This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, Erin chats with El from Maple and Wren — the Perth floral studio renowned for intentional, timeless floral moments — and the brains behind the Maple and Wren Floral Art Academy. El talks with us about her move swapping her government comms and corporate events job to running her own business, going from market‑stall flower crowns to luxe weddings, big‑deal installs and a buzzing education arm.

We get into how she niched down and proved that what you show is what you attract, how she builds and trusts a team with clear briefs and mood boards (and lets go of the “my way” stuff when it doesn’t matter), and how she juggles being both creative and CEO — finding fresh spark in marketing, shop curation and new products. She also shares the real‑life rhythms keeping burnout at bay: crack‑of‑dawn walks, calendar blocking, Friday family movie night and the whole glass‑vs‑plastic balls mindset. Plus, she’s scaling with intention — acquiring Zest Flowers in Dunsborough and opening a new Beaufort Street store in Perth — and teaching the modern, on‑trend wedding design she wished existed when she started.

It’s a fun, practical, heart‑led chat about building a luxury creative brand without losing the joy of making.

Connect with our guest! Find Maple and Wren: Website: https://mapleandwren.com.au/ Instagram: @mapleandwren Facebook: Maple and Wren

Find Maple and Wren Floral Art Academy: Website: https://www.mwfloralartacademy.com.au/ Instagram: @mapleandwren_floralartacademy Facebook: Maple and Wren Floral Art Academy

Find Zest Flowers: Website: https://www.zestflowers.com.au/ Instagram: @zestflowers Facebook: Zest Flowers

Creative Business Spotlight:

The Dainty Co Website: https://www.thedaintyco.com.au/ Instagram: @thedainty_co Facebook: The Dainty Co YouTube: Coralie Carosin

This week we’re talking social media scheduling software — what it is, whether you really need it, and how to use it without losing the human touch. We’ll cover batching and auto‑publishing, planning with calendars and feed previews, and why scheduling is a tool (not a strategy).

You’ll hear why you still need to keep showing up (think engagement), how platform nuances matter, and which metrics actually count now — think watch time, saves, shares and carousel swipes over likes.

We touch on analytics, from native insights in Meta to when paid tools like Loomly make sense for multi‑brand workflows. You’ll learn how to align content to business goals with clear calls to action, write SEO‑friendly captions that can surface on Google, and free up headspace by setting a realistic posting rhythm.

Plus, practical ways to start: use free options and trials, lean on tutorials, ask the community—and choose the platform you’ll actually use.

Creative Business Spotlight:

Modern Homewares Instagram: @modernhomewares Facebook: Modern Homewares

This week, Erin sits down with Lucy, founder of Not Yet Perfect — a boutique pottery studio in Applecross known for soul‑soothing workshops and masterclasses — to explore how letting go can unlock your best creative and business work.

Born in Norway, raised in WA’s southwest and forged in a decade of fashion, Lucy shares how a surprise stint teaching at‑risk teens led her to pottery as a grounding practice, first in her lounge room with wine and clay, then via Gumtree classes, and eventually into a thriving studio space of their own. We dive into separating creativity from business identity, building resilience by self‑educating (yes, even through boring books), growing organically, and getting radically honest — about money, motives and the mundane daily habits that actually move the wheel.

You’ll hear how community shaped her systems during COVID, why becoming your own cheerleader matters, and Lucy’s beautiful “vessel” metaphor for holding space, creativity and business without losing yourself. Plus a quick‑fire round: weekly Ghost references, meditation as a must, green juice, sewing comebacks and big clay vessels. If you’re a creative wrestling with perfectionism, this conversation is a breath of fresh air.

Connect with our guest! Find Not Yet Perfect: Website: https://www.notyetperfect.com/ Instagram: @nyperfect Facebook: Not Yet Perfect Creative Business Spotlight:

Coralie Carosin of Coco Studio Website: https://www.cocostudio.com.au/ Instagram: @coralie.carosin YouTube: Coralie Carosin