We are thrilled to announce that Season two of the ARA’s Retail Therapy podcast is launching next week. This season, we’re looking at small business. Small business is big business. 95% of our members are small to medium businesses – the backbone of the Australian economy – and we are proud to represent the interests of these businesses.

We’re kicking off Season two of the Retail Therapy podcast with this fantastic chat with Steve Plarre,  CEO of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses, an award-winning family business with a proud history dating back over 110 years. Ferguson Plarre is an iconic business, famous for its cakes, pasties and pies and a great case study for small business success.

Paul Zahra sits down with The Hon Bruce Billson, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman as he candidly talks about his career, how he’s championing the sector, the issues that motivate him to keep fuelling the engine room of the economy and some important mental health resources to support small and family businesses, an area extremely important to Bruce and his team.