.
• 9:59
  just, it seems to be the right type of vibe. And I hope that keeps spreading. Yeah. I really love the Facebook group. I'm in there most days as well. Just, you know, putting my two cents in everywhere. Exactly. And I just feel like people are so grateful for other people's opinions. Like it's not because a financial advisor is there. It's just sharing opinions and sharing stories. And what I really like the most about it is we are all, you know, we do have to moderate it, but sometimes we are all like, we are all really aware of,
• 10:29
  the fact that there are different stories in the community and you have a different view and someone else can chime in and go, wow, I never thought of that. That's really cool. Or, you know, what's your biggest savings goal at the moment or how are you saving for this? And everyone does it differently. And I think just being able to read other people's stories and share their journeys and seeing where they're from and what happens with them. It's just so cool. It is really, really cool. Bit pervy too. And I'm totally here for that. Totally here for that.
• 10:55
  I want to go back to those early days when you were talking about, um, you approached some friends that you knew in the industry who had a podcast. Yeah. So for anyone listening who is in that mindset of like, oh yeah, I might want to start a podcast. What advice did you receive from those people and what did they tell you to do that you can pass on to our lovely listeners?
• 11:15
  So when I approached them, I had already put together what I kind of wanted to talk about on the podcast. I knew I wanted to call it Sheeds on the Money because I'd already started it. But I think the first thing was just understanding...
• 11:28
  your target demographic. And I'm really grateful that I already had an understanding of that. But I remember that we had these really great conversations about like, through your audience, what do your audience want to hear from you? And one thing that humans crave is consistency. So if you're going to do a podcast and you need to commit to it and you don't just need to commit to it in terms of, you know,
• 11:49
  doing 12 episodes. You need to commit to it in terms of timeframe and making that timeframe really reliable. You want to be a reliable source of truth or information. And for us, that meant picking a specific time during the week that we dropped our podcast.
• 12:04
  And that was something that I hadn't thought of. So we were reliable. And so we picked Wednesday mornings. And so every single Wednesday morning, like we'll be in your ears and there'll be a new episode. And you can reliably know that every Wednesday morning, when you get up for your morning walk or you're driving to work or you're doing something, there will be any issues on the money episode ready and waiting for you. And I felt like,
• 12:25
  That made a lot of sense to me because prior to that, I was like, oh, we'll just do the episodes. Like, do we upload them all at once or do we just upload them when they're ready or what do we do? And it was more about creating that community where they know and know.
• 12:41
  doing a little bit of research on who are our competitors, what are other people doing in this space? When are they dropping their podcast? I didn't actually want to be in competition with other people. And I know the biggest money podcast in Australia at that time was by my friend, Glenn James. And he has a podcast called My Millennial Money, which is fantastic. But at that point in time, he was dropping episodes on Mondays and Thursdays. And I knew I didn't want to be in conflict with that. I wanted to be able to capture that audience,
• 13:11
  And so for me, it made sense to be for Wednesday, like happy hump day kind of thing. So for me, that was really great. And everything else I feel like I learned along the way and just,
• 13:22
  you know, kind of started from scratch and just said, all right, well, how do I run a podcast? What are the best mics? What are the best programs? What software should I be using? What editing style should I do? Should I have a jingle at the start or not? Like some people do, some people don't, and it's more personal preference. But once you choose, you want to be consistent. So for me, consistency was the biggest message and just trying to make sure that we were consistent across all platforms with that.
• 13:50
  Yeah, amazing. When you were just talking about the equipment side of things, one of the questions I had that came through on Instagram when I posted about this recording yesterday was a few women were asking, like, you know, do you need fancy equipment to get started? Do you need to invest in top quality equipment? And obviously I know what my answer is for this kind of thing, but I'm interested to know what you're doing. What's your answer? My answer is I use a $170 mic.
• 14:17
  That's my equipment. But like, that's just it, right? Everybody is different. And you can start a podcast with your $170 mic. It's about you and making you shine. It's got nothing to do with the equipment. Like the equipment, yeah, it can be nice. Like don't get me wrong. I was like, what's the cheapest microphone I can get in case this doesn't work out?
