Listen to the Podcast Episode with Michelle Smith from Curated With Conscience.
Well hello there – Catherine Langman here, back with another episode of the Productpreneur Success podcast.
So today on the show, I’m joined by Michelle Smith, founder of Curated with Conscience, which is a beautiful gift hamper business that exists to have a positive impact on the environment and sustainability.
Michelle’s business has grown quite rapidly over the last couple of years in particular, and whilst it’s easy to think that more revenue fixes all problems, that’s not the case at all. Fast growth brings with it a whole set of challenges, and what I love about this conversation with Michelle is that she doesn’t shy away from sharing those challenges and how she’s moving past them.
I also love how Michelle has grown this business still sticking to her values and keeping her social impact goal front and centre.
Consumers and corporates are much more intentional about how and where they spend their money and want to spend in a way that drives positive change in the world and on the environment.
So as small business owners, we definitely do not need to compromise on those beliefs in order to grow a significant or profitable business.
I’m really excited for Michelle to share her story and to impart some of her experience and wisdom learned through her experience to date, and I think you’re gonna love this conversation!
Now, before we dive further into this episode, I’d like to ask you a quick favour: if you love this episode, would you share it with one or two of your business besties? Especially if you know they’re really wanting to grow their brand this year but maybe feeling a little stuck right now. It’s super easy to share – just click on the icon next to the podcast on whichever platform you listen to it, copy the share link and then send it in a message to your friends.
Alrighty then – let’s dive into the episode.
Catherine Langman:
Welcome to the show Michelle. It’s so fantastic to have you here.
Michelle Smith:
Thanks Cath, great to be here.
Catherine Langman:
Fantastic. Now we are going to have a bit of a conversation about Curated With Conscience, which is your business. And a little bit about your journey, which has been quite a ride. To kick us off, how about you just share a little bit about what is Curated With Conscience? What do you sell? Who do you serve? Who’s your customer base? And all of that good stuff?
Michelle Smith:
Sure, we’re a Melbourne based socially conscious gift hamper brand. What we do is, we curate premium products from social enterprises, design led ethical brands, and Australian small batch producers. We put the products together in a way that adds value in hampers that use recycled packaging and eco packaging. We service both B2B and B2C segments. And right now B2B is the primary part of our business.
Catherine Langman:
Corporate customers basically?
Michelle Smith:
Yeah exactly. Settlement gifts, employee reward and recognition gifts, thank you gifts, client gifts, Christmas gifts, all that kind of thing.
Catherine Langman:
And you make them look so beautiful as well.
Michelle Smith:
Thank you.
Catherine Langman:
You certainly do add value in that regard too. And before we dive into your business story, share a little bit about your background, and what led to you choosing to start this business?
Michelle Smith:
My background was a conventional corporate marketing career. It spanned a lot of sectors actually, I’ve been very lucky. Travel industry, telcos, utility sector. I did gain amazing skills over a couple of decades, probably showing my age. But what the common thread through that time, starting from my early 20s, was this slow burning passion for all things social justice, fair trade, corporate social responsibility, ethical business. They were themes that I found myself drawn to and passionate about, since my early 20s.
Michelle Smith:
In terms of trying to integrate that into my career or my job, I just never found the fit. I was always looking for more purpose, and more meaning, and more impact. What happened was, I remember it was early 2000s, I think, I read a book by Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop, called Business As Unusual. And it was basically this amazing call to action for businesses that you can be a force for good in the world. And you can shake up the way business is done for the better. And it was just so inspiring reading this book, and I was just like, I want to be part of this. And just, I couldn’t work out how to be part of it.
Michelle Smith:
I also was lucky enough to work in the travel industry in London for a while, and what I noticed living in London, is that the fair trade movement … This is back in 2005 … The fair trade movement was a lot bigger in the UK than it was in Australia. And I was just like, oh my gosh, I just love all of this, all these purpose driven businesses. And they want to give back, and they want ethical supply chains, and the customers love them, and their products are gorgeous.
