Brand Tips from Aussie Luggage Startup July

Meet the all-authentic Italian food truck navigating an expansion during COVID-19. The evolution from popular mobile food truck to permanent bar, deli and cafe seems a natural progression for Bar Positano . After a successful eighteen months serving paninis, cheese boards, and other Italian delights from the bay window of their highly instagrammable van, co-owners Anthony Porra and Luca Andolfo decided to put down stumps in Sydney’s Surry Hills and shift their focus to the sit-down dining experience. Although a sudden citywide lockdown threatened to derail the grand opening of Bar Positano’s new brick-and-mortar location, the duo were quick to adapt. Celebratory spritzes were swapped for takeaway cocktails and the deli was stocked with take-home pasta so locals could dish up their own cure for those holiday cravings. We spoke to Luca and Anthony about the challenges they’ve faced so far, and why now’s the perfect time to bring a slice of the Amalfi Coast to Surry Hills. Tell us a bit about how Bar Positano first started. We first started out in the events industry, providing event hire and styling services for many weddings and other events. A lot of clients use pop-up food and drink vendors for a more casual style, so we decided to add a mobile bar to our offering. Being of Italian heritage, we thought we could offer a unique and authentic food truck, focusing on quality products and service for weddings, private and public events. Then we were in Surry Hills one evening and saw the vacant shop, which had a nice unique style and a sunny corner position. Many Australians travel and love the Italian summer atmosphere, when it comes to alfresco dining and aperitivo. We’ve always wanted to bring that experience to Sydney, and thought this would be a perfect location to test our idea. What was the biggest challenge you faced, establishing a permanent site? Being a food truck, we always tailored our menu based on the event or location we were serving. We also kept to a limited menu, as it is always a challenge working within such a small space! Moving into a physical location made us really think about our target market and demographic, as well as a gap in the market which we wanted to target. It is always challenging establishing a new business in a niche category, as you don’t know whether it will work or not. But we believe in it and really love it ourselves, so we just hope that everyone else does too. How has COVID-19 impacted your business? COVID-19 is a huge challenge to all businesses, but we decided to open up anyway as we wanted the community to see what we have to offer — albeit with a limited menu at the moment. We also sell smallgoods from the deli and pasta, sauces and other Italian products, which are a benefit to locals during lockdown. It’s the right time for us, particularly because we are opening in winter — at a time people normally head off overseas for a summer holiday. Despite the current restrictions, we’re giving customers a feeling of being overseas on holiday, or eating and drinking what they normally would if they were in Italy. We have been lucky enough to receive support from the locals, grabbing something takeaway and supporting our new business. What inspired you to make the switch to Zeller? How are you finding it? What we were looking for was a reliable system that was simple to use in a fast-paced environment. We love that the terminal not only looks good and suits our decor, but it is so simple to use with extremely low rates. The customer service and support is really great, the onboarding simple and straightforward, and the general daily use is so simple and reliable. Really happy we chose Zeller! What have you learned about running a business, with everything going on this year? To really think about our business concept, and how we can still be true to our brand and offering while remaining versatile so we can adapt as situations change.  For instance, instead of sitting down to an antipasti board and Aperol Spritz — which is what we initially envisioned — we decided to advertise takeaway deals on our social profiles and package everything up, including the alcohol, so people can enjoy the same product at home, or wherever they may be. It is so important to stay in touch with the community by communicating on social media, the website, and as best you can in store for anyone who passes by. What’s next for Bar Positano? We are really looking forward to opening our doors and having people sit down and enjoy the space. At the moment it feels like a bit of a tease, as we have only been offering takeaway coffees, panini, and a limited menu from the deli. It will be great to be able to operate at full capacity, for both our customers and staff. Do you have any advice for other business owners at this time? Stay positive, be creative and hang in there! The community is really supportive and tries to support as best they can. Restrictions will eventually lift, so just take it day by day and be flexible with your product, trading hours, and how you operate your business.

