This post is all about the fourth pillar of the Biz Bloke ‘Lifestyle Business Architect’ method: Building your authority to generate better opportunities.
There’s a particular kind of frustration I see a lot in Aussie small businesses.
A business owner who’s genuinely excellent at what they do — years of experience, real results, clients who absolutely swear by them — and yet they’re grinding for every single lead, competing on price with people half as capable, and spending Sunday nights wondering why the phone isn’t ringing the way it should be.
That doesn’t sound great to me! I’d rather be down at Marvel Stadium watching the bulldogs in the footy than grind for leads. Actually, I’d prefer to watch my rivals win the footy than grind for leads.
The answer, almost every time, isn’t that they need to work harder. It’s that nobody outside their existing client base actually knows they exist.
That’s the Authority problem, and it’s the most difficult pillar to master in small business – no matter whether you’re a Lawyer, Architect, Brickie, or Physio.
In the Biz Bloke framework, Authority is the fourth ‘A’ — and it might be the most misunderstood. It’s not about ego. It’s not about becoming a minor celebrity or spending your weekends posting selfies on LinkedIn. Authority is about being perceived by the right people, in the right rooms, as the obvious expert in your space.
It’s what happens when a journalist needs a quote about your industry and they think of you. It’s what happens when a podcast host is building their guest list and your name comes up. It’s what happens when a potential client Googles you before a meeting and finds something that builds immediate trust before you’ve even shaken hands.
Done properly, Authority is the biggest business asset by a country mile — one that compounds over time, attracts better clients, commands higher fees, and frankly makes the whole thing a lot more enjoyable.
I feel like a lot of us start out our business and just want some freedom and to ‘have enough’, so we totally gloss over the authority problem, thinking it’s for the “Tech Bro’s” and “Workaholics”.
That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Authority is something that we all need to work on, and it can be very enjoyable to boot!
We’re small businesses. We aren’t going to hire a dedicated publicist on retainer or set a million dollar marketing budget. But we can make real inroads into Authority by simply making the right choices with how we spend our time in our small business.
PR and Media Kits are not just for big multi-nationals. You need one too.
There’s a persistent myth among small business owners that PR (getting featured in media, speaking at events, appearing on podcasts) is something that happens after you’ve made it. That you earn visibility by already being visible. It’s one of those frustrating circular problems that stops people from starting at all.
“PR happens before you’ve made it. Not After.”
Here’s what’s actually true: journalists, podcast hosts, event organisers, and magazine editors are constantly, desperately, looking for credible subject matter experts who aren’t household names. The big-name interview is often far beyond their reach financially and for other reasons. The genuine expert who can speak plainly about real-world experience? That’s the content their readers and listeners actually want.
The local Melbourne and Australian business press — publications like Smart Company, Inside Small Business, The Age business section, and dozens of industry-specific trade titles — are actively looking for real operators with real stories. Not polished corporate spokespeople reading from a media brief who aren’t even the real expert. Real business owners who’ve made mistakes, learned hard lessons, and built something worth talking about. Now that’s worth something… to everyone!
That’s you. You just need to make yourself findable and credible when they come looking If you’re reading this blog right now, that means that you’re one of the special people who actually care about what they do. You don’t just stumble on this content while browsing instagram. You came here deliberately.
I bet you have a mountain of value to give. So let’s give it.
Start Here: Build Your Media Kit
Before you pitch a single journalist or apply to speak at a single event, you need a media kit. This is non-negotiable.
What is a media kit?
A media kit is a simple document (or a dedicated page on your website) that tells the story of who you are, what you’re an expert in, and why anyone should care. Think of it as the thing you send when someone says “can you send me some info?” — except instead of a scrambled email with an attachment, you hand over something that makes you look like you’ve been doing this for years, and is backed up with free-to-use graphics, photos, and quotes.
A solid media kit for a small business owner should include:
- A professional biography in two formats. A short version (two or three sentences) for podcast intros and event programs, and a longer version (two or three paragraphs) for feature articles and speaker profiles. Think of these as your ‘pitch’ for your authority. Write both in third person. For example ‘Andrew Volkman is the ‘Business Lifestyle Architect’, and he specializes in helping business hours work less and profit more.’ The long version should include your background, your area of expertise, and one or two specific results or achievements that demonstrate credibility — not vague claims, but real specifics. Think about things a journalist would love to say in order to build their own credibility.
- A high-resolution headshot. One that looks like a professional took it, not a cropped group photo from a work function three years ago. This is worth the $200-300 investment with a photographer. Media outlets need print-quality images, and turning up with a blurry phone photo immediately signals that you’re not media-ready.
- Your key talking points or topic areas. Three to five subjects you can speak or write about with genuine authority. Be specific. “Business strategy” is not a topic. “Why most trades businesses undercharge by at least 20% and what to do about it” — that’s a topic. The more specific and the more interesting the angle, the easier you make it for a producer or editor to picture exactly where you fit into their media narrative.
