30under30 2012

Joel Deakin, the director of the online customised menswear business George & King, is issuing a challenge to bricks and mortar shops. "Our suits and shirts combine luxurious fabrics with personalised details to capture your individual character," says Deakin.

As the 'E' in BnE Media (her sister, Beth, is 'B'), Ellen Harvey has turned a one-off comic-book into a business producing digital storybooks for kids -- featuring the adventures of the two sisters' six-year-old alter egos, complete with illustration, animation and hidden fx.

Newcastle's Leeanne Towse is teaching women of all backgrounds across the Hunter Valley to get vertical. The dance instructor is the founder of mPole, a studio franchise sharing a name with its signature contraption (and former SMART 100 innovation), a sturdy yet mobile dance pole that's easy to set up for performances.

OnTheGo manufactures customised sportswear for diverse sporting and fitness activities, and makes it available for government, not-for-profit, and corporate organisations. It's a brand that's philanthropic, adventurous, even risk-taking, and inextricably tied to the personality of its founder, the 22-year-old entrepreneur, avid cyclist and self-described 'Young Life Champion', Mick Spencer.

Peter Moriarty recalls going about rural Sydney on his push bike to reach friends and family -- to offer them tech support. Fast-forward to age 22, tech support is still in demand and Moriarty is now at it full-time with itGenius Australia, "the IT Department for companies that can't afford their own IT Department," as he puts it.

An event maker for all seasons, Kate Stewart has been jazzing it up with Bright Young Things since 2009. Her catering and organising staff, numbering more than 120, regularly put on one-of-a-kind festivities and theatrics to get people talking.

The removalist industry runs in his family, yet Patrick Hamilton is his own man. Urban Moves came into being to offer more efficient moving and better prices to those with a ton of furniture and just more than an inkling of despair.

Rather than start his own business, Chris Hooper did the next best thing and reinvented an existing one. Considering that most 25-year-old accountants out there aren't running their own firms, Hooper's partnership stake in Cirillo Hooper & Company has been pretty buzz-worthy on its own.

Adam Long's newest venture, Beehive Digital Manufacturing, is devoted to customisable products made with sustainability in mind. Long found his breakthrough in the Panda Pad, a bamboo-cover notebook that pre-sold well over a thousand copies through a crafty Kickstarter campaign.

Most marketers say they have 'social media experience'. Mike Watkins has eight years of it. Knowing Facebook inside-out pretty much from its inception has made the founder of Digiocial into a guru among gurus. Brand Temper is Watkins' latest innovation for helping brands to gauge their social media influence.

In 2001 (yes, he was just 18), Andrew Craig was selling computers to university students out of a townhouse garage. Computer Empire has since moved near Brisbane's CBD, forged a partnership with SuperGeek, and achieved annual turnover of $2 million.

David Dixon's journey started with one girl, an orphan in Uganda who was unable to pay her school fees. As Dixon helped her pursue her education, he learned just how much odds are stacked against young women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. It's common for girls to miss school during their periods, and facing sexual assault is more common than graduating. Many don't attend school at all. Dixon is fighting the odds and making education achievable...One Girl at a time.

Lingerie queen and repeat 30under30 winner Chanel Costabir is branching out with a new service called Sheer Novice, expanding on her conviction that sexy undergarments need not be the exclusive domain of women. Her new service, that is, is tailored specifically for the men who love them.

"You know how recruitment is expensive, frustrating and time-consuming for most companies?" asks Michael Overell, to which most companies will reply: "Word." Those with no frustrations to report have likely discovered RecruitLoop, a service that streamlines the hiring process using third-party recruiters and automated video interviews of candidates.

It took a broken bed in Dubai, a near-death experience in New York and a fact-finding trip to China for Jason Ballo to realise his true calling was at home. With Ballo Furniture, he designs and manufactures all of his own furniture pieces and sells them through his online shop to guarantee the best prices.

Show your support for this outstanding entrepreneur. Tweet this article. 'Like' this post. Leave a comment. Share the love! What is 30under30? 30under30 is an Anthill...

Melbourne's gamers and gamifying entrepreneurs have a home in Geniaus, a collaborative work space and business incubator dubbed a 'frathouse for innovation'. Co-founder Hayden Bowler is celebrating the sale of a venue app to Luna Park, and is aiming to grow beyond the eastern suburbs to the CBD, inside RMIT’s new Swanston Business Academic Building.

Life coach Milan Narayan is an impassioned fear fighter. Through his program Dream Fight Succeed, he enables others to overcome their limits and reach their personal potential. The program's popularity stems from Narayan's commitment to continuous marketing and self-promotion.

David Wei may be less famous for any company he co-founded than for the company that bought him out. That's hardly a weak point, since his first business was Crowdmass, a specialty group-buying site, and the acquisition was made by Groupon. Yes, THAT Groupon.

To prevent social media gaffes, businesses might want to check with James Griffin and SR7, a PR strategist of sorts for Twitter and Facebook accounts. "Our core business is the provision of social media intelligence for our clients when they face complex issues and events -- when keyword search and 'dashboards' won't cut it," Griffin explains.