Humble Brags is the podcast where entrepreneurs, brand builders, and founders share the real stories behind building a business. Hosted in Australia, we bring the founder community together through honest conversations, wellness-focused retreats, and intimate events designed to fuel both business growth and founder wellbeing. Each episode dives into the wins, setbacks, and lessons from inspiring startup founders, e-commerce leaders, and business owners. This is your supportive space to grow your business and mindset.
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43 recent
August 19, 20261 hr 3 min
Building, Bootstrapping and Selling Wrinkle Schminkles | Gabrielle Requena
Gabrielle Requena, founder of Wrinkle Schminkles, shares how she turned a personal skincare problem into a global, bootstrapped brand sold in more than 22 countries. She discusses creating a new category, navigating copycats, Shark Tank, viral growth, international expansion and the realities of building a business without outside investment. Gabrielle also reveals how she prepared Wrinkle Schminkles for acquisition, decided it was time to exit and what life looks like after selling the business. Key Takeaways1. Be ready when opportunity strikesGrowth can come from unexpected places, but the businesses best positioned to benefit are the ones that have already built strong foundations.2. Build a business that can operate without youPreparing for an exit meant strengthening the brand, team, DTC channel, wholesale presence and international markets so the business could thrive beyond its founder.3. Know when it's time to move onAfter ten years, Gabrielle recognised that she was no longer enjoying the day-to-day in the same way. Understanding when your goals have changed can be just as important as knowing how to grow.
August 2, 202652 min
Seemira | The Founder's Nervous System | Lana Hopkins on Mon Purse, Exiting, and Seemira
Lana Hopkins built Mon Purse into one of Australia's most recognisable brands, sold it, and then admitted something most founders never say out loud: she built it because she wanted to be loved. In this episode she talks about what the exit actually felt like, and why her next company, Seemira, tracks the nervous system instead of selling handbags.
June 22, 202625 min
What the hell is happening at Humble Brags?!
It's Hannah's birthday, so we sat down to give you a PART 1 and have a proper chat to fill you in on everything that's been going on, because there is a LOT. We recap our trip to Miami (and everything it stirred up for where we're taking things), and we walk you through all the new things happening at Humble Brags right now, including the one we've been quietly building behind the scenes: The Brag Club. Consider this your catch up. Grab a drink, settle in, and let us bring you back into the fold. Part 2 coming soon... You can read more about The Brag Club here: https://www.humblebrags.com.au/pages/the-brag-club
June 8, 202651 min
Hannah Spilva | Selling LVLY, But Never Really Done
Show Notes What happens after you achieve the founder dream and realise it did not bring the fulfilment you expected? This week we sit down with Hannah Spilva, founder of Done and exited founder of LVLY. Hannah opens up about the emotional reality of life after a successful exit, why money did not bring the fulfilment she expected, and the powerful mindset shift that changed how she approaches business today. The conversation explores founder identity, burnout and anxiety as entrepreneurial strengths, customer obsession, sustainable growth, and the importance of building a life and career you genuinely enjoy. Hannah also shares the story behind Done, the salon-quality at-home hair colour brand born during Melbourne’s lockdowns, and why she believes convenience, simplicity and customer experience are the future of beauty. If you are building a business, questioning success, or trying to create something meaningful on your own terms, this episode is packed with honest insights and practical advice. Key Takeaways The joy of entrepreneurship is often found in the building process, not the exit. Sustainable growth and customer happiness can matter more than rapid scaling. ADHD and anxiety can become entrepreneurial superpowers when channelled productively. Saying no to the wrong opportunities is just as important as saying yes to the right ones. Building a business that aligns with your lifestyle and values creates longer-term fulfilment.
April 16, 202652 min
Instant | Building a Multi Million Dollar Tech Company at age 17 | Liam Millward
In this episode we sit with Liam Millward, Co Founder of Instant , the AI-powered tech platform helping brands and entrepreneurs scale faster, who has built an impressive multi-million dollar tech startup. If you’ve ever wondered how to start a tech company as a young adult or what it takes to grow a business from scratch, this episode breaks it all down. Liam shares his journey into entrepreneurship, how he identified early opportunities, and the exact strategies he used to build and scale a successful startup in a competitive industry and how he is now supporting brands around the world to scale their own businesses using his tech. We dive into the mindset required for startup success, the challenges young entrepreneurs face, and the future of AI for ecommerce marketers. This is a real startup story packed with practical advice, from business growth strategies to scaling a tech startup fast. Whether you're an aspiring founder, a Gen Z entrepreneur, or someone interested in AI business tools and innovation, this episode delivers actionable insights and inspiration.
January 16, 202626 min
KAS Australia | Building a Business That Outlives Trends | Karen & Daniel
What does it really take to build a business that stands the test of time? In this episode, we sit down with Karen and Daniel from KAS Australia , the founding family behind a brand that has not only survived but thrived for 46 years in an ever-changing retail landscape. We unpack the decisions, values and long-term thinking that have allowed KAS to outlive trends, economic cycles and shifting consumer behaviour, without losing sight of who they are as a brand. From navigating growth and reinvention, to knowing when not to chase the latest trend, Karen and Daniel share honest insights on longevity, leadership and building something that truly lasts. This is a must-listen for founders who are playing the long game and want to build a business that’s still relevant decades from now.
