The Venture Beyond Podcast: Recent Episodes
Hustle Agency
Since 2012, Anthony Simonetta (Founder & CEO), alongside his brother and partner James (COO), through learnings and successes have led their venture business Hustle Holdings and digital marketing agency Hustle Agency in Sydney, Australia.
This channel’s feature, ‘The Venture Beyond Podcast’, details their experiences, provided for those who similarly envisage owning and running an agency, as well asbuilding products in a venture capital environment.
A new episode will release each fortnight, featuring a number of guests all with their own takes on the current and future state of the industry
“This industry needs to be shaken up and it needs to be done by somebody outside the industry.”In Episode 10 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James reunite after a few months away to discuss their latest venture, Xtra Clubs.A departure from the digital businesses the pair are known for developing, Xtra Clubs is envisioned as a chain of wellness centres, which will finally bring Sydneysiders unlimited and anytime access to sauna, ice and steam therapies.The boys highlight their fish-out-of-water experiences during the creation of Xtra both conceptually and as a brick and mortar building, and specifically point to the extensive efforts they’ve had to undertake since February to earn financial backing and lure talent onto the project.Hear how the two have graduated from sauna novices, learning from experts in the industry including one of Finland’s most respected voices in wellness - Kimmo Helistö @kimmo_helisto…To then see just how far they’ve come in building their new wellness empire, by visiting the Xtra Clubs website!Founding Memberships to our inaugural location at the Oxford St Mall in BONDI JUNCTION are available, with more locations across Sydney soon to be announced. Secure your spot from $23.95 here 👉https://xtraclubs.au/become-a-member/Future locations, wellness coaches who’ll provide free content on the Xtra Clubs app, and other exciting announcements are being shared on our Instagram. Follow us so you don’t miss out! https://www.instagram.com/xtraclubs/#Wellness #Sauna #IceBath #SteamRoom #HotandColdTherapy #Recovery
“Don’t think too much, just do it… Once you step out, think a lot”.
In Episode 9 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James speak to Vivian from Dulcet Cakes & Sweets, an entrepreneur who found her calling in the cake industry not long after calling Australia home.
Vivian shares her initial struggles in the business, from completing orders at home to launching stores while pregnant. This period of difficulty was quickly replaced by an era of excitement for Vivian, however, when she leaned on her business education to elevate Dulcet’s value for customers via online orders and clever thinking around free deliveries. Today, Vivian continues to evolve her stores through data-led decision-making, resulting in a standout business that spans across Sydney.
Got a game-changing app idea? Let's work together: https://hustle.agency/app-design-deve...
Keen to check out the business mentioned in this week’s podcast? Visit the Dulcet Cakes & Sweets website and order a cake or treat: https://dulcetcakessweets.com.au/
“There were many things that I was getting wrong that I’m now getting right”.In Episode 8 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James speak to Justin Lewis, an Aussie larrikin whose business Yellow Express is earning a reputation as the Uber of transporting bulky goods in Sydney.In the chat, Justin mentions that this hireable man and a van operation has been in his family since his father purchased and operated it decades ago. Justin highlights his own experiences as CEO, talking the boys through his run at the American market a few years ago, his love and appreciation for his team, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Yellow Express.Got a game-changing app idea? Let's work together: https://hustle.agency/app-design-development/ Keen to check out the business mentioned in this week’s podcast? Visit the Yellow Express website: https://yellowexpress.com.au/send-move-deliver/Download the app to make a booking: https://yellowexpress.com.au/book-a-man-a-big-van-on-demand/
"The only thing that can go wrong from taking a risk is a lesson learned".
In Episode 7 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James sit down with Simon, CEO and co-founder of 'Disport' - a digital app and social platform that allows sports fans to chat in one place while live sport plays.
Simon reflects on the evolution of Disport compared to what he originally envisioned while completing his university studies, pointing to significant events like decorated South Sydney Rabbitohs player Alex Johnston becoming involved in the venture as the catalyst for the platform's success.
Digging a little deeper, Anthony and James ask Simon to recount the nerves he felt in the initial period of the app's launch, knowing the sacrifices Simon had to make for Disport to be a hit. In the true entrepreneurial spirit, Simon's great insights come from these recounts, as he reinforces the adage that risk-taking, having faith in yourself, and having the right team around an idea will determine if it succeeds.
