2018 small - Inside Small Business

Page created by Roland Torres
 
CONTINUE READING
2018 small - Inside Small Business
small   business leaders

                           2018
                           edition
2018 small - Inside Small Business
Epson DPS
2018 small - Inside Small Business
Epson DPS
2018 small - Inside Small Business
contents
    6            Editor's foreword
    6            Sponsor’s foreword
    8            A note from the ASBFEO
    10           Meet our judges
    12           A big year for small business
    14           Putting customers first reaps
                 dividends
    15
                                                                            Octomedia Pty Ltd
                 Top 50 Small Business                                      PO Box R217 Royal
                                                                            Exchange, NSW 1225
                 Leaders 2018 | A-Z
                                                          P 02 9901 1800
                                                          E isbeditorial@octomedia.com.au
                                                          W insidesmallbusiness.com.au

                                                                            Inside Small Business
                                                                            Level 2, 517 Flinders
                                                                            Lane, Melbourne, Vic
                                                                            3000

                                                          Editor
                                                          Tim Ladhams

                                                          Advertising
                                                          George Moraitis
                                                          P 03 8330 1933
                                                          E george@octomedia.com.au

                                                          Lee Cassidy
                                                          P 03 8330 1934
                                                          E lee.c@octomedia.com.au

                                                          Contributing journalist
                                                          Karl Aguilar

                                                          Design & layout
                                                          Sofia Costales

                                                          Limitation of liability
                                                          Octomedia Pty Ltd accepts no liability for any
                                                          errors, omissions or consequences, including
                                                          any loss or damage, arising from reliance
                                                          on information in this publication. The views
                                                          expressed in this publication reflect the opinions
                                                          of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed

                     small             business leaders   by Octomedia Pty Ltd. We recommend obtaining
                                                          professional advice from an accredited
                                                          advisor before relying on the information in this
                                                          publication.

4   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
2018 small - Inside Small Business
Manage your print. Anywhere, anytime.

                        Kwik Copy
     Zenith Hub Online Print Management can save you time and help
                control your branded marketing materials.

       Create                        Publish                      Manage                           Track

        CREATE                        PUBLISH                       MANAGE                          TRACK
  • A system tailored to       • View instant proofs for    • Order 24 hours a day/365      • Track your orders and
    your requirements          immediate job submission              days a year           ship to multiple addresses
• An online library of your   • Eliminate human error and   • Save time on repeat orders    • View print history and
  entire print catalogue        ensure brand consistency                                          spend reports

           Book a FREE consultation: kwikkopy.com.au/book-zenith

                                                                                                     kwikkopy.com.au
2018 small - Inside Small Business
editor's foreword

                       Small is beautiful
    W
                elcome to this year's special report that           way we work the land to Flavia and her nanosatellites
                celebrates the achievements of Australia's top      that connect the billions of mobile devices around the
                small business leaders. The stories of                 world, our report shows just what small businesses
    our Top 50 leaders’ journeys capture the                                  – the heartbeat of the Australian economy –
    dedication and never-say-die attitude                                         can achieve when their leaders allow their
    required to turn an idea into a viable                                           dreams to take flight, then work their socks
    commercial enterprise, and the range                                              off to ensure those dreams are realisable,
    of businesses those leaders head up                                                 then realised.
    illustrate the richness and diversity of                                               Last year I was blown away by
    Australia’s small businesses sector.                                                 the warmth with which we were
       Some of our pioneers, such as                                                     received at the Top 50 launch events
    Adelaide barber Goitom, have travelled                                               we hosted, and the strength of those
    halfway around the world to realise                                                 small-business communities, around
    their dreams; others, like Melissa and                                             the country. Despite the incredible
    Warren at Buckle, have taken a business                                          diversity of business types the attendees
    that has been established for generations                                      represented so many of them knew each
    and ensured it remains relevant and profitable                             other, and evidently support each other. I very
    despite the changes and disruptors today’s                                    much look forward to seeing as many of you
    technology has heralded.                               Tim Ladhams            as possible at one of our launch events taking
       From Carissa and Karyn changing the                   Editor, ISB          place this month.

                                               sponsor's foreword

                 Small business tech set
              to produce big green results
    F
             or the most part, technology has simplified our daily       customer to create an improved end-to-end experience that
             activities in business and in life but as it continues to   saves time and uses less energy and resources.
             grow at rapid pace, a key consideration is how to                    Epson’s new business printing technology also
    use technology to drive your business right now.                                 delivers a step-change in environmental
      With the government now discussing tax                                            performance, reducing power usage by up to
    relief for middle-income Australians, the                                              a staggering 87 per cent* compared to
    timing is right for small businesses to                                                  a comparable speed laser printer. The
    explore new tech resources to enhance                                                     Epson WorkForce Enterprise range of
    their operations. In light of this, Epson                                                  printers is faster, smarter, cheaper and
    advises that the right choices don’t                                                       greener to run than anything you may
    just boost your bottom line; they also                                                     have used before.
    protect the environment – a cause we’re                                                      The future is here with technology
    fundamentally committed to.                                                               that reduces costs, increases productivity
      In fact, consideration of costs – both                                                and limits your carbon footprint. In this
    environmental and financial – is at the                                               economic climate, can you afford to fall
    forefront of all technology development at                                         behind in the race?
    Epson. A case in point is our wireless
                                                                                             *Based on Epson WorkForce Enterprise WF-C20590
    POS technology, which saves time, energy
    and costs by connecting wirelessly to any
                                                         Craig Heckenberg                    max power consumption of 320W, and comparable
                                                                                             speed model Fuji Xerox ApeosPort-V C7785 / C6685 /
    device, from any location. The technology                   General Manager,             C5585 max power consumption of 2400W, based on
    comes to you or, more importantly, the                       Epson Australia             manufacturers own specifications.

6   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
2018 small - Inside Small Business
Have time
to love your                                                                              Simplicity you can count on

business.
                                             “                                                                    ”
                                                     I love how simple Cashflow Manager is to use.
                                                     It frees up my time to do my real conveyancing
                                                     work and allows me to enjoy my weekends.
                                                           LYON CONVEYANCING, SA

    Cashflow Manager

                                                                                    Unlimited transactions,
                                                                                   unlimited employee payroll

                                                                                        $39 p/m*
Save time and manage your business better with the complete
bookkeeping solution to manage your cash, invoicing and payroll.
Manage unlimited transactions and employee payroll with a
Cashflow Manager Gold subscription for just $39 p/m.                         Get started now
*Minimum 12 month subscription
                                                                            cashflow-manager.com.au
2018 small - Inside Small Business
ASBFEO's foreword

                          Celebrating small
                          business success
                              Cashflow and delayed payments top the many
                            challenges successful small-business owners should
                                       feel proud about overcoming.

