BNI Sunshine Coast Podcast: The Referral Wave
BNI Podcast Transcript
00:02:09 Tony Cross
Morning, everyone, and welcome to the Sunny Coast’s very own BNI podcast, The Referral Wave. My name is Tony Cross, and by day I'm in BNI Business Sunrise with my business Drive Connect Car Brokers. But today I'm joined on the podcast with Kyle Nielsen from The Ageing Sea and we're going to talk all about things to do with advertising, marketing and graphic design. Welcome Kyle.
00:02:36 Kyle Nielsen
Thank you very much, Tony. Good to be here.
00:02:40 Tony Cross
Hey, let's get started with what you do here.
00:02:43 Kyle Nielsen
So the idea of the agency was basically to create a sort of a branding agency in conjunction with like what we what we used to what I used to work with in advertising agencies. So it's very similar model, so creative ideas, advertising campaigns, design work, whether it's logos, branding, websites, signage all the way through to basically TV campaigns or radio ads and things like that. So yeah, there's the spectrum's quite wide.
00:03:12 Tony Cross
So how long have you been in the advertising in that in that field for so?
00:03:17 Kyle Nielsen
Start off in 1997 in print, in about 2008 I moved into web design and then from there went to a digital startup which was apps and stuff like that. First iPhone came out about 2007, I believe. And then from there it's just kind of been a continuous road of sort of evolving and learning as we as we go through media, like media is changing so quickly. So yeah it's, it's it's been sort of 27 years I believe 27, 28 years, yeah.
00:03:50 Tony Cross
Yeah. And how long have you had The Ageing Sea?
00:03:52 Kyle Nielsen
Agency for so were 2016 we inaugurated. Or in incorporated. I think the word is and, so we're coming up 10 years next year.
00:04:02 Tony Cross
Ohh fantastic. And not only you will get to a bit of your local work soon, but you've done National International Work as well.
00:04:10 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah. So we worked with the, we got, we got lucky in 2017. We had some really good connections with some guys in Brisbane and we worked on the rebrand of Haynes Labour Hire and that was sort of. They had offices in Mackay, Cairns, Singleton. There was offices in SA now, Chinchilla Brisbane and they have a couple in Salt Lake City, so we sort of worked on their brand roll out, which took about 18 months. Quite a lot of work involved there and we've also worked with guys like Silver Chef. Who have offices in Canada and New Zealand. So yeah, there's there's sort of there's. Sort of, no real limits to working in the advertising industry, from from Sunshine Coast. It's it's pretty much, yeah, 1 size sort of fits all really.
00:05:01 Tony Cross
And it's a perfect spot to get your creative juices flowing.
00:05:04 Kyle Nielsen
Absolutely.
00:05:05 Tony Cross
Down the beach. So now let's get. We'll get on to some of these local products in a minute, but sure, we were talking before we started another BNI Member, Kylie Kiss that now works for Ken Guy Buderim. You did some work, some advertising for their development.
00:05:16 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah. So we we were engaged by Ken Guy Buderim to do some branding and a website for their development at Windsor Park, which is sort of just off Windsor Road and Burnside. And yeah, I come across that podcast on the weekend and, I definitely will have to catch up with Kylie and have a chat about how that's all going. And yeah, that. So that was sort of, branding from the logo, the initial logo design all the way through to the Website, signage for the for the lot sizes and stuff like that. The site map which is actually on the signage. At the front of. The property and yeah, pretty much everything. In between and we sort of. Yeah, just keep monitoring the website and make sure all the leads are going through. So that's pretty much our main job now. Like once it's all done, that's sort of. Yeah, it's all set and forget kind of thing.
00:06:12 Tony Cross
Yeah. Good. Well, let's get on to a couple of local things here. So there, we've got some great sunny Coast brands here, Solid Ground coffee.
00:06:20 Kyle Nielsen
Absolutely.
00:06:22 Tony Cross
So tell this coffee in a can that didn't that intrigues me. So we've got some good designs here and then so that's a solid ground as well and. Every marketers advertising, graphic designers, dreams doing beer cans, so 10 Toes with Rupert and the team. Yeah, tell us a little bit about that.
