Naomi Simson is an Australian business owner and leader who’s seen it all.
From founding RedBalloon, an online marketplace for experiences in 2001, to being a judge on Shark Tank Australia, she’s full of insights.
In today’s conversation, Kate Campbell chats to Naomi about her journey as a business owner in Australia over the past few decades, its impact on her finances, her insights on work and how she thinks through big decisions. Enjoy!
📚 Enjoyed this episode? You’ll love Kate’s book, Buying Happiness, which you can order on Booktopia or Amazon.
Some of the things we talked about in this conversation:
- What are some interesting experiences you’ve had that have impacted your life, business and career in surprising/unexpected ways?
- On your website, you have a list of the things you believe. Can you share a few of those and how they’ve shaped your life?
- Can you share the story of how you came up with the idea for RedBalloon and what inspired you to start your own business?
- How did the entrepreneurial journey impact your personal finances on a holistic level? E.g. did you take less risk, have less money to invest, try and diversify away from your business…
- I feel like there’s a lot of focus on becoming a unicorn, raising lots of money and having a glamorous office but less focus on building a business that really serves your customers and adds value to your community. Do you think startups/VC/entrepreneurs are over-celebrated? How do you look at the value a business can add to the world?
- Beyond the success of RedBalloon, what kind of legacy do you hope to leave in the business world? How do you measure the impact of your work?
- What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a business today who might not think they’re ready/have enough money/have enough time etc.?
