Why Most Online Businesses in Brisbane Struggle to Make a Cent
I was sitting in a café in Bulimba last week with a bloke named Dave. Dave runs a high-end outdoor furniture business. He’s got great products, a decent warehouse, and he’s a hard worker. But he was frustrated. He’d spent $15,000 on a fancy website and another $5,000 a month on ads, yet his phone wasn't ringing and his inbox was empty.
"I’m doing everything the 'experts' told me to do," Dave said, staring at his flat white. "I’m on Instagram, I’ve got the 'brand story,' and I’m paying for clicks. So where are the customers?"
Dave’s problem is the same one I see with dozens of small business owners across Queensland. They’ve been sold the dream of "Direct to Consumer" (D2C) – the idea that you can just put up a site, cut out the middleman, and watch the money roll in.
Most of what you read online about building a brand is rubbish. It’s written by people who have never had to worry about payroll or rent. They talk about "brand equity" and "omnichannel presence." In the real world, if you aren't making more money than you're spending, you don't have a brand—you have an expensive hobby.
If you want to grow your business, you need to avoid the traps that are currently draining your bank account. Here is the honest truth about what works and what is a total waste of your time.
Mistake #1: Thinking a Pretty Website Equals Sales
One of the biggest lies in the business world is that your website needs to look like a piece of modern art. I’ve seen businesses in Milton and Fortitude Valley spend fifty grand on a website that looks stunning but is impossible to actually buy something from.
Your website has one job: to turn a stranger into a customer.
If a customer lands on your page and has to hunt for the "Buy Now" button, or if they can't figure out exactly what you sell within three seconds, they are gone. They aren't going to admire your colour palette; they’re going to click the back button and go to your competitor who makes it easy.
I told Dave: "Your website works on phones, right?" He nodded. But when we opened it up on my iPhone, the text was tiny, the images took forever to load, and the checkout form had twenty different fields. Nobody is going to fill that out while they’re waiting for a bus on Queen Street.
To fix this, you need to get people to trust you the moment they arrive. This means clear headlines, real photos of your products (not stock photos of people in suits), and obvious buttons that tell them what to do next.
The Reality Check: A "good" website isn't one that wins design awards. It’s one that results in more enquiries and more sales. If your site isn't doing that, it’s broken, no matter how pretty it looks.
Mistake #2: Chasing New Customers While Ignoring the Ones You Have
Most business owners are obsessed with getting new people through the door. They pour money into Google and Facebook ads like they’re playing a poker machine at the local RSL.
But here’s a secret: it is five to ten times more expensive to find a new customer than it is to sell to someone who has already bought from you.
I worked with a boutique clothing brand in Paddington that was struggling with their margins. They were spending $40 in ads to make a $100 sale. After they paid for the stock, the shipping, and the staff, they were barely breaking even.
We stopped focusing purely on new ads and started looking at how to make more sales on autopilot using their existing customer list. By simply sending a helpful, non-spammy email to people who had bought before, they saw a 20% jump in revenue without spending an extra cent on advertising.
If you aren't talking to your past customers, you are leaving money on the table. These are people who already know you, like you, and trust you. Why wouldn't you offer them something else?
Mistake #3: Selling Products Instead of Solutions
Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting to buy a "D2C subscription box." They wake up wanting a problem solved.
If you’re a plumber, people don't want a "drain inspection"; they want their kitchen to stop smelling like a swamp. If you sell organic dog food, people don't want "kibble"; they want their dog to live a long, healthy life and stop itching.
Too many Brisbane businesses talk about themselves. "We’ve been in business since 1994," or "We use the latest technology."
Nobody cares.
Customers care about what you can do for them. Your marketing should focus on the result.
One way to increase your profit per customer is to stop selling single items and start selling packages. I’ve seen this work for everyone from landscapers to skincare brands. Instead of selling one bottle of moisturiser, you sell a "Clear Skin System." This is why I always tell my clients to bundle products to increase the total amount of money each customer spends. It costs you the same amount in shipping and admin to send three items as it does to send one, so your profit goes through the roof.
Mistake #4: The "Discounting" Death Spiral
If your only way to get a sale is to offer a 20% discount, you don't have a brand; you have a commodity. And there will always be someone in China or a big box retailer like Kmart who can sell it cheaper than you.
When you compete on price, you are racing to the bottom. I’ve seen great local businesses go bust because they kept cutting their prices to keep up with competitors, eventually realizing they weren't making enough profit to pay their own power bill.
Instead of discounting, increase the value. Give them a reason to buy from you specifically. Maybe it’s your expert advice, your faster Brisbane-wide delivery, or a better warranty. People will pay more for a better experience and more certainty.
Mistake #5: Not Knowing Your Numbers
I ask business owners two questions, and most can't answer them: 1. Exactly how much does it cost you to get one new customer? 2. Exactly how much is that customer worth to you over a year?
If you don't know these numbers, you aren't marketing; you’re gambling.
Let’s say you sell a product for $100. It costs you $40 to make. If you spend $50 on ads to get that sale, you’ve only got $10 left. Once you pay for your overheads, you’ve lost money.
However, if you know that the average customer will come back and buy four more times over the next year, that $50 ad spend is a bargain.
This is why building a "brand" is actually about building a relationship. You want people to come back again and again. This turns your business into a predictable machine rather than a daily struggle for survival.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stop trying to do everything at once. You don't need to be on TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. You don't need a 50-page marketing strategy.
Start here:
1. Fix your checkout: Go to your website on your phone right now. Try to buy something. If it takes more than 60 seconds or feels annoying, fix it. Google likes this, and more importantly, your customers will actually finish their purchase. 2. Email your past customers: Send them a genuine note. Ask how they liked their last purchase. Offer them a reason to come back. This is the fastest way to see more money in your account this week. 3. Look at your packages: Can you combine two or three products into a "Starter Kit" or a "Value Pack"? Most people will choose the easier option of buying a bundle rather than picking individual items. 4. Stop the vanity projects: If you’re spending hours a week making pretty Instagram posts that don't result in phone calls or sales, stop. Focus on what actually moves the needle.
The Honest Truth About Timelines
Anyone who tells you that you’ll be a millionaire in three months is lying to you. Building a real business in Brisbane takes time.
Usually, it takes about 3 to 6 months of consistent effort to see a real shift in your numbers. You’ll start to see more enquiries, then more sales, and eventually, you’ll notice that you aren't working quite as hard to find every single customer because they’re starting to come to you.
It’s not magic. It’s just about focusing on the few things that actually matter and ignoring the technical jargon that marketing agencies use to try and sound smart.
Ready to Grow Your Business?
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about "likes" or "engagement." We care about your bank balance. We help Brisbane business owners stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't work and start building systems that bring in customers on autopilot.
If you're tired of the guesswork and want to see real results, let’s have a chat. We’ll look at what you’re doing, tell you what’s a waste of money, and show you how to get more phone calls and sales.
Contact us today at https://lmgroup.au/contact and let’s get your business moving in the right direction.