Michelle Smith:
And it was a real eye-opener for me. I got back to Australia, the scene was still pretty fringe. And I just couldn’t scratch that itch, so to speak. What I did do is volunteer work for organizations like Oxfam. What else? And also donating money to causes that I was passionate about. And trying to spend my money with businesses that were doing good, essentially. That’s how I was trying to channel-
Catherine Langman:
Doing what you could to influence things in the right direction.
Michelle Smith:
Correct. Yeah, that’s right.
Catherine Langman:
We’re a little slow on the uptake here in Australia sometimes.
Michelle Smith:
Well, we’re well and truly there now.
Catherine Langman:
Yes.
Michelle Smith:
Which is fantastic.
Catherine Langman:
Yes.
Michelle Smith:
What I realized at the time was, I wanted to spend my money with brands that were doing good, but I wanted the products to still be design led, and beautiful products in their own right. Whereas back then, I found anything deemed ethical, it almost had a negative connotation. It lacked the design, you know, aesthetic element to it.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
Luckily that’s all changed. Skip ahead 10 or so years, I had my first baby, and I was at home, I was diagnosed with postnatal anxiety. And I also was just stressing about the state of the world, to be honest. It was late 2016, Trump had just got in, in America, and I was home with a newborn baby. And climate change, just reading all these reports about where the world is headed. And I was just like, oh my gosh, seriously, I’ve got to do something to channel this anxiety into something meaningful, because for my mental health, this isn’t good.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah, totally.
Michelle Smith:
I guess what happened was, the fire has been burning for a long time, but that was really the trigger to go, “You know what? It’s now or never. Let’s do this.” Which I did.
Catherine Langman:
Gosh, I mean, what? 2016, ’17 is really when you kicked off with the business?
Michelle Smith:
Mid-2017 is when it all went live.
Catherine Langman:
Gosh, it’s moved fast.
Michelle Smith:
Oh my gosh! And the amazing thing was, the business came to me. My first clients came to me. I literally started a website, and Google search has been just incredible for me. And corporates came to me within a month. I did no marketing. It felt crazy.
Catherine Langman:
You really lucked into that kind of dream scenario, which is probably what many of us, I know I did initially with my very first website, naively think is going to happen.
Michelle Smith:
Oh right.
Catherine Langman:
But kudos to you.
Michelle Smith:
Thank you.
Catherine Langman:
You just got onto the right thing at the right moment in time, so super-good.
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, that’s it.
Catherine Langman:
And so you talk about this for-purpose type of business or business model. How would you describe then, the difference between say a conventional business, and a for-purpose business?
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, sure, I guess the traditional definition, or goal of a business, is the profit motive. And also for listed companies, short-term profit results for shareholders. And pretty much, that’s the primary focus in that old school way of doing business. But for-purpose business, there’s a few things. There’s the concept of the triple bottom line that you’ve probably heard of?
Catherine Langman:
Yeah, it’s been around for a little while, but-
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, that’s right, so people-
Catherine Langman:
… I don’t know how many corporates bring that in.
Michelle Smith:
… [crosstalk 00:07:18] profit. Well, this is the thing. What’s happening? Some of my corporate customers, I expected the likes of the B corp companies to be interested in my offering. And those, I guess, very public companies that it’s in their DNA, sustainability and social impact. But what’s been really interesting, is that the clients that come to me are banks, financial institutions, law firms, even mining companies.
Catherine Langman:
Oh wow, not the ones you’d expect.
Michelle Smith:
No, not the ones you’d expect. And what I read into that, is that everyone wants to be a for-purpose company. Even though the definition, I guess, when you think about a for-purpose company, it’s out there specifically about creating social impact, what I’m finding more and more, is that every business wants to be a for-purpose business. Which means, they want to be a good corporate citizen, they want to have social impact themselves, they want to engage their employees to feel good about what the company does, and where it’s going, and how it’s contributing. And they want their customers to really resonate with how they’re trying to do good as well. Look, to be honest, the line between a for-purpose business and a traditional business is starting to blur, I think.
Catherine Langman:
That’s great. What a different from 10-15 years ago? That’s really good.
Michelle Smith:
Oh 100%.
