If you’re building a business and want to sell your product, ideas, or services, this conversation is a must-listen. We welcome Melinda and Diana, co-founders of Aphrodite Picnic, who share how they brought their creative business ideas to life — and sold them successfully to their target audience.
Melinda and Diana started with a wedding-focused brand but pivoted to luxury picnics, carving a unique niche in Cyprus. They reveal how they validated their idea, launched on a shoestring budget using smart marketing hacks like stock images, and booked their first clients within days.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
- Conducting market research and creating a content calendar for organic growth
- The importance of targeted sales outreach and overcoming fear of cold calls
- Pricing strategies and evolving your offer based on workload and value
- How accountability between co-founders fuels motivation and consistency
- Scaling from small picnics to corporate events and the challenges of expansion
- The necessity of perseverance, discipline, and flexibility to grow your business
- Tips on building confidence and taking action, even when you don’t feel ready
Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur or exploring business ideas for 2025, Melinda and Diana’s journey is packed with actionable insights and real talk about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.
TIMESTAMPS:
- 00:00 – Intro: Turning an idea into a business
- 01:31 – Meet Melinda & Diana: How they met and clicked
- 03:46 – The first idea: Weddings & why it didn’t work
- 05:10 – The picnic concept is born
- 06:00 – From branding to first client in 2 days
- 07:35 – Charging €700: Their first sale
- 08:20 – Starting lean with stock images
- 09:10 – Building a website and social media presence
- 10:00 – Organic growth strategy using Google Trends
- 10:45 – Importance of content planning
- 11:30 – Paid ads vs strategic ads
- 12:30 – Why knowing your audience matters
- 13:45 – Cyprus advantage: Small community networking
- 14:30 – Sales mindset: It’s a numbers game
- 15:20 – Staying motivated during quiet months
- 16:30 – Pricing lessons: Undervaluing and scaling
- 17:45 – Winter picnics & the transparent bubble tent
- 18:40 – Building confidence through action
- 19:30 – Learning from each other as co-founders
- 20:00 – Choosing ideas aligned with your goals
- 20:50 – Scaling: From picnics to full event planning
Follow and get in touch with Aphrodite Cyprus Picnic:
- Instagram: @aphroditecypruspicnic
- Website: www.aphroditecypruspicnic.com
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-bojte/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianaczn/
- https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/aphrodite-picnic-experience
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About us
Welcome to She Hustles ✨ your safe space to learn about how to build a business in Europe, learnings from failures and wins and mindset tips to stay the course.