Discover the powerful story of how a simple website for a family cabinet making business sparked a digital entrepreneurship journey that's now transforming Indigenous businesses across Australia. Adam Wooding, a proud Wemba Wemba man, takes us through his evolution from reluctant website developer to founder of Empower Digital, a thriving Indigenous-owned digital agency.

What began with helping his father establish an online presence in the early 2000s has blossomed into a mission to empower First Nations businesses in the digital realm. With refreshing honesty, Adam shares practical wisdom about the right timing for digital investment—advising businesses to build social media presence first before investing in e-commerce solutions when direct message orders become unmanageable. This strategic approach has helped numerous Indigenous businesses scale effectively without premature digital investments.

The conversation reveals how pivotal relationships with support organizations like Indigenous Business Australia have been to Adam's success. From reluctantly attending workshops to becoming a valued service provider delivering digital training, his story demonstrates how engaging with support ecosystems can create unexpected growth opportunities. Most striking is Adam's insight that despite working in technology, it's real-world human connections that drive business success.

With a new Shopify app called POS Cafe and specialized programs for service-based businesses on the horizon, Adam and his partner Carmel continue expanding their impact while balancing business growth with family life and cultural connection. Their journey offers a blueprint for aspiring Indigenous digital entrepreneurs: start with relationships, understand the practical needs of your community, and create solutions that truly empower others to thrive.

Join us for this candid conversation about Indigenous entrepreneurship, digital strategy, and the importance of maintaining well-being while building businesses that serve future generations. Be inspired to take your next step in the digital landscape.

Walking into Good Good coffee shop in Brisbane's West End feels like being welcomed into a community where everyone knows your name and how you take your coffee. Owner Josh Power has created more than just a café—he's built a space where genuine connection happens over exceptional coffee.

Josh's journey to business ownership is as rich as the coffee he serves. Growing up in Bowen, North Queensland as an Aboriginal and South Sea Islander man, he describes himself as "a dreamer" who would imagine creative futures while his father cast fishing nets along the shoreline at dusk. After moving to Brisbane to study remedial therapy, Josh worked in Indigenous health before spotting an opportunity to start a coffee window alongside his sister's medical clinic.

What began as "Little Peaches," a tiny coffee operation, quickly grew into Good Good—a thriving café that's now expanding to include deli-style sandwiches and eventually a wine bar. But what truly sets Josh's business apart isn't just the quality products—it's the intentional culture he's created. Drawing from his experience in health and HR, Josh has challenged the notoriously toxic hospitality industry by implementing professional workplace practices and creating a safe environment where staff feel valued and supported.

"We love our staff and it shows," Josh explains, describing how this translates directly to the warm, personalized customer service that's become their hallmark. This commitment to people—both employees and customers—has built a loyal community following and positioned Good Good for continued growth.

Beyond his business success, Josh maintains his creative spirit, planning to use the financial stability from his café ventures to return to his passion for music production. His story embodies a powerful message for other Indigenous entrepreneurs: trust your instincts, take risks, and create paths that honor both practical needs and creative dreams.

Ready for coffee that comes with community? Visit Good Good at Shop 2, 24 Beasley Street in West End, and experience what happens when business meets heart.

Have you ever felt that persistent gut feeling telling you there's something more meant for you than just clocking in at a job you don't enjoy? That's exactly what led Jordan from Ocean View to establish NHQ Slashing, a business that's now thriving in its specialized niche between large commercial operations and residential lawn care.

Jordan's story isn't about an overnight success or a carefully mapped business school strategy. Instead, it's a refreshingly honest account of following intuition despite lacking formal business education or entrepreneurial family connections. "I was stuck in a job which I wasn't into for many, many years," Jordan shares, describing the gradual build-up of courage that eventually pushed him to make a change. His path to business ownership began with devouring podcasts and audiobooks, seeking wisdom from successful people while researching his industry thoroughly.

The turning point came when Jordan discovered Indigenous Business Australia (IBA), whose business courses and support made entrepreneurship feel accessible rather than intimidating. Their guidance through the business planning process and subsequent financial support proved crucial for someone without traditional business networks. As Jordan puts it, "I don't think there's a lot of banks that would be willing to invest their time into me as much as IBA has."

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Jordan's candid conversation is his openness about the challenges—particularly burnout. His realization that "if you're just doing nothing but your business, even though you like it, you're going to get burnout" led to important lessons about maintaining connections and proper work-life balance. Now past the critical three-year mark where many businesses fail, Jordan is expanding his services and learning about contracts and tenders while never forgetting his core advice: "Life's short, give it a crack, follow your gut."

Ready to be inspired by a real entrepreneurial journey with all its ups, downs, and hard-won wisdom? Listen now and discover how Indigenous business ownership can transform not just livelihoods but lives.