Make It Happen with Iyia Liu

Iyia Liu

Join entrepreneur Iyia Liu delve into all things business, money, marketing and life. If you are wanting to up-skill your business knowledge or just needing some motivation on your life and career journey you are in the right place. Whatever it is that you want out of life, let’s Make It Happen for you.

  1. 19h ago

    How to Build a Product Brand With Zero Industry Experience | $5.6M Tidal Hair

    You don’t need years of industry experience to build a successful product brand. I had never worked in a salon, formulated a haircare product or built an electrical product before starting Tidal Hair. In 2023, the brand did $5.6 million in annual revenue. In this episode of Make It Happen, I break down exactly how I entered an industry I knew almost nothing about and built a multi-million-dollar brand. From spotting the opportunity and finding a manufacturer on Alibaba, to launching with one hero product, working with influencers and expanding into the US market. I also share the parts that were much harder to figure out: compliance, product development, Amazon, international fulfilment and the mistakes that cost me time and money. Plus, the three-step framework I’d use today to enter a completely new industry (and what I would do differently if I were starting again!). If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know enough about this industry to start,” this episode might change the way you think about building your next business. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with a business owner who has a product idea but thinks they don’t have enough industry experience to make it happen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. 3d ago

    How to Turn More Website Visitors Into Customers | Guest: Nakita Tugaga – Lenny Rocks

    You might not need more traffic. You might just need to stop losing the customers already visiting your website. In this episode of Make It Happen, we sit down with Nakita Tugaga, founder of e-commerce agency Lenny Rocks, to break down how to turn more website visitors into paying customers. We get into why people browse but don’t buy, the biggest mistakes hurting your conversion rate, what actually builds trust online, and how to increase your average order value without spending more on ads — including the strategies that added $700,000 in revenue for one client and doubled another brand’s average order value overnight. Nakita also shares what it’s really taken to build a business alongside raising a child with autism, why becoming a mum made her more ambitious and how building Lenny Rocks has ultimately become about creating security, freedom and a future for her family. If you’re already getting traffic but know your website should be converting more of it into revenue, this episode is packed with practical changes you can make to get more from the customers you already have. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling. 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 🌐 Contact Nikita Tugaga: Lennyrocks.com 📣 Share this episode with an e-commerce business owner who needs to turn more browsers into buyers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Sep 30

    How Leigh Hart Built a Snack Empire by Breaking Every Business Rule

    What happens when you stop overthinking business and just give it a crack? We sit down with Leigh Hart - one of New Zealand’s most recognisable comedians and the entrepreneur behind Wakachangi and SnackaChangi - to unpack how he turned decades of storytelling, creativity and a cult following into brands that stand out on supermarket shelves. Leigh takes us inside his unconventional approach to business and marketing, from announcing a beer brand on Facebook before he’d figured out how to make it, to landing a meeting with Griffins and testing packaging by literally putting mock-ups on bottle-store shelves to see if people could find them. We get into why he believes real world behaviour beats focus groups, how to build a brand that can stand on its own without relying on the founder’s personal profile and why knowing what you’re actually good at - then finding the right partners to handle the rest - has been critical to growing his businesses. Leigh also shares one of the biggest decisions of his career: walking away from his ownership in Wakachangi to take full control of SnackaChangi, why it felt completely counterintuitive at the time, and how trusting his gut gave him the freedom to grow the brand on his own terms. Plus, we talk Kiwi humour, personal branding, FMCG, expanding into Australia and overseas and why Leigh would rather see someone start imperfectly than spend years planning something they never launch. If you’re a business owner who tends to overthink the next move, this episode might convince you to stop planning quite so much and start testing. Ready to take your business further? 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with a business owner who needs to stop overthinking and give it a shot See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Sep 27

    How to Build a Personal Brand That Grows Your Business | Guest: Roi Wilkey – Burst Digital

    Do you actually need to become the face of your business to grow it? This week on Make It Happen, we sit down with  ⁨@roimatawilkey⁩  founder of @burst digital to unpack how she built a personal brand that has reached more than 200 million people and turned content into a powerful growth channel for her business. Roi shares how she went from struggling to post consistently to finding repeatable content formats capable of generating millions of views. We break down what actually makes content perform, from hooks and retention to storytelling, testing and knowing when to double down on what works. We also get into the bigger business case for personal branding: why people buy from people, how showing up consistently builds trust long before someone becomes a customer, and why not every piece of content needs to lead directly to a sale. Plus, we talk Instagram vs LinkedIn vs TikTok, how to use your analytics to improve your content, where AI fits into your strategy, and why authentic human content could become even more valuable as AI-generated content floods our feeds. If you’re a business owner looking to build more authority, reach more people and turn your expertise into a brand people know and trust, this episode is for you. Ready to start building or scale your existing business? 🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, mindset and building your dream life 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with someone getting ready to launch their first product. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Sep 20