00:06:42 Kyle Nielsen
So yeah, we we we started working with John and Maree from Solid Ground around 2020. They had the idea of supplying some of their own cafes with their own brand of coffee. So we built the brand with them, build them a Shopify website with subscriptions and then it's kind of like like most businesses kind of been evolving ever since like they've started, they've introduced cold brew. So that was like 1.0 the cold brew and then they sort of. Done their own brand for bit more targeted towards the youth market. So we've they've created sort of Brew Bear (Cold Brew) as well and they as sort of an offshoot of the Solid Ground brand.
And yeah, and then sort of late last year, we sort of. Got the call up from 10 Toes to sort of help them out with some some marketing and brand work for their cans and whatnot, so. Yeah. The majority of the work at the moment is just redoing a lot of their can labels and helping them with just sort of, yeah, various sort of poster designs, menus, et cetera. But yeah, the crux of it comes down to the the new can labels.
00:07:55 Tony Cross
So you started the Solid Ground brand from the start. Yeah. And but then you also have expertise in what is already a brand and then coming in and helping evolve that brand a bit more.
00:08:09 Kyle Nielsen
We sort of do that probably more, more, more often than not with a lot of businesses that we we work with will already have a had a logo design. So we might help them either tidy it up, create some different variations for them. So like you know for your brand example we we came. Sort of. Tweaked it, made it sort of landscape friendly made it white, made a white version of. It made a black version. Of it, and a lot of people have, that is assets in their in their library. So yeah, when we came when we came in and help other brands, it's generally all businesses. It's generally sort of a bit of a bit of an audit and then we sort of work with them, sort of. Help their brain go forward, yeah.
00:08:51 Tony Cross
So if people out there are watching and they've had a business for 5,6,7,8 years is a brand audit. The right terminology to use. Yeah. If they wanna come to you and just say. Hey, let's or your brand refresh like.
00:09:04 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah. A Refresh is sort of is sort of maybe taking it taking a different turn like in the right in the T junction sort of. Maybe we go right or go left. But an audit to sort of just like maybe just tidying things up and not really changing it too much. Whereas a refresh which sort of like we just want to make it look modern. So like, yeah, with Kleer Ice Supplies, we've we've finished a a rebrand with them recently which kind of hasn't been launched just yet, but they sort of wanted to just take their brand to A to a different level. And make it a bit more modern, a bit more engaging and yeah, so hopefully we'll see some of that work in the next six months.
00:09:44 Tony Cross
So if I'm a business and I've and I've just started off, I've gone on Canva and done my logo. It's worked for the first 12 months or so, but now I'm trying to get other branding and that done you sort of coming to you to get it all put together in a package, they got the right colours, the style guides, all that sort of thing. Yeah. Yeah, because I gathered a lot of people would be doing that.
00:10:04 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah, there's we've had. We've had quite a few of those. Yeah. And it's not. It's not always in in one place here. So like, yeah, it's it's it's kind of valuable to have. Yeah. Sort of pair of hands like us in your in your wheelhouse, just so you can call us up and go. OK, I need this. I just need this signage resize or I need an extra corflute from the one you did last March or whatever. And then we've got all the stuff on our server so it's just a matter of repurposing that, that design and then getting it back out there. But yeah, the brand style guide was sort of a a bigger kettle of fish sort of thing, it's more involved. There's a there's a lot of a lot of work in those and then some people just just don't have the time or the or the expenses or budget to sort of do those sometimes. But it is quite valuable once you do do have it and get it done.
00:10:52 Tony Cross
Yeah.
00:10:56 Tony Cross
Yeah, I know in our I know in in our case we had to get some large formatting signage done and we were dealing with Bishops like with the national company. So you know I mean for me it was confidence in the fact that I knew that you were liaising with them, right? Because the last thing I want to see is a signage in a public place and it doesn't fit. Well, look, very well. So works well like that.
Let's get on to BNI. How? How long have you been in BNI? And how did your journey? Start there.
