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What is 30under30?

30under30 is an Anthill initiative launched in 2008 to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among young Australians. This year’s batch of nominees was extensive and impressive. So much so that we believe several young talents who didn’t snag 30under30 top honours still deserve your attention and recognition. We call them our Up-and-Comers. More.

Michael Mironowicz, NSW (b. 1983)

Name: Michael Mironowicz
Age: 28 (Born: January 1983)
Gender: Male
State: NSW

Succeeding in business is important to Michael Mironowicz — mainly because success creates more opportunities to give.

In 2009, Mironowicz brought a background in retail sales into a partnership with longtime friend Andrew Yang, who was running an online consumer-goods seller called The Storehouse. Mironowicz’s sales savvy was just the tonic The Storehouse needed — and The Storehouse gave him the vehicle to reach out to charitable causes.

A dollar from every sale goes to selected charities, Mironowicz says. The list of recipients include The Salvation Army, Starlight Children’s Foundation and the Australian Wildlife Hospital.

The company’s products reach across a broad range of offerings, from consumer electronics to appliances to backyard/home and garden to sportswear, fitness hardware and vitamins. It’s a lot of stuff, reflecting a lot of growth on the company’s part. A business started with about 300 offerings will soon have more than 100,000.

“The Storehouse began with no external funding and minimal internal funding, basically a shoestring budget and a considerable amount of bootstrapping,” Mironowicz says.

When he joined the company as an equity partner and director, The Storehouse was posting $20,000 a month in revenue. Within two months, the amount was boosted to $70,000. Within a year, it was $140,000 — all with a marketing budget of $1,000 a month. Mironowicz expects to finish the current financial year with more than $1.2 million in sales.

“This was achieved largely through expanding The Storehouse from having two suppliers and no commercial clients to six suppliers and two commercial clients,” Mironowicz says.

The “commercial clients” are affiliated retailers for whom The Storehouse offers advertising, and donates a dollar from each commission for a sold retailer product.

As far as building buzz is concerned, The Storehouse scored a hole-in-one by joining Streetworx as the presenting sponsor of the 2009 Australia vs. New Zealand Golf Skins Challenge. The event, which featured stars such as Geoff Oglivy and Michael Campbell, raised half a million dollars for youth organisations and was telecast on Ten One.

Anthill asks: Michael Mironowicz, what’s motivates you?

“The social enterprise aspect of using business to help those in need and less fortunate. By including ‘giving’ as part of the shopping process, the Storehouse empowers everyday people with the ability to make a difference.”

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To check out the full list of Anthill’s 30under30 winners, click here.