    O
             nce again it's time to celebrate small business      consideration. Bernard runs a small business and would
             success in Australia. The small-business owners      very much like, after submitting a valid invoice, to be paid
             featured in this year's Top 50 Business Leaders      immediately. Online payment platforms and bank transfers
    have achieved the goal of every small-business owner – to     make this possible. “The cheque is in the mail” is no longer
    launch, grow and thrive.                                      an excuse for late payment.
      It really is an achievement when you consider that over       Bernard’s is a fair request, which brings to mind two
    60 per cent of small businesses stop operating in their first options worthy of further investigation – electronic
    three years. Success in small business means overcoming       invoicing (e-invoicing) and the New Payments Platform.
    many challenges, but the rewards are worth it!                  A recommendation in our Payment Times and Practices
      Small-business owners need to work                                   Inquiry was that governments encourage the
    smarter. This means taking the time to                                     adoption of technology solutions, such as
    work on the business and not just in it;                                      e-invoicing, to help businesses to facilitate
    to identify improvements or changes                                             payment practices. We also recommended
    that will give you the edge over your                                            that government take the lead and move
    competition.                                                                      to pay small businesses in 15 working
      Cashflow and payment times                                                       days. We are pleased that the Federal
    are always at the top of the list of                                               Government has agreed and will
    challenges. My office has done a lot                                               progressively implement this, with all
    of work on this since we opened for                                                departments complying by July next year.
    business two years ago, including                                                   The New Payments Platform, which
    conducting a major inquiry into                                                  was launched in February, will allow fast
    payment times and practices.                                                   payments – immediate payments – between
      While some late payments are a                                            banks and between banks and their customers.
    result of incorrect invoices, manual                                          As 2018 progresses, more banks, building
    process errors and complex payment                                            societies and credit unions across the
    procedures, our Payment Times and                    Kate Carnell             country will register to use the new platform.
    Practices Inquiry found that government, Australian Small Business Money will be transferred instantly between
    and Australian and multinational                and Family Enterprise         accounts at different financial institutions,
    companies purposely delayed and                       Ombudsman               and payments made any time of the day, any
    extended payments, sometimes to 90                                            day of the year.
    or 120 days. Obviously small businesses                                          This will no doubt make Bernard happy
    can’t wait four months to be paid. They have to pay           and no doubt the rest of the 2.1 million Australian small
    their staff and suppliers and even the ATO. As we know,       businesses, if they choose to participate in these new
    poor cashflow is the primary reason for small business        technologies. But unless the majority of big businesses
    insolvency in Australia.                                      move to payment times of less than 30 days, ASBFEO will
      Although recent research shows an improvement in late       be urging the government to legislate, as has occurred in the
    payment times overall, it still represents a significant cost EU and Europe.
    impact on small business. This is reflected in the amount of    The small business leaders featured this year have no
    outstanding invoices for 2017, totalling $89.6 billion.       doubt mastered the cashflow and late payment dilemma,
      In one of his recent columns, Bernard Salt suggested a      but it’s always good to get back to basics and remember the
    national campaign around #samedaypay, and it bears some       stepping stones to success.

8   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
2018 small - Inside Small Business
Need extra
                                                         funds to grow
                                                         your business?
                                                         Apply for a Prospa loan of between
                                                         $5,000 to $250,000 in 10 minutes.
                                                         Funding possible in 24 hours*

                                                         CALL 1800 992 164
                                                         VISIT prospa.com/grow

                                             Prospa

Subject to Prospa’s standard credit approval criteria.
Terms and conditions apply.
2018 small - Inside Small Business
the judges

                           Meet our judges

     Chelsea Ford
     Founder,                                                                                    Tim Ladhams
     Females in Food (New South Wales)                                                           Editor,
                                                      Stacey Head                                Inside Small Business (National)
     Chelsea only launched Females in Food            Founder,
     in late 2016 but the organisation – that         She Wear (Queensland)                      Tim is responsible for all the content
     connects women and advocates their                                                          on the Inside Small Business website
     interests – is already making waves in           The She Wear concept arose from the        and in the quarterly magazine. He
     the food and beverage industry.                  underwhelming options for women            has come into journalism after a long
        The idea behind Females in Food               working in specialised fields and trades   career – including management roles
     came when Chelsea was working                    who need compliant, quality safety         – in hospitality, insurance and credit
     for such companies as Kellogg’s                  footwear, and Stacey’s first range of      management, giving him significant
     and Nestle. There were lots of                   safety work boots designed and styled      insights into the way business works.
     great networking groups out there,               for women, along with a range of other     His experience as a credit manager
     however, none focused on the unique              matching workwear accessories, was         offered a first-hand experience of
     needs and challenges women in                    launched in October 2013.                  dealing with the issue that small-
     her industry faced. Allied to the                  As a small-business owner, Stacey        business owners repeatedly cite as their
     under-representation of women at                 believes that it is extremely important    biggest challenge to staying afloat and
     management level, Chelsea set out to             to give back to her local communities      prospering – getting paid by those to
     create a community of professionals              and charities. In 2014, she released       whom they have provided goods or
     who provide guidance and advice.                 a specially designed limited edition       services!
        Females in Food is based on the               boot for the National Breast Cancer           Tim now combines this business
     entrepreneurial notions of “iterate,             Foundation and donated $10 for every       experience with a particular passion
     iterate, iterate” and “fail fast”,               pair sold; she also ran a campaign         for start-ups and small businesses, a
     underlining that accepting feedback              with “buy a bale” where $10 for every      sector he is now fully immersed in and
     quickly and producing professional               “she will” boot sold was donated to        for which he is a passionate advocate.
     content is key to success in such a fast-        the charity that focuses on assisting      The highlight of his journalism career
     moving industry.                                 Queensland farming communities             to date was the enthusiasm with which
        The regular events that Females               suffering one of the worst droughts on     Inside Small Business was received by the
     in Food run and its burgeoning                   record.                                    small-business communities around the
     membership see Chelsea meet with                   One of Stacey’s proudest moments to      country during last year's Top 50 Small
     small-business owners on a daily basis,          date has been She Wear being selected      Business Leaders Report launch event
     giving her an in-depth understanding             as the footwear of choice for the female   roadshow, and he very much looks
     of the challenges that they face and the         contestants on TV home-renovation          forward to meeting this year’s winners
     help they require to succeed.                    reality show The Block.                    at the 2018 events in May.

