Skip to main content Skip to log on Skip to search Accessibility at CommBank

Brighter / / How to help your small business stand out

How to help your small business stand out from the competition

These founders have mastered the art of getting noticed by listening to their customers—and sometimes learning the hard way.

By Hannah Marton

  • Designer Courtney Zheng ensured her eponymous fashion label had a unique selling point and invested in storytelling to build her brand.
  • The founder of SoHo Yoga in Brisbane, Amanda Zdanowicz, relies on word of mouth and encourages small business owners to explore government grants and awards.
  • The owners of Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory in NSW's Riverina Region have an authentic approach to marketing and focus on originality.
  • Marshall Waters turned to his younger staff members for ideas to promote his Melbourne bottle shop and wine bar, ReWine.

Standing out in the crowd is no easy feat when you’re running a small business. Whether you’re selling fashion, chocolate, wine or wellness, there’s always competition and plenty of noise. Yet for many founders, the challenge of cutting through is also part of the thrill. It’s about tuning in to what customers really want, taking a few risks and learning lessons along the way. Here, four thriving founders share how they’re moving the needle.

Invest in the right storytelling

When Courtney Zheng launched her eponymous fashion label three years ago, she drew from her parents’ and grandparents’ experience in the textile business. Courtney’s chic garments have already graced the runways at Australian Fashion Week.

1. Elevate yourself

“If a market is saturated, you need a unique selling point. In fashion, if you offer pieces with a luxurious application, a better cut and better sewing, when a customer puts them on, they can tell it’s a higher-quality garment than a similar-looking item from another brand.”

2. Price it right

“I’m lucky that the business is completely vertically integrated. We own our own production line in China, including a 10-person atelier that’s been in my family for three generations. We can price competitively because we don’t have a middleman, like other brands of a similar calibre, that take a cut from each end.”

3. Invest in PR

“Storytelling is important. A public relations agency can help you with that when you launch a brand. It’s different for each company but from the inception of my business, my agency helped me focus on my own story and celebrating my heritage.”

I wish I’d known… 

“You may have seen your parents run a business or worked in the industry but when it’s your own business, you realise that managing people is a huge undertaking. You also care a lot more.”

Prioritise valuable connections

Disenfranchised with the “commoditisation” of yoga, Amanda Zdanowicz founded SoHo Yoga in Brisbane in 2014, in an effort to give more people access to this ancient practice.

1. Be community minded

“I’m a yoga teacher first and a businessperson second. I wanted to make yoga accessible for all so we offer concessions to those who need it, plus teacher-training scholarships. We collaborate with not-for-profit The Yoga Partnership, which facilitates classes for people living with disability, cancer, mental health conditions and more.”

2. Keep it local

“People don’t typically travel more than a couple of kilometres to go to yoga so we’re hyper-local and rely on word of mouth and referrals. I don’t need 30,000 Instagram followers on the other side of the world to promote my business. Social media, for us, is less about customer acquisition and more about fostering connection among existing clients.”

3. Apply for local awards

“This year I received a Lord Mayor’s Women in Business Grant and it’s been so much more than just funding. The 12-month development program that comes with it has opened up amazing professional networks. I’d encourage small business owners to explore local or state government grants and awards. It can be a game changer, especially when you’re looking to scale or strengthen your community impact.”

I wish I’d known… 

“You can’t always replicate your business model in another place. I tried it in two different suburbs, which I thought would be similar to our first location but it didn’t work. I’ve learnt to appreciate and be content with what I’ve got: incremental growth year-on-year.”

Take on risky opportunities 

Father and daughter duo Neil and Rhiannon Druce run Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory out of a restored flour mill in NSW’s Riverina region. From holding the world record for the longest piece of licorice to collaborating with influencer Ellidy Pullin on Easter chocolates, they know how to get attention.

1. Just say yes

“Opportunities come up, like a television appearance or an event, and we’ve always said yes and then sorted out logistics later,” says Rhiannon Druce. “Sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s chaotic but we’ve always figured it out. Saying yes has brought us some of our biggest wins, like our first chocolate event where 6000 people turned up when we had expected a few hundred.”

2. Tell your story

“We’ve always had an authentic approach to marketing,” says Rhiannon. “We show the people behind the product and how we make it. Audiences especially enjoyed our social media over the COVID period—they were locked down and wanted to see fun people having fun.”

3. Be original

“The first step is choosing your product,” says Neil Druce. “If you make a product that everyone else is selling, you’re in trouble. It’s the difference between competition and “surpetition” [running your own race rather than focusing on competitors]. Nobody else in the southern hemisphere was making organic licorice.”

I wish I’d known… 

“To trust my gut with how best to market our brand, because we know it better than any guru,” says Rhiannon. “In the early days, we were told that showing the faces that create the product wouldn’t work in a digital world but that advice was wrong.

“We’ve always said yes to opportunities that come up and then sorted out logistics later.”

Meet your clientele where they are

At Marshall Waters’ game-changing bottle shop and wine bar, ReWine—which has locations in Brunswick East and the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne—customers can return and refill their wine bottles, saving money and supporting sustainability.

1. Listen to young voices

“Trust the youngsters to generate ideas; they’re amazing. It was our younger staff members who suggested a series of trivia nights, which are working quite well for us now.”

2. Nail the location

"The clientele in Brunswick East tends to be big on sustainability but doesn’t want to compromise on quality. The area attracts a younger demographic who tend to have mortgages, too, and the wine is cheaper once you start refilling.”

3. Partner up

“We’ve been a major sponsor of the Melbourne Fringe Festival for years. We supply wine for them and it’s really good exposure for us. The audience tends to be environmentally aware and they’re interested in our wine.”

I wish I’d known… 

“To harness social media earlier. I’m of a generation that sees it as a blur of information but I guess it’s time to teach an old dog some new tricks and just get on with it.”

Tips for marketing your business

Startup mentor and Outfoxed founder Samantha McCallum spills her top business secrets. 

  • Frame your business as the answer to a rising trend, shift in consumer behavior or urgent problem. 
  • Start with smaller “niche” media coverage, which is more accessible and can lead to inbound interest from bigger outlets. 
  • Build reactive “PR muscle” by setting Google Alerts for industry topics. Jump on relevant headlines with your take. 
  • Package insights, not your pitch. Founders who teach tend to get quoted so focus on being an expert, rather than your product. 
  • First pop-up? First international order? First team hire? Share milestones publicly. The media is drawn to growth signals. 

Explore CommBank Business Masterclass

Access a series of practical learning modules across the topics that matter most to businesses, including AI and cash flow.

Explore lessons

Related articles


Published: 14 November 2025

Tags

Things you should know

An earlier version of this article was published in Brighter magazine.

This article provides general information of an educational nature only. It does not have regard to the financial situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as personal financial product advice. The views expressed by contributors are their own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of CBA. As the information has been provided without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on this information, consider what is appropriate for your circumstances, and where appropriate, consider the relevant Target Market Determination, Product Disclosure Statement and Terms and Conditions available on our website. You should also consider whether seeking independent professional legal, tax and financial advice is necessary. Every effort has been taken to ensure the information was correct as at the time of printing but it may be subject to change. No part of the editorial contents may be reproduced or copied in any form without the prior permission and acknowledgement of CBA.