Toilet Paper from Germany, Chalk to Mozambique. The mmMule Story.

  Avis Mulhall Avis Mulhall is bright, colourful and full of life- even though she suffers from Crohn’s Disease, has spent considerable time under the surgeon’s knife and was staring down the barrel of death barely six weeks after she arrived in Australia and started working on her then fledgling startup. Full of pluck and tremendous character, Avis shines through as part of the magic of mmMule and its charity arm, AngelMule. An Irish lass... Read More

Thanks to this lasagne, I can now surf. The MamaBake story

The wave of collaborative consumption. Just the tonic needed for an Australia that keeps being told its poor, in environmental crisis and disconnected! The original Mamabakers Thanks to this lasagne, I can now surf. The MamaBake story Michelle Shearer lives in the beautiful Mid North Coast of New South Wales. One afternoon a friend had made too much food and rang up to ask if Michelle and her family would like some lasagne. The act of sharing dinner... Read More

Business for all the right reasons- The MeeMeep Story

There is a new startup wave that is not driven by getting what you have ready in order to sell off for a profit or make waves in the usual sense. The co-founders who work on it aren’t imagining Ferraris in the garage or floating themselves for millions on the stock exchange, although some do dream of connecting with the world’s charities or sipping tea with Richard Branson. These new entrepreneurs want to create community, encourage sharing and... Read More

eXpertLocal is now recruiting hosts!

Guess what everybody? I’m super proud to announce eXpertLocal is now officially open and ready to take hosts! What this means is my latest awesome collaborative consumption client is looking for passionate locals who would love to share their version of beautiful Sydney with other people by setting up a tour. It doesn’t matter if you are a mad keen fitness enthusiast looking to do a surfing sea-fari or if small bar crawls, checking out live... Read More

Guest Post: Five Profitable Green Business Start Up Ideas

Carlo Pandian is guest blogging on a subject I just love- green businesses! take it away Carlo! Read More Like my style? Enjoy the content? Contact me if you need custom content created or marketing help!  Read More

10 Ways to De-stress this Christmas

Got more things to do than a Men’s Shed’s got Dad jokes? Want to do things in a more meaningful and less cash heavy way this silly season? Then have I got the hot tips for you. Check out 10 awesome ways to keep your cool this Christmas with collaborative consumption! Save Money: Christmas takes enough of a slug out of the purse with food, holiday bookings, presents and so on- the last thing you need to do is buy equipment to make Christmas happen.... Read More

What we could all learn from Radiohead

Last night with tens of thousands of other people I was brutally assaulted, seduced and made to feel like I was privy to something huge yet private all at once. The circumstances of this bizarre yet thought provoking situation was seeing Radiohead at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Here’s the disclaimer: I am a card carrying Radiohead fan. I’ve often joked I could say my life is complete once I finally get to kiss Thom Yorke’s bung eyelid.... Read More

The Results of the TaskRunners Survey

Thank you to everyone who who took the time to respond to the very first survey by new collaborative consumption business, TaskRunners. For those of you who don’t know, TaskRunners aims to carve out opportunities for free time and extra cash by sharing tasks across neighbourhoods and communities. This exciting little client of mine is run by soon-to-be-mumma on a mission Cheryl Leong who is throwing her all behind hooking up people with assistance... Read More

Discordia is Live!

I truly love marketing. Being a creative copywriter and freelance strategic marketer is something I love doing. I live helping people. Putting truth and creativity back into marketing isn’t just a tagline for me, it’s the reality. And I really enjoy working with my clients. Yet sometimes I have felt recently that I’ve been letting the writer in me down a little. Writing to me is a deeply personal thing. I don’t expect everyone to agree with... Read More

TaskRunners becomes Unashamedly Creative!

The latest startup as part of the Australian collaborative consumption movement, TaskRunners Australia, has joined the Unashamedly Creative portfolio! Since the collaborative consumption (or collcon as it is affectionately known) hit Australian shores in earnest, over 60 new businesses have sprouted around the country. The latest, TaskRunners, is about bringing people together to lighten the domestic burden, help small business operators and give... Read More

Updated: A to Z of Aussie Collaborative Consumption

Welcome to a list I hope will grow and come to life as the collaborative consumption movement does in Australia. Please feel free to email me at any time to let me know of new things you find or have started up so I can add them to the list. The list is up to date as of APRIL 2013 (now in 12th revision!?), so if you are missing or know someone who is, let me know! Couple of Points: 1. I have tried to be accurate with URL and description, however... Read More

Guest Post: Give a man a fish … Teach a man to fish

Continuing our freelancer guest post series is Karen Lambert- a personal coach who can help you build confident connections with clients, Angel investors and  more. Take it away Karen!     Give a man a fish … Teach a man to fish   So the story goes that if you give someone a fish they’ll eat for a day, but if you teach them to fish they’ll eat for a lifetime. The message – learn stuff that helps you to survive and you’ll... Read More

It’s not “Do not buy anything ever” month!