10   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
the judges

                   Meet our judges

                                                                                      Lexie Wilkins
                                                                                      Founder,
                                           Diané Ranck                                Lexie Wilkins Consulting (WA)
                                           Educator and Marketing
Ailsa Page                                 Consultant (South Australia)               Lexie Wilkins is a people and
Director,                                                                             performance consultant and a
AP Marketing Works (Victoria)              Diané has had extensive experience         workplace culture expert. Perth based
                                           in the education sector across high        but working nationwide, she assists
Ailsa is a small-business marketing        school, vocational and university.         leaders and workplaces to achieve
specialist, professional speaker,          Her geography teaching has led her         optimum organisational success
three times author – her most recent       to teach, research, write geography        through developing and embedding
title is Get Good or Get Off: A guide to   text books and consult in Papua New        a highly engaged and motivated
getting it right on social media – and     Guinea, Australia and Fiji. She has        workplace team within strategic and
award-winning business owner of            consulted in education, geography,         performance-based environments.
AP Marketing Works. Known as the           health and women participation in Bali       The benefits of optimising the
marketing dynamo, Ailsa has helped         (for the UN), Fiji and the Middle East.    employee experience in order to
thousands of businesses around                Diané worked at the Australian          achieve a culture of growth and
Australia navigate the marketing maze      Embassy in Thailand as Education           innovation is her passion. Her work
and improve their bottom line.             Counsellor for four years. Her             draws on a depth of knowledge gained
   AP Marketing Works has been             diplomatic skills and international        as a senior leader and consultant
helping small-business owners since        development led to further posts at        within a diverse range of government
1999, focusing on getting the balance      the University of Sydney and, most         and non-government industries
right for the many business owners who     recently, at Flinders University in SA.    coupled with formal qualifications in
spend so much time working in their           Diané has had board experience on       nursing, psychology, financial services
business that they don’t have the time,    several not-for-profits and through        and training and assessment.
energy or know-how to work on it.          her involvement with Brand South             As well as providing strategic
   Ailsa has been a judge for the          Australia, and experience with SMEs,       business and people development
Telstra Business Awards and Women’s        both in mentoring young business           assistance, Lexie is a speaker, facilitates
Awards and is a regular contributor for    owners and in marketing in the sector.     programs, workshops and mentors
MYOB, The Pulse Blog and Inside Small         Diané has worked with various           leaders and teams who seek to create
Business.                                  sporting groups, most recently with        greater purpose both personally and in
   Ailsa is a fellow of the Australian     the South Adelaide Football Club and       the workplace.
Institute of Marketing and State           as President of the SA Snow Sports           Lexie has sat on a number of
President of the Professional Speakers     Association, working on governance,        government and non-government
Association. When not inspiring            strategy and marketing. She is a           engagement and marketing
small-business owners, Ailsa is playing    passionate advocate for making theatre     committees and is a contributor to
gypsy cello, tap dancing or working on     accessible to all, especially youth. She   select media publications, including
completing her final classical piano       is a keen cross country skier and sea      a regular column for Inside Small
exam.                                      kayaker.                                   Business.

                                                                                  insidesmallbusiness.com.au – INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS   11
editorial

     A big year for
     small business
     By Tim Ladhams
     Editor, Inside Small Business

                                                      necessary in other jurisdictions.           to small businesses without the
     Different government                                The Fair Work Commission-inspired        collateral requirements traditionally
     legislation has had                              changes to the rates of pay for casual      demanded by the “big four” banks.
                                                      and part-time employees on weekends         Angus Sedgwick, CEO of SME
     mixed outcomes for the                           and public holidays – that came into        FinTech cashflow provider tim (The
     small business sector                            effect on 1 January this year – have a      Invoice Market), said to me recently,
                                                      direct impact on the pockets of small-      “The Royal Commission testimonies
     in an age of rapid and                           business owners. If a recent experience     by some of the banks highlights the
     significant changes to                           of my own is anything to go by, this        structural and fundamental issues of
                                                      move has been far more of a hindrance       the Australian banking industry due
     the way it is governed.                          than a help to local businesses. On the     to the long-standing oligopoly enjoyed
                                                      recent Labour Day holiday in Victoria       by the ‘Big Four’. The emergence

     T
              he last 12 months have seen             my wife and I headed out to find some       of alternative lenders and FinTech
              significant initiatives and             lunch: not one of our favourite local       companies has brought much-needed
              legislation affecting small             cafes or restaurants was open, and          competition to the lending market in
     business. Whenever you talk to small-            we ended up in a branch of one of           Australia, particularly in the business
     business owners about the biggest                the country’s most high-profile chef’s      finance sector. FinTech companies are
     challenges they face, or look at the             restaurant “empire”, still having to pay    becoming trusted partners, providing a
     results of the regular surveys and               a 15 per cent surcharge. Whilst it is, of   range of smart and innovative cashflow
     reports on the key factors influencing           course, vital that people are paid what     finance products for SMEs that will
     the sector, one thing always comes               they are due, it is just as important       offer access to capital quickly and help
     above all else – cashflow. The Small             that a remuneration system is found         them to flourish and grow.”
     Business and Family Enterprise                   that does not prevent local businesses         The advance of technology is
     Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has                     from being able to open. The recent         bringing about changes to the way we
     already talked about her Payment Times           high-profile underpayment scandals in       do business at an unprecedented rate,
     and Practices Inquiry in her foreword            the franchise sector – think Domino’s,      and with it a raft of new regulations
     to this report, and Kate’s efforts in            Caltex, 7-Eleven and others – are           small-business owners need to get
     getting government and big business              proof that small-business owners            their heads around very quickly. The
     to pay the small businesses they are             simply cannot remain competitive by         digitisation of the economy means
     working with in a more timely fashion            complying with the regulations as they      even sole traders now carry a lot of
     is absolutely fundamental to keeping             are today.                                  data about their customers and their
     the SMEs that are the backbone of our               The Royal Commission into the            suppliers, and it is crucial business
     economy afloat. It will be interesting           banking industry should have a more         owners familiarise themselves with the
     to see if the big end of town really             positive outcome for small business,        Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme that is
     does play ball and, if not, whether              with a plethora of new funding options      now in force as the penalties it will levy
     the government has the appetite                  – many of which are accessible online       for non-compliance will break most
     to legislate, as Kate flags has been             and in quick time – now available           small businesses.

12   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
ad
SME growth story

     Putting customers first
     reaps dividends
     One of Australia's first online entrepreneurs has
     proved that not meeting your consumer face-to-
     face is no excuse for not focusing on customer
     experience in the eCommerce world.

     T
              oday Kate Morris is a leading light     – managing cashflow,
              in eCommerce, a tireless advocate       BAS returns and so on.
              for women who is persuading             In these days before
     the entire retail industry to re-assess its      broadband, social media
     approach to gender equality and who              and – most importantly
     expects to turn over $25 million this year.      for an eCommerce
     It was not always thus, however, here is         site – multiple payment
     Kate’s story of her journey working on a         gateways, it took a
     department store beauty counter to being         lot of time and effort
     the queen of cosmetics.                          contacting all the banks but
                                                      one eventually offered me
     ISB: When and how did the idea for               merchant services so I could take
     Adore Beauty come about?                         payments on my website.

