A challenging personal experience can sometimes reveal a much bigger opportunity. In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, Paul Sweeney speaks with Elysia Krstevski, founder of MEKE Baby, about turning a problem as a new mum into a product and a growing business. Her journey offers practical lessons for anyone developing a product, testing an idea or trying to take a business to its next stage.

After working her way from receptionist to co-CEO at Stage School Australia, Elysia brought years of hands-on business experience into a completely different industry. The idea for MEKE Baby came after she found herself unable to conveniently warm expressed milk while out with her baby. Instead of accepting that frustration, she began researching whether there could be a better solution.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How a personal problem can reveal a genuine opportunity in the market
• Why customer research and listening to feedback matter from the very beginning
• Why launching a good product can be more valuable than waiting indefinitely for perfection
• How MEKE Baby evolved through multiple product upgrades based on real customer needs
• How Elysia built market validation through direct-to-consumer sales before securing retail distribution
• Why thinking internationally early can influence product development
• How looking at the business by months and quarters, rather than obsessing over daily results, can support more considered decision-making

Elysia's story is a reminder that building a successful product rarely happens in one perfect leap. It involves research, experimentation, customer conversations, persistence and a willingness to improve as you go. If you're sitting on an idea, developing a product or trying to prove your business is ready for bigger opportunities, this conversation offers an honest look at what that journey can involve.

Elysia Krstevski is an award-winning Australian entrepreneur and founder of MEKE Baby, a premium baby technology brand redefining the standard of feeding. A former CEO who scaled Stage School Australia to 27 locations. Elysia has built her career around innovation, growth and challenging the status quo. Her achievements include Telstra Small Business State Winner for Product Innovation, Top 50 in E-commerce, Top 50 Business Leaders, CommBank Young Hero Product Innovation Winner and Westpac Top 5 Trailblazer. Today, she is focused on building MEKE Baby into a globally recognised brand.

www.mekebaby.com

This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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Starting a business can feel overwhelming, particularly when you are moving into an industry you know little about. In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, Paul Sweeney speaks with Shelly Kul, founder of Kashkiya, about leaving a successful 20-year corporate IT career to create Australia’s first dedicated mother-and-daughter clothing brand. Her story shows why taking the first step, listening to customers and learning as you go can be more valuable than waiting until you have everything figured out.

What You’ll Learn:

• How Shelly Kul identified a gap in the market and turned a personal idea into a business
• Why too much research and overthinking can prevent you from getting started
• How pop-up shops helped validate the product and provide valuable customer feedback
• Why a great product will not sell unless people know it exists
• Why stock management, marketing, supply and operations must work together
• How incorrect pricing can produce sales without producing profit

Shelly Kul’s journey is an honest reminder that successful businesses are not built by having all the answers from day one. They are built by taking action, learning from mistakes and making changes quickly. If you have been sitting on an idea or waiting for the perfect time to begin, this episode will encourage you to test the opportunity, understand your market and take the first step.

Shelly Kul is a Mum of 2 and the founder of Australian fashion brand, Kashkiya. Inspired by her two daughters who always wanted to match with her, Kashkiya offers high-quality matching dresses for Mums and their daughters with the hope of turning every day moments into precious memories.

www.kashkiya.com.au

This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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What happens when your biggest customer leaves, your leads dry up, or the platform driving your sales changes the rules overnight? For many business owners, those moments expose just how vulnerable their business really is.

In this episode, Paul Sweeney sits down with entrepreneur Jellaine Dee, who grew her business from a weekend market stall in Brisbane to an international beauty brand generating more than $10 million in annual revenue before selling to private equity. Along the way, she deliberately built multiple revenue streams, expanded into international markets, and created a business that didn't depend on her being involved in every decision.

If you're worried about relying too heavily on one customer, one product, one marketing channel, or even yourself, this conversation offers practical insights into creating a more resilient and valuable business.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why relying on a single source of revenue can put your business at risk
• How Jellaine turned a simple market stall into a global brand
• The importance of testing ideas and multiplying what works
• Why diversification should extend beyond products to customers, markets, and sales channels
• How building systems helped remove owner dependency
• The role cash flow plays in funding growth opportunities
• Why private equity values diversified businesses more highly
• How to create a business that provides freedom instead of becoming a prison
• What makes a business attractive to buyers
• Why bigger customers can sometimes be more valuable than more customers

Jellaine's story is a reminder that successful businesses are rarely built on a single product, customer, or channel. By creating multiple paths to revenue, putting systems in place, and thinking strategically about growth, business owners can build stronger, more valuable businesses that provide opportunities instead of limitations. Whether you're looking to scale, improve profitability, or eventually exit, this episode offers practical lessons from someone who has successfully done all three.