00:11:27 Kyle Nielsen
So originally I originally signed up with I went to a Rugby Club Golf Day and I sponsored a hole and one of the guys that was organised in the sponsorships that had just said Ohh look if you you wanna promote your business, why don't you come along to these meetings on Thursday mornings and I sort of didn't really think too much of it. I thought ohh, you know, can't hurt. Like I said, I was pretty fresh. I think we started in 2016. I think he started sponsoring the golf days in 2017 maybe or 18. And then from there sort of. Yeah. Haven't really looked back sort of just. Yeah, sort of. The the route changes and you sort of get introduced to different people. But. It's it's, it's sort of that's sort of where I started really and.
00:12:16 Tony Cross
And your journey in BNI, obviously you've had some success stories out of that and meeting people and being I any any great one that comes to mind.
00:12:28 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah, there's, there's, there's quite a few, actually.
I'm just trying to think ohh the big one at the moment is sort of just working closely with the guys at The Nude Window. We just we've just redesigned their sort of wholesale website. So that was kind of a big project that we collaborated with. Courtney Angel (Marketing) from our chapter and a (Freelance) copywriter, And the the internal marketing team at The Nude Window. So that was kind of a that was kind of a good project to sort of get through BNI we really like those sort of bigger sized projects, but we're happy to work with with startups and just yeah, sort of educate and sort of help them grow along the way, yeah.
00:13:09 Tony Cross
Yeah, let's. Talk about your referrals and the way that you go. How do you see that in BNI as far as if you're giving referrals and like give us gain, that sort of thing, you know, I mean obviously you've been in BNI for a while, so you know. I mean, you're giving out referrals to people and in turn getting them back.
00:13:28 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah. So I think the biggest thing for me is it's like when I'm handing out sort of cards or passing on, you know, different services to different people, I kind of know that, they're gonna turn around and contact the person that I've put them in touch with and that's I think that's a big trust thing. So that's and even it even comes back like I think I heard someone else say there's someone the other podcast is that like people actually start ringing you and sort of asking you if they know if you know somebody that can help them. And yeah, it's quite a lot. So yeah, we get, we get asked about sort of people quite a bit now so.
00:14:07 Tony Cross
It's good you tend to be that. Go to guy. Yeah, and yeah. And you're quite right. People like, hey, do you know someone that does this and it becomes that? No, like and trusting doesn't you know, you know what they're like, you can comfortably refer refer them along. OK, so moving forward.
00:14:15 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah, exactly. Understand.
00:14:26 Tony Cross
In your business, what's next? What's on the horizon for you?
00:14:31 Kyle Nielsen
So for us it's probably to outgrow this office, but at the moment it's just a matter of, yeah, getting my planets align, but it's not really about the planets, it's it's more about just getting my business admin up speed. So we're putting in, we'll probably upgrade our website pretty soon, get some more case studies up there. You know, things like the Sunshine Coast Biospheres just gone up, some stuff there for Barlow Shelly (Engineers) and Sunstruct (Project Management).
Which are sort of good little projects, good local projects to have online. And then yeah, we sort of sort of find a designer that can sort of replicate what I do and sort of grow the business. From there, really.
00:15:12 Tony Cross
Yeah. Yeah. So obviously, finding a a designer like, that's the thing, isn't it? It's like your work. So you've gotta find someone that works in with you. So sometimes that can be, you know, have its challenges as well, can't.
00:15:25 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah, it's for us. It's sort of just finding that designer that's a little bit like a bit of a chameleon, like a lot of the lot of the kids that come out of Uni don't really don't really touch too much web stuff, they're sort of. They understand the basics of design principles, but you can't really throw them in the deep end with, you know, Squarespace websites or shooting website videos or anything like that. So there's there's kind of, yeah, it's kind of new to find something a little bit sort of diverse. Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:57 Tony Cross
So someones in BNI now or looking to join. What would be your one piece of key advice you would give those?
00:16:04 Kyle Nielsen
Ohh I'd definitely. Definitely just give it a go like it's a great. It's a great resources for every part of your business like there's always somebody. In there or somebody knows somebody. If you need a hand with something like I when I started in being I had literally only been in business for like maybe 12 months, two years and it was just great sort of talk with people that have been in business for maybe 20 to 30 years and just get some, get a little bit of mentoring really like and those some of those guys are just happy to just chat with you about it. Like, you know, they can tell you all stories about stuff that when they got started and things like that. So that would sort of be the big one for me from my point of view. But honestly, if, yeah, whatever business you're in, there's always, there's always benefits to it, whether it's sales or whether it's just you know, business advice or business referrals.