    Found Your Manufacturer? Here’s What Happens Next | Guest: TK Wang - Epic Sourcing (Part 2)

    Finding the right manufacturer is one thing. Making sure they actually deliver the product you agreed on is another. In Part 2 of our manufacturing series, we sit down with TK Wang, founder of Epic Sourcing, to walk through what happens after you’ve found your supplier - from briefing the factory and developing samples to production, quality checks and shipping your finished product to New Zealand. We get into how to give your manufacturer a clear product brief, manage sample revisions, approve a golden sample and make sure the final production run matches what you signed off on. TK also breaks down what you need to agree on before production starts, what to do if your products arrive faulty, and the shipping, customs and compliance considerations that can catch first-time business owners off guard. If you’re starting a product-based business, manufacturing in China or preparing to place your first bulk order, this episode will help you understand the process and avoid costly mistakes. Ready to start building or scale your existing business?  🔗 Book a free strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/  🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, mindset and building your dream life 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/  🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this episode with someone getting ready to launch their first product. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Sep 16

    How to Build a Business to $20K/Month: My 5-Step System

    At 22, I went from a minimum wage to Making $300,247 in a single month from my first business. I had no business experience, no connections, and no big bank of savings behind me. Just $6,000 in my account and absolutely no idea what I was doing. In this episode, I'm breaking down the five phases I've used to start and scale every business I've built - from finding an opportunity people will actually pay for, to launching, landing your first sales and eventually building towards consistent $20K months. I'm getting into why your idea doesn't need to be original, why competition is actually a good sign, how to stop getting stuck in research mode and self-doubt, and why launching before everything's perfect could be one of the best decisions you ever make. Ready to build your business to your first $20K month? Book a free strategy call with the Make It Happen team below. 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on business, mindset, and building your dream life 🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen 📣 Share this video with someone who needs the push to finally start See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Sep 13

    How to Run Paid Ads That Actually Convert | Guest: Roi Wilkey - Burst Digital

    Spent money on ads and got nothing back? Here’s what you’re getting wrong. In this episode of Make It Happen, we sit down with Roi Wilkey from Burst Digital, who has helped generate more than $150 million in revenue for businesses, to break down what actually makes Meta ads convert. We get into how much you should spend on Facebook and Instagram ads, why you should stop boosting posts, how to test your creative and why the ads that look least like ads often perform best.  We also cover retargeting, customer psychology, email marketing, your sales funnel and how to turn more of your ad spend into actual sales. If you’re running ads or thinking about starting, this episode will help you spend smarter, test better and avoid some very expensive mistakes. Ready to scale your business? 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔Subscribe for weekly videos on business, marketing, mindset and growing your business  🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/ 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen Need Help With Ads? Get in touch with Roi at Burst Digtial 🌐 https://www.burstdigital.co.nz/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Sep 10

    5 Business Models Thriving In 2026 (Digital Products, E-Commerce, Coaching & More)

    Think all the good business ideas are already taken? They’re not - you just need to choose the right business model for where you’re starting from. In this episode, Producer Holli and I break down five business models I think have some of the biggest opportunities in 2026: digital products, service-based subscriptions, events and communities, consulting and coaching, and e-commerce. We get into how to turn knowledge you already have into something you can sell, why subscriptions can be so powerful for service businesses and how niching down can make you the obvious choice in coaching or consulting. I also share how Girls In Business grew from a 20-person lunch into an event with more than 900 attendees, what I’ve learned from building e-commerce businesses and how much money you realistically need to get started. Most importantly, we break down which model could actually make sense for YOU - whether you’ve got $500 and no audience, 50,000 followers you’ve never monetised or you’re an exhausted freelancer looking for a way to scale beyond selling your time. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You need to choose a model that fits your skills, resources and goals - then focus on executing it properly. Ready to scale your business? Get in touch with the Make It Happen team and we’ll help you figure out where your business is now, where you want to take it and what needs to happen next. 🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on business, mindset and building your dream life 🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Join entrepreneur Iyia Liu delve into all things business, money, marketing and life. If you are wanting to up-skill your business knowledge or just needing some motivation on your life and career journey you are in the right place. Whatever it is that you want out of life, let’s Make It Happen for you.

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