Make It Happen with Iyia Liu

What if the fastest way to grow your business wasn't building your own following, but tapping into someone else's?
Some of the world's biggest brands, including SKIMS, Good American and Poppi, have turned influencer partnerships into billion-dollar businesses. But behind those familiar faces are some incredibly smart business strategies that most entrepreneurs aren't taking advantage of.
In this episode of Make It Happen, I'm joined by producer Holli to break down the business behind influencer marketing, how these partnerships actually work and why having the most followers doesn't necessarily mean generating the most sales.
We look at how brands have partnered with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Indie Clinton and Alix Earle, and explore the different ways businesses can leverage an existing audience — from paid collaborations and micro-influencer marketing to affiliate programmes and offering influencers equity in a business.
I also share what's worked across my own businesses, why smaller creators can sometimes deliver better results than major influencers, and how to start building an influencer marketing strategy even if you have a limited budget and no audience of your own.
Whether you're launching a product, growing an e-commerce brand or looking for smarter ways to attract customers, this episode will give you practical ideas for turning influence into actual sales.
Ready to take your business further?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling.
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
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What does it REALLY cost to start a drinks brand and get your products stocked in supermarkets?
When we launched Brewe, our iced coffee and matcha brand, we invested around $300,000 to get the business off the ground. Less than a year later, we're stocked in Woolworths supermarkets across New Zealand. But getting there has been a much bigger learning curve than either of us expected.
In this episode of Make It Happen, I'm joined by my husband and Brewe co-founder, Jordan Delmont, to break down exactly what it takes to build a beverage brand from scratch.
Jordan left his 13-year career in his family business to take on Brewe full-time, despite having no previous experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Since then, he's had to figure out everything from manufacturing and distribution to supermarket negotiations, pricing, cash flow and managing thousands of cans of stock.
We get into the real numbers behind starting a drinks business, including our initial $300K investment, how we secured our first major supermarket deal and the mistakes we'd avoid if we were starting again.
We also share the lessons we've learned about working together as husband and wife.
If you've ever dreamed of launching your own product, getting stocked in New Zealand supermarkets, or turning a business idea into a brand, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes.
Ready to take your business further?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling.
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
🌐 Instagram: @drinkbrewe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the skills you've spent years developing could become your next business?
After nearly 20 years in broadcasting, from sports journalism and Seven Sharp to breakfast radio, Toni Street has turned her experience in front of the camera and behind the microphone into her own business, Confident Communication.
This episode is particularly special because Toni was actually one of my Make It Happen students! I got to see her go from having an idea to launching her own business, selling 50 courses and generating $25,000 in her first six weeks.
Toni joins me to share what it was like going from being an established broadcaster to a first-time business owner, the challenges of turning your knowledge into something people will pay for, and what she learnt about building a business along the way.
She also gives us a masterclass in confident communication, sharing practical tips from nearly two decades on television and radio. We cover how to manage nerves, recover when things go wrong, speak with more confidence and become a better communicator, whether you're pitching your business, presenting to a room or trying to speak confidently to camera for your social media content.
If you've ever wondered how to turn your experience into a business, build a personal brand or become a more confident speaker, there's so much to take away from this conversation.
📣 Share this episode with someone who has valuable skills or knowledge but hasn't yet realised what they could build with them.
Ready to take your business further?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling.
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
🌐 Toni Street Communication: https://www.tonistreet.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You don’t need years of industry experience to build a successful product brand.
I had never worked in a salon, formulated a haircare product or built an electrical product before starting Tidal Hair. In 2023, the brand did $5.6 million in annual revenue.
In this episode of Make It Happen, I break down exactly how I entered an industry I knew almost nothing about and built a multi-million-dollar brand. From spotting the opportunity and finding a manufacturer on Alibaba, to launching with one hero product, working with influencers and expanding into the US market.
I also share the parts that were much harder to figure out: compliance, product development, Amazon, international fulfilment and the mistakes that cost me time and money. Plus, the three-step framework I’d use today to enter a completely new industry (and what I would do differently if I were starting again!).
If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know enough about this industry to start,” this episode might change the way you think about building your next business.
Ready to take your business further?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling.
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
📣 Share this episode with a business owner who has a product idea but thinks they don’t have enough industry experience to make it happen.
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You might not need more traffic. You might just need to stop losing the customers already visiting your website.
In this episode of Make It Happen, we sit down with Nakita Tugaga, founder of e-commerce agency Lenny Rocks, to break down how to turn more website visitors into paying customers.
We get into why people browse but don’t buy, the biggest mistakes hurting your conversion rate, what actually builds trust online, and how to increase your average order value without spending more on ads — including the strategies that added $700,000 in revenue for one client and doubled another brand’s average order value overnight.
Nakita also shares what it’s really taken to build a business alongside raising a child with autism, why becoming a mum made her more ambitious and how building Lenny Rocks has ultimately become about creating security, freedom and a future for her family.
If you’re already getting traffic but know your website should be converting more of it into revenue, this episode is packed with practical changes you can make to get more from the customers you already have.
Ready to take your business further?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling.
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
🌐 Contact Nikita Tugaga: Lennyrocks.com
📣 Share this episode with an e-commerce business owner who needs to turn more browsers into buyers.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.