30under30 is an Anthill initiative that was launched in early 2008 to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among young Australians. Each year, we invite our readers to nominate young Australian entrepreneurs deserving of recognition for their outstanding entrepreneurial endeavours. Anthill’s editorial team then trawls through hundreds of applications and identifies and profiles the top 30 Australian entrepreneurs under the age of 30. The process culminates in an event held in Melbourne where the 30 winners will network and celebrate. We’ll be releasing this year’s Anthill 30under30 winners over the next couple of weeks via our Twitter account – youngest to oldest.
When asked to create a 30under30 award category that would best suit him, 22-year-old Queenslander David Ball suggested the “Robin Hood Award (for taking some money away from the rich guys and giving it back to the poor guys)”.
Ball, founder and Managing Director of Zebra International, recently launched a new web service, Askatradie.com.au, which caters to the burgeoning Do-It-Yourself (DIY) market by providing consumers with access to trusted, qualified tradespeople for advice and services. He attracted 4,000 customers in only two weeks and has since poached a significant slice of the market from market leaders Telstra and Sensis.
Prior to releasing Askatradie, Ball was short-listed in the 2008 UQ Business Enterprize competition for Zspot, a product for tracking and securing content on mobile devices using GPS. He didn’t win, and now that business is on the backburner while he focuses on Askatradie. But the experience taught him a lot about being an entrepreneur. “Admittedly, I licked my wounds for a while but moved on to something bigger and better, something my heart is truly in.”
In his 30under30 application, Ball wrote, “I don’t think there are too many 21-year-olds out there that within the last year have crossed three of their top ten life goals from their list. 1. Meet Richard Branson (check). 2. Launch own business (check). 3. Turn business into profit (check). All while finishing their biotechnology degree.”
For his creativity, energy and entrepreneurial pluck, David Ball is a fitting recipient of 30under30 honours in 2009.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACCORDING TO DAVID
Why are you an entrepreneur?
If a 21-year-old uni grad with visions of grandeur and working for no pay for 14 hours every day in his parent’s spare room isn’t an entrepreneur, then he’s suspiciously close to being mentally insane. I’d like to think it’s the former!
I think an achievement in itself is starting a business on less money than most people would spend on a big night out.
Moët Hennessy, Selfridges and Burt’s Bees are the first brands to use the platform with launch campaigns already buying over 100 unique pieces of branded content from UK-based content creators.
Following the successful progress of the round one pilot (started in 2016), a second round of challenges for the government’s Business Research and Innovation Initiative (BRII) is open for applications.
The idea for Kaddy was born in between surfs and beers where the pair would discuss a shared frustration with the antiquated ordering and payment methods in the beverages industry.
Yesterday I was in a meeting and the term “best practice” came up. It wafted across the table and went straight up my nose. The meeting was nearly over and I’d made a big enough menace of myself that day to launch into my tirade on “best practice”, so I’ll let you hear it now. It might change the way you think…
The 2011 edition of Enterprize, the seed-capital competition run by University of Queensland’s business school, is under way. The school put together some enlightening video clips in which previous winners of the 10-year-old contest share what they have achieved and learned.
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