     KM: In 1999 I was a uni student in               ISB: So, now you have suppliers and
     Melbourne, studying a business degree            a website, you just need customers…
     and working part-time as a promotional
     demonstrator for Clarins. Talking                KM: There was no money left in the pot          KM: In the early years I only sold
     to other women, I discovered that                for marketing, I assumed once you had           Australian brands but customer
     they found the experience of buying              a website people would come to it but           feedback revealed I needed to offer
     beauty products in department stores             things don’t work like that. I consulted        globally-recognised products. I looked
     intimidating and often came home                 a marketing lecturer at Monash Uni              to distributors of these brands but at
     with products that weren’t exactly               and drafted a media release. The early          that time they saw the internet as a fad
     right for them. I resolved to create a           internet magazines were keen to cover the       and a threat rather than an opportunity.
     way of providing a better experience             story – Australia’s first online beauty store   I knew I had to get one major brand on
     and realised that it would be more               – but the beauty magazines were a harder        board before the others would follow so I
     empowering for women to be able to               nut to crack, and in fact they didn’t come      persevered. Eventually I “landed” Clarins,
     make decisions from the comfort of their         on board until we were really established,      the company I had worked for in my
     own home on the internet.                        so I had to focus on providing a really         student days.
                                                      great experience for my first customers.
     ISB: How did you turn the concept                I wrapped the beauty products in tissue         ISB: Finally, what was the best
     into a viable business venture?                  and put a Furry Friend or a Caramel             piece of advice you have received
                                                      Koala into every package – today it’s an        you could pass on to those who are
     KM: I worked out the minimum amount              individually-wrapped Tim Tam – and              looking to launch their own start-up?
     of money I would need to launch a                made sure I despatched every package on
     website and buy enough product to                the day of purchase. The feedback on this       KM: Choose a business in a field that
     service my first customers, and estimated        approach, emails from customers saying          you are truly passionate about, and
     I would need $12,000. As a student I             how much receiving their package had            that customers will care about too. The
     wasn’t going to be able to get any money         made their day, sustained me in the tough       first years will be really hard so that
     from a bank so I pitched the idea to             early days.                                     passion will sustain you, and the positive
     my boyfriend’s dad, a small-business                                                             feedback from your early customers that
     owner. He lent me the money and                  ISB: What was the biggest challenge             you are genuinely making a difference
     mentored me on the financial side of             you faced in making the business                confirms you’re on the right path – so,
     starting and running a small business            really profitable and sustainable?              listen to your customers! 

14   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
top 50 profiles

Jolleen Hicks
Aboriginal Insights, WA
   Ngarluma-Aboriginal woman Jolleen Hicks drew
on her background fostering the engagement of
over 20 separate Aboriginal groups with leadership
and business to found Aboriginal Insights in
2016. The organisation offers insights into the
Aboriginal cultural world intended to lead to
stronger partnerships, relationships, understanding
and appreciation of Aboriginal peoples and
their cultures, resulting in more respect between
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
   Jolleen, who is also a Director of Mawarnkarra
Health Service in northern WA, is determined to
narrow the health and life expectancy gap between
Aboriginal families and non-Aboriginal families.
“That gap is far too wide,” Jolleen says. “I know we
need to do more, I also know that our staff works
hard to provide the best health services that they can
within the limits of health funding, and our Board is
investigating ways that we can ‘do more’.”
   Aboriginal Insights offers practical steps for both
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people designed
to lead to better outcomes: the former through
specific training and learning in areas such as
health, education and community; the latter through
promoting awareness of issues affecting Aboriginal
people. “It is one thing to offer a service; it’s another
thing to ensure that the service achieves its purpose.
The key is successful engagement,” Jolleen says.

                                                                         Goitom Tekle
                                                                         African Style Haircut, SA
                                                                    When Goitom graduated from Flinders University
                                                                 he struggled to find a job in accounting. His
                                                                 entrepreneurial spirit sparked the idea of opening a
                                                                 salon for the growing number of migrants of African
                                                                 heritage coming to Adelaide, and the response when he
                                                                 opened the doors in 2012, having raised the money for
                                                                 the premises and fittings from friends and family, was
                                                                 overwhelming.
                                                                    More than just a barber’s shop, African Style Haircut
                                                                 celebrates diversity, culture, and community.
                                                                    “A lot of customers come to socialise and meet
                                                                 friends, especially on Fridays and Saturdays,” Goitom
                                                                 says. Building on its unique offering and point of
                                                                 difference that initially attracted people, the clientele
                                                                 has grown through word-of-mouth referrals – at events
                                                                 such as weddings, dinners and graduation functions –
                                                                 and social media.
                                                                    The shop has become an Adelaide landmark, with
                                                                 Australian and international personalities visiting the
                                                                 salon when in Adelaide for its many festivals. However,
                                                                 Goitom gets most satisfaction through positive feedback
                                                                 and compliments from African international students
                                                                 that suggest his little shop contributes to the social
                                                                 wellbeing of the community. Goitom goes further in
                                                                 this regard by offering a number of apprenticeships to
                                                                 youngsters studying at local TAFEs.

                                                                      insidesmallbusiness.com.au – INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS     15
Pirra Griffiths
     Allerton Swimwear, NSW
        Having studied design and fashion at       important to Pirra she found a couple of
     Sydney’s UTS and run a design studio          Balinese suppliers producing high-quality
     at a swimwear label, Pirra felt that there    garments from ethically produced
     was a gap in the market for marrying          material – most made from recycled
     fashion and functionality. Determined         fishing nets, plastic bottles and
     to do things differently in a field full of   nylon carpets – in good working
     huge brands, Pirra launched Allerton          conditions. “As a small label it’s
     Swimwear, designing luxury swimwear           difficult to find manufacturers
     lines from recycled waste materials           who are happy to ‘let you in’ and
     made only by suppliers with an ethical        inspect what they’re doing, so I
     approach to manufacturing and how they        focus on working those few that
     treat their workers.                          do,” she says.
        Pirra had originally intended to launch       Allerton – Pirra named the
     in Australia but got an order from a major    business after her mother’s
     US swimwear retailer and showed her           maiden name in recognition
     first collection in Miami in August 2015.     of her family’s support and
        The dearth of manufacturers in             encouragement – distributes
     Australia meant some production               internationally to major retailers in
     having to go offshore – as ethics are so      the UK, USA & NZ.

                                                                    David McAuley
                                                                    Andaha, NSW
                                                              Launched in July 2017, Andaha is an           It hasn’t all been plain sailing for David:
                                                           eCommerce platform for the foodservice        he initially employed the traditional sales
                                                           industry that enables the buying and          strategy of people on the ground cold
                                                           selling of goods through smart logistics,     calling potential customers, a tactic he says
                                                           and helps cafes and restaurants to manage     “failed dramatically”. David worked hard
                                                           down their food costs.                        to understand more deeply the selling
                                                              Described by its founder, David, as        cycle in hospitality, and repivoted the
                                                           a version of Amazon for foodservice,          business, aligning with the interests of the
                                                           Andaha is a market access platform that       different users and effectively engaging
                                                           makes it easier for businesses to promote     them, and packaging that knowledge
                                                           their products in the notoriously difficult   into a mechanism that brand owners and
                                                           hospitality industry, with a number of        manufacturers can use.
                                                           added benefits. It is also a sampling            Having found “this start-up thing really
                                                           platform, leveraging its unique logistics     very hard mentally” David is proud of the
                                                           and warehousing infrastructure, and social    fact that he has devised a model that really
                                                           communication methodologies.                  works, and that is unique in the industry.

