In this episode I’m chatting with Deanna Depetro. She is the co-owner and creative director of Mossman - a women's fashion brand she’s been a part of for more than 12 years now. What makes this journey a little different is that Deanna didn’t found Mossman, she actually bought the business back in 2016 with a work colleague (and now business partner) Ben De Rango.

I chat to Deanna about how she entered the fashion space and her 20 years of experience in the industry so far. We chat about why she chose to buy a brand rather than start her own, and what surprised her about being a business owner. She talks about what it looks like running a clothing brand in such a competitive space; the best business decisions she’s ever made; and how to grow as a fashion brand in Australia and in the U.S.

Deanna also touches on making it as a fashion brand through covid; how she maintains a strong and positive team; how she puts herself out there as the brand’s designer and her strategy when it comes to personal branding.

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Find The Founder Tapes on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn

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Find Deanna Depetro:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deannadepetro/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deannadepetro

LinkedIn: in/deanna-depetro

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Find Mossman:

Mossman: Website and LinkedIn

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Thank you for listening!

Music License Number - QK7rZS

David Berlinski is a clinical psychologist with an aim: to help people connect with their emotions to develop a deeper understanding of themselves. He is also the co-founder of Toolbox Education - which runs preventative mental health workshops for schools, and the co-founder of Toolbox Clinic, a psychology practice specialising in child, teen, young adult and adult mental health.

In this episode, we chat about:

- Why become a psychologist + career path

- Books that have shaped his thinking the most

- The process of supervision in psychology

- Transference and countertransference

- What happens in the room in therapy

- Attachment theory explained in depth

- The child and the caregiver

- Anger and our lack of understanding of it

- Depression and anxiety explored

- Toolbox Education and Toolbox Clinic

This episode contains topics like suicide, self harm, and suicide ideation, which may be triggering for some listeners. Please keep this in mind before listening.

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Find The Founder Tapes on Instagram and TikTok

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Find David Berlinski:

Website: davidberlinskipsychology.com

LinkedIn: in/david-berlinski

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Find Toolbox:

Toolbox Education: website and LinkedIn

Toolbox Clinic: website and LinkedIn

Toolbox Instagram and TikTok

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You are not alone. Lifeline is here to listen.

Call 13 11 14

Text 0477 13 11 14​

Visit https://www.lifeline.org.au/

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If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, you can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit their website for online chat and video call services.

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Music License Number - QK7rZS

Sarah Hamilton joins The Founder Tapes to discuss how she founded, built, and advised multiple successful beauty brands in Australia - namely Bellabox, Sand & Sky, Mermade Hair and now the scalp care brand STRAAND.

Bellabox, a beauty subscription box inspired by Birchbox in the U.S., was Sarah’s first venture - and one she co-founded with her twin sister Emily. Following Bellabox’s success, the two of them really embraced the eCommerce opportunities that were becoming apparent in the 2010s, founding their other brands like the popular Sand & Sky - which took social media by storm. This is a time when Facebook and Instagram were in this sweet spot of engagement, YouTubers were becoming celebrities, influencers would feature products for free and organic reach was at its prime.

In this episode, Sarah will talk about whether there is a certain formula she adopted to grow each of her successful beauty brands; what it really takes to get your product in customers’ hands; and whether or not she personally believes it’s worth starting an online business in 2024.

We’ll also chat about her strategy when pitching and asking investors for money; what she learnt from doing it 10s of times; and the exact things she would focus on when pitching today.

It’s a jam-packed one, so let’s get into the show!

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Find Sarah Hamilton on LinkedIn

Find STRAAND on Instagram & LinkedIn

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Find video snippets from this episode on Instagram and TikTok

Thank you for listening <3

Music License Number - QK7rZS

On today’s show I’m chatting with Mattie Gouman, co-founder of bather brand Two Swim and fashion TikTok’s IT girl.

