Archer

I help clients develop and de-risk their strategy by testing it. I confirm demand for new products, value proposition, features or growth tactics prior to investment so businesses can innovate with confidence. 

Examples of clients: Melbourne Business School, Asahi, City of Melbourne, LVLY and kic

Founder and CEO

SBE Australia

Part of the SBE Advisory Collective which provides high growth female led scale-ups with strategic support.

Advising Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire-Smith from KIC in their lead up to raising series A, enhancing their product and growing into new markets.

Advisor

Techstars

Mentor - Healthtech

Blackbird

Mentor

AirTree

I'm part of AirTree's Explorer Program that  nurture the next generation of Angel Investors and supports founders in the early stages of their journey.

Explorer

Shadowboxer

Shadowboxer is a venture studio helping accelerate founders on a mission. 

My role was to define, prioritise and roll out growth initiatives within the Australian business and expand across the US and the UK. This involved establishing new business models and partnership ecosystems with VCs, Accelerators and Agencies.

Chief Growth Officer

Accenture

Working with Fortune 500 companies to look at areas to grow outside their core, defining new products and services to launch. I lead teams across their business and the Accenture ecosystem to test what would work, get customer traction and get a go/no go from the business.

Growth and Innovation Director

Fjord was an innovation and design agency acquired by Accenture. I used business design to help clients reduce risk and increase confidence as they look to grow their current products and services, or navigate white space to define what they should chase next.

Strategy and Innovation Director (Fjord)

Startupbootcamp

Startup Mentor

Isobar

Responsible for a team of 20, securing and scoping new business opportunities, and ensuring our strategic design and growth engagements were delivered successfully. 

We helped clients leverage digital channels to acquire and retain customers, as well as design and launch new digital products and services to generate new revenue streams.

I led the strategic engagement with clients such as Holden GM, Jetstar, Mondelez and Aus Post.

Strategy and Growth Director

I worked in the London office on clients across both the EU and UK, such as Kelloggs, eBay, Dettol and Durex.

L'Oréal

I was a consultant responsible for the digital strategy of the L’Oréal Paris Melbourne Fashion Festival; creating a digital platform for the event that acquired customers and drove them to purchase online.

Associate Strategy Director

Helping corporates and scale-ups define and de-risk their venture, product or growth strategy | Startup Mentor | Airtree Explorer | ex. L’Oréal, Accenture | 30 under 30 winner

Navigating the ins and outs of launching a product or pivoting an organisation towards new areas of growth is hard. 

I work with businesses to try and make it a little easier.

I look at customer, brand, product, market and tactics to tackle growth challenges to get you crystal clear assumptions and a rock solid plan on how to test them.

Testing and validating before going all-in is kind of my mantra to make sure you don’t waste time and money going down the wrong path. 

I’ve used this assumption-led approach to strategy within the startup and Fortune 500 ecosystem for companies like L’Oreal, Vogue, Accenture, General Motors, Blackbird, Techstars and Antler.

I've navigated diverse landscapes globally—in Australia, the US, and the UK—across sectors like health, tech, and retail - and am comfortable managing disparate stakeholders, leading teams, and tackling regulatory and competitive hurdles across all industries.

**

I’m currently excited to blend my background in psychology and health coaching with my venture skills. The goal is to create disruptive business models that democratise access to physical and mental health.

I'm pumped to be a judge for this year's Pause Fest & Awards!

This year's about celebrating innovation and breakthroughs across the Australian business landscape.

We're on the search for clever ideas and great businesses to enter the awards and share their stories - don't be shy!

Entries are open until 30 August 2024 at www.pauseawards.com.


Excited to be judging with you Stephen Foxworthy George Hedon Adam Ferrier Cheryl Mack Deborah A. James Bush Jonny Levi Joel Hanna Jonny Schneider Ben Flint Brooke Persich

Hayley Rose

I give leaders the confidence to launch and grow products, proving what will work in market - before they’re in market | Mentor | BSc and Health certification | ex. L’Oréal, Accenture | 30 under 30 winner

It feels ridiculous to say this, but all this AI and optimisation is making me want to be more human.

