One morning, former airforce officer, trained school teacher and mum of two Brooke Kearns walked into Canberra’s Little Sprout toy store to buy presents for her kids. By that evening, she’d decided to buy the business, too.

With the help of her husband Gerard and her staff of five local mums, Brooke has made Little Sprout her own, while retaining everything that the locals have always loved about the quirky destination. “I carefully select products based on quality, value, and fun. The difference of the business is our product knowledge; we’re all genuinely passionate about children and love to pair our customers with the perfect toy,” Brooke says.

As many owners of local, independent businesses will know, one of the greatest challenges when it comes to growth is how to reach a broader audience while maintaining the deeply personal shopping experience that only face-to-face customer service can deliver. With the help of Google, Brooke has kept Aussie kids, parents and grandparents smiling, whether they’re down the road or across the country.

Brooke hired an SEO specialist, who has helped her website achieve 40% growth in organic Google search. She also capitalised on the lucrative Christmas period by driving sales during the holiday season through Google Ads, which ultimately lead to a 115% increase in online sales in her first year. “I’ve begun selling our toys to stay-at-home mums in every state in Australia,” Brooke says.

And while the demographic of her audience has shifted, Brooke’s commitment to unique customer service with a home-grown personal feel has stayed the same. “We like to encourage our customers to leave reviews on Google. When a purchase has been made, we send an email introducing ourselves, explaining that we’re a small business and that their feedback means a lot to us, and we respond to all reviews positively.”