Make It Happen with Iyia Liu

What happens when you stop overthinking business and just give it a crack?
We sit down with Leigh Hart - one of New Zealand’s most recognisable comedians and the entrepreneur behind Wakachangi and SnackaChangi - to unpack how he turned decades of storytelling, creativity and a cult following into brands that stand out on supermarket shelves.
Leigh takes us inside his unconventional approach to business and marketing, from announcing a beer brand on Facebook before he’d figured out how to make it, to landing a meeting with Griffins and testing packaging by literally putting mock-ups on bottle-store shelves to see if people could find them.
We get into why he believes real world behaviour beats focus groups, how to build a brand that can stand on its own without relying on the founder’s personal profile and why knowing what you’re actually good at - then finding the right partners to handle the rest - has been critical to growing his businesses.
Leigh also shares one of the biggest decisions of his career: walking away from his ownership in Wakachangi to take full control of SnackaChangi, why it felt completely counterintuitive at the time, and how trusting his gut gave him the freedom to grow the brand on his own terms.
Plus, we talk Kiwi humour, personal branding, FMCG, expanding into Australia and overseas and why Leigh would rather see someone start imperfectly than spend years planning something they never launch.
If you’re a business owner who tends to overthink the next move, this episode might convince you to stop planning quite so much and start testing.
Ready to take your business further?
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Do you actually need to become the face of your business to grow it?
This week on Make It Happen, we sit down with ⁨@roimatawilkey⁩ founder of @burst digital to unpack how she built a personal brand that has reached more than 200 million people and turned content into a powerful growth channel for her business.
Roi shares how she went from struggling to post consistently to finding repeatable content formats capable of generating millions of views. We break down what actually makes content perform, from hooks and retention to storytelling, testing and knowing when to double down on what works.
We also get into the bigger business case for personal branding: why people buy from people, how showing up consistently builds trust long before someone becomes a customer, and why not every piece of content needs to lead directly to a sale.
Plus, we talk Instagram vs LinkedIn vs TikTok, how to use your analytics to improve your content, where AI fits into your strategy, and why authentic human content could become even more valuable as AI-generated content floods our feeds.
If you’re a business owner looking to build more authority, reach more people and turn your expertise into a brand people know and trust, this episode is for you.
Ready to start building or scale your existing business?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
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🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
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Finding the right manufacturer is one thing. Making sure they actually deliver the product you agreed on is another.
In Part 2 of our manufacturing series, we sit down with TK Wang, founder of Epic Sourcing, to walk through what happens after you’ve found your supplier - from briefing the factory and developing samples to production, quality checks and shipping your finished product to New Zealand.
We get into how to give your manufacturer a clear product brief, manage sample revisions, approve a golden sample and make sure the final production run matches what you signed off on.
TK also breaks down what you need to agree on before production starts, what to do if your products arrive faulty, and the shipping, customs and compliance considerations that can catch first-time business owners off guard.
If you’re starting a product-based business, manufacturing in China or preparing to place your first bulk order, this episode will help you understand the process and avoid costly mistakes.
Ready to start building or scale your existing business?
🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
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🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
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At 22, I went from a minimum wage to Making $300,247 in a single month from my first business.
I had no business experience, no connections, and no big bank of savings behind me. Just $6,000 in my account and absolutely no idea what I was doing.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the five phases I've used to start and scale every business I've built - from finding an opportunity people will actually pay for, to launching, landing your first sales and eventually building towards consistent $20K months.
I'm getting into why your idea doesn't need to be original, why competition is actually a good sign, how to stop getting stuck in research mode and self-doubt, and why launching before everything's perfect could be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Ready to build your business to your first $20K month? Book a free strategy call with the Make It Happen team below.
🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on business, mindset, and building your dream life
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
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Spent money on ads and got nothing back? Here’s what you’re getting wrong.
In this episode of Make It Happen, we sit down with Roi Wilkey from Burst Digital, who has helped generate more than $150 million in revenue for businesses, to break down what actually makes Meta ads convert.
We get into how much you should spend on Facebook and Instagram ads, why you should stop boosting posts, how to test your creative and why the ads that look least like ads often perform best.
We also cover retargeting, customer psychology, email marketing, your sales funnel and how to turn more of your ad spend into actual sales. If you’re running ads or thinking about starting, this episode will help you spend smarter, test better and avoid some very expensive mistakes.
Ready to scale your business? 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
🔔Subscribe for weekly videos on business, marketing, mindset and growing your business
🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
Need Help With Ads? Get in touch with Roi at Burst Digtial
🌐 https://www.burstdigital.co.nz/
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