We wake up.
Check our phones.
Put on our smartwatch.
Get a coffee.
Scroll through the news while we wait.
Go for a walk.
Listen to a podcast.
Scroll on our iPad while eating breakfast.
Commute to work (still scrolling).
… you get the drift.

In being so connected, we’re so disconnected.

We don’t say hi to strangers.
We don’t open ourselves to chance encounters.
We don’t have idle time for “aha” moments.
We don’t give our nervous system a break.

I'm pretty sure this is not what we want. 

So now what? Here’s my hunch.

Businesses that connect with our desire to be more human will win.
It doesn’t matter if it’s tech, consumer products, B2B…

What does this look like?

They build products with you.
They speak to you (not at you).
They show you real people, and real products.
They don’t sell, they help.
You don’t fill out forms, you chat.
They help you in more ways than one.
They leave high value tasks to humans.
They make your life easier.
They assist you with more than one task.


Rather than solving every problem with AI, let’s look at how AI can give us back the time to solve people's problems more creatively and meaningfully.


Instead of being so hyper-focused on optimisation and saving time, let’s find ways to help people savour their time, slow down, and do the things that actually light them up.


The secret sauce?

Speak to humans. Design with humans. Be more human.


------

I've always taken a customer focused lens when advising companies on how to create winning products and services. There's a few tried and tested steps that work every time. Feel free to DM me and I'm happy to share them.

It’s great to see one of Australia's biggest tech companies doubling down on experiments and new areas of growth.

I’ve been working with Cambell Holt and the SEEK growth team for the past few weeks, and it has been a total joy helping them think more broadly about how they can validate new business ideas and quickly and confidently reach a go/no-go commercial decision point.

We used a two-day workshop to up-skill the team in new ways of thinking about how to define problems to solve, come up with unique propositions, direct them into risky assumptions to test, and move through a suite of experiments to validate if they are worth pursuing.

Since then, I’ve been on the ground a few days a week to help coach the teams in bringing these theories into practice.

We’ve had quite a few 'aha' moments that I thought I’d share for anyone else taking their business on this journey:

> Don’t put all your time and focus on one experiment; think of it as a series of experiments to gain learnings.

> Make sure you isolate what is proven before you move on to prove the next thing. For example, confirm that people want your proposition before you test what price they'll pay. That way, if you're not getting a good indication of willingness to pay you know it's a pricing issue, not a desirability issue.

> Data is great, but don’t underestimate the value of user interviews to get a view things like their sticky problem to solve, and why or why not people want your solution, certain features, and how you want to charge them.

> There is no standard "if this, then that" for when and how you use tests, it really depends on what you’re trying to test and the unique circumstances of your idea and your business. Instead, make sure your team understands the rationale behind why you choose one test over another and in what sequence so they can make their own informed plans—we’ve got a killer decision tree going!


We're only 3 weeks in and it's such a pleasure to see new ways of working and thinking taking shape already.  

(Maybe it's all the snacks - that lolly bar is dangerous)

-------

I've had a few people ask about how these programs work, so if you're curious to learn more feel free to DM me and we can have a chat.

The struggles of being a founder, are frustratingly often entangled with the struggles of being a human.

Who else had a lot of personal stuff come to the surface when trying to see if their business was going to work?

I'd like to intro you to my inner critic:

"This is never going to work."
"You’re not good enough for this."
"Someone else will do it better."
"You’re doing it all wrong."

She's mean, hey?

I’ve been lucky enough to have great mentors and friends point me towards some really helpful frameworks, that have totally changed how I approach this inner voice, and the ambiguity and rollercoaster of going out on your own:

1. Contraction vs. expansion (from Victoria Song's Bending Reality): 

Ask yourself, are you operating from a place of stress and closure, or openness and optimism? Nothing brilliant is created when you’re stressed, critical or closed off.