Can you help me defend what is a cracker of an idea? “Buy Nothing New” month is being featured in a poor light in the Daily Telegraph. Take a look at the article here and please make your own determination but… This October, it is planned that two people will be housed in a sustainable pop-up house in Sydney’s CBD. They will have to source all their clothes and all the furniture for the house second hand. It’s promoting... Read More

Stop breaking your children!

You know what really boils my potato? Hearing from friends and people I come across that in this day and age, there are still parents out there who treat creative endeavours, start-ups and small business adventures and/or major changes to career and way of life by their adult children as “things to grow out of”. That parents are vocally objecting to their adult kids chasing dreams or at the very minimum quietly stressing enough in the corner for... Read More

Don’t be a Start Up Slum Lord

I was shocked and horrified to see a blog on an Australian women’s site recently about how entrepreneurial it was to use online auction sites. It really, really yanked my chain as both a freelancer and a woman that they would offer such a solution, especially under the guise of entrepreneurial spirit. Are you having a giraffe? I have worked with countless small businesses, NFPs and start-ups and I know the budget is tight but seriously, let me spell... Read More

The Australian Freelance Market

As an Australian freelancer who is passionate about the local landscape, Rebekah Lambert, a creative Sydney copywriter and freelance strategic marketer, undertook a survey of the Australian Freelance Market. The main aim of the survey was to understand the issue facing freelancers as well as gather contacts within the industry. After searching for a good six months prior to launching the survey, despite inclusion of freelancing in Census data, articles... Read More

Quick and Dirty Guide to Collaborative Consumption Renting

You’ve opened up your shed, cupboards and in all the nooks and crannies to find stuff to put on Open Shed, and now you have a list of things you would like to put on the site. Yet it all looks a little daunting, right? Well fear not little Share Bear! Here is your Quick and Dirty Guide to Renting on Open Shed! Break it Down Easiest way to start is to grab a piece of paper and pen and just write down what you have and see what you think would be... Read More

Help Open Shed Out!

I have a client in the collaborative consumption space called Open Shed. If you haven’t heard of collaborative consumption before, it is about taking an item sharing it with another person- check out here for details. This great little start-up needs help from people like you! Yes you- ordinary community minded people who share their time, belongings and spirit with each other! Open Shed offer people the ability to list their own stuff so others... Read More

Updated: Some Pretty Cool Stuff

The internet has become a pretty cool playground! Whether you are creative, into business or chasing a new way to crack a project, there are some definitely head turning newbie’s out there. Here are a few of my current favourites. Note: I have taken them from the angle of how they help creative people and businesses because that is what interests me. Most of these do however have much further reaching applications. Plan Big: PlanBig has been around... Read More

Collaborative what now?

This post is dedicated to all of the wonderful people out there who are embracing collaborative consumption on a business and everyday level who sometimes find it a little bit hard to explain the concept to friends, family and people in the street. In particular, this is my little bit of love for the guys from Open Shed. What the heck is all this stuff about Collaborative Consumption? Take yourself back to kindergarten or pre-school… Here you... Read More

Take Time Out for YOU!

It’s fair to say that we all work pretty hard these days, right? We’re constantly connected to work through emails on our phones. We’re always chasing down leads or ideas or working on grand plans on the outskirts of what we are trying to achieve. But you have to take time out for you, else you become some husk, some shell of what you need to be and let me tell you, both your productivity and your emotional, mental or physical health could suffer. How... Read More

Sydney, now it’s your turn…. Let’s Talk Crowdfunding!

