DAY 1 - Wednesday 28th June

Vision, Mission and Values - I've been in business for 14 years now, and I'll admit, for the majority of this time, I've never completely understood the importance of having a Vision and Mission Statement and defining specific business Values (and then making them known to our team!). To be honest with you, I always thought this was a load of (well let's just say BS!) but now I am a firm believer in the need to clearly define all of these things and I will show you how they will be life changing to the way you run and approach your business.

Why not start the day with working on your exit strategy?  Do you have one? Well I can personally say, "I thought we did." But that clearly wasn't the case. I'll teach you how to set up your business so that you have options  (you may feel differently in years to come than you do right now, so let's make sure you've set your business up to support the decisions you make later on).

Audience/Brand Storytelling/Store Experience - Do you know who your ideal customer is? Do you know how they like to be spoken to, what problems they're facing and how you can solve them? Let me help you tell your story and communicate it in a way that emotionally connects with your customers, building trust and loyalty through the best form of free advertising - word of mouth.

Customer Conversations - I'll take you through a simple, easy to implement, yet ground-breaking exercise that has led to increased sales and greater conversion rates throughout our business and I'll show you how you can measure the results.

Marketing Magic - With Guest Expert Caillie Dunne (our very own Marketing Manager - She's a genius!) Have you always felt a little overwhelmed with the whole 'marketing' side of your business? I know I have. It's a beast! But it doesn't have to be. With a well planned and executed marketing & social strategy, and the ability to perform a marketing audit, you'll have 'all eyes' on your business and the ability to set goals and targets that you never thought possible!

DAY 2 - Thursday 29th June

Unlocking Your Earning Potential - With Guest Expert Justine McLean from Flossi Creative. Know what numbers you should be focusing on, learn how to break down your P&L and balance sheets and set achievable targets and have all of this explained to you in a way that makes sense! Just like a house needs a solid foundation, your business needs good financial habits to thrive. Justine will show you the basic, key components you need to build a thriving business that will withstand any challenges or setbacks that come your way.

Understanding Your Numbers - With Guest Expert Melissa Browne. There's nothing like a good spreadsheet of numbers to kick start the morning, and let me tell you, this session will be seriously life changing! After working through this exercise personally with Mel, I couldn't believe the power that implementing small changes could make to increasing my business bottom line. And even though I'm not really a numbers gal, I found plenty of inspiration from this exercise which I'll share with you to help you build ideas on how you can make the numbers work for your business. It's addictive, and what's even better, measurable!

Store Layout & Design - If you walked into your own store as a customer, how would you feel? Which direction would you start walking in? What draws your eye? Are you surprised and delighted at every turn? Would you tell a friend about it? The design and layout of your store is crucial to creating a welcoming environment that encourages browsing and customer interaction. I will share all of the knowledge I have learnt over the years for a successful store design to increases sales and conversion and to build brand loyalty.

Merchandising - This is a class in itself because I know styling and merchandising is absolutely essential when it comes to increasing sales (and attracting customers to your store!). Don’t worry if it doesn't come naturally, I've got a formula (that has become the signature of my own stores!) and I'll be sharing it with you! And because we'll be based in our beautiful Thirroul store, I'll have plenty of examples to share with you and how (and why!) we created them.

Q&A - After 2 full days of information, I can understand you'll have some questions (if you're anything like me your head will be spinning - in a good way!). This is where you have the opportunity to ask me anything! It can be related to anything we've covered over the 2 days, or even just something you haven't been able to quite 'figure out' in your business. I'm an open book, ready to share my knowledge, to offer my support and guide you in any way that I can to help your business succeed. I know how important it is to have the opportunity to ask questions so that you can plan for growth and know how to move forward. Both Danny and I have wished for this opportunity on so many occasions, so during this session, I will be available to answer your questions.

Introducing Your Host, TARA SOLBERG

So, I'm assuming if you've landed here, you probably already know a bit about me... and if you don't you can find out more here.