• 14:37
  100% and like we all start somewhere and I think that that's the best thing. I was lucky in that I had a business and for me, I knew that my podcast, I wanted to invest in it. So I did buy some really nice mics, but I wasn't willing to spend all that much. We spent a couple of hundred dollars on mics and then...
• 14:55
  I spent a fair bit. I probably spent $700 on a mixer, which is expensive for starting. And I definitely don't recommend starting there because it's not within the budget of people starting a free podcast. Buy $170 mic, get some free stuff, like 100%. But I think the thing for me that I was so shocked about was sound materials. So like,
• 15:18
  soundproofing was so expensive and I genuinely was just like, I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars on padding to go into one of the rooms at work. We had a boardroom at the time that I was recording in. Can't afford it, not doing it. I just couldn't justify it. Whereas the tech stuff, I was like, look, if it doesn't work out, sell it on Gumtree or eBay.
• 15:38
  I'll be right. And for me, I ended up doing some Googling and asking some friends who, thankfully I had a friend who was a sound engineer at the time. And he's like, Victoria, go to the hardware store and buy a moving blanket. And I was like, what? What's a moving blanket? And he was like, you know, those moving blankets that people have in like moving trucks, the really thick gray ones. Yes.
• 16:00
  Yes. So we bought one of those $22 of bunnings and we would put that on the table every time we recorded because it was so thick and so great at absorbing sound that...
• 16:13
  Everybody thought that we were recording from a studio when in actual fact, we just like we had nice mics, but it absolutely isn't necessary. Now I know the quality of cheaper mics, but we're just recording in a room. You could have been in your bedroom. You could have been anywhere. But this moving blanket, honestly, that's probably the biggest tip. Get yourself a moving blanket. You sound like you're in a studio. Watch out, guys, female startup club listeners. There is a blanket coming my way.
• 16:42
  Bunnings, hello. But 100%. And then whenever I was recording in places where it was a bit echoey, like the amount of times I've recorded under a blanket, like it's embarrassing to talk about it.
• 16:54
  But it's true. Oh, my gosh. I've been there. I've been there. I've been under that blanket. Yeah, it's so funny because people do assume it's, like, really glamorous and that you have a studio and all this kind of thing. And obviously people can't see us now, but, like, I'm sitting on my bed. You're sitting in your room. Like, it's all very, I mean, of course you do yours in person, whereas I'm doing mine online. So there's a difference there. But.
• 17:21
  100% and you grow, right? Like we actually have a studio now, like in our office, we have a full studio. We've got proper pod mics. We've got a soundproof wall. Like everything is very professional now, but do you know what? We don't, we don't need it. Like at the end of the day, I love saying I've got a podcast studio. I absolutely adore being in my studio. I never realized how much I loved it.
• 17:42
  the podcasting space and growing this. And like we've got every intention of like introducing in the next 12 months, more podcasts to the She's on the Money community and just really tackling that. So for me, it was an investment so that I can bring other co-hosts in and I can bring other people into my office when we have a dedicated space for creating that content.
• 18:01
  So that was the driver for the podcast studio. It wasn't because we needed it for the podcast we were creating when it was just She's on the Money and it was my co-host and I. So for me, yes, we've got one. Do you need it to have a successful podcast? Absolutely not. In Melbourne, we're now in stage four lockdown, which is really fun and I can't leave my house.
• 18:22
  which, you know, I'm really grateful to still have this community and still have my job. And, you know, being locked down is not an issue for me, thankfully. But now that we are locked down, I can't record my podcast in my studio. So we've just gone back to doing it the old school way of doing it at home. Going back to that blanket. Exactly.
• 18:40
  my co-host and I are recording remotely. She's in her bedroom at home. I'm in my office at home and like, it's fine. So I think, you know, you just make it work. Nothing has to be perfect. Like it just has to get done. Yeah. And I think with that, going in with that mentality of, yeah, you don't need to like get overwhelmed with having to invest a lot of money to get started. It's just about getting started and figuring it out as you go. And then, you know, investing in one small thing, then upscaling to like a better product when you need to.
• 19:10
  A hundred percent. Before I move on though, what's a mixer? So we've got, I've got a H6 mixer. I'm about to, I've got a H6 mixer at home and I'm about to do it. But a podcast mixer is kind of the thing that brings together all the sound. So is my mixer my editor? Yeah.
