Succession For Business Group | Business Development | Small Business | Succession Planning | Melbourne | Warrnambool

We’re now preparing for week three of the Success 4 Business series set to kick off next Thursday 9th September.

How do you tune in? At 2.30pm on Thursday 9th September, you can jump onto Twitter, follow @S4BG and follow the Hashtag #S4BG.

Follow the entire interview LIVE using the #S4BG. In fact, why not ask your own questions. This is your chance to get up close and personal with some of Australia’s leading Business advisors to help bolster your business. The series will run for another 4 weeks with a new guest, every week.

If you missed our interview with accountant Alycia Edgars @alyciaedgars, follow #S4BG for all the details.

Our third topic will discuss tips on ‘What it’s like to be Friends In Business’ with the super creative Kathy Jackson.  See her bio below.

Kathy Jackson – Co-Founder of The Cupcake Wrapper Co.

The Cupcake Wrapper Co. is relatively new on the small business scene. The company began it’s journey in July 2008 after two creative mums Natalie Oliver and Kathy Jackson from Melbourne decided to put there heads together and give their wonderful concept a go! The Cupcake wrappers are a fabulous new concept for decorating your cupcakes. The idea was to make decorating cakes quick, easy, fun and economical – perfect for busy people. Not only are the wrappers super cute and reusable, they’re also made from environmentally responsible products in Australia!

During the past 8 months the market has really started to take notice of Kath and Nat. They have received some great success having been interviewed by the Herald Sun Home magazine, The Sunday Age and The Melbourne Weekly. In addition to this they received editorial for their Cupcake Wrappers in some big glossies including; Shop Til You Drop, Donna Hay Kids, Frankie, Shop4Kids, The Sunday Age magazine, The Herald Sun Sunday magazine.

In their short journey, The Cupcake Wrappers Co. are now stocked in over 40 stockists in Australia and overseas!

The lovely ladies at Cupcake Wrapper Co. believe in making all cupcakes gorgeous!

For further information on The Cupcake Wrapper Co. visit www.thecupcakewrapperco.com.au

INTERVIEW – Thursday, 9th September 2010

SARAH: Today we’ll be speaking to the amazingly talented, super creative Kath @cupcakewrapper!!

Kath is the Co-Founder of The Cupcake Wrapper along with her partner and friend Natalie.

Kath enjoys cooking and is crazy about making all things beautiful.

Welcome Kath , thanks so much for being with us today!

KATH:  Thanks Sarah! Loving this but a bit nervous! SARAH: Nothing to be nervous about Kath! KATH: Ok fire away! SARAH: Kath tell myself & the audience what it is that you do? KATH: I am 1 half of The Cupcake Wrapper Co. We design & manufacture cupcake wrappers here in #Melbourne I do all the marketing&pr. SARAH: Who is the other half of @cupcakerwrapper? KATH: My good friend Natalie. She does stock control & finance. We both do sales. SARAH: How and when did you come about your idea? KATH: Nat & I only met in 2008 when our girls started school. Almost straight away we were looking for a business idea to do together. We settled on cupcake wrappers – after a few variations. Seemed a natural fit when we have 4 girls & go to a lot of parties! SARAH: What inspired you to finally take to plunge and get your concept out to the market place? KATH: After my major hip surgery in July 2009, we said “stuff it, we need to give it go or we will forever be saying “what if”? So we rang the printer in Box Hill and told him to print. Then we waited with baited breath! SARAH: It’s funny how something so major can make you bite the bullet & give ur dreams a well deserved shot! KATH: Yes all that lying around twiddling my thumbs! Plus we had come so far and done so much work, we needed to give it a go. SARAH: Kath, how much work was involved in getting your business from concept to market? KATH: Heaps! We registered the business in mid 2008 & researched designs, competitors, manufacturers, websites – the lot. We also looked at going offshore to make them, but decided it was important for our brand to make them in Australia. It took ages to find a graphic designer we clicked with, but luckily we found Prue from @gigilulu She is fantastic! It took 12 months in total from concept to first print run delivery.Our very first delivery of stock! This was 12 months from the 1st concept http://twitpic.com/2mm4la SARAH: WOW!! Busy times?? KATH: We are lucky we have such a pretty product. The design part has been really fun – that is our favorite part! That twitpic was our 1st drop of only 2 colors and 4 designs. We panicked that they mightnt sell! Now do 15 designs & 5 colors! SARAH: How do you as business partners and friends over come your differences? KATH: We have differences of opinion sometimes but we just talk about it & prioritize what we need to do…however…Sometimes Natalie can be bribed with chocolate!! SARAH: So do you guys have business agreement? KATH: Not as such no. We did discuss it after getting advice from accountant, but nothing in writing. Its on our To Do list. SARAH: Very important element in a business partnership. Good to hear it’s on Your To Do List:) KATH: Yes a lot people warned us against a partnership but it is working for us now. Down the track we may formalise it & become a Co. SARAH: Are there any challenges about being in business with a friend? KATH: There havent been too many challenges yet – we are both on the same wavelength and very clear on our goals and brand SARAH: What do you like most about the being in business with your friend? KATH: Friday night champers after school to recap the week! But seriously…We share common interests & understand each other. We know what the other is thinking. We love our product & have fun with it! Sounds like we are married! LOL!! SARAH: Being in partnership can be like being married, that’s for sure!!! Where do you hope to see yourself and your business in 5 years? KATH: We hope to expand out range to include a couple more items. Pretty things of course! We aspire to be a highly successful Australian brand with a strong international base too. SARAH: I heard on the grape vine you guys are launching in South Africa?? & soon to take over the world? KATH: Early days yet, but yes there has been an interest from South Africa. Social media outlets have opened us up to the world! SARAH: What other tips would you give to friends in business? KATH: Research, communicate, be true to your brand, communicate, set goals, embrace social media & have fun ..oh yes & communicate. SARAH: Thanks for the tips!! KATH: We are always happy to help other small business owners with questions – just DM us or email us SARAH: That’s all we have time for today folks. I hope enjoyed today’s interview? A big thank you to Kath@cupcakewrapper. It’s been a pleasure! KATH: I had a ball! Thanks Sarah x See ya! SARAH: A big thank you for everyone who tuned in at #S4BG today. Next weeks special guest has recently been listed in the top 50 Smart Companies for 2010! We speak to Rishad Sukhia @bright_labs. For further information on next wks interview, please visit http://bit.ly/9mMv6r  If you’re interested in being part of the Success 4 Business series I look forward to hearing from you @S4BG. Before I go….A huge Happy Birthday to Nat @cupcakewrapper for yday. Hope you had a great day. xxx Happy, happy Thursday all!!!