2. Pause and reflect: Inspired by David Ghiyam's teachings in Kabbalah.

This approach is about taking a moment before reacting. 

How often are you triggered, and you just want to react right away?

You send the passive aggressive email. 

You tell the person they’ve done the task wrong.

Instead of reacting with frustration, he suggests to pause and ask, "What can this teach me?" 

This mindset turns even the most challenging situations into opportunities for growth.

3. Focus on the desired future:

 It's easy to dwell on what we fear rather than what we aspire to achieve. 

I had an unreal call with Tim Noakesmith who shared an article from Dave Kashen, which is centred around being hyper focused on the future we desire, not the future we don't want to come true. 

If this dream of the future doesn't fill you with enthusiasm and inspiration, it might be time to realign your goals.

-------

Who else has a nasty inner critic? How do you manage that meanie?

I’ve got a pretty alarming fact for you.

Adult searches for "How to have more fun in life?" are skyrocketing. 

Here’s my hunch as to why:

> We’re all stressed and burnt out, especially after the years of Rona, and looking to bring more moments of joy into our routines as a form of relief.

> We’ve got digital fatigue and are seeking more fulfilling offline activities.

> We’re getting better at balancing work and life, and we're actively looking for ways to prioritise happiness and wellbeing over just focusing on career and wealth.


Brands are taking notice, capitalising on what's now coined “Joyconomy”:


> McDonald’s introduced Happy Meals for adults, and total sales rose by roughly 10%.

> Moxy Hotels in Manhattan created “Playful Stays,” including features like game rooms, pinball arcades, and dress-ups.

> Seth Rogan’s cannabis brand, Houseplant, just unveiled new collectible, Lego-like packaging.


So, here’s a thought:


> Integrate some humour into your product or content to make interactions light-hearted and fun.

> In a world where digital fatigue is real, products that encourage offline activity are like a breath of fresh air. Think about crafting experiences that pull people away from screens.

>  Create content on social media that isn’t just problem-focused clickbait, but instead makes you belly laugh so hard that you snort.



I guess we're all big kids who just want to play hey?

Can you guess what I was doing on this day (it’s not what you think)?

Was I:

A. Hiking up a very steep mountain
B. In hospital awaiting a serious diagnosis
C. Lying on a deck chair in Bali 
D. Running a hectic all-day workshop

⬇ 

It was C.

I was “relaxed”
- Book in hand
- In the sun
- Drinking coconut water

But my body wasn’t

Had I not been wearing an Oura ring, I’d have no idea.

It got me thinking.

Is all this health data a friend or a foe?

I change my mind on this question all the time.

On one hand, I’m armed with insights to gauge what’s going on:
- Did I get enough sleep?
- Where am I in my cycle?
- What physical activity should I do today?
- Will I be alert enough to complete my high-ticket tasks?


But on the other hand, it brings total angst:
- How will I get through my day with this sleep score?
- Why does my body think I’m so stressed? What’s wrong with me?
- I’ll have to cancel my whole day, look at these scores.

So what’s the lesson?

Data, when it comes to health:
- IS  there to give us signals, insights, and tools to help us optimise our lives.
- IS NOT there to be used to rule your life, use it as ONE source of truth, not the source of truth (you know how you feel)

Agree or disagree?

Last month, I realised I was slightly off track from my ambition. 

Part of the reason why I left Accenture was to get closer to founders and decision makers, and 70% of my work didn't align to that.

So I wanted to change that.

I'm working with Chad Stephens and Elliot Spiegel from Inhouse Ventures to work more with scale ups, founders and PE firms to help them feel more confident that their new products, or plans to grow existing ones will work before they hit launch. 

I had to do an embarrassing spiel about how that would work - feel free to have a watch.

