About Us
We believe that entrepreneurial skills aren’t just good for building your business. They’re essential for creativity, resilience, resourcefulness, and solving the many complex problems threatening our precious planet.
We believe that all businesses are a potential force for social change. We want to help you create a ripple effect that spreads far beyond your local community.
We believe in self-employment, in all its shapes and sizes
We exist to equip and empower business owners to build highly creative, ethical, and mutually-flourishing businesses that become a model for others to emulate.
We do this through online classes, short courses, programs, and coaching.
We’re self-employment geeks here at Hustle & Heart, and believe that this is the future of work. But even if you love your job, or want to pursue a career, entrepreneurial skills are invaluable.
You’re likely here to figure out if we might be a good fit for each other.
So let’s get on with it, shall we?
We believe small business owners need more support
Sole traders and non-employing businesses make up the majority of Australian small businesses. And yet we’re the invisible sector. You may be building a multiple-million dollar micro business from your home, but we’re largely overlooked by the mainstream business sector.
We believe that small business owners need far more support that they’re likely getting – not just for up-to-the-minute technical, no-jargon, no-fluff training – but emotional support for the many plates we’re spinning and stresses we’re managing in our work.
We believe businesses are a force for social change
Businesses have always been a force for social change. And, let’s face it, we’re oftentimes quicker, more progressive, and far more effective than politicians.
Your clients want to spend their dollars with businesses that reflect their values, that live these through their daily operations, and that are consciously working to create the future we want to see.
You have more power as a business owner than you may believe. You can use your influence, reach, and plan for social good. Not just through your marketing, but through your actions and where you invest your dollars. We can show you how.
We believe the personal is political
No person is an island. Personal and political issues affect each other. The number one reason that our clients start businesses is because the modern workplace doesn’t work for us – especially women.
Whether you’re wrangling young children and realising that your job is completely incompatible with this, you’re dealing with chronic health issues, you have a marginalised identity, or you’re just a bit of a weirdo where no job description fits your sparkling skillset, the old ways of work aren’t cutting it anymore (and haven’t done for a long time now).
This feminist rallying cry ‘the personal is political’ has been interpreted to mean that everyone can begin their activism by focusing on smaller issues with which we have personal experience, and move from there to the larger systemic issues and dynamics. This is what we aim to do at Hustle & Heart.
Make boldness your business strategy
Our values
Curiosity and compassion
Curiosity is everything. Curiosity keeps our minds active and our spirits alive. Curiosity leads us to opening our minds towards different world, which naturally deepens our empathy and compassion. We sincerely believe that critical thinking will save the world. Because when we’ve ignited our curiosity, critical thinking, empathy and compassion will result. Want to start a revolution? It starts with curiosity.
We are interconnected
We are all interconnected with each other, therefore we all share a responsibility for each other. As purpose-led business owners, we have the power to change the status quo, to reinvent “business as usual” and to create a ripple effect that travels far beyond our local communities. Thanks in no small part to the internet, it is easier and more accessible than ever before. We are all imperfect activists.
Joy and enthusiasm
Joy powers people powers business. To grow sustainable businesses, we need to take responsibility for our own joy and enthusiasm. We build resilience in a multitude of ways, and while rest and recuperate are essential, don’t underestimate the power of a good boogie to loud music. Enthusiasm is an essential attribute and a major asset in business. Countless people will try to dampen yours. It’s your duty to resist. The best revenge is being happy.
Communication
Communication is a power and a privilege. Being direct in asking for what you want is a necessary part of building a business and not something that everyone can do. Communication is about taking up space, not just being seen and heard. It’s about using your business marketing as a vehicle for creative self-expression, joy spreading and life-affirmation.
About Brook McCarthy
When I was 22, I ran away to be a tour leader in Vietnam and Cambodia. In Vietnam, everyone is an entrepreneur. Most people have side hustles alongside their jobs. There’s no shame in hustling, because in Vietnam, you need to hustle to eat. The Vietnamese I met were naturally entrepreneurial – creative, resourceful, energetic, resilient.
It was in Cambodia that I first encountered social enterprises. Restaurants, bakeries, handicrafts and textiles where heart, thoughtfulness, and social change worked hand-in-glove with commerce.
I thought I was touring South-East Asia to enjoy the sights, food, and culture. But my attention kept being drawn to the many and creative ways people made money. My small business roots of working in my Dad’s business were coming through.
When I returned home, I returned to my default career in Public Relations, where I was a webmaster for an international corporation, charged with content strategy and implementation. From there, I took a sideways step into magazine publishing before opening the doors to my business in 2008, as a digital marketing agency.
With 18+ years’ experience in digital communications – the olden days of the internet – I now train, facilitate and coach others to use these digital marketing to grow. I’m happily unemployable and love working from my home, on Cammeraygal land, in Sydney Australia.
We believe in the power of millions of micro-businesses, stewarded by bold folks like YOU!
Ready to grow? Dive in!
You can dip your toes into our short on-demand classes and live courses, or grab yourself a cuppa and peruse the blog.
Our flagship program, Hustle & Heart, is the most comprehensive training+coaching that we offer. It covers marketing, sales and reputation-building skills for business owners, from not-yet-launched to business veterans.
Experience a taster of our training style with this free video masterclass.