Catherine Langman:
That’s so good. And so with your business, with Curated With Conscience, obviously you’re selling these beautiful hampers, and you are curating, and beautifully packaging up these gorgeous different brands. And really, the brands that you are stocking are also in line with these values. Do you find that there’s something different? Is it different working with brands like this? These are, I guess … Well, they’re not all social enterprise brands, I guess. There’s small batch and artisan products as well. There’s been some challenges a little bit along the way dealing with these brands, I imagine?
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, I guess what I found challenging from a vendor perspective, is that the smaller brands … Look, this isn’t always the case, but I’ll spend a lot of time curating hampers, doing all of the photography, and then a social enterprise decides to close down. Or I’ve had some suppliers who they’re small batch family businesses, and they’ve had a baby, so they’ve shut the business down. And I’m like, “Well hang on, you can’t. I’ve just launched a hamper with your products in there.”
Catherine Langman:
I’m selling your stuff.
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, and obviously, what’s the most recent challenge for me, from a logistics perspective, is that demand, especially around Christmas, small batch suppliers by nature, handmade-
Catherine Langman:
Takes a long time.
Michelle Smith:
… can only produce so much. It’s finite how much they can. Their output is finite. I’m still grappling with that. I don’t have the answer to that yet.
Catherine Langman:
Maybe if any listeners have a good idea with that one, send us a message. But I guess that’s part and parcel with what you’re doing here. But I think overall though, the impact that you’re having in helping these small batch brands, and to get their stuff out there, and share them with the world, is a super-positive story.
Michelle Smith:
Thank you. It’s definitely core to our social impact, is to grow the sales of the brands that are doing good in the world already.
Catherine Langman:
I love that. In terms of who you are selling to, you have the dual model. I think you said earlier that the majority of your business, still at the moment, is the corporate clients. But you are selling e-commerce to end customers and punters as well. Did you expect it to go the way it has, where you’ve got the corporate side really cranking? How has the reality now married up to what your initial expectations might have been?
Michelle Smith:
Oh, actually, it’s really interesting, because when I launched the business, I wanted it to be an e-comm business, because part of it was, I was a bit fragile after having my first baby, and I wanted to stay in the shadow, so to speak. Stay in the background. And I thought, oh well, an e-commerce business, I can hide behind that.
Catherine Langman:
Do you know how many people have said that to me? And that was my initial story as well, back in the early 2000s, when I started my business, was exactly the same.
Michelle Smith:
Really?
Catherine Langman:
It doesn’t seem to work out that way though, does it?
Michelle Smith:
Oh, well then what happened, which you know what? It was a blessing in disguise, because I had corporates approaching me from the get go saying, “We want your hampers for our clients for Christmas. And we want to meet with you.” And I’m like, oh God, I have no choice now. I’ve got to go meet with these corporate clients and put proposals together. You know what? It actually helped me in the end.
Catherine Langman:
That’s good.
Michelle Smith:
It helped rebuild my confidence. It was a blessing in disguise, I think.
Catherine Langman:
Oh I love that. When you reflect over the last couple of years, can you paint a picture? We met initially, I reckon it was the very start of 2020, before COVID?
Michelle Smith:
Yep.
Catherine Langman:
Paint a picture of what your business looked like in January, 2020.
Michelle Smith:
Absolutely, having a come down after the Christmas trade.
Catherine Langman:
Yes.
Michelle Smith:
Was what was happening in January, and happens every year.
Catherine Langman:
Yes, you build that in now, don’t you?
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, totally. At the time, I thought, well, this is how my business is going to flow. It’s just going to be quiet during the year, but then it’ll be a seasonal Christmas business. That’s where I thought what it was becoming. I had a few online sales, not heaps. And to be honest, pretty frantic with young children, so it didn’t bother me too much. It was in my rumpus room, didn’t have a massive overhead. It was me doing everything. All the hampers, customer service, invoicing, absolutely everything.
Catherine Langman:
All the marketing, et cetera, et cetera.
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, that’s it. It was very much just a sole-trader setup. It was certainly not my … What would I say? Primary source of income, put it that way. It wasn’t at that point. It was still a passion project really.