Jellaine Dee is a global retail strategist, entrepreneur and founder of Mogul Methods. After building Cherry Blooms into a beauty brand generating more than $10 million in revenue and expanding into eight countries, she now helps product-based businesses secure ranging with leading retailers, scale through wholesale and expand into international markets.

www.mogulmethods.com.au

LinkedIn

This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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Most business owners dream of building a business that can thrive without them, but very few achieve it. In this episode, Paul Sweeney sits down with Dr Michael Filosi, who transformed a rundown dental practice that had possums living in the walls into one of Adelaide's largest dental clinics before selling it in just 81 days. This conversation is packed with practical lessons about leadership, growth, culture, delegation, and creating a business that has genuine value beyond its owner.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why successful business owners see opportunity where others only see risk
• How small "quick wins" can create momentum and drive major change
• The importance of building a coalition of supporters within your team
• Why business owners must stop being the bottleneck
• How to transition from technician to true business owner
• The role of systems, leadership and delegation in business growth
• Why your best employees may be better than you at certain aspects of the business
• What makes a business attractive to buyers
• How Michael built a business that was ready to sell long before he decided to sell it

If you've ever wondered how to move from being the person doing all the work to being the leader of a valuable business, this episode is a must-listen. Michael's story proves that business success rarely comes from one big breakthrough. It comes from making smart decisions consistently over time and building something that can succeed without you.

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Built to Sell by John Warrillow

The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Want to know if your business is ready to sell? Check out our free tool:

How valuable is your business? Get your score!

Dr Michael Filosi is a dentist, exited founder, entrepreneur and self-confessed business nerd. Ten years ago Michael bought a worn out dental practice with possums in the walls that nobody thought had a future and successfully scaled it into the biggest dental practice in Adelaide. Last year Michael sold his business to private equity, overseeing the process himself and receiving offers from four different private equity firms in the process.

LinkedIn

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This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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Have you ever looked at a project and thought, "Everything says we're on track, but something doesn't feel right"?

The budget appears fine, the team is busy, and progress reports look positive. Yet deadlines keep shifting, decisions are taking longer than expected, and the scope seems to be growing without anyone formally approving the change. In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, Paul Sweeney sits down with project management consultant Richard Broo to discuss why projects rarely fail overnight and how business owners can identify the warning signs before small issues become costly problems. Drawing on more than 40 years of experience, including work with major organisations such as Toyota and General Electric, Richard shares practical strategies that small and medium business owners can apply to improve project outcomes.

What you'll learn:

• The early warning signs that a project is drifting off course
• Why communication breakdowns create costly misunderstandings
• How poor scoping and inadequate planning lead to scope creep and budget blowouts
• The importance of monitoring costs, timelines and staff capacity
• How to identify risk triggers before they become major issues
• Why successful projects focus on delivering value, not just completing tasks

Throughout the conversation, Richard explains why many businesses wait too long to seek help and how a lack of discipline around planning, reporting and accountability often leads to avoidable delays and overspending. He also shares practical ways to bring teams back into alignment, uncover the root cause of problems and get projects moving in the right direction again. Whether you're leading a major business transformation, implementing a new system, or managing day-to-day operational improvements, the lessons in this episode can help you avoid common mistakes and improve your chances of success.

Richard Broo has spent more than four decades helping organizations recover projects that are over budget, behind schedule, poorly scoped, or at risk of failing.

His work spans Fortune 500 companies, mid-market firms, and private-equity-backed businesses across manufacturing, packaging, automotive, medical equipment, construction materials, consumer goods, and electronics. He is often brought in when internal teams are stuck and leadership needs clear, practical solutions.

As founder of True North PMP Consulting, Richard works inside client organizations to identify the root causes of project failure, restore clarity and accountability, and help teams bring complex projects back under control.

www.truenorthpmpconsulting.com

LinkedIn

YouTube

This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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You may have years of experience, a strong track record and a proven ability to help clients. But if the market cannot quickly understand your value, you can still find yourself chasing opportunities and repeatedly explaining why you are the right person for the job.

In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, Paul Sweeney speaks with Henry DeVries, publisher of Indie Books International and a contributor to more than 200 business books. They explore how writing a book can help business owners clarify their expertise, build trust and attract better-fit clients. More importantly, they explain why the finished book is not the final goal. It is the starting point for speaking opportunities, podcast interviews, referrals and stronger business conversations.