• 19:34
  No. Or I need a mixer. It's what I put my SD card into to capture the sound and we can control the different volumes of the microphones on it and what comes in and what comes out. Yeah. So that's my editor right there.
• 19:49
  We've got an editor as well, but it's more about like quality and control and making sure that we are capturing the best audio at the time of recording. Got it. Yeah. It's just about the capturing of it. Whereas right now we are uploading the content directly to like a server. Whereas I will have my like actual mixer there that captures the content and it has just different dials and stuff on it to capture it differently and make sure that our voices match. Yeah.
• 20:17
  Fab. Love that. It's fun. So next kind of topic that everyone obviously wants to know about when starting a podcast is at what point can you bring on sponsors? How do you bring on sponsors? How do you find the right partners? What the learnings are sort of around that topic? Yeah. And that's such a hard one. And do you know what? I don't think there is a number. I don't think you have
• 20:45
  to bring on a sponsor, if I'm honest, you have to create a product that people are engaged with. And you know what, if you've got a podcast and you've got 500 listeners, but those 500 people are your biggest fans and they are going to buy everything that you put in front of them, that is far more valuable than a podcast with 3 million downloads and people kind of listen to it willy-nilly and don't care for your opinion. So for me, I think it's
• 21:12
  It's a really hard thing to put numbers on, but it's more about being commercial. And what do you bring to the table? I don't think you can get it. Sponsorship is fantastic. And for me, sponsorship has meant that we have been able to create She's On The Money into a sustainable business.
• 21:27
  Whereas before it was me spending money on something that I was just passionate about. So I was paying a editor to mix my episodes down and create them because I didn't have that skill, nor at the time did I have the time to actually do that myself. I knew that was something I would have to invest in. I also pay my co-hosts and always have paid my co-hosts. It wasn't a volunteer position. And for me...
• 21:52
  I knew that that was an investment, but I really wanted to do it. And I really wanted to bring someone on board who wasn't just a friend of mine. They were there to do their job. So for me, that made sense. But I think if you're going to approach sponsors, like what do you bring to the table? Do you bring a really engaging podcast that people are really connected with?
• 22:09
  Do you bring a really great tone of voice? Are you trusted? What does that actually mean? For us, we've said no to far more. And this is a very lucky position to be in, but we've said no to far more sponsors than we have said yes. And I think that's what makes our voice so powerful in this space because I don't want to align myself to companies that are just going to pay us for an episode to get their product in the ears of my listeners. Like I trust my listeners and they trust me.
• 22:39
  And for me, podcasting is really intimate. Like I know that sounds really strange, but
• 22:44
  When you put your podcast or when you put your headphones in your ears, you are choosing to invite me into your space. I get to go on your walk with you. I get to hang out on your couch with you. And for me, it's a connection between you and I having this chat. It's not, hey, massive audience. It's like, hey, how are you? What are you doing today? Thank you so much. And I think that that vibe, I trust that. I wouldn't want my listeners to feel like they're being accosted by some product while on their morning walk.
• 23:14
  And so for me, it's more about like what actually fits and what kind of companies could you go to. I actually have mentored a couple of people to start their own podcasts. And one of them actually secured a sponsor before they even launched purely because they had put together a really great pitch and said, this is the podcast I'm going to create. This is the talent I'm bringing to the table. These are the people I'm going to interview. This is what I'm trying to do. Do you want to sponsor it?
• 23:43
  And the company was like, yeah, sure. Like, what does it cost? And they obviously negotiated that themselves. But yeah, she secured a podcast sponsor before she'd even put her first podcast out. So I think it's different for everybody.
• 23:55
  Yeah. I think it's also like putting the, like you said, like putting yourself out there, putting that energy out there because, you know, for me, you might've seen, I just also landed. Yeah. You just killed your first one, which is so exciting. Yes. It's so exciting. And, but I'm so surprised you weren't already sponsored. Like you have so much value to give. If I was a sponsor, I'd be like, take my money. Oh, thank you so much. Um,
• 24:20
  You know, it's been such a nice thing because the company, it's called Klaviyo and they are an email marketing provider. And so literally everyone who listens to the podcast and everyone in my community who has a brand should be using this product. It's absolutely amazing. Plugging them right now. Shout out to those guys. A hundred percent. Like I'm fully for it. No, I'm fully obsessed. Like one of our sponsors or I call them show partners because I don't actually just want one person, like one sponsor to sponsor one episode. Yeah.
