EP32 - From Professional Rugby Union to Entrepreneurship With Ben Seymour

EP35 - From Behind the Chair to Building One of Australia's Most Recognised Haircare Brands with Natalie Anne

In this episode of Growth & Banter, we sit down with Natalie Anne, founder of Natalie Anne Haircare, to explore the journey from working behind the salon chair to building one of Australia's most recognised haircare brands. What began as a passion for helping women feel confident has evolved into a global brand, trusted by both professional stylists and everyday consumers. Natalie shares the lessons, challenges, and pivotal moments that shaped her career, along with the realities of scaling a business in one of the world's most competitive industries. We discuss the gap she saw in the market, the importance of education and trust, how she built a loyal community around the brand, and why personal credibility has become more important than ever in today's digital landscape. The conversation also explores entrepreneurship, leadership, company culture, and the mindset required to navigate the highs and lows of building a business. Inside this episode: • The journey from hairdresser to founder • Building Natalie Anne Haircare from the ground up • Creating products that solve real customer problems • The role of personal brand in business growth • Building trust in a crowded and competitive market • Lessons from scaling a beauty brand • Balancing business, family, and ambition • The future of the hair and beauty industry Whether you're a founder, creative, business owner, or simply curious about what it takes to turn expertise into a thriving brand, this episode offers an honest look behind the scenes of building a modern business. 🎧 Listen now and hear how Natalie turned creativity, credibility and community into a global haircare brand.

EP34 - From $60k Savings to a $252 Million Empire With Scott O'Neill

🎙️ From $60k Savings to $250M Property Empire | Scott O'Neill on Wealth, Rentvesting & Commercial Property In this episode of the Growth & Banter Podcast, Scott O'Neill joins Blake Micola to unpack the mindset, strategy, and decisions that helped him build a $250M net worth before turning 40. Scott shares his journey from working construction sites as a civil engineer to founding Rethink Property Group, now one of Australia's leading commercial property advisory firms. The conversation dives deep into: * Why the traditional Australian property strategy is becoming outdated * The truth about rentvesting vs owner-occupying * How commercial property creates cash flow and financial freedom * Why most Australians stay trapped in the "dream home" mindset * Building wealth without sacrificing lifestyle * The risks of relying purely on residential growth * How business owners should think about investing outside their company * The future of property amid AI, inflation, interest rates, and political change This episode is packed with practical insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone looking to build long-term wealth differently. 🎧 Listen now and learn how to think beyond the traditional path to financial freedom.

EP33 - From Homeless to the King of Sales With Adam McCaughey

In this episode of Growth & Banter, Blake Micola sits down with sales powerhouse Adam McCaughey to unpack one of the most unconventional journeys in business. From getting expelled at 15… to working in world-class kitchens like Rockpool… to living on a superyacht… and eventually closing $20M+ in sales. Adam's story is anything but typical. But this episode isn't just about the journey, it's a deep dive into what actually drives growth in today's market. They break down: * Why conviction beats skill in sales * The biggest mistake founders make when trying to scale * How to identify the real bottleneck in your business * The shift from product-led to founder-led growth * Why are most people consuming information… but failing at execution * How AI is reshaping teams, roles, and the future of business Plus, they unpack the concept of the "growth engine" and why building systems before scaling could be the difference between stagnation and exponential growth. If you're a founder, marketer, or operator trying to scale smarter (not just harder), this episode will challenge how you think about sales, leadership, and building a business in 2026. Tune in to rethink everything you thought you knew about growth.

EP32 - From Professional Rugby Union to Entrepreneurship With Ben Seymour

In this episode, we are joined by Ben Seymour, a former professional rugby union player turned entrepreneur, to unpack the journey from elite sport to building Rise, a fast-growing performance supplement brand. This episode covers the mindset required to transition from professional athlete to business owner, the realities of launching a product-based brand, and why discipline, recovery, systems, and community matter if you want to perform at a high level. Ben shares lessons from his rugby career, what sport taught him about pressure and resilience, and how those principles now shape the way he approaches business, health, and life. The conversation also dives into endurance, hydration, creatine, sleep, recovery, personal branding, and what it really takes to build a brand that people trust and come back to. It is a sharp, honest conversation about performance, entrepreneurship, and creating something meaningful from the ground up. Follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this conversation.

EP31 - Scaling Finder From Startup to $100M+ Revenue With Jeremy Cabral

In this episode, I had a chance to sit down with Jeremy Cabral, co-founder of Finder.com, to unpack what it really takes to scale from scrappy experiments to a global machine. Jeremy shares the inside story of Finder's journey, from generating a few thousand dollars in revenue to building and supporting a 600-person team operating across multiple countries. He breaks down how Finder built a scalable content and acquisition engine, why most companies misunderstand how Google actually works, and how intent, user engagement, and disciplined execution matter far more than shortcuts or hacks. This is a candid look at growth as a system, not a trick. Our conversation goes deep into leadership at scale: hiring and retaining top operators, building a culture that actually sticks, and why systems consistently outperform "great talent" once a business grows past the early stages. Jeremy explains how Finder protected its internal playbooks, built execution pods, and maintained loyalty in a highly competitive market. We explore what it takes to move from $10m to $100m, including isolating the right growth levers, installing repeatable engines, and knowing when founders must step back or re-enter the weeds. Jeremy shares his current work helping brands scale past eight figures, drawing on pattern recognition from hundreds of companies. This episode closes with a practical take on AI and technology. Less hype, more infrastructure. Jeremy explains how to break work into steps, remove grunt work through automation, and use AI as an amplifier rather than a replacement. If you're building a business and want clarity on growth, systems, leadership, and the future of scale, this episode delivers real insight without the noise