It's not quite business as usual for those in the bridal industry. It’s been a tumultuous few years for weddings. After a pandemic-imposed pause, there is a backlog of brides-to-be eager to get their plans back on track. And the most important item on the to-do list? The dress. Yet challenges continue to plague the wedding industry. That pent-up demand is colliding with supply chain interruptions, rising costs and critical labour shortages, forcing bridal business owners to once more adapt to “unprecedented times”. After navigating his way through countless lockdowns, Quinton Evans – owner of White Lily Couture , a bridal boutique in Queensland’s Red Hill – is working hard to overcome these new challenges. We sat down with Quinton to talk about the changes he’s observed, switching from the big-4 banks, and making mental health a priority. Tell us how you got into the bridal industry. My wife and I took over the business in 2013 — the previous owner had been running it since 2007. We realised we were sick of working for other people. She had been working for another retail business, and turned around their stores. One ended up being a million-dollar sales business, and another became the most profitable store in the state. I was a wedding photographer, so we figured we’d either run a florist or a bridal store. As first-time business owners, we were a little naive. The old business owner stayed with us for the first month, and at the time we thought we might have made a bad investment. Since then, there’s been a lot of sweat, hard work and learning. It’s been almost 9 years now, and we’re absolutely smashing it out of the park. How has COVID-19 affected the wedding industry? At the end of March 2020, we were really stressing. Appointments started to drop off, and once the lockdown was imposed we didn’t have a choice. We didn’t know what to do. We worked out how long we could operate and continue paying staff in full, and when the money would run out. JobKeeper was a real blessing, and an annoyance. The store was closed in April 2020, but we were able to reopen in May and within the first week our appointments were fully booked out. We have friends who own a bridal store in Sydney who were locked down for far longer, so we helped out by getting stock in as they were still able to run virtual appointments. What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? It’s getting harder now with supply and recommended retail prices – literally everything is going up. A prime example is a company with its one factory in China. They get the base made at the factory, then it’s shipped over to Spain where all of the lace is sewed on. Then it’s got to be shipped back to the factory in China for final checks before it’s transported to the container hub, put on a ship, and sent over here to Australia. There are a number of things that could go wrong in that whole process before it gets to our door. Why did you switch from the big-4 banks? We’ve previously been with two of the big-4 banks. For a time, a relationship advisor was helping us to get all our accounts in order. They treat you like kings, and try selling you on insurance products, EFTPOS terminals , all of that. Any time I had a question about the weird, confusing stuff banks often come up with, I could ring him up and get an answer quickly. Then we were dropped. When we needed to contact them, we’d typically get put on hold for a couple of hours. It’s the same for any organisation — they get too big, they don’t care about the customer. How has the Zeller experience been different? When I first saw Zeller Terminal, it looked absolutely ideal. It was one of those things, thinking: "How can we use our cash smarter?" We did the calculations, and it works out that we’re saving $10,500 in fees by switching to Zeller. Firstly, that’s fantastic. Secondly, are you kidding me? And now, we accept AMEX too. We couldn’t with our old terminal, because with a 3 per cent fee it wasn’t practical. Zeller’s flat rate is just better. What advice would you give a first time business owner? Take time to look after your own mental health. Really make that a priority, because when it gets to the point where you’re needing it to be a priority, it’s too hard to go backwards. It’s hard to put those things in place when you’re working all the time. Customers are important, but there’s no business without yourself. Do something for yourself — book a time, make it part of your weekly routine. By the time you get to the point where you’re stressed out of your mind, and you’ve got nothing for yourself, it’s too late.

Meet the artisanal merchants helping customers navigate the big world of wine. The Native Drops team believe wine is something to be admired, discussed and understood. Each offering has been hand-selected for its innovation and, of course, taste. Weird and wonderful offerings are showcased alongside more traditional drops; there’s something for everyone. Sustainable farming and harvesting practices are prioritised, and small batch is the name of the game — so it’s in customers’ best interests to have a chat with the friendly, well-informed staff. Native Drops operates two stores in Sydney — the first in the iconic beach suburb of Bondi, and a second outlet in Surry Hills. In both locations, customers are invited to step off the bustling sidewalk into a serene environment that feels more like an art gallery than a retail store. With polished concrete, suspended shelves and eye-catching floral arrangements, Native Drops is a far cry from the big name commercial bottle shops. Design of the space is prioritised, which is one of the reasons why Zeller Terminal sits atop each counter. We sat down with co-owner Daniel Berman to learn more about Australians’ discerning wine choices, and elevating the experience of purchasing a drop through personalised service and conversation. Where did your love of wine begin? My love for wine began long before it became part of my profession. Initially, it was the social connectivity which surrounded sharing a bottle of wine: friends, colleagues, family all taking part and revelling in a bottle of wine created a sense of community, connectivity, and united pleasure. Living between South Africa and Australia gave me a wonderful cross-cultural understanding of wine in the ‘new world’ and, as the years went on, my passion for wine transcended the boundaries of social significance and became a personal discovery of agriculture, art, geography, gastronomy and the relevant educational aspects of wine and its production. This was further developed after some incredible wine-related missions with my wife to Italy. After some decent success in various spiritually-underwhelming business ventures, I ultimately took a leap of faith to convert my passion for wine into a commercial opportunity and have loved every minute of it since. To me, wine is very much a collective ideal and not so much about a specific style or bottle. I think it t was many great bottles, over many happy occasions, that crafted my love for wine. Tell us a bit about