But here's a little summary... I started my business 14 years ago with my husband, Danny. We had no idea what we were doing, but we were young, ambitious and had an abundance of passion and big dreams. So we went for it! 

We have grown what started as a small store in Huskisson on the South Coast of NSW, to a multi store, global award winning retail business, Few and Far. Oh, and did I mention we've also got a sister brand, Indigo Love, which is the wholesale arm to our business, servicing just under 1,000 retailers and designers throughout Australia and Internationally. 

I'm a busy lady, and an event like this is a big thing to add to my schedule. But I put it together for these reasons: 

1. Having experience in both retail and wholesale, I get the opportunity to see both sides of the coin, and from what I have observed, there are so many simple things I can teach retail business owners to grow and scale their business (without the stress), while avoiding common mistakes. 
2. Not only do I love business, but one of the things that really lights me up is bringing ideas to life (not just mine, but yours too!). I've been known to get a little 'over-excited' about others ideas, so I can't wait to hear all about yours and give you the tools (and confidence) to make them a reality.
3. And lastly, it may be for selfish reasons, but I would love more beautiful places to shop and to visit and feel inspired, so I have made it my mission to change the retail experience for the better, one store at a time!

See you there!

MELISSA BROWNE

 Mel is an ex-accountant, ex-financial advisor and ex working til she drop! Not to mention one of the most clever women I know!

Today Mel is a business and financial educator and coach, living a life by design. Mel's mission is to help women sort out their personal finances and to work with women to build their businesses through her online course and program - My Financial Adulting Plan. This course pulls together Mel's years of experience and expertise from working with hundreds of women and business owners as well as her own experiences in creating, running and selling multiple businesses and getting her own finances in order to live a life by design.

JUSTINE McLEAN

Justine McLean is a profit-focused business-money mentor on a mission to help business owners go from REACTIVE (i.e. not in control and financially challenged) to PROACTIVE (i.e. the ROI rockstar and moneymaker-in-chief), and improve their relationship with money. A registered BAS agent, Justine has 30 years of experience in small business, retail, e-commerce, publishing and insolvency, and is sought-after for her practical, tailored and proactive approach to business.  

As someone who has helped countless business owners maximise their revenue and increase their bottom line, Justine will help you take the guesswork out of your business numbers and empower you to take the actions necessary to create a profitable and sustainable business that fits your unique definition of success. 

Justine is the host of Secrets of Successful Business podcast, a Ladies Finance Club Ambassador, and was named Coach Foundation’s Top Female Business Coaches for 2022.

CAILLIE DUNNE

Caillie is a marketing manager meets entrepreneur meets owner of multiple small businesses. 

Caillie is very passionate about demystifying the world of marketing and getting you clear on the right marketing activities to focus on that will actually move the needle in your business. For many business owners marketing can feel like a long overwhelming list of things you need to be doing to be seen - I need to be making reels or posting frequently… I should be on Tik Tok… I haven’t sent an email in ages so I should send something… I should write a blog post as I hear it’s good for SEO… Everyone is doing a sale, I should run a promo to stay competitive… Maybe I should run an ad on local radio or pay an influencer to help get the word out…

Some of the most successful retail companies never offer a sale, some rarely post on Instagram, some don’t pay for any ads. Every business is unique, just as the customers you serve are. Caillie will help you find what 3 marketing channels you should focus your energy on that makes sense for your business, and to learn to forget about how many likes your latest post got. 

Having previously been a management consultant at Bain and Company, developing the five year strategy for ASX100 companies, Caillie interweaves high level business strategy with executional marketing activities to achieve meaningful revenue and profit results.

Caillie has extensive marketing experience having worked at M&C Saatchi in London and Melbourne in digital marketing and at Australia’s leading health tech startup Eucalyptus (Kin Fertility). Caillie has also supported many small businesses in getting clear on their marketing strategy - from grass root not for profits, to coaches, to construction services businesses. Caillie is currently the Marketing Manager at Indigo Love and Few & Far.

All prices are in AUD and inclusive of GST.