• 24:50
  Like their UpBank is a massive like partner of ours. I'm so obsessed with them. They are so good. Like I love them. I recommend them to my actual clients in my Zella business. Like I jump up and down about them. They are good people doing good things. And they're a product that I think people should have and know about. Exactly. And I'm so grateful to have them on my team and vice versa. Like, and same with you and Klaviyo. Like you use it. You love it. Of course, you're going to be their biggest fan.
• 25:19
  And also I found like, you know, for me, I actually just reached out to them on their like contact form on their website, like didn't send a big pitch through none of that. It was a really simple like, hey, this is what I'm doing. These are the kind of people I speak to. This is my audience. She got me back within like 10 minutes, 10 minutes, 10 hours. And we just like meshed in such a like.
• 25:40
  authentic way and to then build the partnership off that it really wasn't this big ordeal and I think that's where sometimes people can also get stuck and overwhelmed in like oh a partnership means you know putting together this huge like presentation and da da da da but it's like yeah it's just a conversation it's just like reaching out seeing if there's interest there and then taking that conversation further exactly which is important I think for people to know if they're
• 26:07
  Exactly. Because at the end of the table, you're bringing a lot to the table. If you believe wildly in your podcast, you're actually helping that sponsor. It's not them just giving you money and you go and do your podcast. You are either bringing them new clients or you're bringing them exposure or you are giving them something that they want. And there's a lot of stats out there at the moment that say podcasting, advertising is the best type of advertising,
• 26:37
  And it's, you know, from the host of the podcast because they're a trusted voice. It's very different to television marketing or radio marketing that you kind of gloss over. You weren't listening. Like, I know the second the ads come on when I'm watching TV, I get up and go and get a cup of tea. Like, I'm not interested in consuming that because it's not the voice of the people that I'm watching the television for. So I think that, you know, if you have a podcast, you've got to see the value in that and go, actually, I bring a lot to the table here. And that's why they would want to sponsor you.
• 27:06
  you. That's why they would want you to engage with them. And they're usually really grateful for it, to be honest. Yeah, absolutely. For sure.
• 27:16
  I want to talk a little bit about marketing. I know you're obviously in a unique position where you had a bit of a community first and you've obviously had major word of mouth success in what you're doing. Yes. But I want to talk about marketing in general and how to market a podcast and what are the kinds of things people can do to market their podcast? So I have done a lot of research on this because yes, we're word of mouth, but obviously I want us to be.
• 27:44
  you know, a well-known brand and we're working towards that. Hopefully in the near future, everybody will be listening to Shoes on Money. No, I kid. But the best way to market a podcast because podcasting, I think the stats, and I only know Australian stats, so I hope that's not too niche for you guys because I know you're international. Absolutely not. But in Australia, only 20% of the population listen to podcasts. So if you're putting out...
• 28:12
  content and going Facebook marketing, Instagram marketing, which I believe in wildly as well, like you are marketing to 80% of the people that aren't actually absorbing your content or even on those platforms to begin with. So the best way to market a podcast is on other podcasts. So if you can get on other people's podcasts, hi, hello, welcome. I'm on your podcast and tap into the
• 28:38
  their audiences and talk to their audiences about the value that you bring and what you are doing and get a name for yourself in the podcasting community. That's an incredible way of doing it. And I know that there are so many podcasts that interview female business owners or other podcasters or want people.
• 28:55
  experts in the area to chime in on things. And if you put your hand up and say, hey, I'd love to help if you need an expert, I'm the person to talk to. Or if you're going to be putting marketing dollars behind something, if I was going to start from scratch again, if I was paying for advertising, I'd be paying for it on other people's podcasts.