00:17:07 Tony Cross
And you met the hey, we met. The secretary of reception or the office manager here. I don't know if that's in short or not, but I am patting a dog for those playing at home. Yeah. So you're 100% right. It not only are you going to get. You know, leads and stuff for your business. Yeah. And in some instances, that can take a little bit of time to develop, but but you can find early ground in people that can help.
00:17:28 Kyle Nielsen
100% yeah, definitely, you know. When I first started, I needed help with my books and stuff like that. So Duncan (Hawkwell Systems) was, you know, more than willing. So that was great. Like to learn Xero and a little bit about the accounting world, like being a first time business owner and having a trust. It was sort of a different playing field to just being a sole trader and getting your tax return done.
00:17:57 Tony Cross
Yeah.
00:17:57 Kyle Nielsen
It's once a year or whatever. Yeah, it's definitely there's. So there's that kind of advice and then you know whether it's getting, getting the Will done with my wife and I and just, you know, having Shane sort of take us through the, you know, the loopholes there and what you need to look for and will and stuff like that, so yeah.
00:18:16 Tony Cross
And again, you're just ringing the people that you've known in being on for some time or someone else has known and you're just getting. The job done. Yeah, and in.
00:18:23 Kyle Nielsen
Our case, it was kind of like ohh we know people, friends and family and that are lawyers, but you know, one of them might be in Ipswich. It's like it's just hard to sort of, you know, go and see them so. Yeah. BNI, kind of like that second family, so to speak. Like you, sort of. You see everyone every week and you trust them and you know, sort of, you know, they gonna turn up. So it's it's just great to sort of. Yeah, have that sort of network there for sure.
00:18:46 Tony Cross
Alright, core values on what's your favourite 1?
00:18:53 Kyle Nielsen
I would say. Accountability. Yeah, that's that's a big one. Just people. Sort of, yeah. Turning up when they say they're going to and then, yeah. If they can provide that service to the people you're referring to, then you, you know, 100% guarantee that they're they're going get get the job. You know, if they don't get paid.
00:19:16 Tony Cross
Yeah, very good. Alright. So where do? Where do people find out more about what you, website, socials?
00:19:23 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah. So we've got a website which is quite in-depth. We do a blog every 12 to 6 months, sort of, with some project work on there. And then we've got a lot of lot of case studies, for some of the branding work we've done and advertising campaigns and so yeah, you can basically find us on theageingsea.com.au and theageingsea, all one word on social media, whether it's Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn, I believe. I think we've got some SoundCloud handles as well, but YouTube, but we've got them all up to date, but you'll find us across all the media.
00:19:58 Tony Cross
Yeah, they're all there now, when you just said The Ageing Sea tell us the twist on words there, because for me this becomes second nature. But just when you said your website then I was like, we need to explain that, yeah, so.
00:20:12 Kyle Nielsen
Yeah. So, so when we came up with the name, we sort of, I did a lot of work in Brisbane, with the with the couple and they were big on puns, so I created, the name The Ageing Sea, based on the phonetical pun, so it's sort of like you say it fast. It's basically just ‘The Agency’, if you answer the phone and people go, oh, so where you from? Your like The Agency? And they said like, wait, say that again. So it's sort of it's like, so basically it's an advertising agency near the beach. It's kind of the background we got got from in a nutshell, yeah. So it's not exactly easy to spell, but if you Google, you know, Google The Ageing Sea, you'll find us.
00:20:45 Tony Cross
Yeah. And. And it's close to surf. It's like some of The Dirty are it's close to the surf. I don't even see the surf board in the back. But there's even even surfboards in the office. So if you're watching this from somewhere else in the Sunshine Coast and you wanna come up here for a surf. Yeah, drop a line to Kyle and he'll tell you exactly what's going on and.
00:21:10 Kyle Nielsen
You have a board meeting.
00:21:10 Tony Cross
There was some board riding champion medals here in the back somewhere. He's hidden behind the cans but but look mate it's been fantastic. Podcast boys want to do thanks very much for being on and you need anything design you know where to go. Awesome. Thanks everyone.
00:21:29 Kyle Nielsen
Thank you.