     Meredith and Bill Whiting
     Archer & Holland, SA
        Archer & Holland is celebrating                                                                          trademark for 100 years. As well
     its centenary this year, the                                                                                as continuing the manufacture
     jewellery store having opened                                                                               of exquisite jewellery on the
     on the corner of King William                                                                               premises, they offer remodelling
     and Hindley Streets in central                                                                              and repair services, and also sell
     Adelaide in 1918. Its is a rare feat                                                                        pre-loved and antique jewellery.
     indeed for a small family business                                                                          “People love coming in and
     to survive so long, through the                                                                             spending time looking at our
     depression of the 1930s to the rise                                                                         special pieces,” Meredith says.
     of stores selling cheap jewellery at                                                                           Members of the third
     heavily discounted prices during                                                                            generation of the family to run
     the 1970s and the 1980s.                                                                                    the business – Bill is grandson
        Meredith and Bill have kept                                                                              one of one of the two founders,
     the business going strong by                                                                                Herbert Holland – they have 10
     taking pride in the quality of                                                                              employees…and that brings in
     their products and a dedication                                                                             the fourth generation, with their
     to good customer service that                                                                               daughter and daughter-in-law
     has remained the company’s                                                                                  working with them.

16   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
1300 640 178

                           COWORKING | FROM $450 [MONTH]
                              OFFICES | FROM $1,000 [MONTH]
                                 VIRTUAL | FROM $139 [MONTH]
                                     COMMUNITY | $50 [MONTH]
                                          MEETING ROOMS | POA

                         Servcorp

  - Prestigious business address                          - Secretaries onsite to assist
  - Industry leading IT infrastructure                    - Flexible, monthly lease terms
  - Receptionist to manage calls                          - 5 star meeting rooms
  - Access interstate CBD offices anytime                 - Work, connect and grow

                                 28 locations in Australia
                            160+ locations around the world
AUSTRALIA BAHRAIN BELGIUM CHINA FRANCE HONG KONG INDIA INDONESIA IRAN JAPAN KUWAIT LEBANON MALAYSIA
          NEW ZEALAND PHILIPPINES QATAR SAUDI ARABIA SINGAPORE THAILAND TURKEY UAE UK USA
Stella Hui
                                                              Azure Entertainment, WA
                                                         Since 2009, Azure Entertainment          overcome that mentality and accept us
                                                      has been providing professional,            as a key player was difficult.”
                                                      experienced event and entertainment            Stella was confident of Azure
                                                      services such as stage productions, live    Entertainment’s potential, nevertheless,
                                                      events and cabaret and variety shows.       and let the work speak for itself. She
                                                      Azure is also one of the go-to businesses   strived to make the business better and
                                                      for Western Australians hosting             took calculated risks along the way,
                                                      weddings, hen’s dos, birthday parties       quickly moving on from what wasn’t
                                                      and so on.                                  working and innovating to create
                                                         Despite the success and respect Azure    initiatives that did.
                                                      has gained over the years, the business        As a testament to Stella’s dedication
                                                      didn’t have a smooth start. “Perth          to making it work, her leadership and
                                                      was somewhat of a small town,” its          her business skills, she was rewarded
                                                      founder, Stella, says. “And my industry     with the title of Optus Australian
                                                      – performing arts and entertainment         Businesswoman of the Year in 2016.
                                                      – was even smaller, it was very much
                                                      about who you knew, rather than what
                                                      you knew, so trying to get others to

     Erica Urquiaga
     Baked by Erica, WA
        Erica first discovered her love for     egg-free and dairy-free.
     baking and cooking when she was               Erica readily admits her lack of
     around 10 years old, though it was         skills in sales and marketing when she
     almost 20 years later that she decided     started out. “I feared that my business
     to pursue her passion as a profession,     would fail because of my lack of skills
     culminating in the opening of her          in this area, especially when it comes
     business Baked by Erica in 2016.           to the ‘hard sell’,” she recalls. She
        Erica’s cookies are unlike other        credits family and friends for giving
     traditional cookies. “I make soft, very    her the confidence and belief in herself
     moorish cookies which are smaller          to overcome these doubts, support
     in size than majority of cookies in        supplemented by attending workshops
     the market – so it is a bit of a mindful   and networking groups such as Fusion
     treat,” she says. Mindful of those         Biz Babes and Females in Food.
     unable to enjoy a lot of things others        Validation of her efforts came
     do due to allergies, Erica produces        recently when Erica was invited to
     allergen-friendly varieties of the         work with Kenwood at the De Lish
     cookies, ranging from gluten-free to       Expo 2018 at Crown Perth.

                                                                    Franziska Iseli and Christo Hall
                                                                    Basic Bananas, NSW
                                                              Marketing educators Basic Bananas have         “We've always had a big vision of
                                                           been helping small-business owners to          running our educational marketing
                                                           make the most of every opportunity and         workshops across the world, but when
                                                           think outside the box since December 2009.     we were running simultaneously in three
                                                              Franziska and Christo determine to go       countries, I had to pinch myself a little!”
                                                           the extra mile, both figuratively – “What      says Franziska.
                                                           makes us successful is that we sprinkle           Today Franziska and Christo are helped
                                                           'fairy dust' onto everything we do and         by what they describe as an “incredible
                                                           see how we can delight our customers at        team”, but putting that together was one of
                                                           every touch point,” Franziska explains, and    the biggest challenges they faced. It took
                                                           literally – recently Franziska was running     a few years, and Franziska says that they
                                                           one educational marketing workshop             achieved it by she and Christo becoming
                                                           in Canberra on the same day that Christo       much clearer about their vision and only
                                                           was running a session in San Diego and         hiring people who were as excited about the
                                                           their colleague Erik was doing the same        impact Basic Bananas was making as they
                                                           in Calgary.                                    themselves were.

18   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
gough
Beernuts Productions, Qld
  Founded in December 2006 on the Gold Coast, Beernuts Productions is
an independent production company that produces and distributes its own
movies, TV shows, audio productions, and books.
  Beernuts’ point of difference – to keep things lean they have cut out the
“middleman” and their content is only available from their website – is also the
source of their biggest challenge. “If people don’t know we exist then they can’t
enjoy our films, shows and books,” gough explains. To counter this a full-time
marketing resource was employed, allowing gough and the rest of his team to
focus on producing content. Beernuts only has five permanent employees, with
actors, crew members, make-up artists and so on being hired as required.
  Despite all the success and fun gough has producing content, the proudest
moment Beernuts has given him is the recent invitation to speak at Parliament
House in Canberra on the matter of disability employment. This is an issue
that is very close to his heart, as gough lost a great proportion of his eyesight
when he was just 12 weeks old. Indeed, in 2010 he became the first legally blind
person to write, edit, produce, direct and star in a feature film!