• 29:16
  if that makes sense. It absolutely makes sense. If you're paying for advertising on another person's podcast, is there a way to track the ROI of that? Or is it just if you just see your listeners go up and that's it? Look, it's kind of hard and it's a little bit of a shady, not a shady area, but it's like not a well-known area. Bit of a gamble.
• 29:36
  It's a gamble and it's not a gamble. A podcaster, if they're accepting sponsorships and you're going to pay them, will let you know the types of listeners they have. They should have demographic breakdowns because they are able to log into Apple and into Spotify. They'll also have their own podcasting platform that will collate all of that. At the moment, my podcasting platform is Megaphone.
• 29:58
  And I use them because I've recently signed with the Australian Radio Network, which is really exciting. Congratulations. Thank you. And so ARN, that's where they put all of their podcasts. So for me to come on board, I had to be on that platform. But prior to that, I was on a podcasting platform called Wooshka and I adored that. The people at Wooshka were delightful and that was free. And the amount of insights and data I could get from that, I could see how many people had downloaded my podcast, how long they were listening for,
• 30:27
  you know, and the types of demographics, I was able to scrape from that. I was able to see what types of devices they were listening on, whether they were listening on web play or whether they were on Apple or an Android device and, you know, really work out what types of listeners they are. Those are the types of things. I would have a bit of a creep on them on Instagram and see what their socials are like and see what types of community is around that. If that podcast has a Facebook group, they'd be able to give you even more in-depth,
• 30:56
  insights into the types of demographics and the engagement levels that they have on socials, which I think are really important and a good insight into the type of community that they have. Because if it's a podcast and they're just putting it out and they have some listeners, but nobody engages with it post, maybe that's not the best place to advertise. But if they've got a wild community sitting behind that people who are sharing and caring, then that's probably a better space for you to be in.
• 31:22
  For me, I think it's just really important to be working out where your perfect listener is from as well. And that goes back to knowing your audience and having a target audience and something I've always had. And back when I was starting Zella, I had my perfect client. Like, you know, work out who your perfect client is. It's not a group of people. It's one person. And then you always speak to that one person. And so for me, with Zella and with She's On The Money, I have in my mind who that one person is and I'm always talking to them.
• 31:53
  I love that. That is so, so cool. What advice do you have for women who have a big idea and want to start their own thing? Oh, go for it. Don't wait until you feel like you're ready. If you're putting something out that's perfect and polished and you're super proud of in 12 months, like you didn't start early enough.
• 32:15
  like get it out there. My first iteration of She's on the Money was horrendous. The logo, awful, the colors. What was I thinking? So for me, I think it's more about just be there. Be there for your audience because they'll stick with you no matter what your logo is or whatever your color is or if you've got your tagline wrong. They don't care. They're just there for the journey. And do you know what? As I've grown, I've,
• 32:37
  I feel like I have two parts of my community. I have the wider community that thinks that She's On The Money started with the podcast and that's how they engage with me. But then I also have this tiny group of women who I know their names. I've never met them, but I've seen them in my community for the last three years and they have supported me from the get-go and they will send me messages and they will send
• 33:00
  And just say, oh, hey, I saw you changed the logo. Congrats on that. Because they know that that's probably reflective of the fact that I'm growing as a business. I love that. I'm just really grateful for them. So for me, those are the people that you talk to. Don't forget those people that were there from the beginning and celebrate them.
• 33:16
  Because I see those people every single day in my Facebook community still. There's 90,000 of us now and those voices are still there and they are still so treasured and they're my favorites. And like I'll see, there's a girl called Laura in my community and she always pops up and she's always got something to say. And it's always really constructive or she pops an article in every couple of days. Yes, Laura. I love that she's like a person. Do you know what I mean? She's a person in our community.
• 33:43
  that I see that contributes and I want her to feel valued. So I think for me, it's knowing those people and, you know, I write letters to my listeners and like, I'll sometimes message them, like, oh, hey, what's your address? Or if I've got their email address, I'll just shoot them a quick email and be like, hey, you signed up to our newsletter. I hope you don't mind that I, you know,
• 34:03
  I'm shooting you an email, but I just wanted to let you know that I see your posts and I'm really grateful that you're a part of our community and, you know, just wanted to point that out. So I think it's more about, not more about, but it's also about all those offline connections. It's not about starting and having perfect product. Start your product, you will find your people. I think it's Gary Vee that says, if you're not embarrassed about your first version, like, yeah, you didn't start soon enough. Yeah.