Catherine Langman:
It was still a startup.
Michelle Smith:
Yep.
Catherine Langman:
And so we’re recording this interview in March, 2022, give us a quick snapshot description of what your business looks like now.
Michelle Smith:
Well, it’s mind blowing. I’m still processing the last two years. And talking to you, just debriefing to you, is helping me as well just, you know, process it.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, where do I start?
Catherine Langman:
Start with the space. Start with your space, where are you working now?
Michelle Smith:
Oh okay. I plucked up the courage to take on a commercial lease, and I’m so glad I did, just to have the room to dedicate to the business, not have to dodge furniture. A house full of furniture.
Catherine Langman:
And the piles of product lining the walls.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, and just be able to become much more structured with the business systems and processes. And recruit a team that can come to a really nice organized, professional environment. The team actually, because it is quite seasonal, swelled to about nine about Christmastime.
Catherine Langman:
Oh wow.
Michelle Smith:
But the core team is three. And oh my gosh, and that was another thing. It just scared the bejesus out of me putting on a team, but it’s made the world of difference, it really has. I’m not in the operations so much anymore. And I have a wonderful team member who is actually transitioning into the operations supervisor role. Eventually I won’t be in the operations at all.
Catherine Langman:
Fantastic.
Michelle Smith:
That’s amazing, because my zone of genius is the vision and the big picture, so that frees me up to really do what I’m good at basically.
Catherine Langman:
It’s been an incredible journey of growth, amazing growth over the last two years. And I imagine when you say you’re still trying to process it, it’s like having a really fast birth and you don’t really have time to clock anything that you’re going through in the moment?
Michelle Smith:
Yes, you know what? And like having a really fast birth, you don’t have time to be scared, because you’re in it.
Catherine Langman:
True.
Michelle Smith:
That’s the other thing.
Catherine Langman:
True, yeah, you just have to-
Michelle Smith:
That’s the other thing, I haven’t had time to be scared. It’s just like, well, you’ve got all this work to do, you’ve got to do it.
Catherine Langman:
And try not to think about how much that is that you have to get done.
Michelle Smith:
And how much I’m investing, exactly, as well.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah, 100%. Obviously over the last two years there’s been a lot of demand to help drive that growth for you. And certainly through lockdowns during the pandemic, there definitely were times when lockdowns happened, and you got a hit of orders, because people were looking to send gifts to each other. But that wasn’t the only thing driving that growth. What else was really contributing the most towards that growth? Especially with your corporation side of things I guess?
Michelle Smith:
During that time?
Catherine Langman:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Michelle Smith:
What became a real growth driver was everything going online. Events were online, conferences. What a lot of my corporate customers did, was send delegate gifts to household addresses in advance of an online conference. That was a new phenomenon. And you know what? I think that’s probably here to stay for a lot of conferences now, and a lot of events will stay online. That’s a change I’ve noticed. What else? Do you know? I feel like a lot of it was COVID driven. I know we’ve had this conversation. I feel like a lot of the demand over the last two years has been COVID driven.
Catherine Langman:
It’s mostly come from the corporate side of things though hasn’t it?
Michelle Smith:
Oh yeah-
Catherine Langman:
And not so much, the end customer?
Michelle Smith:
… it’s come from corporate. Look, there was definitely a big surge in B2C. But primarily, it was businesses sending care packages to their teams. That was a huge one.
Catherine Langman:
Interesting, and I guess over this period of fast growth, how have you managed personally? Because obviously when the business is growing, and things are changing and moving quickly, we have to change as well, don’t we?
Michelle Smith:
Yep.
Catherine Langman:
And try and … it’s not just about keeping … Well, sometimes it’s just about keeping up and hanging on. But also it’s about becoming a CEO of your business in a way too, right?
Michelle Smith:
Yes. Yes, oh 100%. And especially when you have a team, I mean that just changes everything. Suddenly you can’t hide behind your passion project, you’ve got wages to pay. You have to, you know?
