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.
For the second year running, Anthill’s overall ‘Coolest of the Cool’ Award winner is an Australian medical company, combining the commercialisation of breakthrough research with the impact of saving lives globally. In the final analysis, our judges awarded overall honours to Vaxine Pty Ltd over the other 2009 Cool Company Awards category winners for its success to date in building a platform that will potentially benefit every human on Earth.
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