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Today, we continue the conversation with a social entrepreneur \\u2013 one who likes to push the boundaries, test the validity of the rules and be a non-conformist \\u2013 and she\\u2019s from Switzerland! This woman eats \\u201ccontrasts\\u201d for breakfast!!\\xa0 One minute, she\\u2019s dressed up for a speaking engagement in Sydney CBD, and the next, she\\u2019s riding her motorbike through on a dirt track in Turkey! \\xa0

Franziska Iseli\\u2019s jump into entrepreneurship began in 2008 with a phone call from her brother Reto in Switzerland where he had to break the terrible news that their 58yr old father had suddenly passed away from a heart attack.\\xa0 She broke down\\u2026 As she began walking the cliffs of the Northern Beaches, the question that kept visiting her was: \\u2018If I was to die right now, would I be happy with my life?\\u2019 She had to confess that \\u2018No! I can do better than this, I can make a bigger impact.\\u2019 So she quit her career in advertising and started her current company Basic Bananas which is \\u201csmall business marketing made simple\\u201d.

Her main purpose in life is to have an impact, add value and make people smile. Whether its her \\u201cRipple Effectors\\u201d brand or her new inspiration \\u201cMoments of Humanity\\u201d or her upcoming book launching early next year on Courage, this girl continues to challenge the status quo and somehow manages to be a non-conformist who FITS IN!

Thanks Franziska for taking some time out of your day to share the adventures that make up your life so far\\u2026

Meet Franziska:

Franziska Iseli sat crossed legged on her living room floor eating breakfast after an early morning surf at Narrabeen on Sunday 17 February 2008 when her phone rang. It was her brother Reto calling from Switzerland. He told her their father had suddenly passed away from a heart attack\\u2014he was 58. \\u2018I have no idea how my brother made that call to me,\\u2019 Franziska says. \\u2018It must have been so hard to share such incomprehensible news with his little sister across the other side of the world.\\u2019

Franziska\\u2019s world broke down for her. She spent a lot of time in the following months walking along a cliff top on the Northern Beaches. She was soul searching, questioning the way she lived her life. \\u2018If I was to die right now would I be happy with my life?\\u2019 was a question that kept coming up. \\u2018No! I can do better than this, I can make a bigger impact.\\u2019 So she quit her career in advertising and started Basic Bananas.

Identifying a gap in the market

Franziska\\u2019s first step in setting up Basic Bananas was to identify a market need. She knew from working in advertising agencies there was a gap in the market for small to medium sized businesses to access marketing and advertising services on a smaller budget. Small businesses are the engine room of our economy and 44 per cent of Australians work in them. But most run on a shoestring and they can\\u2019t afford to pay advertising agencies for the marketing advice they need to grow and prosper. Franziska decided to take her knowledge from the corporate sector and a master\\u2019s degree in marketing to the small business world by providing entrepreneurs with marketing training and advice.

Building a maverick brand

After identifying a market need and an audience, Franziska set about building the Basic Bananas brand. \\u2018I wanted a quirky brand that stands out from the crowd,\\u2019 she says. \\u2018Back then I had a really smart business woman as a mentor. When I told her I\\u2019d decided on Basic Bananas as the name of my business she grimaced.\\u2019

\\u2018No! You\\u2019ve got to change it,\\u2019 her mentor insisted. She wanted Franziska to choose something more normal, less out there.

\\u2018No way!\\u2019 Franziska replied emphatically. \\u2018I can\\u2019t do that. I may not know how to run a business just yet but the one thing I do know is branding and I know Basic Bananas is the right name. It will take a little longer to take off, but it will go really far and create a loyal following. I am going to build a tattoo-wort