Without small business, we’re nothing. TheLatch— and GoDaddy have teamed up to rally behind local businesses and entrepreneurs during this unprecedented time of change.
We’re speaking to small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country to better understand how they’re adapting to stay open, how they’re keeping their community safe, and how we can support them now during this time, and beyond. We’re focused on keeping Australia open for business, even if doors are closed. #OpenWeStand
Scott Gooding is an entrepreneur with one overarching goal: to support others on their individual wellness journeys. To do so, he’s launched seven separate businesses to date (from an online health program called Reconditioned.me to The Holistic Performance Institute, a health coach education resource) that all fall under the wider banner of his eponymous company. The latest is Good Meals, a food delivery service born from Gooding’s restaurant Good Place, that focuses on nutrition and sustainable and ethical food provenance.
As the coronavirus pandemic shifted the profitability and needs of his various businesses, Gooding decided to bring the launch of Good Meals forward by six months.
“We got our website together using GoDaddy tools and support, and all on a shoestring, all within days. We were always going to launch this but it made sense to bring it forward due to the crisis.”
His ability to remain responsive and reactive is what has allowed Gooding to weather the ups and downs of business.
“You can have a great idea and a great concept on paper but it might not eventuate in reality. The best way to get the best out of your concept is to adjust to the market and to competitors.”
While it’s still early days, Good Meals is off to a strong start. “We’ve had some great numbers. It’s a very exciting time, all things considered.”
We sat down with Gooding to talk about the business lessons he’s learned (spoiler: digital marketing is the key to success), why being nimble is the best advice he could give to other entrepreneurs as they navigate a changing marketplace, and the possible positives he predicts could emerge following the coronavirus crisis.
TheLatch— Hi Scott! You have a lot going on at the moment so we won’t take up too much of your time. To kick off, can you please tell us a bit about one of your first businesses, Reconditioned.me.
Scott Gooding: The idea was born about eight years ago to create an online holistic health program. It was born as I was a PT and I realised that my reach was limited to community and clients, but I wanted to get my message into households right across Australia. I chipped away at that idea and fast forward to 2018, we launched. It was about a year of getting the concept refined, and getting the right people on board.
I realised pretty early on that what it came down to in terms of success, was how good you are as a digital marketer, how creative you are with ads.
It sits as part of the products and services that I have. My broader business is scottgooding.co, where you’ll see it’s one of the pillars of my business. It serves as a one-stop-shop for fitness and health and holistic living.
TL: Has your business remained stable since the coronavirus pandemic, as it’s always operated online?
SG: When the crisis first took hold I noticed there was a spike, but I’ve also noticed simultaneously that there’s lots of free information now. Coaches and fitness instructors are doing online workouts. It’s a great thing, health and wellness is becoming very community driven.
“It will be interesting to see what emerges after the crisis passes.”
It will be interesting to see what emerges after the crisis passes. It might be commerce we haven’t seen before, or an attitude to business that we haven’t seen before. I’ve seen it with brands that have pivoted and modified their service or product in a way that suits the climate, or invented or offered something completely removed from what they had before.
TL: You raise a great point! What advice do you have for other budding entrepreneurs, in terms of navigating this difficult time?
SG: Whether it’s this climate or when things return to ‘normal’, it’s being responsive and nimble and reactive. You can have a great idea and a great concept on paper, but it might not eventuate in reality. The best way to get the best out of your concept is to be nimble, responsive and adjust to the market and to competitors.
“Be nimble, responsive and adjust to the market and to competitors.”
TG: You have a roster of amazing businesses, do you want to share a bit more about what else you have going on?
SG: I started a restaurant business last year called Good Place and that spawned the idea of having that food philosophy of healthy, nutritious meals that can be delivered to your home. That business, Good Meals went live last week, so stage one was always to have ready-meals in service stations like BP and Caltex, and stage two was going to be about six months from now, which was direct to consumer, but given the crisis, without sounding too opportunist, we moved that launch forward.
We got our website together using GoDaddy tools and support, and all on a shoestring, all within days. We were always going to launch this but it made sense to bring it forward due to the crisis.
We saw an opportunity and solved a problem, by having healthy nutritious meals delivered to people’s doors.
Pictured: Good Place
TL: How has the response been so far from customers?
SG: Great! It’s early days, it’s only been literally five days. Wednesday is the first delivery to customer doorsteps, but we’ve had some great numbers in regards to orders. It’s a very exciting time, all things considered.
“We saw an opportunity and solved a problem.”
TL: How can customers support your business in the short term?
SG: Support Good Meals, go online and order to your door. We had to close our restaurant in Miranda, NSW and on the Sunshine Coast, QLD. We’d just done the soft launch, so we hadn’t shouted from the rooftops yet and then we had to close it. We’ll open again as soon as this passes and as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Order next week’s meals through Good Meals, and support a new small business.
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