                                                                           Carissa Wolfe and Karyn Cassar
                                                                           Benmar Farm, NSW
                                                                    Carissa and Karyn have been             connection return between ‘we that
                                                                 business partners for about 12 years,      eat’ (all of us) and the land, animals
                                                                 having co-founded together a couple        and farmers that our food comes
                                                                 of businesses in Portland, Oregon          from,” Carissa says.
                                                                 in the United States. Bennar Farm,            Ongoing climate risks and
                                                                 the dairy business they started in         situations no amount of risk analysis
                                                                 December 2013, is their first Australian   could have predicted have been
                                                                 venture.                                   overcome in no small part due to the
                                                                    The duo set out to do things            synergy between the girls, which has
                                                                 differently in the dairy industry.         been critical to everything they’ve
                                                                 Unlike other dairy farms, Benmar           done. “It’s the core fire under it all,”
                                                                 Farm is home to a dual-purpose             Carissa explains.
                                                                 breed of cow that provides greater            The business partners always
                                                                 value as both a milk producer and          seek to challenge themselves with a
                                                                 a beef producer. The cows are also         mindset and focus of “always learn,
                                                                 bred organically for the health and        always analyse, always cross-apply,
                                                                 longevity of both the cow and the          always challenge the answer ‘that’s
                                                                 land. “We want to see a conscious          how it’s done’.”

Melissa Gibson and Warren Sanders
Buckle 1922, NSW
   Buckle 1922 is one of the few              mortage on the family home.
remaining clothing accessories                   Those risks have paid off, with Buckle
companies that still manufactures             1922 now enjoying success not only in
locally in Sydney. The firm remained in       Australia but also in New Zealand and
the hands of its founder’s family until       the United Kingdom. Melissa attributes
Melissa and Warren, who had worked at         this success to offering high-quality
the company for some time, took it over       products at accessible prices, as well as
in 2013 through a management buyout.          the hard work of a team that has been
   The pair sought to reinvigorate the        put together on the basis of equality and
brand, overcoming significant hurdles         cultural diversity: almost three-quarters
to do so.                                     of Buckle’s employees are female; almost
   “No financial institution was willing      two-thirds were born overseas; and over
to fully back or support an Australian        a half consider English as their second
manufacturer in the fashion industry,”        language. The approach has been
Melissa relates. They took a big risk,        rewarded with excellent retention – the
remortgaging their personal assets            average tenure is 14 years – and the value
and, in Melissa’s case, taking a second       of experience that brings to the team.

                                                                                                insidesmallbusiness.com.au – INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS     19
Denyse McDonald
                                                                                                   Currong Comestibles, NSW
                                                                                           Currong Comestibles was          resourceful and creative,” says
                                                                                        launched, in 2012, to introduce     Denyse. She networks with
                                                                                        Australian native flavours to       other business owners facing
                                                                                        a wider audience. Denyse            similar challenges through the
                                                                                        enhances traditional recipes        Females in Food organisation
                                                                                        with unusual “bush tucker”          that is helping her cut the
                                                                                        flavours from native plants,        perceived barriers to her
                                                                                        herbs and fruits.                   progress down to size.
                                                                                           “When someone tastes               Despite monetary
                                                                                        our speciality cordials or          constraints limiting both
                                                                                        chutneys they intrinsically         the product range and
                                                                                        taste the inimitable variation      distribution volumes,
                                                                                        of indigenous flavours in           Currong Comestibles has
                                                                                        recognisable recipes,” she says.    won numerous awards up
                                                                                           As a solo entrepreneur –         and down the country in
                                                                                        Denyse’s husband works as an        their six years of operation,
                                                                                        “offsider” on her market stalls     including two gold medals at
                                                                                        (the products are also available    the Australian Food Awards.
                                                                                        via the company’s website           “These are always ‘wow’
                 Emma Lovell                                                            and selected delicatessens)         awards for us,” Denyse says,
                                                                                        and she employs a casual            “as they are ‘blind tests’ and
                 Cozigo, NSW                                                            sales assistant at larger           we’re being judged against
        When Emma flew with her five-month-old baby Aimee to                            events –with limited resources      some of the best artisan
     introduce her to her grandmother in the UK, the constant to-and-                   “has forced me to be more           producers in the country.”
     fro of passengers, lights and noise meant that neither mother nor
     baby had any sleep on the flight. Emma determined to create a
     product far more effective than the standard bassinet.
        Having drawn up endless designs and had no less than a
     dozen prototypes created, Emma settled on a model only for the
     initial bulk order to arrive from the overseas manufacturer totally
     unsaleable.
        “It was heart breaking to see $25,000 worth of stock being buried
     in landfill and it was extremely hard to stay faithful to the idea as I
     had not yet sold a single item,” Emma says.
        She persevered, nevertheless, officially launching CoziGo in
     April 2015 and stringent quality control measures and insurance are
     staples of the business. Since that early setback Emma has acted
     like a big business, patenting her product to stave off any copycat
     competitors.
        Gaining an investor in Janine Allis on Shark Tank was a highlight
     for Emma – “It was amazing to realise that at least one other person
     except my husband also believed in the idea!” she says – as was
     winning 2017 Best Product in the Mother & Baby Magazine Awards.

                                                                         Pete Wilson
                                                                         Determined2, SA
                                                                  Determined2 started out as a personal         can express themselves under water
                                                               journey for Pete after he sustained a serious    free of gravity.
                                                               work injury in 2007 and reached a point             Pete left school in year nine and has lived
                                                               where his physical recovery was as good          what he calls “a colourful life”, and initially
                                                               as it was going to get. He yearned to work       struggled to believe that he could set up
                                                               with people who were feeling the same way        and run a successful business. Supported
                                                               he did and take the attention away from          by wife Amy and two children and various
                                                               all the things they couldn’t do and replace      mentors, however, he now employs four full-
                                                               it with an exciting experience that made         time staff, six casuals and has four or five
                                                               people smile.                                    volunteers at any one time, many of whom
                                                                  The result is Determined2’s Immersion         started out as clients, and last year was able
                                                               Therapy™, a world first service that liberates   to fund over $165,000 worth of Immersion
                                                               people from the day-to-day restrictions and      Therapy™ sessions to people who otherwise
                                                               offers significant physical benefits as they     wouldn’t have been able to afford them.

20   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
Trent, Operations Manager

                                                                                                                                         backed by Tyro
                                                                                                                                         Pryde Meats
                                                                                                   Tyro
                                                                                                    The Bank that’s
Tyro Payments Limited ACN 103 575 042 AFSL 471951 is the issuer of its own financial products.
See terms and conditions at tyro.com. Please consider whether the products are suitable for you.