• 34:28
  I don't watch any Gary Vee, but I feel like I should if that's the kind of mentality he has. He's really, really good. Really good. Man after my own heart, if that's the case, I'm on this. Alrighty, we are up to the six quick questions. Are you ready to go? Yay! So here for this. So here for it. Question number one is, what's your why? Why? Why?
• 34:52
  I want to change the way that people approach their financial lives. I want to change your relationship with money. My why comes from knowing how hard it is to struggle financially. I've been in debt. I've been in personal debt. I have stressed about money. My why is because no one should go through that. And I think that that's where it's coming from. And knowing that financial freedom is such a gift, but then also just financial literacy should be a given. That's my why. It's not a thing and it should be.
• 35:22
  And I love that. And I also think it's important to let people know that part of the story, kind of what we were talking about before we started recording. You know, people can just assume that everything happens and you've had it really like an easy journey and all this kind of thing. But to know that you've actually been in a different place and you've come through it, that's really inspiring.
• 35:41
  The way your finances impact your mental health, your physical health, your relationships, everything, like everything comes back to money. And if you get money right, like you will be independent. I don't care who you are, what you do, where you're from. If you have a good grasp of your income and what you are able to earn and what you are able to save and what you're able to spend, like that is what financial freedom in the future will look like. And it's something that if you can take away the stress around money,
• 36:10
  everything else falls into place. Question number two is what's been the number one marketing moment that's made your business pop? It's been my business pop.
• 36:22
  I don't know. Is that that? Oh, do you know what? Actually, that's a lie. That is such a lie. I know exactly what it is. At the start of this year, I was lucky enough to be featured as one of Sports Girls Be That Girl campaign ambassadors.
• 36:40
  And I don't know how I did it. I don't know why they picked me still. But we did a whole marketing campaign and I went up to Sydney and I modelled their clothes and we did this epic campaign and I was in the front window of every single sports girl store around Australia and that was epic. And it really gave She's On The Money obviously a boost and...
• 37:06
  But I feel like it gave us some more authority in the space, especially with Sports Girls audience. That's our audience. And so to be recognized by one of their favorite brands as doing good things and, you know, being good people, it was epic. And just being able to say, no, that was me. I remember the first time I hadn't even seen the installation yet in any of the stores.
• 37:29
  And a client, a Zella client of mine, sent me this text message early one morning. I was like, hey, oh my gosh, the sports girl's wonderful as I was walking past the store in Richmond. Looked exactly like you, but younger. I was like, oh my gosh, that's actually me with good hair and makeup. Oh my God, I love that.
• 37:50
  Yeah, it was really nice to be recognized. And then our entire She's on the Money community on Facebook got around it as well. And they were really proud. And they kind of tagged us in heaps of posts on Instagram about it. And whenever they saw it, they would share it on socials. And it was a really cool marketing moment. That is awesome. That sounds so much fun as well. How nice. What a cool way to celebrate.
• 38:15
  you know, homegrown talent. Love that. Honestly, I'm so grateful for that experience. And I just feel like knowing that I also grew up with that brand. Like I grew up, like, I don't know, like I had a sports girl pencil case when I was 13 and I just thought that was the coolest thing in the entire world. And I used to look up to sports girl and see their models and be like, wow, they're so beautiful.
• 38:37
  to, you know, even on a more personal level, then be put in a position where I was seen as that role model was a really big reality check for me that I'm doing the right thing and I'm in the right place and I'm on the right path. So for me, that was awesome. But again, obviously the marketing exposure from that was amazing. Yes, for sure. Holy moly. Question number three is where do you hang out to get smarter? Where do I hang out to get smarter? Yeah.
• 39:05
  Oh, I hang out on Apple Podcasts. I listen to lots of podcasts. I also do lots of mini online courses. So do you know Coursera.org?
• 39:15
  I love Coursera. I feel like being able to say, oh, I did a mini course from Harvard. I know. I signed up to Harvard's Justice course recently. 100% and I also spend a lot of time on YouTube. Like if I don't know something, I know I'll be able to learn it on YouTube. 100%.