- Social proof. Any previous media appearances, speaking credits, awards, qualifications, or notable client results (anonymised if necessary). Even if this list is short right now, start it. Every credit you earn goes straight on here.
- Your contact details and a clear call to action. Make it easy for someone to book you. A media inquiry email address, a phone number, and ideally a link to a calendar booking tool.
Keep the whole thing clean and professional. A one or two page PDF works perfectly. A dedicated “Media” or “Work With Me” page on your website is even better, because it signals that you take this seriously and you’ve done it before.
You’re not ‘there’ yet. And that’s ok. Podcasts are a great start.
Podcasting is arguably the most accessible PR channel available to a small business owner right now, and it’s chronically underused. There are thousands of business, industry-specific, and lifestyle podcasts actively recording episodes every week — and the vast majority of them need guests.
The pitch is simpler than most people think. Find podcasts whose audience overlaps with your ideal client. Listen to a few episodes. Then send the host a short, direct email — four or five sentences — that explains who you are, what you do, and specifically what value you’d bring to their listeners. Reference something specific about their show.
Don’t make them read through three paragraphs about your background before getting to the point. And of course – link them back to your media kit!
A few places to look for relevant podcasts: search Spotify and Apple Podcasts using terms your ideal clients would search. Browse PodcastGuests.com and MatchMaker.fm, which exist specifically to connect hosts with guests. Check who else is guesting on the shows you already listen to — if someone with a similar background to yours got a run, so can you.
When you’re on a podcast, have one or two clear, memorable stories ready. Not a list of features and benefits — stories. I can’t shout this loud enough – DO NOT SELL ANYTHING WHEN YOU’RE IN THE MEDIA. You’re positioning yourself as an expert so that the opportunities come later. If you try to sell now, it will all fall apart as you’re seen an disingenuous. Think: A specific client problem you solved. A mistake you made that taught you something genuinely useful. Stories are what listeners remember and what makes hosts invite you back or recommend you to their network.
Locally, keep an eye on Melbourne-based business podcasts and anything produced by industry associations relevant to your sector. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, various industry trade groups, and local business networks all have content arms that are often looking for contributors.
Speaking Events: Get in the Room Where the Decisions Are Made
A speaking engagement puts you physically in front of a concentrated group of your ideal clients or referral partners — which is a completely different experience from anything digital. The trust built by watching someone speak well in person is hard to replicate.
But it actually goes far beyond that. Have you ever wondered if your product or service is actually targeted and appropriate? Speak in front of a group, and you’ll essentially be getting free feedback. This will lead to much better product fit over time.
The path to the stage doesn’t start with TED talks or some other insane ‘Tech Bro’ level talk. It starts with wherever your clients are gathering, and that may be a fairly small event. That’s ok!
Industry association events, local business networking groups, Chamber of Commerce breakfasts, BNI chapters, VIP Business Network events (One of my favourite Melbourne networking groups), Fresh networking, professional development events for your sector — all of these run regular programs and are routinely searching for speakers who can deliver something genuinely useful. Reach out to the organisers directly, point them to your media kit, and propose a specific talk with a specific outcome for attendees.
Your first few speaking gigs will probably be unpaid, and that’s fine. The goal at this stage is to build a reel — footage of you on stage that you can use in your media kit and on your website. One well-delivered 20-minute presentation at a local business event, filmed on someone’s iPhone, is worth more for your credibility than a page of written testimonials.
As your profile grows, look at larger events. Flying Solo Live, the Melbourne Business Network, and various state government small business programs all run events where speaker expressions of interest are actively welcomed. The key is to have a clear, specific topic that solves a real problem — not a thinly veiled sales pitch dressed up as education. Audiences can smell the difference immediately.
Getting Into Print and Online Media – Not Step 1, but a great end-goal.
Editorial coverage — an article about you, or an article by you — carries significant weight because it implies a level of third-party endorsement that advertising simply doesn’t. Just imagine if you could say the words: “Yes, I was recently published in Business Insider”. Wow! Doesn’t that sound authoritative!
When someone Googles you and finds a Smart Company profile or an opinion piece you wrote for an industry publication, it does the trust-building work before you’ve even spoken to them.
There are two main routes here: being featured as a subject, or contributing as a writer.
Being featured means pitching your story to a journalist or editor. Small business journalists are particularly interested in:
- Businesses that have navigated genuine adversity and come out the other side
- Businesses doing something genuinely different in their sector, businesses that illustrate a broader economic trend they’re already writing about, and
- Businesses with a compelling founder story. Your pitch needs to be about what’s interesting to their readers, not what’s interesting to you. Frame it as a story, not a press release.