                                                                                                    Born for Business
                                                                                                    Save time and money with Tyro’s
                                                                                                    integrated, fast, reliable EFTPOS.
                                                                                                    • Seamless EFTPOS integration with
                                                                                                      over 240 POS/PMS solutions
                                                                                                    • Awesome 99.9% EFTPOS uptime
                                                                                                    • 100% local Customer Support - 24/7

                                                                                                    Visit tyro.com
                                                                                                    EFTPOS | Deposits | Lending
Danny and Shane Gramazio
                                                                   D&S Quality Meats, SA
                                                             Brothers Danny and Shane Gramazio were brought up on a farm by parents who
                                                          then opened a butcher’s shop. The boys spent 13 years learning the trade before
                                                          establishing their own business, D&S Quality Meats, in 2010 bringing countryside
                                                          meats to Adelaide’s northern suburbs. “We are always looking to make our
                                                          customers’ lives easier – everyone works so much these days but we all want to eat
                                                          healthily and enjoy food so taste is more important than ever,” Danny says.
                                                             The early days were hard work – “you can’t buy experience”, Danny says –but
                                                          every crazy Christmas, Easter and long weekend they got through made them
                                                          stronger and better equipped for the next one. Eschewing the budget cuts their
                                                          competitors in the city had been serving up for decades paid dividends, the boys
                                                          doubling their turnover within 12 months which allowed them to open a second
                                                          store: they now have six stores with nine full-time and 16 part-time employees, all of
                                                          whom are northern suburbs locals.
                                                             Having their story open a 400-delegate annual small business event last year
                Aldo Grech                                enabled the boys to take stock for a moment and realise that all their hard work is
                                                          paying off and they really are getting somewhere.
                Essential Leadership, NSW
        Aldo Grech turned the concept of a
     leadership consultancy inside out when he
     opened Essential Leadership in January 2000.
     “It is a journey from head to heart for those
     that understand that heart is essential for real
     leadership,” Aldo explains. “We focus of soft
     rather than hard leadership.”
        Instilling this unique principle to clients has
     often been a great challenge but, ultimately,
     many of them go on to achieve “astounding
     results”, Aldo says, by “conquering the fear in
     the head by operating from their heart, their
     soul, their essence.” Indeed, the biggest hurdle
     of all for Aldo was his making his own journey
     from head to heart, one he says takes boldness
     and humility, something he impresses upon
     his clients.
        Aldo does not only focus on those at the
     top of an organisation, believing that bringing
     out the innate leadership in every individual,
     whatever their role, improves their level of
     fulfilment and, thereby, their attitude to what
     they do, to the benefit of all.
        Essential Leadership is a boutique business
     with a team of five people offering their unique
     service across five territories.

                                                                    Laura Madden and Juanita Mottram
                                                                    Eve Renovations, Qld
                                                            Established in 2010, Eve                   highest level of qualifications and
                                                          Renovations is one of very few female-       licenses so that “no one could dispute
                                                          owned and operated construction              that we had a place in the construction
                                                          companies in Australia, succeeding in        industry.”
                                                          doing things differently and standing           Despite these challenges the
                                                          out in an industry heavily dominated         business has managed to thrive, and
                                                          by companies run and staffed by men.         Laura and Juanita make sure they
                                                            Being female-run means Eve                 celebrate the “little things” such as
                                                          Renovations has been the subject of          obtaining a new licence, winning a
                                                          both admiration and great scrutiny.          tender and graduating apprentices.
                                                          Co-owners Laura and Juanita say                 “We consider our biggest milestone
                                                          that their biggest challenge has             to date as purchasing a dedicated
                                                          been getting themselves to be taken          space for the business, where our
                                                          seriously by peers and professional          office, showroom, and warehouse are
                                                          organisations within the construction        located,” Juanita says. Today Eve has
                                                          industry. They have had to prove             three full-time employees, and up to 12
                                                          themselves by gaining as much                contractors working on projects at any
                                                          knowledge as possible and attain the         one time.

22   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
Flavia Tata Nardini
                                                                    Fleet Space Technologies, SA
                                                                 Despite having only      that covers the planet, creating a world more
                                                               20 employees, Fleet        connected than ever before.
                                                                Space Technologies           Flavia says that starting a space business in a
                                                                is a genuinely            country with no space agency was hard, but that
                                                                pioneering business       bringing the community together and creating
                                                                 that is transforming     the support needed has turned her greatest
                                                                 the future of            obstacle into her greatest asset. “Australia is going
                                                                industries from space     to become an important hub for space tech,”
                                                                by launching a world-     Flavia predicts.
                                                               first constellation           2018 has already provided massive highlights
                                                              of nanosatellites to        for Fleet Space Technologies, from the launch of
                                                             ubiquitously connect         their first satellites to the deployment of their first
                                                            the world’s soon-to-be-       trials and commercial partnerships.
                                                           online 75 billion devices.        “It’s all a dream come true,” says Flavia.
                                                            Rocket scientist Flavia,      “We started with a crazy idea which is now
                                                        who launched the business         becoming reality, and what was real for us is
                                                     in September 2015, says that         slowly becoming true for others as the benefits of
                                                   once live, this network will           building IoT connectivity from space to improve
                                                 create a digital nervous system          the world are becoming apparent.”

Lorraine Gnanadickam
Food St., NSW
   A former cook and a self-professed          The aim is to create Australia’s first
foodie, Lorraine Gnanadickam co-            and largest network for home-cooked
founded FoodSt. in August 2015 to help      food. “It’s thrilling to know that so many
bring home cooking to the gig economy,      people are excited by the concept and
empowering passionate home cooks to         want to see it succeed,” Lorriane says.
earn extra income cooking from home            The highlight for Lorraine is seeing
and helping busy people eat better.         cooks and customers connect to help
   In order to overcome widespread          each other. Whether helping them stress
perceptions about home cooking, FoodSt.     less about their dinner or earning well-
abides by the highest standards in food     needed income by cooking from home,
quality. Lorraine involved food safety      the feedback has been that Food St. –
regulators early on in the process to       which has three full-time employees – is
create a safe and commercially viable       making a difference in the everyday cycle
system for the business, thereby ensuring   of people’s lives. “That is so satisfying,”
its sustainability.                         says Lorraine.

                                                                    Peter Foott
                                                                    Foott Waste and Recycling, Vic
                                                               Foott Waste and Recycling started       a new waste and recycle processing
                                                            its operations in July 1992, providing     facility in 2007, and the recent
                                                            waste disposal and recycling services      acquisition of a much larger 48,000
                                                            across a large swathe of northern          square meter greenfield site will see
                                                            Victoria.                                  the construction of a larger and more
                                                               Such a business requires heavy and      sophisticated waste processing facility
                                                            specialised equipment such as trucks,      that Peter envisages will be the most
                                                            bins, and waste disposal equipment,        significant such operation outside the
                                                            and Peter says sourcing the capital        metropolitan areas.
                                                            to invest in such items was the               Peter puts the longevity of the
                                                            biggest challenge he faced in getting      business down in no small part to
                                                            the business off the ground. He            a focus on attracting and retaining
                                                            persevered, however, with high levels      an exceptional staff and client
                                                            of reinvestment ensuring consistent        base based on values of “locals
                                                            organic growth.                            with locals”. Peter says that this
                                                               This success has enabled the            philosophy “is part of our greater aim
                                                            business to expand its operations          to strengthen our relationships with
                                                            and capabilities. Peter established        the local community”.