• 39:36
  Yeah, like it's incredible. I am building an online course at the moment and I was like, I don't know how to do this or what I'm doing. Do you know how much stuff I've learned on YouTube? It's like just the best. Trying to figure out the website. No, no, no. Get on YouTube. Someone has done a tutorial for exactly what I'm trying to build and I feel like a coder even though I'm not. I totally hear you. I mean the school of YouTube is real. I'm on there all the time.
• 40:03
  I feel like I've learned so much. Like I do yoga on there. I've learned, you know, different finance concepts that, you know, maybe I didn't understand properly at the very beginning, especially when I was doing my first degree. I was like, I don't know what that is. And I'd get on there and really contextualize it. I learn about other people's business. I connect with people that I think are really cool. Like YouTube is where it's hashed and it's free. Winner. Maybe you need to start doing those videos that people have been requesting. You need to get on YouTube.
• 40:30
  Girl, I am on YouTube as of a month ago. Oh, I'm behind the game. Yes. Like we have stepped up in our game. I need to watch your videos. I have a total of three videos on YouTube. I am not very popular, but I am tenacious. So let me... Got to start somewhere. Everyone's got to start somewhere. Exactly.
• 40:51
  Question number four is how do you win the day? And that's around your AM and PM rituals that keep you feeling happy, successful, motivated, productive, productive,
• 41:03
  Do you know what? Sometimes I don't win the day. Sometimes I have a terrible day. And I think that that's worth pointing out because I think that often I'm put on a pedestal of being someone that does kill it. And I know that sounds really lame, but no, I do run businesses. That's what I do. But sometimes you just have a flat day.
• 41:21
  But most days that I'm killing it, I'm starting by walking with my partner. We get up every single morning. We go to our local cafe. We get a cup of coffee and we go on a walk. We talk about our days and what we're going to achieve. And I often ask my partner at the start. He thought it was really lame, but now he loves it. Don't tell him I told you guys. It's only a public podcast. Yeah.
• 41:43
  I, we talk about our intentions of the day and I feel like if we set out our intentions and the things that we really want to achieve or what I think I'll struggle with that day, it doesn't feel like such a struggle or it doesn't feel like I haven't planned for it. And so for me, it's kind of like setting out a list of things. And I know that as humans, I love psychology. I've got two degrees in it, so not privy to it. Humans lack consistency.
• 42:09
  and humans like what's comfortable and what's known. And I feel like if you set your day up by saying, I am going to do this, when you do go to do it, it doesn't feel like a new idea. It doesn't feel like a new task. It doesn't feel like you haven't already started to tackle it because you started that in the morning. So for me,
• 42:26
  Going on a walk with my partner, we do about five kilometers every morning. We're out for about an hour. Love that. But then also more recently, I've been doing a lot of meditation in the evenings to turn off. And I'm never good at sitting down and just doing my own meditation. That sucks. I have not got the time or energy or even mental capacity for that, let's be honest. But guided meditations and guided meditation podcasts have been an absolute blessing.
• 42:54
  So I'm going to turn off and, you know, really check in with my body and myself. So that is what I have been doing. Love that. Amazing. Question number five is if you only had $1,000 left in your business bank account, where would you spend it?
• 43:12
  Can I pay my staff? You can't. Do I have no staff? I feel like I would pay my staff first. They are the people that are the brains and the, you know, the brunt behind the entire business. Like I wouldn't be where I am today without my team. So I would absolutely want to be paying my team. It wouldn't be about marketing. It wouldn't be about, you know, anything exciting. Just be making sure that the people that put so much time and energy and effort into my business were rewarded in the way that they should be.
• 43:42
  Oh, so nice. Make sure you share that with them afterwards and let them know. No, whatever. If you don't listen, they think I'm a loser. They're like, oh, you're on a podcast. They know they're real me. Oh, my God. Jokes. Question number six. Last question. How do you deal with failure? With failure? I used to struggle with failure. I am a perfectionist, true and true, and I used to be quite, um,
• 44:10
  quite good at limiting myself because I didn't want to fail. And I was so worried about failing that I would be a little bit self-destructive. I could get to a point where I'd be like, oh, I'm going to launch this. And then I wouldn't do it because I was so scared of it not working.