After a successful Melbourne event in late 2011, Pozible now brings “Let’s Talk Crowdfunding!” to Sydney. This free event is for anyone who wants to learn more on crowdfunding for creative projects or simply for people interested in self funding through platforms like Pozible. Join us for a helpful, informative and passionate discussion on crowdfunding your dreams and ideas with like minded individuals. The evening is aimed at giving anyone... Read More

So simple it has to work…

I recently finished reading The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing by George Silverman (have put up some pieces from it previously and still have another 5 pages of notes I may share, depending). Each time I pick up a book of this kind, it’s great to find some kernel of wisdom that really rings the bell. Here is that bell ringer for me. I wrote down a heading (like the studious little freak I am) of “Six Steps to Harnessing Word of Mouth” with... Read More

Tried and Tested Ways to Kill Freelancer Enthusiasm

So you’ve just hired a freelancer with the right attitude and skill set for a job and they are passionate and keen on the tasks ahead. Not happy with their go-getter attitude? Then you need to follow these Tried and Tested Ways to Kill Freelancer Enthusiasm! Hire them based on their experience then systematically devalue it Nothing says “cop that ya freelancer!” like a good old fashion devaluation of a freelancer’s experience. The best way... Read More

Why every office should have a Labrador

Morale Office Gibson T. Dog provides more than you think to the day to day operations of Unashamedly Creative.  Here in no particular order is why every office should have a Labrador. Lunchtime Companionship With a Labrador around, you always have a lunchtime companion who is very keen (and I mean VERY keen) on hanging out with you. You never have to feel like a complete Nigel eating lunch all alone with a Labrador around! Exercise is Mandatory It... Read More

Why a freelancer community?

Some people have been asking me lately what the whole freelance survey is about (for your reference, here is the original post http://unashamedlycreative.com.au/2011/10/calling-all-freelancers/) or where it might lead. Here it is in nuts and bolts… Hello- is anybody out there? I started doing a full time freelance gig in 2009 whilst still employed because I wanted to see if it worked. I had some mates who had varying degrees of success across... Read More

Don’t wait for help, create help yourself

I’ve been examining why my head has an issue with the #occupy movement. It’s really hard for me as I agree we need to fix the inequality in the system yet feel so sceptical and puzzled by this movement. I have almost felt a traitor to my beliefs and the beliefs of my family. But then it hit me last night why it bugs me. It reinforces the concept of entitlement. It kind of smacks to me as though “we can do what we like for ourselves and don’t... Read More

Calling all freelancers!

Are you tired of auction sites trying to get you to work for $2 a 500 word article or deploy a whole website for $200? Have you had to mop up after countless el cheapie projects for your clients after things have gone drastically south? Do you sometimes wonder why employment agencies or digital/ad agencies pay you 30% of what they bill you out for? Are you working at places that don’t allow you to stretch yourself as much as you would like? Do you... Read More

Pozible hits the Million Dollar Mark

Australia’s first crowd funding platform, Pozible, has hit an amazing $1million in pledges. Since humble beginnings in May 2010, Pozible has become a viable option for creative and innovative projects around the country as a source of funding through peers pledging their support through crowd funding. Reaching the million dollar mark is yet another milestone for a platform dedicated to helping more ideas become reality in the Australian creative... Read More

It’s all relative

Welcome to that awkward moment where the Facebook friend you can rely on to have their bottom lip out and their rant pants on a regular basis is trying to tell others Facebook isn’t for whinging and to stop their belly aching. You scroll down their page and wonder what you see that they don’t. To that moment where another Facebook friend is espousing the values of the “Occupy Wall Street” moment with dizzying fervour, eagerly anticipating... Read More

Green film making? By accident, maybe

Making a film is hard work; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But with the Crackheads, the way the story is designed, there is a little bit of “wriggle” room re: getting things absolutely perfect. In essence, I have actually designed around having no to low budget. Admittedly, it is hip to be a recycling, reusing greenie scrounging up materials to a certain extent I am using this to my advantage. But it is also about meeting budget, making... Read More

Why crowd funding?

Any creative or socially innovative person will tell you that there is often a tremendous support for their idea from friends, family and like minded people within their networks. That same person may talk of the struggle they have faced to raise the funds needed to make their dreams a reality and how hard it is to market and continually run fundraising initiatives to fund their projects. Through crowd funding, we aim to bring those passionate people... Read More

Is that a Groupon in your pocket (or are you just happy to fleece me?)