December 14, 202555 min
Waterdrop | Bringing a Global Hydration brand to Australia | Catherine Dix
We sit down with Catherine Dix , who brought the global sustainable hydration brand Waterdrop to Australia and New Zealand through an innovative joint venture partnership. From agency operations to launching a disruptive FMCG brand in a market halfway across the world from head office, Catherine shares the raw, unfiltered journey of bringing Waterdrop's mission of sustainable hydration to Australian shores, building on the brand's incredible success across Europe with five million happy customers globally . We dive deep into the realities of launching a global brand locally, from localising a proven European tech stack and community strategy for the Australian market, to navigating seasonal differences when your global socials show winter campaigns during Australian summer, and the strategic decision to leverage three quarters of a million Instagram followers rather than starting from scratch. Catherine gets refreshingly honest about the challenges and triumphs of scaling from D2C to retail , landing one of Australia's biggest partnerships with the Australian Open just four months into market, creating the official player bottle that eliminates 97,000 plastic bottles from a single tournament, and the nerve-wracking journey of launching into Woolworths. We explore the power of building the right foundation before rushing into retail, why their Coca-Cola flavored cube keeps selling out (despite being contentious with cola purists), the importance of owning what you don't know as a founder, and how customer service for 18 months taught her everything about logistics, lost parcels, and why address validation matters. Plus, we're joined by Tom from Clearer.io , longtime partner and sponsor of this episode, who shares insights on building a consultative tech stack approach, the future of personalization and AI-powered search, and an exclusive sneak peek at their upcoming product launching in Q1 2026. From leveraging five years of global reviews data from day one, to syndicating reviews to Woolworths, to scaling through Facebook ads and email while building a passionate VIP community on Facebook, this episode is packed with tactical insights on international expansion, retail partnerships, and sustainable growth. Whether you're scaling a global brand locally, navigating the leap from D2C to retail, or building a mission-driven FMCG business, this episode delivers honest lessons, partnership strategies, and inspiring moments from the frontlines of bringing a European success story to Australia. ✨ Make sure to like, subscribe and follow along for more founder stories from the world's most innovative companies.
December 7, 202535 min
Dame Products | The Brand That Changed Women's Pleasure | Alex Fine
Join us for an incredible episode recorded live in New York City, where we sit down with Alex Fine , CEO and co-founder of Dame Products , the pioneering sexual wellness brand that's been breaking barriers and changing the conversation around women's pleasure for over 12 years. From a curious six-year-old getting in trouble at show-and-tell to earning a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, Alex shares her unconventional journey from aspiring sex therapist to building one of the first female-founded vibrator brands in the industry. Alex gets refreshingly honest about the realities of building a consumer goods brand, from bootstrapping for six years , navigating the complex world of venture capital as a female founder (spoiler: only 2% of VC dollars go to women), to the challenges of inventory management, cash flow constraints, and finding sustainable profitability. We explore the notorious New York City subway ad battle where Dame sued the MTA for discrimination, the absurd advertising restrictions sexual wellness brands face on platforms like Meta, and the creative workarounds required to market products that science proves are good for you. Plus, Alex shares her philosophy on product innovation through community-driven research with Dame Labs, why she's more proud of bootstrapping than raising capital, her top advice for female founders considering investment, and why sexual wellness deserves to be recognized as an essential part of overall health and well-being. Whether you're a founder navigating taboo industries, interested in the sexual wellness revolution, or just love a story about persistence and purpose-driven entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with raw insights, tactical advice, and inspiring moments from a true industry pioneer. ✨ Make sure to like, subscribe and follow along for more founder stories from the world's most innovative companies.
December 3, 202552 min
Fireflies AI | From MIT Hackathon to Billion Dollar Platform | Krish Ramineni
Join us for an incredible live episode recorded in San Francisco, where we sit down with Krish Ramineni , co-founder of Fireflies AI , one of the fastest-growing AI companies transforming how teams work. From humble beginnings at an MIT hackathon to building a platform used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies, Krish shares the raw, unfiltered journey of creating Fireflies AI. We dive deep into the early struggles, seven failed products , running out of savings, getting rejected by Y Combinator twice, and the pivotal moment when they built something people actually wanted to pay for. Krish reveals how they launched their AI meeting assistant just two weeks before COVID hit, the challenges of scaling from zero to billions of conversations, and the controversial decisions that shaped their company culture including no one-on-ones, 100% remote with 120 employees across 50 cities , and why they hate recurring meetings despite building meeting software. We explore the technical evolution from pre-LLM era to integrating GPT-3 before ChatGPT launched, building enterprise-grade security while staying customer-obsessed, and why they chose bottoms-up growth over traditional enterprise sales. Plus, Krish gives us an exclusive sneak peek into Fireflies' upcoming product launch, a real-time AI assistant that will fundamentally change how we experience meetings. Whether you're building an AI startup, scaling a tech company, or just fascinated by the future of work, this episode is packed with tactical insights, contrarian takes, and honest lessons from the frontlines of the AI revolution. ✨ Make sure to like, subscribe and follow along for more founder stories from the world's most innovative companies.
November 25, 202533 min
Hannah & Carmel Take NYC: Life Updates, New Ventures & Our 2026 Ecommerce Predictions
Join Hannah and Carmel for a raw, unfiltered solo episode recorded straight from New York City. Between back-to-back meetings, podcast shoots and city chaos, we sit down to share everything happening behind the scenes, in our personal lives, our careers, and the evolution of Humble Brags. We talk about what’s working, what’s changing, what’s challenging us, and where we’re heading as we build Australia’s fastest-growing founder community. And of course, we couldn’t leave NYC without diving into our top ecommerce predictions for 2026, the trends, tech, behaviour shifts and opportunities we believe every brand should be preparing for. Whether you’re a founder, marketer or just love a good catch-up chat, this episode is packed with insight, honesty and a whole lot of New York energy. ✨ Make sure to like, subscribe and follow along, big things are coming.
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