• 44:25
  For me, I think it's more a mindset shift. So for me, failure is not failure. It just didn't work that way. How am I going to fix it? Why didn't it? It's never a failure. It's just a lesson. And I think that that mindset shift of like, you don't actually fail anything. You only ever fail if you give up.
• 44:44
  has really helped me go, you know what, we'll just put it out. We'll see what happens. If it doesn't work, we'll just try again. Or we won't try again because it wasn't the right strategy. And now we've learned that wasn't the right strategy. So for me, it was a very big mindset thing. Just going, you know what, there's no such thing as failure. A failure is just giving up. So for me, that...
• 45:06
  Amazing. I had something pop into my head that I forgot to ask before, but I want to ask it. Go, go, go. Here for it. How do you, if you've had any, how do you deal with people who are the haters, the naysayers? I actually deal with this a lot. It's not easy. I think that
• 45:29
  I should have expected to not be the most loved person in the world, given I talk about money, like money, sex, politics, like you're bound to get hate. And I'm picking on the biggest one that impacts sex and politics, like, oh, good, great, Victoria, you genius. So for me,
• 45:46
  I think it's just more about understanding that everybody else is entitled to their opinion, but it's more about really focusing on my tribe and my community. And if someone is a hater, or if someone is someone who's not saying something very nice, they're not the people that I'm engaging with. And I think something that I often say to myself, I've never said it to somebody else, but often say to myself, when I see a message like that, he's, but you are not my target audience. Like you are not the person I'm speaking to. Like it,
• 46:16
  If someone says, oh, this is the worst episode I've heard in my life, like you don't know what you're talking about. It's like, okay, but you are not my target audience. That's fine. So for me, I think it's, I don't know if it's a mantra, but I always hear that in my head when I see it. And you're never going to be able to be everything to everybody.
• 46:34
  And the second that you realize that you're going to feel a lot more free, if you try to be a people pleaser, you dilute your value. So for me, it's just sticking to what I know, sticking to what I know I'm good at. I know that I'm bringing value to people because I'm consistently told that. But it is so easy to see those negative comments or negative reviews or those messages that I get that tell me I should quit what I'm doing and just pack up shop and go and, you know, be a housewife, which I got last week. Oh, God.
• 47:03
  It's just delightful, really. No, like that was the time. Can you not see him trying to work here? So for me, I think it was...
• 47:13
  you know, just really understanding that they're not my target audience. And if I change myself because of them, I'm diluting the value that I actually have. So yes, I'll look at it and go, maybe if it's really consistent, I'll have a think about that feedback. But if someone's just being negative, I kind of end up feeling a little bit sorry for them as well. Because like, who has that time to be so negative to somebody else online instead of lifting them up? Like you've got a choice. You can be nice or you can be nasty. And if you chose to be nasty, I'm really sorry that that's your point of view.
• 47:43
  For sure. Absolutely. Oh, my gosh. I have absolutely loved talking to you. You are just such a star and obviously I'm such a big fan, such a cheerleader on the sidelines for everything that you're doing. Do you want to leave us with a top money tip that we should finish with? A top money tip.
• 48:03
  I think for me, it would be about understanding your budget. I know that's the most lame money tip ever, but do you know how many people don't know about their budgets? If you can understand your budget and what is coming into your bank account each and every single month and what is going out, that is your power. And for me, if you can really understand your budget, everything else will make sense. You'll be able to work out what you can spend on, what you can save on, what you can invest. If you don't get that though, like there's no point even starting to look at investing because you don't know what you're investing.
• 48:31
  So for me, get your budgeting in order and pull your head out of the sand. It's not something that should be hard, but it can feel hard. So I think for me, if you're going to do anything after this podcast, regardless of what it is, either start a podcast or do your budget.
• 48:46
  Fab, fab, fab, fab. Thank you so much for being on the show today. Thank you for having me. It has been an absolute delight talking to you and I'm really grateful that you wanted to share my story on your podcast, which I adore. Oh, thanks so much.
• 49:06
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 49:30
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 49:53
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.
• 50:09
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 50:34
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 50:56
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.