Is that a Groupon in your pocket (or are you just happy to fleece me)? Australia certainly has seen a boom in growth for the online group buying schemes in the last 12 to 24 months. Along with it, the mixed reviews of just how much of a bargain the group coupon experience can be. So why is group buying so appealing and what can we do to make sure what we buy is the value item we are looking for? Let’s pick up the group buying phase and gives... Read More

Kinds Of Blue Interview

Successful Project Kinds of BluePozible was recently honoured with supporting a unique artistic and writing project, Kinds of Blue, which deals with what it is like for people living with depression. This amazing book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand, who loves someone with depression, or struggles with depression themselves. We would like to thank Karen (the creator) for taking time out of her schedule to talk to Pozible about... Read More

The feverish dizzy of knowing another’s lie

I recently had the misfortune of being caught up in someone else’s lies. On a physical level, I find such sensation akin to fever, akin to the horrid pale sweat and lightness of mind that accompanies a newly acquired fever. On the emotional side, it was quite hurtful to be caught in such a situation and feel manipulated, fooled and just plain annoyed the deception split over into my little world. But by far the worst result was seeing the complete... Read More

It’s not easy being Green

Kermit the Frog really did have it right when he uttered the immortal words “it’s not easy being green” but I am not sure the world’s current eco crush was what he had in mind at the time. As I trawl through another day of the online world and I see more and more people purporting the green message, I sometimes wonder just how well informed the well intended eco consumers of today are. Something doesn’t seem quite right with this equation... Read More

Pozible and “Crowdfunding for Good”

Pozible co-founder Rick Chen had the privilege to be a part of a panel discussion in Melbourne alongside StartSomeGood and the Awesome Foundation. Here, in front of a full house, Rick not only spoke about Pozible but also gained some valuable ideas and insight for the Pozible team and community at large on how to gain funds we’d like to share. Talking on a panel is just so damn delicious when you are with co-contributors like these… In their... Read More

Keyboard Crackpots – conversation without consequence.

You click on a link and see a much bigger boy being videoed as a much smaller child bounces around like a demented Bruce Lee infected kangaroo in front of him. Calls and comments are heard in the background. Slaps are given from smaller boy to larger boy. Finally the larger boy appears to snap and wham! A small boy is pile driven into concrete and everyone is in a whole mess of trouble by the time it hits the evening Sydney news. The instigator, the... Read More

Will Sydney lose another venue?

It all began with a fairly innocuous occurrence- the SMH writing a paragraph on Justin Hemmes’ recent purchase of the Excelsior Hotel and his big plans for the venue, and others in Surry Hills like it. Soon Facebook started popping up links to the article everywhere as musicians and punters alike started to feel the first cold dreadful feelings about what this could mean for a scene that can still feel the loss of its beloved Hopetoun. Would Surry... Read More

The January edition of brainmates eMuse!

Welcome to a brand new year and a January eMuse jam packed with perfect Product Manager paraphernalia! brainmates have started the year with a strong response to our training courses, brand new articles by the team and exciting careers for anyone who’s looking to sink their teeth into their next big challenge! How To….Excel At Day-To-Day Product Management What Will 2011 Hold For Product Management? Deductive Logic. A Market Segmentation... Read More

Social media for a good cause

Social media attracts a wide variety of reactions from people and not always good ones. Take for example www.lamebook.com which has enjoyed highlighting some of the sillier things people will share on their www.facebook.com profile who are now subsequently being sued by the social media giant for trademark infringement  by the very same platform well known for sharing their users content with third parties through settings changes, software updates... Read More

The rise and rise of Swap Creative

Now that the holidays are out of the way, the Unashamedly Creative office has come back with a lot of bang and buzz for 2011- with the majority of interest being generated from Swap Creative. Swap Creative came about through wanting to satiate the desire to assist small businesses, most of whom usually lack budget to do major marketing activity, as well as regain some of the “niceties” lost after moving away from a steady salary towards working... Read More

The Swap Creative Application Form

Unashamedly Creative is proud to present a new way of looking at your marketing budget with Swap Creative. In order to keep myself and my Labrador in the style we were previously accustomed to, and also help fellow small businesses get that all important word out, I will be taking applications for businesses who are interested in being my exclusive Swap Creative clients. I am looking to hear from any business that may think we could have an ongoing... Read More

Introducing SWAP CREATIVE!

Unashamedly Creative is proud to present a new way of looking at your marketing budget with Swap Creative. Being only in the early stages of operation, Unashamedly Creative has been a small business for twelve months, often working with other small businesses as clients or suppliers to get projects done. Anyone who has ever been in business for themselves or part of a smaller operation will understand sometime the cash flow isn’t available as readily... Read More

Generation Z: Kids with Conscience.

Termed Generation I, Z or Alpha and sometimes referred to as “The Millennials”, the generation of children born from 2010 through to a minimum of 1995, are the first complete generation of first world children to not know life prior to internet (Article: Children of the Tech Revolution. SMH, July 15th 2008). According to an ACMA study in 2007, the average Australian family household had 3 mobile phones, 3 TVs, 2 computers, 2 DVD players, 2 portable... Read More