⬇

Did you know 76% of new bets fail because companies don't have the right strategy? 

Ditch your hunches and blue sky gambles and take the risk out of launching a new product or growing an existing business with Archer. Founder Hayley Rose said many businesses get caught in the trap of rushing to launch without taking the time to test their ideas and services with their customers.

Watch now to learn how 👉  https://lnkd.in/gFuMSrde

Hot tip: You can only squeeze a limited amount of juice from your core business.

I’ve been working with clients who are trying to hit their growth targets.

They’ve reviewed their P&L and looked at:

> Where they can optimise spending
> How they can reach and convert more customers
> How they can bundle/package their offer to increase spend per customer


But 9 times out of 10, this doesn’t get them to their growth target:

> You can only 'steal' so many customers from a competitor
> The market for your product is capped and you've got as many as you can
> You can only cut so many costs without compromising your product quality
> The cost to get new customers surpasses the value they bring
> Customers only need/want to buy so much from you


AND the reality of trying to reduce margins while increasing customer acquisition and spend is no easy task.


It may seem counterintuitive to think about how you can make money outside your core business when times are uncertain, but in actual fact, it could be the silver bullet to hit your bullseye.


The trick:

> Explore new ways to make money, in a way that doesn’t cost you too much time or money.
> Keep your team focused on core operations, and don’t try to ask them to grow both.

I know doing the above doesn’t work operationally for a lot of scale-ups and corporates. There often isn’t the skills or capacity in the team to make it happen.


I’d love to change that!

I’m looking to expand my offer to help businesses navigate the sticky situation that is the above.

How many of you read this and were like “hell yes, this is my issue”?
How many of you know someone who’s going through it and needs to find a way out? Tag them below.

Would love to chat to you all and learn about what’s going on.

#growth
#ventures
#strategy

Here's proof of why listening to customers is crucial, but understanding their actual buying behaviour is more important.

A month or so ago I sat down with the amazing Mia Klitsas to learn more about her Moxie - progressive period care story.

One of the take-aways (and, there were many) was when she launched tampon refill packs.

Customers were asking for it, so she granted them their wish.

Seems logical that once it was available, people would go out and buy it, right?

Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan.

If you want to learn about what went wrong, and how she now de-risks new product launches I cover it all in the latest issue of Spaghetti Stories. I'll leave the link in the comments below 👇🏼

I’ve been diving into the topic of selling time versus earning while you sleep.

I think it’s safe to say we’d all rather be doing the latter.

But… we’re not all doing it. Why not?

> Not everyone wants to take the risk of starting a business.
> Selling a product (a course, a book, a service that someone else delivers) isn’t for everyone—I’ve realised it’s not what energises me.
> We don’t all have the capital to start these businesses.
> We don’t all have the financial freedom to take the risk.


For any consultants or coaches out there interested in moving in this direction, here are some small steps you can take:


> Create a series of webinars that replicate some of your services, which people can buy and watch in their own time.
> Find low-value tasks that you can outsource so you can expand the number of projects you take on without increasing your personal workload.
> If you have unique IP or ideas, consider licensing them to other businesses so you can earn royalties.

Have I missed anything?

If you want to dig into this more, can highly suggest the Almanack of Naval Ravikant


#productstrategy
#consulting
#entrepreneurship

Hot tip: A DIY prototype can secure a retail deal with Woolworths.

I'm excited to keep sharing some of Mia Klitsas's tips and tricks when it comes to growing Moxie.

Arguably one of the best, was the DIY deodorant can and an eyeshadow lid she hacked together to sell her new line of tampon packaging to Woolies. 

She's shared several other hacks and watch outs with me if you're curious to learn more. 

The full story is on Spaghetti Stories 🍝 

---

Open article: How Mia Klitsas Used a Deodorant Can to Get Moxie into Woolworths by spaghettistories.substack.com

How Mia Klitsas Used a Deodorant Can to Get Moxie into Woolworths

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