Got a game-changing app idea? Let's work together: https://hustle.agency/app-design-development/
Keen to check out the venture mentioned in this week's podcast? Download Disport on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. You can also learn more about the platform by visiting the website here: https://www.disport.com.au/
“The trick of winning in the word space is being a deeply empathetic human being because you need to know what to put on paper in order to connect with other people.”Filmed on the backdrop of sunny Gold Coast, Episode 6 of the Venture Beyond Podcast features the successful but incredibly humble Jason Roberts, founder of The Sector website. Jason leads a publishing team who’ve built a remarkable reputation within the childcare industry as a source of truth and a career announcement platform that childcare professionals frequently visit.Upon reflection on his path to becoming an entrepreneur, Jason shares some great insights into the grit and determination it takes to create a valued service within an industry. He also touches on the character traits and mindset that are required by entrepreneurs and especially writers to be truly impactful in their space, highlighting that he and The Sector wouldn’t be in the position they are today without taking on opportunities and showing empathy towards others.Keep up to date with our podcast releases by subscribing and turning on notifications for this channel.Interested in our agency’s work? Visit the website: https://hustledigital.com.au/Want to see more from The Sector? Visit their website here: https://thesector.com.au/
“If you are to fail, fail fast. Don’t fall in love with a bad idea.”
In Episode 5 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James welcome the founder and CEO of Perfection Fresh Australia (PFA) to the mic, who just so happens to also be their father - Michael Simonetta. The pair get an insight from Michael on the difficulties and triumphs that came from managing PFA in the 90s, and early 2000s, particularly on the risks needed to be taken to find success with the brand’s first genetically grown product, Broccolini®.
Today, PFA is the producer and promoter of several successful vegetable and fruit brands. Though, as Michael comments, there’ve been a few brands he’s needed to let go along the way to ensure PFA’s efforts are focused on profitable ventures. When asked how he would enter the produce industry today if he were a young entrepreneur, Michael gives a great suggestion and highlights the consumer mindset that needs to be shifted in the market for larger success.
Keep up to date with our podcast releases by subscribing and turning on notifications for this channel.
Interested in our agency’s work? Visit the website: https://hustledigital.com.au/
Hungry after hearing Michael talk about delicious veggies and fruits? See the range of PFA products and related recipes here: https://www.perfection.com.au/home
More on SiteWatcher, a venture we recently launched and mentioned here: https://sitewatcher.co/ And more on the other venture mentioned, Website 2 App, here: https://website2.app/
“Don’t get lost in the dream; really be introspective about who you are and what you need to find in your circle of influence or in wider networks… be quick to have the hard conversation, which will save a lot of potential problems.”
In Episode 4 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony reflects on his past experiences within venture partnerships, discussing with James why they work well as partners, how they share similar visions for Hustle and the evolution they’re subsequently seeing in their business and overarching life goals.
These experiences highlight the importance of entering venture partnerships with honest or often hard conversations to align objectives and expectations. The two also spotlight the opportunities they’re offering to others within their team who share the same drive to build businesses and the frameworks that have been set to ensure varying levels of effort are best compensated.
Interested in our agency’s work? Visit the website: https://hustledigital.com.au/
“Think about how you’re going to communicate the core value proposition and just do that, nothing else.”
Having described a MVP in previous weeks of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James use Episode 3 to lay out a blueprint for budding entrepreneurs and business leaders to launch their own products. The pair explain how they launched and tested ‘SiteWatcher’ within just 8 hours of work, a few hundred dollars and a Reddit post - which received 55,000 views, 100 shares and 80 comments.
Through their experiences, they advise on some do’s and don'ts when going down the path of developing MVPs. Importantly, where to avoid loss in time and cost. Keep up to date with our podcast releases by subscribing and turning on notifications for this channel.
Link to the site of the venture mentioned in this episode – SiteWatcher, here: https://sitewatcher.co/
A link to James’ full Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/zkerdn/the_quickest_side_hustle_launch/
Interested in our agency’s work? Visit the website: https://hustledigital.com.au/
"Have a scalable business, but know you’re going to need to do non-scalable things to start with... everything started with a guy behind a keyboard.” In Episode 2 of The Venture Beyond podcast, Anthony and James turn their focus to discussing how businesses can launch ‘Minimal Viable Products’ (MVPs) through the example of their latest venture, ‘SiteWatcher’.
As well as highlighting the ‘when’ and ‘how’ of getting MVPs off the ground, the pair dive into the importance of how building a basic brand, audience and providing a minimum set of features can set a venture up for success. Keep up to date with our podcast releases by subscribing and turning on notifications for this channel.
Link to the site of the venture mentioned in this episode – SiteWatcher, here: https://sitewatcher.co/
To learn more about Porter’s Generics that Anthony mentioned, click here: https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/dstools/porters-generic-competitive-strategies/
Interested in our agency’s work? Visit the website: https://hustledigital.com.au/.
In their maiden episode of The Venture Beyond Podcast, Anthony and James highlight how they’re looking to make an even bigger splash on the market than ever before by returning their focus to developing innovative business products.
As well the pair detail the launch of their company’s first venture, ‘WPNativeApps’. Thanks to our partners at Sector, James showcases the application's functionality, which aims to cost-effectively re-imagine the interface of WordPress content conveniently for mobile via iOS and Android.
More on WPNativeApps: https://wpnativeapps.com
Keep up to date with our podcast releases by subscribing and turning on notifications for this channel.
To learn more about our agency, visit the website: https://hustledigital.com.au/