The Pay Off with Sylvia Jeffreys

How do you build a billion-dollar beauty empire based on high-end imitation? For our guest today on The Pay Off, Shelley Sullivan, founder of ModelCo and the explosive mass-market brand MCoBeauty, imitation wasn't just flattery—it was a calculated, brilliant, and controversial marketing strategy. Shelley's journey began with an entrepreneurial spark, launching a modelling agency at 21 before spotting a gap and revolutionising the industry with "tan-in-a-can" and the first heated lash curler. But it was MCoBeauty, launched in 2016 with a "luxe for less" mandate, that became a massive disruptor, recently valued at over $1 billion. In this conversation, Shelley opens up about the strategic genius and the intense pressure of her business model, her decision to sell her remaining stake in the company and the power of intuition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a statement that broke the internet—and simultaneously hit the nail on the head. “It is extremely difficult to be a 30-year-old in Australia right now” was the powerful sentiment which sent today’s guest viral online… So let’s talk about it. Advertising giant, podcaster and media personality, Russel Howcroft, joins The Pay Off today for some real talk. Russel doesn't mince words: he explains exactly why it's never been tougher for young people to get ahead financially right now. From the clever tactics companies use to get you to spend your cash to how Gruen changed the trajectory of his career, Russel shares the best advice and most engaging anecdotes we could pack into one episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes life can feel picture perfect – until it doesn’t. In this episode of The Pay Off, Sylvia sits down with financial advisor, professional wealth coach, and author, Gemma Mitchell, to talk about financially rebuilding from the ground up when inevitable curveballs—like divorce or sudden job loss—get thrown our way. Gemma, who built what looked like the 'perfect life'—the job, the house, the investments—only to have it crumble with a sudden divorce at 28, shares her raw, personal journey and how she’s rewriting her money story. Gemma dives into the simple, non-negotiable steps we should all take right now to kick off our own Money Reset, as detailed in her new book, The Money Reset.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a successful business history like his, you pretty much afford yourself bragging rights for life. And yet, Adam Schwab is unbelievably humble when it comes to discussing his entrepreneurial journey, crediting compounding luck, an incredible team and a loyal customer base of 8-million people to his ongoing success. On this episode of The Pay Off, the Luxury Escapes Co-Founder and co-host of the podcast, ‘The Contrarians’, speaks candidly about his journey through business so far. From a sneaky side hustle in Law School, to subleasing backpacker apartments and eventually, scaling to a luxury travel company, it’s clear Adam’s main passion lies in creating value and delivering on happiness, with a side of impressive profit to go with it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a podcast about money, it’s not uncommon to hear about ‘bonds’. We’re taking a slightly different approach… We’re talking about sisterly bonds. This week’s guests on The Pay Off are sisters and co-founders, Ali & Gaby Rosenberg, whose strong sisterly bond has allowed them to create the successful Fintech company Blossom. In this episode, Ali & Gaby share the ups and downs of their journey creating a company, the heartfelt reason behind calling the app ‘Blossom’, how they’re helping both people and the planet as well as their advice to future entrepreneurs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.