Native Drops. I have always been enamoured with small wine producers — living their passion, honing their craft with desire, care and integrity, and working with nature. Particularly with those that have a connection to the production of wines that truly reflect the vineyard, those that craft their wines with minimal intervention, and who respect the land which they are farming. After my wife moved to Australia, we set about further exploring the local wine landscape together. We were always on the hunt for wines which we had enjoyed across vineyards, tastings, festivals, restaurants, or wine bars which reflected the artisanal approach to wine production. It became apparent that at that time, in the early and mid 2010’s, there were very few retail outlets and drinking establishments that were championing local boutique producers of this nature. After many discussions involving some wonderful local wines, my wife and I decided to find a way to promote these types of wines and producers, and give them a louder voice in our community. This idea of creating wine that was representative of its place, coupled with the love for local producers, was how the concept of Native Drops was born and fuelled (and named). After looking at various spaces, we found a workable space in Bondi with the potential for a bottle store, and within a short and very fast few months we were building the store. We had a friend who was interested in investing with us in the idea. Soon our wine dream became a reality. Though the term ‘community’ is thrown around a lot as a marketing tool, it is truly our aim as a bottle shop promoting such an under-represented product to provide an educational and relaxed community hub for wine, and to change people’s perspective on what wine is all about. Part of this is tastings, educational masterclasses, collaborations with local businesses and artists but, most importantly, just creating a space and a vibe where anyone can be comfortable to discuss and learn about wine. And of course purchase brands that are a little different to what they may have known before. It’s all about communication and connection with people. Wine has always been a catalyst for these principles to me, and this is how we wanted to communicate to our customers.  People were initially sceptical about the style of products we promoted, but it didn’t take long to change their minds. We find ourselves, five years later, having built countless relationships with our customers — now friends — all over Sydney and Australia and we have changed the way a lot of people think about wine. We consider that a major achievement. How will these new elements help grow the business? We haven’t really changed our formula since the start. The pandemic obviously brought challenges which did not allow us to fully express ourselves by doing things like tastings and events etc, but ultimately our community allowed us to remain successful. Adding product options like subscriptions are simply a way for those that cannot come visit us in store to still have a curated selection of the wines which we are currently enjoying. What’s the difference between drinking and experiencing wine? The landscape has changed a lot over the years. Artisanal and minimal intervention wine is now readily available through various channels and has become very popular, which is fantastic. Buyers are becoming more discerning and conversational with regards to wine. This was not so much the case when we started. When we opened the first store in Bondi, the style of products we were selling were not easily available and often misunderstood. We had an idea to showcase the wines we promoted as a collection of art. An experience. Something worth admiring, discussing, and understanding on a deeper level. We set up our fit-out to represent this idea. Almost like a gallery of wine. Within our gallery, our aim is to have conversations. These conversations allow customers to purchase a wine and feel comfortable and happy that they are walking away with something special, no matter the cost. This is how we differ from most bottle shops and retail chains. Personal and very informed service in a space that is warm, interesting, and fun. This, we believe, heightens the experience not only of purchasing wine, but also drinking wine. Experiencing and drinking wine go hand in hand. Your product line prioritises sustainability — is this something consumers are looking for? Simply, our offering provides a framework for some of our beliefs surrounding wine and wine production. We want to champion producers who are committed to producing wines using minimal intervention. This includes respecting the vineyards and the land which they farm or acquire grapes from, as well as how they vinify the grapes and create wine. We believe this makes wines that are most representative of the vineyards they come from and, ultimately, the wines we love to drink. We also like to support producers who have integrity and commitment to the industry. We consider these people Artisans. If the products are considered as ‘natural’ or any other term people want to use, that’s fine. Ultimately, we’re just a wine shop selling great wine made by great people (we think). Artisanal products have gained popularity in recent years. There are many more bars and restaurants selling similar products, as well as many new stores with a similar focus to us. It’s fantastic to see such a strong development in such a short space of time. As businesses like ours have educated customers on new producers and styles of wine and the increase in popularity online and on social media, we have definitely seen a trend of more discerning wine drinkers in our communities. Our customers have certainly shifted the way they purchase and even talk about wine. From memorising brands to discussing wine evolution over several vintages, our customers’ interests have become more in-depth. This involves being more comfortable with discussing advice and buying wine for more experience-based reasons. A lot of this has happened naturally through developing relationships via face-to-face discussions. What prompted the switch to Zeller? My biggest issue with previous EFTPOS terminal providers was the lack of personal service and poor customer service in general. They had let me down several times. It was very frustrating. The Zeller brand has a personal touch, and the Zeller Sales team gave me a sense of security which other providers had not done. I felt like I was dealing with a smaller, local business, which felt more representative of myself and my brand. I was offered competitive rates and the terminals were very well designed, and aesthetically much more cohesive with the vibe of the store. It felt like a good fit. It was a very smooth transition. I find it easy to navigate the Zeller Dashboard, and the reporting is simple to use so I can manage various admin tasks on the go. The team is a pleasure to work with, and I’m happy I made the switch! Let us help your business grow. 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