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
Things are real. And in terms of what I did differently. What I should have … I can tell you what I should have done differently, I should have looked after myself better, which I didn’t. I pretty much was on the brink of burnout a couple of times. And I remember actually talking to you.
Catherine Langman:
This was a constant conversation, because I’ve totally been there too. And it is tough when you’re so busy, and you’ve just got this giant to-do list to try and get through, a and you just think, I haven’t got time to go for that walk, or pop on that that yoga workout online, or whatever the thing is that you want to do. It’s tough. But then it bites you on the ass. Excuse my French.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, 100%. No, no, totally, because this is the biggest lesson for me, to come out all of this. Is that I never really understood self-care. I never really understood what it was. Someone would say to me, “Oh, you’ve got to focus on self-care.” And I’d be like, “Well, I don’t have time for that. I need to get this, this, and this done. And then I’ll do some self-care.” But it really took me a long time to realize that actually, it’s the other way around.
Michelle Smith:
The old adage of about your cup has to be full, otherwise you’re ineffective in business, you’re ineffective as a parent, ineffective as a friend, things just don’t work, if self-care is not at the core of everything. I didn’t look after myself, and I ended up with some health problems because of it. That the doctor told me off about. This is what I’m learning now, after the fact.
Catherine Langman:
Yes.
Michelle Smith:
So a cautionary tale, self-care is not an option, it’s the core of everything. It props up everything.
Catherine Langman:
But you know what? I think we all … Well, maybe not all of us. I think a lot of us do learn this the hard way, I know I did. But I’m religious about this stuff too now.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, it’s just such a different way of thinking. But it makes total sense as well. But for some reason, I push it to the side when there’s other demands.
Catherine Langman:
Have you worked out a favorite practice, or exercise, or thing that works for you yet? Or are you still experimenting to find your groove in that regard?
Michelle Smith:
I’m working with your amazing mindset coach, Ben Elliot.
Catherine Langman:
Ah, Ben Elliot.
Michelle Smith:
And oh my God, he’s just changing my life. He’s just-
Catherine Langman:
He’s a legend.
Michelle Smith:
[crosstalk 00:21:54].
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, it’s just … I’m working with him. I’ll probably be working with him for the rest of my life.
Catherine Langman:
I Know. I love Ben too. And for listeners who want to suss out a little bit of Ben Elliott magic, he’s been on the podcast a couple of times, so just search through the podcast history and you’ll find his episodes. And they’re super-helpful, so check it out. That’s awesome, I’m glad you’re doing that.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, me too.
Catherine Langman:
What are some of the other challenges that you have worked through, and had to learn one way or the other, as you’ve been scaling so quickly? And let’s be clear here, you’ve been scaling quickly because this has been coming your way. It’s like you’re trying to take advantage of these opportunities that are in front of you and not lose them. And which has been absolutely fantastic.
Michelle Smith:
Thank you.
Catherine Langman:
But it really does throw a few challenges in your way along the road, right?
Michelle Smith:
Oh, totally. I guess the first one, and I have you to thank for this piece of advice, is that I was holding off building a team, because I thought, well, what if this is temporary? What if this growth is temporary, and suddenly it stops? And then I don’t have a business.
Catherine Langman:
Which is a fear, I think, of many, for sure.
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, that’s it. Especially being a solo parent, I don’t want to be reckless with money. It was just a fear. It was a fear I had that if I have to pay people, it just takes it to the next level.
Catherine Langman:
The What If’s really can take over in your mind, can’t they?
Michelle Smith:
Correct, correct. With that, the advice you gave me, which was just gold was, “You’ll learn so many lessons about people management and team building, and you need to get onto it. You need to start doing it now, because you’ve got a lot to learn.” Until you [inaudible 00:24:01] radical isn’t it.
Catherine Langman:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Michelle Smith:
And what happened was, I think you even said to me at some point, “You have to think about building the team before you actually need it.” Which I totally didn’t do, but suddenly I was like, oh my gosh, I need-
Catherine Langman:
I need someone yesterday.