                                                                                           insidesmallbusiness.com.au – INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS       23
Cameron Syme
     Great Southern Distilling Company, WA
        Growing up in WA’s north-east wheat               principles, and has a 50-year strategic
     belt, Cameron enjoyed hearing stories of             planning methodology that formulates
     distant relatives in Scotland who gave up the        decisions based on the long-term gain.
     whereabouts of their own illegal distillery to          Among a number of awards the company,
     use the reward money to start a new one. The         which today has 14 employees, won the
     story sowed the seed of a desire to run his          “Best International Craft Whisky” award
     own distillery, a feat he achieved with              from the American Distilling Institute. The
     the establishment of the Great Southern              standout for Cameron, however, was being
     Distilling Company in November 2004.                 appointed as the supplier of whisky to a
        The long ageing requirement for whisky            regiment of the Australian Army he has
     makes it a tough economic proposition, with          long admired and considers as heroes. “To
     the need to invest significantly in capital          be able to give something back and for our
     equipment and operating costs for many years         business to acknowledge people’s significant
     before there’s a return. Cameron adopted             contribution to our society, that is my
     sustainability and Harvard “smart business”          proudest achievement,” Cameron says.

                                                                    Ann and Jeff Ross
                                                                    Hive Haven, Qld
                                                                   Ann and Jeff farmed both honey        commercialisation of native honey.
                                                                  and native bees as a hobby and,           Hive Haven focuses on delivering a solution
                                                                    seeing a gap in the market,          to the global decline in the pollination of
                                                                     officially registered Hive Haven    food crops. “Customers purchase our honey
                                                                      in August 2014. During the         because they know we respect our bees and
                                                                       2013 heatwaves they lost          honour their honey through gentle harvesting
                                                                       their native bees so they         and processing methods, "Ann says. “Native
                                                                        experimented with different      bees are in rapid decline. When people
                                                                       hive building materials and       purchase Hive Haven native honey the profit
                                                                       in December 2017 successfully     goes directly into building a new and viable
                                                                      manufactured their first           agri-business for Australia.”
                                                                     innovative native bee hives,           Anne recently showcased her native bee
                                                                    specifically designed to combat      hive at the Global Forum for Innovations in
                                                                  hive overheating and enable            Agriculture (GFIA), with The Abu-Dhabi
                                                                sustainable harvesting of food-          Food Authority paying for their travel and
                                                              grade native honey and cerumen.            accommodation. “It’s a real confidence
                                                             Knowing their bees were now                 boost to have the hive recognised outside of
                                                      safe, the couple are moving onto the               Australia,” Ann says.

     Mandy Elliott
     Hi-vis Kids, Qld
        In 2008 Hi-vis Kids became the first company to launch a range of
     kids' high-visibility safety shirts. Motivated by a family member who
     was involved in a motorbike accident, Mandy realised there were
     no other children’s safety shirts available. Living in a mining area,
     Mandy saw that kids would have fun being able to dress like mum
     and dad at work while being more easily seen and, therefore, safer.
     “After all, our kids’ biggest role models in the early years are mum
     and dad!” says Mandy.
        Mandy and her husband saved every penny they could for a year,
     taking on second and third jobs to cobble together the $20,000 they
     needed to get the business off the ground. Having done that, they
     then needed to ensure the quality of their garments. "It took a few
     months and multiple factory visits until we got it right,” Mandy says.
        That range has grown through Mandy working to understand her
     customers’ needs and innovating to meet them. “We’re constantly
     testing fabrics, incorporating additional UVP50+ products, kids’
     fishing and swimming garments, hats and new designs,” she says.
        Mandy’s efforts were rewarded with a nomination for the 2014
     Townsville Chamber of Commerce Young Business Person Award.

24   INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS – insidesmallbusiness.com.au
Jo Harris and Lucy Glade-Wright
                                                                       Hunting for George, Vic
                                                                     Launched in August 2010, Hunting for George is a homewares and gifts
                                                                  eCommerce business that has built a passionate and loyal customer base,
                                                                   leading to the brand being named Independent Small Retailer of the Year
                                                                   in 2017. “We do more than just retail, we are storytellers,” explains co-
                                                                   founder Lucy. “We seek to connect with our customer on a personal level,
                                                                   and that authentic interaction is what builds passion and loyalty.”
                                                                     Their rapid growth initially created challenges for Jo and Lucy, with a
                                                                  300 per cent revenue increase in their fourth year requiring them to bring
                                                                 on extra staff for the first time, a move that left the girls questioning what
                                                                their own roles should be. “As most-small business owners will understand,
                                                               you’re used to doing all roles of the business instinctively,” Lucy says. “That is
                                                             fine when it’s just one or two of you, but not when you have a team requiring
                                                           leadership.” The advice of a business coach helped them resolve the issues and
                                                         made them more confident leaders.
                                                          Lucy says that business owners are usually too busy to stop and appreciate what
                                                     they’ve achieved, but that they take great pride in being recognised by their industry
                                                  through the awards they have won.

Alyx Stewart
Kee-Moh Snacks, Vic
   Alyx experienced the devastating         phone and getting plenty of knock
effects chemotherapy and radiotherapy       backs. She had a breakthrough by
have on food and the enjoyment of it        reaching out to people running similar
when battling breast cancer, losing         businesses. “I was astounded, and
45 kg during her treatment. “They           continue to be, at how willing people
alter patients’ taste buds and appetite,”   are to help out another business owner
she explains, “and induce conditions        –it’s very humbling that people actually
such as nausea, constipation, and           want to see you succeed,” Alyx says.
mouth ulcers.”                                 Being a sole operator enables Alyx
   On recovering herself, Alyx set          to quickly incorporate what customers
about specifically designing foods to       are asking for, adding new product
help cancer patients maintain their         lines constantly based on their needs.
nutritional well-being, launching Kee-      An appearance on Today Extra last
Moh Snacks in May 2017.                     year generated an overwhelming
   Alyx was worried her venture was too     public response. Alyx says, “I still get
small to warrant a manufacturer making      goosebumps knowing that my idea
the number of products she initially        and products are helping thousands of
needed, spending a lot of time on the       people.”

                                                                  Antonette Golikidis
                                                                  Little Innoscents, Vic
                                                             When Antonette had her first baby she sought skincare products that were
                                                          chemical-free but discovered there was only a very limited number that were
                                                          difficult to find, too expensive, or weren’t what they said they were. “I was so tired
                                                          of ‘pretend’ organic companies misleading consumers with marketing strategies
                                                          promoting ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ claims without having formulations that abide
                                                          by those claims,” Antonette says.
                                                             So, Antonette began making products in her kitchen and spent 10 months
                                                          perfecting the ingredients. She formulated a nappy rash cream, massage lotion,
                                                          body powder and other products, launching Little Innoscents in October 2017, the
                                                          range formulated to relieve conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis.
                                                             Spreading the word was initially difficult but Antonette believed in the power
                                                          of storytelling in getting potential customers to relate to her brand, making them
                                                          more likely to support it. “Storytelling can have a huge impact on a brand and
                                                          larger companies’ expensive and aggressive marketing campaigns no longer
                                                          dominate the market,” she says. “Small businesses that tell a story are emerging as
                                                          power houses.”
                                                             This year Little Innoscents have been involved in an acquisition that Antonette
                                                          is confident will see its organic growth accelerate.

                                                                                              insidesmallbusiness.com.au – INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS    25
You can also read