In a short amount of time Mattie has gotten over 100,000 followers on TikTok and over 50,000 on Instagram. And look, it's not all about the numbers, but with the way Mattie executes on content, and with the loyal audience she has built - I think there's a lot to learn from her. She’s a great example of doing social media and business management right - especially for a young audience.

Her content is mainly about fashion, but I feel that you can really apply the tips and approaches that she uses to any sort of industry, content or marketing that you're trying to do.

In this conversation, we chat about:

- Her “happy accident” called TikTok

- How she has seized the opportunities that have come with going viral and being noticed

- Working with brands and building relationships

- The judgement and criticism that comes with the title “influencer”

- What Mattie would do if social media was gone tomorrow

- Starting and building her swimwear brand Two Swim

- The dark side of the fashion industry and the biggest problems it is facing

- And of course, girl stuff: nails, outfits, and everything in between

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Find Mattie Gouman on Instagram and TikTok - or search @mattiegouman

Find Two Swim bathers: https://www.twoswim.com.au/

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Find video snippets from this episode on Instagram and TikTok

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Thank you for listening to The Founder Tapes podcast <3

Hosted by Gal Krohn

Music License Number - QK7rZS

Meet Bobby: A sustainable, low-sugar soft drink alternative. Today I’m chatting to its founder, Kristian Johannsen. He operates in what is called the “functional beverage” industry (aka drinks with health benefits), tipped to be worth over $1b by 2027.

The soft drink alternative gives consumers the familiar feeling of having a Coke, Fanta or Solo, without the guilt of it being a bad-for-you drink. Kristian saw a trend in the US for “better for you” soft drinks that are low in sugar and filled with prebiotics and wanted to bring it over to Australia.

Simultaneously, there was the kombucha “boom,” and it was clear Australians were going to be interested in a healthier drink alternative. Something he heavily focused on was the flavour - he wanted the drink he created to taste great, not “healthy.”

We chat a lot about what it’s like operating a business in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) space. He shares his experience and key learnings when it comes to asking investors for money, as well as his exit goal of one day being bought out (“by Coca Cola, hopefully”).

And he’s definitely on track to making Bobby an Australian FMCG success story. Before even having enough cash to build the stock for his first order, Kristian already made a deal to get Bobby stocked in 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Then, less than a year after launching his business, he also landed a deal with Coles. Today, sales are booming month after month, and interest is growing at a fast pace. You’ll learn a lot from the insights Kristian shares, so let’s get into the show.

Find Bobby on Instagram and TikTok

Shop Bobby: www.drinkbobby.com

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Find video snippets from this episode on Instagram and TikTok

Thank you for listening <3

Music License Number - QK7rZS

Welcome to episode one of The Founder Tapes! In this episode, I sit with Lauren Kennedy and Brooke Marks - co-founders and co-CEOs of High End - “the future of luxury resale.”

In a nutshell, High End is an app for buying and selling second-hand luxury items like your Gucci wallet, Zimmermann Dress or Camilla And Marc blazer. It started off as a Facebook page which saw over 100,000 members join, 10 years later becoming an AI-driven app that heavily focuses on customer trust through technology, authentication and curation. For those wanting to buy second-hand instead of brand new luxury items, this is a trustworthy solution, and one that lets customers get a curated, unique wardrobe with their favourite pieces.

Their aim is to make luxury fashion accessible to everyone, and the app is fast becoming Australia’s premier destination for luxury resale. Lauren and Brooke mention that if you look at the data, it’s clear young people are really starting to adopt the mentality of second-hand over brand new when it comes to their shopping habits. One day, they say, it will be resale over retail.

Other than chatting about the process of authenticating luxury clothing so that you and I can get a real Chanel handbag and not a fake (it’s harder to spot than you think!), we chat about what it's like starting a company; what it’s like asking investors for money when you’ve never done that before; what it’s like working together as co-founders with different sets of skills, and so much more.

Find High End on Instagram and TikTok

Download the High End app on on iOS and Google Play

Find High End on their online marketplace

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Find video snippets from this episode on Instagram and TikTok

Thank you for listening <3

Music License Number - QK7rZS