Contributing as a writer means pitching an opinion piece or column to a publication. This is often more achievable for a small business owner than getting a profile piece, because you’re doing the editorial heavy lifting for them. Most business publications — print and online — accept contributed opinion pieces from practitioners. Your pitch should propose a specific article on a specific topic with a specific angle that serves their readership. Again, specificity is everything. “Tips for small business growth” will be ignored. “Why Melbourne’s tradies are sitting on an untapped pricing opportunity” has a decent shot. “Significant AI changes are going to affect plumbers… and you need to prepare now”. Maybe that’s something a plumber would desperately want to read? Whatever it is, we’re all sick to death of ’10 tips on how to be successful’. We all know it’s AI junk.
Relevant Australian publications to have on your list: Smart Company, Flying Solo, My Business, Inside Small Business, In the Black (CPA Australia’s publication), relevant industry trade magazines for your sector, and local outlets like the Herald Sun business section and suburban business features in local papers.
Awards: The Underrated Authority Builder
Did you know that Andrew Volkman (The Biz Bloke – That’s me!) is a multiple-national-award-winning Architect?
And that matters! It’s a major part of my credibility as a highly successful ‘Lifestyle business Architect’ and business coach!
But I’m not just going for some free advertising here. It’s to show you that awards are a great way of elevating your authority. If you win awards, then you’re good. Full stop. And everyone agrees.
Industry and community awards are one of the most overlooked PR tools available. The application process forces you to articulate your achievements clearly. Winning — or even being shortlisted — gives you a third-party credibility signal you can use everywhere. And the networks built through awards programs are often worth as much as the award itself.
In Victoria, look at: the Telstra Best of Business Awards, the MYOB Business Awards, the HerBusiness Network Awards, local council business awards (particularly if you’re operating in the eastern suburbs — Boroondara and Manningham councils both run active programs), and sector-specific awards through your industry association. Industry awards are obviously going to be a great place to start.
Don’t ‘self-select out’ before you’ve applied. Business owners routinely assume they won’t win, or that awards are a game played by bigger operators with PR teams. Neither is true. Authentic stories from genuine operators win awards all the time. The cost of entry is usually just time.
When I started applying for awards as an Architect, I knew I was great. But I assumed I still had no chance. But if you don’t fight – you don’t win. Make sure you’re out there applying.
All of this is fantastic, but we’re all about ‘Lifestyle Businesses’ here. How do we make it all work without the burnout?
The danger with any PR and authority-building strategy is that it becomes a second job that adds to the very overwhelm you were trying to escape. So here’s the practical reality check.
Authority building takes time. 1 year is the absolute minimum. 6 years is much more realistic. But you MUST make it before the 7th year. Because statistically speaking, if your authority isn’t in place by year 7, your business will enter the ‘end of life cycle’, and you’ll be struggling to find sustainable growth as you’re replaced by newer competitors.
You don’t need to do all of this at once. Pick one channel and commit to it for 90 days before adding another. In fact, don’t even dare doing two things at once. I heard a great quote from another business coach:
FOCUS Stands for Focus One Channel Until Successful.
It’s kind of corny, I know. But it hits home for me, and it is an easy mantra to remind yourself when you spread yourself too thin.
Most business owners who start with podcast guesting find that a handful of appearances generates enough inbound interest to justify expanding to speaking or media pitching. Build the flywheel slowly and it will eventually spin on its own.
Set a simple media calendar. One pitch per fortnight — to a podcast, a publication, or an event organiser. Once per fortnight is already a whopping 26 times per year, and that’s plenty of ‘kaizen’ for any business (Kaizen is constant small improvement). Even a modest conversion rate on that will meaningfully change your public profile within 12 months.
Keep a running file of any coverage you earn, any speaking invitations you receive, any podcast appearances or articles. This becomes your proof of authority — and it makes every subsequent pitch easier because you’re no longer starting from zero. Make sure you keeping updating your media kit with new authority as you go.
The Real Payoff – Is it becoming a billionaire? Nah.
There’s a version of your business where the clients you most want to work with come to you already convinced. Where price negotiation is rare because people understand your value before the first conversation. Where you’re invited into opportunities — collaborations, partnerships, speaking gigs, media features — because your name is genuinely known in your space.
That’s not a fantasy. It’s what happens when you take Authority seriously.
And we’re all about the lifestyle business here. When your authority is supreme, that means more time on the beach. Because you’ll be spending less time in the trenches.
The business owners who get there aren’t necessarily the most talented people in their industry. They’re the ones who stopped assuming that doing good work was enough, and started making sure the right people knew about it.
In fact, I know this to be true. Because my father in law is one of them! By all rights, my achievements are much greater than his. He’s entirely average in his field, but people know his authority. In fact, I would rate his authority score around 85/100 – and as a result, he’s a deca-millionaire.
Your media kit won’t write itself. But once it does — once you start showing up in the places your ideal clients are already paying attention — you’ll look back and wonder why you waited so long to start.