Michelle Smith:
… a team … Yeah, correct. And then you’re so desperate and grateful for help, you take it. You take the first thing that comes your way. And I didn’t do my proper … Well, one, I didn’t have the skillset to properly recruit people. And two, I definitely rushed it, just to get people in. And invariably, a couple of those people, it wasn’t the right fit, didn’t work out. And it just added more stress onto an already stressful situation, with trying to service all this demand that was coming into the business.
Michelle Smith:
I guess that was a big challenge. But as Ben Elliot would say, “It’s looking for the solution, and learning from it.” What I did do was, I engaged with an HR consultant who specializes in small business, Jess from Positive HR. If you don’t mind giving her a shout out?
Catherine Langman:
100%, yeah.
Michelle Smith:
And she just saved me, honestly. She just saved me. She was worth every cent. Did it right from the start, got great people, done.
Catherine Langman:
Brilliant.
Michelle Smith:
That’s something that was really hard in it. The other really big challenge was, and this was for all product based businesses over the last two years, was supply chains being so disrupted. I’m trying to fulfill large corporate orders, and my vendors are having trouble getting their raw ingredients, you know?
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
All their packaging. That made things really tough, because you could pack half the hamper order, but there’d be some products missing. And then logistics-wise, it just made it so complicated. We got through it, thank God. But it was a tough one.
Catherine Langman:
I imagine you would’ve had to do a little bit of swapsies now and again to finish some of those orders?
Michelle Smith:
There was a lot of that. And it just made the whole process so much more complex.
Catherine Langman:
I mean, I don’t know what the right answer would be in those scenarios. But I guess that you wouldn’t have had too many options in the moment?
Michelle Smith:
Yeah, well you know what? Maybe that’s another lesson in it. We’ve all gone through this really traumatic thing over the last two years. And maybe it’s just like, have some compassion. It’s just, we did our best, and we’ve probably all got a bit of post-traumatic stress from it all.
Catherine Langman:
No doubt.
Michelle Smith:
Just learn what you can out of it, and then just be gentle about what happened, because it was just for everyone, in different ways, it was hard.
Catherine Langman:
I agree, and I think you just used the right word there. And I think most of us could have a little bit of compassion for others. Everyone is doing it tough. And so if we can all approach life with a bit of compassion, it’d be a much nicer world to live in, I guess.
Michelle Smith:
Absolutely.
Catherine Langman:
What are you looking forward to then next? I mean, I know that you’re still in the midst of really trying to work on your systems, and processes, and all of that stuff. But in terms of looking forward to the rest of 2022 and beyond, what are you looking forward to with Curated With Conscience?
Michelle Smith:
I’m a dreamer.
Catherine Langman:
Yes.
Michelle Smith:
I have big dreams.
Catherine Langman:
I love this about you.
Michelle Smith:
And actually, I loved our conversation this morning. For the listeners. I want my business to be at a certain point right now, which isn’t feasible. And Cath, you rightly said, “It’s about the next logical step to get to that vision, and to get to that end point.” I just want to skip ahead and get to the fully realized vision in all its glory now.
Catherine Langman:
It’s because you are the visionary.
Michelle Smith:
I’m very much looking forward to getting systems, and processes, and tech down. Get the right people with the right skillsets, which I do have now trained up in that. Really play to my strengths, and just, well I do have … I won’t go into it too much, because it’s still in my head, a lot of it. But I have big plans to increase our social impact, so that’s what I’m really excited about. It’s about the social impact, that’s what I’m all about.
Catherine Langman:
And I have no doubt that you’ll get there too.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, thank you.
Catherine Langman:
We are introducing a new rapid fire question section at the end of every interview. And so I have three final questions for you. And the first is, what advice would you give yourself back when you were in startup mode, now that you have the experience, and knowledge, and insights that you have now?
Michelle Smith:
Yeah absolutely, the advice I’d give myself is, “Michelle, there are going to be a lot of ups, and a lot of downs. And there’s a lot of problem solving. But you’re passionate about this, and your heart is in this, and you want to make a difference, so keep going.” I would also tell myself, “You need your crew. You need Cath, and you need the team, and you need people in the same situation who get it. Who can talk you down from the ledge, when you think it’s the end of the world, and it’s not really. You need your tribe.”
