Text me your thoughts

I’ve always thought that the best business ideas come from noticing something that’s missing in the world. Something important and necessary. Simone Eyles did just that. She noticed that the media and marketing channels are seriously light on for imagery and representation of people living with a disability so she got to work, putting her entrepreneurial brain and her big heart into this new and exciting venture.

I hope you get to the end of this episode and see what I see in what Simone is building in Disinfluencer, a business dedicated to empowering people with disabilities and helping businesses embrace inclusion.

Find Disinfluencer online and on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to connect with Simone and tell her I sent you.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit online where you can get in touch.

The Small Town Business Podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their Elders; past and present.

Audio production by Laura at Podcast Support Services.

Text me your thoughts

When crisis hits your town or your business, it’s hard to know where to start. This episode is packed with practical ideas to prepare for disaster or down time, but also advice on what to do and how to approach marketing and promotion when things are not ‘business as usual’.

Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit online where you can get in touch.

The Small Town Business Podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their Elders; past and present.

Audio production by Laura at Podcast Support Services.

Text me your thoughts

Andy McCarthy is an entrepreneur, best known for building a renewable energy business from a tiny town called Mirboo North in South Gippsland Victoria. He later sold his company ‘Gippsland Solar’ to the RACV but he hasn’t lost his passion for renewables.

Andy now delivers keynote speeches, leadership training and workshops, and advises businesses, government and regulators on policy, strategy and authentic leadership.

He also recently published a memoir called ‘Here Comes the Sun’. He’s a husband, a father of a handful of very energetic boys and alongside all of that, he’s an active member of his local community.

Despite that list it’s that last point that we focus on in this episode.

In early 2024, Andy’s home town was rocked by a freak and incredibly destructive storm. What the town did next has been fascinating to watch and I think a lot of small towns can learn from their experience.

If you’d like to find out more about Andy, you can grab his book here or find him on LinkedIn.

Also mentioned in this episode was The Mirboo North and District Community Foundation, The Gippsland Community Leadership Program, TAFE Gippsland, South Gippsland Shire Council, Sikh Volunteers Australia, Mirboo North Op Shop,


Join the Small Town Business conversation on Instagram or Facebook or visit online where you can get in touch.

The Small Town Business Podcast was recorded on the lands of the GunaiKurnai and I wish to pay my respects to their Elders; past and present.

Audio production by Laura at Podcast Support Services.