Episode Details

15 Years of Peach: From an olive grove to today

It’s part celebration, part business story, and part deep dive into the lessons learned over a 15-year entrepreneurial journey. In this episode, Fi Johnston takes you behind the scenes of Peach Business from its unexpected origin in a windswept olive grove to the businesses, projects, and lessons that have shaped it.

Fi shares the path that led her from a small tax practice to a craft brewery, a venture capital firm, and to starting Peach in 2010. You’ll hear about the clients that became long-term collaborators, the side businesses that didn’t make it, and the bold ideas (like Ripple Festival) that continue to keep her inspired.

If you’ve ever wondered what 15 years in small business really looks like—the wins, the detours, the hard calls, and the personal costs, this episode is a masterclass in resilience, intentional growth, and building something that lasts.

🎧 Tune in for a mix of business storytelling, hard-earned lessons, and practical takeaways from a decade and a half in the small biz trenches.

What you'll learn in this episode: 

• Why hitting a 15-year milestone is so rare in small business, and what it really takes to get there,

• The career steps and pivotal jobs that shaped Fi’s approach to money, business, and leadership,

• How a chance meeting at Mount Zero Olives sparked the idea (and name) for Peach Business,

• Why Fi believes in simplifying your business model before adding a second brand, product, or revenue stream,

• The importance of knowing your capacity, and how overcommitment can quietly sabotage your business,

• Why some of Fi’s longest client relationships eventually ended by her own suggestion (and why that was the right move),

• The real impact of running multiple ventures at once, and why focus matters more than “having lots of irons in the fire.”

• How Good Money Club became the heart of Peach and why members stay beyond their initial commitment,

• The thinking behind launching Ripple Festival and what it means to merge business and creativity on a large scale,

• Why “small business never ends” and the importance of building rest, breaks, and boundaries into your calendar,

• The personal sacrifices that come with a long business journey—and how to protect your mental and physical health along the way.

   

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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<