Catherine Langman:
You do need it, you do. Especially if you are starting as a solo entrepreneur, which I think lots of us have done, and are doing, it can be quite solitary when you’re just doing that by yourself.
Michelle Smith:
That’s it. Solitary, and also things seem insurmountable when you’re on your own. Whereas, you start workshopping with like-minded people, they can one, reassure you that it’s okay, “We’ve been here as well.” And two, you can actually find solutions and move forward and get past it. And this too shall pass, is another thing, I guess. That, you know-
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
… this too shall pass.
Catherine Langman:
And it doesn’t often feel like it when you are stuck in that messy middle. But it can be so comforting and helpful when you workshop with other people, because they have their own experiences and insights to bring to bear.
Michelle Smith:
Exactly.
Catherine Langman:
I love that. And so second question, what has been one of the best decisions that you’ve made in your business so far?
Michelle Smith:
I reckon committing to scaling up. It was scary, but there’s a point as a sole-trader, that you literally are bottlenecking your business. And you are so stressed, because you can’t do everything properly, it’s impossible. But when you make the decision, it is a bit nerve-racking. But I’m going to scale up, which means I’m going to get the team, I’m going to get the systems, I’m going to get the proper thought-out business plan, and marketing plan. That’s the best thing I’ve done, because suddenly you’re freed up to grow.
Michelle Smith:
It’s almost like, I feel like I’m in a, it’s like a growing pain period. Where you have a choice, you can either shrink … You told me this Cath, that’s right. You either shrink, which you don’t want to do, or … That’s right, because that was when I was burning out during COVID.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
And you said to me, “You don’t want to shrink.” And I was like, “But how do I grow-“
Catherine Langman:
It can be tempting to do that, because you’re so tired and overwhelmed.
Michelle Smith:
Yes, correct. And emotional.
Catherine Langman:
And you think that’ll make it easier.
Michelle Smith:
Correct-
Catherine Langman:
But it often doesn’t.
Michelle Smith:
… but it doesn’t.
Catherine Langman:
No.
Michelle Smith:
It makes it harder.
Catherine Langman:
Because then you’re doing it all yourself.
Michelle Smith:
That’s the irony.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah.
Michelle Smith:
Correct, that’s the irony. You start scaling, you get the structures, suddenly it does get easier, ironically.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah, I’m so happy to hear you say that. I have one final question for you today, and that is why do you love being a business owner?
Michelle Smith:
I love the creativity of it. That I’m creating something that wasn’t there before. And I just find the process, that big picture processes of having a vision, and seeing it grow, and get getting closer and closer towards it … Well it is realized. This is the other thing, I guess. The whole concept of, it’s a journey. It’s not about the end result. I’m not quite there yet, I tend to focus on the end result. But it’s just seeing your vision come to life, that is the best thing ever.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah, it’s so good. And I think even though I know that you are sometimes frustrated with the juggle of parenting and business, I think there’s also a part of you that really enjoys having that flexibility of being own boss.
Michelle Smith:
Oh totally, totally.
Catherine Langman:
Even if it doesn’t feel like it’s super-flexible, because you’re too busy, but you know?
Michelle Smith:
Oh, well that’s right. I mean, you and I both tried to think back in corporate, and it was just, no, I can’t do that.
Catherine Langman:
Yeah. I like to joke now that I’m completely unemployable.
Michelle Smith:
Oh, I’d be the same, I reckon.
Catherine Langman:
Oh dear. Oh, so good. I really, really appreciate you coming on the show today and sharing all of this, about your business journey. Just to round us off, just share where people can find you if they’d like to come and connect with you online, or shop from you online. Give us your URL, and your socials, and all of that good stuff.
Michelle Smith:
Oh thank you. The website is curatedwithconscience.com.au, and you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Curated With Conscience.
Catherine Langman:
Fantastic, awesome. Well thanks again Michelle, for joining us on the show. And listeners, I look forward to being with you again on the show next week. Bye for now.