You’ll learn:

• Why a book can be a powerful authority-building tool for professional service providers
• How becoming an author can help potential clients understand and trust your expertise
• Why you do not need to write your book alone
• How interviews, workshops, articles and voice recordings can become source material
• Why your first draft should focus on ideas rather than perfection
• How to identify your niche audience and the specific problem your book will solve
• Why client stories are one of your most valuable hidden assets
• How a book can open doors to speaking engagements, podcasts and referrals
• Why you only need to become well known to the right audience, not everyone
• How to break the book-writing process into manageable steps

Henry DeVries also shares a four-question framework for starting strategic conversations with potential clients: clarify the goal, identify hidden assets, uncover roadblocks and share a relevant success story.

If you have ever thought you should write a book but felt short on time, confidence or writing experience, this conversation offers a practical way forward. You may already have the raw material in your client experiences, workshops, articles and ideas. The next step is to organise that knowledge into a tool that helps the right people recognise the value you bring.

Henry DeVries is a freelance journalist, ghostwriter, and bestselling author. The author of twelve marketing books and a columnist for The California Business Journal, he is a partner at Indie Books International. Prior to that he helped double revenues as president of an Ad Age 500 PR agency and was a vice president of marketing communications that doubled awareness for a $5 billion insurance company. After serving as adjunct marketing faculty and the assistant dean of continuing education at the University of California San Diego, he has been a ghostwriter, co-author, and publisher of more than 300 business books.

henry@indiebooksintl.com

www.marketingwithabook.com

This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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With so much attention on AI, automation and business systems, it's easy to assume that better technology will automatically lead to better outcomes. But what if the real constraint to growth isn't the tools you're using, but how you make decisions when the pressure is on?

In this episode, Paul Sweeney sits down with Dr Sarah Choudhary, founder, AI expert and author of The Sirr Code. After more than 20 years building AI systems for large enterprises, Sarah shares why business performance ultimately comes down to the human side of decision-making. Together, they explore how founders can make better choices, avoid decision fatigue and use AI more effectively without becoming overwhelmed by information.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why more data doesn't always lead to better decisions
• How pressure impacts the way business owners think and act
• The hidden cost of decision fatigue and how to reduce it
• A simple framework for prioritising decisions based on risk and importance
• Why many AI projects fail despite having the right technology
• How to brief AI tools like you would a new team member
• How high-performing founders structure their decision-making processes
• A powerful framework for setting up a business with AI from day one

Whether you're embracing AI, leading a growing team or simply looking to make better business decisions, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

Dr Sarah Choudhary brings together decades of experience in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and human performance to remind us that no technology can replace clear thinking, sound judgement and self-awareness. This episode will challenge the way you approach business decisions and help you build a more focused, resilient and effective business.

Dr Sarah Choudhary has been a prominent figure in the industry for over a decade, helping organizations leverage technology to achieve their goals. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her contributions to the field of AI and digital transformation and was named to the 2024 Marquis’ Who’s Who List. She is the CEO of ICE Innovations, creating innovative solutions for daily life such as ICEride, iChef, and Sprawberry.

LinkedIn

www.sarahchoudhary.com

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Most business owners know their people matter, but sales, customers, delivery and cash flow often take priority. The problem is that unresolved people issues rarely stay contained. They can lead to poor performance, staff turnover, lost knowledge and owners spending too much time putting out fires.

In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, Paul Sweeney speaks with Dee Benno about treating people management as a core business discipline rather than a soft skill. They explore how small businesses can create greater clarity, accountability and trust without needing a large HR department.

What you’ll learn:

• How people problems create hidden financial and operational costs
• Why promoting your best performer may not create your best manager
• The warning signs that your informal people systems are no longer working
• Why clear roles and accountability are essential for business growth
• Three questions every employee should be able to answer
• How to reduce the risk of losing knowledge when a key employee leaves
• Why effective HR advice must account for how the business actually operates

The people side of your business does not need to become a complicated project. It does, however, need structure and attention. This episode provides practical starting points for building a stronger team, reducing owner dependency and protecting the business you have worked so hard to create.

Dee Benno works with small businesses, associations, and HR teams of one by going beyond surface-level problems to create stable, repeatable HR strategies that make organizations better. With a focus on finding the real source of disconnection and creating intentional HR systems that are based on integrity, reliability, and follow-through, Dee cuts through the chaos to strengthen what's working and redesign what isn't to harmonize existing operational systems with people operations and organizational leadership.

Dee acts as an advisor, leader, and consultant, helping directors, leaders, and business owners navigate HR challenges to make sound strategic decisions that support their people and the organization they work for. With project-based support, grounded guidance, and attention to compliance, Dee helps organizations map a way forward that aligns with their mission.

LinkedIn

dee@bettermakerhr.com

This episode is supported by the Business Planning Operating System. My 9-module course is built from 30 years of experience as an accountant, giving business owners a simple, one-page 90-day plan they'll actually use. Learn more at thebusinessbehindyourbusiness.com/focus

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