Money Secrets Podcast cover for Season 3 Episode 65 titled “3 Brands With Great Business Models,” featuring Fi Johnston on a teal background wearing a colourful dress. — Three Australian brands with business models that Fi absolutely loves. Fi unpacks what makes these businesses stand out, from how they design their products and choose their partners, to the way they build customer relationships and deliver their offers.

Featuring Good Citizens, Yarn'n, and Wolki Farm, this episode is a chance to explore what these businesses do well, to help you think differently about how your own business works.

Listen to Episode 65

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why great business models go beyond just making money. The best businesses create products people genuinely want and deliver them in innovative, thoughtful ways.
What makes up a business model. From value proposition to customer relationships, partners, costs, and distribution, understanding these building blocks helps you design a business that works.
How simplifying your offers can increase profitability. A smaller product range often reduces costs, removes overwhelm for customers, and improves conversion rates.
Why transparency and storytelling are powerful marketing tools. Clearly showing how your business operates builds trust and helps customers feel confident choosing you.
How choosing the right partners strengthens your business model. Aligning suppliers, collaborators, and charities with your values creates a more compelling and cohesive brand.
Why “where” and “how” you deliver matters as much as what you sell. Innovative distribution channels can reduce costs, increase convenience, and create stronger customer loyalty.
The role of customer relationships in long-term success. Moving from “customers” to “members” or community can deepen trust and increase retention.
Why pricing for value (not competition) leads to better outcomes. Businesses that prioritise quality, impact, and sustainability can charge in alignment with the value they deliver.
How to think more strategically about your own business. From simplifying offers to rethinking delivery and partnerships, small shifts in your model can create big results.
Why your business model is one of your biggest opportunities. When designed well, it supports profitability, impact, ease, and long-term sustainability, all at once.

3 Australian Brands with Great Business Models (EP#65)

Introduction

We've made a lot of progress as a society in many areas, but one thing that hasn’t changed enough is our relationship with money. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, we need to understand the secrets to making money in small business.

The more we talk about money — especially the secrets that usually stay behind closed doors or on the golf course — the more empowered we become. My mission is to get more money into the hands of good people, specifically business owners like you.

Because I believe small business can change the world. And to do that, we need to be making more money.

Acknowledgement of Country

This episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I’d like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present, and recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.

What Makes a Great Business Model?

If you’ve ever heard someone talk about “business models” and thought… what does that actually mean? — you’re not alone.

A business model isn’t just how you make money. It’s the full picture of how your business works. From what makes you different, to who you serve, how you deliver your product or service, and what sits behind the scenes to make it all happen.

In this episode, Fi breaks it down through the lens of three Australian brands doing it exceptionally well. Different industries, different offers—but all built on thoughtful, strategic, and impactful business models.

Let’s get into it.

1. Good Citizens: Less Products, More Impact

Good Citizens is an Australian eyewear brand turning recycled plastic bottles into high-quality sunglasses.

What makes their business model stand out?

They’ve gone all in on simplicity. Instead of offering dozens of styles, they’ve narrowed it down to just three core designs—carefully tested to suit most face shapes.

This does a few powerful things:

Keeps production costs lower
Reduces decision overwhelm for customers
Increases conversion (because it’s easier to choose)

Layer that with strong storytelling, radical transparency around sustainability, and a clear mission (“Untrash the Planet”), and you’ve got a brand that feels both premium and deeply human.

Takeaway:
You don’t need more products. You need better, more intentional ones.

2. Yarn: A Business Built on Values (and Follow-Through)

Yarn is an Australian-made toilet paper brand donating 50% of profits to First Nations education initiatives.

Yes, the product is great. Yes, the subscription model is convenient.

But what really sets them apart is alignment.

Manufactured in Australia
First Nations owned
Profits supporting an Australian Indigenous organisation
Clear, measurable impact reporting

They don’t just say they care—they show it. In numbers, partnerships, and decisions.

And that matters.

Because customers today aren’t just buying products. They’re choosing what (and who) they want to support.

Takeaway:
Your partners, suppliers, and collaborators are part of your brand. Choose them intentionally.

3. Wonky Farm: Rethinking How You Deliver Value

Wonky Farm is a regenerative farm with a completely different approach to selling meat.

Their standout move? A 24/7 self-serve butcher, available only to approved members.

No staff. No traditional retail setup. Just trust.

To access it, customers need to:

Visit the farm
Meet the team
Become part of the community

This creates:

Deep customer loyalty
A strong sense of belonging
Lower operating costs (no retail wages)

It’s not just a transaction—it’s a relationship.

Takeaway:
Your distribution model and customer experience can be your biggest differentiator.

What This Means for Your Business

These brands aren’t winning because they’re louder.
They’re winning because they’re clearer, more intentional, and more aligned.

Here’s what to reflect on:

1. Your Offer

Are you giving people too many options?
Or could simplifying actually make you more profitable?

2. Your Partners

Do your suppliers, collaborators, and platforms reflect your values?
Or are they just “what you’ve always done”?

3. Your Delivery

How are people experiencing your work?
Is there a more innovative (or more human) way to deliver it?

4. Your Customer Relationship

Are people just buying from you…
Or do they feel like they’re part of something?

Good Money Club

If this conversation resonated, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Good Money Club is open right now.

Inside Good Money Club, women business owners:

Learn to understand and manage their own money
Build financial roadmaps
Develop sustainable pricing strategies
Get accountability and support
Increase revenue and take-home pay
Make bold, ethical money decisions

If you’re ready to:

Earn more
Pay yourself properly
Build a sustainable business
Reduce money stress
Close your own revenue gap

You can learn more about Good Money Club while doors are open.

Final thoughts

A strong business model isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing the right things—on purpose.

The way you design your business impacts everything:

Your profitability
Your impact
Your energy
Your customer experience

So if something in this sparked an idea, follow it.

Because the best business models aren’t copied—
they’re created with intention.

Outro

Thank you for listening to Money Secrets. If you loved this episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a review. Your support helps us get these conversations into the hands of more good people who deserve to thrive in business.

We’ve come so far as a society in many ways, but money is one of the areas where progress hasn’t been enough. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, it starts with understanding the secret: money in small business.

In this podcast, Money Secrets, host Fiona (Fi) Johnston—Chartered Accountant, small business advocate, and impact enthusiast—dives into the conversations we need to have about money. The secrets that once stayed behind closed doors (or on the golf course) are finally out in the open.

Fi’s mission? To get more money into the hands of good people, like you. She believes small businesses have the power to change the world, and the key to making a bigger impact is to make—and manage—more money.

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Thank you to everyone involved for bringing this podcast together. We are excited to hear from you with any questions, feedback or suggestions for future episodes that you might have. Send a Direct Message to @peach.business

If you are excited for what’s to come, please like this episode, follow the podcast and share it with your friends. We are thrilled you're here.

Want to find out more about Good Money Club? It's for female and non-binary business owners ready to make more money and impact. Join us?

Check out my FREE Pricing Training you need to set your prices for profitability.

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This podcast episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation and I'd like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on. I'd like to pay respect to elders both past and present, and note that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Productivity and automation aren’t the answer

3 Australian Brands with Great Business Models (EP#65)

Three Australian brands with business models that Fi absolutely loves. Fi unpacks what makes these businesses stand out, from how they design their products and choose their partners, to the way they build customer relationships and deliver their offers.